Sunday, May 29, 2011

Feeling like Noah

Thursday
I was up early today and it was sunny.  Of course that did not last but at least it has not rained.  Bill and Jeff were here to finish up the last two doors on the wall unit.  We have to exchange one knob and then it will be done.  Since it was their last day here I picked up a pizza and we had lunch together out on the porch since it was nice and warm today.
I had a call from a friend in Attica so I went over to help with some spreadsheets for a project he is working on.  I got home just before Bonnie.  She fixed summer and now we are going to grind up some ham for ham salad.  Oh and it looks like some storms are headed this way from the southwest part of the state where they have posted tornado warnings.

Friday
It continued to rain off and on all night and most of today so far.  Some friends were planning to come over tomorrow to cut some of the down trees in the woods up for firewood, but it is just too muddy.
A table I ordered for the MH arrived via UPS at a little after 10am, he must want off early today.  So I opened it and put it together.
It came in pieces

All together and folded up
Set up to use 
Blogger was having problems and I could not get signed in last night to add to the post but so far is ok this morning.

I did run up to the town building to do a little work at court but it is a slow week.  I have been working for the last couple of days to find a place to camp on Fathers day weekend.  I was trying for a state park up along the lake but they are pretty much booked up on weekends for most of the summer.  So I called Red Rock Ponds and they had sites available so I made a reservation.  This will be our shake down trip before the trip to Pennsylvania to Creation Fest and then over to Crossville, Tn the end of June.

It started raining again late afternoon yesterday and by midnight we had almost .8 in. again.  The backyard was a stream again.  Other than the rain it was a quiet evening at home.

Saturday
So far this morning it is nice and sunny and blogger seems to be working.  I managed to finish the "Kennedy Detail" book last night and started one written by fellow blogger Nick Russell that he self published in the Kindle store, its called "Big Lake".  So far its pretty good.
Not a lot to write about today.  I went up and worked at court for a while.  Then came home and carried some boxes down to Bonnie's car to donate.  Then we went in to Depew to Hobby Lobby so she could pick up a picture she had framed and she wanted to look around some.
I visited NAPA looking for 28 inch wipers for the MH, but no luck.  They had some but mine bolt on.  I will have to take one off and take it with me.  I also went to Harbor Frieght just to look around.
Then it was over to Elizabeths and she grilled some spicy italian sausage made from chicken it was really good.  Now we are home and ready for bed.  The good news is no measurable rain.  I did see on the scanner a fire call for a vehicle fire at one of the local campgrounds.  I will have to check up on that, I have been reading about a lot of refrigerator fires.
Just checked the radar and it looks like there is rain just west of us.
Coming our way

Sunday
No rain overnight and it is somewhat sunny this morning.  I set up the DVR to record the races today and when we got home from church we started to catch up on the Indy 500.  I also helped Bonnie hang a few pictures during the pre-race show.  It is nice and warm out and I think you can watch the grass grow.  I actually went out after the race and tried to cut some grace but it is way to wet.  So this afternoon became time for a quick nap and visit with family.

Hope you have had a good weekend and enjoy time with family tomorrow remembering those that have fought for our freedom.

Thanks for checking in.

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Time to Wash and Shine

Monday
I did go out and sleep in the MH last night to try out the new bed.
All ready for a little reading on the Kindle

I ended up with a sleep number of 60 after trying 45 for a while.  I woke up this morning an hour later than normal with no back ache, so it looks like this upgrade is a winner.  We have some sun this morning but a promise of storms later today.
My grand daughter called, she is off school today, and wanted to go to the movies, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.  So looks like my plans to wash the MH have changed.  Which is ok because it is now cloudy and dark out and the radar shows rain is coming.  So its off to the movies.
Well the movie was a big hit with Alexus, I know I dozed off at least twice.
I picked up some polish at NAPA and after I dropped off Alexus at home I worked a while on the headlight lens on the MH.  It seemed to take away some of the yellow so I will give it another dose soon.  It was starting to rain as I was working on it.
Bonnie did not get home until 7 so I made a little supper for myself.  Thats about it for today.


