Making Deliveries And Murphy Is Back.

Our Location today is Tecumseh, Ontario, Canada.

Talk about a strange sleeping pattern. As soon as the 11 o’clock News was finished last night we went to bed. The strange thing was that neither of us could fall asleep and when midnight rolled around we both went to the computers. Not wanting to take any chances I first went to the kitchen to make some Sleepy Time Tea to make certain that we would fall asleep. Don’t be confused this is not a sleep aide only a tea that helps you to relax. It is also not fast acting so we even had time to play a few games before we actually started feeling like we’d actually sleep. It was just after 1:00 before we returned to bed hoping to get some shut eye. Neither of us could have been in bed longer than two minutes before drifting to sleep.

I woke totally refreshed by 7:00 and had finished my morning reading by the time Kathy woke. While having breakfast we made our plans for the day. Since the weather was still cool but slowly warming we’d run some morning errands so that I could get back to work on the car this afternoon. The first thing I had to do was load things in the truck so I needed to use a shopping cart from downstairs. Other than a single container that got put in the truck bed one side of the back seat was for things going to the trailer and the other side was for STUFF that we were donating.

The first place we went was Guardian Storage to drop things off at the trailer. We were a little surprised when we got there because there were still puddles of standing water all around the trailer even though they had recently laid fresh gravel down. It was also very muddy walking around the trailer so I handed Kathy our dining chair that I’d repaired back at the apartment so she could put I back at the table along with a few other things. I tried locating something I wanted to work on but with my luck it was probably in the last container I would have searched so we’ll just leave it until spring when I’ll empty the basement.

Our next stop was Value Village where they were happy to have our STUFF to help support local charities. It was past lunch so we used a coupon and had lunch at A&W. As I was about to sit down with our food order I saw into the back of the truck the container I’d forgot to leave at the trailer. We made another trip back to the storage yard to drop that container off at the trailer.

It was nearly 1:30 by the time I got outside to work on the car. The temperature only reached a high of 37 F (2 C) today with 15 mph (27 km) wind blowing from the north. The way they make cars today you can barely get your finger tips in to work on it. By the time I’d replaced the heater fan I needed to take a break because that cool breeze had been blowing up my back and I was cold.

While I gathered another layer of clothes to wear Kathy made us Hot Chocolate and served us the last of her Homemade German Chocolate Pie for a snack that helped refresh and warm me up before I headed back outside.

When I went to test the fan it went to start and then it stopped. Murphy was smiling over my shoulder as the fan resistor had just blown. It was past 4:30 so I called it a day because even with the Hot Chocolate Kathy had served me and the extra layer of clothes I’d added I was still cold.

We just had Chicken noodle soup for supper because Kathy wasn’t feeling well by then. As of the writing of this post I’m starting with a scratchy throat and congestion. Murphy can leave anytime. Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment. Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time.

Krackers

You Might Be a Redneck If

Your "guest bedroom" is a hammock in the garage.

Great Hockey, Shopping And Christmas Decorating.

Our Location today is Tecumseh, Ontario, Canada.

After having some wakeful periods during the night I still managed to be up and about by 7:00 this morning. Kathy didn’t make her appearance until nearly 8:00. You’d think she was retired or something. Well yes she is and if she wants to sleep late she can do it. We’ve talked many times how in our past relationships that wouldn’t have been possible. We are so glad that we found one another and realize what is really important in life.

The sun came out to greet the day early but would later hide behind the clouds. By the time we’d had breakfast and finished our morning reading it wasn’t long before we were on our way out the door. We did make a quick stop at Tim Horton’s for coffee in an attempt to stay warm. The outside temperature would eventually reach 37 F (3 C) for a daytime high but we needed to stay warm while watching our grandson Tyler play hockey at the New Belle River Arena. We missed his game yesterday and learned that he’d scored three goals unassisted for a Hat-trick. Today the action was nonstop and there were plenty of defensive plays that were unbelievable. Tyler had a number of shots on the opposing net today but it seemed that the goalie predicted all of his shots. The first goal of the game would come only minutes before the end of the second period by Tyler’s team. That goal would be reinforced by a second goal with only a minute before the end of the game. The final score was 2 to 0 in favor of Tyler’s team.

Leaving the arena Kathy and I traveled to Dougal Avenue where we first stopped at Taco Bell to have a late lunch. Our next stop was at Payless Shoes where Kathy found shoes she badly needed. Then we crossed the parking lot to the west end Walmart where we looked unsuccessfully for a turkey. Kathy and I always supply the meat for whichever special occasion we get together as a family and we have been looking for Christmas turkey since just after our Canadian Thanksgiving. We did find additional plastic storage containers to use for clothes we will keep after we go Fulltime. We finally circled back towards our apartment where we found a Butterball Turkey at the Food Basics grocery store.

We made a quick stop at our apartment where we left behind our personal purchases and I changed into my working clothes. As soon as that was done we were on our way to our daughter Karen’s to help her put up some outdoor Christmas decorations. This is something I volunteer to help with but I prefer to do it when the temperature is warmer. Let’s just say it was difficult to install what was put up because at 37 degrees the electrical cords are not very flexible. Since we are normally not here to help take the lights down at the end of the holiday season I have no control of how things are put away. Karen was a little disappointed that some lights couldn’t be put up because of the cold temperatures and the way they had been stored. Once all the electrical cords were connected and working we appreciated a hot cup of tea to take the chill out of our bodies. We also delivered the turkey since we’ll be celebrating Christmas as a family at Karen’s home this year.

Back at the apartment working together it didn’t take long to plate our roast beef meal that we missed out on yesterday because our slow cooker was really slow. It still tasted great with enough leftovers for a few more meals. Kathy did manage to finish making her German Chocolate Pie topped with pecans that she served for dessert. Unfortunately it tasted so good there is only enough for another meal. Tomorrow we are hoping to start making more progress in the direction of going Fulltime in the spring. Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment. Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time.

