Showing posts with label RV Repairs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label RV Repairs. Show all posts

Monday, November 24, 2014

Sigh......

The other day, while driving to down I-5 through Seattle, I saw a good number of rigs, presumably heading south for the winter. Was I jealous or was I envious?  Accordingly to Wikipedia, and I quote:

"Envy" and "jealousy" are often used interchangeably in common usage, but the words stand for two distinct emotions.[1] Jealousy is the result or fear of losing someone or something that one is attached to or possesses to another person (the transfer of a lover's affections in the typical form), while envy is the resentment caused by another person having something that one does not have, but desires for oneself.

It appears that I am envious....but not really.  I don't feel resentment towards those of you that are already headed out.  But dang, I wish I was one of you.

The repair work on the trailer continues.  I stay out of it, and I'm doing my best not to nag.  In fact, I have agreed not to nag/panic until January 31st.  God help me! As it is,  I am starting to get tired of whining about the situation anyway, and have been looking for other outlets to occupy my time.

First up, get the doctor appointments out of the way.  Whoopie!  I thought I may be looking at bunion surgery, and if so, we wouldn't be able to leave for 8 weeks anyway.  Might as well get that over with.  Then perhaps I can resume walking, and maybe even take up easy hikes.  I read so many blogs and see so many gorgeous photos that people take on hikes - I want to see those scenes too. A swollen, throbbing foot has kept me from doing things like this in the past (not to mention that I am totally out of shape), but if I take care of the bunion, maybe I will be able to do some of those things.  However, it turned out that it was going to end up being reconstructive surgery.  Apparently, my proximal phalanx has started to slide off the first metatarsal, which would require realignment of the big toe, complete with metal plate and screws.  That part I could handle.  Also, there was the 6-8 weeks in a cast, putting no pressure on the foot at, using crutches, a walker and/or a scooter.  Even that I could handle.  The part that made me say, "Maybe later," was no showering for 6-8 weeks.  Well, one could shower, if you had a hand held shower head and a shower stall big enough to hold a shower chair and a 5 gallon bucket on which to prop the casted foot.  The only shower in our house that could possibly accommodate that is downstairs, and I would not be able to go down the stairs (or rather I could go down, but I could not go back up).  I just could not do sponge baths and sink shampoos for 6 weeks and be a happy camper.  Plus, I would be looking at 4-6 weeks of physical therapy afterward.  Nope, it ain't gonna work.  Although I do have to say, I will now be more open to a full sized shower if and when we buy a new 5th wheel.  The salesmen always look at me funny when I'm not impressed with full sized showers in a rig.  I'm 5'3" and my husband is 5'6" - we aren't that big - and I'd rather have more cupboard space than a tub sized shower......At least that was what I thought until I heard about what is involved in the recovery process of this bunion surgery.  I guess Aleve and I will be good friends for the next few years.  The pain is really only higher than a 5 out of 10 when the barometer sudden drops or when I've been on my feet for a long time.

The eye doctor appointment revealed that I am still seeing 20/20 or better, two years post-cataract surgery.  I'm so glad I had it done.

In the meantime, I've wanted to take up painting.  I started with watercolors and wasn't happy, so I switched to acrylics.  I've made some progress.  I have never painted before.  And I doubt anyone would call me artistically inclined, but I'm watching You Tube videos and I've done a few pieces that make me smile.







Do you paint?  Do you have any You Tube videos or other sources you would recommend.  I'm obviously a beginner and would welcome any guidance.  Maybe I'll try painting some scenes reminiscent of Arizona, Nevada and Southern Utah.  I'd like to give up the envy and be happy right where I am.



Sunday, October 26, 2014

RV Repair Update Part 2 And What's To Eat

I read on another RV blog that no matter what, when it concerns RVs, Fact #1 is that it is going to take longer and cost more than you think.  I can attest to that. I had hoped things would be done by now.  In fact, in my initial plan, we were to be back on the road by October 6th.  Somewhere along the line, Kim told me that was unrealistic.  Okay, so we stay home for the holidays, and leave January 6th.  Now that schedule date is up for discussion.  Kim continues to work most days on the rig. I don't know what it is he is doing, but he is out there doing something.  (Correction - he tells me what he is doing, but I don't really comprehend.) There are continued phone calls to "RV" at the NuWa Factory for "how-to" information.

