Moving South

Where am I?

It's 40F degrees this morning!

If it gets any colder, I am moving to Florida.

Oh wait. I am in Florida.

Tropical storm Philippe brushed by us with torrential rains then plunged our temperatures down nearly 50 effing degrees from the near 90's to the 40's.

Brrrrr.

By the time the dog and I bundle up for a pooch poop walk, I look and feel like an overstuffed rag doll with so many clothes piled on I can barely move. Women don't like to look fat (or fatter!) but winter is cruel this way to someone like me who has trouble warming up.

Note to self:
Make a  New Year's resolution to fatten up my friends (so I look smaller!)

Harley dog shakes and shivers in spite of his warm faux suede shearling jacket. During the walk he sometimes stops, begging me to pick him up and hold him close to my chest so he can warm up. He's never been able to top 7 pounds, yet after awhile his six and a half pounds feels so awfully heavy enveloped in my arms.

We ran into a new little doggy and his new to us human. Harley loves to meet new dogs his size. He wiggled for me to put him down so the two canines could sniff each other over, do circles, tangle leashes, wag tails and share pee-mail. Harley kept shaking, shivering and dancing. He does this pretty much year round in all temps for the past 7 years.  The other dog owner (new to Harley) said "Oh he hates that jacket. He is trying to shake it off!"

I laughed and said "Are you kidding? In weather like this, I can't get him out the door until I wrap him up in his jacket."

The RV park has had a recent influx of northerners who are here for the winter. They stroll around in shorts and light T-shirts looking at me strangely in my head to toe layers of pants, shirts, sweaters, jacket, gloves, hat, scarf, arm warmers, leg warmers and faux fur uggs saying "Ah, this is nice. The weather is so mild." At 40F degrees, it hardly feels mild to my thinned out Caribbean blood. I gave them my goofy smile while silently counting to ten. Mild??? Not in my book.

Humidity is playing tricks. My long hair was attacked with static electricity and literally flying around my head without the aid of wind. Hilariously annoying. Finally I had to tame it into a jumbo hair claw clip. This left my neck cold. I found my winter scarf to wrap around my neck. Ah, that felt heavenly.  Last spring I found this turquoise winter scarf marked down from $25 to $1. It's been sitting in my drawer for months waiting for it's maiden voyage. I remember at the time hesitating over buying it. Living large in a tiny motorhome, I often grapple with such mundane decisions. Storage is always a consideration. My little old wheel estate has 14 windows which I enjoy their views immensely but it also means I have very limited storage.

Enough of this foolishness.

I've been drinking hot coffee, hot tea, hot bouillon, hot soup to warm up. Now it's time for me to *ahem* go pay the piper in the restroom. It will take me a good 20 minutes to peel off enough layers to do that.

See ya later!

Shop Amazon With This Link

It Helps Us Stay Warm

THANK YOU!

Nightmare Before Halloween

Yellow siding.

Who would think that could give me a frightening nightmare?

Life is goof.

A little background. My neighbor in Bushnell, Florida has pale yellow siding with white trim. My friend in Orlando has pale yellow siding with white trim. Ironically it's the exact same shade of yellow and white.

In Bushnell, getting backed into my lot is a tricky affair. The road out front is a skinny one lane road. My driveway is also quite narrow. It's at a 90 degree angle to the street. There are big trees, large bushes, and a two foot high inconveniently placed communications hub. It's one of those things that sticks up out of the ground for the workmen to service cable and internet. While backing up trying to make the sharp 90 degree angle, I have to pay attention to all four sides of the RV, trying to avoid all the obstacles surrounding me.

Once I make it into my driveway (PHEW!) it's about 90 feet long. I put my rig in the back where the driveway expands to accommodate a paved patio area. Out my passenger side is a view of my neighbor's home with yellow siding about 35 feet away.

When I visit my friend in Orlando, I park at an odd angle about 10 feet from their home with yellow siding. They have an electric hookup for an RV but I have to avoid driving through their large heat pump machinery, hence the odd angle to be able to reach the electric post attached to the side of their house yet avoid thwacking their heat pump on the same side. My passenger side faces their yellow sided home.

When I have to do difficult maneuvers with my motorhome, I try to survey the situation, decide on a course of action, then rehearse it over and over in my brain. I say my prayers, then creep along slowly trying to complete the task praying I manage to do so without calamity.

While in Orlando recently, I became quite ill. I excused myself to go lay down in the motorhome for an hour sometime in the afternoon. I fell into a deep sleep for well over two hours. For some fool reason I dreamed that I was trying to back into my lot at Bushnell in the dead of night,  reversing into a tree plus hitting my Bushnell neighbor's home. That jolted me awake. I sat up in bed, groggily looked out the window at the pale yellow siding barely 10 feet away and scared myself silly!  I looked away as if refusing to see the reality of the  situation would make it go away.