Krackers

Work is a necessary evil to be avoided.

Getting Things Together.

Our Location today is Tecumseh, Ontario, Canada.

We are really starting to enjoy this sleeping at night and waking up feeling refreshed. I even slept in until 7:30 this morning and had finished my morning reading by the time Kathy got up at 8:15. Looking out across the field behind the apartment building there was no sign of sunlight anywhere. However there was no wind, no rain and definitely no s@#w.

After finishing breakfast while Kathy was catching up on her morning reading I caught up on a few chores that had slipped to the way side. When Kathy was finished she headed to the kitchen to start getting things ready for supper this evening. She got a nice beef roast with potatoes, carrots and onions all set in the crock pot before she started making a German Chocolate Pie as a dessert. I repaired a portable LED light that the batteries had suddenly gone sour as well as attempting to repair my electrical meter. Unfortunately I didn’t have a small enough fuse on hand so that was put in to a finish pile. At this point I started working on making a multiyear calendar with all our special dates printed on it for Kathy.

Since our building was sold the Skyline Corporation has made some minor improvements but they also needed to take stock. When the Boardwalk Corporation left the building they took all the records of who the tenants were and even what appliances that were in the building so we were given notice that they would be checking these things out this afternoon. I was working on the computer after lunch when Dan the building manager knocked on our door. Not only was he there to get serial numbers on appliances but checking that all our safety equipment worked and to find out if there were any repairs that needed to be made to the apartment.

It didn’t take long after Dan had left that we were out the door to run some needed errands. The first place we went was to Home Hardware in search of a fuse for my electrical meter. They didn’t have anything that light-duty so they recommended going to the Source (Radio Shack). At the Source they could only find a half amp fuse but that would have to do. We then drove to the Bulk Barn where we picked up supplies for a cake that we’ll be making for Christmas celebration with our family. Our last stop was at the Zehrs grocery store to pick up food supplies we were running low on.

Back at the apartment after everything was put away I got my electrical meter working. When Kathy went to check on supper she found it was far from done. There was only one solution to that problem. We ordered a single meal from the Chinese Restaurant next door that left us both well satisfied. Guess what we’ll be having for supper tomorrow and a few days afterwards. Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment. Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time.

Krackers

Office Jokes, Quotes, and Anecdotes

Demotivation

Sometimes the best solution to morale problems is just to fire all of the unhappy people.

Demotivators

Special Visit, Black Friday Sales And More Progress To Fulltiming.

Our Location today is Tecumseh, Ontario, Canada.

This is two nights in a row that both Kathy and I managed to sleep like a couple of rocks. Of course one of us had our morning computer reading nearly completed by the time the other awoke. Looking outside didn’t add any extra spring to our steps this morning because the weather guessers were right when they forecasted that we’d be having rain for the entire day in our area. At times it came down as a gentle drizzle then at other times it rained with enough intensity that you couldn’t see the cars in the parking lot.

We were expecting a phone call this morning closer to noon but were pleasantly surprised when the call came much earlier. Even with the rain outside we didn’t hesitate to dress for the occasion and head out the door. We were on our way to have a visit with our dear friend Vera. When we arrived we had the chance to visit for nearly an hour before she had to go back to see Bill who was having his morning Physiotherapy. If you recall Bill had fallen earlier this year and banged his head on a curb which caused bleeding on the brain. After having surgery to correct the problem it was like Bill had suffered a mini-stroke. He has continued an uphill battle making a long slow recovery to get his life back. When we were about to say our good-byes she surprised us with a gift of Homemade Hungarian Houlka.

Since it was well past noon at this point we used a coupon to have lunch at Wendy’s at a reduced price. While having our meal it seemed the rain intensified so we sat longer than we needed and watched some very wet people come and go.

Since there wasn’t much we could do at the apartment we drove over to the Tecumseh Mall with the intention of mall walking for exercise. We haven’t been to this mall in some time and shortly after we passed by Santa’s workshop we stumbled upon a store that Kathy had forgotten about. What made this store so special is that it carried Kathy’s favorite brand of clothes “Alia”. Kathy has been searching for quite some time lately for longer winter pants for herself. Today she managed to find two pair of pants and a couple of nice tops that will help her make it through the winter. The best part was when she went to cash out. The Canadian retailers in an attempt to keep shoppers from crossing the border to shop had their own version of “Black Friday Sales” going on today and we hadn’t even thought of that. Kathy saved over fifty dollars on her purchases today taking the pain of shopping away. We walked around a bit longer stopping at the Dollar Store for a few more things before heading for home. The rain seemed to slow each time we were walking between the buildings and the truck so we weren’t too damp by the time we got in the apartment.

Kathy had me adjust the racks she purchased for the fridge/freezer so she could organize it better. Once she can empty our larger standup freezer we’ll be selling it before we go Fulltime next spring. In order to help clean the freezer out faster we baked a frozen pizza for supper tonight, the rain seemed to intensify once again so another planned trip out will have to wait until tomorrow. Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment. Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time.

Krackers

Q: Where did the king put his armies?

A: In his sleevies.

The Internet Lied And One Last Cookout.

Our Location today is Tecumseh, Ontario, Canada.

Both Kathy and I slept later than we normally do this morning because our bodies allowed us to make up for some of our lost sleep from Tuesday night. We barely stayed awake long enough to post last night’s blog. After that we both slept so sound we woke up much more refreshed this morning.

The sunlight that filled the rooms even with the curtains closed was very bright. Shortly after opening the drapes the sun disappeared behind a wall of clouds spending most of the day hidden from view. Minutes later the windows started to rattle as the wind picked up with gusts that reached 35 mph. After finishing our morning reading on the computers I headed out to the parking lot with the hopes of installing the replacement heater motor in the car. Today was to be our last nice day with comfortable temperatures enough to work outside and tomorrow is supposed to rain all day. As I walked past the corner of the building the wind nearly knocked me off my feet.

