Wood Finishing, Drapes, Toilet Cover, Property Taxes

Jay went to Houston for his attorney appointment with his mother, so May and I got our own jobs done. She put last coat of paint on the rails to the little red wagon. Then sanded, stained, and polyed some more wood for the entertainment center. We need more now that we were going to make our own doors.

I had picked up a free pleated light beige skirt at a thrift shop. I knew it would make a good toilet cover for the Merry Miler. The toilet sits at the back of the van, right in the middle of the aisle. Great eyesore !! I sewed it, all the way around at the base of the pleats, so that it would not come apart when I cut it down. Then, I found a matching toilet seat cover, and will sew the rest of the pleated skirt all around it. I have to wash and dry it first, as it had been used as a kitten bed, for my little foster kitties. Then I hemmed the big drapes for the big living room area in the Merry Miler. I would have done the kitchen drapes, too, but we knocked off early as we were going go to the next town.

Today is the last day we can pay our property taxes without a penalty. Good thing I suddenly remembered. So May and I were going to drive all the way to the courthouse, in the next town, to pay hers and mine. I looked at the bill, and it said I could pay it online, so I waited for her to bring her account #, so I could pay them both. But, Some Silly Sod told her NOT to pay it online, as hackers could get the numbers and steal her house. Geez ! He insisted that I go into our local town, get her enough cash, and he would drive her to the court house. By that time I had already paid mine, but she and I went into town, anyway. What ever next ? So that was that half a day.

Fake Drawer front, sanding, painting, med. records

It was chilly today, so we cranked up the heat in the White B. May was in the workshop painting the rails that go on the little red wagon, and gave the oak parts one more coat of poly. She also sanded the wood we are going to use for the styles 0f the entertainment center, and polyed it.



Jay and I made the drawer front from a fake drawer into a little cubby hole. The flash went off so you can't really see it. It was the second drawer front down. The top one IS a drawer, but the other two are not. The water heater is behind it, so we made a shelf, lined it with paneling, so that stuff can't fall down to the floor. The bottom one can still be used for storage, as it opens to the carpeted floor under the stove. We will make these two into 'drop-down' access fronts with some hinges, and magnetic catches. Every little space counts in an RV, especially a small one. We also did a bit more to the 'scoop' for the main cord, and got a vented box built around the converter where all the wires go into it, so the cord can't get wrapped around them and dislodge the connections to the converter, when it is pushed in from the outside. Larger RV's have a dedicated place for the cord, but the smaller ones, often don't.



We knocked off early as we needed to drive into Conroe. Jay had to get copies of his medical records, for his attorney, so we dropped them off and were told they would be ready in an hour. I wanted to see what cabinet doors we could buy at Home Depot. Golly, why do businesses fix what works for the customer !! They don't sell just doors any more. That whole wall where they displayed the different styles of flat packs of cabinets that you put together yourself, IS GONE. We had time to kill waiting for his records, so we went to Lowe's too, as there were other odds and ends that we needed, and I had a coupon. I bought some oak, and we will make our own doors.

The rest of this draft got lost during scheduled Bloggers down time. But it was just rambling about the fact that we hung around Conroe for 2 hours for his medical records, and then found out that the gal who does the records copying was off today !! We even called them after the hour, and just got voice mail to the copy person.
So that was 3/4 of a day.
It won't stay on the font, and color I choose, so that is why it is different today. I can't see a 'save' button, but maybe it is disguised.

Coachmen Class B, Merry Miler, and Wagon

We got started, Jay, May and me. Jay cut down the original base for the front of the white B. We had to put little ledgers on each side, due to the shape of the original van roof, so that it would be level when we put the front trim on.

He also put most of the oak cupholder together, and it is staying clamped up overnight, so no picture yet.

May painted the rails white, that go on the little red wagon, and polyed some more of the oak for the White B. She also got some of the old wallpaper off the inside of the top of the white B, and we will size and wallpaper that tomorrow. We have to do that, before we can build in the cabinet.

May also polyed the woodwork in the back of the Merry Miler that I had touched up with some stain yesterday.

Jay and I rolled out the awning on the Merry Miler to look at it. It was in great shape. Brown and beige stripes, just the right colors to go with the paint. I had considered taking it off there, and installing it on the White B, but the color wouldn't have matched, and I knew I couldn't have opened it by myself. It would mean climbing up and down on step ladders at each end, to get all the arms and legs of the awning co-ordinated. We always liked to just have a dining canopy or screen room that could be left at the campground site anyway, while we went somewhere, to save our site. Nothing very expensive that could "grow legs" !!

Bobcat still won't eat dry food, even though she has four of her favorites laid out. But she is getting better, and will eat her certain brand of Special Diet canned cat food, but not the prescription food.

A trip to Willis to mail an eBay item off, and that was our half a day.

