Not Only Has It Rained, It's Been Pouring

Rain is more than just the physical amount of water. The rain I am currently referring to is the deluge of repairs that have happened all at once.





First the van I tow my vintage travel trailer with got stuck with the shift lever not working...at a gas pump while towing the Amerigo. A knight in a dirty work uniform arrived in a tow truck. He disassembled my steering column and did everything he could to get the shifter unstuck. No Success at all. After telling me it was the shifter cable, I asked him to disconnect the cable from the thingamajiggie that it attaches to and to show me where it was. I had a previous vehicle that was on it's last legs and when the shifter cable went, i simply shifted it by hand under the hood.

Three gruesome rainy days of having to get under the van and shift it by hand to start the vehicle and then move forward were not a lot of fun. and they were rainy days.

The good news was that it wasn't the shifter cable, it was merely the brake safety switch. That repair and the gas to get to the mechanic were under $100.

At the mechanic's shop, my travel trailer tire went flat. I carry a small cigarette lighter socket powered compressor. It comes in very handy since I like to camp all by myself in the woods. The tire was aired up and it had a leaky valve stem. I barely made it back to my parking spot 30 miles away.

The darn tire went dead flat. To make matters even worse, I was tired, hot, and dusty when I pulled in so instead of backing in, I just pulled in forward.

The compressor cord wasn't long enough to reach the tire.

It has been a comedy of errors or what not to do when parking.

I had to move a vehicle and work around a big tree right next to me on one side of the van and a stand of cedar trees with a fence on the other side. It took lots of moving back and forth and getting out to look to get the van out from in front of the trailer.

The tire was still flat, flatter than a pancake with no baking powder in it.

 A big thunderstorm was coming in, and the vent cover to the top vent in the trailer was missing from the previous owner. The makeshift temporary cover on it blew off on the highway. Oh and I am a very petite woman without a lot of physical strength since I live with Multiple Sclerosis. Where there is a will ( and the thought of how much repair would be needed if the torrential rain got in the trailer), I thought quickly.

Like any person who has a camper or tent, I have a heavy duty tarp, a very useful item. Simple solution, throw a tarp over the back part of the trailer. Simple solution if you are not a really short woman, have no ladder, and no way to get on top of the trailer safely. I threw a heavy rope over the trailer. It took three tries. I tied the rope through the corner ring on the tarp. I almost wish someone had had the smartphone handy and videoed the comedy of errors.  The tarp is heavy, very very heavy. It took a lot to pull the tarp over the trailer. I used a second rope to secure the back of the tarp.

I had checked the weather forecast and it was for severe thunderstorms with gusts of wind and the possibility of damaging hail. As you can see the trend of my day, I am sure you will laugh at what happened next. A strong gust of wind caught the tarp before I could secure it and lifted it almost all the way off the trailer. I muttered a few choice words and got it back on top of the trailer, tied it to the tongue in front and the frame in back.

The next day brought even more fun (not really). The turn signals and hazard flashers in the van stopped working. I was finally able to get the relay switch and install it. It doesn't work. As I went to go to the store last night, my headlights wouldn't work. I used the brights, went just to the store and back.

I now have a extension for the lighter socket power plug. That was actually not a very expensive thing. It was about $12 at the auto parts store.

Tomorrow I will deal with inflating the tire. Today was just too much running around to try to resolve things. I am going to take each one of the fuses out, check it, and replace any blown fuses.

I have scheduled an appointment with my trusty mechanic to do the brakes next weekend.

I won't be doing a lot of traveling this month. Gas on top of these repairs is just not happening.
Used vehicles and Vintage Trailers always need some repairs. Just not usually all in the same month.

I am hoping to get the propane tank this month and finally use my stove/oven and light my Humphrey's light. I can manage without the running water until next month.

So.... I am curled up in YEP, another rainy night, in my trailer. I am very tired and I will probably sleep like a baby. Since the tarp held well in the thunderstorm and gusting winds last night, I am not worried about the gentle rain tonight.

Off to bed I go, aren't you glad you didn't have my day?

At the top of the blog is a donate button through PayPal. You don't need a paypal account, any regular credit or debit card will work. Please Please Please, put what ever amount you can help with to defray the costs of all these darn repairs.

Keep your dreams alive, and hang in during the tough times. My worst day in my travel trailer has still been better than many days in a apartment.

Rain, Rain, And More Rain

I sit in my trailer in yet another day of pouring rains. This is a good time to do some work in the trailer and van.

I started at the front of the trailer and I am working my way to the back. I left out of my last parking spot very quickly and I didn't have time to stow things the way I normally do. I also need to do some spring cleaning after being in the trailer all winter.