Tuesday
After I added to the blog last night we got almost a 1/2 inch of rain, we are over 5 inches for the month now.  It was still dark and cloudy this morning but not raining.  I have just been reading blogs and email this morning, now I need to head up to court and catch up on paperwork.
High on my list of things to do is wash the MH, but it clouds up or rains when I have time to do it.  It was cloudy when I got home but I took a chance and washed the truck, it really needed it.  So I got that done maybe I can do the MH tomorrow.  Tonight is WW so its about time to get ready for that.
Opps gained a little this week.  Now hanging out with Alexus while Bonnie and Elizabeth are at class


Wednesday
I was up until after midnight last night and did not wake up until almost 9.  The sun was out and then it clouded up, but I was determined to wash the MH today.  So around 11 I headed out and the sun came out.  I finished half of it after about an hour.  Then it was time for lunch.  I also ran the generator for its monthly exercise.
Ready for a good washing

Some bird left a present just today

Clean that mildew under the awnings

Before on the right side after on the left.
I started making plans for a Father's Day weekend campout today.  Its close by in a state park and I hope to check it out today on the way to a dinner in Lancaster with my high school classmates.  Well lunch is over back to the other half.  The MH now has a bit of a shine and I am tired but heading to Lancaster.
I had a good dinner of chicken gumbo and it was good to see everyone.  One of our group is moving next week to Delaware, we will miss you Karl.  He will be back and our next get together in in July when he will be back here in the area.  Safe travels my friend.
So since I washed the MH today it decided to rain again tonight, already .4in since I got home.  Its just after midnight so I better get to bed.  Almost forgot its time to post this.
Thanks for checking ing

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Bummed Out-Campout Canceled

Thursday
Well I got up this morning with the sun shinning expecting to pack up the MH for the weekend.  Then right at 10am the phone rang, it was Arlie and she had sad news.  The campground had been flooded and is still too wet and soft for us to camp in this weekend plus more rain is forecast, Campout Cancelled.  We also have a wedding to attend this weekend and it is an outside one so I hope the rain holds off for that.

I worked on our trip to Tennessee yesterday and have reservations for all but the last night on the road, so that is good news.  Bad news is that if we do not schedule a short trip it will be our first trip of the year.

Our cable DVR has been messing up and Time Warner is sending a Tech to hopefully change it out this afternoon.  It still looks like it could rain again, I would like to cut some grass but I need to be in the house to answer the phone when the cable guy calls or they don't come.  So I'm doing a little wash and organizing stuff.

Time Warner just called he is on the way, now lets see what happens.  Well I got two new connectors and a newer cable box.  The one I had was from 2006 and this one uses newer technology and so far seems to work better.  Since he left we have had a couple hard down pours just what we need more rain.

We are headed to Eastern Hills Church to hear Chonda Pierce tonight a comedian.


Friday
We had a good time last night at the concert she is a funny lady.  I had a big surprise along with about 20 other men.  Of the 1500 people at the concert all but a few of us were woman.  I guess this event was part of the women's ministry program at the church but I laughed a lot and had a good time.

I received an email last night from a long time friend, we met in 1968 in the Navy.  He and his wife will be camping close to where we plan to spend the night on July 3rd near Blacksburg, VA, so we are hoping to stop and get together for a little while.  We have always enjoyed our visits with Frank and Shirley.

Today was dark and drizzly again.  I went up to court for a while through the fog.  Only stayed about an hour but will have to go back tomorrow.  When I got home I decided I had to try to cut some of the grass that is close to being hay.  Now I have what looks like a big mess with all the mud on the grass in the tire tracks again, but it will cleanup and look good in a day or two.  Sure hope it dries up soon.

I took a quick drive over to Beaver Meadows where we were to camp this week end.  Only saw one group of campers sitting out.  There are a lot of seasonal campers there and they had a covered deck.  Looks pretty wet and soggy over there.

Was having a nice relaxing evening with Bonnie, just finished a bowl of ice cream.  Then the phone rang.  Had to go to court, now it is well after midnight and I am back home and headed to bed.
Grilling outside was as close as we came to camping today.

Saturday
While I got to bet just a few hours ago it was just to bright out to sleep in much.  Bonnie was up and busy when I got up also.  I have some paperwork to finish up this morning so need to get going anyway.  Then we have a wedding to attend over in Perry and I hope the sun stays around for that.

The wedding was very nice and it was inside at the park so the weather was not a factor.  But it was nice bright sunshine.  The were a lot of friends there to share the day with the bride and groom.
The Happy Couple
We got home just before dark but I was able to get the front yard cut, it was way too wet but it is cut.  The forecast here is for rain for the next week.  When I opened the shed to get the lawn tractor out there was a squirrel in the shed that wanted out really bad, so I may have a nest in there.   Now its time for NASCARs All Star Race.


Sunday
We got up and headed for church this morning.  The sun was out most of the morning.  Once we got home it rained a little.  So we watched what was taped on the DVR.  Now I think the rain has stopped so I may try to cut the rest of the grass that is dry enough to cut.  Got the grass done.  Looks like it will not rain overnight so I think I will try out the new bed in the MH since we did not get to use it this weekend.
I'll report how I slept next week.

