Bummed Out

I mentioned that we are having to replace the refrigerator in our 5th wheel, and were hoping to get it installed in time for a scheduled trip.  We still might, but now I've found another problem that makes that moot.  

We have called and cancelled our reservations, and we've pretty much decided that once everything is fixed we're putting the thing on the market.

I'll miss the trailer, but won't miss the monthly payments, the cost of license plates, insurance and the extended warranty.  Whoever said that RVing was an inexpensive way to see the country probably failed  third grade arithmetic.

Not sure what we'll do next.

Well, That Was Scary

I was out cleaning up the 5th wheel yesterday when I noticed that the refrigerator wasn't working.  The interior was warm and the error light on the control panel was on.  

I turned it off and back on, and it seemed to reset, but a half hour later it hadn't cooled down at all. RV refrigerators do not cool as efficiently on AC, so I switched it over to propane. 

Within a couple minutes, I could smell ammonia, and I knew the fridge had a major problem. I called Terry at Terry's RV service, and as we were talking, I looked over to see that the fridge was on fire!

I ran to the trailer to turn the fridge off and grabbed the fire extinguisher on the way back out.  The extinguisher is as old as the 5th wheel and had never been used - now when I actually needed it, it wouldn't do anything at all.  I grabbed the water hose, and was able to get the flames out without any noticeable damage to the trailer.

The good news is that the damage is covered by our extended warranty.  The bad news is that the warranty only covers the cooling unit and specifically excludes the cabinet, which now smells like ammonia and probably will forever.  We opted to replace the entire fridge and pay the difference.

I did learn the answer to something I've wondered about.  Most RV fires  start in the refrigerator, and the motorhome or trailer is usually totaled. 

Ammonia is not particularly flammable - in fact is almost always requires a catalyst to ignite, so why do they burn?  The ammonia used as a refrigerant in RV refrigerator is in an atmosphere that contains helium and hydrogen. Helium is an inert gas, and is not flammable - hydrogen is not just flammable, it's been described as the most flammable of all known substances.

It didn't feel like it at the time, but I would guess you could say we got lucky.

Fred and ______

For the last several years, we have had a pair of Cardinals here at the Boggy Thicket.  We have watched them raise several batches of babies, and have enjoyed watching their interaction.
We named them Fred and Ethel.
This year we are wondering if Fred has become a bigamist.
Ethel is still around, although she has put on some weight, and Fred is still attentive and protective as ever.  
This year though, there is another female. 
Her coloring looks just like Ethel except her beak is black with no trace of red.  The two females get along fine, and Fred spends at least as much time with the newcomer.
We've decided to name her Wilma.

Double Jeopardy

James Holzhauer went over the $2 million mark on Jeopardy Friday.  
Honey mentioned a week or so ago how she felt sorry for all the contestants he has faced on the show - people who have dreamed for years of being on the show only to come up against the most formidable contestant in the history of the game.
Apparently, she is not alone in her feelings.  My sister Karen sent me this New Yorker cartoon.

Seven-Ten Cap

There's an old joke about a young (blonde) lady who comes into an auto parts store asking for a seven-ten cap.  Nobody has any idea what she wants until she draws a picture of it - then the guy across the counter knows immediately....

Well, I had to buy one this week.  Actually, mine looks more like this...

I didn't exactly lose mine - I know exactly where it is - I just can't reach it.  While I was changing oil on the truck, it fell down between the radiator and the transmission cooler.  I can see it, even move it around, I just can't get a hold on it to pull it out. My magnetic fishing tool is useless because the darn thing is plastic.

The guy at the auto parts store had a grabbing tool like this...

He tried for several minutes to snag the old filler cap, then finally said "You know, it ain't hurting anything down there."

At that point, I bought a new cap and headed home.

So, if you need a seven-ten cap, I have one you can have for free.  You just have to get it out.

Jeopardy

The answer is - "What is Jeopardy?"

And the question was "Name my all-time favorite game show."

Since current champion James Holzhauer has been on the show, it's been more exciting than ever.  Thank goodness he was back yesterday and continuing his amazing streak.

The answer is - "What is your least favorite game show?"

And the question, Alec, is "Name the Jeopardy Teachers' Tournament."

I can accept the dumbing down of the clues on Jeopardy's Celebrity Tournaments.  After all, they are playing for charity, and few of the contestants take the competition seriously.

But - In a contest that supposedly pits the best and brightest of our nation's educators, I would expect at least the level of difficulty seen on an average day. 

That is not the case, and the teachers seem to struggle with the clues they get - the first three people in the check-out line at WalMart could do as well.

It's embarrassing and it's downright annoying, but at least it's over for another year.

Poem

The Great Idler Mystery

I was mowing the yard this morning when I heard a clunk.  I thought I had run over a large stick, but when I got to the end of the row and started back, I looked over and saw this -

My first thought was "Oh crap, I've lost an idler pulley.  Now I'll have to  work on the mower."  But then I thought "Wait a minute.  You've already mowed about a hundred feet and everything is still working."

I picked up the pulley and continued mowing. I mowed another acre and a half before parking the mower.

The pulley looks like something that would go on my mower, and it was out in the middle of the yard, a hundred feet or so from the street, but I've looked at the mower and as far as I can see nothing is missing.

Tom Sawyer

I've been planning our next trip, and one of the places I wanted to stay was the Tom Sawyer RV Park in West Memphis, Arkansas.  It was in an ideal location - almost exactly halfway between two other stops - and it is a nice park on the banks of the river where you can kick back and watch the barge traffic on the Mississippi.
Unfortunately, the Big Muddy had other ideas.  
When I first called them back in March, their answering machine said they were closed because they were under water, and when I called yesterday I got the same recording.

