BIG CHANGE COMING!

This update is so long overdue, I'm not going to fill in everything which has been going on since my last Journal back in the fall. Those of you who know me best, already know that my darling little kitten, Buzzy, succumbed to F.I.P. just a few days after I returned from another trip. I was so distraught, I couldn't begin to write about it -- much less talk about it. Long story short, I just officially adopted two kitties which I have been fostering since then: Miss Lilac (2 years old) and Punkin' (now 6 months old). They are the loves of my life and have helped to fill the void left by Jake, Woody and little Buzzy.
BIG LIFE CHANGE COMING UP! Just last Wednesday (March 2) my friend Lisa and I went up to Camping World in Ft. Myers just to look around at all the RV's and travel trailers they have for sale. When approached by a sales person, I gave a little information (I never like to reveal how much I want to spend or how soon I might be buying) but it was enough. The very first unit he showed us was EXACTLY what I had in mind. As of this coming Friday, March 11, 2016, I will be the owner of a 2006 Winnebago "Minnie" and then the fun begins! This RV is almost identical to the one Tom & I borrowed from friends of mine several years ago. We were out in it for 16 days and I could have kept on going! My Winnie looks like it was seldom used and the engine is low mileage. Nice Queen size bed in the rear, light colored decor (a welcome break from the typical, boring brown) and it is ultra-clean. Plenty of room in there for me, Lilac & Punkin. It also has a tv, stereo receiver AND a convection/microwave oven (in addition to a regular oven). The refrigerator is good size and has a top freezer with ice-maker! Woo hoo! I am excited and anxious all at the same time, but all the books I have read (and the dealer has strongly suggested) that I take it out for a couple of short trips BEFORE heading on any big ones. They are going to provide me with 2 months free storage which should work out perfectly, as I plan to be OUT OF HERE by the end of the first week in May.
I am going to try to sell most of my furniture in the meantime. Lisa is taking a few pieces including an antique oak chest of drawers (which she knows is MINE and I will want it at some point). I am trying to minimize the amount of stuff I put in storage, so selling furniture is a good way to do that. And even though I will be getting one that's climate controlled, it gets really really humid down here in the summer and I don't want to have things ruined. Again, all the books I have read on going full-time in an RV say "put stuff in storage for a year and then re-evaluate."
My dear friends, Skip & Richard, up in Bonita Springs have already given me orders -- that I MUST phone them every night so they know where I am and that I'm ok AND that I will be parking at the RV resort right across Bonita Beach Road from their neighborhood next winter. I love those two so much and I will miss them terribly, but I really can't think of a better place to spend the winter than down here in SW Florida. I just don't like it enough to live here year-round.
So my plan is to leave here on or about May 7 and head north and east. I want to go out to Wyoming this summer to visit our DS friend, Vector Forward, but I don't want to go too early as it takes a long time for winter to go away out there. I figure I'll meander up the east coast to Maryland first and spend a couple of weeks catching up with family and friends. Then I will head west. God willing, I will finally be able to realize the dream I have been talking about for years!
That's it for now, kids. I plan to write a Blog of my travels and when I get that set up, I will put the web address in another Journal entry here. Keep me in your thoughts and prayers as I take the plunge!
xoxo the Cowgirl