Month: April 2012

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My Tempermental Water Heater

Ever since I bought Miranda, and even after changing the circuit board, my water heater has often been a pain to start. This usually happens in damp weather, although it did it in any weather before the new circuit board.

This afternoon, I decided that after almost four years of working this water heater that I might as well admit that I know how it works because the same trick gets it going every time. I need to stop worrying about this appliance!

First, I have to get it to light. I flick the switch on once and I get a boom, then nothing. Turn off the switch, then back on. The heater will kick on for a few months, then shut down again, with the on switch glowing red.

The trick is to just let it sit like that, with the switch on and red, for five to ten minutes. Then, I turn it off and back on. I sometimes have to repeat this sequence a few times, but the water heater eventually kicks on and stays on. It took two tries today, which is actually pretty good considering how long the rig has been sitting.

 

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RAIN! Why Does it Have to Be RAIN!

I awoke to a torrential downpour. On the bright side, it could have been a snowstorm. I decided to go ahead with at least part of today’s plan and at least get gas, propane, and water.

Getting out of my spot was no big deal, just a bit of back and forthing until I could swing her around. I had Miranda on the street and ready for her errands by 11:15.

First stop was propane, the Gas King on North Mayor Magrath. From Mayor Magrath, the pumps are on the wrong side for filling an on board tank, but you can turn onto 2 Avenue North to come in from around the back and get lined up correctly. I was then able to back Miranda up a bit so I could turn and get into the gas pump lanes. Propane was  75 cents a litre (about $40 for a fill-CHEAP) and gas was $1.18 a litre (about $220 for a fill-cheaper than just about anywhere else in Canada). Be careful coming out of there if you plan to turn right onto 2nd to turn left on Mayor Magrath because the entrance is super steep. I heard quite a bit of scraping, which was my tow hitch hitting pavement. It looks okay, but I am going to have to do a thorough inspection before I leave.

Next, I headed for the dump station at the corner of Scenic Drive and Mayor Magrath South to attempt to dewinterize my water system. I think I got everything, but between the sound of the rain and that of the traffic, it was hard to check for leaks.

Issues that have come up:

-The water heater won’t fire up. Could be because it’s soggy out. Will keep trying. There is water in the tank, so that’s not the problem.

-The tap in the dressing room sink is leaking. I was having issues before the winter, so I’ll take it apart and see if it just needs a new washer. I’ll just have to be sure to keep the water pump off when I don’t need water until I fix this.

-The toilet flapper won’t open. It seems to be glued shut! No idea what I can put to destickify it without ruining the seal. Any thoughts?

Besides that, everything looks good. The fridge fired up immediately both on 120V and on propane. I’ve had the fridge on 120V for a few days, so it’s nice and cold.

I was going to do a billion trips down to the rig today, but it’s way too nasty for that. I’ll focus on making sure the way is clear to get the pallets and mattress in, but that’ll probably have to be it for today. I’ll do a bit of work on The Apartment, but will do my bookkeeping work today that I was going to do tomorrow.

I am still sleeping in Miranda tonight!

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Last Night in the Apartment!

I can’t believe that tonight will be the last of sleeping in the same room that I cook and work in! And no more noisy fridge!

I have a few hours of transcription to do, and then I am off for a solid week. I have handed in my final time card for the apartment complex, so I am officially done there. Oh, I am available for questions, but I’m not going to be sitting in the office any more.

Sometime tomorrow, I will pull out and get Miranda prepped, then Jody (who has decided to come after all) and Gary will be coming to help me with the furniture. The Apartment doesn’t look anywhere ready, but I know that everything will come together quickly. I haven’t decided yet when the cats are going back into the rig. They will either be shut in the bathroom here or in the back of the motorhome during the move, but I want them to sleep in Miranda tomorrow with me as leaving them alone in a half empty apartment will be traumatizing to them.

I can’t believe how quickly the last six months have passed!

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On Schedule, But Feeling the Pressure

I have another full day of transcription, so I didn’t start anything in the rig today that I couldn’t finish in a few hours. I woke up feeling ambitious and was going to put on a coat of yellow in the front room and loft, but the amount of transcription ahead of me this week curtailed that enthusiasm. I will paint one wall that is getting on my nerves, but that is all.

So today I redid the entrance stairwell. I cannot believe what a difficult project it is to make it look nice and still be water tight. It’s much, much better than the last attempt to improve it, but still not particularly photogenic.

I also brought down a couple of loads, including some food! Having food back in the rig is really starting to make departure day feel very real. I started the fridge on AC yesterday, and it’s already nice and cold, but I won’t be putting anything into it until I fill up the propane.

With all that needs to be done with the rig, it’s easy to forget other issues I need to tend to before departure. The biggest priority are my taxes and end of this invoicing period’s bookkeeping. I did remember to call the credit card company today to inform them that I’ll be traveling through the US, but declined to purchase my travel medical insurance until I know for sure what date I’ll be attempting a border crossing (it looks like Monday, not Tuesday, at this point!).

Jody has decided that I don’t need her help to get my mattress back in the rig and the borrowed furniture out of The Apartment, so departure will really depend on Gary’s schedule. I asked him for help the last time I went for dinner and he was amenable, so it’s just a matter of finding a matching free time slot. I would really rather do it earlier in the day so that I still have a few hours to square away The Apartment so I can spend just one night in the parking lot here, but if it ends up being a couple of nights, that’s fine.

A week from today, I will most definitely be back home, on the road. This winter, the best of my life, has been an incredible personal and professional journey, but I am more than ready to see what comes next.

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Just About Ready for a Homecoming

It’s amazing how quickly I was able to get the rig squared away this morning! Except for the case of the missing driver’s side curtain (very curious), I’d say my study is looking pretty good!

Now:

versus before:

Here’s the small bookcase and desk with the new tops:

Here’s the best before shots I have of the set up before:

and

Where the top was just put there for storage/picture taking and wasn’t attached or usable in any way.

Doesn’t it now almost look like a built-in now, instead of a mix of two unrelated pieces of furniture? The top is fantastic; it fits perfectly, so no more dropping things behind the small bookcase! I will probably end up putting a hole in it for feeding wires so that I can keep my external hard drives on the bookcase, but I won’t know for sure until I get my tech back in here later this week.

I also squeezed one of the end tables in beside the filing cabinet… and forgot to grab a shot of that! 🙁 I wish I would have thought of doing that sooner so I could have refinished the top. But I’ll leave it as is for now. I just didn’t have space for it in the library and it gives me some space to store all the leftover paint. 🙂

I’m going to bring one more load down, then I will get back to transcription. My time management today has been excellent and I am making great progress with both projects. Another thing that is helping me feel accomplished is that I have put two bags full of donations in the car and I know I can at least double that amount by the end of the week!