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.

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.

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.

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.

Rain Rain More Rain and a new Bed

Monday

I had big plans for today to work in the yard and pick up more branches.  The grass is getting to the point where it needs cut but the branches and water in the yard are hindering these activities.

So while the rain kept me out of the yard I did go out and work in the garage for a while.  I put another button near the one garage door to close it when I exit the garage.  I also cleaned up some of what has accumulated over the winter.  I took a couple ATV tires out to the road, they are still good so hope someone picks them up that can use them.  Also a couple pieces of steel, hoping a scrapper will pick them up.

Other than that I have been reading more of the Kennedy Detail book on my Kindle and started reading Gary Smalley's book "DNA of Relationships for Couples"  a new class we are taking at church in a couple weeks.

Still hoping to get to work on the MH this week if it dries out some.  I think it is safe to de-winterize the water system now and I have a new water filter I want to install.
Still Raining

Tuesday
Still raining already over 1/2 inch today.  Heading to court.
By the time I got home we have over an inch of rain.  The ditches are full and muddy you can see the water and dirt running off the farmers fields.
Good news, I noticed when I left for court that the tires and metal I put out front are gone!

I ordered a new sleep number bed for the MH and the UPS site says it is on the truck to be delivered before the end of the day, thats more good news.
Just as we were leaving for WW the Big Brown Truck pulled in the driveway.

The Big Brown Truck

He was a nice guy and put the two boxes in the basement, now I need it to stop raining and dry out a little so I can assemble it and install it in the MH.

New Queen Bed for the MH

Spent the evening with my Granddaughter Her I pod is not being recognized on iTunes, all indications are that iTunes will have to be reloaded on their Windows XP machine.

Still raining on the way home 1 1/3 inch in the rain gauge.

Wednesday
I set the alarm for 6:15 this morning as I had a busy day.  Its not raining but it is a bit cool out and very cloudy.  I left for Attica before 8 to go over and help a friend with some spreadsheet info.

This is their business

Mulch is one of the products they produce

I left there at 9:30 and headed for the Courthouse in Batavia.  I had a seminar to attend there for the court.  Then I left there at noon.  I stopped at Tops for gas as Bonnie had enough points for $.40 a gallon off of gas, filled up and saved almost 5 gallons.  Then I was off to Alden to Iroquois Middle school to pick up Alexus.  I took her to Orchard Park to meet her mother for an appointment.
Finally I could head home.  Got home after 2 and caught up on email and dozed off for a couple minutes.  Even though it was cold I headed out and moved the new bed into the motorhome.  It is to be warmer and sunny tomorrow so I hope to get it assembled and tested.

We have our own little water fall.
Water is clear today instead of muddy like yesterday.

Bonnie is home now fixing supper so I guess I will get this posted.

Thanks for checking in.

New Tires and Clean Up

Thursday
Good news the second storm never hit us last night.  My son and family were traveling in Alabama and Georgia and made it safely to Atlanta to catch a flight today to the Dominican Republic for vacation.
I am catching up this morning and at noon need to head to Batavia about 20 miles north of here to get the new tires put on the MH.  Then I will run down the Thruway one exit to check them and also fuel up at the Flying J, also need to top off the propane for the summer.
I arrived for my 1pm appointment and they took the coach right in.

It barely fit in.

It took a while but the time past quickly.  The wind blew very hard all afternoon and it was not a fun drive.  I pulled out about 4:45 jumped on the Thruway for a test run down to Flying J.  No vibrations and even with the wind I could tell the ride was much nicer.  I topped off the fuel and propane so we should be set for the first campout.  Next on my list is to de-winterize the water system and clean the exterior.  The wind finally died down for the evening even though it has really cooled off.
Time to head to bed.

Friday
Up and at this morning.  Catching up on blog reading while the washing machine does its thing.  Then up to court and the bank.  My sister, BIL, niece and grand nephew are in route and due sometime after 3.  Then my nephew and his wife will be here around 6:00.  Then we are all headed for a fish fry at The Lodge.  Its rainy and dreary here today so I will not get to wash the MH today.  I would like to double check the tire pressures to make sure they are holding.  I will then put theTPMS sensors on to keep an eye on them for me.
Never got to work on the tires today.  My sister got here about 3:45 and then my nephew around 5:45.

My sister holding Dan while he eats his supper

Dan is always ready to give you a smile

Dan with his mom my niece Jennifer

When Alexus and Elizabeth showed up it was time to head to the Lodge for dinner.  Most everyone had a fish fry and everyone seemed to really enjoy them.  These fish frys are pretty much a western NY thing and my BIL Joe really looks forward to one when ever they get up this way.  Tomorrow he plans to have his favorite pizza for lunch.  Still raining a little tonight.  Almost time for bed as I have training all day tomorrow.

Saturday
Wow what a nice day, nicest day in a long day.  Of course I ended up spending it in a lecture hall at the local college.  Yep today was court training all day, required training but its only once a year so thats not too bad.
I replace the switches and receptacles in Bonnie's bathroom when I got home.
Tomorrow looks like it will be good also, so I will relax and look forward to that.

Sunday
Rain, sun, rain is pretty much how today has gone.  We got up and headed to church.  After that once we were home I put up some curtain rods for Bonnie and some clothes hooks.  Then I went out in the yard to pick up a few limbs while Bonnie fixed lunch.  The yard is still very wet with water flowing through the glass.  After lunch a got a short nab in front of TV.  Then I went out to check the pressure in the MH tires since they are new.  I put the TPMS sensors on and so far everything seems to be holding pressure.  My sister made it back to the Philadelphia area safely and had a good time at the Wedding yesterday.  Guess I will get this posted.
Thats about it for today, thanks for checking in.