Vandwelling 101 - The Morning Routine

Today both my vans are at the mechanic, and I'm ill at a friend's place temporarily.

It's nice to wake up,  heater on,  bathroom three feet away with running water. 

However,  my morning coffee routine is disrupted. 

First,  he uses a different brand than my favourite tasters choice freeze dried coffee.  It's good,  but every sip jars my senses telling me it's not my coffee. 

Second,  he uses pure white sugar.  I'm used to the flavor of the raw sugar.  

And my beloved little Kira's affected as well.  Every morning she's allowed drop of coffee off my finger.  She gets 3 wet fingers of coffee,  a total of 6 drops of coffee.  She's the only dog I've ever had that doesn't sneak sips of coffee out of my cup.  She's had her 6 drops of coffee and curled back up against me.

The one thing in my world that speaks of civilized behavior is the sacred morning coffee. 

Good coffee to you

~Lou and Kira~

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vandwellng 101- Little things can turn into expensive repairs

Looks like I'll be redoing all new wiring under the hood of the 73 high-top camper van.

It all started with a starter solenoid going bad and a crazy (literally) mechanic. The So-called mechanic missed the second battery when replacing a starter. 

So a simple starter then became a starter and the wiring to it. 4 wires not 3. And no photo or diagram.

The starter is normally 20 minutes and a $55 part. It's one of the easiest abs cheapest repairs to do. Usually. 

It's hard to understand how even a beginner can fail to see both batteries under the hood. He did. I came out just in time to see sparks flying under my vehicle. He'd also taken bolts of first rather than disconnecting the wires. Oopsie. That meant the short ran through the entire electrical wiring. 

That sent extra current thru a vintage system. The batteries were affected by it and the desert summer heat. It also meant the cables near the battery failed on one, the ground wire on the other was the next to go almost causing an engine fire. 

So rather than kill 2 more batteries and the alternator, I need to go through the entire set of wires under the hood and check each one, replace fusible link, 2 sets of wiring harnesses, check and maybe replace the alternator wiring harness, and test the alternator. All while being parked half hour away from town. 

Add to that the repairs and getting the other Van safely back to parking spot only to barely coast it in, its going to be heavy repair on both vans starting $250 in debt this month. The 73 needs the wiring fixed and the 90 threw 2 serpentine belts. I've 2 batteries to replace and the duralast Maine House battery looks like it's toast. 

Added to that, the rear corner wood went bad on the travel trailer. 

Looks like I'll have to winter where I am and I might not have a running Van this month. 

I've had it much worse. At least I'll be able to fix each one. Thank goodness none of it is heavy, just tedious and it's too cold this week. Next week will warm slightly. 

On the plus side, I've found all my cold weather Michigan warm clothes.  I had not cleaned out all the panty dry goods or the big pantry full of foods. I even found my stash of the drink singles you add to a bottle of water. All my yarn and knitting needles and crochet hooks, and loads of books were stored in the trailer, my wool blanket, my quilts, and my hefty crocheted blankets were there as well. 

Its the season. It'll get better.

And I've 3 20 lb propane tanks so one run to town will give me plenty for heat and cooking. 

I had wanted to go see friends and do some traveling. And again I'm delayed. This is the reality of full-time vandwelling 

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Vandwelling 101 -- The Importance Of A Morning Routine

it is vital that you develop a routine to start your day. 

It's easy to just drift, hours become days, days become weeks, and weeks melt into years, squandering your time and resources.  I do not suggest rushing around with every moment packed with "meaningful moments" and frenzied attempts at mimicking the life you think is desirable. 

It's also easy to live by feelings and impulse. That's just as harmful (in my opinion) as living without emotions. 

I'm talking about balance, values, and self-discipline. Character. Freedom. Integrity. Really embracing all of life, good and bad. So, what does a morning routine have to do with this? Everything, it has everything to do with how your life is lived and who you become. 

My morning routine bridges the gap between sleeping and waking up. It sets the tone for my day. It helps me get things done. It facilitates a nice even emotional keel so that when life smacks me in the face full force as it tends to do, I'm able to roll with the punches.

Many will tell you to start the day off with a full breakfast. That's not me. Each person is different. I need to ease into my day gently with quiet and solitude. In my opinion, talking before the morning coffee is a crime worthy of the death penalty. 

I started this blog entry yesterday and as usual, my day went off the tracks. I did fix the stuck Van side door lock and I was able to close door fully to avoid a big draft. 

Today, in spite of very cold morning weather, my day is on track. I've had my morning coffee. The potty has been emptied while walking Kira for her potty. Trash has been taken out. The bedding is put up, and all the pillows as well. Kira is in her sweater and her collar on. Breakfast is last night's leftovers reheated and tastes delicious. 

I've filled the water jug (from big jug to gallon sized for ease of use). I have a small sink full of dishes to clean and put up. I've a second cup of coffee almost gone, and I have time to enjoy the crisp day.

And I got this blog finished and posted.