After looking under the dash and the hood of the car I couldn’t see where the motor was located. On older vehicles everything was located out in the open so there was never any guess work. After reading that a lot of people Google everything and with the research I’ve been doing on the Solar Panel System for the trailer I thought I’d give it a try. Going to Google I simply typed in “How to replace a heater motor on a 2004 Intrepid” and all kinds of sites popped up. I copied a step-by-step how to onto a Word document even though it didn’t tell me where the fan was located. That was when I saw a how-to video that showed how to replace the motor and where it was.

Right after lunch I headed back outside armed with this newfound knowledge got the proper tools out and went to start the job. That’s when I found out something I’d heard about information on the Internet. “They Lied!” That’s right they lied. The video showed the unit facing directly back towards the seat. The unit in fact was facing the floor. In other words it was all overhead work and cars are no longer the size they used to be so you are working with you arms stretched and looking at what you are doing from a distance.

I managed to remove the duct work and motor cove and even a single bolt holding the motor when I had to call it a day. After a quick change of clothes Kathy and I drove out to the Belle River high school to pick up our grandson Tyler. I’ve wondered why the school bus will pick him up in the morning with his hockey equipment but won’t bring him home at night. The answer is simple “It Reeks!” That’s right most hockey equipment is carried in car trunks or pickup beds but never where humans are expected not to pass out from the raw stench of sweat. Tyler appreciated our bringing him home and it gave us some time out of the apartment.

Before going back to the apartment we ran a few errands. The first was the Dollar Store where we found a couple of small racks that Kathy wants to use in the fridge/freezer to better organize it. Then at Canadian Tire we found a cover that will help us protect a stand. Lastly we went to Walmart where we picked up two large and two medium clear plastic storage containers that we can start packing things we’ll be putting in storage while we Fulltime.

The wind actually calmed down by the time we got back to the apartment and the temperature was above the 50 degree mark. We decided to celebrate by grilling a couple of hamburgers on the Weber Q. It’s a long way to spring. Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment. Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time.

Krackers

You Might Be a Redneck If

Your butt is whiter than your teeth.

Sleepless Planning And Double Visits.

Our Location today is Tecumseh, Ontario, Canada.

We are definitely getting back to normal when it comes to sleeping. Last night both Kathy and I could not turn our brains off while trying to sleep. Kathy was packing all kinds of things for our move but she can’t remember what she was packing. I have already figured out how to wire up the Solar System for our trailer but for some reason I was trying to draw it up so that Kathy could understand it. It finally got to be too much for both of us and we finally met in our office where we spent the next hour and a half playing games on the computers trying to relax. We finally got to bed by 6:30 and managed to sleep until just after 8:00 this morning. We figure we each got close to three hours of sleep.

With the temperature lingering around the freezing mark this morning we settled back at the computers getting caught up on our morning reading. Around 10:00 Keith from London Fuller called me up with prices on the inverter I’d inquired about plus another larger one. The prices he gave me were on refurbished units at Canadian pricing. When I referred back to my notes that I’ve written from US suppliers I was shocked. Using the US price times the exchange rate of our dollar plus shipping and duty I can order two new units from the supplier in Maine and still pay less than the price for the single refurbished unit in Canada. Guess we’ll be waiting to buy them until next fall when we once again will be in the US where shipping is free, the return duty lower and hopefully our dollar will be closer to parity.

Before lunch I hauled STUFF that we won’t be using in the trailer and Kathy planned on giving away. Shortly after 2:00 we drove over to VitalAire to pick up our CPAP supplies that we’d gone to get last week. They were very apologetic about the delay and making all kinds of excuses.

As we left there I noticed it was time to add some fuel to the truck so a quick stop at the new Pioneer gas bar on Walker Road was made. That is my favorite station in town because they have separate fuel islands for cars and large trucks which have the higher flow nozzles. I was also surprised at the cost of fuel which has not been this low in our area in quite a few years.

We took our time driving out to Amherstburg as we had a 4:00 dinner engagement with our friends Gerry and Sandy at Gilligan’s. We haven’t seen them since the RV Dreams Reunion Rally in North Carolina back in May. They told us about their travels after the rally and other places they have travelled to this year. They’ve also been following our blog so they already knew about our plans about Fulltiming. Then Sandy and Kathy got caught up on a lot of things while Gerry and I talked shop about generators and the solar system that I want to add to the trailer. Even as we were eating our meals there was always someone keeping the conversation going. It was nearly 6:00 by the time we parted ways with the intention of getting together again before we head to the southwest next fall.

We drove a whole three blocks over to our son Kevin and daughter-in-law Melissa’s for our weekly visit. We brought in the STUFF that we’ll no longer need. Melissa will go through it and if she doesn’t need it she knows others that can use it which is fine with us. We had our usual great conversations and the strange thing is I cannot remember ever visiting with them that there was no reason to breakout in laughter and this was no exception.

Hopefully we'll start sleeping better again tonight. Tomorrow we’ve things to do and there are always new things that pop up as well. Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment. Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time.

Krackers

The World's Great Proverbs

Civility costs nothing.

Another Solar Site And A Lucky Find.

Our Location today is Tecumseh, Ontario, Canada.

After having had a terrible night of sleep on Sunday Night I made a full recovery last night. I only woke at 5:10 and rolled over only to see the clock then displaying 7:35 as the time this morning. Shortly after I got up Kathy was right behind me so we had breakfast at a decent time. As soon as I opened the curtains and saw a heavy frost on all the car windows I knew it was cold outside. Checking the Weather Network on the computer it showed the sun definitely needed to warm things up before we reached the freezing mark.

