Saturday, June 16, 2012

Things Aren’t Always As They Appear

 

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On the way to the trash yesterday morning I got to meet the mystery woman in the old VW Beetle. She asked me if I had room in the freezer for a few of her Blue Ice packs. Sure, I said, bring them over. Well, she has her routine. She wanted to wait until later in the afternoon, then come back and get them 24 hours later. No problem, and that’s what she did.

I asked her if she was just traveling through, and she said no, she was spending the summer at higher elevations to avoid the heat. She winters at a friend’s property just west of Tucson, and finally had to leave by the end of April when temperatures were nearing 100. She plugs an extension cord into her friend’s house to run a lamp and fan, but basically lives in the car. Her friend is now in a nursing home, and she is concerned that her friend will die and the property will be sold.

She told me about going to college, living in Cambridge, MA, then moving to Oregon. She got sick from environmental sensitivities, and was a teacher living in a co-op house. The co-op dissolved and she had to find someplace else to live. She couldn’t find a place with no carpet, drapes, etc, that would be good for her allergies, so she started living in the VW. This was in 1983 and she’s been living in the car ever since!!  She bought the red Beetle new in 1968 after a friend gave her a ride in his and she fell in love with it. She said she doesn’t feel good when she stays in one place too long, and likes traveling around out west in the low humidity. I can relate to that.

She asked me where we were going and I told her Colorado. She wanted to know if we could recommend any forest service campgrounds with water. She buys drinking water, but likes a campground with water, a bathroom, shade, and hiking trails. She doesn’t require much.

I told her we were going into Red River and did she need anything from the store. She said she stocked up at the health food/organic grocery in Taos on her way so she had plenty of food. She was running low on D batteries, but that could wait until she got to a Wal-Mart somewhere.

She seems happy and spends a good part of her day hiking. When she brought over the Blue Ice she said she had taken two hikes already and was going back home for breakfast. This was 3 pm! Probably why she looks so emaciated.

I’m glad we got to meet. She obviously lives this way by choice, and yes she is probably mentally ill, but appears content, and isn’t that all that really matters in life?

14 comments:

  1. Wow...what a story. Really puts things into perspective and helps me to realize how really blessed we are!

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  2. I just know this is the same lady the other blogger wrote about. Oh how I wish I could remember. If and when I get more time, I am going to go back and look at a couple of blog I read that may have met this lady.

    She is quite a gal. I don't think I could even spend a week in a VW!

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  3. Being content is a good thing to strive for.

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  4. We should all be that mentally ill.

    Thanks for sharing.

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  5. That was some story. It shows how truly fortunate. I couldn't even imagine sleeping in a VW.

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  6. We each need different things in our lives. If we're honest, it's really not much. She seems to have whittled down her life to needs and not wants. Her life wouldn't be enough for me, but maybe she's just more evolved? Or the mental illness reference might be the answer. Whatever, I wish her much happiness and good health.

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  7. That might be me someday..I too suffer from environmental allergies and the list of places I can tolerate seems to shrink every year. One of the reasons we got into rv'ing was my inability to tolerate hotels because of fragrances and cleaning products. I just broke down and bought the Kindle too because the ink in most books makes my eyes burn after reading for awhile. It's a great solution and I'm sorry I didn't do it sooner! Luckily more places seem to be aware of the bad effects fragrances have, especially on the elderly with limited lung function, but I don't see us in a chemical-free-fragrance-free world anytime soon!

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  8. What an incredible story! I think finding contentment in life is a huge accomplishment that few are ever able to do. Good for her!!

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  9. I'm suspicious of the experts who define mental health to be the way most first-world dwellers think.

    We have friends who can't believe we live in a motorhome by choice, and ours is hugely packed with our "stuff." Maybe it's a matter of degrees. I'm glad to hear her life is her own choice.

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  10. We saw the mystery woman in the old VW Beetle at Manzano in 2008.

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  11. Some days, I'm about ready to trade my life in for hers. Patience and contentment are definitely worthy attributes - regardless of their origin. Thanks for sharing this.

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  12. On balance she lives a good life---more or less in control of it. She has challenges to give it meaning--a place to sleep---a way to move about. If she were institutionalized it would cost society about $3000 a month. We should subsidize her to the tune of $400 or so---a win/win for marginal people.

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  13. Glad to hear her story, thanks! I've heard of people living in a van. I might be able to do that but a VW probably not. She must have some sort of income thankfully.

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  14. I've seen this woman for the past 3 Summers at Columbine Canyon near Red River, NM. I'm curious as to how she pays for the daily fee the camping site requires. The place she stays also has a 14 day limit, which she obviously goes beyond! This last week while we were there, we noticed her car at "Goat Hill" for several hours, but saw her camp site at Columbine was "saved" by a plastic outdoor chair. She for sure intrigues.

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