Month: October 2012

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No Turkey

It’s Thanksgiving this weekend, but you’d never know it in Quebec. I saw exactly one Thanksgivingish promotion at the local IGA (they had a few whole turkeys available), but that’s it.

Thanksgiving was never a big deal growing up, but I do remember celebrating it on my dad’s side of the family several times. Looking at the holiday through adult eyes, I have to wonder where the heck we got the supplies. Do Quebec anglos have a Thanksgiving black market to turn to?

This holiday gained more meaning for me on the road as I found myself a few times with friends for whom not having turkey on Thanksgiving is unimaginable. And now that I’m eating meat again and love a turkey dinner with all the trimmings, I am surprised to find myself a little bereft this weekend.

But it’s all good because I will be in Virginia at my friend’s for the US Thanksgiving, where I have been assured I’ll be able to eat myself into a crazy turkey stupor. So all is not lost! 🙂

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Shiny Floors

My Allure vinyl floors are holding up pretty well, but don’t look great after two and a half years. Gaps between seams that appeared small at first seem bigger now, there are lots of scratches and marks, and they are dull. I know that a lot of that has to do with my not being a great housekeeper. I just sweep and vacuum regularly and wash them once a week with water and vinegar.

After doing all the work in the rig this summer and having people traipse in and out, I decided my floors were due for a deep, on your hands and knees, type of cleaning. And since I was going to do that, I decided to look into restoring shine to vinyl flooring.

What an education that was! I learned not to use all in one products but rather to start with a cleaner and then apply a non-wax finish. I found a couple of reviews for Armstrong Cleaner for No-Wax Floors combined with Pledge With Future that seemed promising.

Being in Canada, I figured that I would not be able to find these two products easily, but I could use the information to find something comparable. During my Walmart run yesterday, I spent a few minutes in the cleaning supply aisle and actually found both products!

I decided to tackle the floors today and it was really a divide and conquer type of project. I started by moving the litter box to the dressing room while the cats were sleeping in the study, then shut the pocket door, leaving me free to do the front part of the rig.

I further divided the front into quarters, starting with the area around the lounge chair. I began with a thorough vacuum, then I washed the floors carefully, dried them, and applied the Pledge product. A half hour later, the area was dry, so I was able to move the chair and ottoman back and do the other half of the living room. I continued like this all morning, moving furniture, cleaning, and drying, until the whole room was done and my furniture back in place.

In the late afternoon, I was able to tackle the back part of the rig. I did the study first, moving towards the dressing room, and let that floor dry while I made dinner. After that, I was able to move the computer chair and other items backs into the study, then do the dressing room starting from the kitchen and moving backwards.

I am very happy with the result! My floors look shiny and clean and getting them to that point didn’t require much effort beyond the furniture shuffle. I am curious to see how the finish will age and am a little concerned that you’re supposed to strip it and start over every six months. I do a deep clean of the entire rig every six months anyway, so if I have to add that task, it’s not a big deal.

(Neelix was hilarious during the latter part of the day. He parked himself in the kitchen and flattened himself against the floor to watch me from under the pocket door. He was very happy when I finally let him back in!)

I’ve got one picture of the floors and then I’m forcing upon you pictures of my hilarious brood.

I forgot to grab a before picture of this area, which was really bad because of all the fine layer of litter dust, but believe me, this is a huge improvement!

I forgot to grab a before picture of this area, which was really bad because of all the fine layer of litter dust, but believe me, this is a huge improvement!

Neelix's new favourite position. It cracks me up.

Neelix’s new favourite position. It cracks me up.

Neelix in one of his many adorable sleeping positions. He cracked an eyelid when he heard the camera turn on.

Neelix in one of his many adorable sleeping positions. He cracked an eyelid when he heard the camera turn on.

Tabitha sleeping in the funniest position I have ever seen her in. Her chin us up on top of the desk.

Tabitha sleeping in the funniest position I have ever seen her in. Her chin us up on top of the desk.

Those two pretend to hate each other, but I frequently catch them sleeping together. Neelix ALWAYS looks adorable when he sleeps.

Those two pretend to hate each other, but I frequently catch them sleeping together. Neelix ALWAYS looks adorable when he sleeps.

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Bissel Magic Vac Update After Six Months of Use in an RV

I’ve been using my Bissel Magic Vac for six months now in my RV. I never thought I would say this about a vacuum cleaner, but I adore it! Using this vacuum is no more onerous than using a broom and actually does a much better job.

I still don’t think it’s a good vacuum for carpets, but I have all vinyl floors and it works beautifully on them while using so little power. It takes just a minute to run the vacuum all around the rig and another couple of minutes to run it without the beater bar along the edges and in nooks and crannies. I started by storing it in the toilet room, but it’s now pretty much permanently plugged in in the living room and stored under the ladder, ready to suck up cat litter when I clean the box.

My only complaint about this vacuum is so minor it’s nitpicking. Because this is essentially a hand vac with a long (removable) handle, the power button is very low, so you have to bend down to turn the vacuum on and off.

I highly recommend the Bissel Magic Vac for RVers without carpet.

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Visit With An Old Friend

One of my best friends from high school now lives in Australia. We just happened to be in the same time zone and a short distance apart this month! This is a gal I go way back with. We have so many inside jokes and war stories and travel history that our friendship is the kind that can pick up at any time. It took a while for us to piece together the last time we saw each other, disbelieving that it was during our trip to Colorado in ’96. No, it was more recently than that, and definitely post 9/11 as I remember her breaking the news to me that one of our former classmates died in the attacks.

We met for lunch at the Boston Pizza in Saint-Bruno simply because the mall is about equi-distance for both of us and BP is the only sit down restaurant there.  We spent the afternoon together, trying to cram into four hours all those years apart. Needless to say, we failed.

Of all my friends from high school, she is the one I relate to the most. We’re both single gals in our early 30s who are dedicated travelers. We’re far from our families and are trying to reconcile the dreams we have for our lives with the expectations society has for us.

Her schedule is really tight for this trip, but we hope to squeeze in a coffee date next week. Otherwise, I just may have to go visit her in Australia myself!