FlockTalk: Trials of a Camping Book Reviewer

Recently my husband and I bought a travel trailer to act as a residence near our adult children (with our grandchildren) who normally live about 4 hours away from us. Now they are only 30 and 40 minutes away. We spent a couple years contemplating moving entirely but WOW what an undertaking to dispose of a house you have lived in for 30 plus years! So we decided to be campers!

Now, mind you, we we loved having 5 acres, horses, a multitude of animals, barns, bonfires, etc. but never, never did we take our kids camping with limited comforts. So we still think it's just fine to go from a 4000 sq. ft. home to a 340 sq. ft. travel trailer! After all, I am hooked on "Tiny Houses" on the FYI channel.

We found a campground that allowed us to leave our camper all year. "GREAT," we said. It even has free Wi-Fi and water. The price was fantastic. I'm thinking to myself..."Holy cow, I will be able to read so much more with all the time I save not having my house to keep up with." Silly me!

I find myself in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by cows, cornfields, woods and a small lake. Pretty, for sure. But I also find that no one wants to put in reliable internet or phone service. Timed out applications, "no service" available notifications and even the Millersburg General Store has a big sign saying if we want to pay with debit or credit cards to have a seat because it may take a while to get through! Are there really still places like that around?! How am I to survive in the wild?!

Try cooking most of your meals on the grill and showering in a 1'X4" tub with only a 6 gallon hot water tank. ONE!, yes I said only 1', TV that might pick up a couple channels on the digital antenna built into our trailer. A closet the size of a wardrobe and a bed that you have to walk around sideways. Hmmm...maybe I didn't think this through, entirely.

The biggest problem is getting email and phone service. I even went so far as to get a "hot spot" for my phone but it's "not so hot" when there still isn't cell phone service readily available. Hmmm...that would be a waste of 40 dollars/month! SOOO, I read in between batting flies and mosquitoes. I type up reviews and trek a few miles to upload. Even that is sometimes slow, depending on how many people are huddled around the tables trying to do the same thing I am. I have met many people that way!

Now, I know I sound like a spoiled brat but when did we become so dependent on current technology that we forgot how to survive without it constantly at our fingertips? We are all spoiled and sometimes need to be reminded that there is a whole world of wonder, even outside our books. I wake to the sounds of birds chirping, the quiet of the sun rising over the lake and the wildlife scouring our area for food. I could get more reading done but have decided I enjoy sitting outside or lying in the hammock watching the world go by one day at a time.

I am slowly realizing that life passes way too quickly and we need to condition ourselves to enjoy the small things. The phrase "stop and smell the roses" has new meaning for me. I never thought I would get to this age and wish I would have been able to see what was always right in front of my eyes. I use books to escape (and always will) but I also now "escape" into some quiet bits of nature that seem to have helped replenish my soul. I highly recommend it!

JeanieG