RV Life - Trials and Triumphs

I've been living the tiny home/RV life for nearly 7 months now, counting my summer in Karma, and then moving into Gertie in September. There are trials and there are tribulations...as long as the tribulations are in the lead, it's all good.

Water - because the water reservoir is not particularily large, nor is the tiny hot water tank, I have not been showering in the RV. Instead I've been washing up by sink and showering at friend's houses, however now that I am no longer curbside camping on Empress, that option is much more bothersome. So this week I washed my hair in the sink with water warmed on the stove. Not too bad...haven't done a sink hair wash since the 80's in Grand Bruit when the water froze up each winter. Next I may try a bath if I can figure out how to use the hot water tank. The water reservoir has a funny taste so I don't drink my water from there unless it's been boiled, so I have been filling up a 10l water container at my friend's houses for drinking water as Victoria has very good tasting water, so why pay money for what I can get for free? Then I moved off the block - will get to that shortly. So now I have been filing a 1.5l water bottle at work and bringing it home each night, but that is not really enough water and I have not found an outdoor tap at the building I park by now. I think I might just get 2-3 of those 10l containers of water on payday and then refill them at a friends house or work once a week.

Parking - I had finally had enough of the parking enforcement folks ticketing me. I went 3.5 months without a single ticket, and then bam, one ever few days, and they tell me they are complaint driven which is utter bullshit. The bylaw simply says that a motor home cannot be parked on a residential street after 10pm and before 6am. I got a ticket at 10pm, right on the nose, and one at 10:10pm, and 10:12pm, and 10:30pm. Someone is simply being an asshole. I don't know why either as I was not taking up a lot of space, nor was I blocking anyone. I parked in front of three different buildings that each had their own parking lot and were not private residences. The huge garbage trucks had no issue getting by as they roared past, so someone just didn't want me parked there. So last week I was forced to seek a more stable parking space. I had emailed about this one in December with no response so when I saw it was still on kijiji, I phoned the guy and within an hour or so, I had signed a rental agreement for a parking stall next to an apartment building on Pandora Avenue, right on a bunch of major bus routes, including one to my work. It is a bit tricky to get out of as I must either back in or out, and haven't attempted that just yet, but next week for sure. Some guy keeps parking behind me so I let him a little note last night asking him not to block me in as it I have rented all 50 feet of it. The space is also a bit of a slanted one, so when I am parked front in first, the front end is tipped down and to the left. I couldn't sleep in the living room anymore despite stuffing several pillows and blankets under the mattress to level things out. I moved back into the bunk room which had really dried out by this point so was fine to return to. The pros are that thearea is fairly quiet to sleep in, and WAY less sirens all night long, no more parking tickets, and far less drama on the new block.

Propane - Most of what I use daily is propane fuelled - my fridge, stove, and heater all run on propane I stopped using the furnace as it sucked the juice out of the battery like nobody's business. Now the battery only has to run the LED lights and the water pump. The LED lights barely draw a charge, as I swapped out the old-fashioned energy suckers that came with the camper. The propane stove is wonderful to cook on, and the oven albeit small, is very functional and easy to bake in. The fridge is plenty big enough for what I need, however is not a frost free model, so I must soon defrost it or give up the freezer...The propane heater works like a champ, much more efficient than the furnace and I keep two vents in the roof open at all times to allow oxygen levels to remain safe. The heater has an oxygen sensor too and I have a carbon monoxide detector as well. Initially I was nervous about the propane heater but have grown more comfortable with it over the past weeks. I would still like to be able to stick the tank in an outside compartment but I couldn't drill through the box where the generator was with the drill bits I borrowed. So for now, the new tank is under my bed. The vent is over my bed. I'll be fine. The pro is - propane is super cheap. The con is - I have to drive the RV to fill both the on-board tank and the portable tank.. 

