Testing a Ticker, With a Side of Nip-Tuck: A Review of Liberty Healthshare

  

We arrived back home and encountered typical East Texas weather during our two week stay--hot, humid, and several periods of rain.  I so miss the arid climate of the desert!   The silver lining here are all the wildflowers!  Once upon a time, I would consider them weeds, but after visiting Alaska, I have come to realize that although simple and plain, they are just as beautiful as the flora adorning manicured landscapes.

While at home, we had some fun catching up with fellow Escapees/Xscapers Cheryl/David and Matt/Sherry, while meeting newcomers to the full-timing lifestyle, Maria/David and Rich/Kathy.  The whole gang participated in a happy hour and dinner at Florida’s Kitchen, a local eatery.  Matt/Sherry also invited us to join them another evening for a visit to our absolute favorite local food joint, Joe’s Italian Grill.  Who could say no to eating at Joe’s, or to being in such great company?

Dad's Pasta dish...look at those veggies! Dad held fast and did not have any meat or cheese with his dish!

We so enjoy the camaraderie of the Escapees/Xscapers community.  So much so that I decided to become one of several of the Xscapers members to get a tattoo of the group logo.  Escapees/Xscapers President Travis Carr awarded the first ten Xscapers who got an official logo tattoo a free life-time membership to the Club (valued at approx. $700 per person).  Unfortunately, I didn’t make the cut; it seems stuffed rats don’t qualify for contest participation!

Imagine, yours truly not qualifying for a lifetime membership prize in the Xscapers tattoo contest!

While we enjoy the social aspect of being back home, our sole purpose for returning to Texas at this time was for Dad’s doctor appointments subsequent to his major heart attack last Fall.  See blog of November 13, 2017 at 

A Doctor's Oath--Hippocratic or Hypocritic? Dad's Heart Attack Saga



It was time to assess the condition of Dad's heart and his implanted stents by performing a nuclear stress test and an echocardiogram.  It was a long day, with the processes taking about 5 hours.  To make matters worse, we were not scheduled to get the results until the next appointment, which was 10 days away.  Imagine how panicked Mom was to get a call from the doctor just three days later!  She is a “glass half empty” type of person, and immediately expected bad news.  But the results were excellent!  Dad’s heart is pumping strong and the stents are doing their job perfectly.  The doctor didn’t want us to wait another week and worry needlessly for the results.  How considerate is that!

Although members of Liberty HealthShare (LHS) for nearly 2 years prior to the incident, Dad’s heart attack was the first time my parents used their faith-based health-sharing plan.   Having always been healthy, my parents’ monthly contribution of $299 went regularly to pay another member’s medical expenses.  So we really had no idea which bills associated with Dad's heart issues would be covered at all, and if covered, to what extent.  The medical services provided to Dad totaled more than $200,000.  While some faith-based plans make the patient negotiate pricing with service providers, LHS handled all negotiations and was successful in reducing the financial obligations down to less than $30,000.  Moreover, with the exception of our annual $1,000 unshared amount (i.e., deductible), ALL the costs associated with Dad’s heart attack were eligible for sharing and paid by members through the plan.  What a Godsend!  We are so blessed to be a part of LHS!  We encourage others to consider LHS for their healthcare costs.  Unlike many faith-based plans, they are liberal in their religious requirements.   However, LHS may not be for everyone. They do screen for pre-existing conditions.  And because they are NOT an insurance company and therefore not required to be compliant with the Affordable Care Act (ACA), they can deny coverage.  Or they may offer only provisional coverage.  (This is what they did to Mom.  Based on her BMI of 30, they required her to lose 17 pounds and get “obesity counseling” in order to get covered.  Mom was livid, because just looking at weight/height is not using BMI properly.  Despite being overweight, she is very active.  And why only an arbitrary 17 pounds?  Don’t tell her I said so, but she sure could stand to lose a few more!   Anyway, it cost an additional $80 for each month of her “obesity counseling”.  Mind you, this counseling consisted of ONE phone conversation each month. She lost the weight within 2 months, thereby graduating from the fat farm and becoming a full-fledged member.)  However, for my parents and their specific situation, Liberty HealthShare has proven to be a viable and wise solution for healthcare costs.

Too bad Liberty HealthShare doesn’t cover this stuffed rat and the medical issues I’ve had to deal with.  Although I was still undeniably quite adorable, I was in desperate need of filler to plump and firm my sagging neck and cheeks (I'm talking face cheeks people, not butt cheeks, although I wouldn’t have minded getting implants for that J-Lo effect).

