June 4
It turns out that the trailer is not as ready as we'd first believed. The refrigerator doesn't work, there is a crack in the fresh water tank, we don't have a key to the back door (so it'll need replacing), and the leak in the closet seems to have rotted a bit of the plywood floor away and caused some mold. All fixable items, to be sure, but it will take a little while (and a little money) to get it all taken care of.
Also, one thing we hadn't initially thought through was who would take care of our house in Hartford while we're gone. Fortunately, it did not take long to figure that one out, as Bombur and his family agreed to house-sit for as long as we needed. And they promised, even, to chase off Lobelia and Otho if ever they came snooping around (as I am sure they will!). Of course, because the kids are still in school, Bombur says they can't get up here until next week - but that works out fine, because it gives us a chance to finish everything up.
In the meantime, I've been giving a lot of thought to what we'll be eating along the road. Unfortunately the oven is quite small; and after we hooked up the propane to it, I gave it a trial run and it heats terribly unevenly. Also, when we use the cooktop, it made the inside of the trailer stifling hot. So it turns out that we'll be making good use of a slow cooker, bread maker, rice cooker, deep fryer, grill, and maybe even a campfire on occasion! The old, old microwave will need to be replaced, of course (it has likely been there since the trailer was made, about 20 years ago!) - although I don't really think we'll be using that a lot. Really, it's likely that by the time we get back, I'll be able to write a cookbook just for campers and RVers!
Still, we don't have much storage room for food, so we'll have to make frequent trips to the store. And really, if we can't get the refrigerator fixed, we'll have to stick to using a cooler for whatever shouldn't get warm. We at least have a chest-freezer in the garage right now, and it should fit in the trailer fine for travel, then we can set it outside when we settle in at a campsite. So even if we need to use a cooler for a while, we'll at least be able to keep plenty of ice on-hand.
I am a bit concerned, however, about how Frodo and I will adjust to being out in the country! I mean, we have always lived in the suburbs, and walks on sunny streets and running around at the neighborhood playground just doesn't have the same feel about it. At least it won't be too wild, though, since we will be at campgrounds near the coast, and not just out in the middle of the woods somewhere!
Thorin, at least, says that he won't have a problem with the outdoors, and I am inclined to believe him! He may have lived in the city for a long time, but he was raised near the woods up in Petersham. His sister and her sons still live there, in fact, in the house that has been in their family for three generations. But it really has been a while since Thorin got out into the country, and I'm a bit eager to see if he is able to readjust to it as easily as he claims he will be!