I should have been 35 feet from my Bushnell neighbor's home, not 10 feet plus I had noted the angle I was parked at was all wrong meaning I had probably crunched into a tree. There must be damages to the RV and did I truly hit his home at some point?  Why did I leave my rig parked cockeyed in the wrong place and go to bed? I was trying to remember if the neighbor and I had exchanged words. I couldn't remember seeing him.

I thought it was morning, not afternoon, so I quickly surmised I had indeed made a mess of things in the middle of the night and now I needed to seriously wake up and make amends for my huge gaffe.


What a nightmarish mess I had made of things! I don't need this kind of stress.

Struggling to clear the cobwebs from my brain, I forced myself to glance back out the window. That's when it dawned on me. I was parked in Orlando, not Bushnell.  It was just a wicked dream.

The total relief I felt was indescribable.

Trick or treat!

My motorhome did not come with a back-up camera.

About 2 years ago, I bought this portable system.

The display works off the cigarette lighter,

the movable magnetic camera works on a 9 volt battery. 

 

Big Bo Bo

My dog loves stuffed toys bigger than him. He was busy unstuffing Bo Bo.

I decided to fix Bo Bo with a zip tie so it would be hard work for doggy to continue unstuffing him.

My pooch was not amused and anxiously followed me around while I found a zip tie to fix Bo Bo. Then I tossed Bo Bo inside the open door of the motorhome.

As Harley was snatching him up I managed to make a short video. He carted Bo Bo off for a closer inspection of my repair.

If you need a 15 second giggle, here's one provided by Harley.

Video link:
https://youtu.be/l3YtqG_HIUU

Amazon sells dog toys. Just ask Harley.

When Harley was new to me, he tried to order his own toy!

I was looking on the internet at dog toys. Harley had only been with me a few weeks. I got up to go get a drink of water. I left the laptop open on my motorhome table.

Harley climbed up on the table . When I yelled "NO" he walked across the laptop keyboard in his haste to get back off the table. Soon he learned that walking on tables (or laptops!)  was strictly forbidden.

When I sat back down from retrieving my water to see if he had damaged the laptop, I just about damaged my ribs laughing so hard.

I guess when Harley walked across the laptop, he hit the touchpad and somehow had managed to put the toy I was looking at into the Amazon cart for purchase.

Life is goof.

What the Heck?

What the heck it that?
Oh it's just my awning.
It's been through quite an ordeal lately.
The night before I ran from Irma, it was hit by a heavy tree branch.
The next day I had to roll it up during heavy rains. Then I left to run and hide.
I've patched, glued and cajoled it back into reluctant service.
Now it needs a serious cleaning (or a serious replacement.)

Wait a minute.
There is something else there.
What the heck?

 It's my froggy!

Ever since I have owned this RV there has been a froggy traveling with me. I've collected pictures over the years of froggy. I have no idea where he lives or how he has survived this long.

I suspect that once I round up all the pics and organize them, it may turn out to be multiple frogs.
In the past I have written about this froggy phenomenon and posted pics. 

But still the question.

Why my rig?

Someone near and dear to me, who is long departed from this world used to collect froggy stuff. Whenever I see my froggy, I think of them.

Are they riding along with me as an angel frog?

Life is goof.

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It helps us rock, roll and ribbit!

Thank you kindly for stopping by today.

Help Is On The Way

Hurricane Irma split this cedar tree. Initially the road was cleared and the tree left intact. Every day I walk by this tree willing it to live. Sadly a few hours after I took this picture,  they took the tree down completely.

Later I was out riding my bicycle with my dog. Since the fire ant attack my ankles have been swollen. I try to  bike ride in hopes the swelling will go down with the added circulation. Riding the bicycle is less painful than dog walking, but then when I get home I need to exercise the dog with a brisk game of fetch the rubber ball or Frisbee.

Sometimes I walk him too, he loves his walks, but my blister bitten swollen ankles are not so happy.

I finally found a rubber ball that Harley has been unable to destroy! It's the Kong Rubber Ball Extreme. For two years now he has been chasing this bouncy ball and retrieving. He chews on it but has been unable to rip it apart. I get in a panic when we can't find it, because it's one of his favorite toys. Even in a confined area, I can make it bounce up and down while he leaps after it. Sometimes he catches it in midair. Other times he snatches up his ball, then runs off to play with it in private refusing to let me have it back for tossing.

While bicycle riding I heard someone yell "HELP! HELP!"  Dismounting my bike and getting doggy out of his basket, we walked around  looking for the source. We found a lady sitting in a chair behind her RV lot with two small dogs on the loose, dragging their leashes around.

