This is a little something that former RVer Lisa Pucell told me about. Now, I’m telling you, because every RVer needs Skoy Cloths in their rig.

When you live in a RV, regular kitchen wash cloths take forever to dry out. If you’re somewhere like the damp Pacific Northwest or humid Southern states, they’ll get stinky and mildew after just a day or two. And forget those bacteria-factories known as sponges, they’re just as gross.

Skoy Cloths, however are different. These fabulous little eco-friendly clean up towels are super absorbent and meant to replace any paper towels, rags or sponges around the house. They’re so good that

Using a Skoy Cloth is equivalent to using 15 rolls of paper towels in an average home.

These mighty little towels dry within minutes, even in the dampest climates.

This means that bacteria has no time to grow on them. If you suspect they’re getting icky, stick ‘em in the microwave. And when they get really dirty, you can throw them in the wash. They’ll last several months until you need to toss them. And when you do, you won’t clog up landfills either.

“Skoy Cloths are 100% biodegradable because it is made from a natural cotton and wood-based cellulose pulp.  SKOY cloth is a chlorine-free product using water-based colors and inks.  After an independent composting test, SKOY cloth broke down completely within 5 weeks.”

I use Skoy Cloths in the kitchen and bathroom, and can’t imagine life without them now. I also feel great about buying this product from a small, woman-owned business. Skoy Cloths are simply awesome.

In  the weeks leading up to our departure from Jerry’s Acres, Mother Nature was sending us signals that it was time to go. Or rather, she was sending her minions to tell us.

When we arrived last spring, we would often see deer and even spotted a few Moose.

Then as summer rolled on and the weekenders rolled in on their ATVs, sightings became far and few between. And then there were none.

But once the weather chased away everyone but the crazy few full-time residents, the Moose of Crystal Lakes made their return.

We welcomed the same cow with her calves who had clearly grown up. The deer started showing up in greater numbers. And the coyotes could be heard more often and much closer. By now they are probably making themselves at home, and surely happy that we have left.

Considering the weather back “home” was 13 degrees with a strong chance of being buried in snow the last time we checked, we are happy to be on the road with it getting warmer every day, and glad to have the moose there to look over the place.

In my previous life as a marketing manager with long hours, deliverables, and accountability; and during our time as small business owners, with demanding clients, overhead and even longer hours; I often told myself – and others – that I sometimes wished I could just go dig a ditch. The opportunity recently arose, in a big way, and will again soon.

This is no ordinary ditch mind you, and it’s just one of a few that will help divert water from our roof away from our house via the new gutters we recently had installed.

Honey-do projects are one thing, but installing gutters are another. Yes, we could have easily hung DIY rain gutters. But going seamless is not just about aesthetics, it’s the smart choice up here in the mountains.

The issue is not so much that snow will pile up and tear off gutter sections – it can, and does as we’ve seen happen down the road. It’s more about what happens as snow thaws in them, freezes and repeats. Seams simply can’t take it.

Back to that ditch. As illegal as it is to collect water off our roof according to our subdivision’s augmentation plan, René wanted to try. Apparently I’m building a box garden when we get back to Jerry’s Acres next Spring. But there I go digressing.

I obliged by inquiring about nonperforated drainage pipe at Home Cheapo. Thus we learned why using such a thing for the amount of ditch I was digging is a bad idea. Stagnant water sitting in solid pipe stinks. Quite literally. I for one am very happy to discover this before burying all the pipe I did.

About ten inches deep by 40 feet long in less than six hours. That’s how I spent last Saturday. An impressive feat if I don’t say so myself, but then, I just did. This weekend calls for another 30 feet, easy. Well, not exactly easy. Remember my Colorado geology lesson from the ranch?

There’s a reason they call these the rocky mountains, and I encountered more than a few Leaverites. Ya know, those rocks that you hit and realize … you better leave ‘er right there.