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Vandwelling 101- A Day In The Life Boondocking

Good morn. I've turned on the stove and made my coffee. 

The bedding has been put outside on racks to air. It's a good second use for my flea market table legs. I air my blankets every morning and bring them in at sunset. It's an old custom with good science behind it. 

We all shed skin cells and hair every day. Airing the blankets and quilts after shaking them keeps the dust mites down and the bedding fresh. Surprisingly making your bed in the morning doesn't allow mattress or bedding to air and it will be a hospitable environment to mites and other crawling insects.

I've put solar items in the front window to charge things up. 

Yesterday,  using only one $3 solar light from Walmart, I charged up 5 AA batteries with no real effort.  That meant fresh batteries for two flashlights. 

I sleep in until the sun comes in the front windshield and starts to warm up the van. Thar conserves the amount of propane I use. At night I shut all windows an hour before sunset to allow the sun to warm the van up. I turn the stove on for approximately 20 minutes., I put a heavy cotton robe on, a crocheted hat, and wool knee socks on to stay comfortably warm. I snuggle with Kira in the blankets and either watch videos, read, or listen to an audiobook. 

Vandwelling 101 Vanlife Stealth and other trendy terms

Everyone uses the terms vanlife and stealth camping.  All of a sudden it's trendy and many experts abound. 

First of all,  someone will figure out you're in the van.  Most people don't pay a lot of attention. Most police don't bother you once they find out you're not drinking,  using drugs,  engaged in any illegal activities,  not begging or damaging anything.  If your vehicle doesn't look trashy and your license,  insurance,  and tags are up to date,  you'll find they aren't too bothered by you.  Also make sure you're legally parked. 

Businesses don't get upset as long as you don't abuse their property (including dumpsters), don't leave trash behind,  or interfere with their business.  

Be responsible.  Be considerate.  Don't draw attention to yourself. 

You'll find endless pages,  websites,  blogs,  and videos on how to rebel in lockstep with everyone else. How insane is that to rebel and conform ro all the other rebels.

That's not what vandwelling is about.  It's also not about feeling superior to those who chose a more traditional life. 

It's merely a different way of life.  It's not about begging or living free on public land.  Freedom isn't the absence of responsibility.

It's a highly skilled lifestyle. Everything you've taken for granted will have to be relearned.  Power,  water,  bathing,  personal hygiene,  belongings,  cooking,  eating,  trash disposal,  and dealing with human waste all must be relearned and thought about. 

It's not turning a van into a house or homemade rv.

It's thinking about every aspect of life and how you do it.  It's also about getting rid of distractions and knowing who you are. 

Solitude versus isolation.

Life still happens,  it's not a way of running away or a magic elixir to fix all your problems.  

The photos of that cute couple,  a van is small for one person,  add a partner and a pet,  and even the best relationships can be strained. 

And you'll find that person who blogs or does videos is not the bigger than life hero but an ordinary person in real life,  myself included.  

I've no major answers to the questions of life in a van,  just lots of experience and lots of learning from my own mistakes.  Mainly i know that vans break down and die,  and no matter what happens I've a few friends that care. 

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Welcome to life in or out of a van

Ok time for some more Lou mythbusting

Ok You know all those ones you think are really together and Expert

Here is reality as i am and have seen

First of all my van is never as neat or perfect as i wish. Some days the van and i are a hot mess. And some days you'd think I've lost what little sense i may have ever had

And far from having my poop in a group...some days it's spattered and far flung

I love those quiet boring Serene days

But between dogs and life and friends and things that crop up...lol

When i hear a strange noise in van I'm like omg oh hell no.
Organised and money perfect...nope not even close

My van will never be Shown as the nice set up

My van has been muh home for years. It's not got an official name. And i was surprised to be recognized. (Parts of van views plus really cute dog blew my cover)

My van is home. I'm actually pretty ordinary and dont stand out that much

Potty jugs still get spilled very rarely now
The dog had pooped all over my clesn sleeping bag. And something either finds three black hole in the van or a perfectly stored and secured item decides to go flying.

The coffee will get knocked over. And guess what i did on last two days

Left lights and and battery dead
Tonight it was being so busy i forgot to get gas. Engine stalled at light. Made it safely to station on fumes

My point is this

I'm good because I've made every mistake and then some.

The difference is
The other day when the hightop green 73 died. No panic. Trust me i had no time. But so used to the drill
Stranger pushed me off gas pump and coasted to good spot.
Went on store and told them. They are used ti it by now. Hooked 12v van in and turned on. Cold pop. Charged phone. Pulled front curtains for shade

And I'm not unique.
I could tell you at least a dozen of us old experienced ones take turns in this area.

Hell I'm so used ti vehicle being dead at gas pump it's more oh hell than omg

I had 2 or 3 months with zero van breaking something

It's this simple
Something will go wrong
You will be stranded and stuck..maybe an hour maybe weeks.

This is life. In a van or a house
.

And eventually you'll sometimes instead of fear..know ah shit me too here we go again

You'll handle it. Somehow we always do.  Breathe

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