We had just sat down at the computers this morning when the phone rang. It was Keith from London Fuller apologizing for not having called by the end of business yesterday. He had not received the information that I’d requested from his supplier and had just gotten off the phone with them before calling me. His supplier still needs to gather the information that he asked about so this was basically a heads-up call that he had not forgotten about me. We did brainstorm other alternatives if my first option was not available.

As I’ve mentioned before that I worked in the trades throughout my career. I have also been designing and building things since my early teens. I have worked around and with electricity throughout that same time period. The only challenge to designing and assembling our Solar Panel System was in understanding the different kind of controllers and limitations of the equipment. For me this has just been another project that I am enjoying doing on my own and having the satisfaction that it is not just an assembly line model but something made to my higher standards. At this point the only setback is that while we are paying rent for our apartment we have a limited budget to work with.

Our friend George from Our Awesome Travels gave me the name and site of Discount Solar located in Quartzsite Arizona to add to my Commercial Links For RVers. George had his Solar system installed by these people and it has given him problem free service ever since then. Unfortunately their site doesn’t list any prices on the parts but from what I’ve heard they are very reasonably priced. If any readers of this post are looking at installing solar power to their RVs but aren’t sure how to do it this might be the best way of accomplishing this.

This afternoon we needed to run an errand to the Devonshire Mall and since I still need to repair the car we had to use the truck. The other day I suddenly could not find my set of car keys which is odd because all my keys are on a clip. We searched the entire apartment, (with the use of Kathy’s keys) the car and the truck unsuccessfully. Today after helping Kathy get in the truck I walked around the truck only to spot my missing keys on the ground right next to the rear tire. The electronic Fob was face down which helped keep the rain out we had on the weekend and it still works. What a relief that was to find them.

After leaving the mall we headed over to pick Tyler up at his high school. When he has his hockey equipment with him he is not allowed to bring it on the school bus at the end of the day. As soon as he got home he had to set it up on his drying rack to air it out.

Kathy made meatballs in the Crock pot this morning in a honey garlic sauce to have for supper. Tonight she made a nice vegetable herb rice dish to go with it. It all tasted great and the best part is there is another meal of meatballs waiting for us in the fridge.

Still no luck on the 400 error but I’m still trying. Hopefully I’ll start posting pictures to our blog again soon. Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment. Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time.

Krackers

You Might Be a Redneck If

Your dog is the father of every dog in the neighborhood.

Blog Links, Financial Advice And Helping To Christmas Shop.

Our Location today is Tecumseh, Ontario, Canada.

Things are definitely getting back to normal around here where I only slept for an hour before lying in bed staring at the ceiling. To remedy the situation and to not wake Kathy I spent the next couple of hours on the computer before I was tired enough to fall back to sleep. I slept until 7:30 this morning meaning that I got about three hours of sleep total.

Once we’d finished eating breakfast we returned to the computers where we got caught up on the latest blogs to be printed this morning before moving on to other electronic chores. Kathy finished making her expenditure entries on the budget spreadsheets I created so we can keep track of our spending. Since I’ve been doing so much research on Solar Panel Systems I thought that I’d make it easier for myself and anyone else that might be interested about solar by adding their links at the bottom of our blogs under the Commercial Links For RVers. The company names are AM Solar, Alt E Store and Renogy Solar. They all have their own special features, different product lines and pricing variables.

According to the weather guessers we were supposed to have a clear but still cold forecast for today. Imagine our surprise when we looked out the windows to see more large flakes coming down with an intensity that we couldn’t see the truck from the apartment. Fortunately that only lasted about ten minutes and the s@#w started to melt.

Later this afternoon we travelled across town to meet with Mark our financial advisor. When Kathy explained to Mark about our plans of going Fulltime while our health was still good he was totally happy for us. He also showed us the pictures of the latest addition to his family. Ever since we’ve known Mark he has been more of a friend than someone who continues to make our money work for us.

After getting back to the apartment I needed to make a phone call. Since I never got the call back from Keith at London Fuller about the solar equipment we talked about on the weekend I called AM Solar in Oregon. I spoke with Dave and explained what our setup is at this time, how much we wanted to expand it and what I had been told by others. He confirmed that what Keith had told me about not mixing the different strengths of panels was true. He also confirmed that you cannot mix a solar system with a wind generated system. He did however tell me there was no reason that we couldn’t use the number 4 welding cable from the roof to the controller.

After supper our daughter Karen came over and picked up her mom to help her with her Christmas Shopping. They were gone for nearly two hours and had time to talk more about our Fulltiming while they drove around. Karen has been a little skeptical about our plans ever since we told her about them. Speaking more about it with Kathy tonight she is starting to understand why we are doing it now.

Tomorrow the temperature is actually going to go above the freezing mark and I’m still trying to get pictures posted to our blog. Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment. Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time.

Krackers

Those who jump off a bridge in Paris are in Seine.

Broken Water Main, Christmas Shopping, Answers And Research.

Our Location today is Tecumseh, Ontario, Canada.

With the cooler damp weather we experienced yesterday it was no surprise when I opened the curtains this morning that the landscape was a very bright single color with only some accent colors thrown in. Last night with the temperatures dipping below the twenty degree mark it didn’t take long for the rain to change to first freezing rain then s@#w. As the sun rose over the horizon it didn’t take long for the icicles hanging from the balcony above to start losing their shapes. The high temperature for today would not even make it to the freezing mark.

When Kathy got up just around 8:00 we were surprised to find there was barely enough water pressure to fill our kettle with. Normally when the building maintenance plans to shut the water off they give the tenants more than forty-eight hours notice and never on a Sunday. After finishing our morning reading on the computer I added extra layers of clothing on to go outside to clean the snow off the car and truck so that the sun might have a chance to melt the layer of ice below.

