PAINT!!!!

Sitting in a Walmart parking lot in St. Louis right now and I feel I need to back up and add a few posts from the last few days. PAINT was a big deal before we left. Some people came over to do some painting on the bus. I had all these expectations I didn't know I had about what the painting should look like until my kids stumbled across them! I came around the corner with a painting adult to find the kids had hijacked the red paint and painted gore, blood and guts down the ocean side in and around the sharks' mouths!!!! I was so agahst and when I reacted I could see the disappointed look on my son's face...thinking he had painted something amazing. I took a breath and a minute and then explained to him that we couldn't roll into towns with blood and gore all over the bus...our reception might not be as welcome. Over the day much paint was added and I eventually was able to let go of all the things that were taking the mural in different directions. Even the gore. I painted over it and a short while later the two year old actually pushed a chair up to the bus when I was busy on the other side and repainted the blood!!! Two years old and saying "It's bloody, mom. It's bloody." HOW DOES SHE EVEN KNOW THAT?!?!? In any case, there it sits - as a reminder that life is NEVER what you expect! Here are the additions...

Totally fun stuff! Even some painting inside the bus at 2am while kids were sleeping :) Well, Ventura...and the whole world, actually - HERE WE GO!!!!!

Road Prep

So safety on the road is a real concern. No, we won't be wearing bike helmets all the way, but we are making sure we have all the seatbelts installed that we need, door and hatch locks, etc. But stranger safety is also a big concern that we ALL need to work on. When we were preparing to make this trip many people worried that we were taking our kids out into the big, dangerous world. We pondered this question when shortly thereafter a very angry man knocked at our door one day with intent to harm. This definitely shifted our perspective! So we proceed with the idea that anger and hatred can land anywhere, especially where you invite it. That there is a fine line to be walked between we-are-all-one love for all and do NOT thread on me or this will go badly for you. Not a line really that you can find and pin down with GPS, not really oppositional places at all actually. I believe they coexist. We can all be one and love one another and still understand that people are human and get angry or get themselves into mentally awful places and do stupid things to be avoided. So the fine line is actually a moment to moment series of choices that creates an unseen path.

This place became EXTREMELY evident yesterday when I encountered another extremely angry man in the parking lot of the local grocery store. We almost collided in the parking lot and his car came to a screeching halt. I had pulled in front of him not seeing his tiny car behind a larger truck and since he was speeding through the parking lot. Initially I stepped out of the car to apologize for not seeing him. When he stepped out and towered over me at more than 6 feet and probably 350lbs, anger outweighing all that in spades, I realized I had made a huge mistake. I proceeded to apologize through his swears and insults. Then, the reality of the huge mistake happened. My 72 year old father with Alzheimers stepped out of the car and proceeded to defend my honor. The man was three times the size of my father, but this did not matter. When in papa bear mode my father can match sailor tongues with the best of them - and he did. I begged the large man, in my not-so-whispery voice, saying "Please, he has Alzheimer's!". "I don't give a &%^$ what he has!" At this, an 85 year old Vietnam Vet with long white hair and a white beard stepped in. Truthfully, the whole thing would have been comical if it weren't so terrifying. I stood in the center of the three men trying to throw reason into an increasingly building fire. It culminated in the large man hitting the Vet with my arms and body, the vet screaming "He assaulted me!!! Call the police!!", a few more pleas from me to just get in his car and go and, finally, calm. Shaking, I turned to face my father, the two babies in the car and an epic grocery trip I probably should have abandoned!

So what is to be gained from this? Well, I later took a few amazing paddles (as directed by my healer sisters) that has sent ripples of love throughout my family. But having this happen just prior to our departure will certainly make me more reserved in my quick judgements - thinking I can fix anything and make it better. ESPECIALLY when in the presence of my children or my dad! And now, a few pics of the wind down to departure.

Doughnuts for George Rody, more building out and FRIENDS!!!! FIVE DAYS TIL DEPARTURE!!!!! See you on the TRIP side! S.

Countdown to BLAST OFF!

We are getting rather close to our DESIRED departure date (JUNE 11th!!!) and trying not to totally STRESS OUT! If the JOURNEY is the DESTINATION, then I know that these days are as important as the ones to come. Today was an excellent reminder of this. It poured BUCKETS of rain on the roof and as we ran in circles getting things done and mopping up the water streaming in through the roof hatch (I think there are maple tree helicopters jammed in the vents - gotta check that!) I caught myself and my tone with the kids. I went into mom and dad's house to take a break and interact with everyone and it was a moment I will carry with me always. The kids were laughing and engaging with my parents and my parents were equally enjoying themselves in ways that wouldn't have happened if we hadn't parked in their driveway. I may inadvertently paint our lives as being rosy and sunshiny trying to focus on the positive and the inspiration, but there are definite swings as with every family. This, however, was a moment that made it all seem important and worthwhile. Confirmation that we are on the right track - which is not something you get all the time. At least not if you (me) are too caught up in everything else.

