Creature Comforts

Being on the road in an RV like Gladis is pretty comfy. It’s far more comfortable than sleeping in a tent or van, and it even has advantages over motels (I KNOW when the blankets were last laundered, thank you very much). But it’s not quite as nice as home.

The mattress is ok, but not like home. The couch (the folded-down dinette) will do, but it’s 3 inches of foam rubber on top of boards, not a foam blob engineered to perfectly fit your body like real sofas are. And the shower….well, it’s ok to get pretty kinda somewhat clean, but that’s about it. And then there’s the “everything here is new to me” aspect of moving around and doing everything at different grocery stores, gas stations, etc., than I’m used to.

I’m not complaining. I’m just saying that’s how it is. But the effect of these little slightly-less-than-comfortable aspects builds and makes it necessary to ensure I do have creature comforts on hand to soothe my mildly jangled soul.

One is NPR from home. I got the local station app and play it over my bluetooth whenever I want to know what’s going on down there.

Another is bikkies. Biscuits. Sorry, I’ve been obsessively watching The Great British Baking Show again. Cookies. A girl needs a cookie or two at the end of a long day of driving and trying to figure out where the heck I am going. Preferably a nice gingery Biscoff biscuit.

Some creature comforts require a little ingenuity. Dennis, Gladis’s previous owner, God bless him, installed a lot of lights in the unit. Twelve to be exact. In a 23-footer. And he made the rookie mistake of putting in “true daylight” LEDs, which have a razor-sharp glare that makes any space feel harsh and uninviting. And I do want my space to feel inviting.

So please forgive me, if on the road I improvised until I can figure out something better  (something that doesn’t involve buying 24 new LED bulbs). Observe: I am master of my domain. The new, the beautiful, the coffee filter lampshade. If something happens to me, please explain this to whoever finds Gladis. I’m not insane. My eyes just hurt.