Break time!! ~~ The T@B is almost ready for another trip. See this morning’s projects. Looking good?! Neglected Nature’s Head is out of the weather and in its rightful location.
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Category Archives: Uncategorized
Inquiring minds want to know !!
Out of curiosity, I started checking to see how many blog messages have a reference to mold and mildew. I see that I had plans to clean the T@B as early as January 18th. The week of May 9th, I got down to the “nitty-gritty.” I got “a round tuit.” ~~ Due to weather limitations, it took an absurd one month for me to clean the tiny teardrop trailer!! It is almost ready for a short journey (no long trips on my schedule).
Happy Christ’s Birthday on Dec. 25, 2013
Touching Base on Jan. 18, 2014
It’s Only Money on Jan. 30, 2014
Mold and Mildew on Feb. 24, 2014
Standing on my head on Mar. 6, 2014
Oh my aching back on Mar. 7, 2014
Pride goes before a fall on Mar. 16, 2014
……………………………… (Pride… is about mold in the Carriage 5th-wheel trailer.)
Home Sweet Home on Mar. 29, 2014
Witch’s Brew on Apr.17, 2014
Rome wasn’t built in a day on Apr. 10, 2014
Mold in T@B–part one on May 10, 2014
Mold in T@B–part two on May 10, 2014
Mold in T@B–part three on May 12, 2014
Mold in T@B–part four on May 14, 2014
Make hay while the sun shines on May 15, 2014
Mold in T@B–part five on May 19, 2014
Mold in T@B–part six on May 26, 2014
Mold in T@B–part seven on June 2, 2014
Mold in T@B–part eight on June 5, 2014
Mold in T@B–part nine on June 10, 2014
Because it’s orange on June 12, 2014
Camping trip on the horizon?! on June 13, 2014
Life is very good on June 15, 2014
Mercedes gets a bath on June 17, 2014
Yummy, yummy, in my tummy !!
The homegrown tomatoes were extremely delicious!! The salad was wonderful!! Yes, I ate the whole thing!! I eat slowly while playing Mahjong (on the computer). Salad ingredients: Organic spinach & arugula mix, shredded cabbage & carrots, green pepper, green onions. cucumber, pickled beets, boiled eggs (range Araucana chickens), fresh ground flax seeds, and all natural Balsamic Herb Vinaigrette. (See Lunch is served.)
Two comments: The temperature was inaccurate at noon. It was more like 84 degrees!! I thought it was strange that it didn’t change for hours and “felt” hotter than 74 degrees. About three… the clock started blinking so I changed the batteries. It’s 83 degrees at 5:00 PM–because no sunshine. Maybe more rain?? We had over one inch of rain last night. I’ve run out of containers to store rain water. I’m serious considering a rain barrel.
In the fifth paragraph from the bottom of Project person checking in, I mention shopping to repair a glass gallon jar. Nothing available at Lowe’s–and I searched plumbing and electrical departments. Today I filled the inside of the spigot with Gorilla glue!! Tomorrow I’ll reassemble. That should take care of the leak!!
Postscript: Wednesday, June 11, 2014, 9:45 AM: Late last night, I reassembled and arranged so I could check if it continued to leak. This morning I found the paper towel soaking wet!! What next??
Back Nine
Greetings from Lorraine and please allow me to express a “play on words.” It’s day nine… and I am back on my computer in the comfort of my home. Using the Verizon Jet Pack (“hot spot”) is my delightful, wonderful luxury. So-o-o-o now that I am in a new “month” (data-wise, and have five gigabytes) I started reading recently ignored e-mail messages. 
Below is a message from a long-time friend. Well, not exactly “her” e-mail message because it had gotten messed up from numerous forwarding. I found the same message by searching the Internet. **ENJOY!!**
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This is all so true! Great words to live by!
