Here I am, living my glamorous life of emptying poop tanks and watching cheesy Hallmark channel Christmas movies... oh yeah... envy me people... envy me.
Emptying the black water tank is a disgusting, but fascinating process. I watch the waste passing into the hose and think how very thankful I am that all of the connections are solid... how it all looks like hot chocolate, which I used to love... and then it slows to a trickle and I think - I'm done! Not so. Seems like there is always more, at least according to the indicator lights that tell you how full the tanks are. But nothing more is coming out... so what gives? Do RVs get constipated? (we certainly don't) Today I used the water hose to flush the tank out... huge wads of white paper came tumbling out, followed by more... poo. My first reaction was to think we should be adding more enzymes to the tank, but then I realized that because we empty the tanks once every day or two, the enzymes are probably doing more for the septic tank of the park we're staying at than they do for our tanks. So I guess we just have to flush the tank out every so often. It's not a difficult thing to do, and I certainly have the time.
Now that you have that image stuck in your head...
Even though I'm gorging myself on holiday movies, this is just one of those years that just doesn't seem very Christmas-y. Hard to believe Thanksgiving is next week. I think it's all of the crap we've been through this year. Or the fact that we don't have an actual house - or rather, no particular place to call home at the moment. Or maybe it just comes with age. I can't put my finger on why some years lack that holiday feeling. I don't really feel like doing any Christmas shopping... it's hard to... where do I mail the packages? How do I get around to shop at a brick and mortar store when I don't have a car? And we don't really need anything except a house, which isn't something I can ask for anyway, hahaha. Makes me sad... traditions are slowly becoming a thing of the past and I don't like that they're getting lost in the shuffle. There's that part of me that want to live life according to 'the old ways' and traditions are a piece of that.
Made some small, simple changes to the RV to help get us organized. So far, so good. We bought a battery operated light... in June... that we never found a place for. We'd thought it would go by the bed to replace the interrogation spotlights there now, but there wasn't wall space for it (seriously, sometimes I want to tell Mike everything I know just so he'll turn the light out... but I took an oath... (that's a joke people)). I recently ran across the sconce part of it and decided to put it over an existing light with some doublestick tape, kind of tones it down so it's not so harsh. It works. Now we need several more of them. And Mike likes to keep his semi-used clothes in a pile on the floor... which worked okay at the house if I never went on that side of the bed, but we just don't have the space for it here. I recognize that he has methods that work for him, so I found a balance that works for both of us - and helps prevent wrinkles - we got some 3M wall hooks and mounted them on his side of the bed, and now he can hang those clothes. Perfect. Lastly, I found some shelves at Target for shoes and t-shirts. We had a hanging organizer, but it was heavy and this takes the weight off the dowel rod. Now we just have to figure out how to secure it so that it doesn't move when we're on the road. Otherwise it's great - gets the shoes out of the way. And once we get to Austin we can put some stuff in storage so that hopefully there won't be piles of stuff around the dining room table... not that we really eat there, but it makes opening the blinds a tricky thing.
And speaking of shoes... I'm wearing the rain boots I bought last year. They are nice and warm and so ridiculously comfortable. For some reason the floor of the RV is particularly cold tonight and my socks aren't doing the job. It's the little things... like the fake fire in the fake fireplace... and Mike bringing home Chuychangas for dinner... mmm... Chuychangas with Boom-Boom sauce... I actually made salsa and queso last night... and ate it again this morning for 'breakfast', but I think I could live on Mexican food at least 300 days of the year, and it's the weekend and... and... he said Chuy's... don't judge me...! :)
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
097 - Marval... Marvelous?
It's nice here, but the internet is exasperating. It's... a little slow. And any time I search for cilantro lime chicken tacos, I get kicked off for peer to peer sharing violations. I don't know what's so bad about cilantro lime chicken tacos. They sound pretty tasty to me.
Also, our internet access code was supposed to expire on the 17th, but it has expired today... which really sucks. Luckily I have a hotspot, but it too is maddeningly slow.
Anyhoo... it is pretty here, and even though it will probably take hours to load, I am posting pics.