Exiting the building I was surprised to see contractors digging outside the building utility room. Someone walking their dog at 6:30 this morning had found water bubbling from the ground and had the good sense to notify the building manager. Apparently the water main had failed right where it entered the building which is why the water had to be shut off. It was a good thing that this situation happened now and not during the severe cold of the upcoming winter.

By the time I’d cleaned the vehicles you could say that I needed to warm up. However with not having any drinkable water in the apartment we gathered our shopping list and a coupon and went to Tim Horton’s for lunch. Adding a nice large coffee to the Panini sandwiches that we ate for lunch helped to warm us up. We’ve shared one of those sandwiches before and were quite satisfied. Today we each had our own sandwich and it seemed that there was very little meat on either of them. That’s a good way to lose customers.

From there we headed across the street to Walmart to get some walking exercise in. Today we walked the entire store except the grocery section. We picked up new wiper blades for both vehicles that I had originally planned on getting next month but with the s@#w that came last night today was a good time to get them. As mentioned in our post the other day we have finished our Christmas shopping for this year and have informed the kids that we’ll be cutting back on our purchases for next year. We’ll also be getting together and celebrating an early Christmas at the time of our Canadian Thanksgiving so that we’ll be able to head south sooner. Kathy started her Christmas shopping for next year on Friday and managed to add to it today.

To clarify a few things people asked on comments yesterday. No we are not heading south this winter because we will be home getting rid of things in our apartment because we will be going Fulltime next spring. With additional work we want to get done on the trailer we won’t be heading south of the border until the fall of 2016. A few others couldn’t believe what some of the different Fix-it sites had to say was the cause of our Bad Request Error 400. If you type in “How to repair Bad Request Error 400” you will come up with pages of sites to visit. Start at the top reading them all and those so-called experts all give a different reason for the problem. They also have different ways of repairing the problem for all the different operating programs.

Back at the apartment we had running water so we had supper in. We spent most of the evening doing more research. Kathy reading about current events and trying to find a suitable place to buy clothes online. I continued my research on setting up our Solar Panel system. Using the brand names that Keith from London Fuller had mentioned yesterday as a benchmark I learned how we can have a more powerful system at a lower cost. This will be a work in progress and I’ll mention the components as we acquire them and explain those we’ve chosen and where we purchase them from. Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment. Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time.

Krackers

Employee Evaluation

"If you stand close enough to him, you can hear the ocean."

More Research For Travel And Solar Along With Repairs And S@#w.

Our Location today is Tecumseh, Ontario, Canada.

Strangely I managed to once again sleep in until nearly 7:30 this morning.  With last night’s outside temperature dipping below the freezing mark we stayed toasty warm under our new bedcover that we’ll be bringing with us when we move into the trailer in the spring. My first look outside this morning was no surprise as the roofs of vehicles throughout the parking lot had turned white. As we were enjoying our breakfast the light flurries became more dramatic as the flakes grew in size. Yes the weather guessers actually got it right but as the sun rose somewhere behind the clouds it was still warm enough for everything to begin melting and the flakes turned to rain.

This would become a stay at home day where we got a number of things accomplished. One of our dining chairs from the trailer had a problem with the lower back on it. I simply drilled out the plug and found that the factory had installed a screw that was way too short. Simply replacing it with a longer screw and a new plug was all it took to make the repair. Kathy played around researching alternate routes that we could be taking next fall when we head first south then westward. She is allowing more open plans giving us the freedom to wander at a more leisure pace than we normally do.

I did more online research about the solar panels and equipment this morning and found that even some of the distributers that I’d found last year have now gone to being wholesalers and it would be impractical for me to be ordering a skid of solar panels. I was in contact with Keith from London Fuller this afternoon about what I’m looking at for our solar panel system on the trailer. He said I definitely will never have to worry about running too much power through the cables that I’ve already run. He was suggesting certain equipment for the controller, inverter and panels and I was telling him my preferences. I had planned on using 100 watt solar panels but at only a dollar a watt for larger panels there might be a change of plans. As for the rest of the equipment he’ll be calling back on Monday with prices for us.

Later in the afternoon our daughter Karen called explaining she had to have her computer repaired and when the service tech asked if she needed to save anything she said no. Karen hasn’t been thinking too clearly since she was involved in an eight car pileup last February when a driver was busy texting instead of watching for stopped traffic ahead. Today when she realized she’d lost her Christmas Tracking file I’d made for her she knew enough to call me knowing that I’d still have it on file. It didn’t take long to E-mail it over to her.

I am still trying to come up with a solution about solving the Bad Request Error 400 message that is not allowing us to post pictures on our blog. Reading one fixit post it says that it has to do with a problem with an E-mail. Another fixit post says that it is due to tracking cookies while yet another says that it is caused by a bad URL address that probably has the percentage sign (%) in it. Following the instructions I actually found two of those percentage signs in URLs in the Resource area of the blog but I was unable to remove them.

This evening Kathy watched a Christmas Special on television while I set up our Pill Daucettes. Looking outside the balcony door everything in the parking lot was white and tomorrow we’ll be lucky if our high temperature reaches the freezing mark. Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment. Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time.

Krackers

A bicycle can't stand on its own, because it's two tired.

More Solar Research, Poor Customer Service And Money Saving Deals

Our Location today is Tecumseh, Ontario, Canada.

Getting to bed a little later than usual last night was balanced out when I slept until nearly 7:30 this morning. I went through my morning ritual of opening curtains before accomplishing my morning reading before Kathy woke up. We changed our menu around for breakfast opting to have muffins for breakfast rather that our usual cereal. While eating we discussed what errands we’d be doing today but since there weren’t that many and the temperature was quite a bit cooler than yesterday we decided to wait until after lunch.