She had fallen but managed to crawl up into a chair. Now she could not stand up or walk. She didn't want me to call 911 because she was worried about her dogs. I told her I would take good care of her dogs. I decided to focus on calming her down before the chaos set in when emergency help arrived. I fetched water for her. Even went to get my 4 legged cane so she could see if that would help her stand. She was in denial that anything was wrong, but she could not stand up either.

In my book of reasoning, calming someone down after an accident is very helpful. When help arrives they tend to rapid fire questions plus hook up apparatus and begin moving the person which can lead to screams of pain. Starting off calm, might help. Since she didn't want me to call 911 and I was pretty sure that was going to be inevitable, I just focused on being her new best friend. She did calm down and reasoning began to set in that maybe considering professaionl  help would be appropriate.

It's a miracle she had made it into the chair. When I broke my leg in the Virgin Islands, I was able to crawl up to a chair. I thought I had sprained my ankle. It was 3 days before I got help. Even then the EMT's were not the least bit aware of my extreme pain. When they put me on the stretcher, one of them grabbed the strap rapidly tightening it around my legs which felt like she broke my leg again. At the hospital I had three fractures. When I shrieked in pain the EMT woman immediately apologized. She even said "I forgot your leg was broken." My shriek was so loud, that people across the street at the marina came running to see what that awful scream was about.The EMT's gaffe had me in tears and now there was a crowd gathering and gawking at me. Luckily some of the sturdier men took over to get my stretcher down the near vertical hill from my apartment to the ambulance parked far below. Nothing was ever given me for pain until much later when I was bellowing in the emergency room from the horrible ride that left me feeling much worse for wear.  People kept touching my leg. The EMT did drive like a maniac to get me to the hospital. Unfortunately this included going over about 5 large speed bumps which sent the ambulance air born each time. It made me squawk in agony each time.

But I digress. That was a few years back and now today, I was dealing with a lady that might have something seriously broken.

I managed to get the lady pretty calm and we chatted amicably about different scenarios for her situation.  A neighbor showed up, he had literally just driven in from Ohio. He called the manager who zipped over in his golf cart, he asked a few questions then called 911. Meanwhile I was with permission, searching the lady's park model home for her purse and keys. I kept assuring her I would take good care of her dogs.

The fire truck arrived. Two burly men began grilling her with a load of questions. Then the ambulance came. They had more questions, many identical.

The chaos had begun.

More people arrived from around the park having seen the emergency vehicles rush in.

Now I had two dogs to care for besides mine. The dogs didn't know me. By now I had put them in their home. They were watching out the window while their pet parent was loaded up and carted off. Plus I was doing all this while towing my little doggy around on his leash.

Luckily these EMT's had emergency pain meds at the ready. It made me wonder why the BVI ambulance that had fetched me had no pain killers with them. What a marvelous idea. An ambulance with pain meds at the ready!

When all was said and done, another neighbor came home. She knew the two dogs really well from years past. The lady I had found hollering for help had only just arrived in the park from her northern summer home maybe 2 days ago. I had met her once briefly while dog walking. It was to be her 4th year here for the winter season. Also another lady arrived who knew the dogs from years past. So now both I and the dogs had lots of help. Just before the ambulance raced off, we reconfirmed with the lady being carted off that it was OK, for all three of us to take very good care of her precious pets in their own home.

Being single and a pet owner, I can understand her refusal to get help until she knew her fur babies would be diligently cared for. No one wants to think that the love(s) of their life would or could be tossed into an animal shelter with disastrous results.

After everyone left, I went back inside to check on the dogs. They needed some calming. I searched for the food and treats. I washed up her dishes. I carried out her garbage. I was thinking it would be awful to eventually come home to crusted dirty dishes or ants in the garbage.

The neighbor lady showed up to sweet talk the dogs, who seemed a bit more responsive to her since she was more familiar to them.

Now we are tag-teaming the dogs, so they get lots of care, walks, play time outside and inside plus well fed.  I am so lucky to have this extra help. The dogs still prefer the other two ladies, since they know them both from years past. But the dogs are learning to accept me too.

A few days ago I was upset that I had run into some mean people.  I had tried to put that behind me. Amazing that now, just the opposite was happening.

I had met awesome angels!