A gorgeous thistle on a piece of property we liked in TN. Apparently two other buyers also liked it. Today I put together a spreadsheet, determined that we are going to find something. I have a couple that I think are contenders, but Mike looks for different things in a property than I do. He tends to go for the amount of acreage and size of the garage, while I tend to go for the houses I would want to live in and the whether the land is pretty or not. Yes. He's a boy, and I'm a girl. It's pretty obvious. We fall for the fixer uppers every time, but this time I am trying to be a realist... we like the idea of a project, but when faced with one, we become overwhelmed. I think the reason for that is rural Tennessee projects are much different than suburban Texas projects.
The river outside our window at the RV park. Interesting to watch the tides go one direction, then the water gets still, and in the evening it goes the other way.
The perfect fairy house.
The reflection of the trees in the water was really pronounced today.
Interesting knot, almost looks like a bird or the virgin Mary on the right side. Or maybe I'm just tired.
Like the white rocks interspersed between the tree trunks.
Also, our internet access code was supposed to expire on the 17th, but it has expired today... which really sucks. Luckily I have a hotspot, but it too is maddeningly slow.
Anyhoo... it is pretty here, and even though it will probably take hours to load, I am posting pics.
A gorgeous thistle on a piece of property we liked in TN. Apparently two other buyers also liked it. Today I put together a spreadsheet, determined that we are going to find something. I have a couple that I think are contenders, but Mike looks for different things in a property than I do. He tends to go for the amount of acreage and size of the garage, while I tend to go for the houses I would want to live in and the whether the land is pretty or not. Yes. He's a boy, and I'm a girl. It's pretty obvious. We fall for the fixer uppers every time, but this time I am trying to be a realist... we like the idea of a project, but when faced with one, we become overwhelmed. I think the reason for that is rural Tennessee projects are much different than suburban Texas projects.
The river outside our window at the RV park. Interesting to watch the tides go one direction, then the water gets still, and in the evening it goes the other way.
The perfect fairy house.
The reflection of the trees in the water was really pronounced today.
Interesting knot, almost looks like a bird or the virgin Mary on the right side. Or maybe I'm just tired.
Like the white rocks interspersed between the tree trunks.
I fixed stew yesterday, thinking it would be ready for dinner. I was woefully wrong... I put it in the slow cooker on high, and four hours later the veggies were still firm. So I let it cook overnight on low, and all day today, and it was delicious. The meat wasn't as tender as I thought it would be, but the broth was wonderful... all the tomatoes disappeared into the sauce, and the flavor of the carrots was drawn out. Yum. I love that stew, and the weather is perfect for it.
No mishaps today, or at least not yet... only an hour and a half to go!
Monday, November 12, 2012
096 - My last name must be Murphy
Here we are in Oklahoma. And as usual, our journey was not easy.
Somewhere just outside of West Memphis, Arkansas (oh irony how I hate you*), Mike points out that one of the panels on the fifth wheel was flapping in the wind. It looks like something hit it at some point and all the screws tore through the panel... they didn't come loose, they tore through completely. We pulled off the road, but the shoulder wasn't overly wide and while the truck can go offroading, the RV can't. Mike was able to zip tie the panel and it is secured now, but it needs to be repaired for the long term. Having him under the RV as semis zoomed by and shook it was a harrowing experience in itself. About half moved into the next lane... and 9/10 of the other half could have. We try to cut truckers some slack because we know what it's like to pull, so it really pissed us off that some of them didn't extend us the same courtesy.
* The irony is that on the day Mike was headed to Austin for our first date, his drive shaft fell off the Jeep in West Memphis, Arkansas. Also on a Sunday. Like Florida, West Memphis, Arkansas is now on the list of places we need to avoid.
So after that was dealt with, we continued to on into Oklahoma, with the wind beating at us the entire way. A front was passing through with winds gusting at 20-40 mph... that sort of wind is not kind to a fifth wheel. Once again, we encounter a freak storm... at night... while towing... I was nervous because I couldn't see the road. And we were in a construction zone so the lanes were narrow. I know it's way worse for Mike... but this is my blog. :)
Having made it through that, we pulled in to the park after dark, which is always a hassle. It was cold. The ground is sloped. There is water behind us and the slope goes down toward the water. Our self-leveling jacks were not working. Our tires were coming off the ground when we tried to level the rig. We were both very high strung, but we have learned how to interact with each other and no blood was shed. :) I'm just glad yesterday is over.
