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SnowGypsy

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About SnowGypsy

  • Birthday 07/28/1954

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  • Gender
    Female
  • Location
    Kansas
  • Interests
    All kinds of crafts, dogs, walking, camping, and travel.

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  1. The English Lab (shorter and stockier than the American) is on the list. The last one came from an animal shelter. She had been tied in the yard, and the people moved away. She appeared to have been bred until she could no longer be, and according to someone that knows dogs, was passed around before landing alone in the yard. It took her awhile to adjust to family life. She didn't know how to play in the beginning, as we would play with the other dog, and she would just stand and watch looking anxious to join, but not knowing how. Eventually, her personality came out. I do prefer the yellow, and even though they say there is no difference in personality with color, I think they are very wrong. Thanks for responding and casting your votes for a lab!
  2. I have camped and stayed long term in RV parks, so I am aware of a lot of the challenges, it has been 4 or 5 years ago though. I am familiar with the breeds, probably most of them anyway, that are forbidden in some areas. Having lived in AZ among snowbirds, I learned about size restrictions. I am willing to deal with issues in order to have the dog with me, as I always have. The last two dogs, both larger, had ramps and those things for dogs that look like log carriers to help them at other times. The last 3 dogs lived 14.5+, so I am familiar with the challenges, and adding aging myself, I know I need to hit a balance between the two. I know vet expenses can be high, and with higher cost of living areas, higher yet. I do understand spending whatever someone can handle financially, with the real limit being "quality of life" for the dog, which the dog does express, I think anyway. I appreciate everyone taking so much time to reply, and reminding me of some things that I actually sort of knew. Sometimes, I forget how old I am, and it will occur to me "What do you think you're going to live to be 200?" I responded to a post in anothe forum where a younger person was saying there was so many things he wanted to do, how would be do them all in a lifetime. Prioritize! Here, if I purchase a dog, we see mostly hunting dogs and herding dogs. They would be a best choice in the area, as generally, they are not a part of a puppy mill operation. I have always liked herding dogs, and had some mixes. They have been crossing herding dogs with one another, and I might consider one of those: Corgi/Australian Shepherd, Heeler/Aussie and Border Collie/Aussies. They would be more of a medium size. I know they need exercise, but so do I, and I love to be outside. "Use it or lose it." Thanks again. I'll be checking back and will let everyone know when I get what I am sure is my last dog. Gee, where does the time go? I really have a lot of planning to do! A dog is an essential item for me.
  3. Is anyone full-timing with a larger dog (thinking no larger than a lab), and if so, what breed(s) and how has it worked out? I am currently hoping to finally start living the full-time life in the coming year, have a strong preference for larger breeds, and am currently stumped as to the best bet + being a senior, I am looking at adopting an older dog and am aware of the challenges having done that in the past. The last dog was an English Lab (shorter, more stocky one) who was 7 or 8 years old, but she has been gone a few years now. Any thoughts would be appreciated. I am hoping to get one that does not have the "wanderlust"! My days of chasing after a dog have pretty much passed at this point. Thanks!
  4. Old thread but: We had larger dogs 70+ lbs, and one can purchase a "lift", sort of looks like one of the heavy duty cloth things that people would carry logs for a fireplace. You can assist by lifting with straps with the support under the belly. It worked great for two dogs of ours, and anyone with a larger dog should keep one on hand, just in case a dog is injured. I used it walking the dog for short walks more toward the "end", and let me be able to keep her until she decided to "go". A rude neighbor told me "when I had a dog like that, I put her down as it was too much of a hassle". Geesh! Looked it up and they call them "lift harnesses".
  5. We have been in RV parks across the country, and you are spot on! Probably the worst that we have seen was in a couple of RV parks, where a church in town got someone to lend them an old RV, and moved some people from a halfway house into them. They didn't have to stay next to them. Neither time was it the greatest experience. I have seen "Seattle is Dying", and yes, that is something to see if you don't understand the variety of people and reasons that people end up homeless/stay homeless, it is an excellent reference. Homeless people come from all walks of life, so be as weary of them as with others. They all aren't "nice" people down on their luck. There is a lot of drug use that puts these people out on the streets, and many of them are not into caring about anything other than their next fix. One should be able to judge from a distance whether to steer clear though. "Vibs"!
