Just More Carpentry, and Sanding.

Another warm morning so we set up outside again. Ray sanding on the front table, and Jay and me working on the back one. The cats were already on the screen porch in the front of the house watching the world go by.


Ray discovered that one of the cabinet doors out of the Little Van was coming unglued, so we had to glue that up, and put it in pipe clamps overnight. See above.


Jay and I worked on the entertainment center for the White Class B. You can see the compound angles we had to make on the "wing" pieces going to the front, as that wall is sloped. At least, this way we weren't building over the window, and it will be a place for the drapes, when they are open, without covering up much window. See left.


One decision that had to be made, which TV are we going to put in there ? We had the choice of either installing an 110v. 20" LCD flat screen TV & DVD, or a 13" 110v./12v. TV/VCR. Both color, with remotes, of course. The flat screen TV mount is metal, and very heavy, and you can't just stick it anywhere, as it has to be bolted on to something solid. The fiberglass roof on the Class B, didn't really give us much option.


We measured, decided, and made the space for the 13" TV. It will fit up there out of the way, and there is plenty of room in that cabinet for the depth of it. The Class B has a solar panel and regulator on it, and so the 12v. part of the TV/VCR would be powered by the batteries, and then the batteries would be charged by the solar panel. If we put the 110v. LCD TV in there, and I couldn't really see how it could be mounted securely, then we would have to install an inverter, so that it could be run off the batteries. I have already applied for my 2 coupons from the Feds, for the new boxes that will be required when TV goes digital, for the RVs. I don't need the coupons for the house, as I am on cable.


We installed the oak panels on each side, and framed up for the TV and the cabinet doors. As the couch/bed is on the driver's side, the TV needed to be on the passenger side. It will be a great storage space for blankets, sheets, pillows, or other light weight stuff. The little triangles on each side, under the side windows, will be good for putting little stuff that needs easy access.


The auto parts for the Little Van came in, so a quick run into town, and get them dropped off to Jim, the mechanic. Then Jim called and said they sent the wrong door switches. Isn't that always the way ?


So that was another productive day.

White B Entertainment Center, and More Sanding.

Not so chilly today, sweater, but no coat ! Jay and I started on the White Class B entertainment center, and had our tools on the back table, plus mitre saw, and table saw, outside. Ray did his sanding for the Little Van on the front table.


With all that sawdust flying, I set a special table up in the workshop for Ray to polyurethane some oak that was urgent, and is needed first. The door and window power switches for the Little Van should be in at the auto parts store today. I knew Jim would want to install the switches in their oak trim on the front doors where they belong, as soon as possible. Plus we needed some angled boards polyed for the White B. Ray got two coats of poly on those parts today.


Jay and I were coping with double compound angles on some of the framework for the entertainment center. We could not cut the roof back any more than we did, due to cab lights, etc., so that meant that the front of the top side windows would be in the way. Now these windows will have drapes, so we are making an angle at each end of the entertainment center to go forward to the front of those windows, and when the drapes are open they will nestle in that little angle. It was those little angle boards that had to be double compound cut to account for the slope of the walls there. Those boards had to be polyed, too, so that we can continue. Once those are screwed in place we can put the uprights in. In between those two uprights will be the measurement that we have left for the entertainment center.


As you can see one front top window is black and one is not, even though they both look black from the outside. So one decision left to be made is, whether to have one cabinet door a with plexiglas insert, or just make it out of oak. I have some etched glass, but I would be scared to use it up there, for safety reasons. At least there will be light in that cabinet during the day, if one is looking for something. We already have the wiring run up there, 110v and 12v. The 110v outlet is installed, but not the 12v. one. It might get installed in the driver's side angled part, outside the cabinet, for easy access.


The cupholder on the dash is the one we made out of a pattern from the one in the Merry Miler. They are both Fords, so it fit quite nicely.


It doesn't look like we got much done this morning, but we got a difficult part out of the way. Tomorrow we can put those parts already cut, and polyed, in place, and the cabinet will start to take shape.


The puppies are starting to look more like little dogs, and their different personalities are showing. One beige girl is a whiner, and wants what she wants, NOW. She took on the MinPin personality. The little beige boy, the smallest of the litter, is quiet and unassuming, and will be a little sweetheart. The black and tan girl, and the larger boy are just rough and tumble puppies. They all love it when I turn them loose in the grooming room, while I tend to their puppy pen. They just scamper around and tug on stuff with their teeth, which is sometimes my jeans !! They are all very sweet, but I will be glad when Monday afternoon rolls around and they leave here. All that bending down to tend to them, isn't that great on my old back.


A productive day.

Cold At First, But Sunny. More skirting.

I knew when I let Bobcat out on her screen porch, before daylight, that it was cold. I left the patio door open enough that she could get back in, while I did other things. I dressed with several layers, as I knew we would be working outside today. I didn't even let the kittens out on the screen porch until about 10.30.

Pictures are of the skirting on the side of the storeroom, and the power couch/bed in the Little Van.

There was one other place, by the steps, that we had to skirt to stop stray cats from getting under the storeroom and guest house.


Yesterday May wanted all her pay for the last 2 days, instead of waiting till the end of the week. Jay wanted to bet me $15 that she wouldn't show up for work today ! I knew she wouldn't either, so no bet. I phoned her three times this morning, and she didn't pick up, so I just went on to get Jay. I did stop and blow the horn at her house, but no May. So that is that. I had given her one more chance, but I know she just got drunk and couldn't get up for work. She always calls and says that she was sick, the day after she has any money. Gee, I am glad money doesn't make me "sick" ! Ray is going to finish the oak.


Jay and I had to make a hinged section in some lattice to get to the side of the steps that needed skirting. We screwed on a piece of treated plywood, on the side of the steps, as that part isn't seen because of the lattice. I have to get under that set of steps, that are 10' wide, as I keep 10' pipe under there, so removing siding would have been awkward. I can get those three screws out of that plywood any time with my screw gun, but the lattice has to be hinged upwards, for me to get to the side of the steps.


Then Jay and I did a bit in the White Coachmen B, dry fitting some boards for making the entertainment center, so that we can carry on with that project, while Ray gets all the oak ready for the Little Van. We also had to put a new battery vent louver on my old B+.


I stopped by Jim's, the mechanic, after I dropped Jay off, and he had the "dog house" off the engine of the Little Van, and checking all that out. I have to buy some switches and motor for the driver's power window, and other things, as I expected. Jim called later and said he had the parts list, and that the auto parts store wouldn't order some of the things until paid for. So I had to go into town and pay for it all, brought back what was available, and dropped those items off at Jim's so that he can get started in the morning.


Busy all the time, but didn't seem to get much done today.

Little Black Wagon, Critters, Skirting.

Here are some of the fixtures and fitting in the Little Van.....

Sandra_ON of RV-Dreams chat asked me about the "Little Red Wagon, that turned Black", that we finished doing an off-frame major overhaul on the 8th. February. Here it is Sandra, it has real tires on it, that have to be aired up. I can't use a wheelbarrow because of picking up the handles with my bad back, but I have towed tons of stuff in my little wagon. It has it's own garage. I used it this morning to haul some blocks.

