By Way of Introduction. . .

Wow! My first blog. Sometimes I'm just a little slow to try new things.'

How about some kind of an introduction? One of my favorite quotes, given to me by a very good friend, is "Leap and the net will appear." I leaped and the net did, in fact, appear, but in a way I could never have foreseen.

Two years ago I got very tired of paying what I thought was an exorbitant amount to rent an apartment in San Diego, California. Rents weren't going to come down soon, so I took that leap, bought a small 23-foot motor home and Blue Ox towbar, traded in my Nissan Sentra on a Ford Ranger Pickup with shell, sold and/or gave away almost everything I had, and became a nomad. Sometimes I look back and wonder what in the world possessed me! Was I crazy? Was I getting a little senile in my 60's? I, who have changed a tire once in my life, whose idea of mechanics is cutting out a sewing pattern, was now the owner of not one, but two vehicles. Those vehicles, between them, have a total of twelve wheels and tires, if you count the spares. Those vehicles both need to be fed, changed, watered, registered, licensed, washed, mended, and driven. Even better, together they need to carry everything I own. Yep, looking back I was probably, definitely, most likely crazy, loco, senile--name your favorite word.

Yet, why do I feel so free? Here I am, an almost 62-year-old divorced woman, mother of three, grandmother of one, living a life on the road with no job, no significant other, no mechanical expertise, lots of bills...you name it. I can hear the voices in my head: "In my day, women just didn't do things like that." Or, "You just need another man to take care of you." Or, "Don't you get scared traveling all by yourself?"

Okay, I struggled for quite a while in learning this new life but now, almost two years later, wonder why I didn't do it long ago. For many years I wanted to simplify my life. And now I have--and it's given me a freedom I could never have imagined.

I loved being married, raising three kids, gardening, taking care of houses, cooking, sewing, and "settling down" for fairly long periods of time. But now the marriage is over, the kids are grown, and indeed, I have finally grown. I now work when and where I like for as long as I like. I now have an additional source of steady income, besides a limited divorce settlement: Uncle Sam has finally stepped in with widow's benefits from my first husband that I never knew were available. And I feel rich--able to pay off bills, give gifts, buy health insurance, and not have to worry so much about money (or lack of).

Stay tuned for a little look back over the past two years, at some of the highlights of this journey. And, I'll also include some recent stuff and maybe just some thoughts once in a while. This blogging is new to me, so please be patient--and come back.