The Real Day 11

I'm a bad doggy mom. I totally forgot today to look for a floatable toy for Doc. (Moss needs something throwable so he got the tennis ball.) I improvised with a water bottle and an old hand knit wool sock that was beyond repair and some sturdy cord. Doc loved it. No sense of pride in that dog. He would shake it and carry it around.
I do my best....

Day 10 - The Tennis Ball Tragedy

Now that Moss has taken up swimming, (and Doc is wading) we needed some floatable toys. We had a couple of tennis balls and, to our delight, they floated fine.

I did realize today that one was floating lower in the water than the other one. Someone had smooched in his jaws and split it. It still worked so we got it a good round of water fetch. (Moss swims like a Lab, except for the narrow pointy head.)

The last toss was for Doc (who wasn't paying attention anyway) and to my horror, the split tennis ball sank like a stone, with only bubbles to mark its descent. Looks like my mission tomorrow is to find another floatable toy. Hope I can find some training bumpers.

Day 9 - Ice Goes in Drinks

It's not a surprise that it's warm down here in Texas, but it was getting pretty warm in the camper too. I thought the air conditioner filter might need cleaning (I do it regularly) but this is what I found when I took the filter out! This is ICE! My bad. I had cranked the ac up too far. It just can't handle it. I thawed it out and turned it down and it spit ice at me. Running ok now. Could be cooler......

Day 8 - A Strange Morning

 

I woke up at 5am and could not go back to sleep. I usually sleep to 7 but I gave it up after a while and got up. I started in on working on the Genealogy Trails pages that I had volunteered to maintain. Before I knew it, it was 8:30 and time to take the dogs for a game of frisbee. 

The plan for the day was to take the van for inspection, but when I got home I was so tired I was dizzy so I lay down and immediately fell asleep. I woke up again at 11 and decided to run down to the inspection place and give it a go anyway. I only had 4 days to get this done. 

I gave the new power alarm a test run. This little device will sound an alarm if the power goes off as it did a couple of weeks ago. The cord is long enough so that I can set it on the front steps when I leave.  I had introduced it to my neighbors so they'd know what it was for. Yesterday, with the power on, with an air conditioner running and two fans, the back end of the trailer was 102 degrees. Without the ac and fans running, the dogs would not survive. 

The inspection place said they were running behind since they only had one machine working. Seemed pretty fast to me. The BEST part is that the van passed. Then I made a quick stop for food and was home by 12.  And it's already getting hot.

Day 7 - Hot Water

This worked great yesterday. I could take a shower without having to heat up the camper. I've been heating bath water on the stove, but why not get it for free?
Of course, today is partly cloudy, but I don't need super hot water, warm is good enough.
It was so muggy this morning I could hardly take a picture. The camera lens kept fogging up.

7/31/14 Update: Today was cloudy but since I was out of propane, I decided to put the water out anyway. Even if it stayed at the air temperature, it would be better than bathing with cold water from the hose and underground. It worked great! Perfect shower.

Day 6 - Happy Birthday to Me

I don't generally pay too much attention to my birthdays. In some societies, birthdays are ignored. It's only the history of the clan, or tribe or country that is remembered. My obsession with genealogy would seem strange to them.
But sometimes it's good to stop and take stock of where you are in your journey.
I've been back in Texas for just over two years now. I'm still in the RV park in my ancient trailer. It's miserable on hot days but I celebrate the winters while folks up north struggle with snow and cold.
Most of my days are spent in front of the computer (and the AC). Sometimes it's just too hot to stand up.

I miss my friends. I've made a couple of new friends here but don't get to go anywhere much since I'm afraid to leave the dogs in the camper on hot days. (Power has gone off on occasion, therefore, no ac or fans, and it's like sitting in a hot car in the sun. The dogs would not survive.)

I do get to visit my dad now and then when I can arrange to leave the dogs with one of my friends. It has been great for us to get to know each other again.

I've been practicing my music and am making progress. I can play much better than when I started. I even took a solo on my ukulele last week. 

Although I would love to change my living situation, I try to focus on my blessings. I have a roof over my head (which has just about stopped leaking), I have a bed to to sleep in. I have money to buy food for the dogs. I have a good car to drive (thanks to one of those good friends) I have music to play and instruments to play them on. And I've found my spiritual path after a lifetime of searching. All of that makes me very happy.

Day 5 of My Life - Home Again

Back home to the pod. I dread the old-camper smell and the few bold cockroaches. I did put out bait for them so there aren't many, but the ones that are around are really obnoxious.
I was met by the park owner complaining about the untrimmed grass. I got right on it.
But it's a roof over my head and a bed to sleep in.


(Believe it or not, I just washed this thing. It's just old - like me. It is a 1968 Chateau. Not even made anymore)

Day 4 Time to Start Chores

Day 3 Heading Home

I'm happy that my friends are coming home, but sad to leave my cozy little bunkhouse.

Day 2 - Guard Dog Adopts Housedog Status

Smoky has decided to become a house dog after a lifetime as a livestock guard dog. He forces his way in at night and he's stronger than I am, so in he comes. This makes night-time visits to the loo a bit tricky.

Day One

I'm starting a bit of photo journalism here. I"m farm sitting and this is what happens when you go out to do chores in tall, wet grass. My feet are so wet that they are sliding around my garden clogs.

First Real Try at Solar Cooking

\

I got a whiff of propane this morning. That usually means I'm running out of lp gas. I have wanted to try solar cooking for some time and this might be the perfect time to give it  go.

I never seemed to have the right components together at the same time. I did have a box and some tin foil so I decided to try a simple prototype and see what would happen. I actually put in cooked food to see if it would reheat it. 

I used a cardboard box that I painted black on the outside. Then I realized that almost none of the black was going to be facing the sun. I lined the inside of the box with tin foil and put a scrap of black cloth in the bottom. I didn't have any glass to cover it with so I put the bowl in an oven bag. I put in some rice and sausage and let it heat for about 2 hours. It did work. The bowl was so hot I needed pot holders. The sausage was just right but the rice was just barely warm. Guess I should have stirred it once or twice. 

The box wasn't very large so I could only put a small bowl in it. I'd like to try a larger box and maybe make one out of wood so it wouldn't fall apart if it rains. 

Of course I could pop this in the microwave and have it ready to eat in 2 minutes, and I have a nice crock pot for all day cooking, but the crock pot actually helps heat up the trailer. Solar cooking is done outside, is free and I'm learning something.