  6. Interestingly, I have dealing with the face mask issue for a couple of days since the Governor has announced an executive order that they must be worn inside and outside if social distancing cannot be maintained. But, and here is a big rub, from what I gathered from the article, the virus takes a break if you are in a public venue eating, drinking or exercising. Well, I had researched this early on about cloth face masks, so was prepared to share the info with my elected officials. I have asked the Governor's office for the "data" that she keeps saying supports her "EO" and have yet to receive it. I have asked the physician who was supporting it in a Wichita, KS newspaper from the University of Kansas for the "data", while supplying the data/studies that I drew my conclusions from. Cases are down here, and we were supposed to be done with all the orders on July 15, now. Our small businesses have struggled as our Public Health Officer closed the town well before others in the state. I know no one that contracted COVID 19, my friends know no one either. We had a death, and a friend of mine knew the family. It was a COVID 19 death, but the death certificate (legal document) said the cause of death was heart disease. Our Governor has said that we need to wear masks until a vaccine is available, and Fauci has said we may end up carrying a card to show we have been tested for antibodies. Ah, no! I have read the research, and "NO"! I see so much fear mongering and terrifying people, but you must do your research and stop listening to the news media. COVID 19 is so small that it will pass through a cloth mask, and I'll leave out all the gross possibilities of those reusing cloth masks, especially on young children. I have a lot of "data" coming from reliable sources, but I am listing one here which will probably be taken down as it is against the current narrative. There are many articles on the FB page "Recall Kelly". "Knowledge is power." They have terrified many of the older people in our community yet I have seen reports of a handful of 100+ individuals that have recovered. Build your immune systems, because who knows what comes next. Before being critical of people who aren't wearing masks, which I am tired of, educate yourselves beyond MSM and the CDC (yeah, check them out closely when it comes to them and big pharma). Not political in any way, just the facts. "Data" comes from science not numbers from the CDC or KDHE. And, from across the world:
  7. Because opinions by physicians, epidemiologists and scientists of various specialties disagree, people are approaching the "situation" differently. Even the CDC will not give even a guess as to how accurate the tests are for COVID 19. Our county locked down very early forbidding a person to associate out of their household unless it involved "essential" activity, and now, we have ended up with a lot of late blooming cases. Once the "marketing manager" started scheduling tests, "positives" picked up. They were threatening huge fines and possibly jail time in our county, so the Public Health Officer has had her wings clipped at this point. We are on the cross way of 2 major highways, and in the RV park, there has been no absence of business since March. Because of the size of the virus, it pretty much will pass through any mask, and masks increase the risk of adjusting it and touching one's face, not to mention the reuse of them leaves something to be desired. Those with breathing issues need to be very careful when wearing a mask as there have been problems with lack of oxygen. The college here is going to require students wear masks inside and outside when they cannot social distance which means for hours a day breathing their own carbon dioxide, and I do wonder if they will try to institute that with school age children as I can't imagine that will play out well knowing kids. People are seeing the facts now, and the more that are infected, the quicker it times out. CDC is supposed to come out with new mask recommendations in the next few days according to what I have read. Being well informed on this is the only way to go, stay away from the news and learn the science. Politics are poisoned on both sides at this point. Believe in science, and the CDC maybe not so much. Questioning is good.
  8. OK, the group that I am familiar with from the early 90s did do exactly that and gave "star" ratings to the different manufacturers. Maybe they changed, but I am talking nearly 30 years ago to your 10 years. They also rated the RVs as full-timer, vacation, etc. I was already familiar with RVs to a certain extent, watched over the years, and it was my opinion that the smaller manufacturers were more interested in getting the ratings, so were more accepting of the organization, buying of their "products", making "donations"......... I also know how they got that ratings sitting there first hand and watching it happen. When the organization that I was talking about got started it was one man and this is the "group" that I was talking about discussed in this forum in 2004: http://www.irv2.com/forums/f84/rv-consumer-group-ratings-6894.html I have seen this topic come up across the internet. They don't rate every model, and many people are very happy with units that they slam. It is also recommended for those that don't really know anything about RVs, but with the internet, I just don't see making the investment. The manufacturer that I worked for "earned" the 5-star designation. I see they still have it today from RV Consumer Group. I just googled and found the name of the individual that was the manufacturer and his name was J. D. Gallant. I met this man in person. Got a very bad impression of the operation at that time, and I have commented in other forums over the years, probably to include this one, on this group. J. D. Gallant: https://rv.org/pages/about-us Yep, that is him. We did more RV shopping than most being on RV #10. Both new and used RVs having looked at many RV units over the years. We bought our first in 1984. Anyone considering buying into this should search for other opinions on other forums. Gee, imagine that a $40,000 5th wheel isn't as well built as a $150,000 one! Can you full-time in a $40,000 5th wheel? Many people full-time happily in one that even costs less. Most people won't keep a unit for 15 to 20 years anyway. The group may have changed over the years, but it looks like the same one. My vote is "no", first hand accounts are always better than opinions, so if one wants to spend the money, then go for it! Some like it, but there are enough shortcomings that one needs to understand what they buying. OK, maybe it was "donations and buying products" rather than membership, but I didn't like the "business practices" that I saw at that time. A manufacturer with about 25 employees total, including both office/shop. My advice is to go to the owners' forums for the units that one is interested in and read, read, read/ask questions. Go out and look at used units of that manufacturer and see how they held up. Never consider an RV an "investment". There are more buyers for that $40,00 5th wheel when you decide to unload it then the $150,000 one with some time on the road.