These two, of course, share a brain. Equally enjoyable to spending time with my parents has been spending time with the various community around them. Their friends and neighbors, most of whom I've known all my life. Being here on a daily basis means visiting with the same people they visit with - something I wouldn't do unless at a family wedding, funeral, etc. How could I not consider these people my friends? They know me often better than I know myself. And spending time with them is like wearing familiar gloves or breathing in the scents of a childhood blanket. I am so blessed to know them now as an adult.

And there is always the ever-precious cousin time. (Ask me sometime about my outfit here. It is an AWESOME story!!!)

We have decided to sneak this one onto the bus with us :)

There is also the occasional visit from the animal world. Luckily so far it has only been a dog, a sparrow, some ants/bees/spiders, and a few chickens and roosters. We have even gotten an egg laid in the back window by our bed...twice! Talk about breakfast in bed!

The roof of the bus got hosed off and scrubbed.

Some muddy children got hosed off.

My husband got hosed off.

And then there was paint.

And a little man far too eager to assist.

Right now we are just trying to streamline things and get ourselves in a good position for the end of the school year and the shove off. Adding some shelving and storage, thinning out non-essentials, fixing a leaky toilet, paperless billing, adding an occasional paint splotch. Should you wish to see the bus we may not have time to entertain, but would love to see you just the same if you don't take offense to us working while you're here. Any adults interested in adding paint to our work-in-progress bus canvas, feel free. The paint is on a wagon in the barn and there are some roof sun rays that need painting, a Ganesh trunk on the front, some faeries, bugs, flowers, fish, etc. Children also welcome who don't require my supervision or direction (I already have too many of those and cannot divert my attention!).

Thanks for walking through our crazy woods with us! I'll keep you posted. See you on the trip side!!!

Roxaboxanatterbuswhat?!?!

Apartment is empty of everything and we are back on the bus full-time! Even the sleeping baby, though she doesn't quite have the hang of it and, while she LOVES being in Gramma and Nonno's driveway for a bit, she has been asking when we are going to go home. :(

I know for a fact it is these fabulous neighbors that she misses cause she asks for them. Thanks ladies for all your care and companionship!

Being back in the bus feels like slipping on an old pair of cowboys boots. It just fits so well. The kids definitely need constant change to keep them challenged, involved and out of each other's hair!

There was quite a bit, and still is, organizing that has to happen to fold us back into compact living. Much trial and error of what we need now for school still, for cold weather, for being parked at Gramma's with no water/sewer, and then for being on the road STARTING JUNE 11TH!!!! It approaches so rapidly that stress is not even a word I can speak without a sick feeling in my belly...mostly because it is compounded by some ugly dentist and doctors appt. before we leave. But that is a story for another day. The next week or so I will be painting the roof...all are welcome!!! :)

So the kids, JR and I have been working on an official name for the bus. We started writing this crazy poem in an effort to find our way to it. The poem involves references to various favorite children's stories that involve oddball homes, creative living situations or just fun bus uses. I will scatter the poem among the pics, though it won't space or format it the way I want it. Feel free to write with additional verses or to guess which stories are referenced in these verses: Roxaboxanatterbusblack Devoid of flavor and built by Jack Roxaboxanatterbusblue A boy with some sheep and a mom in a shoe Roxaboxanatterbusred Wolves are all in and the pig out instead Roxaboxanatterbusgrey One home rebuilt and one blows away Roxaboxanatterbusgreen The friendliest earthship that you've never seen Roxaboxanatterbuspink A squash and a squeeze to make you rethink Roxaboxanatterbusbrown She and her farmhouse spin right out of town

Roxaboxanatterbusyellow Life in a factory with this sweet fellow. Roxaboxanatterbusgo A Magical ride and the Friz runs the show Roxaboxanatterbusfree A house in a wagon or out on the prairie Roxaboxanatterbussleep On granny's belly we snore nice and deep Roxaboxanatterbuscuddle A knit place for mole, rabbit, hedgehog to huddle. Roxaboxanatterbusdream Of faraway places where the wildest beasts scream

Roxaboxanatterbusswim Window agape for a fish to fly in Roxaboxanatterbusspin I wish we could go there and they’re off again Roxaboxanatterbussand She builds up a castle, they set sail for land Roxaboxanatterbusfloat Each Tuesday is different, Frog, pig, maybe goat

Roxaboxanatterbuswee The adventure begins and we live where we be! See you soon on the open road! S.