See those sags in my cheeks!

What a mess!  I can't even hold up my head!

I really wanted liposuction on my belly, too, but it was cost prohibitive at this time.  You see, I forked out a whopping $20 for stuffing, needles, thread, and zipper, just to repair my sagging neck. My parents, AKA Dr. Quakenstein and Nurse Rached, presided over the operation.  Nurse Rached checked my vitals, then gave me anesthesia--a shot of Petron Silver Tequila and a bullet to bite on.  Then Dr. Quakenstein worked his surgical miracles.

Nurse Ratched was nearby, ready to wipe the sweat from Dr. Quakenstein's brow!

When I awoke, I was amazed at the terrific results!

What a profile!  Notice my nice, full cheeks and how erect I sit now!

You can see my beautiful smile better, too!

I look 10 years younger!  Not bad, considering I will be 35 in just a few days!  I’ll tell you how it all began.  Most people would say I am just a scruffy, tattered, oversized stuffed rat.  But what I really am is a love story…

For many years, I just sat in a toy store.  I was the store mascot, which made me more important than all the other toys.  But I was so very lonely.   I was tucked away high on a shelf, hidden away from all the potential families who might take me home.  I never felt the warmth of a hug.  I never heard the joyful sounds of laughter.  And most importantly, I never experienced love--until one wonderful day more than 30 years ago when a young man with fine blonde hair (yeah, hard to believe, but Dad had hair at one time) strolled into the store.  He immediately went to the stuffed toy section.  He scrutinized each toy like a drill sergeant reviewing recruits  during boot camp.  He picked up each toy—a cuddly teddy bear, a playful dog, a persnickety-looking cat, a pink-nosed rabbit—but after careful review, he discarded each one.  By the look on his face, they just did not meet his requirements.    He obviously was intent on finding one very special toy.

I watched the toys as he turned away.  They were very upset and insulted.  They were not accustomed to such rejection.    Once someone held and cuddled the toys, they were usually brought to a new home!  I looked at them with empathy—no one knew better than I did the feeling of being rejected and unloved.

The fellow headed for the front door, obviously to continue his search at another store.  Suddenly he stopped in his tracks and cast his gaze upward to that high shelf on which I sat.   No one ever really looked up here since the shelf contained just additional inventory of the toys down on the floor.    I was so excited to be noticed!   As my eyes met his, I could tell he was a kind and gentle spirit! 

In a flurry, he looked around and walked again to the back of the store.  Suddenly, he returned with Beth, the Sales Associate, and was pointing up to me on the shelf!   My heart was fluttering!  Could it be he might want me!   I saw Beth look up at me, and watched in horror as she shook her head “no” and mouthed the words “not for sale”.  Beth was such a nice girl—how could she deny me a chance at true toy happiness?  My heart was heavy with sadness as I realized this toy store would be the only “home” I would ever know.   I turned away and crawled to the back of the shelf as I wiped the river of tears rolling down my chubby cheeks.

Fortunately, this young man was very persistent.   He said he needed the perfect gift to tell his “special” girl that he loved her for the very first time, and that I was the perfect gift!  His romantic plan must have touched Beth’s heart!  The next thing I knew, she climbed up a ladder to my shelf, pulled me from the back corner, and placed me in his outstretched arms!  As he held me, my heart filled with gladness!  As our eyes met, he broke out into a huge smile!   My tears of sadness transformed into tears of joy as my new Daddy carried me out of the store!  I had a big job ahead of me to make Dad’s girl love both him and me, but I was up to the challenge (of course, I was successful in my mission).  My sad, lonely life would be no more, for I now would have a loving family and a permanent home!

I just love happy endings, don’t you?  Our time here is also ending--we are back on the road tomorrow.  I’ll talk to you again soon!




We would like to thank some amazing organizations for all they do for the RVing community:



Escapees RV Club





Xscapers





RVillage




RV Dreams

New Mexico -- Land of Enchantment (Pancho Villa State Park, City of Rocks State Park, White Sands National Monument)

After our terrific time in Tuscon we toured a few places in Southwest New Mexico.  New Mexico is quite deceiving.  As you drive, it seems rather flat and level.  Mountains always seem to be in the distance.  And yet, we were always  traveling at elevations of 4,000+ feet.

The view on our way to Pancho Villa State Park.

