It All Started with the Family Picnic

Regular readers may recall that I use my local library a lot, and the benefit I appreciate the most is being able to request a book or movie from any of the locations within my regional library system.  When you live in a small, rural town with a tiny little library, the ability to request an inter-library loan makes a huge difference in the amount and type of material available to you.  Of course, the larger the library system, the more people who can request books so, sometimes, I end up waiting weeks or even months for something especially popular.  But patience is a virtue and my patience was once again rewarded when I was finally notified that the most recent edition of “100 Parks, 5,000 Ideas” had been delivered to my local library for me.

The book is a beautiful one, thick with ideas and enticing photographs, but what struck me and stayed with me was author Joe Yogerst’s very first sentence in the book’s introduction:  “I cannot imagine my life without parks.”  It actually stopped me in my tracks because I realized at that moment that the sentiment he voiced applied to my own life, as well.  In giving it more thought, I realized that, for me, it all began with the Family Picnic.

Knowledge is Power – and Sometimes it Translates into Cold, Hard Cash, Too

Did you know that April was Financial Literacy Month?  No, wait!  Don’t go!  Yes, this is an RV lifestyle blog, but bear with me, please.  In fact, because this is a longer post than usual, you may want to grab your favorite beverage and settle in . . . Many of you know that my employment background is a combination of finance and human resources, and I can tell you that my affinity for numbers has been a huge benefit on countless occasions throughout my life.  Anyone involved in the RV lifestyle knows that RVs don’t come cheap, a dependable tow vehicle or toad (towed vehicle) is critical and travel expenses can add up rather quickly.

I read an article about Financial Literacy Month a couple of weeks ago.  Just before that, I had been giving a lot of thought to some conversations and situations that had recently occurred in my personal life, and this seems like a good time to share them.