BACK NINE I FIRST STARTED READING THIS EMAIL & WAS READING FAST UNTIL I REACHED THE THIRD SENTENCE. I STOPPED AND STARTED OVER READING SLOWER AND THINKING ABOUT EVERY WORD. THIS EMAIL IS VERY THOUGHT PROVOKING. MAKES YOU STOP AND THINK. READ SLOWLY!
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AND THEN IT IS WINTER
You know, time has a way of moving quickly and catching you unaware of the passing years. It seems just yesterday that I was young, just married and embarking on my new life with my mate. Yet in a way, it seems like eons ago, and I wonder where all the years went. I know that I lived them all. I have glimpses of how it was back then and of all my hopes and dreams.
But, here it is – the ‘ back nine’ of my life and it catches me by surprise. How did I get here so fast? Where did the years go and where did my youth go? I remember vividly seeing older people through the years and thinking that those older people were years away from me and that ‘I was only on the first hole’ and the ‘back nine’ was so far off that I could not fathom it or imagine fully what it would be like.
But, here it is . . . my friends are retired and getting grey. They move slower and I see an older person now. Some are in better and some worse shape than me, but, I see the great change. Not like the ones that I remember who were young and vibrant . . . but like me, their age is beginning to show and we are now those older folks that we used to see and never thought we’d become. Each day now, I find that just getting a shower is a real target for the day! And taking a nap is not a treat anymore . . . it’s mandatory! Cause if I don’t on my own free will, I just fall asleep where I sit!
And so, now I enter into this new season of my life unprepared for all the aches and pains and the loss of strength and ability to go and do things that I wish I had done but never did! But, at least I know, that though I’m on the ‘back nine’, and I’m not sure how long it will last, this I know for sure, that when it’s over on this earth . . . it’s over. A new adventure will begin!
Yes, I have regrets. There are things I wish I hadn’t done . . . things I should have done, but indeed, there are many things I’m happy to have done. It’s all in a lifetime.
So, if you’re not on the ‘back nine’ yet . . . let me remind you, that it will be here faster than you think. So, whatever you would like to accomplish in your life please do it quickly! Don’t put things off too long! Life goes by quickly. So, do what you can today, as you can never be sure whether you’re on the ‘back nine’ or not ! You have no promise that you will see all the seasons of your life . . . so, live for today and say all the things that you want your loved ones to remember, and hope that they appreciate and love you for all the things that you have done for them in all the years past!
“Life” is a gift to you. The way you live your life is your gift to those who come after. Make it a fantastic one.
LIVE IT WELL !
ENJOY TODAY !
DO SOMETHING FUN !
BE HAPPY !
HAVE A GREAT DAY
Remember, “It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.”
LIVE HAPPY IN 2014
LASTLY, CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING:
~Your kids are becoming you . . . but your grandchildren are perfect.
~Going out is good . . . Coming home is better!
~You forget names . . . But it’s OK because other people forgot they even knew you!
~You realize you’re never going to be really good at anything . . . especially golf.
~The things you used to care to do, you no longer care to do, but you really do care that you don’t care to do them anymore!
~You sleep better on a lounge chair with the TV blaring than in bed. It’s called “pre-sleep”.
~You miss the days when everything worked with just an “ON” and “OFF” switch…
~You tend to use more four (4) letter words . . . “what ?” . . . “when ?”. . . ???
~Now that you can afford expensive jewelry, it’s not safe to wear it anywhere.
~You notice everything they sell in stores is “sleeveless”!
~What used to be freckles are now liver spots.
~Everybody whispers.
~You have three (3) sizes of clothes in your closet . . . two (2) of which you will never wear.
~~~But Old is good in some things ~~~ Old Songs, Old Movies, and best of all, OLD FRIENDS.
Stay well, “OLD FRIEND”!! Send this on to other “Old Friends” and let them laugh in AGREEMENT.
It’s Not What You Gather, But What You Scatter That Tells What Kind Of Life You Have Lived.
TODAY IS THE OLDEST YOU’VE EVER BEEN, YET THE YOUNGEST YOU’LL EVER BE, SO ENJOY THIS DAY WHILE IT LASTS.
