The wonderful acts of generosity and blessings that have
come my way that I am so grateful for
Please see Andrea's Angels for a growing list of
people who have come through for and + supported my
bouncing back.
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- - - - - - -
In September 2008 I
felt it was the right thing to do to return to Erie PA from
where I was starting over in Northern Virginia and North
Carolina because my father and his wife were both having
serious medical problems. For 6 months I didn't have a bed
to sleep in, I slept on the floor on a foam mattress.
My future is uncertain, so my van is equipped to live in.
To most people's horror I'm actually quite happy and
content in the van. It's my little oasis. I could happily
live in it for the next ten or twenty years... if I could.
I no longer have the
apartment you see in the photos below. Most items are now
in storage.
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-
June 20, 2009
Sink for my van At Home Depot, Lowe's and
other places, I was pricing sinks I could install in my van
for washing dishes and bathing, but all I could find were
both expensive and took up so much space in my tiny 45
square foot van. I looked at laundry tubs,
lavatory sinks
and even bar sinks. So expensive. All I wanted was a small
sink I could put under my hot water dispenser that could
drain into an empty, clear plastic water jug.
Well, I found a
large
blue plastic beverage bucket for $6 at Target that fits
perfectly under the spigot of my
countertop hot water dispenser (once the cup holder is
removed) that I received from someone. (She didn't want it
because it didn't chill water. But it does heat water with
electricity.) Perfect size and perfect price. The "bucket"
is my onboard sink. It doesn't drain - although I suppose I
could drill a hole, put in a piece of plastic pipe leading
to the jug; but it would probably leak. But really, how
hard would it be to simply toss out "grey water" where it
wouldn't harm anything? And this way, I can hang up the tub
on the wall by a handle to keep it out of my way when not
needed.
July 30,
2009
Furniture, appliances and food from Maura in Northeast
PA I
met Maura through Freecycle. People weren't showing up to
pick up things she offered them, so I was the lucky
recipient of an Ikea bed frame (below) like the one I sold
in Canada that fits my foam mattress. There were so many
things I'm not sure I can recount them all: the rattan
dresser (I didn't have one- now sold), a chest for storing
heavy items in my van, pillows, plants, pajamas, a large
microwave for my kitchen, a toaster oven for my van, 2
radio/cassette/CD players, 2 carpets (now in the van), a
cane chair that becomes a step stool when turned
upside-down, a shop vac, a Nativity statue, 3 humidifiers,
a ionizer-air purifier, several boxes of yummy food, food
storage containers, cleaning supplies, books, a small glass
table which matched my patio chairs, first aid kit for the
van, etc. The red plaid curtain - which Maura's family used
as a sports blanket - may not seem like much to you but
during the winter it closed off my back door and pantry so
Ididn't waste energy heating it; but I since made the
fabric into privacy curtains for my red "Kindness Van". Can't you just
envision the color coordination? (I enjoy the little
things that work double-duty.)
August 30, 2009
Solar shower and shower curtain for my van
There will be
times when the only way to shower will be outside. I can
attach this camping shower (purchased) to the
van's roof rack to use after heating the water in the
sun on the roof as I drive. The shower curtain was
received from Delly. I love it, but especially for its
practicality. It's opaque so people won't be seeing my
silhouette as I shower. I fixed the tears, replaced the
missing hook, and all better.
August 30, 2009
Squash and zucchini from Karen in East Springfield
PA She
and her husband gave me a big box of crooked neck squash,
zucchini and some green beans. After giving my neighbor
some, I made some large cheesy-squash casseroles and
zucchini bread:
Sept. 11, 2009
Gas company credit I was checking my online
statements for my gas heating bill and discovered that I've
had some credits. To the tune of at least $360. I know I
had a $300 credit which I had applied for, but there are
additional credits which aren't described. I can only
assume the gas company had sent me estimated bills for
earlier months based on the previous tenants' consumption,
and was now giving me credit for the overcharges. I know
that there were 5 people living here before me, and they
likely used more gas for cooking and showers than I do as a
single person. So I have several months ahead of
no gas bills.
Bed
for my van Before, I slept on the
floor of the van on a yoga mat; but I now have a camp cot
which fits beautifully over the wheel bases, and I can
store things underneath. You can see two of the sleeping
bags on the cot, and two more rolled up underneath. I won
those in a hospital lottery years ago, along with a tent
and cook stove.
This cot is surprisingly comfy... certainly compared to
sleeping on the floor.
TV for my van Through a local yard sale
I was able to buy a good 13" color TV for $20. (I have a
converter box and antenna, too). If people are willing to
share a little electricity (I'll pay) when I'm on the road
- $.14 a kilowatt hour - I can keep up with the news. I
kept it in the kitchen with an old radio on top. I did buy
a remote for it, which only turns it on and off. I still
have to push the button repeatedly to get from channel 2 to
75.
TV for upstairs Through Freecycle I
received an older 20" color TV. It's missing channels 2-6,
and 13-22 so I can't attach my VCR to view my exercise and
yoga videos, but it allows me to watch movies and other
information shows. I gave this away.
Food
from Jenn near Ashtabula Ohio Jenn gave me about 14
grocery bags of food from her cupboards she was giving
away. Sadly, more than half had to be thrown out, not so
much because the expiry date was two years prior, but
because some of it - like flour and pasta - had been open
and had gone bad. But there cans of pumpkin, condensed
milk, pudding mixes and many other things that I made good
use of.
Kitchen
items from Rachel Rachel was a neighbor
whose poodle liked to visit my cat on the porch last
summer. I thought it was sweet. When she finished her
degree she and her husband moved to New York City. I
offered to take anything she couldn't fit in the moving
van. In addition to books, Rachel left me a nice black dish
drainer and rack for the kitchen, a set of white dishes
(sold), placemats, drinking glasses, cutlery for the van,
some framed posters, etc.
Sept. 19, 2009
Piggy Bank from PNC Bank ("Feed the Pig")
When I went in
to make a $50 deposit to cover this month's home and auto
insurance I had a chat with Chris, the
investment/retirement guy. While I had nothing to invest, I
did spell out my retirement intentions, and he gave me this
blue plastic pig. (Apparently pigs no longer have to be
pink. Must be a fashion statement.) I immediately filled it
with pennies that were sitting in a small flower bowl.
Look what someone threw out and I dragged home
(literally). It has tilted shelves on
both sides of the unit, and the whole thing - 50" wide, 58"
tall, 18" deep - is on wheels. I love it. Now I have a
mini-bookstore in my home where I can sell
books my neighbors leave behind (like most of these) and
my own. Note: I don't sell
books I receive to review... I keep those in my personal
library. This is now in
storage.
Lovely warm black winter coat A man named Art, who I've
never met except through the Internet on two forums, saw on
my wish list that I needed a winter
coat. He sent me his because he didn't wear it much. It
was the perfect size and style for me.The photo doesn't
do it justice. I've worn it when my down filled jacket
just wasn't appropriate.
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