Just for everyone's info, SPCA foster moms are volunteers. We do not get paid for taking care of the rescued animals. We do it so that abused, unwanted, and neglected critters have another chance to find good loving homes. They are given any, and every, medical attention that they need, and usually the boss at our county's SPCA pays for that, out of donations. Sometimes we have to "love" them out of their trauma of a previous life. Our county does not have a SPCA shelter, so it is all foster moms. They cannot be adopted until they have been vaccinated, and spayed or neutered. That is the main problem, there are not enough good homes for the ones that keep on getting born. Every litter bit hurts !! The Humane Society in our county puts at about 2,000 animals to sleep each month, because of irresponsible pet owners. OK, off soap box. Well almost......

It is a coat and sweater day. The sun is shining, but the wind coming from the north is cold, up here on this hill. Once I picked up May and Jay, we got cracking.

The gray tom cat, "Tom Gray", above, has been hanging around here for a couple of months. He obviously is sick and probably dying of FIV or Feline Leukemia, because no-one gave him his shots. He is too wise to trap, we tried, and will not let anyone near him. He can't fend for himself anymore, so he gets fed here, but we know that his time is coming. Jay and I knew we had to skirt the storeroom, so that he couldn't go hide under there for his final hours. So we got that done this morning. We skirted it with some left over mobile home skirting.

May's morning was spent sanding on more of the many oak parts to the Little Van, that we had taken out. Jim the mechanic picked it up to go through it, as I want to put it on the road on Monday.

May, Jay and I made a quick trip into Conroe to get prescriptions, canned puppy food, and some High Gloss Polyurethane at Walmart.

So that was our day.

Bordetella Medicine. Little Van's Oak Started.

The pups are growing and need more room to scamper. Last night I gave them their Bordetella medicine. You pull the sterile solution up in a syringe with the needle on, and shoot it into the the other phial, shake to mix it up, and put these yellow caps on the syringe, without the needle, and put it up their nose ! Gee, things have changed since I raised puppies. My back has got older, too !!

It started out being a nice warm day, so put I the cats out on the screen porch for most of the day. This morning I had to give the kittens their next batch of de-worming. I have to weigh them first to give them the right dose of Strongid-T. I have a little basket that I put them in, on my postal scale. They realized that it wasn't going to hurt them, and let me weigh them. Two more mornings of that medicine on an empty tummy, and they can't be fed for 2 hours after.

May and Jay were ready, wonders never cease, when I picked them up. I made some more coffee and we went to work. The main event for today was to take out any oak that needed refinishing out of the Little Van so that we can still be working on it, even while it is at the mechanics. It takes a while to sand, maybe stain, and lay on at least three coats of polyurethene. I was surprised to see insulation when we removed the cabinets out of the back doors. Neither the White Coachmen Class B, nor Merry Miler have that. So Explorer did a good job.

Now about the "Little Van": It is a 1990 Chevy custom van by Explorer Van Conversions. 3/4 ton, 350 engine. 120,000 miles. Auto w. O/D, , Power windows. Power Locks, Tilt, Cruise. Front & rear AC. Power couch/bed. It has all oak things in it, like a clothes rod, bar, ice chest, little table, magazine racks, indirect lighting in oak tracks, little fold out drink/snack trays. Just a lot of oak storage places all over it. It did have a TV in it, so all the antenna stuff is there. 4 captains chairs with a removable table in the middle. The table stores in a cabinet in the back door. Couch across the back that electrically folds out to big bed. Powder blue cellular blinds and velour drapes, and velour seats, all in great shape. Not an really an RV, but it would be OK for a quick campout at a place that has facilites.

As it is not just a regular van, my insurance company is going to insure it as an RV. I took pictures of all the built-ins, the couch as a couch, the couch as a bed, etc. I know of a lady who had one like this, and added more to it, and when she got side-swiped, her insurance company just wanted to pay for a regular van. So I just want to have it all on record.

The picture on the right is only some of the oak parts that we took out to refinish. As you can see we have it scattered over two work tables outside, and there is more inside the workshop. It is easier to sand outside, where we can spread out, and makes less mess in the workshop. In the background of the picture is my vintage 1968 Hi-Lo, like new inside, travel trailer. We started to paint the outside last year, but other things got in the way, and it got shelved, waiting for better weather. That big dark tall thing on the second table is part of the Little Van's "dog house". (The cover that goes over the motor). It was easier to take that part of the cowling off to get the oak parts off it. The really long wooden thing on the first table that looks like it has teeth, is the oak clothes pole that goes all the way cross the back of the van, behind the couch. Even the drapery rods are made of oak. Very fancy.

I took May and Jay home, as it was time to quit for today.

Lovely Sunny Day, Odds and Ends Done

The new-to-me van.

There are three white vans here, and this one is "Little Van".

It was one of those warmer mornings, so I could put the kittens out on the screen porch first thing, for their breakfast. That keeps them out of the way while I tend to the puppies. Muffie was dropped off at 7.00 am to be groomed. It was definitely a "T-shirt day", not a "turtleneck and sweater day" like yesterday.

I picked up Jay, and gave him a list of things to do, while I groomed Muffie. We had "borrowed" a couple of clearance lights off the B+, for the Class C, and I had bought them yesterday, so they were installed. But I still had to find fuses, connectors, and bits and pieces for him. The grass and weeds needed mowing, so he got that done, too. All the freshly stained and polyed oak parts, that May had done for the White Class B finally got installed, including the cup holder console thing we made for the dash. We had even taken the drawers and cabinets doors off to refinish them, so Jay screwed them back on, too.

My back and knees were still sore from yesterday, but with the help of some Aleve, I managed to get Muffie groomed. When she is good, she is very, very good, but when she has had enough, she gets horrid. She is the worst one that I groom, but today she wasn't too bad. It was time to take her and Jay home, they live across from each other.

At 1.00 pm it was 80 deg. on the screen porch, so the cats are happy out there soaking up some sun.

I got some lunch, and as I didn't sleep very well last night, today will be a nap day.

Lost 2 RV's, and Gained a Van, All In One Day

It was cold again this morning, so I was back to layering on clothes. But I didn't wear my working jeans, as I knew the folks were coming to get the Merry Miler. They were so excited about it, that I knew that they would arrive.

The cream passe partout on the raw edge of the paneled "Sight Glass" for the vertical water tank...................>

I put the newly painted water heater door back on the Merry Miler, and did some tidying up in the workshop. Jay managed to get some of the dark stripes compounded, and waxed, to make it look better. Shay gave it a once over with the shop vac. There was no way the windshield drape that I have for my B+ would work in it, as it is a Ford and mine is a Chevy. It seems that the Ford windows are taller. There was no time to make it, so I found some of those Reflectix windshield covers, and made enough to go around all three front windows. At least that would keep the sun out, and they would have some privacy if they went camping, until I could make it.

When they got here, they were ecstatic about it, and said that the pictures didn't do it justice.

It took a while to show them everything, and how it all worked. I gave them a new white hose, water pressure regulator, and one of those little hose crook things, so that the hose doesn't crimp. Showed them that the fridge and AC were cold, water pump pumped, started the genny, all that good stuff. The wife is a seamstress, so she took the fabric and will make the windshield drape. So I was in and out, up and down..... my poor old knees. Now, this is a 1-ton van, with 16.5" wheels, so it is higher up than a regular van. But I didn't even get a chance to take some Aleve after they finally left with it, as I had to feed the puppies.