Power - well, basically the rest of my power is sourced from my solar charged battery bank. I have two deep cycle marine batteries that are charged through a controller connected to two solar panels I have mounted on the roof. The power is then sent to an inverter that converts the stored energy into a voltage I can use. My inverter has three plug-ins, and a USB charge port. We are in the rainy season of Victoria, so my solar is not able to charge the batteries to full, so I am limited with that power for now. I am able to squeeze out 3-4 hours per day of television time - my tv is LED so low power draw. Or I can use the power to charge my phone or iPad, or to power my sewing machine. I just can't charge all of those things at the same time as it draws too much. I also don't charge my laptop with the inverter yet as it is a huge draw and sucks the battery dry in less than an hour. My solution had been to charge my stuff at friend's houses, but now that I'm off the block, that is a royal pain in the ass. Now I take my stuff to work and plug it all in there. So the pro is - no power bill/free renewable energy, the con is - there isn't enough this time of year.

Cooking - I cook most days, and my kitchen is not too small to cook in, despite it's compact design. I've roasted chickens and potatoes, baked casseroles, cakes, cookies, and cooked all kinds of stuff on the burners. Gas cooking is so very fast compared to electric stove cooking. The pro is - there are a variety of supermarkets not far from me so I can pop out anytime to get what I need and I am not really limited with what I can cook. The con is - it doesn't take many dirty dishes to make the kitchen feel crowded. There is no room for a second person in the kitchen. Or a cat. 

Nashness - well, having a cat in a small space is always going to be a bit of a challenge for one main reason - cat litter. I keep the litter up front in the cab of the RV and have it curtained off, but honestly, sometimes after Nash drops a fresh one, I can hardly stand it in the RV at all. Thankfully that doesn't happen often. Nash also really enjoyed ripping down every single piece of plastic I shrunk around the windows for insulation. Cats can really be assholes. So the windows no longer have plastic on them, however the cold snap of winter is over (touch wood). Winter is very short and very mild in Victoria. It's why I am here. I did try to take Nash out to enjoy the weather but he only wanted to run under the RV. Coward...Nash seems to otherwise enjoy life in the RV. He is always happy to greet me with a chorus of mewling, and then loves when I play with him, at night. He cuddles in with me in bed for a good portion of going to sleep and waking up. Inbetween, he mostly spends his time at the foot of the bed. He is such a cuddle bunny so when I am stressed or anxious, I just need to hold him a few minutes and I can breathe again. So the pros are numerous, and the cons really are just the litter box. But really. Who doesn't gag when they change it?

Entertainment - well with limited charging power, I've had to adjust my entertainment means - so now I spend more time coloring, reading books, doing crossword puzzles, and taking photos while out walking. I also like to sew from time to time but not for long and no big projects until these hands are dealt with. I try to fit in one movie per night, power depending. Sometimes I'm up for a new on, and sometimes I just want an old favorite on. Pro - I am discovering I do not need electronics to entertain me all the time. Con - I really like my electronics...

Transportation - I have my bicycle but with all this rain, it isn't getting much use, but the rains will subside soon enough and I'll be on my bike more. In the meantime I usually take the bus to work and sometimes am lucky to get a ride home. I walk or bike to my friend's houses and to the closer shops. I can's carry any bags in my dysfunctional hands, so I try not to get too much at once, and use shoulder bags to carry what I do buy. The buses are pretty reliable, most of the time but at other's they are just late or don't come at all. I use bus tickets as you get one fare for free when you buy a sheet of them. It's $2.50/ride or $22.50/ten tickets. The bus passes are over $70 so not really worth it. My bicycle was catching so much attention on Empress Avenue that someone tried to steal it again, but couldn't get the chain lock cut as I bought a super duper one. They tried to lift it off over the signpost I had Locked it to, but failed and knocked just the chain off. So now it is chained to the back of my RV and I am hoping to find a bike rack to fit the RV and I will lock it right on the bitch. People really are jerks. Pros - biking is cheap. Con - stolen bike parts are not.

Internet - a real bitch to be honest. There are no affordable plans for mobile users. I really need to get something better than what I have. I just upped my plan from 5 G/month to 10 G/month as I use so much more now that I am not parked outside my friend's house using her wifi. I have found that the plaza across from where I work has free wifi (I'm here now) AND a Tim Horton's so I come here to play my games sometimes, surf the net, blog, etc. Othwerwise I am using my phone or my phone's hotspot so I can use my iPads or laptop. I'm paying $85/month for 10G. Ridiculous. The only pro is finding free wifi, and the con is the obvious price and inconvenience.

