Feeling Good

A lot of prayer went into our motorhome decision, going all the way back to last summer.  One day we saw a couple who looked older than us buying a brand new motorhome while we were at the Newmar factory to the next day a good camping friend not waking up that morning, he was 68.  God has a sense of humor I think in giving both sides of an answer which really didn’t help me much!

We are back in isolation after our 2000 miles sequestered trip in the car and motorhome.  We came in contact with a hotel clerk, Jim and his wife who had also been sequestered, and one grocery store visit in our 8 day saga.

But everything went so seamlessly in the midst of the pandemic I think only God could have smoothed the road so well.  And we couldn’t have found a better couple to buy from.  They bought the best of everything, were meticulous all the way down to the files and then left it all for us to have,   including an Epson printer, Blue Ox tow bar, Towmate brake lights for the roof of the Jeep, Air Force braking system so the car brakes with the motorhome.  There are one, if not two, of everything that ever needs replacing at some point including the yearly maintenance filters.  Windshield wipers, water filters, lounge chairs and tables, two sets of wheel covers, etc.  It was like buying a furnished model home.

Of course all that “stuff” sitting all over my house was an accumulation of 40 years and 5 other RVs.  What was now in the motorhome was staying so this others had to go.  I took a second set of sheets, several towel sets, dishtowels and potholders (Sandy was no cook by her own admission).  I wanted my electric can opener, some baking dishes, glasses and coffee cups (just 2 didn’t work).  There are cleaning supplies galore, boxes of trash bags for the self closing can, laundry detergent, toilet chemicals, etc.  Thank goodness for the half bath cabinets where a lot of this is stored.

Once we had all we wanted in the motorhome we tackled the piles at home.  A friend wanted my original bed ensemble from the 5th wheel.  I got it out and put it on the bed in the 5th wheel only to find it on the floor because the buyer didn’t want it.  Ted’s friend runs a camp for at risk boys and he wanted towels and blankets. The rest filled the Expedition up twice and landed at Goodwill, the first place to reopen.  There was a vacuum, Keurig coffeemaker, toaster, Corelleware, silverware, pots and pans, etc.  It is amazing what we had in there.

When we look back over those two weeks we are amazed at what we accomplished while flying by the seat of our pants.  The people paid cash for the trailer and left with a title.  I notified the state of TX that the vehicle had been sold and taken to Arizona then cancelled the insurance.  The truck sold and the people left with a title back to Tyler TX and I did the same notification and cancellation for that.

We were given the title for the Jeep so we insured it and have a paper tag while awaiting the plates and title.  In the meantime it needed a front plate bracket and running boards will get put on next week.

There was a lien on the motorhome so we returned with no title just a bill of sale and odometer reading.  We bought insurance and are awaiting the title to apply for our plates.  That lien has now been removed but we don’t know who is working or not in NCDMV!  We sent both plates back to Jim in NC so he could cancel his insurance.  The motorhome is in storage with no plate yet.  But all in all, things went smoothly.

John and Irene brought us dinner that night and we sat outside at the picnic table to keep distance.

We spent most of the next week getting new homes for all our trailer stuff.  It required redoing some of the closets I had straightened when the lockdown started.  And since I was in them, I decided we should get rid of excess stuff here at home too.

The salons are now open and while Ted went shooting I went to the nail salon.  They had only four customers at a time, wore masks and gloves and there were plastic shields between them and customers.  You had to have an appointment to be inside.  My fingernails had pretty much all broken off so she did the best she could.  I did not want tips put on.  They will grow out quickly.  My toenails  really needed trimming.  It felt really good!

This is the week we should have been in Cancun which was canceled, our Michigan campground reservation had to be pushed back 10 days due to a delayed opening, and our New England trip has been canceled.  Our group is talking to the Holy Land tour people to see where that stands.  I have no idea of how the virus is being handled in Jordan or Israel.  I do know my Israeli neighbor is stuck in Tel Aviv and not allowed to return.