The guy, Joe, that wanted to trade the van in on the Class C, had emailed that he was coming today, too. He wasn't going to be here for a while, so that gave Jay and me time to go into town to the bank, and the auto parts store for some stuff I needed. I ran Jay home, grabbed a quick sandwich, and tried to lie down to rest my back and knees. But, no, that didn't happen. Joe called from 10 freeway exits away, so I went out there to it, armed with a step stool and two pillows to put behind my back, and started it up. My feet won't hardly touch the pedals in that stick shift Class C !! Fords seem a little colder natured than some, and I like to get them warmed up before I show them. Joe had already seen, and driven it before, but I wanted to make sure it would start, as I had to put a battery charger on it yesterday, as someone had left a door open.

Joe arrived with the white Chevy van. Now, I don't need a van, but I need something air conditioned to drive, that will haul stuff, and I wanted that Class C out of here in the worst way ! I looked it over, and it is a nice conversion van, not camper van, done by Explorer. It has a button you push to make the rear couch into a bed. I will have to take that couch out, if I want to haul any 4' x8' sheets of lumber. Or I can push the button and make it into a bed, and carry a moving pad, so as not to ruin the velour, and carry stuff on top of the bed. It has 4 captains chairs. Powder blue velour seats, hurray ! Not leather. Power driver's seat, power locks and windows, front and rear AC. It had little oak nooks and crannies built-in, like cup holders, ice chest, drop down drink tables, magazine racks, oak closet pole across the back, and oak things, like a bar, built into the doors. Nice powder blue cellular blinds and velour drapes. It has the table that goes in the middle of the captain's chairs, but the pole was missing, no biggie, I have one ! It had had a TV in the console, and all the antenna stuff is already in there, so might put one back in. Unfortunately, it doesn't have a hitch.

I drove it down the road, first checking that the tranny didn't slip, by putting it in gear, forward and reverse, and revving it a little with my foot on the brake. It didn't slip. I wanted to check the brakes before I drove it anyway. It drives well, but I could tell that it needs shocks. I had already done the "proctology test", and stuck my finger up the tail pipe, to see if it was clean or oily. Joe had told me that one power window didn't work, so Jim, the mechanic, will have to have it for a while to fix that, and the shocks, before I want to drive it.

Joe and I did all our paperwork, and I showed him where everything was, and explained how it all worked. More up and down, and in and out. My aching back and knees. By the time he left, it was time to feed the pups, cat, kittens, and me.

Tomorow, if we have time, I am going to have Jay take out all the oak parts, before it goes to Jim's, so that they can be re-finished. I might even let May come back to work long enough to do that, as it is her forte. It will look extra super, by the time I am through with it, as it will be for sale, one day, when I find my station wagon.

With all that going on today, when I fed the pups, I forgot to give them their last dose of the de-worming medicine. Mashing the powder in a tiny bit of canned cat food in four little dishes, worked like a charm yesterday. It was so easy, they just ate it all up, even though they were caged separately. Now I am waiting for them to be hungry again, so that I can give it to them for the last time.

So that was my back breaking day.

Getting Merry Miler Ready

Today started out cold, so I didn't put the kittens on the screen porch until the afternoon when it had warmed up.


The pups seem to be a lot quieter, less ravenous, and more content, since they got de-wormed with this new medicine.


They are supposed to pick up the Merry Miler in the morning. As there are still things to do to it, Jay and I got right on it. I moved it to where we could plug it in, to charge the batteries, and turned on the fridge.

We got the rest of the drapery tie backs in, top picture.


I never could find any brown passe partout to cover the raw paneling edge of the sight glass for the water tank, so I had to use some cream that I had.


We installed some snaps and tie downs, to keep the bunk ladder in it's new place. I washed the plastic shower curtain. That seemed to rejuvenate it, and put it back up. I never could find a "Drylon" one the right color.


We checked the house battery, as it runs the fridge when not plugged in, and starts the generator which wasn't co-operating this morning. The house battery is under the front dinette seat, in a vented battery box, see right. There were some corroded connections, and a broken wing nut, even though the battery looked new. As soon as we cleaned them up, and sprayed them with dielectric grease, re-connected the battery, the inside lights brightened up. (This was before the rig was plugged in). Then we put the non-corroding battery spray over all the connections.


HaHa !!! So maybe now the generator will start ? It did, but then died like it was out of gas. I climbed up in the cockpit, and switched it to the back tank so I could see that gas gauge, and it was below 1/4 tank. Well, most generator gas fuel lines are made so that you have to have at least quarter of a tank of gas. This is so that you can't run yourself out of gas with your generator, and get stuck somewhere. Also, as it isn't fed from the bottom of the gas tank, it helps eliminate crud from getting in the genny's carburetor. I had taken off the fuel filter, and blown through it with the compressor, and it did have some dirt in there that blew out. I had forgotten to buy the new water heater cam lock, so we had to run up the road to the RV store to get one, and took a couple of gas cans with us. As soon as we put about 3 gallons of gas in the back tank, the genny started right up. Hurray !


Now this is an older RV, and to use the 110 v. with the generator, you have to "plug it into itself". This means that you have to plug the end of the RV cord into an RV outlet inside the cord storage compartment. This one was a bugger to get to. It was not designed the way I would have wanted it. It is a very narrow compartment, at the bottom of a narrow pantry, and difficult to get the plug through to the inside where it needs to be plugged in, or to the outside to get it to the CG pedestal. So, to make life easier, Jay made the little shelf above there, removable, so that you can have more working space. I priced an automatic switch-over while I was at the RV store, and I will pass on that !


We closed all the water drain valves, as it had been drained for the winter, and put some water in the tank, turned on the water pump, and all was well. The toilet flushed, too.


It was about 3.00 pm, and I was getting antsy, as the water heater cover looked grungy, and really needed wet sanding and painting. I asked Ray if he would come and help. He is good with spray painting. While Ray started on that, I took Jay home, as he had had enough of all the fiddly little jobs we had been doing on the Merry Miler all day. He is ready to get back on building the entertainment center in the White Class B.


The new cam lock is installed, and the water heater cover can be put back on tomorrow, after the paint has dried overnight. I still have to get the windshield drape finished tomorrow.


Ray and I checked some light bulbs on the Class C, and I cleaned up the rear light lenses. The guy that wants to trade me a van & cash for it, could show up tonight or tomorrow.


Ray and I measured how big the windshield drape needs to be. We installed the 'fisheye' mirror on the Merry Miler, and that was enough work for today for Ray, so he went home.


But I still have to worm the puppies, and feed all of us !


Dogs love canned cat food, even though they can't live on it, as it doesn't have the right doggie vitamins. I am going to try getting the medicine down the pups mixed in cat food. It works both ways, a cat can't live on dog food, it doesn't have the taurine in it, that cats need.


Another busy and "no nap day".

More Rain On & Off, Then a Nice Sunny Day

I picked Jay up, and we started on several little jobs. First was to get the workshop back in order. We vacuumed the area where the rag box goes, and Jay got on his knees and screwed the siding back on, that I had unscrewed, to get the kitten out from under the house. We got the rag box back in place, and filled it up with the clean rags. There was one little crack that we filled with some course steel wool, just in case any 'l'il meeces' decided to try to get in. He cut a treated board to stop the kittens from getting under the house again, under the steps, and screwed that in place. He also got the cable hatch back on the Merry Miler with new Butyl tape.

