Well, I'm not dead.

...Yet.
I'm trying real hard to get up and go to work.
There's nothing worse than being alone and being sick. I'm sure my dog would have poured me a cup of coffee if it weren't for that lack of opposable thumbs thing. Yesterday, I didn't have the motivation to shower or even brush my teeth. When I had to eat, I heated up a can of soup and sliced french bread, or made a bowl of oatmeal. I got overheated last night so I turned the thermostat down. This morning I discovered it was on 60. My muscles are so sore, it feels like I've been lifting weights, I can feel it in my shoulders when I lift my arms up. Even my skin hurts.
I don't think I could stand to be in here another day just sleeping. I slept most of yesterday, with brief interludes of checking my email or watching "The Dog Whisperer". I got kind of depressed, just wishing somebody would offer me a cup of coffee that I didn't have to pour myself. Yep, I was just a big baby yesterday.
I have got to shake this off. Mind over matter, you know? Take some Advil, kick the muscle soreness, drink a Red Bull and get back out there. I think the congestion in my neck may just be my eustachian tubes. My ears itch and pop inside something awful, it may be drainage in my ears causing my neck discomfort. I've been trying to burn out my tonsils with Orange Juice and hot coffee. I drank a half-gallon of OJ yesterday, and two pots of coffee which didn't keep me from sleeping one bit.
Yeah, a Red Bull sounds real good right now. All the B vitamins and an acidic base would feel real good on my throat. You know what else? I used to get Hot Sour soup from the Chinese restaurant when I was sick. That sounds real good right now, too.
Well, I'm going to motivate towards the shower. I feel a little bit perkier than I did before. Thanks for listening.
MsAmber

Refrigerator is fixed.

I called a local mobile RV service and a fellow named Rick came out. He had an untrustworthy smirk and immediately diagnosed that I needed a whole new cooler. I asked if he could get one today, he told me all the suppliers were closed for the week. I was bummed. I asked if we could scavenge one from a used refrigerator? He called his supplier just to prove that they were closed and guess what? They answered. He asked the lady if they were open, she said "not officially", but there were some people there today and he could come get the parts. The guy drove all the way to Kansas and picked up my new cooling unit and came back and installed it. It turns out that he DID know what he was doing. I'm so skeptical about repairmen who give me that "know-it-all" smirk, and diagnose a problem in 30 seconds without sharing the "why"s. I handled the pre-authorization with my warranty/contract people. His total bill was $1351.55 and I had to pay $100 deductible and $60.00 freight charge out of pocket, the warranty covered the rest. I was also pretty impressed with how the warranty people made him break down his entire bill for them and they approved each item. That was cool, I need to take a lesson from them and make mechanics and other repair people break it down for me and then I can approve or negotiate every line-item. All in all, he did a fine job and he got my refrigerator working in just one day. Kudos to Rick with RRA, I'm a vigilant skeptic and I hovered over him like a buzzard on roadkill, but he got it done right.

When I was a girl...
(Oh no, there she goes again. Another childhood story.)
Don't interrupt!
When I was a girl, you know we were raised poor with no income, we had to make do with what we had. My Mother had an old F150 stepside that was starting to break down. She took it to a mechanic who told her that it needed new tie-rod ends. The bill came to over $300.00. We were in a panic. $300 was a lot of money and we had no idea how to come up with it, we almost lost the truck over that repair-bill which would have left us stranded up on the mountain. Afterwards, my Mother put me in charge of fixing anything that went wrong. I was 14. If I had a question about something, she would give an exhausted sigh and yell: "Amber! There's a book on that somewhere around here, look it up!" I learned how to fix anything by looking it up. Sure, I made a few mistakes and I rigged not a few things up with baling wire.
I used to drain some old oil out of the oilpan for the chainsaw, and put new oil in the top. That way we didn't waste new oil on the chainsaw and the truck didn't need an oilchange. Brilliant, huh?
I have to laugh about all that stuff we did when we were poor.
I still have a lot of those habits. I can't see spending the money on a mechanic when I could do it myself.
Heck, this last year alone I did the fuel pump, power steering pump, trailer wiring harness, battery, window motor, belts, tune up with new wires, coil, distributor and rotor, fuel filter, PCV valve, spark plugs... I do enough to keep me fresh and my nails dirty. I did pay a mechanic to do the brakes: brake cylinders, master cylinder, brake line replacement, shoes, drums and rotors, and a trailer braking control module. I was having a bad braking problem, and I happened to trust this particular mechanic: he had admired my truck one day while I was pumping gas and offered that if I ever needed work done, he knows that model truck inside and out. Still, he kept it for two days and my bill was over $900.00.
See why I'm such a skeptic?
I'm not feeling so good today. My tonsils are swollen and I have a fever and my stomach has a lump like I've been digesting glass. My muscles are sore, probably from the fever, and my neck feels congested. I don't know how to describe it any better, but it's like the pressure on both sides of my neck can't go any higher than my jaw. I can't stand to breath the hot air from the heater, but my body feels the chill in the room. I tried drinking a pot of hot black coffee thinking that I would snap out of it and go to work, but I think I will call in sick and go back to bed.
I haven't called in sick in a long time and I have 60 hours of sick leave saved up so it won't hurt anything, I just hate to leave the guys hanging without me.
I'm going back to bed now.
Thanks for listening.
MsAmber

My refrigerator quit.

