Author: ElisaMG

It’s no secret I love celebrations! And guess who just had a birthday? Me! It was absolutely perfect! Family called and sang Happy Birthday to me. Friends reached out either by snail mail, social media or live. I was surrounded with love. It was the perfect day and none of it had to do with the traditional material things. I told people, no gifts, but folks want to feel like they have something they can do to show you how they feel about you. Isn’t that the point of gifts in the first place? All of this got me thinking about enjoying holidays while living tiny.

I have found holidays are richer since going tiny. There is no more room in the trailer for stuff!  I used to stress out and get caught up in the hype of gift giving, holiday traditions and holiday decorating. I had a love hate affair with the whole process. Since living tiny I have given up the drama and expectations.

Biodegradable decorations can add a fragrant touch and don’t have to be packed up. I like to use a simple clear jar for any celebrations and put different types of items inside like homemade fudge at Christmas, Colored Eggs at Easter, A fresh bouquet of my  favorite flowers for birthdays, or some pretty pine cones in the fall. Finish it off with some ribbon tied into a lovely bow and I start feeling like Martha Stewart! I add my favorite holiday music for a nice ambiance, and once in awhile I do take advantage of my truck storage.

I remind myself, the best things in life aren’t things. People love that you want to be around them. Give your time. What a treat it was to find loved ones honoring simpler ways of celebrating, for the same purpose. I try to communicate how important to me you are, and just what I love about you. Holiday cooking of favorite dishes, and making homemade cards while enjoying holiday beverages, and a movie in the background is fun. I’m glad I kept my festive holiday mugs. Holiday light tours are all over the country. Go solo or with friends in the area or take part in seasonal sports for fun, whether your thing is snow skiing or snowshoeing at New Years, or paddle boarding to the middle of the lake to watch the fireworks for the Fourth of July.

Feeling a little lonely, I figure out who else is and host an ‘orphan’s’ Holiday for them. The name helped me laugh a little at my self and realize I’m not alone. Laughter is always a welcome addition. Go potluck style. Don’t forget about Caroling at Christmas, or you could throw an egg themed party at Easter where you paint eggs, bring egg themed dishes, and watch egg themed movies. Yep, watched “Cool Hand Luke” for Easter one year. Homeless shelters, soup kitchens, donate to a cause, toys for those in need are great ideas. Taking the focus off of me fills me with gratitude.

One favorite tradition from a friend is to travel out of the country on U.S. holidays. Folks in other countries know it is a U.S. holiday, and are intrigued that you are visiting their country, which  often results in them rolling out the red carpet for you.

And if I must resort to material gifts, I have found gifting a new experience related to a hobby, can be a hit. Be creative! Go for the  Kindle or Audible books rather than hard books that take up space and add weight to the trailer. Don’t underestimate the joy of a gift card from the Airstream Store, or Camping Club Memberships. Of course if we really listen, folks will give us hints of material things they do want. Think tiny and add a receipt.

These are just a few ideas from me. You all are the real experts! Please share your ideas in the comments. Most importantly do things that have meaning to you! How have you taken the holiday focus off of the accumulation of stuff?

“Oh my mama told me, There’ll be days like this!” Van Morrison….

Seriously though, I hear so many “yah buts”…. In reference to living this life. So many folks live in fear rather than faith, in self-doubt rather than self-confidence, in worry and problems, rather than solutions…..and every once in awhile I go there too.

I’ve had a few days where I worried about the “what ifs”, so I thought in this post I’d throw a bunch of them together  and comment on how this really has been a spiritual path for me, reminding me I am also tiny, and the universe is in control. What will happen will happen. And it will all work out as it is supposed to.

