Final Order Made, Changing To LEDs, Finding What We Need and More Verizon Frustration.

Our Location today is Quartzsite, Arizona, U.S.A. 

We finally managed to shut our Electric Fireplace off early enough that when we went to bed we didn’t start sweating because of our New Flannel Sheets. Other than rolling over a couple of times through the course of the night the only thing I remembered was when the Window Shades started turning a lighter shade of brown it was time to get up. It was just past 7:30 MST when I started my day and since the Inside Thermometer read 45 F (7 C) I started by doing my computer reading early. It wasn’t until I started hearing Kathy moving around upstairs that I turned on the Electric Fireplace to take the chill from the air. 

Once breakfast was over I had the chance to call Northern Arizona Wind & Sun to order the Power Distribution Block that is needed to connect all our Solar Panels in the Junction Box on the roof of the trailer. Robert said it could be here as early as Wednesday but when I checked my E-mail later this afternoon it should be delivered tomorrow. 

I also needed to pull apart the Light Fixture over our Dining Table. When this trailer was built the Pot Lights that were installed were all LED, but Jayco still managed to use some lights that were Twelve Volt Incandescent Bulbs in certain lights like in the Closet, in the Basement, in Wall Sconces and over the Dining Table. When I opened up the lamp both the bulbs had turned black from the heat when they burnt out. That wasn’t the bad part the Sockets were so tight it took over ten minutes to remove those two bulbs. 

The decision was made to replace all the bulbs with LEDs so we’d never have to worry about them again. It was nearly 10:00 when we headed back to Discount Solar and More where I had noticed the other day quite a selection of LED Replacement Bulbs. Kathy waited in the truck while Greg and I found the bulbs I needed to nearly change everything to LED. The best part was that the prices have really dropped over the years and it cost much less than I figured it would. 

Yesterday while cutting most of the Aluminium Angle Material the Bar Clamp that I was using failed because of the way it was designed. Our next stop was to K-B Tools one of the Vendors already set up before the arrival of the Big Tent. Kathy walked over to the other end of the tent and started looking for an Awning Shade. They didn’t have the shorter twelve foot that we need for our trailer so we passed on the longer ones. We still left with more than my Bar Clamp. 

It was nearly noon at this point and Dollar General was packed so we went to Burger King to have a quick lunch. They were having a problem with their broiler and could only sell food (Chicken, Fish and French Fries) that were deep fried. That limited our choices but we still managed to find something we enjoyed. As we were leaving Kathy started laughing and it took a few seconds before she could point to what was causing her humor. Somebody in Marketing must have had a bid smile on their face when they named this company, Passmore Gas Propane Company. 

Since we are back to using the Prepaid Verizon MiFi Hotspot (Not Our Choice) we thought that we’d go to Dollar General to get a Prepaid Card. We had a hard time walking down most of the aisles because of piles of stock all over the floor. Even the clerk was having a bad day and was really gruff when I went to pay. 

Kathy had searched for a Portable File Divider and had no luck so we drove down Main Street to the Family Dollar. The place was well stocked with nothing blocking the aisles and we not only found the File Divider that Kathy was looking for but a few other things she had wanted for some time. 

By the time we got Home it was after 3:00 so I stuck to doing indoor chores like installing the newly purchased LED Bulbs. The ones over the Dining Table and in the Bedroom Sconces worked great but the ones I installed in the Closet were way too dim. Another trip tomorrow. 

We’ve also not been watching television since leaving McGregor so the only news we’ve been seeing is on the Internet. I tried Adjusting the Television, making certain the Antenna Booster is on and Turning the Antenna but still nothing. We didn’t feel we wanted to add a Satellite Dish at this time so I went to talk to a neighbour who has a HD Antenna attached to his trailer ladder. Bob says he gets nearly Thirty Channels and only has problems under Severe Weather Conditions. Three years ago he thought he could get better reception with Satellite but found his HD Antenna worked better with no monthly charges. The only thing he did was to add a Better-Quality Rotator on it. That gave Kathy and I food for thought. 

Kathy made a wonderful supper of the Leftover Homemade Soup with Fresh Spring Mix Salad, Leftover Mini-Butter Tarts and Yogurt. It was more than filling. 

While Kathy did the dishes, I tried going Online to Verizon to add our Prepaid Card to our account. The Computer showed there was no such Phone Number but I was using it to connect with them. I called Verizon on our TracFone using their Computerized Menu that always got the number wrong and when it got it right said it didn’t exist. After staying on the phone for Twenty Minutes the agent at the other end insisted the number did not exist and couldn’t accept my payment. Twenty minutes later my ear was beginning to burn from the heat of the phone and my patience was gone so I politely said I’d call back and hung up. As I have said many times in past blogs, since our first MiFi Hotspot with Verizon we have always had issues while other people don’t. We still need it for communication purposes but we sure don’t need the headaches. 

With only a couple of errands to run tomorrow the rest of the day should be spent getting us closer to being Off the Grid and ready to Boondock next month. 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 add air to your tires before picking up your mother-in-law.