Goofiness

Woke up alive.
Little time to write.
Moving again on a moment's notice.
Hurricane Irma may seem like yesterday's news, but dang it I am still dealing with the aftermath.
Been trying to get the park to remove the big dead tree limbs dangling precariously above me.
Hard to sleep at night.
Every little roof noise wakes me up.
I ran from hurricane Irma and stayed gone almost a month. Even checked with the park manager before I returned and was told my lot had been cleaned up and was ready to be occupied.
I arrived dead tired, with both doggy and I very sick and discovered  dead tree limbs just dangling there above my RV, way out of my reach. 
Yesterday, through a fluke of good luck and those angels always looking out for me, I managed to snag the tree trimmer truck and the manager simultaneously.
AH HA!
Of course I was in my sleep shirt which thankfully had no embarrassing stains, rips or tears but my hair looked like serious bed head,  not at all in a Hollywood way either.
Normally I wouldn't venture outside to engage in conversation looking like a wreck, but I was desperate to get these dead limbs out of my way.

They said they couldn't reach my trees so it would be postponed until spring.
Spring?
I said well how about I move out now and then your tree trimmer truck can move right in.
Somehow it had not occurred to them that I was mobile.
Or maybe they wanted another excuse to skip me and my lot?
Who knows?
Before the manager could deny this wonderful suggestion, the tree trimmer guy jumped in and said that would be awesome!
I started packing up right away.
Every bone in my body ached, I surely needed rest, I'd had so little sleep, but here I was in my sleep shirt packing up to move during the heat wave. 
I wanted those big dead branches  gone before they killed my roof or me or my dog or all of the above resting below.
Forget the coffee, just push myself as fast and  hard as I could.
Take down the awning.
It's a cantankerous piece of cow poop. It's been damaged by storms repeatedly since last summer.
However, it's mostly functional with a great deal of effort, mutterings and I smile at it.The smiling keeps me from saying those unprintable expletives.

The awning is on The To Do List.
List is long, wallet is short. 
Note to self: get longer wallet!

Meanwhile back to moving.
AGAIN.
Clear my lot completely so the tree trimmer truck can get into the back of it where the trees are.
Move the picnic table.
This is clearly a two person job, but there was just no one around to help. The manager and tree trimmer had sped off in their golf cart.
So I had to inch it around between grunts and groans and prayers.
AND SMILING.

Next hide my bicycle where falling limbs couldn't get it when the tree truck started work.
Pack away my current work.
Put away works-in-progress.
Stash everything laying around the inside of the rig getting ready for travel.

Take today's list of things to do and toss that out the window.

Unhook all the umbilical cords. 
Feed the unhappy doggy.
He was whimpering and crying. 
Apparently he is tired of traveling.

Move the outdoor chairs.
Move the other outdoor table.
Move the umbrellas and heavy stand.
Find places for everything to go to avoid the dead limbs the tree trimmer will be tossing down while  cutting.
I was sore from head to toe, breathless, thirsty and just pushing myself as hard as I could.
Suddenly the tree truck drove by and I hustled to go flag him down.
Sweat running down my face, my shirt one big gooey stinky wet mess.
"Please, I am just 30 seconds from driving away, I just need to unplug the electric and jump in the drivers seat!"
He backed up the truck to let me out.
I drove to an empty spot in the park to rest a few minutes and put on some day clothes.
Then I walked the doggy back to the  lot, he still needed some poop time. Might as well go take a look-see.
It's a good thing I had done all that work, because the tree trimmer had quite the time getting his bucket truck on the very back of the lot, then weaving his bucket up through the tall tree canopy to start chain-sawing away.
No matter which way he turned his bucket he was bumping another heavy tree branch.
Apparently the manager had told him "dead stuff only, leave the rest."

Back at my rig, I tried to think if I had any errands to run.
My brain was so tired, my body was exhausted, but make hay while the sun shines!
I knew there was something critical.
Now what was it?
Something that needed repairing.
Well, I could think of several dozen repairs I needed, but what was that critical one that involved my safety besides the trees?

Oh yeah.
The windshield wiper blades were murdered by the suicidal black bugs that attacked us more than once a few weeks ago.
If it rained again while driving, I would never be able to see, so this was  an urgent problem.
I drove to a discount auto store to buy cheap blades.
Of course they were out of cheap blades, but they do include free installation which is nice because I can't quite reach them myself. My step ladder was back at the lot. I bought the next set up from the cheap out of stock ones.

The youngster installing them didn't understand how hard he had to push to get them on.
He did understand how to break the old windshield wipers while removing them the wrong way.
Trying to put the new ones on he kept saying things to avoid work.

"This must be special RV stuff."
"The holes are too tiny."
"Well, I can't get these blades on."
"You have to go to an RV shop. "
I was trying to answer him.
"My mini motorhome has a standard Ford van E-350 front. Nothing special about my wiper blades.
Please don't tell me you can't find a wiper blade to fit a Ford? In America? What is the world coming to?"
"You said your computer claimed to have them in stock in five assorted price ranges that all fit this make and model. "

I assured him I had bought windshield wiper blades from his store before (same franchise, different town) and they always just popped right on.
I asked him if he had a big step stool or step ladder, I could just climb up there and put them on myself. He had already broken the old ones before I could stop him. Although they were pretty useless, seems like it would be easier to remove them the correct way than to just bust them off.

