A Whole October of Anticipation for the Most Polite Halloween Ever

 

Chapter 82: The Two-Month Rubber Saga

Another Tuesday, another RAM dealership visit - this time to fix the back-door rubber strip that somehow took two months to arrive. I came prepared for a full-day residency: laptop, Kindle, chargers, coffee, and the kind of determination normally reserved for tax season.


Inside, it was freezing, but there were free donuts, so I made peace with hypothermia.

I met two Travato owners - the fancy cousins of our Solis — and one of them, Josh, used to live full-time in his van during Covid. We swapped stories and he gave great New Mexico tips. Meanwhile, I stayed in the waiting area so long I basically became furniture.

Josh's water bottle screams street cred.

And then… the rubber didn’t fit.

Why? Because Winnebago modified the doors and nobody noticed until today. They glued it temporarily and now I need to visit a Winnebago shop - possibly the one that wanted to charge me six grand for the running board. Delightful.

Still, I counted the day as a win: I got a donut, got work done, and got my tires topped up for the cold snap. At Walmart afterward, I cooked seafood risotto in the parking lot and used their WiFi to start designing our holiday card with my 7-day Photoshop trial. The clock is ticking!



Before picking Nelson up, I ran back into Walmart to buy hand warmers, because the night was going to be freezing. And because I am but a simple woman: cold weather + warm hands = happiness.

Chapter 83 : Windstorms and the Beaver Moon

Wednesday: Super windy. VERY cold. VERY wet.


For the first time in years, I desperately wanted soup : the kind of craving where your entire soul is shivering. Instead of heading straight to Blowing Springs, I detoured to Panera for the first time in at least five years. To my surprise, the place was basically a senior center. I was the youngest person by several decades, which would normally be flattering, except the floors were wet and slippery and I was suddenly terrified of falling and needing an 80-year-old to help me up.

I got my classic half-and-half (they no longer list it, but bless them for still making it): chicken avocado sandwich + tomato soup. My stomach warmed, my hands thawed, and I felt like a functioning human again.

While grocery shopping, my coach Jachin texted to cancel our session because a windstorm knocked out their power. I cheerfully replied, “I am in the SAME windstorm too!” The van shook violently all the way from Bentonville to Bella Vista, but I was still happy to return to Blowing Springs for laundry and housekeeping, the domestic anchor of my week.


Next day, the wind finally calmed. The sky turned stunningly blue. The air was crisp enough to exfoliate your lungs. Pure joy. I made a huge pot of chili while waiting for Nelson, then we drove to Roaring River under the massive Beaver Moon.  It was cold but beautiful. We made hot Milo before bed — mine with marshmallows, obviously — and turned on the space heater. That moment, warm drinks + cold air + snuggly van interior = absolute perfection.



I hyped myself up for the whole month for Halloween but it was a surprisingly quiet night at the state park.  No trick-or-treaters (I still don’t know if kids go door-to-door at campgrounds… and honestly, handing out candy from a van does sound a bit suspicious).  But I had fun dressing up Don Don and Grumpy who demands no candy haha. 



Outside, the fall leaves were glowing like stained glass. A quiet, cozy Halloween.





Chapter 84 — November Begins, Snakes, Crafts, and a Cheese Board Finale

We Made It to November!
Cold morning = bacon and eggs, the sacred weekend ritual.  We stopped by the nature center to visit David the park naturalist - but let’s be honest, we were there for Henry the king snake, our true friend. Last time we just petted him; this time David let us hold him! (Hold the snake, not the man.)



Henry, being cold-blooded, kept leaning his little snake face toward our warm bodies. Slightly thrilling, slightly alarming, absolutely adorable now that I know he wanted warmth, not my face.

The afternoon was craft time. I started making DIY insulation pads for the van windows using foam and wool felt. Measurements: imprecise. Sewing: terrible. Confidence level: high. I finished one and couldn’t wait to test it during the cold night.


Temperatures dropped even more on Sunday, and apparently this wasn’t even the coldest to come. We enjoyed a quiet day at Roaring River, sharing a weird-but-delicious cheese board before wrapping up the sunny, crisp weekend.





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