Working on the Merry Miler and the Coachmen B

Well, my gal helper, May, actually came to work the last couple of days, so I had her sanding, staining, and polyurethaning the oak parts that were in the Coachmen. The cupboards and drawers in the kitchen area look so much better. Should have their last coat of poly tomorrow, if she shows up. Then they can go back in there.

We used the wooden cup holder in the Merry Miler as template, and made an oak one for the Coachmen B, and it is about ready, too.

Jay, my guy helper, and I cut down the headliner to the Coachmen to the right depth, and partly re-installed it, yesterday. We can't anchor the front part until we get the base for the front of the entertainment center in place. But we can't make the cab overhead light to work, even when grounded with a screw. Open and closed the driver's door, still won't work. Maybe they sold us the wrong kind of bulb.

We knew that there has to be another 110v. outlet up there in the front, for the entertainment center. So we tapped into one of the outlets that we installed high up for the toaster/convection oven, undid a ledge, and fished the wire up to the front. Even though I plan on installing an inverter there, it should have a 12v outlet there, too. There is a 12v. outlet in the kitchen over the sink, but who wants to cover up their sink with a TV, or risk getting their phone charging cord around the stove ? I do need to find out how many watts the solar charger is.

I put some stain over the scratches in the chest of drawers and walls, in the back of the Merry Miler, so when May, my gal helper, is doing the poly on the oak parts, she can do that, too.

The Merry Miler will be the next of Penny's Follies to get sold, after the Coachmen Class C. It has to go first, as I am having to keep it insured, but I can't drive it, as it hurts my shoulder with the way the stick shift is placed.   The silly sod that won it on eBay never came to get it, or even pay a deposit on it, so it has been re-listed.

Next Sunday, we will see if it sold again. Today, the first day, the bidding went up $2,250 !

The Merry Miler is insured, and is my back-up vehicle. It is another one that I should never have bought. I was so desperate to replace the TranStar with something smaller for a daily driver, but another I-ton with a 460, I didn't need.

I can't drive the street legal old faithful TranStar, as the tires look new, but I bought them 10 years ago. May did get the old masking tape off the TranStar, from when we painted around the windows.

The Coachmen B is all torn apart inside, with bits and pieces that could get lost, so I don't drive it.

Jay laid out the brown/tan rug that he bought at the thrift shop, on two work tables, and steam cleaned it, and we got it hung on the line in the RVport to dry.

So that is another half day.

Working on the Coachmen B

I usually make a paneling area for the cord, but this van had everything in the way of where the cord is supposed to store.

We are trying to make a "scoop" where the main cord for the RV doesn't get tangled up in all the other wires, and plumbing lines under the coach/bed. First we had to tap into one of the lines to add two outlets. One up on the side of the slide-out pantry where I want to put a toaster/convection oven, across from the stove, and one on the side of the couch/bed. It will be a handy place to put a cube heater, in the bathroom area, out of the aisleway. Tested and fine.

We will have to add another outlet for the new entertainment center though.

The upper bed in this B is really in the way, you really have to bend over to get from driver's seat to living area. Who wants to try and get up there anyway ! We took out the two wooden layers of the part that pulls out, and the bottom part of the cabover bed part. But we found that the metal roof of the original van is up there.

I was scared to have my helper do it, but with a sawzall and tin snips he cut out about 11" off the metal roof, keeping the main strut that goes across, intact but movable. See pictures.

We nut and bolted it into the new position, after carefully splicing and shink-wrapping some speaker wires, and a 12v wire. We put a new wooden 2" x 2" bolted across the front to start our construction of the new oak entertainment center up there.

More tomorrow, got to take some measurments and make a template for the design of the entertainment center, but that was enough for today

Merry Miler Chest of Drawers. Bobcat to Vet

This is just a way for me to remember some of the things I do each day.

I had to take "Bobcat", my Manx cat, in to Conroe for her 9.30 vet appointment. He hadn't found anything wrong with her two days previously, for $35.00, but she still wasn't eating. Cats can get "Fatty Liver Disease" if they don't eat for a couple of days.

Jay, my helper, had to go to the Social Security Office so I dropped him off there. The vet took blood and an X-ray, but still didn't have a diagnosis. I am sorry, but I cried out "Bloody He!!", when I got the bill for over $281.00. They still didn't have a diagnosis.

We finally got home, and started work.

Jay, and I cut down a light weight chest of drawers, on top left, that I got at a thrift shop, and made it into nice handy storage unit in already small RV.  We covered the side that is seen, with some fancy paneling that I had.

On the right is the water tank, and we made a 'sight-glass' so one can see how much water is in it. It sits vertically, never seen a tank installed like that before !!

I haven't installed the cover for the center toilet, yet.

I had already washed and fixed the undone hems on the 'see-through' curtains on my sewing machine, and have started on the insulated drapes that go over them.

We got the upper window in the cabover bed covered with an insulating material.

That was it for our half day.