It’s been a bit since I’ve done an update on living life in a RV, so thought it was time. Here goes what we’ve learned since being in the same park for the last 3 years and the whole tiny house living.

If you remember, we got booted out of our State Park volunteer resident program by hurricane Ian in September of 2022. We landed here in the “middle” of Florida in October of that year and since we liked it, we did an annual lot lease. The great part about that is you meet lots of wonderful people that are here doing the same thing. You can do a little updating on your lot to make it your own and if you are a gardener, it’s kind of the perfect setup to be able to add some flowers and treat your little area like an actual yard. Yes, I am that gardener.

This year we even swapped out our RV stairs for a small deck with stairs. Talk about a difference! I feel so important standing on our little deck and surveying my domain! Not really, but the bigger difference is with the pups. They can now come outside and not have to immediately jump the four steps to the ground. They will be ten years old this fall, so I am starting to be a little more protective of them and their joints. They probably don’t care, but it makes me feel better.

Homer has had a few more updates as we’ve been stationary along with all the little maintenance tasks that are never really gone. Not big updates, but as someone that always liked putzing in my house and redecorating it regularly, living in a small house gives a much quicker level of satisfaction and it is less expensive. I swapped out the removable wallpaper for a little brighter and bolder pattern in the bedroom along with new throw rugs and as always, I update my pillow covers depending on the season or my mood. (I may have a few too many options to choose from!)

The couch saga continued because the last one we had was too small for me, and all the pups and their stuff. (Yes, I know it’s ridiculous.) Purchased a sofa in a box in tan. It showed up in white, but they swore it was tan. Still liked it but discovered Max loves it when he runs inside with his dirty feet and then rubs all over it. Threw a cover on it, and it works great.

It’s now the perfect size but the one issue was the firmness of the cushions. Yep, they broke down quickly but instead of replacing the sofa again, I just ordered new foam for them. Now it’s perfect and I can sit in it comfortably without a backache or the need to move every 5 minutes because it’s causing my hips to hurt. If you ever get a favorite couch and it’s just the cushions that are giving you fits, try this idea. It’s so much less expensive and you can pick the firmness of what you want to sit on and will provide your optimal level of support. https://www.thefoamfactory.com/

This is still my favorite “home” we have had. It takes me less than an hour to clean the whole thing, we have a big enough bedroom and bathroom to move around in and we both like the coziness of our tiny living room. Loving it! The flooring update is holding up really well with the only downside, it can get a little slippery for the pups. A few throw rugs and all is perfect!

The suspect……

See that picture? That is now moving in right next door to us. As in, we can see it because we are on the fence line between that park and ours. Now, we are a little distance from the pools and slides, but it’s going to be interesting to see what it does to our traffic on our little road and to the noise level on weekends. 400 plus RV spots and several bunk houses. Time will tell….. It opens August 1st of this year.

Our park of course is now an all-age park. We always had a few kids, but not many. Times have changed! We now have several small families all throughout the park and most are really good. The younger kids are great to see just because we are missing our own grandkids, but the older ones…….. Not a fan of bored teenagers that have decided their craft project for the week will be beating on cement blocks with hammers. ????? No idea why. Having had teenagers ourselves, we get it, but it’s just one more change that makes you go Hmmmmm.

Our other latest challenge has been the number of cats. Not sure if they are leave behinds, Ferrel or people are just rude and let them run. Yes, I do know, and it’s all three. The park has decided not to do anything about them, so other than the few neighbors closest to us that have taken my suggestions to heart and put them on leashes, we’ve still got the others that just run. By run, I mean jump into our little pergola area and hide under the chairs, sleep in our golf cart, which is then full of hair, or decide to use the sand under our neighbor’s tiny house as their litter box. And yes, they are all bigger than our dogs. I am NOT a fan of the cats. Plus they hunt the birds around here and I really dislike that aspect of their personalities.

Right now, we are very comfortable here. I am writing like crazy and loving every minute. Dave is exercising and getting healthier by the minute, plus being only 4 hours from his dad, is a real blessing. I love the weather and all the sunshine. My plants have never grown so well and to say I don’t miss Minnesota, is an understatement. Miss the family for sure, but not that state. The few minor items that are frustrating are not enough to push us out of this area, although in a perfect world, we would be closer to the east coast and the Atlantic. More beach time would be good, but then I would do less writing so it’s really a tradeoff I’m not willing to change just yet.

We’ve still got 10 states to visit across this beautiful nation, and we have not been to our capital either, so Homer’s time on the road has not ended just yet. We still haven’t decided if this is where we want to live permanently, (I’m still partial to Mississippi), but for now, this is our perfect location and set up. Who knew having a house on wheels could give you so much freedom!

There will be good and bad in any location where you stop for an extended period of time. The best part is, if we find that the bad starts to outweigh the good, we will just pack it up and move somewhere else – maybe closer to the Atlantic after all!

See ya on the road,

Theresa and Dave