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merryheart_gw

Big bunch of messy stuff churning up from Gulf......UGH!

merryheart
16 years ago

I looked at the radars on the net and yep sure enough there could be days more of rain if it all makes it up here.

Dawn you are right it goes northwest until it hits I-35 and then just heads straight north. I wish it would get on I-10 or I-20 and go another way.....lol!

We had some rain early this morning but until the last hour or so we have had some sunshine. YAHOO! It was so good to see it but now we have dark clouds to our west and I am hearing thunder as we speak but so far no more rain.

Oh how I HOPE it misses us...we have small lakes all around the yard. DH needs to mow badly and it is just too wet. The ground is so saturated it can't go anyplace.

Boy do we ever need some SUN and perhaps a bit of wind...as bad as I hate to have it we may need it to dry things up.

I need to get outside and pot up my ice plant my friend gave me last week. But not the way it is looking out there. It looks like it could pour down any minute.

I don't even want to check my rain gauges anymore...if we get more rain I may not even look. lol

Ya'll try to stay warm and dry.

Hope you don't live so near to I-35 like I do.

So what are you doing today Dawn if it has been raining down there all day? Isn't all this inside time getting to be a total bore? I may just go to the mall. You know what they say...when the going gets tough the tough go shopping....lol.

More THUNDER.....See ya!

G.M.

Comments (14)

  • Okiedawn OK Zone 7
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Merryheart,

    I believe it is 2004 all over again, only with the rain falling in May instead of June.

    Pretty early this a.m., we went to Gainesville to pick up a few items at Wal-Mart and the Red River was running high and fast. I later learned that Gainesville has recorded 9.9" of rain since Thursday. Of course, you have probably had that much also! As of 6 p.m. tonight we were up to 5.7" and counting just since Thursday.

    It is so wet here that I cannot believe it. Even on the SLOPED portions of our land, water appears to be sitting and not really running off. It is weird.

    We had bands of rain followed by brief periods of no rain, and a few little bursts of sunshine, which didn't last long.

    I'm about a mile west of I-35, maybe a little over a mile west. Luckily today, the heavier bands of rain seemed to go ever so slightly east of I-35. Looks like it is going to be a long, dull week.

    I didn't do anything special today. Checked on all the plants. Fed the animals, including the wildlife. Read a little. Slept a little to make up for the early morning wake-up by the fire pagers. There is much I want to do out in the garden and I can't, and you know how frustrating that can be!

    I guess if it is raining tomorrow, I may resort to cleaning closets, which I have been putting off for a while now.

    We're going to a baby shower Saturday so I do need to shop for a baby gift. That will kill a little time.

    All my trees and shrubs are showing a lot of new growth. Some of the tomatoes are WILTING, undoubtedly because their roots can't breathe. (sigh) I think it will be a good year for everything EXCEPT the veggie garden. Too much rain just causes so many physiological and disease problems. Most of my flowers are OK so far.

    The fruit trees are getting heavier and heavier as the fruit enlarges and the tree limbs bend down. I hope the peach tree can sustain its heavy load until harvest time.

    Our grass is getting tall also. By the time we are able to mow, we will be cutting a hay crop instead of mowing grass.

    The rest of the week just doesn't look promising, does it?

    Dawn

  • bizydiggin
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    WHEW! Thanks for the well wishes Dawn!!

    We got the patio stained. The worst of it is done. I still need to put the sealer on, but I can have a some patience with that process and do it next weekend. We had to change plans twice thanks to baby help. Our builder left us with an "L" shaped patio that was too small on both sides to have chairs and a grill and people. It looked great until you added the people. In my haste to try to improve it, I stained it a really light beige - which I ended up not liking as soon as I was done. We decided to extend it out with pavers, but because of the slope, we got stuck trying to figure out how to keep it level without adding a retaining wall with a 14" drop off the sides. After laying about 150 pavers, my arms were sore and my knees were bruised. DH brought me a beer (which is probably the 2nd one I've had all year) and said "Ya know, concrete would like nice here, and we can leave a square of pavers in the middle." I was so tired of messing with the pavers at that point, I started calling concrete guys. Three months later, we finally got the concrete poured. At that point we had one section stained beige, dark brown pavers in the center, and grey concrete surrounding all of it. BLEAH!!!