Bad Day

Not sure why, but I thought about this movie last week. 
In my memory, it stands out as one of the best - certainly most unusual - films I've ever seen.  Spencer Tracy was nominated for Best Actor at the 1955 Oscars, he didn't win, but did pick up Best Actor at the Cannes Movie Festival.
55 was a year with a lot of great movies - Marty, Mr. Roberts, Rebel Without a Cause, East of Eden, Man With a Golden Arm and Picnic to name a few.

Day Lily

Not much to report lately except rain, high water, and more rain.
Today I decided enough was enough, and decided to post about something else.
Last year, when we were setting up the bed for our hibiscus, we lined the edge of the bed with liriope.  We didn't know it at the time, but we accidentally added two day lilies.  One has buds that haven't opened yet, and one is in bloom today.

Water

Last Sunday, the weathermen were predicting  lots of rain this week.  Beginning today, the probability ranged from 50 to 70% every day through Saturday.  What they did NOT predict was the 10 - plus inches we would receive yesterday!

This picture was actually taken after Harvey, but our yard looked just like this again.  Water was within an inch and a half of being as high.  We didn't get any in the house this time, but we didn't miss it by much.
The water drained off pretty fast, and today our yard is almost back to normal.  God knows what will happen if we get the rain that was actually predicted for the rest of the week.

Mr. Fixit

The faucet in the bathroom sink off the bedroom has been dripping.  I have cleaned and/or replaced the valves on it before, so I started there.  The first thing I learned was that the shut-off valve on the cold water side (the side that was dripping) was stuck and the handle was spinning on the shaft.

At that point, I decided to replace the entire faucet and the bad valve.  I went to Lowes and bought replacements.

Before shutting the water off to the entire house, I decided to try turning the stuck valve with my channel-locks.  It worked.  Now I have a replacement valve on hand if it ever happens again.

Changing out the faucet requires a basin wrench like this one..

I own one, but it is probably older than I am, and it hadn't been used for maybe 20 years, so the first thing I had to do was lubricate the head so it would swivel.  That took a few minutes, but I got it to work.

Normally, you only use the wrench to loosen the fittings, then turn them the rest of the way by hand.  I'm not sure if normal ever actually happens, but Murphy's law required that I use the wrench to unscrew the fitting on one side (the hardest to get to) all the way.

Once I got the old faucet removed, installation of the new one went like clockwork.

Of course, all of this had to be done while lying on my back halfway inside the bathroom cabinet.  This morning, my right shoulder blade feels like one huge bruise.

I also bought a new faucet for the kitchen sink, and planned to replace it today.  Sore as I am this morning, it may have to wait.

Washing Dishes - Part 4 - Damn, I'm Good!

I mentioned yesterday that, based on the repairman's report, Lowes decided to refund the full price (plus tax) of our dishwasher. I also mentioned that I might take a look at it myself before buying another one.

Well, the dishwasher is running as I write this.

I noticed a slight discoloration of the plug on one side of the door switch.  

In fairness to the technician they sent out, it was mostly hidden until I disconnected it.  Once I did, it was obvious that it was the source of the failure.  It had been arcing and was burned to a crisp!

The door plug has two sets of contacts - Black (hot) 120 VAC leads and White (return) leads.  The problem was on the return side, so I just cut the white wires and spliced them together. 

The door switch works fine with just the black wires, and ... 

We now own a functioning dishwasher that was absolutely free!

Washing Dishes - Part 3

Well, the repairman's prediction was correct.  

Lowes is sending me a check for the full price I paid for the dishwasher plus tax!

Before I go pick up a new one, I may take a shot at fixing it myself.  If I can, it will no longer be covered by a warranty, but it will be free.

Hawk

This big fella has been hanging around the Boggy Thicket for about a week now.  When I say big, I mean it. He is about twice the size of the pair of hawks that have nested here for the past several years.
Still not sure, but the "experts" on the Birds of Texas website tell me he's a Red-Shouldered Hawk.

Washing Dishes - Two

The technician showed up this morning to repair our dishwasher.
He wasn't able to fix it.
But - he is ordering a new control board, a new door switch and a new wiring harness.  He is guessing that, with that many parts ordered, Lowes will choose to replace it rather than authorize that much in parts and labor.
We'll see.

May Day

May first is traditionally a day to celebrate spring - or Labor Unions or Communism, or just a day to warm up your drinking skills before Cinco de Mayo.  
This is a picture of the Maypole dance in Beaumont, Texas last year. This year's event won't be held today; it's scheduled for May 11th.

Beaumont Maypole Festival

May 11, 2019

Held annually on the second Saturday in May, the Beaumont Maypole Festival is a blessing of the crops and celebration of the arts for young and old alike. Stroll through 23 acres of green serenity found within the Beaumont Botanical Gardens and shop local art and food vendors.

Children can enjoy carnival games, face painting and feeding the giant koi in the outdoor fish pond. The festival ends with the blessing of the crops, followed by a maypole dance to wrap the maypole. Family friendly costumes are encouraged. Beaumont Botanical Gardens can accommodate wheelchairs and strollers.

The Beaumont Botanical Gardens is located at Tyrrell Park behind the Warren Loose Conservatory. This FREE festival will be from 9 a.m. - 6 p.m., with the wrapping of the Maypole taking place at 4:30 p.m. Parking is available in front of the conservatory.