Raining Cats and Dogs

Thankfully, we have not experienced the flooding that has plagued Louisiana in the past weeks. However, the weather in recent weeks has become rather wet. I get many questions about the rain and how it affects us. Obviously, it usually causes us to all be stuck inside. Kailyn is a special exception to this. Even during light rain you can find her outside wandering and wondering. She doesn’t like to be confined and enjoys the outdoors in spite of the weather. This is wonderful for her- but the rest of us don’t fit into that category. 

Korbin is a more structured kind of guy. He likes specific conditions to assure his comfort. Don’t get me wrong; he’s a Life Scout, camping frequently and enjoying those times, but he wants to be comfy at home. In wet weather you can usually find him watching videos or playing games, and occasionally drawing. I’m sure that’s not the best thing he could do, but it is what it is. He recently started running cross country, so he will get out when it isn’t too wet and run. 

Lacey goes back and forth. She plays games, watches TV, draws, and also joined the cross country team as a junior runner. She also likes to explore outside, but only when it’s comfortable for her, which is more often, apparently, than it is for Korbin.


As for Maddox- he is just about attached to a device of some kind. Weather makes no difference. I’m sure that’s not healthy. I have to force him outside when the weather clears. Here we are on a date to Starbucks. In case you're wondering, our internet is sketchy at best and I'm limited to just a few random and useless (to me) websites. I can print, however, which is a major improvement. (the printer is wireless and I don't have the wherewithal to figure out how it works with a cord, since it seems you have to speak the magic words to make that work.) Maybe it's the modem. I don't know, but someone will need to figure that out. The saga continues.


I always have plenty to do. Not that I don’t have the kids do stuff- I have no qualms about interrupting their free-for-all to help, and for the most part, don’t have any issues there. What I would do if I was one of them is read. All. Day. Long. (I'm not a princess. If I were a princess, I would read all day long.) Currently that is what I do before sleeping, and it’s hard to get far in a book (or six) when it’s really time to sleep and you’ve had a full day.

There are some things that change in inclement weather when you’re in a tiny space. The first thing on my mind is whether we’ve left anything outside. That’s pretty normal for any household, but we try to leave our shoes outside instead of making a mountain of shoes where there’s no room and no closet like we were used to. The shoes belong in the “basement” but at the moment, it’s a massive pile of shoes. I don’t really want wet or muddy shoes on top of the dry and clean ones. I’ve been eyeing a shoe rack at Bed Bath & Beyond and I think that might help tremendously. We also spend time in the evenings on the “patio” (it’s an RV patio rug in front of the RV) watching the Astros play or the stars. (There is still enough light pollution that prevents good stargazing so we couldn’t really see the Perseides meteor shower a couple weeks ago.) We have to make sure we put the patio furniture cushions away in the basement as well. The patio awning is really nice, as we can sit outside in the rain unless the wind is blowing. We can even watch TV out there, as the TV in the master bedroom is on an arm mount that can be easily moved inside or outside. Another thing that happens in the rain is the steps get wet. Before we even moved in I bought little carpet covers for the steps. A couple days ago I got tired of wet steps, so I removed them. As I feared from the beginning, the metal steps proved slippery and the main issue with that is that the dog started slipping and hurting herself. Even Gravity Girl slipped once and that was the last straw. I put the step carpets back immediately, getting out the shop fan to hopefully dry them out in place. (More about the super hero names later.)

Inside, my main concern is the large slide. It holds the couch, and is so large that the awning above the slide tends to hold water. It seems to be spring loaded, but I worry that the weight of the water will stretch the awning, so I will close the slide when the awning gets weighed down. This requires everything in the living room to be cleaned and tucked away. I have to put the dog in the kids’ room and close the door because she is goofy and runs circles around the island as I close the slide, with her ultimate goal of getting caught between the island and the couch, I suppose. 

Another major issue with the rain is that it’s rather difficult to dry your clothes on the clothesline like that. I have given up the clothesline thing and just started using my mom’s dryer. The only reason I didn’t before is that Kailyn has such sensitive skin that I was concerned about the residue in the other dryer and whether it would cause problems for her. So far it has been ok, although I can smell other soap on my clothes. (I'm not a princess.) Our dryer is not plugged in because the plug is not suited for the outlet, and the dryer that is already there has priority. Running a new power cord to a new outlet can’t happen since the breaker box is full. We are thinking about building a shed of some kind close-by so that we can run power to it from our breaker box and put our dryer in there.