While Kathy was getting caught up on her reading and bookkeeping I surprised myself by starting to do some of my own research which is something I normally don’t like to do. However when it comes to things that are technical I have the tendency to understand it much better than Kathy and that kind of research does appeal to me. Since we’re looking to expand our solar system on the trailer I contacted a local company called Unconquered Sun who gave me the name of another company called Home Energy Solutions near Barrie in Ontario. Both these companies no longer sell their products to the general public and have become distributors. They did give me the name of a retailer called London Fuller that I left a voicemail with only to have them leave us a message later when we had to go out. The rest of the morning I was researching solar retailers online.

After lunch we drove over to VitalAire to pick up our CPAP supplies that we get every six months. When we got there they didn’t have anything ready for me or Kathy. Because they continue to mess up our orders we will not get any supplies before we leave next winter. The case worker that used to be there always made certain we had our supplies on time and there was never any delay in our orders. Due to company cutbacks they let her go and now four managers can’t keep up with the orders. We now have to return next week to get our supplies.

Our next stop was at Guardian Storage and our trailer. Were we surprised when we saw that there had been fresh crushed stone spread throughout the yard since we were there last Sunday. That means that our trailer will no longer be surrounded by water the next time that it rains. I returned the toolbox that is normally kept in the trailer and picked up another so that I’ll be able to work on replacing the car heater motor next week.

Leaving there we stopped at Princess Auto because I’d seen them advertise solar panels not too long back. Once we found them we only found low output panels similar to what we already have and were sold out of the higher output units.

We drove over to Canadian Tire next to check out their supply of solar panels. They had a good assortment but their 100 watt panels were over five hundred dollars which is more than double of the price in the US. Since the wind was blowing fairly steady outside we decided to walk around the store to get some exercise in. Remember in yesterday’s post I mentioned that we’d finished our Christmas Shopping for this year. Let me tell you that today Kathy bought some of our first Christmas Gifts for next year.

Our last stop before going home was Shoppers Drug Mart where we picked up some vitamins that we needed. The best part was that all the ones we picked up today were between forty to seventy percent off helping us keep our budget in check.

Back at the apartment I continued researching more online companies for solar components. It’s a good thing we are taking our time doing this and we are not in a rush. The weather guessers are forecasting our first s@#wfall of the season starting overnight and throughout the day tomorrow with the temperatures being below the freezing mark for the weekend. That sounds like the perfect time to call that retailer back tomorrow and continue with more research. Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment. Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time.

Krackers

You Might Be a Redneck If

You've mumbled "blah blah blah" during a judge's summation.

The Search Continues And Our Shopping Is Completed.

Our Location today is Tecumseh, Ontario, Canada.

Whatever it was that had us feeling so down in the dumps the other day was totally gone by the time we woke up this morning. Of course the recovery time varied slightly because I’d opened the curtains and was busy catching up on my reading on the computer before 7:00. As soon as I heard Kathy walking in the bedroom just after 8:00 it was time to make breakfast. Even though we had errands to run we settled back at the computers to finish off other chores. Sorry no luck with the photo issue on the blog.

As mentioned the other day we had planned on installing Solar Panels to our trailer for quite some time. Trying not to break the bank we have been adding to the system slowly. We started by my making racks to vertically store our batteries in the forward storage cabinet behind our landing gear. Next we started adding AGM Batteries with the plan to add more in the future. While staying at the Glades RV Park in Florida I ran welding cable to a junction box I’d mounted to the roof guaranteeing we’d have heavy enough wiring. This last week we finally installed the first of our solar panels.

This afternoon our first stop was to Unconquered Sun which has been in the area for just about five years. What we found out is that they are no longer into equipping RVs with solar power but have become more of a distributor to companies that are installing solar systems on farms, homes and businesses. However they did give us the name of a company here in Ontario that does take care of equipping RVs with solar. The reason we were looking into a company here is so that we can get higher powered panels at a cheaper price than the panels we already have cost us.

Our next stop was at Boss Auto Recycling to pick up a heater motor for the car that decided to die the other day. They had a used unit for less than half the price of a new unit that would’ve had to be ordered.

Down the road we stopped at Kathy’s doctor’s office so she could pick up some vitamins that help her arthritis but are only sold at the in-house Pharmacy.

Next we stopped at Home Depot to inquire about the Solar Systems that they were selling earlier this year. In this short of a time they are no longer selling them but have people qualified to install them.

Crossing the parking lot we stopped at the Dollar Store where we got in a bit of walking while we picked up a few needed supplies.

We then headed across town before stopping at the Credit Union to do some banking before driving across the street to Walmart. We spent some time browsing around the store and besides getting a few more needed groceries we manage to finish getting the last of the gifts on our list. Kathy was happy to announce that we are now finished our Christmas Shopping for this year.

Today when we left the apartment around noon even though it was windy we were comfortable wearing our denim jackets. By the time we were heading home this afternoon we were starting to get cold and the temperature for our area is only going downhill for the next week.

After supper Kathy finished wrapping the last of the gifts we purchased today. Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment. Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time.

Krackers

The World's Great Proverbs

We must learn to walk before we can run.

Back On Our Feet And Murphy Visit.

Our Location today is Tecumseh, Ontario, Canada.

We were both in bed shortly after posting the blog last night loaded with our own version of a medical micky. It was past 7:30 when we finally woke up this morning and even though we weren’t feeling a hundred percent we were still feeling far better than yesterday. With being out of sorts for the last couple of days that meant we had some catching up to do.

As soon as breakfast was over we did a quick scan of the computers to see what was happening in the Cyber World then I had to get caught up on the laundry while Kathy continued online monitoring of our accounts. In the laundry room I was practically by myself so it didn’t take long to getting the wash going. Upstairs Kathy was busy dusting around the apartment. When it was time to get things in the dryers again I had the choice of machines to use. Within minutes I had finished with that and gathered the mail before going back upstairs. Kathy had finished vacuuming by then and was starting to make lunch.

