Plan B

Alrighty, so Sybil is still in the shop and will probably be there until monday, making it a full week without our things. Sybil's electric system is best described as majorly screwed up. Buddy who had it before did his own electrical work, and it seems he's a bit of an idiot. This, my friends, is a lesson learnt. Painfully.

On the upside, so far, looks like having only 2 days worth of clothes with us is just fine, providing there is a laundry within reach. We've decided to park Sybil, once she's sprung from the shop, out on a farm for the winter (where she's got lots of space and playmates in other abandoned vehicles) and when we come back in the spring we shall have a mobile home to do our two month visiting/festival stint in May and June. In theory.

This winter we shall still be on Vancouver Island. In fact, we hope to leave this coming wednesday, with 4 days travel (cats and kids, need lots of breaks) and be there by the weekend. The plan is to find some accommodation for the winter, with our very few possessions (have I mentioned that our car is a two door Neon sport), picking up what is needed in terms of livingware at the Free Store in Port Alberni.

The Free Store? What is that and why does it sound so cool?

Glad you asked! The Free Store is just as it sounds, with a significant portion of the second hand items offered being completely free (just take it!) and the rest being just a dollar or two. Drop off stuff costs a couple of bucks, but they do not refuse anything. The underlying principals are diverting goods from the landfill and encouraging reconsumption (their term) rather than consumption with the buying of the new, resource use heavy, goods. My kind of place, which also happens to be the brainchild of a couple of friends, but I've never been. (Nic, have you?)

This weekend we'll proceed with our scheduled camp trip with The Man's parental units and their parental units out in the Rockies. Smootch has already gone ahead, leaving us a few days early, preferring to spend her time basking under the full attention of two sets of grandparents rather than hang out with her very distracted and busy parents and the brother that bites and hits. (I just can't understand that girl's reasoning?! :D) Of course, we are borrowing a trailer for the camp (mama don't do no tent. Well, except when she does.)

We'll be back for monday, winterize Sybil (if she ever gets out of the shop) and clear up some final details (including the testing within range of our vet office of the kitty dope we're getting to help the cats relax on the car ride - I feel terrible for those critters and hope to do good for them at the end of this ride). Stuff - house, rv, books, games, toys - these are the things that have proven themselves to be the headaches of the past month and a half. I wish to be lighter, so much lighter!