Campbell River

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Sad Update About My Visitors

I recently posted some photos of the deer that like to frequent the yard here as well as the gas station grounds.

Tonight, one of my customers came into the store with tears streaming down her face. “One of the deer got hit just off the property. It’s still alive but can’t get up. The other two are fussing over it and in the way of traffic. Can you call someone?”

Who to call was the question. I could see cars slowing down and swerving in front of the gas station, so I decided that this was a public safety issue and called the RCMP’s non-emergency line.

When I called the Dawson RCMP this summer to report the finding of a dead body on our property, they actually asked me if I thought they should send someone. So, I have no idea why I had the audacity to think that the Campbell River RCMP might be interested to know that there was a hazard on a major thoroughfare. The constable I spoke with was dismissive, but I stood by my idea that the public was in danger and that finally got through his head, especially when I told him of just how dark it is on that stretch of road and that the deer was still alive. What if it managed to get up and, disoriented, wandered into the path of yet another car? He took all my information (Croft and Norma, according to the RCMP I live here 😀 ) and hung up.

Sometime later, I saw a patrol car going up and down the highway. The constable driving called me to confirm the location of the deer and said that he wasn’t seeing anything. So, it looks like the deer walked off and might, might, just might, be okay…. This mustn’t have been the same constable since he seemed concerned and thanked me for taking the time to call and report the incident.

I hope the deer was just in shock and will be okay. I’ll be keeping an eye out for it.

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New Wardrobe Doors

Today, I had to get up at oh-not-so-dark-thirty (8:00) to go to Home Depot for lumber and hardware in preparation for the carpenter’s arrival at 10(ish). She would then have three and a half hours to give Miranda her most needed makeover.

I have complained many times about the evil sliding wardrobe doors. Enough was enough! 😀

They are no more!!!

The Home Depot guys wanted to cut the sheet for me, lacking confidence in my ability to get home safely. I've done this before, and over longer distances! :-D

The Home Depot guys wanted to cut the sheet for me, lacking confidence in my ability to get home safely. I’ve done this before, and over longer distances! 😀

Close up of the doorjamb. She did a really nice job on the scrap of wood!

Close up of the doorjamb. She did a really nice job on the scrap of wood!

functional doors!!!!!!

functional doors!!!!!!

close up of the pulls--you can find similar ones at Home Depot, but to get this colour you have to go to Lee Valley

close up of the pulls–you can find similar ones at Home Depot, but to get this colour you have to go to Lee Valley

Soon as the carpenter got to work, I knew I’d made the right choice in hiring someone to do this job for me. It was as fussy a job as I’d expected it would be and she saw things I would have missed.

I got most of the materials at Home Depot this morning but wound up needing just one more piece for the doorjamb. I found something of suitable dimensions, but quite ugly, in Croft’s scrap bin. The carpenter set to work on it with a sander and the results were astonishing! Having the right tools is definitely the first step to a successful renovation project.

Total cost for the wardrobe doors was $186, not counting the handles, which I had on hand from a previous project that didn’t come to fruition. I’ve been hanging on to them for a long time and am glad to finally put them to use! I have lots more of the same style and will be using them for another project. They complement the pulls on the cabinet doors, too.

I decided to put three sets of hinges on each door panel to reduce the chance of them warping and to make it possible to hang things from the inside without worrying too much about weight. While I could have bought brass hinges that would have exactly matched the cabinet hinges, I went for a rubbed bronze finish. I really hate the brassy colour of the hinges and was going to be spray painting them when I paint the cabinets, so I decided to just go with the darker coloured hinges for the wardrobe to save myself that work later on.

I’m going to live without the mirrors for a bit before deciding whether or not to install some on the front of the new doors.

There are a few minor adjustments to make because we were down to the wire; the right-side door sticks a bit because the ceiling sags and does not latch tightly. I suspect that both problems are due to the rig not being exactly level, so I’ll wait before doing the necessary sanding. Otherwise, the doors are perfect and I am beyond ecstatic! Once I get all the cabinetry painted, they’ll blend right in.

Oh, and the new doors weigh approximately a tenth of the old doors. I’ve gained yet more carrying capacity! It’s all been on the same side, so I’m hoping that I might be able to add to my battery bank. I’ll know that once I’ve reweighed Miranda.

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Sore Feet

Croft emailed me tonight to ask if everything is okay since I haven’t blogged in a bit. I looked at the date of my last post and was surprised to see that it was five days ago! The days are starting to blur together and I am oh-so-tired, but I’m making headway in my projects!

The wood flooring is up in all but the stairwell and I’ll be continuing, and finishing, the Allure this coming weekend (Thursday through Sunday).

I decided to concede defeat in regards to one project and called in a ‘pro.’ Her fee would have bought a lot of trim, but I decided that it would be worth it for a good job that was causing me a lot of headaches. Stay tuned tomorrow for the results of that. It’s a matter that has been awaiting resolution since I moved into Miranda!

The convenience store job is slowly wearing my down. My feet are soooo sore. I’ve definitely done in the shoes I’ve been wearing there, but am loathe to get a new pair for this job, so I’m going to try to tough it out. I’m glad I decided to just stay on there, even if the job sucks and I only get along with one of my colleagues. The manager and I have a rapport and the schedule he’s got me on is beyond perfect.

I’m also working on my other contracts, so there really hasn’t been a moment to breathe since the beginning of February. In fact, I can’t figure out where the month went!

So, all is well in my ‘Verse. Come back tomorrow to check out the pics for the latest project!

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The Things People Do For Me

I was whining to Croft about the internet yesterday so he sent an email on my behalf and next thing I know a friend of his who works for the internet company has me hard wired. No more wi-fi for two months! I just hope I don’t get used to this!

Virgin Mobile got back to me in regards to Dawson service and it’s no dice, so it looks like I’ll be going with my plan A, getting myself hard wired up there.

Thanks, Croft!!!!

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Dishwasher Decision Making

I’m still undecided as to whether to leave the dishwasher on the counter or try to find a non-leaking way to install it below the counter.

There’s a service hatch below the stove to get at what I think is the furnace.

(Not a very good pic, I know, but I didn’t think to bring the camera and dock into the house)

That space runs clear from the back of the dinette bench to the plumbing. I could, in theory, run my hoses under there and tie into the water intake and drain. I could then run one of my outlets down and have a really slick, built-in installation.

While I trust my plumbing skills, I am hesitant to do this because I am sure that the RV will have a longer lifespan than will the dishwasher. I’m nervous about breaking into perfectly good plumbing and creating the potential for leaks for an appliance that will probably die before the RV and might not be replaceable.

The other thing is that I am falling in love with the idea of creating a bank of drawers under that counter, some facing into the kitchen and some into the dining area. If I install the dishwasher under the counter, then I can only have drawers facing into the dining area.

I’ve figured out how I would secure the dishwasher on the counter, but the aesthetics of the idea are bugging me (ie. partially blocking the window). I do find that the dishwasher is much easier to load and unload from counter height and that I don’t lose any serious amount of food prep space.

With an equal amount of pros and cons for both solutions, it’s no wonder the decision is so hard to make!