Today was pretty low key... we went to the grocery store. There is a small store here at camp, which is one of the reasons we chose this place, but it doesn't have much. Mike was working for most of the day, so I put together some shelves I got for the closet. It helps organize the space and it's better, but we need to purge some of our things. My goal for however long we're here, is to organize things and make sense of it all.
I miss Gracie... she is still at Brian's. In some ways I wish we had gone ahead and brought her with us, but given how everything turned out I think I made the right call. As soon as we're done here though, we are headed to Georgetown to retrieve my baby girl.
All in all it is nice to be 'home' again... but I think I'm starting to realize that while I'm good with living in the fifth wheel... pulling it stresses me out, and setting up camp stresses me out. Why? Because something always seems to go wrong. On a particularly cold night in TN we learned that if the propane tanks get too cold, they don't work. That wasn't fun, and now Mike has gerryrigged something that prevents that from happening, but there are things they don't tell you when you buy one of these things and they are IMPORTANT. We forgot that the water bypass valves have to be in a certain position or you don't get hot water (thank goodness for the internet or we'd still be taking cold showers). Add the panel and the jacks and little things here and there and it is maddening sometimes. Still, I try to remember that it allows us to be together...
And finally, my cousin is insanely talented. He calls himself The Concrete Angel, but he goes so far beyond concrete... 107,000 pennies... w-o-w...
Somewhere just outside of West Memphis, Arkansas (oh irony how I hate you*), Mike points out that one of the panels on the fifth wheel was flapping in the wind. It looks like something hit it at some point and all the screws tore through the panel... they didn't come loose, they tore through completely. We pulled off the road, but the shoulder wasn't overly wide and while the truck can go offroading, the RV can't. Mike was able to zip tie the panel and it is secured now, but it needs to be repaired for the long term. Having him under the RV as semis zoomed by and shook it was a harrowing experience in itself. About half moved into the next lane... and 9/10 of the other half could have. We try to cut truckers some slack because we know what it's like to pull, so it really pissed us off that some of them didn't extend us the same courtesy.
* The irony is that on the day Mike was headed to Austin for our first date, his drive shaft fell off the Jeep in West Memphis, Arkansas. Also on a Sunday. Like Florida, West Memphis, Arkansas is now on the list of places we need to avoid.
So after that was dealt with, we continued to on into Oklahoma, with the wind beating at us the entire way. A front was passing through with winds gusting at 20-40 mph... that sort of wind is not kind to a fifth wheel. Once again, we encounter a freak storm... at night... while towing... I was nervous because I couldn't see the road. And we were in a construction zone so the lanes were narrow. I know it's way worse for Mike... but this is my blog. :)
Having made it through that, we pulled in to the park after dark, which is always a hassle. It was cold. The ground is sloped. There is water behind us and the slope goes down toward the water. Our self-leveling jacks were not working. Our tires were coming off the ground when we tried to level the rig. We were both very high strung, but we have learned how to interact with each other and no blood was shed. :) I'm just glad yesterday is over.
Today was pretty low key... we went to the grocery store. There is a small store here at camp, which is one of the reasons we chose this place, but it doesn't have much. Mike was working for most of the day, so I put together some shelves I got for the closet. It helps organize the space and it's better, but we need to purge some of our things. My goal for however long we're here, is to organize things and make sense of it all.
I miss Gracie... she is still at Brian's. In some ways I wish we had gone ahead and brought her with us, but given how everything turned out I think I made the right call. As soon as we're done here though, we are headed to Georgetown to retrieve my baby girl.
All in all it is nice to be 'home' again... but I think I'm starting to realize that while I'm good with living in the fifth wheel... pulling it stresses me out, and setting up camp stresses me out. Why? Because something always seems to go wrong. On a particularly cold night in TN we learned that if the propane tanks get too cold, they don't work. That wasn't fun, and now Mike has gerryrigged something that prevents that from happening, but there are things they don't tell you when you buy one of these things and they are IMPORTANT. We forgot that the water bypass valves have to be in a certain position or you don't get hot water (thank goodness for the internet or we'd still be taking cold showers). Add the panel and the jacks and little things here and there and it is maddening sometimes. Still, I try to remember that it allows us to be together...
And finally, my cousin is insanely talented. He calls himself The Concrete Angel, but he goes so far beyond concrete... 107,000 pennies... w-o-w...
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