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Lorraine here: I encourage you to copy this message and send it to your friends. The original author provides the following instructions about sending e-mail messages. I would add: Clean up the forwarded messages before you forward them.
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Remember… if you forward this, PLEASE REMOVE all email addresses before you send it on, and use the BCC area when forwarding to friends.
IMPORTANT: When you send ANY email message, INSERT the email addresses in the “Bcc:” line – INSTEAD OF THE “To:” line. If you forward this email, PLEASE delete any previous address history at the top of the message, which includes my email address!! These two (2) actions help prevent SPAMMERS from mining the addresses and propagating VIRUSES. I ALWAYS delete yours … PLEASE do the same for me, before you send it on.
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Time & temperature !!
It’s going to be another HOT day!! Forty years on the Mojave Desert did not prepare me for the heat–and humidity–of East Texas!!
Time to turn on the A/C?!
Follow up(s) on quotation in previous blog message: “It’s Not What You Gather, But What You Scatter That Tells What Kind Of Life You Have Lived.”
Must read, in my humble opinion !!
Now that I have lots of “time” on my Verizon Jet Pack (“hot spot”) I checked (neglected) messages, and blogs, of acquaintances traveling to Alaska.
I met Steve while he was volunteering, in February 2014, at CARE. ~~ Where in the world….
Eric and Ginny were staying in Rainbow’s End RV Park, adjacent to CARE, in November 2013. Their blog is Walk About With Wheels. Check out this blog message.
On the Road with Chris and Charles (and Carolee and Dan) is prepared by residents of Rainbow’s End (Escapees) RV Park. I worked with Carolee and Dan on the CARE Health Fair in March 2014.
I receive email updates from Marge–traveling with Steve, et al. I met Marge while she was at Rainbow’s End in March 2014.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Check my T@B Teardrop Travels for June 2010. Specifically, this date, I was cold–in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York. (By contrast, today I am HOT in Texas.)
In 2011, I was a new arrival at JAARS RV Park near Waxhaw, North Carolina. Read about my June 2011 experiences.
While we are “traveling” let’s go back to 2009 and see what I was doing. (I encountered all the aggravating problems that prompted me to leave Google’s Blogspot and move to WordPress. I cannot access my individual messages!! I couldn’t give you a direct link to “Four Month Anniversary.”)
Travels of a dear friend (another must read) !!
The date stamp on this e-mail message is June 9, 2014, 1:43 PM. I met Debbie in 2010 and spent a delightful week with her, Dad, DJ and Angel. We’ ve been “pen pals” ever since. ~~ (Apology: The paragraphs run together in the blog. They are separate in her original message. Formatting problems!! Sorry!!)
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Dad, DJ, Angel and I are getting settled in NH. It always take a couple of days to get caught up on sleep, lol.
The day we left was entertaining. I almost didn’t bring the camper because I couldn’t get the generator started. The RV is like a mini-apartment; it has it’s own plumbing system and electrical system, it has it’s own kitchen and bath, etc. It has a dash AC like any car or truck, but a dash AC can’t cool a 36′ apartment on wheels…so it also has two roof AC units. To run those underway, you start the onboard diesel generator. That also runs things like the fridge and freezer.
When I went to get it that morning, I figured I’d start the genny up get the AC going, so it would be cool when we put Dad and the cat in to leave. You start it with a rocker switch on the dash. One side has something that looks like a little lightning bolt…so I’m thinking that means start. I mashed the button a few times, and got nothing. I needed to get on the road that day, and was considering my options…do I call the generator guy? Do I abandon the RV and pile everybody into the Land Cruiser? Do I take it anyway, and let Dad and the cat stay in the AC?
Eventually I had the windows uncovered and was in a spot with more sun. I thought maybe I’d try the genset one more time, using the switch under the hood on the generator itself. I touched the switch and it started up without any hesitation whatsoever. When I went back inside and sat down in the driver’s seat, I saw why. I had been pushing the switch OFF. There was no mark you could see for ON. The switch had a light on that side, that showed through when it was on, but you couldn’t see under less than perfect lighting.