Thanks for checking in

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Its a Wet Week to be preparing for a Campout

Monday
Last night after I posted the update, Emily the cat came in to the living room prancing with a mouse in her mouth.  She looked so proud.  The mouse did not move until she let it go.  Long story short the mouse has expired and is now out of the house.
We ended the day with .98 inch of rain.  While today is dark and gloomy there are just occasional light showers.  I have been catching up on podcasts and checking out some blog updates.
It drizzled most of the day.  I had ordered some things on line and they came today.  First was My-Kap which is a cap to use on my Keurig K-cups so they can be reused.  Bonnie likes the coffee she brought from the Dominican Republic so I refill the k-cups for her.  Second was video cables for the DVD player.  Now all the devices are reconnected to the TV.
I brought the tubs in from the RV.  One for Bonnie, one for food and one for me.  Friday is our first campout of the year, time to start loading up the RV

Tuesday
Another wet day, just drizzle so far.  Caught up on blogs and email, now its off to court and the Town Meeting which is being held at the Elementary School in front of the children.
The meeting went well and while I was there I got a message that the guys were coming to put the doors on the media center.  So as soon as the meeting was over I headed home and they were just starting.
The doors look good, one little thing left to do is add the stiles on the upper doors.
Putting on the hinges

Hanging the doors

Done except for 2 stiles and one knob.
Today was weigh in night at WW for us and we both lost so another good week.
Now home for the evening and hoping that it dries out tomorrow, it was very foggy around here all day today.

Wednesday
I woke up to another wet rainy day, but it is getting warmer its almost 60.  Will catch up on some podcasts this morning.
The sun came out for a while this afternoon so I ran out to get a couple things done.  Loaded some water into the MH and stored the new hose and filter that I bought.  Then I ran the fuel out of the big snow blower, changed the oil in it and put both blowers in the shed for the summer.  Boy is it humid out but at least it is not raining.  Thats about it for today guess we will catch up on TV this evening.
Thanks for checking in.

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Blogger Problems + Lots of Rain

Blogger. Com had problems yesterday (Thursday) and was down until Friday afternoon.  I will try to catch up.


Thursday
I stayed home all day today so did not get to see the progress on the addition at our friends.
I did make it out to the woods for a while to see how dry it was.  There are a few muddy spots on the road but I think we can work in there soon to get out some firewood.  I spent some time in the yard and picked up a couple loads of branches and dumped them also.
Then on got out the chainsaw put on my chaps and other safety gear (PPE).  Bonnie has wanted a dead branch cut off and I took care of that and cut it up and carted it off to where we dump the brush.  First thing she mentioned when she got home was how good it looked.
Then I was off to Warsaw.  I stopped at NAPA and picked up a Coolant Filter for the MH and some grease fittings for the tractor.
Then over to Tractor Supply to pickup some grease, weed killer, and oil.  Then over to the Public Safety building to attend the Magistrates Meeting.
Finally home and after a little TV and reading a good nights sleep.

Friday
Blogger was still down this morning but will type this and put it in later.
I did a few loads of wash today like most Fridays.  Once the last load was in the dryer I went out to work on the tractor.  The new grease fitting went in fine but the grease would still not go in.  I was then able to drive out the shaft that the loader bucket pivots on and then the grease flowed.  I manually greased everything I could and put it back together.  Then the grease would go in slowly, so thats good.  After that I stopped over to see how the addition was going.
The roof is on and the chimney has been extended.
Roof is on

Shower is in place

Extended chimney
Finally a place to work out of the hot sun and maybe the rain.

Then I ran up to court to take care of some paperwork.
Once I got home the grass looked like it need cut again.  So I jumped on the lawn tractor and cut what I could.  It was getting pretty dark and as I put the tractor in the shed the thunder started.
Then the rain started and it came fast and hard.  We got 1.18 inches in about 30 minutes.  I had to unplug the rear down spout and it was raining so hard that the front gutter was clear but over flowing.
I just finished cutting this area 15 minutes ago.
Run off from up the hill
Bonnie got home in the middle of the down pour with groceries but we got them all in the house.  She carried them in as I was cleaning the gutter out back.  The rain has let up with a total of 1.22.
Hope now to relax a little.  Almost bed time and the rain gauge says 1.54in.

Saturday
Was up early for a Saturday morning.  Met a friend in Attica for breakfast and then we headed for Churchville to the Camping World store.

