Tomorrow is the start of our big trip and instead of tending to the last-minute details, I am online, tinkering. I have loaded the camper, made boiled eggs, packed stuff to make tea and made arrangements for the guinea pigs. I really do love the pigs or else they would be in a stew one of these days, I just wonder what you call guinea pig meat? Guinea pork? No, they are from South America and they say everything backward, so maybe pork guinea.
I tried to look it up and got distracted by a post on guinea pigs as survival livestock. Uh, no thanks. They tweet and scamper and are otherwise too cute to eat. I am so American, but then again, I am not so American that I think meat grows in the case at the grocery store and no animals are harmed in the process.
Let's see, I have not packed any clothes yet-though I do have swimsuits and towels in the cabinet of the camper. I have priorities. I also have the chocolate and marshmallows loaded up. The van is all cleaned out and ready to get a vacuum and to be loaded up with the rest of the food, clothes and last-minute items we HAVE to have.
I sometimes get overwhelmed with the amount of stuff we have on camping trips. Not only did I go on purpose and buy everything we have, but I packed it thinking it was so vital we could not go a week without it. We used to be able to camp with all three kids for a full week at a time and I drove a Mitsubishi Gallant. And that was with the tent, screen tent and cots.
Now I 'need' the whole back of the van, the camper cabinets and I have stuff in the floor of the box like pillows and food and toys. Because...we NEED a football, bubbles, 3 kites and a bucket of sand toys. hahaha. At least I can see my insanity, surely that makes me saner. And I did decide to leave the 4-man boat, paddles and life jackets at home. Though I think the pump is still packed...
I am off to finish the details, get the pigs to the sitter and refill the dog food. I need to pack me and check the kid clothes, make a grocery list for when we get there, post reminders to get the CPAP and camera bag and laptop and all the things I like to panic over forgetting as we drive 60 mph up the road.
For a trip down memory lane, I found this pic of one of our early trips.
That's a chocolate turnover from Tellico Grains.