    This is where we had the "baby help". While DH and I ran to Home Depot yesterday to get more primer, the baby escaped outside while his sister was in the bathroom, and spryed the etcher all over the pavers! My beautiful brown pavers that I went to 5 different places to find, we're now spotted a burnt orange color. We thought we'd solve the probelm by staining them the same color as the rest of the patio (which is now a dark brown), DH didn't like it so much, so now.... the pavers are PAINTED (it really pained me to do it too) a light sand color. I think over all it looks really nice...

    Anyway, thank you for crossing your fingers for me. The rain was coming in short spurts, and was spaced far enough apart that everything was able to dry enough for the next step in the process! I think all of our projects are done! Now we can just live in our house and enjoy it for the next couple of years!!

    Courtney

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  • Okiedawn OK Zone 7
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Courtney,

    Well, if you were here right now your pavers would be floating off down the creek and headed for the muddy Red River, which has white caps right now because it is flowing so fast and so high! (It is normally a very placid, somewhat shallow river, full of sandbars and catfish. Every summer it pretty much dries up completely. For it to be running like this is fairly rare, though not unprecedented.)

    Oh, Courtney, what an experience you have had! I am just glad the baby is OK! I know what he did was frustrating, but I am grateful he didn't do anything to hurt himself, and I know that you are grateful for the same thing also!!!! But you know, the burnt orange color would NEVER have worked in Oklahoma because people would have thought you two were fans of the University of Texas Longhorns. lol

    Now, with regards to your statement "I think all of our projects are done!" You are kidding, right?? You do know that a homeowner's projects are never really done? Oh, sure, you finish something and you have that great sense of accomplishment and pride. So, one day you are sitting out there on your beautiful patio, just kicking back and relaxing, and before you know it that little thought pops into your head. You know what that little thought is, don't you? It is the one that starts out like this...."It would be really nice if we......." and then that idea leads to another thought--one which goes like this "And while we are at it, we could......" Just like that you are wrapped up in a new project or two. Wait and see!

    I can't imagine how hard it will be for y'all to leave this house in a couple of years. You have put so much of yourselves into it. Of course, home truly is where the heart is, and wherever your family goes in the future, you will make it your home as well.

    And, on this very special Memorial Day, please tell DH again that I appreciate so much his service to our country and the sacrifices he (and all of you) have made in order for him to serve our country. People like me who love and appreciate all the members of the armed services, past, present and future, may not get mentioned in the news, but we are out here, we are real, and our appreciation is sincere.

    Happy Memorial Day!

    Dawn

  • merryheart
    Original Author
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Good morning ya'll
    Dawn-Were you living here in 2002? That is the summer I remember so clearly as RAINING all spring and summer. I have no recall at all of 2004 as far as rain...that is the year my dad was so ill and in hospital and nursing homes all year until he passed the last day of August. And also the year I hurt my back so badly I ended up in a wheelchair guess that is why I just don't recall what the weather was like.

    But even in 2002 we did have sunshine...it would shine until clouds would form and the downpours would come and then the sun would shine again.
    This year the rain is far too much...
    but the lack of sunshine is making me NUTS!
    I have not seen the Red River running swift too many times for sure. It is always so lazy and slow and sometimes almost dry it is surprise to see it with a lot of water.

