A Week At Lebanon Hills

This week we are comfortably snuggled into a spot in the Lebanon Hills RV Park in Apple Valley, MN. We've met the neighbors - a couple from San Diego, here for a few weeks visiting their children and grandchildren on one side, and full-time Escapee members, like ourselves, from Texas on the other.

Over the weekend, we pulled out everything in our "basement," did some needed redistribution, and threw away a bunch more stuff. Yes indeed, we're still purging. One of the very important things we need to keep in mind is weight. Every motor coach has a recommended weight it is designed to carry, and going over that weight maximum can create problems for the motor home as well as potential fines - especially should we ever be involved in a roadway accident (God forbid!).

So all that heavy glass, iron, and pottery in my kitchen will have to be carefully scrutinized and no doubt significantly downsized. After all, how many glass jars does one really need for food storage? In my "brick and mortar" days, I might have answered - "How much empty space is there?" But, when weight is suddenly an issue, and plastic is not an acceptable alternative, the answer is more like, "How much do I really need to store?" And the answer to THAT question is, a much smaller amount than I used to store when I was buying in bulk.

The moment of truth will come next week when we drive this baby onto the scales. Our allowable weight is about 3,500 pounds. I'm not optimistic.

But that's next week.

Yesterday we had a lovely Sunday. We "went to church" online at Wooddale, which streams all its services, and then took a walk and enjoyed the beautiful creative work of God. In the evening, we thought it would be nice to light a fire in the fire pit and sit outside for a while to close out the weekend with some quiet relaxation time. We managed a pathetic little fire that lasted about twenty minutes before going completely out. It started to drizzle about half way through. Eventually, the bugs and humidity and the sad dead little smoking fire pit sent us back inside. But, it was all good nonetheless, and gave us a taste of what's to come, when the work-a-day world no longer defines our life.

Time to go. I have to sit outside for the next couple hours and experience the Great American Eclipse. In my neck of the woods, it will be approximately 85%.

Now, where did I put those glasses?...