Won’t you be lonely living out there by yourself? You better get a gun, it’s not safe being out on the road. But you are a female by yourself, please be safe. How did you possibly learn all of that mechanical stuff? Isn’t it expensive to live like that? Won’t you miss your friends? What if you don’t have the right tools? What if someone steals your trailer? Will you be homeless? What do you do when you need to bring your rig in for maintenance? Where will you live? Oh my goodness, did you see that YouTube video of the sway that ended up in a roll over? Are you seriously driving through tornado alley? Really, you’re driving up the mountain peaks on icy twisty roads? How do you brake on hills without wearing out your brakes? Yikes, your black tank won’t empty, now what? What if the power goes out on your A/C? Ew, what if you get the mice your neighbors currently have? What if there’s nowhere to park? What if your hundreds of miles from cell service? Should you leave your trailer in an area you are not familiar with? If you don’t keep up with monitoring tire pressure you could have a blowout and do thousands of dollars of damage. I pray it doesn’t hail. Are you kidding me, that road is so thin, there’s no way two trailers will fit, and we are headed down which means the other trailer has the right of way…. Are we going to have to back all the way back up the hill? Where will you get your mail? Will you still have health insurance? How on earth will you vote? Where are you? Oh, don’t post your location! It’s not safe. All of this I’ve either heard, read or thought. Something as little as my awning not opening makes me see dollar signs and drastically start to doubt myself. What a fool I am, what was I thinking spending my money to live like this when I could have been in the “safety” of a house? I’ve got one of those creative minds that can spin up quite the imaginative story of what might happen and how it will lead to me being a homeless lady living out of a bag twenty years from now. Ha! Ha!

But seriously, living out of a house we have the same ups and downs, worries and fears, and real problems. Yes, someone can rob us, the furnace or A/C can go out, things break, maintenance has to be done, you could pick up a stalker along the way, you can’t guarantee who your neighbors will be…. Or better yet, you can almost guarantee they will be the people put here on the planet to teach you a lesson about yourself. And this is true in Airstream, nomad tiny living too. You still have to deal with bureaucracy and red tape when it comes to making sure you can vote, and have your basic needs like health insurance met. And basically tomorrow is not known, once yesterday is done it is what it is and living in today is the best you can do.

Its like anything else, having a great network of beautiful people around you to lean on when times get tough, keep whatever faith you practice alive, learning to go with the flow and accept what comes your way as part of the journey, are all helpful. Being grateful for all of the gifts on the journey, a little prayer and meditation, new and exciting adventures and gorgeous views help too!

Let me begin by saying my four legged fur baby Dudley, a Boston Terrier Mix rescue, is my favorite wildlife in the park, and thus,  wildlife safety is especially dear to my heart. Animals found in nature are an integral part of living tiny in my Airstream. They provide me with lessons in choice when it comes to my point of view on my circumstances, as well as my place on the planet.

When I first parked here I was warned watch out for the skunks. We are the guests. The skunks are bold and will come up to your toes and kiss your toes without thinking twice. They won’t bother you, they’ll simply keep on traveling under, around your trailer. I asked if they would be kissing my dog’s toes too. Well…. Needless to say we have spent hours on end taking doggy training seriously, making sure that my dog would listen to me if the occasion should ever arise. Which by the way, I have had a skunk kiss my toes and I’m happy to say I survived scent free! Apparently one can try the tomato juice bath, but the reality is if my dog gets sprayed we will be smelling it for a few weeks inside and outside of the trailer.

Apparently it is rare, but we had the fortune of experiencing a five hundred pound bear wander through the area where we were parked. Local law enforcement went on a comic chase of the fellow who had made it through the local cities at the foothills of the mountain and found our lovely location. When I first heard about the sightings, I thought, yah right,  five hundred pounds must mean it’s really three hundred, although that’s still a lot bigger than me!  As it turned out, once caught back in the local neighborhoods swimming in backyard pools, the bear was actually five hundred pounds, so even in urban camping areas I found it is important that one takes care of trash appropriately, and does not leave anything good smelling laying around. Its great to get to know neighboring RV travelers, as they definitely keep each other up to date on sightings and safety. I have had so many nice neighbors help look out after my dog.

In addition to the bear there have also been sightings of mountain lions, huge raccoons, rattle snakes and a bobcat. Coyotes are the most common wildlife we have run into. It is true they are very clever and quiet. I’ve seen them on walks where one will show himself, then disappear in the brush across the path, then a second, third, until seven had passed. Needless to say, we went back to the trailer that day.