How to Dig a Ditch

The right tools make any job easier. But if you must dig a trench by hand, here are a few pointers:

• Know your terrain. Unless you’re digging up a soft lawn, recommended tools include a pick axe, pointed shovel, square shovel, and rake hoe.
• Don’t bend the blade on your pick like I did. See Leaverite above.
• Keep drainage pipe ditches at least 8-10 inches deep. See Stink.
• Loosen ground with pick by swinging big and letting gravity do the job
• Square off legs and shoulders, holding pick handle low.
• Use your legs, not your back.
• Use hoe to remove movable rocks before digging.
• Switch tools often to avoid burnout and work all muscle groups.
• Avoid buried gas, water and electric lines at all costs.
• Stretch and stay hydrated.
• Don’t dread what remains to be done, keep your eye on the goal.
• Wear eye protection and listen to rockin’ tunes, or railroad work songs.
• Never, ever, try to dig a 40′ ditch in one day.

By the time we left our mountain home in between snowstorms, it felt like an episode of M*A*S*H with us bugging out and heading South before getting hit hard. On a side note, a weather report from Red Feather lakes last week said it was -2 degrees back home.

But we did have time to winterize the place, which based on that report, we are very glad we did.

In addition to a few minor exterior repairs, below are the steps we took to ensure our house survives the severe Colorado winter.

Steps for Winterizing Mountain Home:

• Close and/or cover all heating vents.
• Remove all food from premises.
• Clean out refrigerator.
• Remove all ice from freezer and shut off water supply to ice maker.
• Turn heater thermostat off.
• Turn off fuel supply and/or electricity to furnace.
• Turn off fuel supply and/or electricity to water heater.
• Turn off well pump.
• Drain well water pressure tank.
• Drain hot water heater.
• Drain water from and insulate any outdoor hose bibs.
• Drain water from all interior faucets.
• Flush toilets to drain tanks and remove excess water in bowls.
• Plunge out excess water from all waste water traps.
• Plug dry toilet bowls with rags.
• Plug all sink and tub drains.
• Expel water from lines using air pressure, if equipped.
• Lock all windows and close blinds/curtains.
• Deploy preferred rodent deterrence.
• Plug any exterior holes with steel wool to prevent rodent entrance.
• Set nail mats in front of all windows and doors to deter bears.
• Unplug any phantom load items, TVs, stereos etc.
• Provide contact information to neighbors.
• Pray that all is well when you return.

What is a nail mat you ask? We wondered the same thing when we discovered the picket fence looking things with nails sticking out of them in the garage when we bought the place. (See photo above.) Turns out the previous owner made these bear unwelcome mats to place in front of all the windows and doors, with the screws pointing up. Let’s hope they work!

The previous owner also told us he never winterized the place, but he was often up there on winter weekends. We told this to a couple neighbors, and they both said, “He was lucky!” We’ll be gone a few months. And considering this was the first time we ever had to do anything like this, we’ll see if these steps did the trick. Talk to us next Spring.

Anyone speeding through life who spends a lot of time on the road may be interested in how Trapster sends speed trap locations to your mobile phone. With that said? Why is everyone in such a hurry?

I think it has to do with stuff. Too much stuff in their closets. To much stuff going on in their lives. All the “amenities” of life in the big city come with definite drawbacks.

The fine flatware, the library, the house plants, the wine cellar … these require lots of space, which only means you end up accumulating more stuff. Which in turn means you need more space.

The hot tub, the workshop, the garden, the manicured lawn … these things require time. Lots of time. Less quality time.

The big screen TV, the Wolf range, the Sub Zero side by side … these things require debt. Debt requires a good paying job, which often means a commute, and only adds to stress and speed of life.

Stress is the killer road big city life leads us down. Everything is rush, rush, rush. We forget about humanity and the things that really make us happy. It’s all about me. Now. My job. My time. My stuff.

Stuff does not equal happiness. Having lived on the road for a year and a half, and come to sense true freedom, it’s easy to feel self righteous when imersed in the typical daily grind. But I can tell you one thing about the pain and suffering metropolitan life inflicts upon people without them even being aware. It’s contagious.

It’s hard not to be affected when confronted with the lack of smiles in the supermarket or while sitting in traffic. I say slow down. Ask yourself what truly makes you happy. And don’t rush to come up with an answer. But feel free to share below once you know.