Moving DAY!!

Hard to believe we are moving out ALREADY!! Time flies. We have loved it here and I am trying to savor moments with the neighbors, the view, the grassy hill, the hikes, et al amidst all the chaos and stress of packing. And the kids have had the stomach bug and are home under our feet - which amps up the "I'm going to LOSE MY MIND" stress level. The "KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON" sticker in the kitchen was such a good purchase that I went back to the Dollar Store and got another one for the bus!!! Luckily, a good walk in the sun and the spring air usually soothes the savage beast(s). AND the kids are learning a TON about how much stuff they have and how much space they have to work with and how to make the two meet.

It is QUITE a bit easier to move when you are going from small apartment to even smaller bus...which is also just parked in the driveway!!!

Georgia is also on our minds. We love you guys and are sad not to see you so soon :( Unless you wanna see Yellowstone with us ;P

They aren't sisters at all :) Too many injuries, maladies, surgeries, etc have been dogging our progress as well. We had hoped to do some rebuilding in the bus BEFORE moving all our stuff into it, but only got a few minor things worked out. However, there is still time before the trip (planned leave date sometime mid-June right now) and what we don't manage will either get left off the list or done on the road!

I am blessed to have an actual Care Bear and Jedi Warrior helping me - one with positive thinking and the other with mind control. How could it not all work out?!?!? Well, I'll try to post another update soon. Thanks for following our inspired craziness and we promise more exciting things to come!! Be well and do well. S.

Consumers!

I promised a blog on CONSUMERISM!!! Well, now seems fitting since we are returning to the bus after six months in this apartment. What a lesson! Going from a house to a bus was a HUGE change...for a long time the whole front of the bus was stuffed with STUFF as we adjusted to what we needed and what we didn't need. To some degree this never ended. There was always this exchange of what came in the door and what went out the door. Once in the apartment, though it is truthfully not much larger than the bus, we expanded to fit our surroundings. It is amazing how much stuff you collect in just six months! I can see how useful moving frequently can be - it really forces you to purge again and again. Maybe it was the stairs here that helped me notice this, but it was hard to come into this house without dragging bags and bags of STUFF in all the time. Groceries, library books, things from storage, projects from school, un-ending bags of whatever from mom's house, etc. Again, this exchange of stuff in and out that was CONSTANT and proportionate to the size of where we are living. It is so amazing to witness your own consumerism first hand. I think of all the packaging involved in all of these things, the transportation and gas of it all, the shear stress of manipulating and managing it all. But this is the process we have committed to - viewing our excess first hand and trying to learn how to thin out. To use and need less. And, at the same time, not to participate alternately in a disposable economy where we can just throw it away and buy another when we need it. This really takes quite a bit of thought and planning. One thing we are struggling with is our storage space. Now that we are revisiting what we jammed into storage in the fall, much of it is getting given away or sold off. It takes some time for you to realize what you can and cannot live without. Slowly we come to a place that is a teetering balance of what we are holding onto in storage so we don't need to buy more of it later, versus the cost of maintaining storage space. We are not fierce coupon people like I have seen on those shows with 45 bottles of shaving cream they got for free, so luckily we aren't trying to use that stuff up. But there is the burden of useful furniture and clothes handed down so as not to require entire new wardrobes with every growth spurt.

We have also had the luxury of water and heat included in our rent for the past several months. After counting every drop that came out of our small water tank and using an electric heater sparingly on the bus, we were certainly less miserly and bigger consumers in this apartment than we probably would have been still on the bus. We just filled out a water usage chart for the last week for Girl Scouts and I am excited to revisit it once back on the bus to see the startling difference. I justify all of this by noting that this endeavor is, first off, an experiment in awareness and at least we are trying to bring awareness to our CONSUMERISM. And, secondly, we are living on so much less for part of the year that, for now, it off-sets some of our overages.

As for the bus, we are gearing up to get back in her by May 1st. We had a small hitch with the brakes on one side freezing up after such a long crazy winter. But, with the determined ingenuity of my husband (the un-ending patience of his wife:) and the help of several dial-a-friend/lifelines with mechanical questions she is on the road once again!!!

We still welcome any and all painters who would like to add to the bus mural. This photo is where the famous surf image is destined to appear :) Bus cross-country tour should begin sometime in late June so don't delay! We welcome everything from ocean life, garden activity, roof painting, sun re-coloring (too yellow - looks like a school bus!), to fun song lyrics and sayings all around the bus in sharpie! As for the name, we are currently writing a poem as a family to help us flesh it out a bit better! I will post the poem when we have finished it. Thanks for staying tuned. Check back for more pics, thoughts, and even a podcast or two :) We shall update you soon. Keep on rollin'!