    As far as how much rain I have had....I have tried to keep accurate accounts of how much we had and when...so it blows me away to see both news channels reporting Ardmore as having only 4 inches. I had 3 inches by Friday morning after the rain started on Thursday. I emailed KXII and may give KTEN a call. The rain gauge they are using to get their reports must be under a roof! lol.
    My yard is doing just like yours...even where there is a slope (and we have LOTS of slopes) it is not running off. We have to have this unlevel lawn for drainage purposes with how we are situated on such unlevel terrain out here. I am sure there are things which could be done as far as more drains and dirt work but it would be too expensive to invest the money.
    We are just about a mile east of I-35...perhaps a little less. I can look out my front windows and see the traffic on I-35 in the fall and winter.
    I could stand to work on some serious closet and storage cleaning here at home but I have been spending so much effort on going through everything at my mom's old home in order to get ready for a big estate sale and then to get it fixed up to list with a realtor. So far DH and I have had NO HELP from the rest of my family. :(
    Your peach trees must be an earlier variety than mine is. I think my fruit comes off in the early part of July. My tree is Loring. The last time I looked most everything in my veggie beds looked okay except for my poor squash bed. And it will all just need to be pulled out. What a waste of effort that was. I planted squash two different times. First my plants from seeds I had grown and when I lost them I bought plants.
    Of course the roses which were blooming again look awful. Most other things are doing okay...many just waiting for sunshine.

    I feel just like those plants which are just sitting and waiting for some actual warmth and SUNSHINE to grow or bloom...I am such a sun loving person. This constant cloudiness is so DEPRESSING! And I keep trying to recall when I could actually some sun in the morning...do you remember how long it has been since we could SEE a sunrise?
    Courtney--
    Oh my! You have been through the mill with all the work on your patio. I can relate to a patio which is too small. I have suffered through and endured with it anyway for 8 years after passing up the opportunity to have it enlarged and made into a sunroom when we first moved here. BAD MISTAKE! Now that DH has been retired for almost 6 years he says I missed that chance. Oh well we have no sunshine to make a sunroom nice anyway! lol
    But I had one of those little brainstorms that Dawn mentioned just yesterday, when I called DH out to the patio to talk about what to do with our stepping stone path between the house and my craft/sewing/getaway "cottage"...he was not particularly happy with me for coming up with yet another project....lol.
    The "baby help" just cracks me up...although I am sure it was not at all funny to you. That little guy sure does like spraying things doesn't he? He sounds like future professional painter or firefighter if he stays liking to spray liquids....lol. I am certainly glad he didn't spray himself with that acid etcher....oh my...that could have been really bad I would think.
    It sounds like your patio project has turned out nicely in spite of all your challenges. And it will always be a source of pride that you managed to over come and succeed. And whoever buys your home will appreciate all your hard work I am sure.
    Well I need to stop procrastinating and get off here and DO SOMETHING. I have a doc appointment this afternoon....oh gee how fun....NOT!
    So far no rain yet today unless it rained in the night...but I won't hold my breath.
    BTW we had an additional 1/2 inch yesterday afternoon.

    Hey I did go to the mall yesterday...and I am so glad I did....I got cute jeans(which fit me and that is challenge)-a new purse-a wallet-and a cute shirt all for $23.77 total! Is that unreal or what? I LOVE bargains and I sure managed to get some deals yesterday. I had a $10 off any $10 purchase coupon and I can't figure out HOW it came to so little. I was expecting around $50 to be my total.....YIPPEE! I was glad I braved the rain and went. LOL. Then I came home got into some cozy sweats, got a piece of chocolate cake, watched the early news and then fell asleep. yep I was really knocking off the work....lol.
    Ya'll have a great day.
    G.M.

    P.S. I have no idea what is up with the paragraph spacing on this post....I have worked on it several times and it just won't do it properly so guess I will give up and just submit it anyway. I hope you can manage to read it and make sense of it. Please excuse how it looks if it actually posts it looking the way it looks to me.....lol.

  • Okiedawn OK Zone 7
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Merryheart,

    I was living here in 2002. We moved here in February 1999.
    What I remember of 2002 was that we had a whole lot of rain in March, April and June and were relatively dry the rest of that year until October or November brought heavy autumn rains. Y'all may have had more rain in Carter County than we had here in 2002.

    I remember 2004 vividly because we were trying to get the barn/garage built and it rained daily. My dad, who was in the latter stages of Alzheimer's Disease went into a hospice facility in early June and passed away six days later. I was there with him for five of those six days. It rained here every day during that time frame. After daddy passed away, I came home to a wet, soggy, wildly overgrown and weedy garden/yard and trees full of almost-too-ripe peaches. I was playing catch-up for weeks.