Our first stop was Pancho Villa State Park, recommended to us by friends Stephanie and Curtis.  It is a small, but nicely laid out park in Columbus, NM, about 30 miles south of Deming, with expansive sites (large enough for Big Boomer and our 5^th wheel).  Water and electric spots cost only $14/night.  There is no sewer hookup, but a dump station is available, along with clean, flush toilets and well-maintained showers, should you be inclined to use them (this rat is a bit germaphobic, so I refrain from using public facilities. It’s bad enough I must put up with my parents’ cooties in my own bathroom!)  

Pancho Villa State Park's extra large sites can accommodate even our set-up!

All of the sites have a covered shelter, stone picnic table and fire pit.

 

The town itself is desolate and depressing, with lots of vacant lots and virtually no amenities.  In fact the few places of business are all closed on Sundays, so if you want to get something to eat, you are in the wrong place (even the grocery wasn’t open when we stopped by).  But it is rich in US-Mexican history, most notably for the raid by Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa, and the subsequent U.S. Punitive Expedition.

Is this a ghost town?

Hungry? Better not be on Sunday!

One of the few remaining original buildings left in town...the Old Hotel!

The Park is located right on the grounds of Camp Furlong and has a museum as well as original camp buildings (Rec Hall, Headquarters, Customs House) on site.  Museum Docent Fel was absolutely fantastic!  He was engaging and entertaining, and imparted a comprehensive, yet easy to understand (even for this pea-brain rat) historical account of Pancho Villa’s raid of March 9, 1916.

The descendants of the Columbus citizens who perished that day speculate the raid was in vengeance against the local mercantile owner, who took money for but never delivered arms/ammunition to Pancho Villa.  Others believe the Germans were behind the raid, hoping to keep the U.S. busy with protecting its borders rather than get involved in World War I.  But according to Fel, the raid was in retaliation for the US, under Woodrow Wilson, betraying Villa, not once, but three times: recognizing  Venustiano Carranza rather than Pancho Villa as the President de facto of Mexico after Victoriano Huerta resigned; helping Carranza by transporting Mexican troops on US soil via US railroads; and then, the nail in the coffin, providing lighting from the copper mines to Carranza in his battle against Villa, which resulted in a reduction of Villa’s troops from 10,000 to 2,000.  Villa returned to Mexico to regroup and strategize his retaliatory attack on Columbus, which took place in the early morning hours of March 9, 1916, and left 17 residents of Columbus dead, including one woman and her unborn child.

Fel had me hook, line and sinker—tell me more!  Well, I learned that General Pershing, mentor and strategic/tactical trainer to MacArthur and Patton, was put in charge of the Punitive Expedition by President Wilson. Pershing’s orders:  capture and/or disrupt Villa’s operation in Mexico after the raid occurred.  Although Villa was not captured during this mission, (eventually he was assassinated in Parral), Pershing, using aircraft and motorized vehicles for the first time in warfare, was successful in shutting down Villa’s operation within 11 months.  Thanks, Fel, for the fascinating history lesson!

An original armored attack vehicle used in the Punitive Expedition.

Yours truly flying a replica of the first aircraft used in warfare during the Punitive Expedition.

We stayed so long in the museum that day (nearly 3 hours!), we didn’t realize that the weather outside had turned from sunny and warm to overcast, cool, and WINDY!  We saw “dustnados” forming, and tumbleweeds the size of a Smart Car blowing across the road.  Dad checked the weather report—we should expect wind gusts of up to 50 miles per hour throughout the evening!

A Dustnado is brewing!

We went back to the rig, battened down the hatches, and hunkered down for a wild and crazy ride.  As if listening to the wind howl and rock the rig all night long weren’t enough, the coyotes in the area were yipping up a storm, which incited every dog in the park to bark incessantly.  And just when one dog would shut up, the next one started in.   Some made deep, baritone sounds while others had high-pitched barks. What cacophony!  How am I supposed to get any beauty rest!  And it seemed I no sooner drifted asleep than I heard roosters announcing it was morning.  Coupled with the soulful coos of mourning doves, there was no sleeping in for this rat.  So I got up, worked on my blog and pictures, went for a nice walk, and even found a geocache!  I noticed the park was extremely quiet as I went about my daytime activities, and heard not a peep from any of the neighborhood dogs.  Sure, NOW they all were SLEEPING!