Seems if he was strong enough to bust off the old ones, he should be strong enough to install the new ones. Why this 45 minutes of farting around? It was comical. Hadn't his boss noticed the kid hadn't come back to work lately?

I ended up describing to him how to push HARD to get the blades on and through that hole he claimed was too small.

SNAP! Blades went on.  Then there was the buckle type thing, he was about to leave dangling when I began telling him how to put that on. He was sure I was wrong. Wiper blades just have a dangling buckle. I picked up the box laying in the parking lot. Here you go,  there are instructions on the box. He didn't want to read them, but he did finally finish with the buckle on the blades.

I thanked him.

(Seems like he should have thanked me.)

Why are they sending this youngster out to install wiper blades if he doesn't know how to do it?

Were they waiting for a customer to show up and train him?

They must have a mountain of profit builtin to those wiper blades if they can have an employee spend 45 minutes installing one pair. 

Life is goof.

PHEW

I am trying to  be grateful and cheerful.

It's hard work!

Oh so tired.

Every day has to be my best day.

I never know when it will be my last.

And I want my last to be my best.

Angels keep me down to earth. 

THANK YOU

 

Mercy Murse

Yesterday I had to pedal my bicycle to the store for an emergency purchase. I grabbed a tiny utilitarian bag, that has multiple pockets, stuck two folded twenties in it and headed for the store. That same little bag is often used for dog walking because most of my clothes  have no pockets for poop bags or house key.

In the store, my purchase came to $20.38

I unzipped the bag shaking it upside down on the counter to see if any spare change fell out. What tumbled out of my bag was the two folded twenties and a dog treat which bounced over the glass covered counter landing neatly right in front of the cashier. 


Embarrassed I said "Oh, I'm sorry I seem to have no change, but I do have a very nice dog treat!"

She laughed but I guess it wasn't funny enough for 38 cents.

Counting my change out loud she rambled "Ten, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen dollars and twenty-five, fifty, sixty, sixty-one, sixty-two cents plus one dog treat!" She tossed it on top of the change, handing it all to me with a smile and a  "Thank you for shopping."

Today's TRIVIA:
Technically my tiny bag made of canvas is called a MOLLE which is an acronym for Modular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment.
It is also known as an EDC which is Every Day Carry.
It doubles as a good MURSE (Male-Purse or Man-Purse).

If you are stumped for a gift for the love of your life who seemingly has everything, try getting them a MOLLE. 

Some come with an HC built in  otherwise known as a place to stash your water bottle (Hydration Carrier).

Gulp

I am busy dealing with another semi-emergency when I opened my computer for a few minutes and saw this weather report.

*GULP*

It looks like a cowboy boot kicking the islands or an ankle bootie taking aim at the southeast.

Now I am dead tired, but pushing myself to get my rig ready to run again. When it comes to hurricanes I might have PTSD.

I've been displaced from  hurricanes in 4 different countries. My life is tale of many start overs. Maybe it's why I have so few possessions now. Yet I feel so rich because I woke up alive in this old wheel estate which is fighting me for my wallet and sanity.

Lately we've had the attack of fire ants, vicious fleas, mosquitoes and  black bugs.

Oh did I tell you the straps on my poop tank broke loose? Sheesh. It almost left the rig while I was bouncing down the highway.

Never a dull moment.

Seeing this mess head for the Leeward Islands  tears me apart. My friends there are suffering mightily as it is from both hurricane Irma and Maria. I am sure many are freaking out every time the wind picks up.

Today the wind was blustery here. I found myself a wee bit nervous. It took me back down memory lane to other hurricanes in far flung ports.  More on that later.

Life is goof.

Wiggle Giggle

Travels with Harley

If you need a good laugh, see what I go through trying to get the dog ready for a walk.

Harley is 8 years old but he thinks he is a puppy OR a 100 pound Rottweiler. It just depends on the situation.

Such delusions of grandeur.

We can learn a lot from a dog.

In the video, Harley is in wiggle giggle puppy mode. It's short.

Video Link:
https://youtu.be/phrFVs9DIaM

Many many thanks to all the wonderful readers and angels who have left super useful comments here. So many that are so helpful while others make me blush.

I had no idea I was missed when hurricane Irma left me semi-stranded in the mountains without any communications or utilities. I had evacuated from Florida in order to hopefully escape. What a bizarre ordeal that turned out to be. I am still recovering from the mess.

So many angels took time to email or post a comment or call. Ironically my voice mail box  was being reported as  full, and I had no idea, because the cell phone stopped working.  The comments posted here were backed up waiting for approval.

