Looking forward on the calendar to next week, I had scheduled a few days off so I could tow The Box (RV trailer) up to our Sanderling lot and get it set up for the season. However, the latest forecast features below-freezing temps and snow for Thursday and Friday, the days I had planned to make the trip.
Next week’s forecast in Como
In light of road conditions, I have to re-think my timing and schedule the drive to the high country the following Monday – Tuesday, if I can get my boss to agree to the switch in vacation days. I wouldn’t mind the colder temperatures – The Box has a furnace for the overnight stay – but I am reluctant to try to get up the driveway if it’s covered in 3 – 10 inches of new snow. Actually, the ground at elevation is already warm enough so snow wouldn’t accumulate, but slush on the driveway is just as difficult to travel through.
We continue to prepare The Box for summer use. Pam bought a few new rugs to replace the old ones we had been using and, during the last grocery shopping trip, we began buying the consumables needed to restock the pantry. I took the one empty propane tank and had it filled, so now both tanks are full and ready to go. The tanks are 7 gallon (30 pound) tanks; cost to fill one tank (6.8 gallons) came in at $21.53 with tax. Last year we used about 14 gallons – two tanks worth – through the summer. That was a bit less than average as we did not get up to The Lot until June due to using the RV for housing during a visit from the kids.
Technology Update: This may sound a bit odd, but we have never owned a family cell phone. Really. I have carried a cell phone for years, but it’s a company-issued phone. This year, for Mother’s Day, I signed Pam up for a plan that included an iPhone 6s. Now comes the learning curve…
Pam’s new iPhone 6s
Given the time we’ll be on the road this summer, often in different vehicles, a cell phone seems like a good investment. I will have my “official” phone and Pam will carry the family phone. So far Pam has set up a couple contacts, taken a photo and e-mailed it to herself, sent and received text messages (to and from me) as well as changing a few settings (ring tone and background screen) to begin personalizing her account. It will take a bit to get everything set up the way she likes but the process has begun.
The account was set up through Verizon as they offer a government employee discount. This makes Verizon competitive with T-Mobile, Sprint, Consumer Cellular, and other carriers. The 400 minutes (plus a suite of other services) came in at about $48.00 per month with no charge for the phone. Contract is month-to-month, which has both some pros and cons; Pam will see how this plan works out for her. The main thing is having a phone. The other services will get occasional use but I doubt if she will use it to view movies, stream data, or do video chatting to any great degree.
Locally here in town, the free dumpster has arrived. Woo-hoo! The arrival of the roll-off dumpster is an annual event that is supposed to encourage home and lot clean-up. This generally helps; the dumpster, a large commercial-size unit, always gets filled to capacity. Each year we find a few things to dispose of. This year it was an old office chair [that we replaced a couple months ago] – we purchased the original office chair in Hillsboro, OR (1986?) at a sidewalk sale for $5, think we got our use out of it.
That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!
Pam’s Two Cents Worth:
I’ve resisted the expense/hassle of a cell phone for years. I don’t find their operation particularly intuitive. However, I also don’t fancy myself stuck on the side of a mountain road with three dogs and no way to contact assistance. Guess I’m losing the sense of adventure as I age.
It’s Mother’s Day. Did your children remember? Likely not. Another one of those manufactured Hallmark holidays.
Crazy Cat Lady Update: I did manage to capture the petite black cat [I think is pregnant] from the back deck feeding station. Led me a merry chase, that one. Now to see if the animal actually is pregnant, or even is female. I follow my instincts and observations (rapid weight gain, interaction with male toms), but I’ve been known to be inaccurate in identifying gender for feral cats.
Happy Trails.
Any phone service in your mountain get-away???
I have Verizon and generally receive and place phone calls and text messages without problems. There are “dead” spots around, though, so coverage is not continuous.
Concerning water: Pam mentioned we don’t drink the local water. Reason is that it sits in our storage tank for a couple weeks at a time and gets stale. I’ve had the water many times and it is good quality, no problems with it. Issue is more of storage than quality.
Keep in mind that I need you to map me out a route from your place to Estes Park…We can do that after we arrive.
PS Cog train to pikes pike all booked up already