It’s Christmas in June. Bright and early tomorrow morning I’m off to pick up my Sportsmen Classic travel trailer. By the time I was six, I figured out that fidgeting did not speed the arrival of Christmas morning. But here I am, fidgeting. A person just can’t sit still while this excited. Not biologically possible.

Tomorrow, while my car gets wired for trailer breaks, I get a camper operation and maintenance lesson. After which, I trundle away with what will be Milo and my home for the next few months.

I’m planning to stop at a parking lot to practice backing up. Even though I grew up on a farm, where we pulled trailers all the time, I am nervous about the idea of reverse. My goal is to treat learning to park the trailer as a dog training exercise, on myself–split the process into small skills, reward every little success, and treat failures as learning opportunities. If I can remember to treat myself with the same respect that I treat Milo, I think all will be well. Fingers crossed.

I’ve entreated my neighbors to close their curtains tomorrow afternoon. I like that they look out for me, but I don’t need them looking out on my first attempt at backing this behemoth into my driveway.

I’ll use the bunk space for Milo’s crate and a desk.