Reflections

In case anyone was wondering if it makes a difference in your lifestyle if you have no schedule, the answer is 'yes' for us. We didn't even know when we crossed over into Eastern Time; we didn't know until our second venture into Canada whether or not they observed savings time. We pretty much never knew what time it was. We'd have discussions trying to figure out what day of the week it was; or what the date was. We eat when it feels right; go to bed when it feels right; get up when it feels right. It's very different. And we haven't even missed or been late for one single meeting.

We also haven't watched a second of TV, or the DVD movies we brought with us. We only barely know what the news is, by what AOL has to offer (not much). The other day in Sault Ste. Marie when we were having a VERY VERY cold beer after our walk on the boardwalk, the bar had several large flatscreens on, and we saw New England and New Orleans playing, and only then realized that Pre=season had begun. Last evening when we got parked here in Port Huron, and were having our glass of wine, we remarked that there might be a game on, and maybe we should hook up the cable. But neither of us ever did.

Spot has totally (as far as we can discern) adjusted to her new life. She knows the 'drill.' When we stop during a day's driving, she know's she gets to go outside and smell around and pee. If one of us doesn't do this immediately, she starts jumping up on our legs to 'remind' us. When we used to hook her halter up to a lead rope in our campsite (in our other life), if there were the least resistence as she ventured out on the rope, she wouldn't pull any farther, just look back at us pitifully to be released. Now she absolutely pulls that rope for all it's worth and stretches it as far as it will go to get every smell available in any given campsite. She's learned that trees hold squirrels, and she LOVES to hate squirrels. When we're walking her, it's very difficult to steer her away from going into wooded areas. And if we happen to camp in a wooded area, she's 'in heaven'; after I give her breakfast in the morning, she nags me until I will open the door, so she can sit and look out through the screen and try to locate the squirrels in the woods. When we get ready to leave a campground, she immediately recognizes the activity, and leaps up onto the passenger chair, and then onto the dash, and waits there until our departure, so she can see out the window as we're driving. If the sun shines in through the windshield, she'll go back to the couch and nap. A couple of days ago, when we got up in the morning and had breakfast, she jumped up on the dashboard, and looked back and started whining, as if to say, "Well, when are we leaving?"