I just know it is taking much longer than I wanted it to (see Fact #1).  I guess I shouldn't be surprised. As far as costing more, God bless us, not so much quite yet.  In fact, we did get quite a good deal on the new carpet and pad that will eventually go in the rig, once all the leaks are found, and the areas of rot in the floors and walls are fixed.  We chose a patterned carpet, and I'm just hoping that it is not too much for a smaller space.  It does blend well with the interior, and there will be a break in it as the galley floor is hardwood (or whatever they call the stuff that looks like hardwood but really isn't).



As I am more of a hinderance than a help in the RV repair department, I have taken over doing most of the housework and getting the yard ready for winter.  I have found my mulch spreading limit is about 6 bags a day (which includes the weeding prep work).  What will be nice is coming home in the spring and hopefully not seeing how prolific the weeds could be.

I am also working through the gazillion recipes I've "pinned" on Pinterest.  Here is one I have filed under Family Favorites called Greek Marinated Chicken and it is courtesy of Budget Bytes

Ingredients
  • 1 cup plain yogurt $0.63
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil $0.32
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced $0.32
  • ½ Tbsp dried oregano $0.08
  • 1 medium lemon $0.49
  • ½ tsp salt $0.02
  • freshly cracked pepper $0.05
  • ¼ bunch fresh parsley $0.20
  • 3½ to 4 lbs chicken pieces $6.86


Instructions
  1. To make the marinade, combine the yogurt, olive oil, minced garlic, oregano, salt, and some freshly cracked pepper in a bowl. Use a fine holed cheese grater or a zester to scrape the thin layer of yellow zest from the lemon skin into the bowl. Also add the juice from half of the lemon (about 1-2 Tbsp). Stir until the ingredients are well combined. Roughly chop a big handful, or about ¼ bunch, of parsley and stir it into the marinade.
  2. Add the chicken pieces and marinade to a gallon sized zip top bag. Remove as much air as possible, close the bag tightly, and massage the bag to mix the contents and make sure the chicken is well coated. Refrigerate the bag for 30 minutes.
  3. After marinating for 30 minutes, either cook the chicken on a grill OR preheat the oven to 375 degrees in preparation to bake the chicken.
  4. To bake the chicken, place the chicken pieces in a large casserole dish (9x13). Bake the chicken in the preheated 375 degree oven for 45-60 minutes, or until golden brown on top.
I have made it a few times and everyone loves it.  Last night, I used 3 thighs and 2 breasts (bone in and skin on).  Enjoy!

Sunday, August 10, 2014

DIY Or Hire An Expert

Good Lord, what have we gotten ourselves into?

If you are a regular reader, you know from the other day's entry that I was balking about moving all of our stuff back into the house, so that a certified welder can get into the rig to re-enforce some of the frame work that is showing signs of wear and tear and cracks.

Kim and I have ongoing discussions about whether projects are DIY or require a professional.  On this particular project, we compromised.  Kim said he could do the prep work, and we could then hire a professional welder to come in and do, well, the welding.

I went out to check on his progress, and this is what I found.

Where are my stairs?


What happened to the bedroom?  Do you know how to put it back together?




He assures me he does know how to put it back together.  But where are my closet doors and the mattress?  And the drawers?


In the living room area.

I hope Kim will post his version of doing the prep work.  I think it is best that I just stay out of the rig until it is completed.  Oy vey.......

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Saturday, August 9, 2014

Having One Of "Those" Days

Yes, I'm one of "those" people who usually wakes up bright eyed and bushy tailed, ready to get on with the day, whatever that may entail.  This morning, I'm having a case of the blahs. Could it be that it is because I know I have to empty the rig because we are having some welding done to the fix some cracks in the frame around the pin box, and the "living room" floor also has some water damage, and needs to be replaced.  We have discovered that the drooping floor has been a major issue in keeping the one slide from working smoothly.

My daughter and her sons have been, and will continue to, house sit for us.  We are home for a few weeks here and there during the year, and usually it is most easy for us just to continue to sleep in the rig, even though we are sitting in our own driveway.  We will be "moving" into the basement for the duration of the repairs.  The good news is that the basement is the coolest part of the house, which is especially nice because we have been having relatively warm (for us) temperatures here in the PNW.  The square footage of the basement is greater than the square footage of the fiver, so really it is not a problem.  I'm just griping about carrying all the clothes down the stairs, re-arranging my office space, moving all the toiletries (and miscellaneous bathroom stuff) down to the bathroom in the basement.  Yes, I'm whining.  It's 9:30am - too early for wine-ing?