Coyotes and bears are dangers but don’t underestimate the birds. The geese will stare down my dog and come at him hissing. We also have an endangered bird that I’m not sure the name of but we lovingly call it the Jurassic Park Bird. It looks as if a child drew it into being, a great big blob of a body on tall skinny legs with a big pointy beak. It makes a very curious bizarre sounding sound. Dudley wanted to chase after it, even though it was bigger than him, and it just stood its ground and gave him a look that said “I will eat you in one bite.” So, we have spent lots of time training with audio tapes of birds, coyotes and other sounds. Hopefully that will all pay off. But honestly, when friends come for a visit and they take a pause, the first thing they notice is the serene sound of the birds singing in mother nature’s quiet tranquil  beautiful backdrop.

Some preventative measures we like include, rattle snake training for dogs offered at the local sporting goods stores, always being aware of ones surroundings, and hiking with a big stick as well as friends. I am also on the look out for a spike collar to make my dog look less like dinner. It only takes a second to be snatched up. Unfortunately we were  sound witnesses to the misfortune of someone else’s dog being attacked, a sound I will never forget. The best preventative measures I have found for both of us is to rise and shine with the cycle of the sun. When it gets dark, we pretty much are in for the evening, and that’s alright with us. We also take our dog/human training very seriously.

We have also learned how to use pepper spray. However, I have a cautionary note on pepper spray. Always when storing leave the safety on, and I would suggest bag it in case it accidentally goes off inside like it did on me. Mine rolled out of the cabinet above and landed in my dishwater, discharging it and burning my eyes and skin for a couple of weeks. Luckily my dog was not nearby. Talk about feeling dumb.

Most importantly, we try to keep an attitude of awe and gratitude remembering we share the planet with others. After all the cool thing about critters is that we get to see them! Living tiny, we are not so loaded down by stuff that we walk from inside of our cars, to inside of our garages, and then into our houses missing the rest of life on our planet. We see and get to know our neighbors. We learn that even though we as critters can pose grave danger to each other, learning to live in co-existence,  respect each other and appreciate each others beauty brings happiness and peace. We find this true for the humans as well as our other animal friends. When we park in locations further out from the cities we look forward to what we will encounter. We continue to be amazed at the small things in life, and all of the beauty that we missed when living in our stick and brick homes, where the focus was typically on having more material things to feel happy.

• Get an equalizer hitch put on to distribute the weight and cut back on the possibility of sway.
• Get comfortable driving the truck alone first.
• Have your favorite trucker take you out for your first spin in a parking lot for practice.
• Practice turns, backing up into spaces, breaking everything in the parking lot to get the feel for it.
• Your side mirrors are your friends. When backing up don’t smash them, they stick out. If you do smash them, super glue will work until you get them fixed.
• There are plenty of others nearby who would like to be your friends and will help. Tell them what you need from them. Be precise.
• Know your hand signals and connect by cell phone to your spotter so you don’t miscommunicate.
• Know the trailer will go in the opposite direction of what you are used to.
• Hold the steering wheel in the bottom middle and steer from the bottom in the direction you want the trailer to go…. Good one that got me out of my head.

I’m sure I’m missing a few good ones. But seriously, my favorites are the ones I learned on my own:

• Not all help is help. If they are not superb at towing themselves, they are not going to know what to say to guide you.
• When in doubt Get out…. And look.
• Go slow.
• Use the Jake Break on hills. (It slows you down with the engine like a semi… pretty cool.)

Also having those checklists when you’re forgetful like me is helpful, as well as locking everything down, having one cabinet packed full and another empty is better than two half full. Wrap your breakables in towels and tuck them into your bedding.

So anyhow… all of that is technical stuff you can find if you search online.

I’ll just add a little more of my story and lesson learned that you might not hear elsewhere. From this view I gained a new respect for the road. You know those people who drive small cars and are super impatient to get to very important destinations, likely more important than anyone else’s on the road. I call them “Zippers”. Yah, they zip in and out of traffic trying to get ahead of everyone, with no respect for big rigs or other drivers in general. You usually end up passing them at a stop light when you get off the freeway. Yah,,, actually that used to be me. I have to confess, I used to be a zipper! But with my new found trucker view of the road, I have been reformed. I apologize to anyone I may have offended in the past. Would you believe I even saw one person, while driving down the freeway, pass a water bottle to the person in the next lane? I thought dude, do you even realize there is a three quarter ton truck hauling another ten thousand pounds behind it that cannot stop on a dime? Is your life really only worth a bottle of water? Also, WAZE does not have a setting that says, I’m driving a 27 footer. Hey WAZE how about it. So if you use it or any other app for directions, think ahead because the app won’t take into account whether the on ramp is too small and twisty or the turn is too sharp. Don’t get yourself in a jam. Just reinforcing my most valuable lesson, go slow. I think that is the most important lesson in towing. You can correct any bad move you were about to make, as long as you haven’t made it yet.

