Homemaking

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Cleaning My RV Fridge

In a fit of unusual efficiency, I decided to clean my RV fridge while dinner was cooking. The two activities took exactly the same time!

a lovely clean fridge

I discovered, after three years of annoyance, that the door compartments are removable! DOH!

To clean the fridge, I partially filled one of my sinks with very hot water, a drop of dish soap, and a glub of vinegar. I used a microfiber cloth to clean all parts of the fridge; door compartments and door, walls, shelves, and vegetable crisper.

I defrosted the fridge recently so I didn’t have to do that or worry about the freezer. I did replace my boxes of baking soda to absorb odours and dampness. I finished by running an old toothbrush around the door gasket and hinges.

A single person really shouldn’t be allowed to have a fridge this big. Aren’t I lucky? 😀

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A Seasonal First

WHEW. It got HOT today.

I opened every single window and hatch in the rig as well as the front door, but the more the day marched on, the more Miranda felt like an oven and the cats drooped. I finally shut everything tight and put the AC on low (remember, I’m on 15A). Even at that setting it is a real miracle, having taken the temperature in here down almost ten degrees in less than a half hour. I’m going to run it for a bit longer. The cats are very grateful! I started up the AC and went to the library, where the unit is located, to make sure it was running, then came back to the study to find both cats staring up at the cooling vents very gratefully. They have perked up, had their dinner. and are now napping comfortably.

When I did my big rig clean last week, I made a point of vacuuming all my vents and the AC unit, so it’s clean, purring, and not spewing out clouds of dust!

If it was just me in here, I would probably swelter before putting on the AC, but the two little souls who share these living quarters really need it, so I put it on for them. I’m glad I can provide that for them.

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Is That the Best Place For It?

I’m still working hard at perfecting my home’s organization. I had it nearly down pat before I started the renos, but it’s been a bit of a struggle since. I think it’s because I’m much more fussy this time around since these are systems I will be living with for many years. I really want to get it right and not just a case of putting something somewhere just because it fits there.

Today, I’ve started on a massive spring clean with the main objective being to find the perfect home for things that haven’t exactly been in the way, but which have been absolutely unsightly. One major bone of contention was in the study. It was the bright yellow, 25′, ten gauge, 15 amp extension cord I bought in Eugene to reach the power pole a million miles away. I coiled it like a snake and stuck it in a corner. Yeah, it was out of the way, but every time I walked into the room I’d chide myself for not putting it away properly.

I was at a loss as to what to do with it. I didn’t want it in the basement since the humidity down there led to my losing the three extension cords I first brought with me on the road. I don’t want to use the cab as a storage room. The kitchen, library, dressing room, and toilet room didn’t have space for something like that. The loft, then? No, I try to keep as little as possible up there to keep the dust down. Okay, so it had to be the study. Perhaps in a tote in an overhead cabinet? Nope, that extension cord is HUGE.

And then it hit me:

large gauge extension cord hidden in the study mattress bed base

The bed base in the study isn’t very high, so there’s not much room to store stuff under there (thank goodness), but it is a dry and accessible location that is the perfect home for ALL my extension cords!

Next challenge: where to store my ‘in progress’ stuff like the Poliglow kit. I’ve already figured that out, having come to the conclusion that I’m missing some furniture in the library. So, until I get a furniture budget, I’ll just need to be patient.

A good house is never done. — Sarah Susanka

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Discipline

I think of myself as a very undisciplined person. I procrastinate a lot and need external motivation to do the chores I hate. So I’m always amazed that I can successfully work for myself at home. I dragged myself out of bed at seven this morning (seven!) and was in the office hard at work by eight. I knew that tomorrow’s deadline is doable but would require very long days. I was right; I didn’t clock out till 8 tonight and it’ll probably be the same tomorrow.

But, of course, I don’t work straight through. I took a break in the morning to put ingredients in the breadmaker, had a proper lunch break,  went on a walk in the late afternoon to regain my focus, and had a proper dinner break (mustard chicken with veggies and fresh bread to mop up the sauce!). I still managed to put in close to a ten-hour work day.

This is truly the way I prefer to earn my bread; working in intense spurts at my own pace. I’m not going to give up working at building a viable and steady self-income stream even while I am very open to finding an external job.

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No Trouble Keeping Busy

I didn’t have much planned for today, just a bit of laundry and finishing up my flier routes for the week.

Well…

I woke up to find out my bid for an interesting contract was accepted! It’s a 500 page document that is putting my translation, proofreading, and coding skills to the test. I have to deliver the final product on Monday. It’s going to be a busy weekend!

Before starting on that, I did two flier routes. Doing the fliers is now a joy. My body has adapted to the exercise, I’ve mastered the most efficient way to do them, and except for one day I’ve always had perfect weather to do them. The money is such a joke, but I really am being paid to get some fresh air and exercise so doing them is most definitely worth my time.

I came back in for lunch and to start the laundry. I decided that I might as well do a marathon day of it and do ALL my bedding, towels, and clothes. I stopped counting loads at six… I worked on my project between loads and when the end of the laundry was in sight I headed out to do the last of my flier routes.

It was almost five when I came back in so I switched over some laundry and then made a nice dinner with the last of the salmon I bought in Oregon! YUM. The laundry was all done by the time I finished dinner so I decided to burn a few more calories by making the beds.

The bed in the back was cat-free, so I started on it. Of course, by the time I’d laid the bottom sheet down I suddenly had two cats to contend with. They weren’t happy when I made them move so I could add the covers, but I finally got it done. They flopped down as though they’d been the ones running around like mad all day so I figured I’d be able to do the loft bed in peace. HA. I’d no sooner gotten the sheets in place than Neelix was insisting on helping me!

By the time the laundry was dealt with and the dinner dishes done, I decided I’d earned an ice cream so I went to the convenience store across the street to get one!

I think I’ll put in a couple more hours of work before curling up with the novel I started the other night. Might as well get a head start on the mammoth project; I suspect it’s going to be a race to the finish line!