Storage - since I am not as much of a pack rat as I used to be, I have far less to drag around and I have tried to continue to scrutinize each piece I bring into the RV. There is plenty of storage and I have lots of space left over so must be doing something right. It still doesn't explain where two of my three grey hats went last year...one I lost in San Francisco at the airport, and no idea where the other two are. For the most part, my storage is also accessible but what is under the bed, not so much as you must lift the mattress off to access. So that's where I keep my big backpack, suitcases and snowshoes...neither of which I expect to use anytime soon. Pro - lots of space, not too much clutter. Con - losing something in a small space is a real pain in the ass.

Expenses - many folks are curious about this - what are my expenses for RV/tiny house living? Here is a very basic breakdown:

$100/month parking space rental

$108/month RV insurance

$25/month propane for fridge and stove

$20/month propane for heater

$30/month gasoline to drive to shop, explore, dump & pump

$10/month sani-dump fees

$120/month telephone/data

= $413/month 

Plus bus tickets, food, clothes, medication etc. Cheap enough living for me for now. I work 20 hours/week and have enough most of the time to cover these expenses. Now I just need a longer term job as my current one is another short contract for the campaign. Stay tuned!

2015 - What a year...

Now that 2016 has arrived, I can look back at 2015 to reflect. What a year it was. 2015 began for me in Melbourne where I was living. I had been off work for a couple of weeks by then due to acute stress disorder, so headed into the new year with a heavy heart and a desire to make significant changes in my life. The first step was to buy a ticket to go home to Canada - the rest would follow. Once I bought my ticket, I began to plot and plan what the next steps would be in my life. Some plans have fallen by the wayside, while others have been followed through to fruition. So here is a kind of monthly review...

January - March: Bit of a blur really. I was at home, on medication, seeing a therapist weekly for what had since developed into full-blown PTSD. I watched old movies and tv shows because I couldn't concentrate on new ones or follow a storyline. I knitted for hours and hours every day, and managed to awaken the carpal tunnel syndrome in my hands but yet I continued to knit. I didn't know what else to do with myself and knitting at least gave me something to do that could be accomplished, finished. I sent slippers, headbands, and mittens all over the world. I cuddled with Dundee often, and began selling off my things in preparation to return to Canada. They were hard months. I missed my family and friends back home, and my bestie in Australia moved to Perth in February with her partner. I felt pretty much alone as my co-workers forgot I existed and things turned ugly with my employer and the work cover folks as they tried their best to fuck me over. Not cool. 

April: Time was getting short before I would be heading home to Canada so the push was on to sell/pack/sort/throw out everything. As a result of selling my sewing machine, I met two amazing Muslim Indian ladies and we sewed, knitted, and talked the hours away about our cultures, our lives, and sewing. These ladies provided some very desperately sought friendship to fill the days, and we became good friends that still keep in touch. I learned a great deal from them about their culture and their lives, and am forever thankful for this. Towards the end of the month, I packed the last boxes and suitcases and moved out of my apartment and headed home, but not before my employer tried to screw me out of thousands of dollars - last pay check, vacation pay, reimbursement of medical expenses, etc. This happened on the day before I flew out. Assholes. I managed to find someone who would go to bat and help sort this mess out but it was impossible to have happen before I left Australia, so had to borrow money to leave. Ridiculous. I panicked because I was not at all ready to return to work. I also had to adopt Dundee out as I could not take him back to Canada - so expensive and I had no idea what was next. Sadly, little Dundee was struck by a car not a month later after the adoption. 

May-June: I spent these two months on the east coast with my mother and visited friends and family the for much of the time. I made several treks to Port Shoreham where my aunt lives, and to Cape Breton for family and friends. It was so good to see everyone and catch up after being away for 4 years. I also did a major closet and dresser cleaning for my mother, hours and hours and hours of sorting, throwing out, donating etc. I didn't get to finish it all and worked like a dog to the very last minute before my flight left. My mother appreciated it though and I felt good for having done this for her. I saw the Bay City Rollers in concert with my dear childhood friend G, and went for many walks, drives and time-outs. At the end of June, I took off to San Francisco to meet up with my soul sister, A. for The Grateful Dead's last show. It was amazing and San Francisco is always amazing and we had a wonderful time. 