    For what it is worth, we had about 30" of rain here in 2002 and the huge majority of it fell in March, April, June and October. In 2004 we had a little over 40" of rain, with more than 14" of that falling in June alone. The rain in 2004 was especially heavy in April, June, July, October and November, but each month had a pretty decent rainfall amount. I am just guessing, but I think we are on track to have a rainfall year more like 2004 than 2002.

    One of my peach trees is a Ranger and the other is RedHaven.

    The guys who were building our barn couldn't get anything done....and they were getting nervous because when they weren't working, they weren't getting paid! They noticed it tended to rain every day during the daylight hours but hardly ever rained at night that summer, so they bought some of those big worklights on stands and started working all night and sleeping during the day. It still took them about twice as long to finish our building as it should have, but that was the fault of the constant rain.

    Last night we received a weather statement from the NWS that the Red River was going to crest at something like 22.5' and that flood stage near Gainesville/Thackerville is about 25'.
    So, I think it is up and running about as high as we ever see it around here. I feel sorry for the folks in the Kingston area. Some of them always get flooded when the river is this high.

    My rainfall totals often vary significantly from the NWS totals and from the OK mesonet station for Love County at Burneyville. Our local cooperative weather service observer lives only a mile or so from us and you would be surprised how much our numbers will vary from his sometimes. That is one of the reason I try to track our rainfall for myself.

    My early-ripening peach tree is Red Haven and it always ripens around Father's Day, which makes it easy for me to remember when to expect ripe fruit. My other tree is Ranger, and it ripens later than Red Haven but earlier than Loring. According to OSU data, my Red Haven should ripen in early July. However, this tree does as it pleases and always ripens before July arrives. Maybe it is because we are so very far south.

    Nothing in my garden looks the way it ought to, and nothing is producing the way it usually does. I am hoping for sunshine and heat to correct the problems....if we ever have sunshine and heat again.

    Just the other day, some of our local firefighters at a meeting I had attended asked me how the garden was doing. I told them that it was pitiful and I was disgusted with it. They were stunned....saying that could not possibly be true. I assured them it was true. I described the garden and how the plants were looking and told them I'd only had about a dozen ripe tomatoes so far. That's when they told me that I was nuts if I wasn't happy with the garden because no one else has had any ripe tomatoes yet, and likely won't for another month. So, I tried to explain to them that usually my garden is 'spectacular' by now but this year it is only average. They basically told me to 'get over it'. LOL So, I guess in comparison to many local gardens, mine is doing fine. However, compared to how it normally does, I still think is it underperforming.

    I keep telling myself that some years are just this way and you just have to work with the weather you're given. This year's weather is certainly challenging though.

    I must say the trees love the rain and are growing like mad.

    We had an additional 2/10s of an inch after I emptied the rain gauge last evening, and both the skies here and the radar indicate it is likely we will receive more rain today.
    Right now the sun is shining and I bet the mosquitoes are hatching outside.

    Dawn

  • sheepie58
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    We have sunshine today and should have it through tomorrow before the rain comes back in

    Courtney sorry to hear about your pavers glad your little guy didn't get hurt from the paint

    Merryheart hope the rain stops for you for a bit to dry out I no what you mean about the weather stations ours never seems to report what I am seeing in my gauge

    Dawn I no how you feel my tomatoe plants are loaded with tomatoes but they sure are not turning red and the leafs are turning yellow and looking bad

  • Okiedawn OK Zone 7
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Sheepie,

    We had sunshine today too and hardly any rain at all, just some real light misty stuff very early in the morning! Yippee!

    As for those slow tomatoes of ours, you know what will happen, don't you....the temps will rise, sunshine will return, and all those green tomatoes will turn red all at once! The leaf yellowing and bacterial speck and such does make the plants look bad, but I am hoping that they'll perk up when/if it ever stops raining.

    I have a handful of tomato plants that had barely recovered from the previous monsoon rains and now are wilting because their roots are drowning again. Those plants may be goners. I will yank them out and replace them in a couple of days if they don't perk up. The replacement plants aren't very large, but they are healthy and will probably take off and grow pretty quickly once in the ground.