Shay worked for a short while. She cleaned the shower and stove in the Merry Miler, though it wasn't dirty, just dusty. She cleaned the top of the rag box, and she was going to paint it, but it started raining.

Ray started to do some more caulking to the Class C, and it started raining !

Jay and I were working on the tie backs on the side doors of the Merry Miler, but it started raining !

But we did get some done, see above. The kitchen drapes are up, but need longer tie-backs. Back to the sewing machine for me.

I was supposed to meet Kenya at 2.00pm to get the different worm medicine for the pups, and so we gave up on trying to work, with it raining every time we started to do something, and just went into Conroe.

We went to a couple of thrift shops, but I didn't see anything I couldn't live without. I am always keeping my eye out for nautical items, as that is going to be the theme in the White Class B. I have already found white sheets with sailing ships, anchors, and lighthouses on them, and white drapes for the upper windows with lighthouses and anchors on them. The White Class B was all done in burgundy velvet, and it was oppressive. As a lot of the drapes had sunrotted, I have to replace them anyway, but I am trying to lighten the rig up a bit with some navy blue and white. We will be installing solar film on the windows, so that the new drapes won't rot.

Finally got to WalMart, and got more cans of kitty, puppy food, and other things there, met Kenya at Petco nearby, and scurried back home with the medicine.

Now I have to make sure that each pup get it's own dose of this powdered medicine, Panacur.

I thought that would be a breeze ! I made up four little dishes of a little bit of canned food, and mixed each dose up with the food. I put the doors on my 4 kennel cages, like the ones the vets have, and locked a pup and dish in each cage. Oh, No ! They weren't having any of that. None of them wanted to be in there alone, and eat this food that tasted a bit strange !! I had to hand feed it to each of them, and then put them back in the puppy pen, so I would know who had had it, and who hadn't. I have two more days of this...

So that was my rainy day.

Rainy Day, Tie Backs and Lost kitten.

Jay had to go to Houston today, so I did all the morning stuff, feeding my cat, the kittens, and puppies, and was right on time to start work on other stuff by 8.00 am. With all the work going on with the RV's, and taking care of the puppies, this house had become a wreck, so I straightened it up, some. Then I had to go on phone 'newspaper hunt' again. Not important to anyone, but a crisis for me !!


I went into the workshop, which is attached to the house, and started fastening the two snapper parts to each side of the tie backs, with the fabric in the middle. The third part is the other side of the snapper that screws into the wall. If it quits raining, I will screw the other parts to the sides of the windows, and that job will be 'jobbed'.


When I went to feed everyone their dinner, I couldn't find Boots, the black kitten, with white feet and bib. She usually comes when I call "Boots, Dinner"! I hunted for her for nearly two hours, inside, outside, around one side of the house, and the other, front and back. I thought maybe she had snuck out when Jim brought the car back, but I couldn't see how, as I have two doors, each with vestibules, front and back, going to the outside. This place is treated like a submarine, you don't open one door until you close the one behind you. I thought I had lost an animal, that would be a first, in all these decades, and I was pretty upset. It was raining hard outside, and she wouldn't know where to go for shelter, so I was worried about her being scared.


Minkie, the black kitten was also upset, looking for Boots, so I let her lead me to the workshop. She seemed to think Boots was in one corner of the workshop, so I thought she had been caught behind the rag box, then I heard a faint meow. Now this plywood rag box is 30" x 18" x 24", and has a hinged lid. I emptied it of the rags, and still I couldn't move it by myself, as it has to picked straight up, to get it to clear the side of the steps, going into the house. I got my screw gun and removed the lid, which made it a bit lighter, then I screwed drawer pulls on each side, so that I had something to hold onto, and I finally managed to lever it out of place. Boots wasn't there, but I could still hear her. I got a wooden panel unscrewed behind there, and that little dickens had somehow managed to get under the house, from the workshop.
Gee, we were never so glad to see each other. I put her in the grooming room and fed her dinner. That will teach me not let kittens play in the workshop.


I didn't go to Conroe to pick up the pup's medicine, as Kenya didn't go either. Too rainy.


Boy, what a day !

No Work Today. But Busy, and Steaming !!

Jay had a Dr. appointment in Conroe, about 15 miles away, and as his sick mother has to drive him to Houston tomorrow, he didn't want her to have to get up early twice, and take him today too. So I picked him up, and off we went. When we got there, and the car was steaming.


Right now I am having to use my little tiny station wagon, named "Puddle Jumper". For the last 7 years has just been used in the subdivision for picking up dogs for grooming, picking up the help, and hauling trash. It's big adventure was to go into town, 5 miles away, and get inspected once a year. It is 20 years old, and has 191,000 miles on it. It still has the original engine, ( a 1.6 liter) and tranny, and is serviced regularly by Jim, the mechanic, who lives in my subdivision, here on Lake Conroe.


I sold my 4 x 4 Grand Cherokee as it was too high up for me to get in and out, comfortably.
I have been looking for a 4 liter, rear wheel drive, mid-size station wagon with all the buttons, for my going-to-town car. But I haven't got one yet. They are rare. I did find one, but it had 215,000 miles on it, and it was green, and had leather seats. I don't do green, or leather seats. Too hot, when you spend 6 months of the year in shorts. The seats will burn your legs when the car has been sitting in the sun. My cars are under cover here, but they get hot sitting at the store.


After Jay's appointment, we put water in the radiator, and found out that it was leaking at the back of the engine, not in front where the radiator and hoses are. We filled some bottles up to carry with us, and tried to get today's list done. We found the screw-in snappers for the drape tie backs, way south of Conroe, at an upholstery shop.


We stopped to pay a bill of Jay's, which is right next door to a big beautful clean thrift shop (who had sent me a 50% off coupon), and so I got quite a few things. Then stopped at Krogers to get the puppy and kitten food I needed... Boy, do they eat. We had left at 8.30 am, and didn't get back until nearly 2.00 pm. I fed the pups while I returned Kenya's call, then I took Jay home, and dropped the car off at the mechanics. He ran me home in his golf cart. So I just have RVs here to drive now, but I am not going anywhere.


Jim called and said it was a heater hose that was leaking, and he had ordered one, and I should get it back tomorrow.


I hope so, as I have to go back to Conroe to meet Kenya tomorrow, and pick up a different worm medicine for the pups second worming. She also told me that two puppies are booked now, and that the pups, and kittens will all get fixed on the 4th. March. The pups won't be coming back here, but after their recovery time, the kittens will. It is difficult to find good homes for black cats here in the US, ...weird, as they are considered good luck in Europe.... So I will be taking them to Adoption Day twice a month, until they find their 'forever homes'.


I had to give the pups their first shots today, so that they will get their second shots before they go for their surgery. By that time, Kenya will have approved homes lined up for all four to go to, as soon as they are ready. I weighed them today, and they range between 4 to 5 lb now. And they are fiesty ! I thought that I was through raising puppies 30 years ago.


So that was my day.

