Fits Like A Glove

Reading other people's blogs always gives me food for thought.

And other times... churns my stomach...

I saw a picture on a blog of a guy handling his RV sewer hoses at the dump station without any gloves on at all.  For you non-RV-ers, a dump station is where you go to empty your gray water and black water holding tanks.

Some campgrounds have sewer hookups right at your campsite but many do not. In that case RV-ers use their "holding tanks" to hold the waste water. The gray water is from the kitchen sink, bath sink and shower. The black water is from the toilet. RV's come with two holding tanks. One gray and one black. Eventually you have to go empty the holding tanks.  Not a pretty chore, but it's part of the thrill of living and traveling in wheel estate.

While many times things go fine at the dump station, when they go wrong, they usually do so with about a nanosecond to spare and  zero warning. If you aren't already wearing gloves, then things can get real icky, sticky, gooey, stinky, nasty (and did I say messy?) in a heartbeat.

At that point, there won't be time to go don gloves if you are to rescue the sewer situation (before you are permanently banned from the campground.)

You may be forced to jump into action with your bare hands. Do you really want to handle your toilet waste that way?

OK, now I am churning your stomach.  So sorry!

There are multiple choices for gloves. Leather, vinyl, neoprene, rubber, and disposable. I have an outside faucet/shower, so I make sure it is open for use before I don my gloves to handle the sewer hoses.  Typically I wear these heavy duty leather gloves, which I immediately wash afterwards with soap and water at the outside faucet.

Nothing goes wrong when you are wearing gloves. Only when you are not. 

Everyone who travels or rides in an RV should have a pair of work gloves, even if you don't do any work because the spouse or someone else does it all for you. There may come a time when you have to help, like it or not.

The one time you need that extra strength or extra protection, you will be ultra glad you had sturdy work gloves.

Have you ever been forced to break camp and depart during a deluge from the heavens?  All the umbilical cords are covered in muck, leveling boards are soaking wet and everything sticks to them. Outdoor patio mats, while often self-draining will act like a magnet attracting everything within 30 yards.

I've seen people cursing in the rain, as they tried to break camp during a downpour with no gloves. Sometimes schedules are such that you can't wait for a prettier day or the camp spot is already rented and you have to be off of it in time.  Or your name is mud. 

Leather gloves can give you surprising strength to tighten or loosen things.

I must be a glove-o-holic. I have thick leather work gloves and sleek spandex gloves with leather soles that Velcro snugly around the wrists.  Matter of fact these were labeled as mechanics gloves when I bought them on sale deeply discounted. They were the perfect choice for standing on a step stool to reach into the bowels of my hot engine to check the transmission fluid without getting my hands burnt. I also have heavy rubber gloves, disposable gloves and some vinyl type snow gloves someone gave me that are actually pretty good in a pinch for handling wet things.

Also, when I have company traveling with me, this means I have extra pairs of gloves for them to wear should they volunteer to help me with the donkey work.

When the macho  types tell me they don't need any gloves, I just smile and whisper under my breath "You'll be sorry one day!"

That is typically when things will go wrong. When you or them is glove-less.

Matter of fact, I did burn my hand. I tried to check the transmission fluid without gloves. I felt like a pure idiot because I knew better but I was in a hurry. So the next time, I wore gloves. I didn't get burned.

Recently I drove to the Lavonia Georgia Ford dealer to discuss my vehicle mysteries. (Nothing is fixed yet, seems they require money for that type of work!)  But I figured I would drop by anyhow, since I had to go to the nearby grocery store.

Upon my return to my camping area, it was nice and sunny.  I hopped out of the driver's seat, opened up the electric compartment, pulled out my electric cord and plugged  it into the utility box that is on a post at my workamping site.

No gloves.

Dry hose, sunny day, what could possibly go wrong?

Am I hard headed or what?  Sheesh...  My mother must be in heaven just rolling her eyes at my gaffe.  


Um, gaffe is about to be plural...

I opened the electrical box. I did not know that a big wasp nest was hiding in the cover, in such a place that one would never see it, unless one were laying down on the ground, looking up at the top of the underside of the outer cover.

An angry wasp flew out, stinging me on my hand. My glove-less hand! My burnt glove-less hand!  I screamed so loud I am sure they heard me four counties over. I used about a hundred gallons of water trying to wash away the poison, but I have been feeling poorly ever since.  That wasp sting really did a number on me with numerous unpleasant side effects, worse than handling a broken sewer hose.

Shame on me.  That's twice I screwed up by not wearing gloves.

Buy gloves. Wear gloves. Don't be hard headed like me.