Five Quick Q&A

I’m back with more questions from blog readers about RVing, what’s happening in our lives since we hung up the keys, and all kinds of other things. While I try to answer all questions individually, I also share some here occasionally.

Q. Is it true that Walmart has changed their policy and no longer allows RVs to park on their property overnight?
A. No, that’s not true. As I understand it, the decision has always been up to the local store managers. However, many towns have rules prohibiting RVs from parking anywhere but a campground overnight, and you can be told to leave or even ticketed. But this is due to local regulations, not the company.

Q. Nick, my father decided to write his memoirs and now wants to get them published. He contacted some outfit online and sent them a copy and paid them a $250 “reading fee.” They are telling him it is best-seller material and promising him all kinds of things, but they want him to pay them a $3,500 fee to “help cover the costs.” I told him this sounds wrong, but they are calling him every day, trying to get him to let them publish his book and telling him he will make a fortune from it. My dad is a great guy, but he was a tool and die maker who never served in the military or did anything memorable to make his life story best-seller material. You’re the only author I know, and you’re a best-selling author, so you tell me so I can tell him, is he being scammed?
A. No question about it, these guys are only interested in his money. In the industry they are called vanity publishers or subsidy publishers, but they are nothing more than conmen feeding someone’s ego so they can rip them off. There’s nothing they can do for him that he could not do for himself or pay to have done for $300 or $400 if he wanted to farm it out and self-publish his book. Please don’t let him be taken advantage of.

Q. After reading your blog post about Veterans Day and how you were treated when your dad took you to his VFW post when you came home from overseas, I wonder if you belong to the VFW now?
A. No, I don’t. I’m not much of a joiner. I’ve been invited to join various VFW and American Legion Posts, but I don’t drink and have no interest in sitting around telling war stories. I know both organizations do a lot more than that and provide many wonderful services for veterans and to their communities, but it’s just not something I have the time for or interest in.

Q. What happened to the new truck you were going to order, Nick? Did you change your mind or hasn’t it come in yet?
A. After canceling the order on the Ford Lariat pickup because they could not deliver it due to chip shortages, in June I ordered a new Dodge RAM Laramie and was promised that it would be available sometime in late July or no later than the end of August. I just received an e-mail yesterday from RAM saying they still have not started production and don’t know when it might happen. I’m not holding my breath.

Q. I know that COVID kept you and Miss Terry close to home for a long time, but things seem to be easing up now and you both have your vaccines and boosters. Do you have any travel plans for the future? If so, and if you make your way through Arkansas, we would love to have you stop in for a visit. We have a guest house on our farm and you could stay as long as you want.
A. I appreciate the offer, but we have no travel plans at this time. However, we are both suffering from a bit of hitch itch, so who knows? After I get my new book out, I would really like to sneak away for at least a few days.

And finally, here’s a chuckle to start your day from the collection of funny signs we see in our travels and that our readers share with us. In this case, it might be nice if they could hire somebody who could spell, too.

It’s Thursday, so it’s time for a new Free Drawing. This week’s prize is an autographed copy of Barefoot In The Parking Lot, by Vineet Verma. When detectives investigate the murder of the hotshot CEO of a big AI company, they come face-to-face with the dark and sordid world that lies just under Silicon Valley’s polished and pristine exterior. From jealous ex-lovers to rival tech giants, the victim had powerful enemies, all of whom would be happy to see him dead. The list of suspects seems endless – and deadly.

To enter, click on this Free Drawing link or the tab at the top of this page and enter your name (first and last) in the comments section at the bottom of that page (not this one). Only one entry per person per drawing please, and you must enter with your real name. To prevent spam or multiple entries, the names of cartoon or movie characters are not allowed. The winner will be drawn Sunday evening. Note: Due to the high shipping cost of printed books and Amazon restrictions on e-books to foreign countries, only entries with US addresses and e-mail addresses are allowed.

Thought For The Day – A negative mind will never give you a positive life.