08/15/2021
I am slowly starting to realize that my life is changing from the way it used to be. This is probably true of a lot of people although my guess is that a vast majority do the same thing day in and day out for evermore. Only of they win the lottery or get a better job or even a small raise, do things change for them and their families. Sure they grow old and their kids grow up and move away just like the rest of us but their way of life does not change.
For those of you that follow my blogs, you will have read that I have sold the house and paid off all of my monetary debts. Can’t do much about some of the other things that have happened in my past life many of which I probably know nothing about. Ships that pass in the night and that sort of thing. Which brings me to the gist of this story.
Since making the decision to change my life and go in a different direction, it took eight or nine months to bring that to fruition. First, I couldn’t make up my mind what to do with the Koi and when I finally decided to rehome them all, thanks to the volunteers of the Austin Pond Society ably led by Jeannie Ferrier and Steven Monfrini, a couple or more months had passed. Then came the Estate Sale and general cleanup performed by a good ole Texas boy, David Perkins and his Son with his company, Antiques & Things who did a very good job of sorting through 36 years of accumulated junk selling what he could and disposing of the rest. I had so much of “the rest” that I finally broke even on the Estate Sale.
With the house cleared of all of its contents I brought in a cleaning crew who happened to be my next door neighbors here at the park. They did an excellent job and at that point, it was ready to hand over to Barbara Lenhardt with JP and Associates, Realtors. Barb happens to also be very good friend as well as the President of the Austin Pond Society where I first got to meet her many years ago.
The house was on the market for five days with several offers, one of which was much higher than the asking price. We might have gotten an even better price but we decided it was not worth waiting and accepted the offer. It took a couple of weeks to get all of the paperwork and surveys and inspections in order and then came the big day as I wrote in my other blog and now, I no longer own a house nor do I have to worry about ponds and fish, house upkeep and mowing the yard and everything that goes along with owning property. What I do own instead and is paid for is my tow vehicle, a 2017 Jeep Cherokee and Eagle Two, a 28ft Class C Motorhome as I paid off those loans and am now totally debt free for the first time ever in my life. It is a nice feeling.
My days have changed dramatically with none of the everyday chores associated with ponds and a house. I have things to do around the RV but as it is a brand new 2021 Coachmen Leprechaun with less than 2000 miles on the clock, they don’t amount to much more than emptying the tanks and other minor things. The dogs take up a lot of my time as we try to walk twice and sometimes three times a day but other than that my days are no longer controlled except for the odd appointment the last of which is coming up at the end of the month. Now that the way it clear, I spent some time planning where to go for the next three months and have a rough plan worked out. It is subject to change depending on the latest whim or the availability of a campsite. The first site is booked as I plan on heading to the coast to stay a couple of weeks before moving on to the next one. For now, I will stay in Texas and maybe Louisiana coming back to this park for December and January before taking off again and heading up North to New York State, After that, who knows. There is a lot of country to discover.
BTW, a part of the plan was to get away from the heat of the Texas summers but for some reason, climate change or maybe just a weather anomaly, we have not had anything close to any 100 degree days which is so unusual for my part of Texas. I am not complaining.
Keep checking my blogs as drive around this great country and visit lots of different campsites. The adventure starts September 1.
Written 08/15/2021
Read my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com