    I'm hoping the rain misses us tonight and tomorrow. I know in July and August we'll be wishing we had this rain, but right now, enough is enough!

    Dawn

  • bizydiggin
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks for your concern about the little man, luckily he likes to spray everything except himself, so none of the acid etcher got on him. I threw him in the tub just to make sure though.

    I don't know if you remember a couple months ago I had asked about gophers, and someone mentioned that urine is a good way to keep them away. We'll hubby's been doing his best - I can't believe I actually endorse this, but no gopher sighting, so I guess it's working!!!

    Tonight after the little man took his bath, he escaped again, and when Daddy brought him back in he proudly announced "I peed in the grass, Mommy!" So, how do I make the toilet look like grass in order to make potty training easier? LOL

    Dawn ~ I know that little thought that you're talking about... I've already had a hundred of them. I got all of the plants that we picked up at Satterlee's yesterday potted and ready to be moved to the patio, and DHis already lamenting having to move them. I pitched the greehouse idea, and got one of "those" looks. LOL I don't know if I'll ever get that one to happen. I do have him on board with renting a U-Haul just for the plants next time we move though. :))

    The weather was so nice today, not hot, not cold, had a nice breeze. It was still a little cloudy, but other than a few clouds it was pretty nice. Now that spring is here and the temps are staying up, I don't want to go back to San Diego. We are considering renting out the house for a few years until DH is done playing Navy, and then coming back. Initially we thought he'd be able to retire here, so the house is exactly what we want. I know that it would be impossible to get this much land (gardening space) in San Diego. You can't touch an acre for less than a million there! And in case you're wondering, no we could never afford that!!

    Thank you again for supporting the military. We really appreciate people who recognize that it's not a easy profession to choose. I am so proud of DH, he makes more sacrafices than he should for the sevice that he provides to all of us. Thankfully there are thousands of men and women like him that have made that choice. I don't even want to think about what this country would be like without them (past and present).

    Courtney

  • Okiedawn OK Zone 7
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hi Courtney,

    I think it would be so wonderful if you could eventually come back to Oklahoma for good after your DH retires from the military! Oklahoma is truly a wonderful place to live. The people here are so friendly and caring. I don't believe you could find better people anywhere.

    Our weather yesterday was so gorgeous once the sun came out. Here it has been cooler than normal for May, and I am loving that. Most years the weather in May and early June is close to perfect until about the third week in June when the heat skyrockets.

    The weather radio went off a few minutes ago to warn us of severe thunderstorms with 50 m.p.h. winds. (sigh) Maybe they will go around us. I was so hoping for another dry day with mild weather.

    I hate whining about the rain because I know in July and August we will be praying for rain. Everything here is just so wet and squishy, though.

    Courtney, I grew up near Carswell A.F.B. in Fort Worth in the 1960s/70s and went to school with lots of military kids. I understand the sacrifices that spouses and children make also. I understand the worry. I understand the fears. All this just makes me appreciate your husband, you, and the kids so VERY much. How does that song go? "They also serve who only stand and wait....."

    Yikes, the weather radio just went off for the second time in 20 minutes! Now they are warning that a severe storm is headed STRAIGHT FOR US with winds of 60 m.p.h. and hail up to 1.75" in diameter. I hope they are wrong. It is going to be a very long day.

    Dawn

  • merryheart
    Original Author
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    RAIN....RAIN.... and MORE RAIN!!!
    It is hard not to complain when we get SO much SO fast!
    Endurance is the name of this game.

    I keep thinking of Arizona and the gorgeous new HUGE 5th wheel I found...If I sold this house and went full time with RV life it would be so much more care free. The people I know who live full time or even part time in their RV's still have lots of plants...they are container planters par excellence.....lol. I get amazed that their container gardens are so much better than my raised bed methods.

    Well I can dream.....doesn't hurt to dream.
    If this cloudy mess keeps up much longer I will talk DH into packing up the RV and heading west to see if it is better. I have really never spent any time in Arizona...but have a cousin who has lived in Phoenix for years and she LOVES it. She also has property in Sho-lo.

