Day: January 12, 2009

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Propane Reprieve!

This afternoon, I could tell I was really down to the last dregs of the propane tank, so I had it filled. It wasn’t quite empty, but I would have run out in the middle of dinner knowing my luck. šŸ™‚ What makes this event worth blogging about is that the last time I filled up was last Tuesday afternoon! This means I went six days between fills which means that my propane consumption has been cut fully in half from 10lbs per day to 5lbs since I got here!!!

I’m hardly heating at all now. I keep the thermostat at about 20 during the day and 18 at night. During the day, I occasionally increase the thermostat to 25 to force the furnace to kick on to give me a burst of hot air, but otherwise the only time I hear the furnace start on its own is in the wee hours of the morning.

This is great sleeping weather! The upstairs bedroom is cool, so I cozy down under a ton of blankets, but the main part of the rig is warm enough that getting out of bed isn’t brutal.

The only thing worth complaining about is that I still have to leave the toilet room door open since the room remains extremely cold thanks to itsĀ furnaceventlessness. šŸ™

Forecasts make me laugh now, but we’re apparently going to hit a stretch of sunny weather starting Wednesday. I sure hope so. I feel that I’ve lived an endless night for all but an afternoon since January 3rd!

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RV Packing and Organizing Tips

Second only toĀ Eureka, Peggy McDonald’s RV Packing Tips is a fantastic resource for full-timers trying to organize their couple of hundred square feet into a home! It isĀ chock full of tips from real RVers for making the most out of the little space you have. In my case, I’m not desperate for space, but I’m desperate for ideas to better organize the space I have.

But this great ebook isn’t just about organizing; it is also filled with really useful RV tips. For example, the writers explain how to turn a broken fridge into a fancy icebox, information that I used in my early days on the road when I couldn’t get the fridge to work because of battery issues.

What I like best is the amount of life experience that is expressed in this e-book. The author isn’t afraid of sharing her mishaps so that others can avoid making the same mistakes. At only 12.95$, it’s a bargain, and it once saved my car.

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RV Spice Storage

I bragged about my newly organized pantry on the Escapee’s forum and someone asked me what I do with my spices. It seems that spice storage is a big issue with a lot of RVers for some reason. I don’t have that problem and I think it has to do with my newly acquired philosophy of less is more. I only keep on hand the spices and herbs I use the most. I keep someĀ in a wooden spice rack on the counter, storing them in cute Ikea spice jars:

Spice rack by me, spice jars by Ikea

Spice rack by me, spice jars by Ikea

For the rest, I compartmentalize.Ā The spices for baking go in the baking basket (the one on the right hand side in the middle compartment), and the rest take up about a third of one of the pantry shelves.

Since spices lose their flavour within a year and I’m cooking only for myself, I’ve found it to be more advantageous to buy just what I need of a special spice for a particular meal. It might cost more per ounce, but there’s no waste.

The spices and herbs I keep on hand are:

  • cumin
  • turmeric
  • Ethiopian spice mix
  • lemon pepper seasoning
  • celery salt
  • oregano
  • basil
  • bay leaves
  • cinnamon
  • nutmeg
  • powdered vegetable broth
  • various ‘Mrs. Dash’ varieties, no more than three at a time (currently I have a Southwest mix, garlic, and mixed herbs)
  • salt
  • black pepper

I find that compartmentalizing the spices works great. Everything I need for baking is in one basket, from the cinnamon to the almond extract to the baking powder and vanilla. When I want to bake, I only have three things to pull out; the baking basket, the flour, and the sugar.

So, if you’re having ‘spice issues’, maybe it’s time to go through your collection, get rid of anything you haven’t touched in a year, and try sorting them by use rather than by name.

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Decorating Regrets

Last night, in a fit of pique, I finally remove the side valences in the study:

novalences

I can’t believe what a difference it makes!!!!!!

I can’t wait to remove the top portion, too, but another thing the mobile house taught me is that if I destroy something, I have to fix it. Seeing as the new valances won’t happen for a while now, I’m leaving the top part intact for now, even if that gold trim is blinding.

There is damage under the windows from the brackets and screw holes but that won’t be hard to fix satisfactorily. I’ll wipe down the walls to remove the grime, sand the holes smooth, and then cover them with wood filler. Such a repair is quite common throughout Miranda and is only obvious if you’re staring right at it.

Now, if I could just find some inexpensive blinds to replace the shades, this room will be almost perfect. šŸ™‚