Squirrels and the Great RV Lifestyle

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The view from my RV “office” makes me feel so peaceful and relaxed. It seems that most places we’ve parked have given us a great view from at least one window. And fortunately, it’s usually the one by what I call “my office.”

A relaxing work environment is one of the healthy benefits of working from our RV, as a writer. And as a full timer, our environment can change often. We try to avoid the “parking lot” style parks, where we each pull into a slot parallel to the adjacent RVs. But since that’s such a common layout, we also look for views or other amenities that make up for being lined up like we’re on a sales lot.

Where we’re staying now, most spaces aren’t all in a row, and those that are have plenty of room between them. The section we’re in has the spaces stuck in at what seems like random angles. There’s a big yard in the center of five spaces that gives a feeling of being isolated, yet in a private community.

For the Birds

One neighbor has put up some bird feeders. There’s enough activity around those to keep me from concentrating on my work. While the cardinals and other birds feed from the various feeders she puts up, the blackbirds feed on the ground from the seeds the birds above spill in a steady stream.

The Squirrelly Life

Now, there are also squirrels. And they are truly squirrelly. One tried climbing the bird-feeder pole, but the neighbor fooled him by covering the pole with lard or petroleum jelly, or something. He goes up a bit, then slides down. He persists, knowing he made it all the way up before. Later, he tried jumping from the tree, and mades it. So, the neighbor put a plate-like object on the top of the feeder so that it flops this way and that when the wind blows, or whenever a squirrel lands on it. Ultimately, the squirrels gave up trying and joined the blackbirds on the ground.

There’s a portable carport outside another window. I was captivated by a squirrel that managed to get up to the canopy. He seemed intent on finding something useful, from his point of view, up there. He worked his way over to one edge and checked everything out meticulously. Then he noticed a piece of rope hanging from just underneath his perch. This was the extra length of a laundry line she’d hung, and the only part the squirrel was interested in.

He reached down, and around – almost falling off several times – and finally caught the top end of that rope. As he pulled the rope up, he studied each section closely, then pulled some more up. He kept this up until he reached the end of the rope, which he, again, studied closely. In no time, he started rolling it up in a ball. This amazed me. He was smart enough to know that it was better to roll it up that drag the whole thing behind him, but not smart enough to realize that it was still attached to the pole. He rolled and rolled it until he couldn’t roll any more into that ball. Maybe he was thinking of how nice that would work in his nest.

He started looking around, and made a couple moves that indicated he was going to jump to a nearby tree. I could see the problem that he wasn’t smart enough to figure out, and watched to see how he’d handle this.

Finally, holding his rope-ball, he jumped, and when the rope went taut, he was launched forward, did a spin or two in the air, and hard-landed on the ground. The rope unravelled, falling into its original position. And the squirrel just shook his head to clear it, then scampered up that tree.

That whole scene took less time from start to finish than it took to write about it. But is one of many such episodes that make working from an RV so enjoyable. When was the last time you could see nature play out so individually and so close from an urban office. Sometimes it seems to be a show put on just for you.

They’re short skits, and make a great break from writing. In fact, these are the kinds of breaks that stir your imagination for your next project.

If your life has been taken over by work, family demands, personal demands, and leaves little time to stop and smell the roses, consider working from home. There are countless ways to do this, and the benefits are a healthier physical, mental and spiritual life. It may take some time to find a line of work that fills your financial needs, but it’s well-worth the time and trouble to do this.

For me, working from home/RV has made all the difference in my life. My blood pressure has dropped to the normal range. And so has my attitude. I can take sick time when I need to. I can schedule social time when it works best. I wouldn’t trade this lifestyle for any other. I write blogs and articles, but also create online video courses, home study courses and business startup books, all based on work I’ve done and businesses I’ve owned and operated. Look over your skills, and things you enjoy doing. Sometimes just polishing your skills will make your products in demand by others.

If you’re considering the full timing life, spend some time finding niches that can make a living for you as you travel, then get your freelancing business established.

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Michele Boyer
Fulltimers in spirit since 1999. We've worked from home since 1977 and have plenty to share about that. As a full timer, the ability to work from wherever we take our RV is a survival tactic. Our travels our funded through writings, Udemy.com courses, Shoestring Startup™ business books, teaching courses in working from home or RV, courses in genealogy, and our affiliate sales of similar materials. Our resource pages are accessible through http://www.adhocgroup.net. Everyone can do something, and we'll help you live healthier by making a living from whatever it is you do, naturally. Full timing was the best decision we ever made. We enjoy a healthier lifestyle and time to give and take according to the opportunities life presents us.