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Building a Better Winter Lifestyle

Earlier in the winter I was wondering how to improve my winter snowbird lifestyle. The term 'snowbird' only implies a change in geography. That isn't good enough. The intent was to build a lifestyle in the winter that is -- not deliberately the opposite of -- but complementary and independent of the summer lifestyle.

I'm happy to report that I think this worked: more social, no moving from place to place, and built around road bicycling with a club, rather than the summer lifestyle of nomadic and solitary public-lands-camping and mountain biking with my dog. Even my dog has adjusted to short daily walks in the desert, because she gets to romp with her fan club.

In the past I might have resented the relaxed contentment of a lifestyle with more routines, would have wanted to keep things shaking, and even looked down on plugging into a "system."  But now I happily snuggle in to the security of routines built around cycling with other people, afternoon siestas, and reading thousands of pages of Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin (Master and Commander) novels.

It was a real pleasure to hit this paragraph in the book:
"Far out into the Atlantic, long tack upon long tack, every day having the same steady routine from swabbing the decks at first dawn to lights out, its unchanging succession of bells, its wholly predictable food, nothing in sight from one horizon to another but sea and sky, both growing more agreeable, and the habit of sea-life exerted its usual force; cheerfulness returned to almost its old carefree level; and as always there was the violent emotion and enthusiasm of the great-gun practice every evening at quarters..." [p. 4196 of "The Thirteen Gun Salute."]
 That pretty much sums up my lifestyle this winter in Yuma, AZ.
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People who leave the "System"  -- whether to retire early, move to a rural area, take on self-employment, kill their television sets, home school their kids, or live on boats -- take on quite a responsibility, quite a load onto their own shoulders. They might not even be consciously aware that this extra burden is digging into their shoulders. It's a burden that is well worth it. But it is still enjoyable to take a sabbatical from it, in the winter.

Comments

Boonie, I find myself living in a house in N. Utah where it's an icebox, a far cry from what I had planned, which was to go south. But it has its benefits - and I find I'm really enjoying taking hot showers and being able to run down the street for a gourmet bowl of soup and sandwich - much more appreciative of it than I might be otherwise. I think variety makes us appreciate what we have. I miss the redrock and freedom, so when I leave here, I'll miss the showers etc. but appreciate being out even more.
edlfrey said…
I too, at the start of my 5th year on the road full time, find that I have developed a routine of sorts. But, it is a pleasant routine that includes the nomadic travel to a new place every month or two. So far I have avoided the Snowbird routine of moving twice a year and have maintained my climatic nomad ways of travel which I have found very pleasant for the most part.
Well, Spotted Dog Ranch, surely you don't expect this blog to endorse non-navy showers! I continue to take navy showers even though I have all the water I want, renting my gravel half-lot in Yuma.

But you were just using that as an example of your more general point, so we'll cut you some slack.
You ARE a snowbird: just a multi-modal one, instead of a bi-modal one.
Jim and Gayle said…
When does the gun practice begin?

Jim
The Big Guns start to practice whenever me and the boys hit the pavement on our bikes.
John V said…
Where's the burden/load you describe in "leaving the system"? It's a privilege and a reward few people get to experience. Rarely or never experiencing, seeing, or trying new things...now that's a "burden"!
Somebody who grinds away in the System everyday is carefree to some extent. All of the most fundamental decisions have already been made FOR him. No deep thinking on his part is required. If he feels crabby/unhappy today, he can blame it on the Boss, the spouse, kids, crappy traffic conditions, lousy weather, etc.

The burden that sits on the back of somebody who has opted out of the system lies in the fact that he can't shift the blame to anyone else. If he is having a worthless day, it is HIS fault.

He must also provide all of his own get-up-and-go.