It was an eerie feeling, wondering what happened to the rest of the world, yet having no idea that so many had noticed I was missing in action.

Thank you! You made me feel wonderful. I am so humbled and so lucky to have angels in my life on earth that help watch over this fool and her monkey dog.

I woke up alive, so it's all good. Another miracle.

THANK YOU.  

Sweaty Birds

Heat wave here, but we are outside cause inside is so tiny, it is driving me a wee bit batty. I keep putting water on my face. The old beat up trusty rusty fan is 3 feet away blowing me cool. 

Birds are making a ruckus.  I guess they have come back. They all flew away with the hurricane. 

Today is first day I have heard them. 

Used and Salvage RV Parts Florida

I was doing research to find used and salvage RV parts. 
Here is what I found for Florida:

Amazon Used and New RV Parts (delivered)

ARS RV Svc. & Salvage Orange Blossom Trail at East Martin Street, Kissimmee, FL
1-407-846-4916 RV Service & Salvage location

Bob’s Used RV Parts RT 2 BOX 1145 High Springs, FL 32643
1-386-454 5733 Wide selection of used RV parts, we buy wrecked RVs.

Brandon Auto Salvage, 3159 State Road 60 E Balrico FL
1-800-282-7462 RV parts for all types of RV’s

Bryant RV Service 2819 West State Road 44 DeLand, FL 32720
RV appliance manuals on-line.

Conibear RV Center. 11636 N. US 98, Lakeland, FL 33809
1-800-981-2787 Inventory of some original Avco motorcoach parts. Also, good supply of other hard-to-find parts.

Creative Coach. 8250 State Road 33N, Lakeland FL 33809
1-888-234-3439, or 1-863-984-3439; FAX: 1-863-984-1876 Custom painting, graphics, special effects. Specializing in Prevost, Bluebird, Newell, Country Coach,
Monaco, Holiday Rambler, Beaver, Safari and Fleetwood products. New and used parts.

Discount Aluminum 1461 Seminola Blvd. Casselberry, FL
1-407-695-2555 Supplier of ALUMINUM SIDING

Dixie trailer supply/rv parts/service 4135 N. Dixie Highway Fort Lauderdale, FL 33334 1-305-565-9210 In business more than 27 years. New and hard-to-find trailer and RV parts.

Giant Recreation World. 13906 W. Colonial Drive, Winter Garden, FL 34787;
1-800-654-8475, FAX 1-407-573-6434. Hundreds of appliance manuals and service prints available.

Holiday RV Super Stores Inc. - Orlando, FL
1-407-351-3096 Specializing in vintage Airstream and Holiday Rambler parts.

Holiday RV Super Stores Inc. Tampa, FL
1-813-622-8777 Specializing in vintage Airstream and Holiday Rambler parts.

Holiday RV Super Stores Inc. - N. Ft. Myers, FL
1-941-731-2266 Specializing in vintage Airstream and Holiday Rambler parts.

Holiday RV Super Stores Inc. - Orlando, FL
1-407-363-9211 Specializing in vintage Airstream and Holiday Rambler parts.

Lairson Enterprises 10812 66 North , Pinnelas Park, FL 33782
1-727-541 1809 All kinds of Surplus RV parts from Appliances to Running Gear.

PALM TRUCK  RV CENTERS 2441 State Road 7 (441), Fort Lauderdale, FL 33317;
1-954-584-3200; fax: 1-954-584-3228
Very extensive inventory of RV parts for nearly all makes and models.

RV Dealer Parts Surplus P.O. BOX 512307, PUNTA GORDA, FL 33951
1-941-764-0879 RV Dealer Parts Surplus Online Parts and Accessories

RV Renovators, Pinellas Park, FL – Dean and Pam --
1-727-521-1161 Repairs on older RV’s as well as newer ones.

Skycraft Parts & Surplus PO Box 536186 Orlando, FL 32853-6186
1-407-628-5364 Specializes in surplus electronics and wiring.

Toms R.V. Parts and Clearance (813) 661-4421 1005 West U.S. Hwy.92, Suite A, Seffner, FL 33584

Window Components Manufacturing Inc. 8076 N.W. 74th Avenue Medley, FL 33166
1-800-382-9541, Manuals, etc., Call for information.

Over the years I've discovered Amazon has become hotly competitive in sourcing RV parts. For me, having the right part delivered to my door has saved me from driving all over creation looking for a specific part. But whenever I can find used parts, I am happy to enjoy further savings.

Buggered!

I've heard of this before but never had it happen to me until the day I decided to evacuate from hurricane Irma.

The attack of the bugs!

The picture didn't capture how awful the situation looked. All those black blobs are bug clusters. The windshield looks dirty, but close up these are black opaque bugs stuck all over the windshield.

