RV Lady in Waiting

Dear Dr. R.V. Shrink:

I was laid off from my auto parts manufacturing job a few years ago and decided to take an early retirement. My husband was still working but we figured we would both retire soon and try the RV lifestyle. He keeps dragging his feet. I should have gotten another job but the industry is still pretty slow. How do other people handle this situation? One retires and the other can't seem to make the move. We have already bought a fifth-wheel that we use on weekends and holidays. He loves it, but is so used to working it scares him to think of giving it up.

--Lady in waiting in Waterton

Dear Lady:

That is a dilemma. Instead of getting another job, you could get another husband. Just kidding. Most people have one foot out the door long before they can retire, while others find it very hard to pull the trigger. You didn't mention your ages. Maybe you are not close to the average retirement age and your husband is worried about your financial future. 

Some people do make the move prematurely, without enough planning, and regret it later. I think it is a very personal choice that each couple has to make between themselves. You should sit down and discuss your future and come to some understanding. Find out what it will take to motivate your husband to retire. If it looks like it might be a couple more years, you might then be able to be at ease with it, find another job, or at least be able to plan your course until he is ready. 

I feel for you in the job market. I grew up in Pontiac, Michigan and know a lot of people that lost good jobs during the Great Recession, and those jobs never came back. I wrote a song about it. I have linked it here.   UAW RAG

--Keep', Richard Mallery a.k.a. Dr. R.V. Shrink

RV let it go

Dear Dr. R.V. Shrink:
We have decided to spend our second winter on the road in Florida. We spent our first winter in Arizona and froze to death. We thought Arizona was like Hawaii but found out that is not the case. Now we are cold in Northern Florida and I want to go to Mexico next year. My husband refuses to take our RV into Mexico, so where the heck can I go for the winter and be warm? I might just as well stay home next to the wood stove. --Cast member from the movie "Frozen"

Dear Frozen:
If you don't want to go to Mexico and keep heading south until you find warm weather, do it in Florida. It's a very long state with lots of micro climes. The farther you head south the better your chances of finding warmer weather.

You are right, the desert gives up its warmth at night and you will experience many more cold nights and mornings in the West. The days are typically warm and sunny, but you have your windows opened at night much less than if you were in a climate like Southern Florida.

How about meeting halfway? Try Brownsville, Texas.

You may not find the utopia of weather in the south during the first couple months of the year, but it still beats chopping firewood. You could be like the cast member Elsa and just, "Let it go." --Keep Smilin', Richard Mallery a.k.a. Dr. R.V. Shrink

RV pack rats

Dear Dr. R.V. Shrink:
My wife thinks I should be an exterminator. We have a fifth-wheel and she is always hearing noises. She says she hears mice scurrying around, gnawing and thumping, and our cat is always on point. I never hear anything. Then she started seeing other people in the campground putting lights under and around their rigs at night. The guy next door puts the hood up on his pickup every night with a light in the engine compartment. I think he is just proud of his truck, but my wife said he does it to keep pack rats out. Do I have to light up the world every night to keep vermin from moving in with us? If rodents are so fearful of lights why would they want to come in anyway? --Mickey Mouse ideas in Mesa

Dear Mickey:
Some say that the rat light idea is all based on urban legend. From personal experience I can say I did have a pack rat nest in my motorhome engine compartment before lights and, so far, none after. Like you, I noticed the lights around rigs in Lost Dutchman State Park in Arizona and thought it might be people wanting to show off their vehicles at night.

You don't have to go overboard and light up the whole campground. I just put a short string of LED lights under my engine and wired them to my battery with a switch. Many people use rope lights and just lay them on the ground. I park my toad facing the front of the motorhome to share the illumination and hope for the best.

If your wife thinks she hears evidence of a silent invasion you would be wise to start a trapline and see if you snag anything. Better safe than sorry.

Those little furballs can do a lot of damage in a short span of time. Stay on top of it. --Keep Smilin', Richard Mallery a.k.a. Dr. R.V. Shrink

##RVT777