We got almost to the Dames Point Bridge when I started thinking I hadn’t closed the hood. I figured since I had to stop and do that, we’d top off both vehicles (Dad and I in the Bounder, DJ in the Land Cruiser with the bike trailer). When DJ went to open the gas door on the Land Cruiser, he released the hood…so on the other side of the bridge he was pulling over to close that up, lol.
We used handheld radios and our phones to communicate throughout the trip. Not long into the day, I get a call from DJ.
DJ: Mom, did you see the hose fall off the motorhome?
Me: WHAT motorhome?
DJ: You!
Me: (By now wondering how many hoses there are on the rear diesel engine) WHAT hose?
DJ: The sewer hose! I ran over it. And so did a semi.
Oh, well. I knew there was a reason I’d carried two all these years. The sewer hoses live in a wire cargo basket suspended in the rear engine compartment. One of the service guys probably moved the top hose some to get at something, and it worked its way out of the basket and down past the engine to the road.
DJ has always loved South of the Border, and likes to stop and visit with friends who train there at their motocross facility. So that was our intended first night stop.
DJ passed us at some point, and as he did, I noticed the lights on the trailer weren’t working. As he got further ahead of me, I could see something hanging very low and/or dragging on the ground, under the trailer. I hailed him on the radio and told him I was coming alongside to take a look. Unfortunately, what I saw was that the light plug had dragged, and I knew from experience what that meant. We got off and found a place to take a closer look and verify it was disintegrated. I had a spare “quick lock” connector with me, but it had spaces for 4 wires, and the trailer had 5….and I couldn’t double up on that particular style plug. We sought out an auto parts store, picked up repair supplies, and were able to get the lights hoped back up.
I was looking forward to bed by the time we got settled at South of the Border. I got my last surprise of the day when I went to go into the back bedroom, and found the trim had come loose around the tv…it was hanging on by one screw, and the tv had started to slide out of the wall. Thankfully, that was quickly remedied with just a screwdriver. Otherwise I would have taken the tv and just put it in the back of the truck for the rest of the trip.
Friday we continued to make our way up the highway. I probably should not have made the comment it was a boring day.
Traffic was already starting to get heavy in VA, so I decided to head up 17 into Winchester, and take 81 instead of 95. We more or less had a KOA in PA in mind for the night, but we stopped to fuel at a very quiet Flying J, and the temperatures weren’t too bad…so we decided to spend the night there instead. I had only ever spent the night at one other Flying J, and that one you had to park much closer to the pumps, and heard the PA system all night. This one seemed calmer, and although I still had some doubts, I thought about my friend Lorraine, who spent the majority of her 9 months on the road sleeping in parking lots. I told myself if she could do it, so could I.
I should have known the day was not off to a great start when DJ woke me up at 4, saying he felt sick. But we eventually got on our way and did make further progress. In NJ, we stopped to top the fuel off before we had to go through CT, which is always the most expensive place on the trip. We got a little tangled up and I pulled over on a side street to wait for DJ to turn around and find his way back. He said it would be “awhile” and so I turned off the engine to wait. But when he’d found his way back, and I went to start the rig, nothing happened.
I have had AAA and Good Sam Roadside Assistance for years. I recently decided to also add Coach.net service, which many people say is better than the rest, because they specialize just in RV’s. I could have called AAA or Good Sam, but decided to go ahead and try out my new Coach.net service.
What a pain in the *** they were. The first 20 minutes were spent “registering my rig.” Seems to me, they could have asked for all the info while I was still sitting at home, but I patiently answered their questions. I just wanted to get to the part where they sent me help. But the lady insisted that FIRST I talk to a service tech. Except they were all busy, and would have to call me back. I pointed out we’d already been on the phone 20 minutes, and it was liable to be a half hour then before anyone even dispatched help (thinking that it would take another 10 minutes for them to call me back and decide to send help). Ha. It was an hour and 15 minutes before I talked to them, and that was after I called back and asked to speak to a supervisor.
