Tying Up Loose Ends

This week I’ve been working on completing a list of tasks I either cannot or do not want to do once I get going. From submitting follow-up paperwork (again!) so I can finally get my Virginia tax refund, submitting paperwork that requires a printer, getting my address change to be an official thing, or any other number of items that tend to be location-based.

Pongo & Perdita (Larry & Sneak not pictured)

One of the more bizarre things on my list was dropping off my fish with the sitters. Not wanting to burden anyone with keeping alive my four little water-breathers (and all the plants and algae that keep them healthy), I posted in a Buy Nothing group and found a volunteer who offered to make them class pets at her school. As of this writing, the fish are alive and well at Hilltop Preparatory Academy making dorm life just a little more interesting for the boarders.

I was able to get some financial logistics done while staying at my grandmother’s apartment and got the added bonus of time with a range of family members. Piper saw the vet, I got a dental cleaning, and tomorrow will hopefully see the only major modification to Beck (the Forester): a rooftop cargo carrier. 

To keep the vehicle as a safe haven during weather or other emergencies, it cannot be packed to the brim. However, a portable home with kitchen, office, bedroom, and bathroom does not generally fit with ease into the back of a compact SUV while still allowing easy access to the spare tire and lower storage area.

The video from this trip I am most excited to make is probably before-and-afters of my initial build-out and how it evolves during the trip. If seeing almost all of my worldly possessions get shut into a 16x8x8 foot metal box wasn’t astonishing, seeing me figure out how to create an easily adaptable and accessible home in a vehicle designed to seat four (five, if someone is a child or extra-tiny) should be something pretty incredible.

Tomorrow, I can start testing gear while waiting for the cross-bars to arrive (Amazon is struggling with their delivery lately). Then, I just have to cancel one subscription, start another, and knock out some grading. With an anticipated launch within the fortnight, this whole process is getting real. Fast. 

Like a five loop hitch knot, not all loose ends need actual tying to be settled; part of the adventure is finding a new way to live. What a glorious thing, to be alive.