I could barely see out of my windshield. I couldn't pull over, I had to keep going, going, going. I was traversing country roads, but I had just  crossed over an interstate that was parked with bumper to bumper cars in Georgia. I had no news, while driving, but when I parked that night I found out Savannah was evacuating and I was a scant 75 miles west after driving northward out of Florida all day long until it was too dark and I was too tired. Of course I was intermittently stuck in traffic, even on country roads. Once I crossed out of Florida into Georgia, I had to start looking for gas. RV's are thirsty beasts.

Stopping for gas, I was lucky to get in pretty quickly to a pump, but a pickup truck towing a long large travel trailer pulled into the station in a panic, and he blocked up the gas station traffic something awful. He didn't want to wait his turn and this caused a big mess that took a long time to clear. No one could exit or enter thanks to his fiasco. Ironically I was second in line to exit when he whipped into the station, not waiting his turn nearly colliding with the car in front of me.

The car in front hit the brakes hard then eventually managed to very slowly pull out past the travel trailer and into the highway. That left me about an inch to clear the travel trailer on one side and a sturdy unyielding sign post on the other side. The trailer was at a bizarre angle blocking all of the entrance lane and half of the exit lane. I didn't think I could exit, but I moved my rig at a snail's pace expecting to hit either the post or the travel trailer. That is after getting out of my rig to fold in my mirrors. My mirrors are manual and I can't reach either one without exiting the rig. A serious design flaw. Well, I can reach the driver mirror, if I unhook my seat belt, roll the window down and hang over the edge of the window half way out the window. My feet can't reach the pedals this way, so I have to be parked.

Once my mirrors cleared the trailer and sign post, I had to get out of  my rig again to fix them back to where they were useful because my next maneuver would land me on the crowded highway with no time to stop and fiddle with the mirrors. That is if I could make the sharp turn using half a lane.

If the pickup truck would move 6 inches, it would be heavenly, but he had strangely exited his truck in spite of all the chaos he had created. Maybe he ran off to go hide? I don't know, but his impatience really snarled things up as cars behind him on the highway couldn't turn into the station and cars behind me couldn't get around either of us to exit the station.

Amazing. All was working smoothly then this guy has to clog up the system in the worst way.

I didn't want to bang up my rig or bang up his trailer. But my mind thought up very naughty things,  like accidentally beating on his trailer with a hammer as I inched past it. I did not do this,  and told myself BAD GIRL for thinking up such foolishness! But actually I didn't think of it on my own.

I was reminded of a story someone once told me about parking their little car neatly between the lines when suddenly a towering SUV whipped into the spot next to them, hogging over the line into their space in such a way they couldn't get their door open enough to get out. The SUV driver took off walking for the store ignoring their pleas for help. The person trapped told me they happened to have their tool box sitting in the passenger seat so they reached out the window and banged on the SUV with a hefty hammer until they had made a big ugly dent down the side of it just enough so they could open their door and squeeze out. Holy cow! That is wicked indeed.

I did manage to exit the gas station without hitting the trailer or the big hefty sign post. Then I hit the attack of the bugs! Bugs bugs bugs just slammed into me committing suicide all over my windshield, my bumper, my grill, my overhead overhang. At a four way stop in the country, I glanced to my right and there was a dark black shadow. It was this massive swarm of bugs. I wanted to snap a picture but cars were waiting for me to take my turn and go, so I drove away.

When I did finally park for the evening, I was exhausted and it was too dark to do anything about them.  Next I learned about a change in course in Irma. I had to get up at sunrise to travel again. I snapped this picture of the bugs before I cleaned the windshield. There wasn't time to clean the rest of the bugs off the rig.

I scrubbed the windshield as best I could with plain vinegar, and a half hour later, there will still bug residue on the windshield, but I could see better. It was time to make tracks fast. It's difficult for me to reach the windshield, but I did have a window scrubby with a short handle.

My first stop, my chosen hidy hole, wasn't going to work out after all. It's a good thing I got up and left, I learned later a tree fell right where I was parked, plus power and water was knocked out.

Clean Up The Mess

I am trying very hard today not to be a fool.

Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain and most fools do.

- Benjamin Franklin

Amazon has reduced the cost of my book

to $13.61

Hurricanes and Hangovers 

And other tall tales and loose lies from the coconut telegraph 

Not sure how long this price decrease will last, 

I have no control over it.

Primrose Polish Repair

When my 19 year old air conditioner died in September  2013 it was of course 99 effing degrees. In October I managed to replace it with a heat pump so it would not only cool the RV but heat it up in the winter too.

Like many caravans, mine is installed on the ceiling. If I stand on my tiptoes I can reach the knobs. They had a teeny tiny itty bitty white pinhead sized dot on them to indicate what it was pointing to. Numerous times I have misunderstood which way the flat knob was pointing.