Class C Again, and Merry Miler

I got up early and tended to the critters. Bobcat wanted to go out on the porch to watch the sun come up, before she had her breakfast, even though it was about 40 deg.

Today started out cold, with sweaters and coats, but it warmed up to a sunny 70 deg. day.

I picked up Jay, and asked Ray if he wanted to work and put Dicor caulk on the new clearance lights that we installed yesterday on the Class C. He was available, so that helped. The lights had been done with Butyl putty tape, but the thin bead of caulk always looks better, and it gives more protection. I decided Ray should do the back ones while we were at it. They look so much better.

Yesterday, a gentleman, formerly from England, said that he definitely wanted to buy the Merry Miler, sight unseen, and would pick it up on Saturday morning. So we had to get our skates on to get it ready, as there are a couple of mornings that we can't work this week, due to other appointments. Jay put another coat of paint on the drapery clips. We installed a couple more drapes, but we still can't find the right snaps for the 16 tie backs. I might still have to sew new Velcro on each one. We installed the new battery vent louver, carpeted the bunk ladder treads, see above. (Why doesn't the factory do that, they know you are going to be barefoot !!)

There were some dorky great big round reflectors up on the front top, not original, that even went over the top window frame, so we replaced those with some little diamond shaped ones. See above. The fridge gasket wouldn't stay in place, so Ray, who is very good with fiddly little jobs, glued it back in place. Jay would have just made a mess, and gooped it all over. He is better with woodwork. Just little nitpickin' jobs to be done.

I am doing things to it, that I would do if it were mine. I have added a chest of drawers in the back, and put in plain beige insulated drapes, over the sheers. The upholstery is a jig-zaggy beige and brown heavy velour. It had some funky old red/green floral cotton curtains in there, that didn't match anything, not original. I made more storage next to the water tank in the back, as it needed somewhere to keep hoses, and junk. The bunk ladder was in the shower, but I found a better place to store it in the bunk area, just needs some hooks and eyes to hold it in place.

This is a great Class B, in great condition, low miles, 3 KW Onan, awning, and I would keep it myself, but I want a real RV door. Easier for the old knees to get in and out, and up and down !! I hope I find the "perfect RV" for me, one day. I guess I want the same RV that everyone else does....Toyota on the outside, and Provost on the inside !!

So that is another 3/4 of the day !

Class C again, Tirekickers, and Shots.

The ladies at the quilting club have been making pillow-beds for the SPCA adoptees, and here is how happy these pups are to get one of their beds.


Because of the impending storms we had put the Class C in my RVport, but it rained so hard that it still rained in there a bit. A tiny leak had come in the Class C, and when looking at the clearance lights, we realized that nobody had ever removed them, and put new butyl putty tape on them. Someone had daubed them with silicone, but that was it. So we took them off, and some were so sunbaked that they had to be replaced. Once installed with Butyl putty and Dicor Sealant, Jay couldn't get them to work right, so I called Jim the mechanic down the street. He had to replace two more, as the contacts were old. They were all working when I had it inspected. RVers seldom suspect that their innocent looking clearance lights are a common source of their leaking problems.



Some folks came to look at it, and I had explained what we were doing before they came. We still had loose wires, a moving pad, and a long board on the hood, so as not to scratch or dent it, so they couldn't drive it. They seemed to like it, if the price is right. "We will get back to you, we have another to look at". They were going to look at a 72 Winnie, and we all know what skin pitting problems they had with the Thermopanel !



Then I got an email from a guy who has wanted the Class C for a long time, but he wanted to trade a party van, not camper van, for it, but today he also added "plus some cash". That did get my attention ! I wrote back and asked how much cash, as by now I am tired of trying to sell a manual transmission motor home. He has seen it, and driven it. So we will see how that works out. I am ready to get it out of my yard, even if I do have to have another van around here.



Today, I was supposed to give Shay's cat, Blackie her shots. I had often given dogs their shots when I had my kennel, all except Rabies. But I had never given a cat a shot, and wondered what you do with the flailing four corners with sharp claws !! One of the SPCA volunteers at the Adoption Day told me how to do it. You "scruff" the cat. Now, I have never picked up a cat by the scruff of it's neck before, I always pick them up with two hands under their body. But Shay and I got Blackie in her utility room, and I scruffed Blackie and gave her the shot 'sub q', that means under the skin, not like a muscular shot. Easy, once you know how.



I doubt if Blackie will ever let me touch her again. During three nights of freezing weather, I had brought her in my grooming room, to keep warm, and shoved worm medicine down her each morning. A couple of weeks ago I crated her, took her to Petco to have her picture taken, and she stayed there all afternoon during Adoption Day. Last week I picked her up, put her in a carrier, and hauled her off to Kenya's, who then took her to the vet. The vet put her under, and shaved her tummy. That's when they found her old spay scar. Then today, I scruff her and give her a shot. She must think I am a nasty 'people', when all I have done, is for her own good.

I just fed the animals, and starting to feed me, so this is another Sunday.

Pups, Kittens, and Working on Class C Upper bed.

Here are the pups in extended larger pen and larger bed:

Boy, oh boy, when I turn them loose in the grooming room they chase round and around the pen like little race car drivers. But mostly they want attention, and tug on my jeans with their little teeth. They started playing with toys now, and I still think that they are older than "Dingbat" said they were. They are a lot more "live" and healthy, than they were when I got them. De-worming had a lot to do with that. One is already booked for adoption through http://www.petfinder.com/

It was so great to be able to wear just a T-shirt the last couple of days. Before that, I would start out with a coat and two cardigans (button down the front) over my T-shirt, and I was still cold. It has been in the 40's during the day, but up to 70's now.

I dress in layers that are easily removed, as you never know about TX weather. Mornings would be downright chilly, and then the sun comes out and warm things up.

Today is Adoption Day at Petco, so I will be taking the two kittens. The pups have to wait until two weeks after their first shots to be on public display.

But first, Jay and I have to address a problem that was discovered in the Class C. That tiny hole that Ray discovered up on the side over a window, damaged a little bit of paneling inside that has to be replaced in the cabover bed area. It rained last night, so I will know if it is really fixed.

This morning Jay and I tore out the offending paneling and board insulation that was in the cabover bed, and determined that the reason this had a leak was that the Previous Owners had not followed the Golden RV Rule. Remove all windows and roof vents, and re-install with new BUTYL putty tape every 10-15 years. Folks would have so many less problems if they would stick to that. The old putty tape from when they originally installed the windows was all dried up and old. Water had got in between the walls and damaged the floor to the cabover bed. The PO had caulked around the windows, with silicone, a NoNo, but that was just a temporary fix. You have to do it right, and pull the windows. It is just a bunch of screws on the inside that hold the outside of the window in place. If it is a sliding window, sometimes it needs a new track, and if it is a Hehr window, you can get that at Interstate Metals. We will work on the windows tomorrow, time and weather permitting.

I cranked up my Big B+ as it has a real RV door on the back, and went to Conroe to get some 4'x8' sheets of thin plywood for the bed base. We wanted to put it all back together today. It was time to take the kittens for Adoption Day, so they went with us, too, and I dropped them off at Petco. We went to Home Depot, as we also needed some staples for the pneumatic staple gun, and Lowes doesn't carry the size we need. We got the sheets of luann, and some Fir 2"x4"s. Pine is not usually used as it is heavier, and every little bit counts in an RV. There are other reasons too, like Fir doesn't split like Pine does.