Next on our travel itinerary was City of Rocks, another New Mexico State Park located 60 miles north of Columbus (on the other side of Deming).  The Park, established in 1952, has just 10 water and electric hookup sites for $14/day.  No dump station is available on the premises.  We opted for one of the 40 $10/day boondocking sites.  Like Joshua Tree National Park, the boondocking sites are nestled right within the rock formations (which supposedly resulted from a volcanic eruption 3.5 million years ago).  Unlike Joshua Tree, we actually can fit our set-up in a few of the sites!  It was so cool, and talk about privacy! 

Nestled in the rocks!

Table Mountain in the background.

Hanging out in the rocks.  Inside this alcove is our picnic table and fire pit.

The Park has over 7 miles of hiking/biking trails, and we trekked every inch of them.  My favorite was Table Mountain Trail (elevation 5,726), with Observation Point a close second, both of which offer beautiful, panoramic views of the area.  

How about this for a quiet out of the way location!  The view from Table Mountain.

Another view from Table Mountain.

Observation Point offered spectacular 360 degree views, too.

But it sure was windy when we ascended!  We saw quite a bit of wildlife, including antelope, jackrabbits, cottontail rabbits, Gambel quail, beetles, and ravens, one of which built a nest in one of the rocks within our site.  

A huge raven's nest in the rocks above our camp.

Peter Cottontail came for a visit  Unfortunately, I had to take this pic through our screen door. 

A beetle crossing our path on one of our hikes.

Amazing wildflowers blooming in the desert!

A lovely sunset.

It is a great place to view the night sky, too.  Unfortunately, the park’s observatory does not begin “dark sky” activities until May.   This park is a real gem and seemingly a well-kept secret based on how many sites were available during our Sunday – Wednesday stay.  And yet, we had a squatter on our site!  Yup, it seems some hiker decided it was fine to park his/her car right next to our rig on our reserved site since it was near a trail head.  What are people thinking!  Talk about setting off our Jersey attitudes!

Some people just have no respect for campground etiquette!  Mom left them a Jersey nasty gram on their windshield.

Using the website Campendium.com, we found water-front boondocking at Lake Holloman, adjacent to Holloman Air Force Base, less than 5 miles from White Sands National Monument, our final New Mexico destination as we travel home to Texas.  This boondocking area is comprised of packed gypsum, so no need for us to worry about sinking in the sand.  Getting into the area was a bit hair-raising (if Dad had any).  We approached heading north on NM 70, which required us to make a left turn across south-bound traffic and enter through a VERY NARROW gate, while going over a cattle guard.  Thank goodness Dad was at the wheel (Mom would have freaked out), and he is such a good driver.  We had less than 1/2 inch to spare without hitting any of the posts!  The good news is that, because of the angle of approach, getting out of the gate to leave the lake area is a piece of cake, even for big rigs like ours!

Looks can be deceiving!  Things were much tighter than they appear.

To unwind, we took a walk around Lake Holloman.  There was once a trail for wildlife viewing here (61), but a gate and sign tell us no public access is allowed anymore.  We did see some sandpipers, ducks, and other water fowl on the lake, and even found a half-eater deer leg! Oh and one of the benefits of being near Holloman AFB is that you get your picture taken by drones! 

Someone or something enjoyed a hearty meal.

Say "cheese" for the drone picture!

We decided to hit up the Monument at sunrise the next day.  It was a wee bit chilly, registering at 36 degrees as we traversed along the Inner Dunes Boardwalk and then went off the beaten path.  Unlike regular sand, the gypsum is cool to the touch--it does not absorb heat from the sun.  Its crystals glisten like snow.

White Sands is truly a unique phenomenon.  One does not expect to see sand dunes in areas where there is no visible water.  But, according to geologists, once upon a time 250 million years ago, a shallow sea covered the area.  As the water evaporated, gypsum deposited at the bottom of this sea.  Eventually, these deposits turned to stone and the land uplifted.  Then through the forces of rain and wind, the dunes began to grow.  But change is a constant here at White Sands.  Trails that are visible one day, may be gone the next.  Huge  plows come through to remove all the sand that has blown onto the road overnight.  One worker claimed that he could remove snow 40 hours a week, every week of his lifetime, and never be able to keep up with the task of sand removal.

 

I decided to “leave my mark” by drawing my self-portraits in the sand in several places.  I normally would never deface any natural wonder, but I know that my artwork will not last long.

Etchings in the sand.