I also get questions about the rain- whether it’s louder in here. I would say, yes, it is. However, with the air conditioners, it doesn't really make much difference. If you’ve ever been in a room with a window unit, you would know what I mean. Imagine having a window unit in your ceiling- above your TV. That’s not my favorite thing here, but we figure it out. Sometimes we just turn off the AC while watching. The TV stays off, for the most part during the day. I hate the TV and the sound it makes, so I prefer it to be off. We will watch something educational here and there, or I might do a You Tube video of something I subscribe to, but the TV is mainly here for Jeff. Once he has a shower after work, at least one of the TVs is generally on until he’s sleeping. 

Here is Jeff indulging in the delicious chocolate cake batter I made for his 40th birthday. (I cheat and mix it in the Vitamix. You really should check out the linked blog. Awesome.) When he is home, he likes to walk around the property, shoot turtles, cut paths in the woods, or watch TV. Occasionally, there are items on the “honey do” list, but I usually keep that pretty short since I enjoy home projects myself. The next thing on his list is to help me install the last of three closet rods. The original closet rods limited us on hanging space, but my lovely new ones from Bed Bath & Beyond are so much more functional for us. It is uncommonly difficult to hang these by myself, as all pieces have to be held in place as the screws are mounted. This last rod (65" and 3 brackets) may require an additional helper to hang.
 Looks like a fun way to hang clothes, no?

The only family member I haven’t mentioned related to the weather is the cat. That darn cat. Fluffy truly is a member of the family, and most likely, is Korbin’s favorite. She was happily prowling the outdoors at night between dark thirty and bedtime, consistently using her litter box that we had moved under the RV far away from foot traffic. She would go a little crazy or meow at the door and was the princess that could come and go as she pleased. Life was good and we were happy. Then the series of storms and wet weather blew through and she- for the first time ever- peed (right in the middle near the pillows) on OUR bed. I was gone all of that day and left Korbin in charge with Maddox there. Apparently, Korbin didn’t notice her craziness or perhaps she didn’t want to go out in the wet weather (most likely) so she just found the one place to go that would hold the greatest impact. We kept a protective cover on our bed for years, but like I mentioned, she has never done this before, so we unfoundedly felt safe that she would never betray us in that way. Rest assured, cat lovers, that we (begrudgingly) put her litter box back in the itty bitty bathroom and the kids are back to square one. Have you ever tried to remove cat pee from your bed? Sheets can be sanitized, but I’m convinced mattresses should be burned. (not a princess) We made a futile attempt to clean with the shop vac, but ultimately decided to call it quits, hung our heads and settled for the queen air mattress intended for the living room sofa bed. I'm not sure why it was a good idea to add a faux button-down texture to the air mattress which adds humongous indentions in the top. Who sleeps like that? I have to get my heels just right in one of the dips to get semi-comfortable. (Ok, so I might be a princess.) The cat is banned from the room. If she puts one claw in the air mattress, Jeff and I will be on the couch. Within three days of the disaster I ordered the mattress I had talked about for a couple of weeks. I feel like my research was cut short; I am not sure I got the mattress I really wanted, but desperate times call for desperate measures. It has been a week and a day since I placed the order. Since the company is so new, the message on their website stated it could be two weeks before it came. I was disappointed, but hoped it would be sooner, and that the wait would be worth it. Yesterday, I received notification that it has been shipped!! The mattress should arrive by the end of the day this Thursday, two days from now. I’m excited. When it comes, I will sleep on it for a while and then tell you what we got.

Before the rain hit we all went to the back of the property and planted a cornfield. We don’t really eat corn. I can’t remember why we planted it, but my mom wanted to and many hands make light work. 

And goats, apparently, adore pine trees. Notice the leash. Mae is an awesome goat. She loves going on a walk to "browse." (Browse- what they call it when goats forage for brush. They don't really eat grass the way you'd think if you didn't have a goat.)

