Onboard Bucha!

Jars peeking out of their warm jacket.

My four happy gallon jars.

  Even though we have parked the RV in the driveway, and have acclimatized back into “Sticks-n-Bricks” living, my kombucha jars are still happily brewing away in the motorhome. Since we have the solar panels and I have the heated jacket set-up, it just seems easier to keep them in there, ready for the next trip! The thermostat keeps the temp fairly even by turning on the seedling mat when needed and the insulated jacket keeps in the warm while allowing it to breathe.

   I had the fun of giving away some kefir grains (connection made through Freecycle) but then she came back for a kombucha SCOBY and watched as I bottled my latest batch in the motorhome Which also led to some discussion of RVs! I love teaching people about kombucha and how to brew it, and since she had done her homework, it was more a matter of answering questions and filling in things for her.

The thermostat running the seedling mat.

   I also left some kefir ‘grains’ with my sister on our way home, and I enjoy her enthusiastic reports of the things she is making with it, how much better she feels drinking it, and her excitement over the first time she got the share her ‘grains’ with someone. The ‘grains’ grow, so it’s kinda like Friendship Bread, only healthier. It is such fun to share these life-giving foods with people.

    With all I have learned, I have come to appreciate the amazing diversity of microbes that normally inhabit our bodies and guts and the critically important roles they play in our health and wellbeing. As I eat I am conscious of the need to protect and help these beneficial microbes to flourish. Hence my food choices. And herbs rather than drugs when possible. (See my Page on the Ferments: Terrific Trio)

    Since today’s post is all about these foods, here is a recipe for those of you who want a little walk on the Wild Side: 

Kefir Cream Veggie Dip:

½ Cup kefir cream* (put ‘grains’ in whipping cream for 24 hours)

Pinch of salt – to taste

Pinch of pepper—to taste

½ tsp Dried onion flakes

½ tsp dried dill or basil   (can use fresh, use less)

Still all together and chill for 10 – 15 min. This makes a very creamy, high probiotic veggie dip.

*you can also use kefir that has been drained in a cheesecloth for 12 – 24 hours. 

Enjoy! And feel free to ask questions.

Where did my Comfort Zone go?

    We've been home for a week, now. It still feels weird.
    When we first walked into the house after 96 days of being on the road, it all looked the same as when we left it. There was our house as usual, all our usual stuff. The same. But....we are not. It is not the same feeling of 'coming home', of slipping back into a comfort zone, a familiar routine. My comfort zone has clearly moved! I found it slightly melancholy to unload the RV, turn off the fridge, 'move' back into the house.
   Oh I enjoy the unlimited hot water, the larger fridge, the bigger kitchen. It just doesn't feel as 'at home' as it once did. It feels like luxury. There were very few things left behind that I missed. Do I really need all of this stuff? Clearly not, since we have done without it for over 3 months. I find myself almost resenting most of it. It demands that I do something with it, if only to dust it. It took me less than a day to start the give-away box, and since it is full, I need to find another...and another!
   There's something about being in a smaller space that changes your perception of stuff and the 'need' hierarchy. We did fine with what we had, missed very few things we left behind, and now look forward to freeing ourselves from the 'Tyranny of Stuff' whether we keep the house or not. For now we are content to keep this as our summer home, our home base.
   I am much more aware of being careful of resources; electricity, water, disposal, space, energy, money. When living in a small space and especially without any hook-ups, one is forced to make the most of what you have. There is a certain satisfaction that comes from doing without, or with less, or for longer. It's empowering to make those choices that save power, water, money; a sense of adventure when you rise to meet the challenge; how long can I go without____? How can I do this with less ___?  Living life on the edge!
 

Last leg of the Journey--for now

     The urgency to get back into Washington was driven mainly by my need to renew my drivers license. This year of all years, I was unable to do this online, so I needed to find a DOL office. When we stopped in Kelso to gas up, there just happened to be an office less than a block away, so  I ran over and got my license renewed  in the time it took him to fill the tank! I love small towns!
    We then went on to park at our daughter's place near Enumclaw where we got to spend time with the grandchildren, meet the new kitties, pet the dogs, feed the bunnies and chickens, collect eggs and help move straw. They are also busy planting the starts in their garden that have been sprouting up in the greenhouse. It's a great farm atmosphere with lots of different animals and growing things all around. Love it there!

Between us is the covered porch and a taller roof is in process for over their RV. 

The view from the front of our rig.

   But finally on Saturday, we pulled up levelers once again for the last time in awhile and made the final leg of our journey to home. 

   One drawback to our driveway is the downward slant to the parking pad. Our street is on a hill, and our driveway slants yet another direction making for weird tilting as we pull out or back in. (This tests how well we packed!) 

    I am behind the wheel and as I back in, Jerry places leveling blocks under the drivers side rear wheels to lift the back up enough to clear the cement. It is not a pretty sound when it scrapes! When we first brought the rig home, not knowing for sure how we would do this, it took about 15 - 20 min to get it parked. Jerry now has it down to a science where we can get it parked in under 6 minutes.

    When we first left for Arizona, we found that parking the rig in our driveway with a full tank of gas is not a good idea! Since then we have learned many other helpful things, and now that we are home we have several ideas of how to make our rig more efficient and livable and yes, lighter!

Home Port for the Queen Mary!

Into Oregon

Mountain Aire Meet-up!

      Staying overnight at a casino that caters to truck drivers makes for a rather noisy and crowded stay. When we first drove into Rolling Hills Casino in Corning, CA, we saw these two other Mountain Aires like ours, so we parked between them. We got to chat with both owners and found that they were a '98, '99 (ours) and 2000! All in a row. We decided we must be a Mountain Aire Rally! It was fun to see the 2000 inside since it looks so much like ours but it had custom features....and it was blue! I almost gave them my number and told them that if they decided to sell to call me first! Amazingly, between us all there were two trucks and another RVer parked! I am astonished at how close those truck drivers can park their rigs. They have some real skill!
     Since it was a bit noisy, we were up and on the road pretty early for us. We decided to postpone breakfast and just took off after gassing up. Breakfast was at a Truck stop near Weed, CA where we gassed up again and took a bit of a break after two hours of driving.
    It was an exciting moment (for me) when we crossed the state line into Oregon! Back in my home country. Ah, breathe the air!

A restful stop.

    The next break was between Medford and Grants Pass at a Rest Stop that also has a State Park next to it. Not only are there lots of BIG trees around here, I also saw MOSS for the first time in over 3 months! I had a lovely walk here which made a great break from the road.
     We had planned to make a stop for a night or two at Timber Valley SKP park in Sutherlin, but we were doing so well we decided to just keep going.

     We finally pulled onto my sister's street in Albany around 6pm, having done just over 400 miles that day. We were glad to get off the road! With the permission of her neighbors, we were able to park across from her house for a couple of nights and have a lovely visit.