We continued on to Alkalai Flats Trail.  Let me tell you, this trail was anything but flat!  It was about as flat as my rotund belly (I was going to say my Mom’s chest, but I do try to keep this G-rated)!  We spent nearly 3 hours trekking 5 miles up and down the gypsum dunes.  To think Moses and Jesus had to trek through desert sands like this for 40 days and 40 nights!  With my stubby legs, I struggled to keep up.  It was like doing 3 hours on a stair master!  Then I found crawling up like a crab made things so much easier!  Coming down, I just dug my heels in and leaned back.  Like my Mom, I may not hike conventionally, but I get the job done!  It was fun going so early in the day, when the sands were only disturbed by two other couples before us that morning.  We returned later in the day to witness sunset and were surprised by how many footprints were now visible, as well as the tracks of various wildlife, including a fox, rabbit, coyote, and even the slithering patterns created by snakes.  Unfortunately, our photos just do do this place justice.

As I listened to the melodramatic sounds of Taps emanating from the Air Force Base at 10 p.m., I went to bed feeling exhausted but gratified.   I am so blessed to witness the marvels of White Sands and so many other wonders of nature!

Another beautiful sunset on the lake!

We had three more days of waltzing through Texas before we arrived at home base in Livingston, so we stayed at some of the most expensive campgrounds in the country for the next two nights—Walmart lots.  You see, we always patronize the store when we stay in the lot, and never seem to leave without spending $100.  While some Walmarts are starting to prohibit overnight parking,  the stores in Fort Stockton and Seguin still allow the practice.   We knew we were back in Texas--humidity, blooming wildflowers, and oilfields.

As you can see, we boondock/dry camp (no hookups), quite frequently, and in the case of Quartzsite, for a significant amount of time.  Preserving and protecting our water resources has always been important to us.  When we were in our "sticks and bricks", we were active volunteers and financial supporters of environmental organizations dedicated to this cause.   We would use barrels to collect rain water runoff to nourish our plants and gardens; we installed limited use faucet heads; and we never let the water run needlessly when brushing our teeth.  So water conservation efforts when boondocking are easy for us to do.  Some people equate boondocking with taking showers once a week, wearing clothes until they are ready to walk away from them, and using public restrooms to limit black tank dumping.  However, we subscribe to the Six P’s:  “Proper Planning Prevents Piss-Poor Performance” (as evidenced by the fact we planned for this lifestyle for 14 years prior to implementation). Therefore, we have invested in the necessary tools to accomplish boondocking without sacrificing hygiene, convenience, or our normal lifestyle.  Our 2015 Montana fifth wheel has 110-gallon fresh water tank, two 45-gallon gray water tanks, and a 60-gallon black tank, which are  bigger capacities than many rigs on the market.  In addition, we have a 150-gallon water bladder that conveniently folds up into the size of a Tupperware container, and we have a 32-gallon blue boy/poop wagon.   As a result, we take hot, adequate-length showers daily.  Mom cooks and washes dishes regularly, although we do save the dish water to flush the toilet.   (After all, food particles are gonna end up in the toilet in one form or another.)   And, as I mentioned earlier, we refrain from using public restrooms.  In Quartzsite, after removing our motorcycles from the “garage” of Big Boomer, Dad builds a rack system to hold the water bladder and blue boy.  Hence, we never have to rehitch to take the fifth wheel out to dump/refill fresh water.  For energy, we have solar (6 AGM batteries, 915 amps, 1130 watts of panels), wind turbine, and dual Honda EU 2000 generators.  So even in an apocalypse, we can sustain ourselves totally off-grid.

At the dump station!

Filling up the bladder!

Pumping freshwater into the rig.

Our desert set-up!

Our generator set-up.

It helps also that we are not "gadget" people.  Dad percolates his coffee rather than using a Keurig.  Mom does not blow dry her hair.  And we don’t use a toaster.  We do run an 18 cubic foot residential refrigerator and have a 7 cubic foot chest freezer.  We watch television, though average only an hour or two a day. And Mom does most of her cooking using the convention oven (and she cooks up a storm), but monitors length of usage to ensure we never take the batteries down too low (To extend our batteries’ life cycles, we strive to never go below 12.32 volts/70%).  While we have spent quite a few bucks, our investments have paid for themselves between tax credits (solar/wind), savings on campgrounds, and ability to stay in more remote, picturesque areas with few neighbors.  Boondocking isn’t for everyone, but this Rambling RV Rat loves the freedom it provides.

We would like to thank some amazing organizations for all they do for the RVing
community:

Escapees

Xscapers

RVillage

RV-Dreams