  9. Do they still offer memberships to manufacturers? I remember when they first started, and they did have manufacturers that bought memberships. I know some of the manufacturers would not give them the time of day, especially the larger ones who didn't need a "rating" from the organization. I remember the info they first started out with, and it was of some benefit as at that time, there wasn't the wealth of information that is available online now. Even in the beginning, I found the info already outdated as the industry moves along quickly with models, improvements, finding cheaper ways of doing something, etc. I had the benefit of working for a small direct sale manufacturer at that time and watching a visit and really being "the fly on the wall" in this case. I just didn't think much of the whole thing.
  10. I would not use Drano or Liquid Plumber. I usually use hot water, vinegar and maybe baking soda trying one or two of those together. I have a small plunger that I use on the sink drain to speed it up if necessary, so that might be an option. Vinegar usually cuts soapy residue especially with a hot water chaser.
  11. I realize co-ops are different than Rainbow Parks, but because we have the 3rd adult (our son with Down syndrome), I either read the "rules and regulations" if online or called the co-ops (2 that didn't have info readily available online. Both of them danced around it never really saying "yes" or "no", kind of coming up with other issues we might have that would prevent us from joining the co-op. It didn't give me the best feeling, and I understand the choice is entirely theirs. I am arrogant enough to write it off as their loss and not ours! I wish they would have just come out and said "no". Obviously, I'm not going to choose a co-op over our son. We are looking hard at whether we will continue our membership which is due next month. We have looked at activities with the different groups. We, like some others, aren't into potluck and alcohol which can leave one on the "side lines". We often don't "fit" which is fine. I sort of fell in love with the original idea of the Escapees. Many things up close aren't the way they appear from a distance. We have met a handful of really nice people that belong to the Escapees, and really appreciate those like Kirk that work diligently to keep this forum afloat. We were considering attending the Escapade in Wyoming, but it a lot of money to sit on the side lines, so.................. We don't fit in a group which is fine, probably better than fine.
  12. We became interested in Escapees when we were in our 30s, a good 30 years ago. We came here trying to figure out how to go full-time and have jobs. At that time, more than one person said that we needed to "earn" it like they did and wait until we retired. It seemed like every time I asked a question then, I just got some smart remark about not having earned....... I also agree that those with cheaper rigs or lesser funds to buy a rig need to be just as welcome as anyone else. I see so much criticism when someone mentions a rig not considered for "full-time" in their opinion. Having lived full-time among others off and on, I can tell you that I have seen people full-timing in every possible variation of RV imaginable, and it works for them. I have heard that The Ranch has that "spirit" that first interested us in the Escapees. There is so much information and experience that can be shared here, and a warm welcome despite someone's "circumstances" would certainly not hurt! I am afraid that the "spirit" is wilting, but much of that is due to the changes in the world in general. Cheap RV Living has an active forum which is a good resource for those with lesser means, younger ages, etc. Lessons could be learned from their forum. An attitude of tell me your circumstances/what you have to work with and I'll share the knowledge/experience I have to try to help you make it work would show some true "spirit" IMHO. Kirk: I know the "spirit" that you speak of. There still are Escapees out there with that, and I feel sorry for those that don't get what the Escapees "Spirit" is. I read the books and articles about and by the Petersons, and once emailed Kay and got a very nice response. I try to show that "spirit" in my life, a Golden Rule thing for me.
  13. If I had an insurance man that I trusted, I would talk it over with him, since it will not be on your property or in paid storage elsewhere, that would probably require some extra rider or something.
  14. I get tired of people who breaks laws whining when they get caught. Seriously, maybe take the safety of others on the roads that will be traveled into consideration. Once stopped for an infraction of the law, one is opening themselves up to scrutiny, so maybe just check everything and make sure laws are not being broken from the get-go. The things I have seen on the road........... Good website for understanding weights: http://changingears.com/rv-sec-tow-vehicles-understand.shtml I googled to read some articles on this, and what I found was lists of RV forums where people were asking if they would have issues towing overweight. They seem to want reassurance that it will be OK from others doing it. What else I saw was attorneys advertising reference being in an accident with an RV and it turning out to be overweight, so that comes into play. There are a number of accidents that RVs are involved in. I hope they catch and ticket every last person that is towing overweight! As more RVs are on the road, more accidents taking place involving them, others will be demanding that something be done. That is the way it works when people cheat, everyone pays in the end! People seeking reassurance that they can break the law without consequences? I have nothing positive to say about that.
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