I know I worry too much. On any given night I can find something to worry about. I guess it's my nature.
The trouble that Judy is having with her Motorhome's breaking system, and the need to have it towed has been giving me some "worry."
I worried a lot about getting the Alfa home and getting it parked on the upper drive. Some of those concerns were validated by the fact that we couldn't get it in until an additional tree was removed.
I still have some small misgivings about pulling it out, turning it around and driving back up our road 1/4 mile of rather steep grade, but these thoughts are not too bothersome. I'll worry about that the night before we do it the first time.
What does worry me is what of something should go wrong with the Alfa, either now or in the future year or so we expect to be here, and we can't get her out? There is no way she could be towed.
Our road, Old Ranch Road, is a long, private, dead end road. There is only one way out. If we got stuck on it, we would block access to 24 other properties. It is unlikely that this would happen, but I can't help but think about it.
We live in a wildfire prone area. Our land burned over sometime in the past. We can see a few burned fence posts and charred redwoods. It could burn again. Every so often in "fire season" we talk about it. I'm of the mind that if a fire is threatening, I'm out of here. It's only a house and lots of "stuff." Craig would try to stay and run hoses.
I think that if a fire was threatening, we should be prepared to just leave the Alfa parked where she is. She can be replaced. If we blocked the road, the owners of the 24 down hill properties could very well sue us.
Fire, breakdowns, not imaginary potential problems, but things we should think thru before they happen.
Right now Craig is running the generator trying to bring the batteries up to a full status. They are new batteries and we have been using the lights a bit on and off. He has run the generator before, but not for very long. I hope the neighbors don't get mad. They are all some distance away, but I hate to pollute the mountain air. I can smell the diesel. Not nice.
Do I sound "down" tonight? I guess I am. I want to go somewhere!
Craig and Merikay at Avenue of the Giants, California
As usual, enjoying your very readable blog. Craig might want to check into a battery tender. This is a small and inexpensive trickle charger that can be connected to the batteries and keep them topped off when Alfa is not in use. This one's less than $50: http://www.lslproducts.com/TLSPage.html. Works great.
ReplyDeleteThere's a difference between "due diligence" and worry. If you can demonstrate that you have shown due diligence and sh*t happens anyway, then your neighbours will be hard pressed to come back to you in the event of some sort of issue. Record keeping (even such as your blog) would go a long way to show you've made the effort.
ReplyDeleteThe county (those people who collect your taxes?) may very well be held accountable for road issues, but I'm certainly no guru when it comes to American tort law.
Keep your insurance policies up to date, and try to sleep better at night. Worrying over Mother Nature won't help.
I know you would hate to lose the Alfa, it is insured and that's what you pay insurance for. We insured ours for "stated value" so in the event of a total loss we would get that amount rather than the depreciated amount.
ReplyDeleteIn a fire I guess it would depend on how close it was.
I think your worry is normal with a new, Big, and expensive mh. You will feel better once the other trees are trimmed. If not reconsider the storage lot.
I think we all worry about things to a certain degree. It's human nature. It is often worry that gets things done. Anyone saying they don't worry about things is probably not being honest with themselves. I find the best cure for worrying too much is to get out there and do something. I have a tendency to worry about our travels before we leave but as soon as I turn the key in the Motor Home and get the big wheels rolling a lot of those worries and fears are diminished. I wrote a post about this worry and problems thing back in March of 2010. You can find it here....
ReplyDeletehttp://thebayfieldbunch.com/2010/03/quiet-day-but-tomorrow-i-off-to-ghost.html
Scroll about half way down the post for my thoughts on 'sacks of problems'.
I have the potential to be a worrier too. "What if" this or that? I try to remind myself that the things I worry about usually don't happen at all, and if they do, the solution hasn't been as insurmountable as I thought it would be. Since we bought the fiver, my new mantra has been, we will deal with it IF it happens. (This doesn't always stop the worrying, but I have found it helps.)
ReplyDeleteAfter years of trucking I can only say that places that a tow truck CANNOT get a vehicle out of are not all that common. Sometimes you just have to have a little faith in the skill of the workman.
ReplyDeleteBut more to the point, 90% of the things most of us worry about never happen. So why let worry live rent free in your head?
Nice blog.
I Shoot People - a semi-retired photographer's blog
I used to be more of a worrier. Over the years, I've learned that no matter how much I worried about something, if the s**t was going to hit the fan, it was going to happen whether I worried or not. I actually worried myself sick at one point, and it wasn't a good experience. Now, I try to take it as it comes, the good and the bad. I sleep much better than I used to! And remember, whether it's an RV or a sticks and bricks home, things will go wrong. Try to take it in stride, and deal with it when it happens. The rest of the time, ENJOY!!!
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with other comments...things happen whether you're in a S&B or RV. I say to just try and go with the flow or find something else to worry about...like which pair of shoes you're going to pack, LOL! Cheers! ~M
ReplyDeleteSince you follow Judy's blog you know that they were able to get a tow truck into her and get her out. You would be amazed at the places they can get to. Just make sure you have roadside assistance. I worry all the time but I'm learning to live with it better. The weather is my biggest fear and like everyone says there is just nothing we can do about it except be as prepared as possible.
ReplyDeleteI often 'think' about potential problems and how I would deal with them but I try not to 'worry' about them until they actually happen. There's a big difference between thinking, planning and plain old worrying.
ReplyDeleteWe all worry about something. Sometime more than we should. In times of fire threat move the MH to a storage place then you have somewhere to go just in case you need to get off you mountain. I take it the county hasn't trimmed those trees yet. Once you get out and do some traveling your worries will lesson.
ReplyDeleteIn some ways it would be a lot less trouble (once you get the Alfa out of there) to store it somewhere else. That presents a host of other awkwardnesses, of course, like loading up for a trip. And then you'd have to worry about whether the Alfa was safe in a storage lot where you couldn't see it every day.
ReplyDeleteI'm a worrier too, but I pay for it with stress issues in my body. Hubster worries about nothing. We've taken all the measures there are to protect what we have and if something happens... it happens. That's what he says. We have insurance, a road plan and an alarm on the house when we're gone.
ReplyDeleteI also used to worry about "other people" and our effects on them like you are speaking about, but lately I've been able to give most of that up. They're not worrying about us, I'm pretty sure! One of our insurances is a big umbrella policy.
Just think about Doris Day... "what will be, will be"!