I had sprayed the bed area down with Concrobium Mold Control, before we left, so that there would be no chance of any mold, and it was dry by the time we got back. We screwed in new framework, see picture on left. I insulated a place all the way up in the front, that hadn't had insulation, and replaced the board insulation. Then we measured, cut, and stapled in the base for the bed. See picture in center. As rain is forecast we put the Class C in my RVport until the windows are re-done. Don't want all our new work to get damp.

Then at 5.15 pm it was time to go pick up the kittens at Petco. It was starting to storm, and so it got dark early, but we made it home OK. I don't do dark !

Another busy day.

15th is Bastille Day (Revolution Day)

See the kittens watching the puppies ........


Today, the 15th., is the day all the critters get their monthly dose of Revolution on their necks. It stops them from having heartworms, fleas, mange and earmites, so it is important. We buy the big vials of it, put it in a baby food jar. Then we draw up the required dose for each animal in an insulin syringe (with no needle), it is a lot cheaper that way. If they already have earmites, then they get a dose of Ivermec in their ears on the 1st of the month, it helps get rid of them quicker. Jay called and said he was going to be half an hour late, so I got all that done before I picked him up.



We went the RV store south of Conroe, found out where to get a new ballast for the florescent light that doesn't work, and got the parts that I needed for the Merry Miler. Then went to the Humane Society, which is also south of Conroe. On to Lowes to get more parts. Came back and worked on a few small unimportant projects, like cleaning the staples out of some boards that we were going to store, while I waited for someone to come to look at an item I had for sale.


I had to take a stray cat to the Humane Society. They scanned her to see if she had been micro-chipped, but she hadn't. I hated to do it, but as sweet as she is, she will probably be on display in their big main lobby with the other adoptees, after she has been spayed. If not, it is better that she isn't running around loose, hungry, homeless, getting Feline Leukemia, FIV, Rabies, or contributing to the 400,000 cats that are the progeny of one cat. We have so many wild ones here, that we trap them, and they go to the Humane Society, as they can't be tamed. They can give the domesticated cats all sorts of diseases. That is why it is better to keep your cats indoors. This one was very loving, and probably hadn't been a stray for long, so she needed a chance to find a home. She will have a lot more chance of getting adopted quickly there, as they have a much larger organization. We can place kittens, but our foster moms have so many adult cats that need homes already, we just don't have room to squeeze in one more. Too many get born ! EVERY LITTER BIT HURTS !


The Pups have already outgrown their bed, so I put a larger one in there for them. This shorter puppy pen will go longer, but I don't have much room in my grooming room to extend it. I hope that one of the "Puppy Foster Moms" has room for them soon.


So that was my 'exciting' day.

Merry Miler, and a Sad Valentine's Day for this Family

I knew Jay wasn't going to be here today, but I still got everything done, and everybody fed, and ready to start work by 8.00 am.

Here are the drapery clips drying.

Here is the toilet cover..............................

I went to the back door of the Merry Miler and measured how long the toilet cover had to be, and was going to start sewing on that. The kittens had a better idea ! While they were playing in the house this morning, they ran off with my tomato shaped pin cushion. I looked everywhere, under everywhere, until I finally found it, and could start sewing. Kids !! I got the toilet cover, and the rest of the drapes, done, but didn't hang the drapes yet.

These rear toilet vans, come with toilet covers, why does everyone lose them ? There is a accordian door, or curtain that closes off the bathroom, but one needs to have that open to use the rear view mirrow, so hence the toilet cover. I got the door drapes done, too, now waiting for the clips. I made the door drapes so that they could be slid and gathered on the rod, but they take up much more of the window that way, and those are the windows one uses to see out when driving. Getting the tie-backs re-installed after being washed, and the old no-longer-sticking-Velcro replaced with the snappers, will help. The tie backs are so thick, they are made out of the upholstery material, that the snappers that I bought yesterday won't work.

Ray came over to do more to the lousy caulking job the PO had done to the Class C. It had been daubed up with silicone, a NO NO for Rv's. Self-leveling RV or Marine caulk is what should be used. (Sikaflex, Dicor, etc.) Of course, the silicone had made a path for a leak, so Ray got that fixed. I swear I don't want an RV that doesn't have a fiberglass cap over the roof and edges. While he was here he put one more coat of paint on the clips for the drapes.

I took a lot of pictures of the Merry Miler, and uploaded 21 of them onto the eBay listing, and messed about re-arranging them. 24 pictures is $2.00. I was starting to panic, as I couldn't take all the photos before the eBay listing starts tonight, as everything wasn't done. Also, I had such bad experiences with folks bidding on the Class C, and not paying, that I suddenly decided to reschedule the listing for 2 weeks away, and advertise the Merry Miler free on Craigslist.

Folks will come to look at an RV, and they either will want it, or they won't. No bidding, and no mucking about. You know that they are probably going to offer you less, and you have to come down in your price, but that's it. It is a nice rig, and in lovely condition, so it should sell quickly. Then I made an album of the best pictures I have of it, so that I can send them to people who want more pictures, as you can only have 4 on Craigslist. EBay has so many charges, and Final Value Fees, and then if they pay with PayPal, they take a cut too. So I hope Craigslist will do it, and I will cancel my eBay listing. I have already had an answer to my ad, but I don't want to take payments.

Then I saved a lot of pictures in my AOL Picture Storage, as don't keep many of them in my puter. I can always get them back in here if I need to, or email them from AOL's Storage. Also if my machine crashes, I won't lose them. I learned that the hard way !

Time to put all the foster babies to bed, and give them their hugs and treats.

I tried to keep busy today, Valentine's Day, so that I wouldn't have time to remember that this is the 2nd. anniversary of my granddaughter's death from being hit by a DDD (dam drunk driver).

So this is a sad day.

RV Kitchen Lights, Passe Partout, Got Blackie

Bobcat wanted out on her screen porch to watch the sun come up. I told her it was chilly, but she wanted to go out there anyway. She didn't stay out there long !


This is a picture of Blackie....................


I picked up Jay, and we started on the Merry Miler. Trying to get it ready for the pictures. There is a florescent light over the sink that is not working, and I had already bought a new 12 v. bulb for it, but that didn't fix it. So as we wanted the light fixtures to be the same, and there was another light on the other side of the kitchen, we installed 2 matching lights, but a different style. The other one that we took down, we put in the TranStar kitchen, and when we can get the one that doesn't work, working, it will be just the right size for the White Class B kitchen. Robbing Peter to pay Paul !!


While Jay was removing and installing lights, I was hemming the kitchen drapes for the Merry Miler. They are pleated and will have to go on cafe clip type drapery hooks, because of the shape of the rods. I pressed the drapes, so that the hems lie flat, and Jay dug around in the drapery parts box in my attic. We finally found enough cafe clips to do the rest of the drapes for the two side doors, but they were different colors. We clipped them onto a paint roller grid that normally hangs on the inside of a 5-gallon bucket of paint. ( we use it a lot for painting drawer knobs, etc) Jay sprayed them all with ivory paint.