I had received a sale catalog the other day with some good prices on some items I needed.  So I picked up a few things today.
Filter, jumper cable, sewer hose, spices, soap dispenser, step,  etc.  quite a haul
I installed the soap dispenser and a cable clamp.  Then it started raining again.  It has rained off and on all day.  Thankfully not as much as yesterday.  I helped Bonnie move some furniture and hang a picture. Not much else happened today, too much rain.  Hope to watch a movie tonight.

Sunday
Looks like we had light rain all night and so far it has rained off and on all day.  We also have info from the NWS to expect an inch more of rain today.
We went to church this morning and just finished a good lunch.  Bonnie's sister is on the way over and we are set to have a nice relaxing day.  I don't expect much more to happen today so will go ahead and post this.
We have our first campout of the year coming up this coming weekend.
Thanks for checking in.

Friday, May 13, 2011

Time to start cutting grass and prepping for the first campout

Monday
Wow the sun was bright this morning and woke me up early.  Thats good lots to do today.  I hope to get gas and diesel for the tractors and cut some grass.  I also want to plug in the MH today and turn on the refrigerator.  We have a weekend campout in two weeks and I want to make sure the black box they put in for the last recall works and keeps working.  There have been reports that it is failing.  Its a beautiful day and the forecast looks good for a few days.
So I went to get fuel and came home with liquid gold.
$67.00 to fill those 3 cans WOW!
So I had a couple hours before court so I jumped on the lawn tractor.
Started right up.  Nothing runs like a Deere!
I cut about 1/2 the lawn the rest is just too wet.  Part of what I cut was still way to wet.
Way to wet.
I also got the refrigerator started up and cooling down.  It was down to 43 when I left for court.

Home now and just finished a good chicken and sweet potato supper.  Thats about it for today.

Tuesday
Bright sunny day again this morning!  I was up and dressed before Bonnie left for work.  Refrigerator was down to 30 degrees so I turned it up so, also had ice.  The ice is a little pink so I will let it make more and clear up.  I collected the trash and dropped it off at the road and headed over to check on Bill and Jeff.  They are putting a second story addition on the house of a friend of ours.  They are making good progress.  They tore off the roof yesterday and today they were putting the deck on for the second floor.
The last floor joist going up.

Roof decking going up.
The lumber for the walls came as I left it, so of them should be up by the end of the day.


After all the storms a couple weeks ago Bonnie and I talked and ordered a weather radio for the RV.  It has an alert when the NWS issues a warning or an alert.


Once Bonnie got home we headed in to WW and then to Elizabeths for supper.  Elizabeth and Bonnie went to their class and Alexus and I watched Jeopardy.
Home now and ready to head to bed.

Wednesday
Up this morning and had to hurry a bit to catch up on reading and then pick up Alexus at school for a Dr appointment.  Picked her up at 10:30 but on the way I passed close by where the guys are working.
Two walls up
They are making good progress.
I picked up Alexus and we met her mother at the Dr.  Afterward I took her to McDonalds to grab lunch and then back to school.  Since I was passing by the job site I stopped to check the progress.
All the exterior walls are up
By 1:30 all the exterior walls are up and they are working on the partition walls.  The roof should be on tomorrow.
I came home and grabbed a quick bit to eat and headed outside.
Decided to put the rake on the tractor and rake the driveway.

Ready to rake the driveway
I also spread a few buckets of stone in the low spots.
Stone for the driveway
Finished the driveway and put the winch on the back of the tractor to get ready to work in the woods and clear out some of the dead falls from the last two winters.  After my shoulder surgery last year I was not able to work in the woods, happy to say I think it is in good shape now.
Farmi Tractor winch ready to go
Then I decided to grease the loader.  I could not get two of the fittings to take grease so I removed them and tried to clean them.  I got one back in but the other felt funny coming out and it will not go back in.  So I guess I will add that to my list of things to get,  I have a meeting in Warsaw tomorrow so will stop in at tractor supply.

Well I will get this posted.
Thanks for checking in.

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Getting the MH in shape for the season

Thursday
Up early lots happening again today.  The sun is shinning so I can hopefully get some work done on the MH.  Robby and family are flying home from the Dominican Republic and Elizabeth just called and is stopping by.
I had a nice surprise last night in my email.  We bought a convertible Mini Cooper S back in 2004 just before I retired and it is now owned by a couple in Maine and they sent me a picture and told me they got it from someone in Long Island, NY.  It still looks brand new.
Looking good
Elizabeth called, she was on her way from Attica to visit.  She had to see Dr Craddock our dentist so was stopping in.  After a short visit she left to meet some friends and then they were all going downtown for a National Day of Prayer event.  While she was here I got her to help me carry the mattress out of the Motorhome into the basement.  Bonnie wants to try the new one before we get rid of the old one.