I’ve mentioned before that I use the tables in the laundry room to fold the clothes before bring it upstairs. When I went to get the clothes from the second dryer they were still wet. I thought someone had accidentally opened the dryer door saw the clothes and just shut the door without restarting the cycle. I restarted it and brought the clothes I’d already folded back to the apartment. I returned to the laundry room to check that the dryer was still working. The dryer was working but the drum was not rotating which was why the clothes had not dried. Murphy must have been laughing that I’d invested twice in a machine that didn’t work. I moved the clothes to another machine and then made an Out of Order sign for the one that didn’t work. I informed Dan the building manager about the problem and he explained how to get my money back.

With the laundry having taken longer than I’d expected it wasn’t long after bring the last of the folded clothes upstairs that we headed out the door. We used a coupon at Wendy’s for a tasty discounted supper. From there we continued out to Amherstburg for our weekly visit with Kevin and Melissa. As usual we had a wonderful visit that included everything from serious discussions to having a lot of laughs. Before leaving I unloaded the masonry saw that I’d picked up last week to use at our daughter’s not knowing there had been a change of plans.

Tomorrow the temperatures in our area are starting to slide with the possibilities of flurries for the weekend. Too bad the nice weather we’ve been having couldn’t stick around just a little longer. Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment. Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time.

Krackers

You Might Be a Redneck If

You've ever used hairspray to kill flying bugs.

Must Have Been Bugged.

Our Location today is Tecumseh, Ontario, Canada.

It is strange how we can spend the warmth of the summer mingling with people and never come down with anything. Listening to the experts they say that the cooler to colder months are the healthiest because the lower temperature supposedly kills the germs. Then why is it that it’s this time of year we catch unknown germs whether by inhaling them or touching them on surfaces. My headache and Kathy’s cold that we started with yesterday were only the tip of the iceberg. We spent the majority of the day trying to help one another get better from who knows what.

We spent very little time doing anything today but feeling achy and miserable. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day. Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment. Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time.

Krackers

Where did Noah keep his bees?

In the ark hives.

Solving Some Problems While Faced With Others.

Our Location today is Tecumseh, Ontario, Canada.

When I awoke this morning I felt slightly under the weather even after sleeping well last night. Kathy also had a rough night and felt all congested when she got up. Sitting at the computer catching up on our morning reading I noticed the start of a headache that I just couldn’t seem to shake. I had hoped to finish connecting the solar panels on the trailer today but the headache seemed to be affecting my balance so that idea was scratched.

As mentioned in a previous post the solar panels don’t have enough output to support our needs in the trailer and there are plans to add more panels in time. These panels were purchased with the intention of adding them to our trailer we had before the purchase of our 2011 Avalanche. The price we paid for them when we purchased them you can buy over four hundred watts of solar panels in today’s market. The first couple of times we wintered in Florida we purchased two AGM batteries in an effort of building up our battery bank and yes we declared them on our return to Canada. We called it working on a budget but once we become Fulltimers our budget will be less restrictive.

Since I wasn’t working outside I spent the rest of the day working on our computer/blog/Facebook issues. The problem with the Bad Request 400 Error continues to plague our blog by not allowing us to upload any pictures. Kathy was having a few simple document issues but the worst part had to do with her Facebook page where thousands of Spam messages were being sent to her Gmail account from people she doesn’t know that were all commenting about somebody’s picture. We could only set it up as Spam and clean up her mailbox but Kathy finally had to notify Facebook of the Spam problem. As of this writing Facebook seems to have taken care of the problem and she is only receiving legitimate E-mails.

Hopefully we’ll both feel better tomorrow and get more of our chores completed. Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment. Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time.

Krackers

Office Jokes, Quotes, and Anecdotes

Number of Japanese workers in 2002 who died of Karoshi, or overwork: 162

Paul Grobman, Vital Statistics

Solar Panels Are Up But Not Running.

Our Location today is Tecumseh, Ontario, Canada.

This is something we are both starting to enjoy sleeping at night when we are supposed to. I still manage to need less sleep than Kathy does. She was in bed before the news came on last night and I was still up by 6:30 this morning. I’d opened the curtains in the other rooms, gotten things ready for breakfast and finished my morning reading before Kathy got up just before 8:00.

Once breakfast was finished it didn’t take me long to make the bed. Then while Kathy was still reading I began bringing things to the truck that I’d needed at the trailer. Since it was still cool outside we were in no hurry to leave too soon. We ended up having an early lunch so we could get a few other things accomplished.

It was 12:00 when we arrived at Guardian Storage and were surprised to see the automatic gate wide open. That meant that anybody and their brothers could just come in and drive around. We’d later find out that someone had tried outrunning the gate and managed to bend it. The service people would have it repaired and working properly before we’d leave.

After opening the slides on the trailer so we could do additional chores I temporarily disconnected the battery power so that I could connect the power cables that I’d ran to the roof while we were in Florida last year. Once the cables were all reconnected I had to set the solar panels on edge by the side of the trailer and lashed them so they could be safely hoisted to the roof without the chance of dropping them. After tossing the ropes across the roof I brought the rest of the supplies needed up the rear ladder. With Kathy’s help guiding the solar panels as I lifted them they made it safely to the roof without causing any damage to the side of the trailer. It didn’t take long to fasten the brackets to the roof and it was warm enough that the sealant flowed easily. Kathy changed the bicycle cover on the back of the trailer and even surprised me when she climbed the rear ladder to see the solar panels in their elevated position. I did make a boo-boo however by leaving the drill back at the apartment. Now I’ll have to finish connecting the wires in the junction box tomorrow.

It was nearly 5:00 when we left the storage yard and it had been nearly six hours since we’d eaten lunch so we decided on stopping at McDonalds for supper. Back at the apartment we received a call from Karen asking if we could print a homework assignment for Tyler because their stupid printer was on the fritz again. We enjoyed a short visit while we helped Tyler out. Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment. Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time.

