Author: Rae

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Not the Wind

I was just drifting off to sleep last night when the weirdest thing happened. Miranda shifted ever so slightly. I really felt it up in the overhang. It didn’t last and I shrugged it off as being a particularly bad gust of wind.

No, as it turns out, I just experienced what a magnitude 4.5 earthquake feels like in an RV. If there hadn’t been reports of the quake all over Facebook, I would have completely forgotten about the weird event last night.  So I wouldn’t call a magnitude 4.5 earthquake particularly memorable!

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Feeling Rather Electrically and Automotively Competent

Today was the first really nice day we’ve had in a while and it was time to tackle two troubleshoots that have been keeping me up at night.

The first was in regards to my battery bank. I thought it was working fine, but I missed one not-so-minor test when I set up everything and I discovered this during a power outage the other day. We lost shore power and I lost all power. Uh, what?! My first thought was that the battery disconnect was still on, but nope. So I went into the compartment, traced the wiring, and, I-can’t-believe-I-did-that, I had missed a wire! And to add insult to injury, I didn’t have enough space left on the fuse bolt for this wire!

I was going to do like a couple of other folks and run a cable from the fuse to a longer conductive bolt, but something told me to consult my mother. She informed me that you can buy bolt extenders, which are essentially long nuts (imagine 10 or so nuts stacked on top of each other as a solid piece). So I made arrangements to borrow my mother’s car to go buy the the right size extender for the fuse bolt.

The extender screws onto the existing bolt and then you screw a new, longer, bolt into the extender. I got a bolt with a head, so I inserted the new bolt into the lugs for all my positive wires, screwed the extender into the fuse, and then screwed the new bolt into the extender. Mission accomplished!

I wish I had a picture of the set up, but they came out blurry. This should be better than nothing:

The second problem was in regards to my truck, as hinted to by the fact that I had to borrow my mother’s car. Coming home from Saint-Bruno the other day, my truck started to make an odd noise in the engine compartment. When I got in, nothing was smoking, but the compartment felt hotter than it should. I conceded that there was something really wrong with my truck and decided to stop driving it until I can take it in to a mechanic.

A lot of my troubleshooting happens during lucid dreams and I woke up this morning with a DOH. The last time I had trouble with the truck, she was fine after adding oil. I checked the oil level this afternoon and, sure enough, it was super low.  Carquest Auto Parts is right across the street from the home store, so I went there after and picked up oil as well as a headlight lamp for the driver’s side of the truck as those things really do go out in pairs!

The manual for my Ford Ranger says it needs 5W30 oil, so I thought I’d be in and out, but there was a dizzying amount of 5W30s available! I decided to ask for help and the nice older gentleman at the cash told me I was holding the correct oil, but that their ‘house brand’ was cheaper by a couple of bucks. Whenever someone tries to sell me something cheaper than what I’ve picked, I’m led to believe that the salesperson is looking out for my best interests. Don’t burst my bubble! 😀 I also remembered to pick up a funnel!

I came home, did the electrical modification, then got the hood of the truck open. I started by replacing the lamp and it was more difficult than doing the passenger side as there were a few things in the way, but I got it done. Then, I added oil, a little at a time, until there was enough. While I was elbow-deep in the engine compartment with my hands filthy, I caught the eye of a little old lady walking her dog and she grinned at me. I guess she doesn’t see that many gals (much less ones in skirts) working on their trucks!

The engine started a little roughly, but that’s not worrisome as the truck has been sitting and, as per Ken, is coming on due for a tune up. I let her run for a bit, then took her around the block. No odd noises!!! I still need to get that tune up done and have the front bearings looked at, but it looks like disaster was averted.

I know I probably sound like an idiot because checking oil levels is so basic, but I’ve never, in my 10 years of vehicle ownership, of which eight were with brand new cars, had to worry about such things. Now, I know, and I’ll add it to my routine. Moya and I are still just starting to get to know each other and once we get the kinks worked out, everything will be just fine. I love driving my truck! 🙂

What’s next after doing a little electricity and automotive work? I’m thinking of cooking myself a nice dinner. Guys, I’m a catch and I’m available! 😀

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A New Window and More Shelves

Have I got an RV tip for y’all today! If you need to replace any of the trim on your rig, say a window frame, and the only ones you can find are the same colour as your rig, not your trim, wait!

My mother helped me install the new exterior window frame on the house door this week and it looks okay, but not great:

We used tons of putty to hold it and keep it sealed (more than the instructions called for) so pulling off the frame to replace it later is out of the question. I will learn to live with it. 🙂

As for shelving, my system in the study’s overhead cabinets wasn’t working. The back wall of the cabinets is slanted, with the top being narrower than the bottom, so I would frequently park somewhere, open a cabinet, and boxes would fly out after having shifted in transit.

I went into the house this morning to ask my mother if she would by chance have any suitable shelving material. Yes, and she was willing to cut it right then, but after that I was on my own as we hadn’t planned to do any work in the rig this weekend (not that there’s any real work to be done, woohoo!). That was fine by me as putting shelves in these cabinets doesn’t provide enough room for two.

A few hours and grazed knuckles later, I was able to move all the bins to the driver’s side cabinets and the odd-sized stuff to the rear cabinet.

I’m nowhere near 100% done with this project as I still need to sort out and containerize some things, so that’s why I’m not showing the rear cabinet now. 🙂 My favourite part of this is that I have some long, slim odd-shaped containers that fill in the rear of the top part of the new shelving behind the clear containers. So I feel like I actually gained some space.

Since I had tools out and there was enough shelving material, I decided to add a shelf in the pantry:

This one made the biggest impact! Those four baskets used to fill up two cabinets and now they slide easily into just one!

Now, I have a bonus RV tip for maximizing space in your RV freezer (even if yours is as decadently large as mine): remove the packaging on whatever you store in there. But do be prepared for people who see your trash to be puzzled.

I was invited over for lunch today and I said that I had no idea what I would have eaten otherwise. I was told, “Pizza. I can’t believe how much pizza you eat!” I burst out laughing. I buy a few frozen pizzas at a time when they are $4.99 or less and remove the boxes for storage. With the thin crust pizzas, I can fit almost five in the space it would take for just one box! I just went grocery shopping this week AND I ordered pizza the night before I did the groceries, so I can imagine what the recycling must have looked like! I explained that of all the boxes in the recycling, I had only thus far consumed half of the take out pizza and all the rest was still in the freezer!

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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.