Mona and Bear are in their preferred serious napping positions and places, curled up on the front seat of the trailer snuggled in the sleeping bags.

I have cleaned off the stove top and cleaned out the oven. I am planned on testing and lighting the propane so that I would have a working inside stove for the first time since I purchased the trailer. The refrigerator that was originally in the trailer stopped working (as many propane/electric ones do after time), and it was replaced with a small dorm sized electric fridge. I was concerned that the propane line was capped off correctly. After a conversation with the older gentleman who owned the trailer (just previous to the person I bought it from), I am now comfortable that it was correctly capped off.

As usual, life tends to throw me some curve balls and often plans are a good idea, but the time frame just doesn't seem to go the way I plan it. However, I am making progress toward getting all systems working on the trailer.

Propane lines are a very serious issue in trailers and a propane leak can explode the entire unit if not correctly dealt with. Propane is heavier than air, so any time you have a suspected propane leak, shut off all propane, open doors and windows, and air the vehicle out for about two hours.

I wintered in this trailer, and as harsh as the winter was, I was unwilling to risk a propane leak. Before I turn on the propane and light the pilot lights on the stove, I will go through and check every propane appliance and make sure all units have the propane turned off to them. Later today or tomorrow, I anticipate having the stove and oven lit for the first time since I have owned the trailer.

i am "work camping" in a sense. I did 4 hours labor today to pay for my spot of parking with electric hookup. i cleaned house and took out 6 bags of trash, did kitchen and dishes in spite of the person's sink not draining at all and no running hot water. So.... I heated up big pots of boiling hot water, poured them in very big bowls with dish soap and started washing dishes. a large soup pot was the rinsing sink. All dishes rinsed and put in the pretty clean kitchen. The floor still needs mopped, the counters need another wipe down, but it is so much better than when I walked into it.

Now to heat up a couple of pots of hot water, enjoy a good shower and wash my hair. Add some clean clothes and I will be ready to relax, make a sandwich, and watch some Netflix.

I have just set up an appointment on the first with a reputable mechanic. I will get as much as I can afford to get fixed on the tow vehicle. There is a donate button on top of this blog. Please feel free to put as little or as much as you can to help me fix my tow vehicle and keep my dream alive of traveling and writing.

In July, I hope to be able to resume taking breathtaking photos of nature to add to my blogs.

See you around on the next blog. May your dreams stay alive.

It Has Been Some Time Since I Was Able to Blog.

It's been a while since I was able to blog. I had an online stalker and I had to shut down everything while that situation was resolved.

************The Trailer*******************************

The trailer is no longer up north in Michigan. I had to refugee out due to heavy flooding on the Muskegon River. I was able to park it in Grand Rapids in a driveway but that situation has deteriorated and I need to move it out of here.

Ducky, the trailer, is going to undergo not only renovations but she is going to get a new paint job and interior decoration scheme. I am going to be redoing her in Native American themed items. My dad has already given me some dream-catchers, and I have many items of Native American stuff on hand already.

Now, to figure out Ducky's new name since it will no longer be Duck Dynasty Glam.

************Books******************

 Owen's Daughter by Jo-Ann Mapson

see http://www.joannmapson.com/books.html for more details
purchase at http://www.amazon.com/Owens-Daughter-Novel-Jo-Ann-Mapson/dp/1620401479reviews: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20889468-owen-s-daughter 

My books : Joann Mapson Collection

Fabulous author Joann Mapson

Jo-Ann Mapson's facebook profile,

who has a new book out "Owen's Daughter" 

I was so touched. Jo-Ann regularly purchases her books when she sees them in second hand stores and donates them to women in prisons and halfway houses. She is very passionate about literacy and does this in a very quiet manner. She is also one of the nicest people I have ever met online.
Not only does she write amazingly good books, but she is a real down to earth nice person. I'd like to see people not only buy her books, but maybe send the money for an extra one for Joann to give away. You have no idea how much the generous gift of her books sent to me uplifted me on a grey winter day.
I'd love to see people buy an extra book of hers for her to give away. I've been trying to read but have been really busy. I like what I have read of her books so far. I highly recommend them.

*******trailer renovations and repairs********************

the trailer is in need of parts for the water system, the propane tanks and regulator needs replaced due to age and corrosion, and the electrical needs to be completely gone over. It's a work in progress and any donations would be gratefully accepted.

I should be back blogging regularly now so look forward to seeing you in  my blogs.

Coming soon:
I have now figured out how to add people to the email list to email the blog out. please drop me a message if you would like me to add you to the email list. please be patient as i am new at this.