Z is for zoos and how I have a love/hate relationship with them

I love zoos.  I love being able to see wildlife that I might otherwise not see.

I hate zoos.  I hate to see those beautiful animals caged.

​How do you feel about them?

Y is for Year and oh, what a year it's been!

New Year's seem to be a time of reflection for most people.    What did the old year bring us?  What will the new year bring?

Our New Year started in Pensacola, Florida.  The first stop of our new nomadic journey.  Since then, we've had great times, good times, and not so great times.  But would we change it?  Heck no!

This coming year, so far, has been fraught with so many new and exciting adventures.  It matters not how long we can continue this nomadic lifestyle.  I know I can never go back to my old life.  The fever has struck.

When we start to age, accidents can happen before you know it.  Have I learned that!  Since we've been fulltiming, I took a tumble down the outside stairs and sprained my ankle.  No reason for it.  I just tumbled down.

My second x-ray was my knee.  I was sitting and got up.  I went one way and my knee went the other.  The crack I heard was agonizing.  It took weeks to be able to walk again and I can still forecast the weather better than any meterologist.

​

W is for wine and the different interpretations of it.

I've heard that people are like the wines they drink.  If that's the case, I'm sweet and fruity.

V is for voyage

It's very ironic that as much of a dedicated traveler I am, I'm terrified of flying and scared of deep water.  

When flying, the take offs and landings are enough to make me hyperventilate.  But, I have to fly to get to the places I've visited.  Luckily, I've found that taking some zanax before take off is enough to calm me and allow me to fly.  

My worst flight? I had two.  

The flight to Beijing that took just over 16 hours.  We had a lot of wine.  

My other was the flight to Egypt and back home.  I developed food poisoning right after breakfast, shortly before we landed.  I've never been so sick.  And lo and behold, the same thing happened on the way back home.  I don't even remember landing at JFK and spending the night in a hotel before flying home the next day.

Did it stop me?  Heck no!

Water has always frightened me as well.  Probably because I'm not comfortable swimming.  Ironic that I've taken seven cruises.  What they say is true.  You really can't tell you're on a boat.  Unless there's a big storm.  In that case, dramamine and prayers.

​What kind of traveler are you?

U is for unconditional

Unconditional love is something we get from our pets.  The old joke states that you stuff your sibling and your dog in your trunk.  When you open it, who is gonna be happy to see you.  Yep.

Through my life, I've been fortunate to have the unconditional love of so many pets who have owned me. Here's my memory list:

Sarge - our cat
Peka - dachshund/bull terrier mix
Rocky - black lab mix
Brenna - our little maltipoo
Donnagan - our Puggle
Quincey - our beloved Chug
Sasha - our pibble
Cilla - Dave's Silly girl

Our current family members:
Oscar - our dachshund, who's living out his senior years with my mom
Sage - my soul 
Chacho - chihuahua - Dave's partner in crime


​Each one of these names are much more than that.  They represent the best of our lives.  They have shown us how to love unconditionally and totally.  Each one holds a piece of our heart and always will.

T is for travel

I've been very fortunate in my life and have been able to travel extensively.  Besides all my journeys across the globe as a military brat and member, I also spent my 40s traveling the world as much as I could.

My international travels have included China, Europe, Egypt and Jordan, the Carribean and Mexico.  

My favorites?  Egypt and Jordan for the cultural exchange.  Hubby and I celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary on a Mediterranean cruise, which covered much of Italy and Greece, two of my favorite countries.

Rome is a dynamic city that  we fell in love with.  Lucca and the Tuscan countryside made me wish I could win the lottery and move there.  Florence, Naples with Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast - I can't say anymore about them.  My favorite city has always been Venice.  I never saw the bad parts - the smells, the flooding, etc.  The two times I went were magical.  I loved just wandering the quiet streets and getting lost.

Greece was another favorite.  We spent time in Mykonos, Olympia and Santorini.  The vibrant colors, the warmth, the food!

Nowadays, our traveling is limited to the US.  And although I've seen many parts of it, I look forward to getting to know the off-the-beaten-path areas that I've never been able to see.  

I always wanted to travel full-time.  I'm living my dream.

S is for Sage - my soul

Sage came into my life in 2011 as a rescue.  The moment I laid eyes on her, I knew she was meant to be with me.  Since that day, I can't imagine any part of my life without her.

Sage is a Chug - a pug/chihuahua mix.  She had a rough start in life before she found me.  She has a broken leg that never healed as well as a permanently dislocated hip that can't be fixed because of all the scar tissue.

Sage is a diva.  While I owned and operated my Doggy Daycare, she was our ambassador.  She had a wardrobe that rivaled mine.  Clients would bring her clothes because she looked so darn cute in them.

She is absolutely adorable, no doubt.  But more, she's the other half of my soul.  She is never away from my side.  As I sit here, writing this, she's laying up on my footrest.  She has her eyes on me at all times and when I'm sick, she's laying by my side.  She sleeps with me, she eats with me, she relaxes with me, she rides with me.

Because she can't walk far, we have a stroller for her.  She loves to sit and look queenly while getting petted.

She's not had it easy.  She's had two bouts of pancreatitis that nearly killed her.  She's had hepatitis and other issues.  But she's a tough cookie and she rallies back quickly.  I don't know who her hospital visits were harder on - me or her.  

She loves to camp with us.  When we're having a campfire, she's sitting on my ottoman, against my leg.

At age 8+, I know she's starting her sunset years, but honestly, I can't imagine my life without her in it.  She's so calming, that I call her my therapy dog.  With fibro, ptsd, etc, I am prone to panic attacks.  But if she's with me, I just hold her and my breathing slows down.

​My soul.

R is for Roscoe, our newest traveller

We started out fulltiming with our yellow Jeep, but it didn't take long to figure out that the Jeep was not big enough for our needs.  We had to nearly throw the dogs into the backseat and there was no s  pace for groceries and the like.  So, while in Tampa for the big RV Show, we traded the Jeep in for Roscoe, our 2005 Chevrolet Silverado.

We've put some money into him - running boards were a necessity for this vertically challenged writer.  Some repairs and it looks like we've got a great tandem.  Roscoe's even gold, to match Louis!

Q is for quiet

My P post spoke at length about peace, so quiet is just an addendum.  Instead, I'll just post some pictures of Cades Cove, TN, my own private sanctuary.  I go there to refresh my soul and to see our East TN wildlife.