Bobcat could see the sunshine coming through the living room patio door going to her porch, ( my front door is in the hall) and wanted to go out there. Still windy and too chilly.


We were to meet Kenya at the vet at Conroe, to pick up Blackie for Shay, and the shorter puppy pen for me. We left here early as we didn't want to keep Blackie in the car while we were shopping. We went straight to Hobby Lobby, to get the screw-on type snappers for the Merry Miler drapery tie backs, and to find brown "passe partout", but no-one knew what that was. All I really needed was some brown sticky tape, to go around the edges of the "sight glass" we put in the panel that hides the vertical water tank at the back. Gave up on that, probably have to use black.


We still had some time before we were to meet Kenya, so we went to three thrift shops, and I bought some burgundy work pants, a blue work top, and some lovely deep blue lined drapes, and matching valence still installed on a board. Jay got a nice warm shirt, some Aztek design pillow cases, and a belt. While we were cutting through a neighborhood some contractors we know were putting a bunch of torn up sheet rock, and kitchen cabinet parts into the back of their truck. They gave us some used cabinet doors and drawers, that they were just going to throw away. Now I know why I drive a station wagon or SUV, I am always hauling stuff !


Kenya got out of the vet earlier than she expected, so she called me and we met at Sonic. She was taking my old foster Llasa, Rambo, to a new adoptive mom, so I got to see him. We got Blackie, and the puppy pen, and headed home. Kenya had forgotten to bring the puppy food, so we stopped at PetsMart, and who should be there, but Blackie's former person, Shay's Dad.


As I got on the road that leads to my house, Blackie knew where she was, and couldn't wait to get out of the carrier. When I pulled in the driveway, Shay was watching out of her door waiting to see Blackie, who was so happy to be back in her old territory. They are together, again.

I found out that Jay did go fix May's meter can yesterday, and the power company did turn her lights back on.


I quickly got the pups transferred into the shorter puppy pen, and fed them, the cats, and me.


So that is another day !

Tree down, and just piddlin'

One of the other interruptions I got yesterday afternoon was May calling me to say that a tree had fallen on her house, during yesterday afternoon's windy thunderstorm. She asked if I would take my camera down there and take pictures, so I did, until my camera battery died. The dead tree that lost a big limb is out of the picture on the right, and it is behind her house. She had already advised the owner of that property that it was in a dangerous way, but he wouldn't do anything about it. The piece sticking straight up is impaled through her roof. The rest of the big limb is on the ground in front of her house, and parts of it are over her neighbor's fence, but didn't do any damage.

Apart from taking down the window trim, it took the 2" pipe that goes up from her meter can to the wires servicing her house, but she still had electricity. Today, the power company came and cut the wires to her house, so she has to get some parts, a new collar for the meter box, and a new weatherhead, (that is the thing at the top of the 2" pipe), before they will turn it on again. She wanted Jay to help her, but as mean as she has been to him, he doesn't want to do it, and Ray doesn't want to help her either. It doesn't pay to be nasty to folks when you are drunk !!

This morning I was on a "newspaper hunt". Keeping up with these pups is something. I feed them well, but it has to go somewhere. I sure will be glad when I have the shorter puppy pen here, as my midriff is getting more and more bruised from leaning over it to change their newspapers. I called a friend in my subdivision who 'saves trees', like I do, but she was out of newspaper, but she found a neighbor who had some, and I got that. I was glad the lady asked me in, as I didn't want any newspapers from a dirty house. I had worked on that house about three years ago, added a room on to it. She had bought it two years ago, and was happy with it.

Then Jay decided that we needed to pay some on his fine that enables him to get his driver's license re-instated. After a lot of fiddling and trying, it wouldn't work on line, so we had to do it by phone. He had brought his mother's battery charger up here for me to fix, and we eventually got that done. So we didn't even start work until 11.00 am.

We opened the workshop doors and it was teeming down rain. No wallowing around in that to work on RV's and tracking them up. So we got the newly painted cabinets back together, hinges back on the doors, drawer pulls, and plywood tops. We moved some tools around and got the larger one situated in the workshop, and put the smaller one in the storeroom.

I got a bunch of stuff put away that was on one of the work tables, like the big wooden cup holder we made, (waiting to be installed in the White B), an air conditioner, (waiting to be installed in the Hi-Lo), and even sorted some screws, nuts and bolts into their little bins. My late little dog's work bed, his favorite cardboard box, was under the table, and I finally relented, and threw it away. I have kept his pillow and blankies to use for other foster critters. I miss him so.

I wish I could take good indoor pictures, they always come out too light, I might have to get out the big book of 'destructions' to my camera. The pups have grown.

Time to feed everybody again, so that is another day.

Finally Washed the Merry Miler. Found out about Puppies.

Jay washing Merry Miler.

These are some of the professional photograpers

pictures of Boots, left, and Minkie, right.

I knew that I wasn't going to pick up May, so when Shay next door also a painter, had said that she wasn't working this morning, I asked her if she would like to work. After I got back with Jay, we set Shay up with the cabinets that are going to be installed in the workshop, or maybe the storeroom. We got them set up on the worktables outside, as the weather was lovely, but a bit windy. May had primed them, so now Shay could paint them. Shay's ex-husband Ray, was going to do some intricate caulking for me, on the Class C, that is his forte. If he couldn't straighten out the PO's lousy job, nobody could.

Jay finally had the time to start washing the Merry Miler. The pine trees here make algae on everything. Then he and Shay rolled out the awning, so that I could take pictures of it for the ad.

I measured the length needed for the hems of the kitchen drapes for the Merry Miler, and got them sewn. It had to be just right, or they could have got wet if hanging down on the counter top. Now the side door window drapes still need to be hemmed.

Jay had to leave early, as his mother (with a limited life span), had to go to several doctors, and he doesn't like her to drive to the next town by herself. So Shay finished up washing the Merry Miler, before she quit for the day. We moved the freshly painted cabinets back into the workshop, as we don't leave anything outside, but I left the shed unlocked as Ray was going to be layering the caulk at intervals, and had to wait for each layer to dry.

Then I drove north up Hiway 75 to an RV store for some parts we needed. I got the 12 v. florescent light bulb for the Merry Miler, a new style light for the bathroom in the TranStar, and a new kitchen light for the White Class B. I really needed a new battery vent louver for the Merry Miler, it is square, not round like most, and they didn't have it. I had hoped to install that before taking the pictures of the driver's side of the RV. The PO had just put the wrong thing there, and it looks awful. So now I will have to drive all the way south of Conroe, to the other RV store to get one. I will wait until Wednedsay to do that, I am not going to make a special trip.

Now, on the "Critter Front". I spoke to Kenya, and the kitties won't be going to get spayed this week, the vet's agenda is full. We are getting Blackie back. Now that we know that Blackie is the original spayed Blackie, Shay wants to keep her. Shay misses her so much. So I will meet Kenya on Wednesday to get Blackie, some shots for the puppies, some puppy food that she has, and she is also going to loan me her puppy pen. Mine is 30" tall, and every time I lean over it, to change the puppie's papers, I get bruises on my midriff. Tall folk don't understand how some things are more difficult for height challenged old ladies. Hers is only 24" tall, and it will make all the difference. I would like to swap permanently, if she will.