Yep. What to do?
I'm going to look around and see where the nearest RV parts & repair facility is in relation to Knob Noster, but I'm betting there aren't any close.
Maybe I can get a refrigerator repairman to come here?
Argh. Monday is right on schedule.
Gotta go to work now.
Thanks for listening.
MsAmber

The sun is shining this morning.

...but it's cold. Brrrr.
I get the sales fliers for JCPenney and Walgreens in my email so I looked around to see what's on sale. I bought two dresses and a smock from JCPenney this morning, saved 80% off retail. It's 9:30 in the morning and I've spent $37.00 already just sitting here. I stayed up late last night shampooing my carpets. I drank two cokes and had a caffeine buzz going on, so sleep was out of the question.
I intend to go to the laundromat and wipe out the little bit of laundry I have, to get ready for the week ahead. Thank goodness there's work tomorrow, I have a touch of cabin fever. The sun may be shining, but it's derned cold out there.
I bought a Furminator. My aunt Susan bought one for her golden retriever and it works wonders, so I bit the expense and bought one for Megabyte. It removes all the undercoat and reduces shedding by 90%. I know it works, he's never looked better and I've almost gotten a grip on all the dog hair around here. I love the boy to death, but his shedding is unbelievable. Year round he sheds, and it gets worse if he's upset. I've tried other brushes but nothing compares to the Furminator. He feels so soft and clean, too.
Speaking of products that work well. I had a storage cubby that smelled like mildew. I don't know how the water gets in, but I knew I had to get rid of the moisture so I bought this hang-up thing called "Damp Rid". It has a bunch of chemical beads in the top of the bag, and then an empty compartment in the bottom of the bag. I put it in the cubby for a couple of weeks and the bottom compartment started filling up with water. It removed about 4 cups of water from the air and completely dried out the cubby, carpet and all. It still had beads left in it, but the bag was full so I had to throw it away. It's supposed to work until all the beads are dissolved. It was pretty weird, but it worked. I should have taken a picture of it. Strangest thing I've ever seen, and I've seen some weird stuff... They should modify the design to be a top tray with a screen and beads, over a bottom tray for the water, then you could drain the bottom tray and keep adding beads to the top. Unless of course the beads are toxic, then I suppose the closed-bag thing makes sense. Anyway, if you have moisture problems in a closet or something, that's the way to go. "Damp-Rid".
(end of commercial.)
Well, I'm going to run through the shower and get loaded up for the laundromat.
You have a great day.
Thanks for listening.
MsAmber

After Christmas

Yesterday Megabyte and I went hiking. I am directly across the street from a Missouri State Park, so we went there. I bundled up in my carharts with double socks and gloves, grabbed my walking staff, and we took off. We followed the road for a long ways until we came upon a trail head, it said: Buteo Trail. We went. Wow, what a trip. I saw a beautiful buck deer, lots of evidence of beavers chewing the trees, and a frozen lake. Megabyte started running and playing on the surface of the lake so I joined him. It was fun. He pranced and ran and slid all over the lake. He was full of energy like a puppy. I haven't seen him play like that in a long time. He was testing himself to see how fast he could run on the slippery ice. We hiked for better than three hours around that lake. When we returned to the trailer, I had to rinse Meg off under his belly and legs, he was caked in mud. It was a lovely Christmas Day.
I turned the heat off before we left. The outside temperature soared to 48 degrees yesterday. It stayed warm in the trailer. It's nearly 7:00 am now and I still haven't turned the heat back on. Either: I'm running a serious fever or it really is too warm in here. I have the door open this morning to cool it off. It's breezy outside and the sun hasn't come up yet, but it feels very good.
I took a package of Zatarain's black-eyed peas and rice (Hoppin' John)and put it in the roaster with some chicken thighs and three cups of water. I let that roast for over an hour at 350 and it turned out delicious. Megabyte and I ate it all. I'm going to have to remember that concoction and do it again sometime.
I can't believe it's Friday already. The good news is: I got paid, and just in time too. I was broke, broke, broke. I bought myself a dresser because I needed drawers to store clothes. I've been looking around and never found the right size to go under the window in the livingroom until last week. Wouldn't you know that I found the right size when I can least afford it? It's a nice dresser and it's all wood. No particle-board drawers or chintzy laminate surfaces. It has 6 drawers and it fits perfectly in the space I had it planned for. This is my last splurge. If I don't start saving up for the eventual new transmission or engine problem I'm going to put a serious hurt on myself. I know that major work on my truck will only happen when I'm not prepared, so I try to stay prepared and nothing will happen. See? It's like reverse psychology for Murphy's Law. The best way to beat it is to not show vulnerability. If I'm expecting the transmission to go out and I'm prepared to replace it, the derned thing will last forever. That's my plan!
Besides, my insurance will come due in February and I would rather pay it off in lump sum than make 4 monthly payments. Insurance sure is a pain.
Oh how I would love to get a small windfall sometime in my life. Just enough to pay off my creditors and get ahead on stuff like insurance and upgrade my computer...
Yeah, dream big.
You have a great day.
Thanks for listening.
MsAmber