    Well sorry for my dreaming in forum....just want nice warm sunshine so bad I can taste it. My pain levels are so bad today...it won't be a productive day no matter what the rain does or does not do.

    G.M.

  • sheepie58
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    The rain came back in last night thumping and bumping now we just have those wonderful clouds again :(

    Dawn you are right we will end up with a lot of ripe tomatoes at once when the sun desides to shine
    Hope the bad weather is passing you bye

    Courtney I no what you mean when DH was in the army and we would have to move I needed a extra truck just for the plants I wanted to take with me lol It was real nice when he retired and we could stay in one place
    Good luck on figuring out how to make a potty look like grass LOL

    Merryheart these rainy days are great for daydreaming enjoy Hope your pain easies up soon

    Those who are in the Ardmore and Duncan area are really getting hit with a lot of rain again sure hope it slows down for those of you near there they were saying on the news last night Duncan has already started flooding in peoples homes from all this rain

    I do truly wish it would save some of this rain for the hot days of summer when we are really going to need it

  • Okiedawn OK Zone 7
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    G.M.,

    I just watched the noon news and found that quite a few places had it worse than your county and mine today.

    Marietta recorded 2.76" of rain this a.m., but my gauge only has slightly over an inch. However, some of my potted plants that were NOT under the patio cover had a TON of dirt wash out of them and had 2-3" of standing water in them for a couple of hours. This afternoon, after they have drained some more, I will add potting soil to cover up the now-exposed roots.

    Tom Miller on Channel 12 said the Bonham, Texas, area had rain falling at the rate of 1/2" every 8-10 minutes. Amazing! He said they officially recorded 3.25" before the power went out and they lost commmunication with the weather recording site, and that a local weather observer in Bonhan recorded 5.5" this morning. So, I guess we are lucky, huh?

    Living a carefree existence in an RV sounds wonderful. You could follow the sunshine and good weather year-round. It does sound heavenly. I am afraid I would get bored with it at some point and would want to come home....and if we sold the house to buy the RV, where would we come 'home' to? (sigh) I feel the same way about living at the beach. Every time we visit the Texas gulf coast I start dreaming of retiring there and living near the beach. In reality, though, I bet it wouldn't be as wonderful as I think it would be. lol

    I am sorry to hear that your pain levels are so bad today.

    You don't have to apologize for dreaming on this forum! I think most all gardeners are dreamers....able to visualize what 'can be' or 'could be' instead of what 'is'. Those dreams feed our passion for gardening and encourage us to try new things. When you share your dreams (of gardening or of other stuff) here on this forum, you give us more insight into who you are and what you want from life, and that is a nice thing.

    Sheepie,

    You are so right about us needing a way to save some of this rain for the summer months. I wish it were possible.

    The wind pounded us much harder than the rain and now it is all east and south of us. The lightning was nothing short of spectacular. We had continuous thunder and lightning for hours--before, during and after the rain.

    It is so cool and mild here right now, and has been for virtually all of May. When our temperatures return to more normal levels in June, I bet we all will think we are just dying from the heat!! And I bet the higher humidity will aggravate us too. Personally I wouldn't mind if the daily high temps stay lower than average this summer. Imagine having a summer in which we could complain that it was 'too cold'. I could handle that!

    I think that Durant also took a real pounding this a.m.
    The local news said there were reports of cars floating off down the road.

    If we have any sunshine today, I am going to drag out a lawn chair and sit in that sun and soak up that sun's warmth and enjoy every second of it. If there is no sun, I guess I will do some weeding. At least when the clay soil is wet, the weed roots pop right up out of the ground when you tug on them!

    Dawn

  • merryheart
    Original Author
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Dawn you did get it worse than us this time for sure...even got more rain. I am really sorry you had to get it but I am so glad we didn't get any more than we did get. It has just been so much already at My house. I did write an email to Steve Lanore on KXII about my huge amounts of rain versus the low reports they gave on their channel...lol. He even replied back and asked me to send my own reports any time I wanted to help them get a better idea of how things are. I may....we shall see.

