One of the best days of this former-property owner was the day we closed the door on our sticks and bricks house, and I sent the lawn mower to the garbage dump. I haven’t touched one of those things since.

So it’s with wry amusement we found an article in Canada’s Globe and Mail entitled, “Sell the house to buy an RV? Are my parents nuts?” In a plaintive request to the paper’s auto columnist, a “Concerned Daughter,” writes:

“My parents, who are retired, sold their house. They’re putting some of the money in the bank, and buying an RV with the rest. It’s been their life-long dream. I’m worried my kids and I won’t see them as much. I realize this is selfish but we’ve always been a very close family. I’m also worried that they’re making a big mistake, and have tried, unsuccessfully, to discuss the financial repercussions of their decision. How can I get them to listen?”

If you’ve been exposed to the whining cries of offspring who appear (on the surface) to be soooo very concerned about your financial future you know the routine: “Think of how expensive fuel is!” “Those costly RV resorts!” “You’ll break down somewhere in the middle of nowhere.” “A house is so much less costly in terms of maintenance.”

What do fulltimers have to say?

‘That ‘hazard tree’ in the yard that cost us $1,200 to have removed.  Or the time the blacktop driveway needed $4,000 worth of attention?’

What else do fulltimers miss? Weekly experiences with lumbago from mowing the grass, pulling the weeds, raking the leaves. Huge bills from the oil-delivery man when winter winds blow. Washing windows–especially those nice dormer windows two floors up, wherein you had to hang on to the window frame with one hand, while manipulating the squeegy–all the while wondering how it would feel to hit the ground if you slipped.

We don’t miss those months when we had to set out pots to catch drips when nobody could figure out where the dickens the leak in the roof was from. True, we do inspect our RV roof once a year, caulking seams to keep out the wet. But hey, it takes an hour out of our lives, and $10 worth of sealant.

No more do fulltimers worry about the “Valentine Card” they’ll receive from the local tax assessor, reminding them how much money they’ll have to dig up for property taxes this year. Yeah, there are those pesky RV registration fees, but for many, they aren’t even close to the costs of what they “useta” pay for property taxes.

Yep, I know plenty of northern plains folks who really miss that snow shovel.

While road hazards like tire “gators,” and “tail gaters” may be enough to raise your RV driving safety awareness, here’s another one: Left side cancer. A Saint Louis University skin doc says facial skin cancers are far more predominant on the left side.

“We tend to see more skin cancer on the left side of the face - drivers need to be aware of the amount of sun exposure they receive behind the wheel,” said Scott Fosko, M.D., chair of dermatology at Saint Louis University School of Medicine, and co-author of the study. “The cumulative effect of being exposed to the sun builds up over many years.”

The results of the study also indicate that men are more likely to be affected by left-side cancers, causing the authors to particularly caution professional drivers of the danger. Fulltiming RVers may spend more time behind the wheel than their commute-to-the-job counterparts, and thus they too, need to be alert to the dangers of skin cancer.

According to the American Cancer Society, most of the more than 1 million cases of non-melanoma skin cancer diagnosed yearly in the United States are considered to be sun-related. Melanoma, the most serious type of skin cancer, accounted for a majority of the nearly 12,000 deaths due to skin cancer last year.

So what’s the protection? Sunscreen.Look for a sunscreen that protects not only against UVA rays, but UVB as well. Sunscreen help reduce incidences of skin cancer, but can also help protect against premature wrinkling and skin aging–for those of you who haven’t already been victimized.Sunscreen in the form of tinted glass and UV window filters can also help cut down the amount of skin-damaging UV rays that get into your rig.

artwork: TheAlieness GiselaGiardino23 on flickr.com by creative commons license

While it’s not completely clear why folks who live in Indiana are called “Hoosiers,” one story says early pioneers would yell out into the vast Indiana wilderness, “Who’s There?” Today with over 6 million residents state-wide, you could get quite a field of answers to that call.

But being ranked 16th in US population means that Indiana is a state that needs help. Tasked with managing Hoosier state parks, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources is sending out the call for volunteers to help out in a variety of outdoor settings. Camp hosting is one of those occupations that have a great appeal to RVers; but don’t feel limited. Opportunities for volunteers include greeting interpretive center visitors, demonstrating a craft or skill, assisting with special events, maintaining trails, or monitoring bluebird boxes. Helping control invasive plants such as garlic mustard is another possibility. The latter sounds like something you could add to a ham sandwich on break.

So, how can you pick up on an assignment that might fill your spring and summer hours? A brochure describing volunteer opportunities at DNR properties is at www.in.gov/dnr/parklake/2443.htm. Visit www.dnr.IN.gov/parklake and click on “How You Can Help” to download a volunteer application form.

photo courtesy Indiana State Parks