The door bell just rang, it was the old "Dingbat" that dropped off the puppies, and an old drunk, another Jim. I have vaguely known both of them for a while, but I didn't know they knew each other. Now they want one of the pups back, the black and tan. HaHa, I don't think so, you think after taking care of them, de-worming them three days in a row, and vaccinating them, that I am going to hand one over to that old drunk !! From what she just said, he had said to her "Get rid on those screaming puppies, and go sell them", and so she brought them to me. He can fill out an SPCA application, and probably get turned down. I did find out that the three beige ones were born on the 3rd. January, and the black and tan was born on the 5th January. So they left the mama dog in labor for two days. Can you imagine people doing a cruel thing like that ? So her saying that a man handed her a very pregnant Chihuahua was all a story, it was Jim's dog. Also, she said, that the dad was a Miniature Pinscher, MinPin for short.

I used to groom Jim's poodle about every year. It was kept chained up on his covered porch, and was always so stinky, flea-ridden, and matted that it couldn't see. It was such a sweet dog, I felt so sorry for him, or I wouldn't have groomed him. I am probably the only groomer who would touch him with a ten foot pole ! I disinfect after each dog, but after this one I had to deep clean, disinfect, and de-flea the place too. But he was so happy to get cleaned up that it was worth it. I would cuddle him, and he would lick my neck with thank you's. Then he would be put back on his chain at Jims, and be neglected all over again. Never wormed or vaccinated, he finally died, poor thing. These folks always have money for beer and smokes, but not vet care.

So far, that was my day.

Well, I let the cat out of the bag !!

Last night, I didn't mean to tell all the experienced bloggers about my little ramblings here, but I let the cat out of the bag on rv-dreams chat tonight. There are going to be a few bored people ! How can I make my little old mundane life seem exciting, with the fulltimers going to all these beautiful sights in the USA, that I will probably never see. That is why I read THEIR journals, to travel along with them.

I had drank my coffee while I read my mail, and answered mail, as I do first thing every morning. Then, bathed, washed my hair, and had given the pups their third, and last, worm medicine, all by 7.00 am. They get another three mornings of de-worming in 2 weeks. I had fed the cat and kittens, and put them out on the screen porch. Bobcat loves to watch the sun come up on the porch when the weather is nice. I fed the pups, just before 9.00 before I picked up Jay. The animals have to wait 2 hours after the worming medicine to eat. So I try to worm them early. I have to keep one calendar on the wall just to keep up with the critters.

Today we had scheduled for AC cleaning day. Ray, my renter, cleans my ACs, and has done for years. I don't like central AC, as there are rooms that I sometimes don't use. I had central put in my last house, and it took up all my attic space, and it costs more to run than units. Now, when I say AC cleaning, I don't mean taking the front off and washing it in the utility sink, then vacuuming and washing the filter, we do that every month, when they are in use. This means an annual clean. Sliding it out of it's case, taking it outside, wrapping and taping the capacitor and motor with plastic bags, and spraying "Recoil" all over the coils. After it sits for a while, it gets all hosed down with a garden hose sprayer, and all the grime and dirt washes out of the fins, and the bottom of the AC. After it has drained and dried off, it goes back inside, into it's case.

Jay had to help Ray with getting the big heat/AC out, it is heavy. Ray got the two in the guest house done, and his bad back was killing him, so the other ACs will be for another day.

Jay and I got some stuff done in between helping Ray. Fixed a lamp, and did some of the "First of the Month" list, such as vacuum the drapes, valances, ceilings, ceiling fans, the back of the computer, and clean the air cleaners.

I had bought a 110v., 1000 watt, hand-held Shark vacuum cleaner, with all attachments, at a thrift shop last week, and it was great for those jobs. It even has a little nozzle for sucking the crumbs out of the puter keyboard, so I used that, too. Yesterday, at another thrift shop, I had even bought a bag to keep it all in, as it is for the RV, as my last one got stolen. It has extentions, and a carpet cleaning nozzle, and will be great for cleaning the carpet, and sucking the air out of space bags. I can store a lot more blankets, pillows, sheets, winter clothes & stuff when it is all sucked flat in space bags, and keeps them damp proof, and clean. I don't get to use my RV often, so I do have to keep it's linens and fabrics ready to use for several months at a time.

I don't buy the $40 filters for the air cleaners, too frugal. We keep the original box that the filters are made out of, and put new stuffing in them. Some of the filter material we use is tacky, and some is black charcoal, then we cut up the good kind of furnace filters, and fit it in the original cardboard cover, and put it back in the air cleaner. Works for me.

Then Jay helped me with the dog room. After he vacuumed in there, he kept the puppies at one end of the room while I mopped the floor, and under the puppy pen, put all new paper, new blankie in their bed, and back in the pen they went. I put lots of layers of newspaper at their bathroom end, and take out the top few layers as needed. I do this several times a day, but it is easier when Jay is here to help me move the puppy pen.

We haven't got to the rest of the "First of the month" list yet... like checking the air in all the tires, on all the vehicles, travel trailer, and utility trailers, too. Another item is to start all the gennys. Another job is to put Revolution on all the animals, cats and dogs, so that they don't get fleas, heartworms, or earmites. Seems like it never all gets done, before it is time to do it again.

Jay reminded me that it is the 10th of the month. Oh No ! The water bill and Lowes have to be paid, or there will be penalties. I struggled with getting signed onto Lowes credit, I don't know what was the matter today. Then I saw that I could add Lowes to "My Check Free", where I pay all of the other bills, for free. That was great! But the water bills I had to drive into town, and drop in their slot in the door. I keep on asking the water company to add their bills to "My Check Free", but it hasn't happened yet. I don't do the auto payments online, as they wanted to charge me, and take it out of my account behind my back. I get my money at different days of the month, so I like to pick and choose which ones to pay on the "My Check Free" list, at my convenience. Another thing that works for me.

So there is another day.

Went Shopping, Thrift that is.

After putting the kittens out on the screen porch with their breakfast, so that I could worm the pups for their second day, I went and picked up Jay. As three of the pups look very much alike, it is easier for me, to pick up each pup, give it it's medicine and then let it run around on the floor. It is easier to put fresh newspaper the puppy pen, without them in it, anyway.

Jay and I had our coffee, and waited for Leo to bring Muffie for her bath, and the rest of her groom. I dread grooming Muffie, she is fine until you get to her feet, and then she gets nasty. I have Leo's permission to muzzle her to stop her from bruising my left hand with her teeth.
He didn't show up, so we took off for Conroe to look for the oak trim, at a specialty lumber store that we need for the entertainment center in the White B. They didn't have what we needed.

One of the thrift shops was having a sidewalk sale, and I found a few handy things there. One was a beige toilet seat cover, that will match what I am sewing for the toilet cover in the Merry Miler. We did the rounds of the other thrift shops, lumber yards, and then came back to our little town and bought things that I had to have... canned puppy food, and kitty litter.
We were tired out.

I had an email from the Second Chance Offer guy wanting to now how he should send me a deposit on the Class C to hold it until he can get here next week. As I have to pay if he uses PayPal, I told him to send me a Post Office Money Order. If he is that interested, he will do it. We will see. I think, that he thinks, that he is still stringing me along.

That was enough for today.