    The RV lifestyles....when DH retired from Michelin in June 2001 we didn't know if we would like it or not...but we finally went ahead and bought a brand new 5th wheel and new 3/4 ton truck to pull it with and we have never regretted it. We have not traveled like we had dreamed we would but we have been a few places. We have made many many trips to Lake Murray Elephant Rock campground....which is better than some of the nicest RV resort parks we have been to. And it has the added blessing of being close to home and family if we need to run home and take care of things or see to family we are close...but we can still go spend time with the many friends we have made through RV-ing.
    So we have done this long enough that we have found out we LOVE it. We were even campground hosts for a half season in 2002. Health issues stopped us from getting to keep doing that.
    But we now feel we have outgrown our 5th wheel....hahaha. I want bigger and better and of course more costly...haha. A bigger kitchen area for sure and more storage. I finally found THE ONE just a few days ago on the net. Wow! I love it and if we ever did sell the house and go "full time" I believe I could live in it comfortably and love it. I would just have to get rid of TONS and TONS of STUFF....hahaha.
    I do not know if I would be comfortable with selling my home and having only an RV to live in either. I think I might still want some kind of home base. But I know several couples who have done just that....sold everything and went to full time RV living and none of them are sorry.

    It is so cute to see them growing wonderful tomatoes in 5 gallon buckets and having all sorts of flowers and garden plants. They take them with them.

    I used to also get to wanting to live near the beach...but after spending a month last August down there and seeing the damage it did to our skin in only one month....yikes. I think perhaps just visiting the beach is best for us. That salt air and sun is horrid for your skin and we will be seeing the skin cancer doc this year for spots on us both which came after being there last summer. I do LOVE the ocean though. There is nothing like it.

    I have never been to Arizona...so if we had the time to go check it out then we could find out if it is a possible winter destination for us. As far as some place to go right now....sounds like Albuquerque wouldn't be at all bad. I was looking up info there this morning.

    But more than likely it is all dreaming on my part and we will probably keep our trailer we now have...it is still in excellant condition and the size is fine for just the two of us if we don't go far from home...it is just when you go for a month or more I get to wanting more space...lol. And it is all paid for too... big factor for sure when you are into totally debt free living. But there is a price to pay for everything and not just initial monetary lay out....it is harder to pull and harder to manage in traffic....poor DH. Now I want to go from a 32 foot one to a 38 foot one....lol lol. Also have to find a larger storage unit to park it in for winter. So lots to consider. If it were not so rainy and wet i would be outside doing things instead of dreaming of how to spend lots of money....lol.
    G.M.

  • Okiedawn OK Zone 7
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Merryheart,

    You should report your rainfall totals to Steve Lanore. I noticed today that both he and Tom gave a listener's rainfall total of 5.5" in the Bonham area along with the officially recorded 3.25" and said the official recording station had 'crashed' during the storm. I can see where it would always be helpful to them to have an extra rainfall report for Ardmore.

    It sounds like you have such a good time when you go RVing!
    I don't blame you for wanting a bigger RV. After all, if you were to do it full time, you'd have to have room to drag around a bunch of plants with you. lol

    I don't think I could bear to leave the garden and animals for long periods of time. BUT, if you were to ask me ten years from now, I might feel totally different. As much as I love gardening, I wonder how I will feel if I am still fighting the same battles with the soil, the weather and the wildlife ten years from now? Maybe I'll be tired of it all. I just don't know.

    My aunt and uncle built their dream retirement home in the mid-1980s---a log cabin on Lake Cypress Springs in East Texas. After spending weekends and holidays there for about ten years, they sold their city house and moved to the lake after retirement in the mid-1990s. They loved living at the lake, but were a little bored, I think, so bought an RV. We thought they'd travel all the time. They don't though. I think that, by the time they bought the RV, my aunt's lupus had progressed so much that travel was too difficult and too tiring. So, if you are going to 'go for it', then do it while your youth and health allow!

    I wonder if we will be able to afford gas for an RV by the time DH reaches retirement age in a few years? And, after commuting from southern Oklahoma to D-FW Airport to work for all these years, it could be that the absolute last way he will want to spend retirement is traveling from place to place in an RV. I guess time will tell.

    Dawn