It's official -- we've been in our current home, a 32-foot 'Arctic Fox' fifth-wheel trailer, for more than a year. A year, plus several months, and that doesn't count the old fifth-wheel: we moved into this one last June.
Would we do it again? I asked the Brick that question this morning.
We would.
It's been a stable place to live. We were lucky to have a friend offer to have us stay on his property, which we've mostly done since our house sold last year in September. We cover the increase in utilities, watch over the place while he's gone (surprisingly, a lot) and do various chores to help out. (For example, we'll be painting the house trim when the snow melts.) He doesn't mind if we leave for trips, either.
We've been very comfortable here. Large windows give us a wonderful view of the fields around us, and the landscape further on. Fans and air conditioning have saved what's been an incredibly muggy, hot summer. Now that snow's on the ground, we not only have heat, but an electric fireplace to make things cozy. Though it's been chilly enough that I may actually have to start wearing socks. (That comment is for the Brick, who likes to fuss about my barefoot state.)
All the essentials -- and a bunch of luxuries -- are included in this trailer. I can run any appliances I want, thanks to electricity. Internet works fine here. We don't have cable. (We could, if we wanted to.) But we do have a large HD tv, access to Amazon Prime, and DVDs to watch, thanks in part to our local library's sale room. (Hey, at $2 for any DVD, tv series included, it's hard to go wrong. I check out quite a few, as well.) The only drawback: no dishwasher or washing machine/dryer. We can use our friend's washer and dryer for the latter -- and have gone without the former just fine.
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| All the comforts of home -- because that's what it is. |
It's kept our expenses down. We paid for this trailer with the insurance settlement from the old one. We still need to cover insurance and utilities -- and several items have been ordered for upkeep purposes. That included a generator, which wasn't cheap; some costs connected with the solar array are in the near-future, too. But compared to a mortgage or rent, it's not bad at all.
Yet we can take our home with us, at a few hours' notice. What if The Mama gets sick, and needs us? No problem -- pull up the jacks and pack things up. In fact, we have plans to spend October with her in Michigan, and enjoy the fall colors there, before heading out for another month of travel. (We've both wanted to see Gettysburg and Valley Forge.) Then we'll be back in Colorado for the holidays.
Sure, there have been negatives. And the major ones are:
Limited space. We no longer have room to stockpile anything -- including the foodstuff I'd be doing, to help with uncertainties ahead. (On the other hand, this may be a positive; both of us can be real packrats.) A good bit of the things we couldn't bear to let go are in storage at The Mama's in Michigan. We stop by there periodically to check on her and choose things we need. If that weren't possible, we would most probably build or buy a small cabin or storage shed, on a piece of land we can park the trailer on, as well. (That's actually one of our future plans.)
We do keep some canned goods, frozen pizza, etc. in our friend's basement, which helps.
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| The chairs and dining table top all lift up, for additional storage underneath. Cool, huh? Additional lift-up or pull-out storage is under the couch and bed. |
Cellphone coverage can be iffy. We get texts just fine, but cell towers are not plentiful, so close to the mountains. Sometimes phone calls get through, sometimes they don't. We return calls while doing errands in town. (Castle Rock, our old home spot, is not that far away.)
No access to ALL of my books. I know, Gentle Readers. This is silly, considering the wide range of the internet and all. But I miss my books. I miss being able to hold them, and have them around me. I had to give away or sell hundreds of them. Maybe that small cabin can have bookshelves, as well.
A shower -- but not a bathtub. No more long baths...whcih help a lot with aches and pains. I am still dealing with a bum right knee and some leg issues. The Brick has similar problems, particularly with his shoulders. Visits to our state's hot springs help, but it would be nice to soak now and then.
A smaller bathroom than normal. It's not fun, either, if you're sick with stomach issues. On the other hand, it's closed off, for privacy.
Limited counterspace. The Brick likes to leave freshly-washed dishes out to airdry...which is fine, until I make bread or prepare supper. Then those dishes must be put away, if I want any room for chopping or kneading.
The stove's a little small, too, but I can handle that. The pilot light for the oven heats up the trailer, though, on hot days -- which means we leave it off. Then it has to be relit, if I'm baking something. In the fall and winter, that's not an issue, because we leave it on 24/7.
Emptying the tanks isn't fun. However, it's doable -- and we stretch that time by not putting paper down the toilet. Instead, we use the Mexican method: placing used tissue in a closed-up can. This is surprisingly easy, once you get used to it -- and the smell is pretty much nonexistent, thanks to regularly emptying the plastic bags. We estimate that when we're boondocking (out in the boonies, relying on our own power), we'll need to empty and fill the tanks every 3 weeks or so. In town, it's at least a month.
Winterizing isn't fun, either. We normally stay hooked up to our friend's electricity and water system -- but the water can freeze in weather like this. (We have a heat tape, but it's not long enough.) In cold weather, though, the Brick disconnects the water connections, and we use the tanks, instead.
There must be a better solution to this problem than just heading south.
We can bump into each other sometimes. Fixing breakfast is probably the most difficult, as the Brick tries to make coffee and I get the eggs cooking. (I usually just wait until he's finished.) If one of us wants to watch a movie or listen to political videos, the other person gets to listen, as well.
We do take time to go do errands or meet with friends solo -- but that doesn't happen much. I love the Brick, and love to be with him. That's why I married him, after all. He must feel the same way about me, because we spend a lot of time together. He's been essential for photographing items for appraising collections...or the books.
This afternoon, I've been typing, classical music wafting out of Youtube, while the Brick works nearby. The dogs snooze in front of the fireplace. In spite of the cold and snow evident out the windows, it's warm...and very peaceful.
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