Also, the actual hooking up of the hitch, is really no big deal. It just looks bad ass. But in reality you just follow the steps, one after the other. It’s much simpler than it looks.

So far, I’d been living risk free in my Airstream, in a beautiful RV park tucked among the hills along a gorgeous lake just a hop and skip outside of LA. I’m minutes from my LA Airstream buddies who have helped me tremendously in my education process. The park seems to be a well kept secret and has been an awesome place to start out, but the road has been whispering her promises of travel, adventure, beauty and growth in my ear, pulling me out of my comfort zone. It was time. I knew,  “Bug” was just not going to  get the job done! You see I’ve been driving a VW Bug for as long as I can remember. It was time to find a tow vehicle.

Bug was small, quiet and could go unnoticed slipping in and out of places without disturbing anyone. Bug represented everything polite, sweet, unassuming, and always would move out of the way for the rest of the world, making sure everyone around had their needs met first. Don’t get me wrong, I love Bug and all of her beautiful qualities, but, there comes a time in a relationship, where a girl’s gotta make some changes. So, along came Beast.

I have no idea why I called my Doge Ram 2500 4×4 Diesel Truck, Beast. I love saying that! But it simply came to me and stuck. Beast is strong, unapologetic, courageous,  and adventurous.  Beast is self reliant, commands attention and has no problem with everyone moving over. Beast has no problem putting herself first. Beast, owns the road. Just sitting in her I sit a little taller.

I grew up with three big brothers in the late sixties and heard all of the messages many of you had in terms of what was for girls and what was for boys. I remember times I impressed my brothers by daring to cross those societal lines. I recall climbing the trees in South Chicago that towered so high one could not see the homes, just the Sears Tower off in the distance above a tree blanket of fall color. Then as a young adult there was the very impressive pink tool kit that had tools better than some of the ones the boys had. I picked them out from target when rehabbing an old Victorian in South Minneapolis. After first moving to Los Angeles,  I successfully maneuvered the three dimensional grid of  LA freeways during rush hour, once again leaving my big brothers in awe. (If you’re from LA, stop laughing.) I had already impressed my brothers with my competence in doing things that we did not grow up thinking were for girls, but I guess societal messages go deep.  I still had tiny voices of doubt as to what I could do, what I should do, how much of my feminine self I might lose doing it, and other ridiculousness. So here I go again, relearning that as women, we can do whatever we want and it does not define us. There are no limits.  Now I learn how to drive and care for Beast, my 2018 2500 Dodge Ram 4×4 Diesel Truck, in preparation to learn to tow. I’m still learning about all she can do but buying her was a first step at making future towing and boon docking a reality.

By the way, if you are a truck salesman and you are a guy you should know… I passed up Chevy and Ford, not because of all of the oh so convincing classic online arguments over which of the “Big Three” trucks are the best, but simply because of how I was treated in the sale. At those two places I experienced two extremes. There were the guys who were more interested in making small talk about my cute cowboy boots… (and granted they are), or my beautiful turquoise necklace… (a treat to myself from Santa Fe)… but seriously, salesmen (and I underscore men… sorry guys). Salesmen who didn’t want to spend an iota of time educating me on the advantages of buying different trucks, but rather thought compliments  from guys would make the sale, basically lost the sale.

To top it off, I ended up at Ontario Dodge on the 15 in Southern California talking to  Cassidy, a twenty something year old snappy female who was smart not just on her product and all of its internal workings (transmission, engine, etc.) but also on the competition. She told me from her personal experience hauling horses, (as up until then she spent her days as a successful horse jockey). She didn’t waste my time with lots of filler blah blah blah. She was fast and to the point, and since the sale, is still incredibly helpful when it comes to questions I have. She goes way above and beyond in terms of customer service and follow up even after the sale. Oh, and I told her if she was going to hand me off to the closer for the finish of the deal, rather than closing it herself, I would walk. And you see how that chapter ended. Thanks Cassidy! Introducing Beast!