July-August: I spent these months mostly in Victoria on Vancouver Island, with a short trek to Houston to visit my sister and go to camp with her where she was the medic on site. On the island, I moved back into the Karma van, and spent the time catching up with my friends here, and thinking about what to do next. We went camping at Englishman River Falls and Kennedy Lake, and traveled to Tofino. Karma drove like a champ most of the time but had developed an issue where if I stalled out, I could not start her back up again for anywhere from 10-30 minutes. Annoying as hell, particularly when  you are on a mountain pass...

September: After much hoop jumping and red tape, I was finally able to wrestle my pension money out of a private pension I had contributed to while at Children's Aid Society many years ago. My initial plans back in Australia were to buy a tiny home, or a school bus and convert to a tiny home. By the timeSeptember rolled around, I realized neither would work for me. The tiny houses cost a small fortune to move, and I would have nowhere to put it unless I bought or leased a land plot. They also are pretty tall and don't always fit under low overpasses or bridges. The school bus idea was nixed because of the state of my hands - I was in no shape to handle a conversion. I also didn't want to think about breakdowns in a vehicle that I cannot lift the tires to change a flat. So the RV seemed like the best option at this point, and when the cash finally came in, I was off to Nanaimo the next day with a friend to look at what I felt was the right one. I had been looking for months, years even and found exactly what I wanted. Two days later I owned Gertie and began my trek to Edmonton to see my daughter, finally! Initially I had planned on living and working in Edmonton, but thankfully after a discussion with my daughter who coudn't understand why I would choose Edmonton other than to be close to her, I decided to live in Victoria instead. I visited Edmonton for about 3 weeks before starting the track back home to Victoria. I wanted to get back before it snowed in that part of the Rockies. I visited some old friends along the way in Enderby, Kelowna, Port Moody, and Chilliwack. It was great to see everyone after my years away. I also camped in Drumheller for a couple of days on the way home and visited the Royal Tyrell Museum to see the dinosaurs. I adopted a new kitty, Nash who is the most charming little guy. 

October: Back to reality in Victoria - had to sell Karma as I didn't not need her anymore and I was afraid she might just up and die on my before I could sell her for some cash to live on. After successfully selling Karma, I began my job hunt in earnest. I had applied for a few over the summer but heard nothing back from them. The job hunt is very different now that I am not seeking to work as a social worker, and certainly never to work in child welfare in any capacity. I am over-qualified for many positions, or have no experience in a particular area to apply. 

November: Finally found a job as a telerecruiter, cold calling people to ask them to volunteer canvas for the Heart and Stroke Foundation in February. Easy money, part-time and hardly any paperwork. I also made the decision to take myself off the anxiety medication as it did not appear to be working for me AT ALL. It was pretty rough withdrawal but not as rough as it could have been. I feel so much better now and couldn't afford to pay $140/month for a med that was not working. 

December: Well, December was a busy month. I was working 5 days per week and my daughter was coming for Christmas. I had lots of preparations to get the RV ready for a live-aboard guest. I had completed several of the renos in September, such as painting the cabinets doors, and installing the solar panels. I still needed to redo the cushions, and build some shelves in my closets to contain the every growing clutter. I managed to finish up in time, and Gertie looked great. I bought a little live tree and decorated it, trimmed the inside of the RV with lights and decor, stocked my kitchen with lots of food, and shopped til I dropped. I had received a nice tax refund from Australia so it made for a less stressful Christmas. On the 23rd, my girl arrived and we had a wonderful week and a half in Victoria. I cooked turkey for a out 20 people and we socialised day and night with my friends. We strolled about the city, and drove around to see the sights. We hiked in the woods, and curled up with the kitty to read for our down time. (Well, use our electronic toys) It was a lovely way to wrap up the year, and on New Year's Day I saw my daughter off as she headed home to the frozen lands of Alberta while I continue to enjoy the above zero temps of Victoria winters. 

So there you have it, my year in review. It was a very rough year emotionally as I toiled endlessly it seemed with what to do with my life, and wondering if I would ever see any signs of recovery, frustrated with how long it was taking. I was extremely lucky to have the support of dear friends and family who have helped me in so many ways along the journey. I am looking forward to 2016 as I do recover, and refocus my energies to spending time doing things I enjoy instead of working at a job that pays lots of money, but exacts a terrible cost on your body and soul. I don't know for sure where the year will find me, but I'm sure it will be yet another adventure.