Kailyn, me, Jeanette, and Maggie having dinner on our awesome girls' weekend before AHG Academy. (Thanks, Jeanette, for the idea and invitation!) Kailyn took the picture. Don't know how I'd have any fun without her. We lovingly refer to her as Gravity Girl. That is because gravity affects her most often. I can't say she's the least coordinated, but she's the least lucky on that aspect- or maybe she just doesn't care and things happen when you just go for it anyway. Friday we thought she might have broken her elbow when she fell several feet from a tree and landed on it. With a little arnica gel the next evening, she was good to go. (Thank you, Heather Ellsworth!! I love that stuff!) 

Lacey and Maddox working on their assignments on their first day of 5th and 3rd grade at Starbucks. Lacey gets the superhero moniker, Spider Monkey, which is kind of an obvious choice for her. She's always been a climber. Maddox receives the title of Captain Obvious. I'm not sure why, but he just can't help but to state what is plain as if it is some great revelation. I'm not talking about new discoveries, but the mundane. Korbin hasn't been given a name by the kids yet, but they call me Word Girl. I have called it my superpower. Please don't judge my blog. It's more about the way I can feel what words mean and often how to spell them. I'm not the best at it, but words make me happy. Nice words, that is. With that said, I'm way past my word goal for this post, so until next time, adieu!

DOWNsizing

Going from a spacious two-story home to a fifth wheel requires significant downsizing. Let me assure you that even though we began the process of purging back in February, that now in August, we are far from our goal. Letting go is not easy. For the past month I would rummage through boxes of stuff we have in the laundry room building and just close the boxes back and leave them be. It is emotionally draining to look at each thing and decide its fate.

Our stuff is in six places on two properties. Most of what we are keeping is here in the RV with us. Most of our outdoor stuff is in our shed that we brought with us; the rest is in the workshop building on the property. Many boxes and our washer/dryer are in the laundry room building here. The rest of our stuff is upstairs in Jeff's parents' house, in the upper room and filling their attic.

Yes, it really does fill their huge attic! What a mess! (I'd say about 75% of this is ours.) A couple weeks ago I went over there and took as much as I could fit in the back of the Suburban. As we were moving they got less and less excited about us bringing stuff to fill the attic. We are so very blessed to have use of their home for storage, as it saves us in storage unit fees. (We usually try to treat them to dinner or something each month as a 'thank you' gesture, although I know they don't expect anything in return.)

This is what we've done to their upstairs spare room and workout space. Much of this would be ruined in a hot and humid attic. I can't wait to get this cleaned out for them!!

This is the inside of one of the closets in that room. I couldn't bear to part with all of my books. I sold many at Once and Again bookstore, donated some, and still have many more (kids' books that Kai is keeping) that I'm not sure where to put. My current use curriculum books fit in the RV.

Here is the stuff in the laundry room building. I spent over two hours getting it to this point this morning before it got too hot. I would have taken a before picture, but I truly believed I had already done that. :(

I hope that once all of the boxes are sorted, items donated or sold, and we have officially completed the downsizing process that I will feel more peaceful. It really is nice to be in a tiny space. I know it isn't for everyone, and I'm not sure I could have done it before now. I felt God preparing me in the last few months for this move. While fixing up the house for sale, I was acutely aware of the distance I needed to walk from room to room, the sprawling size of each room, and how much time it took me to do things that required walking from room to room. That sounds absurd, but that's how I felt during that time. I enjoy having everything in arm's reach in the kitchen and bathroom. Once I get rid of the extra junk I will have less stuff to burden my time and thoughts. That is what I mean when I say I would like to feel more peaceful. With great possessions come great responsibility. 

I'd much rather focus on the now. Korbin will be 18 in a year and a half. (!) He is entering his junior year of High School. I have a full course-load for him this year. I'd like to really help him hone his skills in APA formatting, finish his Eagle project, start driving, and encourage him to pursue a passion. He wasn't interested in driving while living in such a busy part of town. Once we began the process of moving, he finally told me he wanted to. Of all the kids, he is probably feeling the tightest squeeze from this living arrangement. He is very stoic about the whole thing most of the time, though. Being mid-summer in the Houston area makes it hard for him to get out much, as he thoroughly enjoys the cold and equally detests the heat. We'll see how he does in the winter. Depending on his life plans, he may not be here more than 2 winters. (yikes!) I just can't imagine. I'm so not there yet, but all I can do is just make sure to help him be ready for it and let go of him when he is.