Krackers

What do you get when you cross an elephant with a rhinoceros?

"Ell if I know."

Hockey and Landscape.

Our Location today is Tecumseh, Ontario, Canada.

After another good night’s sleep I lay in bed for over a half hour before getting out of bed before 6:30 this morning. I tried to cheat and set my pillows where I would normally lay in order to dupe Kathy into thinking I was still in bed. After opening the curtains in the other rooms I started my morning reading on the computer but shortly after 7:00 Kathy walked into the office. She said the pillows didn’t fool her one bit and she had tossed and turned since I had gotten out of bed. We both finished our morning reading before going for breakfast.

By 11:30 we were on our way out the door heading to the New Belle River Arena to watch our grandson Tyler play hockey. When the game started Tyler who was playing center had a breakaway and managed to score the first goal of the game within the first ten seconds of the game. The opposing team scored their first goal twenty seconds later. The score would tip back and forth with Tyler putting another dozen unsuccessful shots on the opposing net. Finally Tyler managed another breakaway and tied the game with only five seconds left in the game. This was truly a game that kept everyone on the edge of their seats with a final score of 5 to 5.

Back at the apartment we had a quick snack before driving over to our daughter Karen’s home to help her finish modifying her front flowerbed landscape. She had started to take one section of it apart because the previous owner of the house had it installed too close to the driveway. If Greg parked his truck too close to the edge of the driveway you would be tripping over the landscaping leading to the front door. Tyler came out to give me a hand while we dug up these specially made landscaping bricks that had the flat stones glued on top of them. At first Karen had decided to just modify the one flowerbed but then she decided to just remove that section totally. Not having a wheelbarrow or utility cart to move these heavy stones with to the opposite side of the driveway we had to get creative. In order to save our backs we used one of Tyler’s old skateboards and it worked like a charm. After leveling the ground as best we could we called it a day and Kathy and I headed for home. Kathy cooked up a wonderful supper of Salmon fillets baked potatoes and carrots.

All day long including the 6 o’clock News all you hear is about the barbaric terrorist attack in Paris. When growing up we were taught to love our fellow man but it seems that this terrorist group missed that lesson. Unfortunately this will make things difficult for people to trust those who are truly in need of help. Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment. Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time.

Krackers

You Might Be a Redneck If

You list your favorite movie stars as "Smokey" and "The Bandit."

It All Clicked.

Our Location today is Tecumseh, Ontario, Canada.

Another restful night’s sleep and I was once again laying in bed for nearly an hour before getting up before 6:30 this morning. I had finished my morning reading and started getting breakfast ready by the time Kathy woke up. We ate breakfast looking out the balcony door at the rain that was being driven by yet again another windy day. On the Weather Network they were showing videos of damage that was caused by yesterday’s wind throughout the southern portion of Ontario. More wind was forecasted for today but with less intensity.

We were out the door by 9:30 heading across town using Tecumseh Road. We seemed to be lucking out hitting green traffic lights all the way to the Credit Union where we needed to do some banking. I was the first in line for an entire minute when another teller opened up speeding up our transaction. Back on the road we were again cruising along with more green traffic lights until we arrived to the Walker Road Medical Plaza where I had an appointment. The lineup of traffic trying to get in was fairly long but it cleared just in time for me to make the turn.

When I saw the doctor he had already reviewed my file and was going to book me for testing in the New Year so I kind of fibbed and told him we are normally gone after Christmas Day until the end of April. (I didn’t tell him we were staying home this winter.) His receptionist was able to schedule my testing for next Tuesday because someone else had just cancelled.

It was still raining even though we had been inside for all of twenty-five minutes. That meant we had plenty of time to go back to the Passport Office in downtown Windsor. Again it just seemed that the traffic lights were helping us out and before we knew it we were arriving at our destination. The wind was really blowing so I dropped Kathy off at the door and told her to get our number in case other people would come in while I went to park the car. It was ten minutes before I got upstairs and the place was packed with people but Kathy was sitting down. There had only been two people ahead of her when she arrived and everyone else had piled in right after she’d gotten our placement ticket. I wasn’t even seated for a minute when we were called up. Fifteen minutes later and we were on our way to our next stop but with the intense wind I brought the car around to pick Kathy up.

We had to stop at the Medical Testing Building where I needed an information package for next weeks test. Part of the package included a prescription so on the way back to the apartment we stopped at Shoppers Drug Mart to drop off the script.

The rain had stopped but the wind had increased by the time we got back to the apartment. We had an enjoyable lunch before heading out for another round of errands. With our going Fulltime in the spring we won’t be able to transport our plants across the International Border so Kathy has been giving them away to good homes. Our next stop was at our friends Kathie and Ross’s apartment where we delivered our last plant and spent an hour visiting and catching up with them.

When we left there were more things we needed to do and the first was a stop at Walmart where Kathy needed to replace her hair dryer that suddenly stopped working last night. We got some store walking in since the weather outside was not very pleasant. We also picked up a few other food stocks before heading out.

We traveled to Princess Auto where I returned the Hitch Pins I’d gotten for the Solar Panel Lift Brackets the other day as the size would have weakened the brackets too much. When I went to look for alternative pins there were newer pins that had not been there the other night. They were perfect for what we needed and at a fraction of the price of the ones that I’d returned.

Our last stop was back at Shoppers Drug Mart to get my Prescription before heading home. It just seemed that everything we needed to accomplish today just clicked in place for us and didn’t take nearly the amount of time we thought it would.

For supper we finished the Lasagna Kathy made yesterday. The 6 o’clock News spoke of multiple terror attacks in Paris. Why can’t people just live in Peace? The wind is still rattling our windows. Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment. Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time.

Krackers

The World's Great Proverbs

Little things please little minds.