For instance I was having a raw fever that would burn me up then later I would be shivering with chills. One morning I turned off the AC opened all the windows to get fresh air then walked the doggy because he has to go do his business no matter how rotten I may feel.

I came home burning up. Closing the windows I thought I had set the teeny tiny dot on the overhead unit to maximum cool. I laid back down in bed with rivers of sweat pouring off me. As time tick tocked I laid there getting hotter and hotter. I thought oh dear me, this is pretty dreadful.
Maybe I need help. Maybe this fever is worse than I thought.  Stumbling to the galley for water, I double checked the AC with a magnifying glass. I had the tiny dot pointing to the low heat which is directly opposite the high cool function.

That minuscule dot had fooled me again. I was relieved to reset the unit to high cool.

Recently in a fit of sweaty exasperated anger at performing this gaff again, I began looking for a solution. I tossed it around in my brain over and over, tiny dot that requires magnifying glass to even see was tricking my mind. I was setting the flat knob sometimes correctly and sometimes misunderstanding which end that tiny dot was on, I was setting it 180 degrees wrong.

Nail polish to the rescue! I had some cheap iridescent pink nail polish in my drawer. I painted a thin coat on the knobs. Then every half hour or so I added another thin coat. As a bonus, even in low lighting the iridescent color would catch the light and bounce. It's super easy to see it at night.

Now I have no trouble at all correctly setting my AC or HEAT. I don't need to flail around for a magnifying glass to see the tiny pinhead dot the manufacturer included. My finger nail polish shows up beautifully.

It's a shame I didn't have screaming red on hand, but what the heck, primrose got the job done.

These days and times it seems attention to detail is of no concern to many manufacturers. You can see in this picture that my left knob appears to be way off center for the hole cut for it. That's how they made it. Off center, yet the right hand knob is a little closer to being centered.

While the Fan and Heat function offer Low and High fan setting, curiously the Cool function offers Med and High. But it's really the same Low and High.

By the way, if  you are an RV-er and currently only have the AC option in your RV, it's very often possible to add a Heat Strip Kit without buying a new unit.

The heat strip kit will add electric heat to your current AC unit. Prices are from $36 and up. If you are handy, you can install it yourself with the included directions.

At the time I was getting my unit, I asked for an AC with a heat strip kit added. The installer claimed if I went with a heat pump instead of the kit, my electric bills would be lower. Whether he was right or wrong, I have no idea.

Recently while in the mountains hiding from hurricane Irma temperatures plummeted to below 50F degrees. I used the heat one night to take the chill out of the air before going to bed. Then the outer bands of Irma hit us bringing heavy rains. Trees fell knocking out the power. 

Life is goof. 

Override Avoidance

This is my GPS.

Now I'm confused.

Nothing in the manual about this.

Area C?
Area Sea?
Yes, avoid driving through water. This is land yacht not water yacht.

Override avoidance?

Area C?
Area City?
Override avoidance of area City?

My destination is coming up on the left. There is a left turn lane to go there. My GPS tells me to go 1.2 miles more, make a U-turn then come back 1.2 miles and make a right turn. Has my GPS bought stock in the gas station? That's 2.4 miles extra. I never told it to avoid left turns.

Matter of fact, it does like left turns. 

I cam off the interstate and I thought from looking at google maps earlier in the day on the computer that my destination would be a right turn followed by another right turn (coming off the interstate ramp.) Two right and I am there.

Right? No wrong.

As I drove up the ramp, GPS told me to turn left. So I thought hmm, google is wrong (again. )

I turned left followed by more curious directions  that took me across the bridge across the interstate followed by 2 more traffic lights, then it told me to turn left, then another left, followed by another left (touring suburbia now)   then a right, taking me through the 2 turn signals,  back across the bridge I just traversed, then it told me turn right to get to my destination.

Two rights would have got me there to start with. 

Do two rights make a wrong?

I feel like a fool that I paid Garmin $50 to update the GPS plus had to buy a $20 micro card because it said if I didn't it couldn't update my maps. It told m that after I had spent the $50. Like they couldn't have mentioned that before hand? I didn't have a spare card at the time, had to mail order one, wait 3 days, then load in the card and start with the update again.

My prior GPS came with lifetime updates. I updated it 3 times because it kept getting lost unable to find the places I told it to. Usually it would bring me within a mile or two then I could hunt around, other times it refused to recognize the address unless I changed the town to a narby town and that meant getting out a a paper map and doing exotic guesswork. Anyhow, I went to update it a 4th time and it said my lifetime was up.

But I woke up alive!

I think. 

Let me pinch myself. Yep, I felt that.