The supervisor said they were busy that day, and offered to call the police if I didn’t feel safe. I told them thanks, but I could call the police. I paid them to help me mechanically, and would prefer to make progress on that side of things.
When I finally got a tech on the phone, they still didn’t want to send a mobile truck. They wanted me to go to a Walmart parking lot, wait for a wrecker to be available, and let them tow me to whatever shop they could find, then wait 3 days until the shop was open to get it looked at. I declined to take their advice. After 2 hours of wasted time, I had the rig and generator both up and running by holding down the booster button on the dash (which boosts the 2 starting batteries with the 4 house batteries). I wasn’t sure I had enough diesel to run both the engine and genset and make it to NH, but it was better than staying in NJ. Over the phone, cousin Frank suggested I just add enough diesel to get me here to NH without shutting off the rear engine, which is exactly what I did.
So I haven’t tried to start it back up yet. I parked it and turned it off. We’ve been getting settled and trying to catch up on our sleep. At some point here shortly, I’ll either take it somewhere or find a mobile tech to come check things out. But for now, we’re here, and safe.
Lazy day !!
It’s 2:45 PM and I am still in my pajamas!! I’ve been on the computer since I got up this morning!! First: Heat and humidity. Currently: Severe thunder-storm–that (gratefully) cooled the air. I collected more rain water for my plants. Look at that outside temperature: 72 degrees.
I’d love to own a rain barrel but refuse to pay $99. at Lowe’s or $179.00 for this beauty. Maybe I should consider a collapsible barrel? Oh, with further research, this is my favorite because rain can run off the awning into the unit. With the others… I’d need to modify?! On closer examination, the $179. “beauty” would collect directly from the run-off. (I can dream can’t I? I don’t like the appearance of a dozen containers in my yard!!)
I would rather create blog messages, search clip art and information on the Internet, than eat. Truthfully, I haven’t had breakfast or lunch!! I’m on my second glass of ice tea after two cups of coffee earlier.
Spending time on the computer, uploading pictures, creating blogs, reading blogs, etc., gobbles up time on my Verizon Hot Spot. Last month I used my five gigabytes in eleven days. One thing you won’t hear me say today “I’m too tired to square dance.” (Square dance class tonight.)
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Hey, my Verizon usage (today) wasn’t bad. Look, just 0.250 of 5 GB used (copied from my Verizon account at 4:20 PM).
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Almost one inch of rain today!! I’m still at the computer. Lots of email messages, and blogs, to read. Time to get out of my pajamas, shower and dress for class!!
Double talk !!
Frequently I’m asked: “What are you doing?” My answer: “I’m fighting a mold problem!” They say: “I have moles, too.” Reply: “That, too; I’m fighting M-O-L-D in my tiny travel trailer and a M-O-L-E digging up my yard.”
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This morning (before it got blazing H-O-T) I watered plants in my yard. I discovered that a bird (or critter) had nibbled on my first ripe tomato. I harvested two tomatoes, and question whether the green pepper should be picked.
Beastly, ghastly, horribly H-O-T-!! I had to turn on the A/C about ten o’clock (and I hate A/C). I worked on neglected indoor projects until 12:30 when I came to the CARE Center for the mid-day meal. Pre-planned, of course, (12:30) because I wanted to use free WiFi–and I’ll water all the houseplants. (I like to water on a Sunday afternoon when there are very few people around.)
Out of the oven…
…into the freezer!!
The better part of my day was spent volunteering at Habitat for Humanity thrift shop. I did not leave the air-conditioner running in the trailer (at 9:00 AM) so I came home to “an oven.” I turned on the A/C, grabbed my laptop and headed for the CARE Center. The thermometer (on the thermostat) says 73 degrees. It really feels like I am in “a freezer.” ~~ I didn’t plan to eat the evening meal in the Center but speculate my trailer has not cooled significantly.
Three Quarters & Counting 