So after she left I unpacked the two boxes and started to assemble the bed.
The foam for the sides

The mattress with deluxe topper
I first had to drill a couple holes

Then cut it out so I had a 1" by 4" hole
This is the air unit that sits under the bed, its now in
the upper left corner of the bed
Then the foam sides go in

And the topper zips on and now its a queen size mattress
I found the sheets and comforter then and made the bed so it is all set to go.  I followed the directions to calibrate the controls and for now my "Sleep Number is 40" when I lay on my side.  They say give it a week to see how it works for you before you change it.

Since the bed only took a couple hours I decided to tackle the next job.
I bought a Level 3 Culligan water filter during the winter so figured I would put that in.

Here are the pieces and parts with the head mounted on 1/2" plywood
ready to be mounted


The blue PEX line should be the cold water, the adapter installs there.


Here is the adapter inline and the pink winter antifreeze in the new pressurized line

This shows the new faucet and how much has to
be cut out of the Corian sink cover.
So I was nervous about cutting the sink cover.  I went in for lunch and googled cutting Corian.  It said it was easy just use a carbide tipped saw.  So thats what I did and it came out pretty good.  I could not find my router bit to round over the edges so will save that picture for later.  Finished up around 5 and came in the house, still waiting on Bonnie to get home from work and grocery shopping.  I think I could use a short nap so turned on the news.

Friday
Not very warm or sunny this morning, so I stayed in the house and did 4 loads of wash, washed the dishes in the sink, and ran the dishwasher.  Then after lunch it was warmer and sunnier so I went out to work on the MH.  I backed it up to the garage and flushed out the hot water heater then put the drain plug back in it.
The wand used to flush out the water heater

  I flushed out all the pink antifreeze out of the water lines pressurized the system and checked for leaks.  Good news no leaks.
"Wet Bay" where the water hooks up.
Then I got out all the water hoses hooked them up and sanitized them with Clorox and filled the water tank at the same time to disinfect it.  I will let it set overnight then drain and flush it again.
Used this to disinfect the hoses and tanks
Then I hooked up the air hose to the coach air system to add some air to the new tires.  They call for 90lbs in the rear and 105lbs in the fronts
Air hose hooked up
I put the MH back in its spot to sit over night.  Tomorrow I will drain the tank and then refill it with fresh water.  We went out to eat tonight with a friend up in Batavia.  We returned some stuff to Lowes and
then headed back toward home.  When we dropped off our friend we got a good tour of his MH and sat in it for a while visiting.

Home now and time to relax and then off to bed.


Saturday
Emily our cat must like her new cat food.  She started letting me know the dish was empty around 6:30 this morning.  I put her off until 7:30 when I finally gave up.  Bonnie was up but must not have heard her.  So Emily is fed and Bonnie has left for a Mothers Day breakfast with Elizabeth and Alexus at their church.  Then she is going shopping, and then back home to go to our church with her mother and sisters for dinner.
I already went out and opened the fresh water drain on the MH to let the 80 gals of bleach water drain out and will partially fill it later.  I also want to mount the Fire Extinguishers today and maybe plug in the MH and turn on the refrigerator to test the latest recall device Norcold has.  Buffalo RV installed it for me last fall and a lot of failures have been reported.
The black box is a new safety device
Well I got a lot done today.  I headed to the bank in Attica and a couple other errands over that way.  Elizabeth called she had locked herself out of the house.  She called back in a few minutes and said she had gotten in so no need for me to drive in there.  I stopped at a friends house to see how he was doing installing a sway bar.  I found them busy and in the process of putting it all back together.
Working on the back bar

Plenty of room to work.

They had a front bar to put on also but it was the wrong part.  I headed for home when they took a break for lunch.

I got home had a little lunch and then went out to flush the tank and fill it part way with fresh water.  I was also able to mount the 4 fire extingushers.  I put in the fresh water cartridge and flushed it out per the instructions also.  The water tastes really good.

This what it looks like under the sink now
And this is with the sink tops cut out and in place
MIL and SIL came over to all go to the Mothers Day Banquet at church together, I got a quick hair cut and then Elizabeth and Alexus came and they all left for the dinner.  My FIL came over with them and he and I are chatting and watching the Kentucky Derby and now NASCAR.


Sunday
Happy Mothers day.  Up and off to church.  Then came home and did some things around the house that Bonnie wanted done.  Then we went out and she checked out the work I have been doing in the MH.  Her mother and dad came over for an early dinner.  So we are relaxing and talking.
Hope all of you have had a great day.

Thanks for checking in.