Christmas Eve in Missouri

It's snowing this morning. I'm stocked up and thawed out. I have no reason to go anywhere until work on Monday... snug as a bug in a rug. Well, I may need milk, but I can get that at the convenience store around the corner. I still must fire up the truck every day, in this cold it's best to do that. I put in a new battery, but I find that it's hard to start if I let it set for more than two days. Cantankerous old truck, she is. Funny, I've always named my vehicles and I've had this one for over a year now and haven't given her a name. Penelope sounds too frou frou. Quasar is too high-tech. I know... Imelda! My truck is certainly an Imelda. Always needing new shoes, too. I dub thee Imelda! (poof)
I bought a pre-fab potroast kit. All the vegetables are cut up and the spice packet and the meat are included. You just dump it all into a slow cooker and let it go. I'm going to put that on the stove today. Eh, what the heck, it was on sale. I was reaching under the sink for my iron skillets and found that the sink has been leaking and they were all full of water. I took brillo pads to all of them, they were full of rust and yuck. It will be a long time before I get my iron skillets back to normal, I just lost months' worth of seasoning on the surface. My cast-iron roaster is what I'm using today, I sure hope it doesn't turn the food iron-black like a new skillet does.
I'm so thrilled that it's snowing. It looks pretty outside. Megabyte went out and took care of his business, but when he came back in, he ran straight for the bed and curled up under the covers where I was just laying. Funny dog, but now I've got to change the sheets again. What a dork! He doesn't seem to mind the cold when we are both outside, but he doesn't like it when he's by himself. If I were to go out there with him, he would prance around and act like he likes it. Sometimes I wonder what goes through his head. He is such a wonderful companion, though.
The toggle switch that I rigged up for my windshield wipers quit working. I know it's the switch because it won't flip and it's sparking out. I bought a new toggle switch so I need to go pull the wiring harness and re-wire in the new one. That's on my agenda for today.
I'm going to take a hot shower and get bundled up for the day.
You have a great Christmas Eve.
Thanks for listening.
MsAmber

Tired of being frozen?

I went all out and rented a blast heater. I got myself thawed, by golly!
When I disconnected my frozen drain pipe, I got deluged with gallons and gallons of water...it just gushed and I couldn't stop it. It was two tanks' worth of gray water. I suppose I should have thawed the drain pipe first, then the tanks, but instead I thawed the tanks and went to replace the frozen drain pipe and got soaked. It would have been hilarious except for the fact that it was only 11 degrees outside yesterday. I was wrapped up like a polar bear and stood there helpless as 40 gallons of water shot out two feet before it went onto the ground.
I've got to return the blast heater this morning, but I don't have anyone to help me load it into the truck. I just called RSC and asked them if they have anyone coming by the AirForce Base, would they stop by and help me load this heater. It's still full of kerosene, so it weighs over 100 lbs.
I gotta get moving this morning, so ya'll have a great day!
Thanks for listening.
MsAmber

Saturday in Missouri

Gosh, I'm exhausted.
I couldn't get out of bed to save my life this morning. I hit snooze about 10 times, if it weren't for the need to go pee, I'd probably still be under the covers. The worst night of cramping, back-aching, and sweating I can imagine. It was too cold to stay out from under the covers, then too hot to stay under the covers. I tossed and turned all night. Sleep finally came, then my alarm went off.
I drank a cup of coffee at 6:00 pm. That may have contributed to my problem, but it's never affected me that badly before. I also woke up with no desire to put sugar in my coffee. I wanted black coffee this morning, I even anticipated how good it would taste. I used to drink my coffee black, but then I got in the habit of sugar and milk. I think I'm going to be drinking it black from now on. Strange how one night could cause me to forswear sugar.
I have a building to cutover this morning. Then I think I will spend the rest of the day unloading and rearranging the back of my truck. I'm hauling too much weight back there. Junk, stuff, and lagniappe.
I got a call from my ex-husband yesterday. He informed me of the death of my father-in-law yesterday morning. My father-in-law and I were fairly close. He loved me like a daughter. That may have contributed to my funky night. I'm hoping I just acquired a new guardian angel. I miss my in-laws. That's one terrible thing about divorce: you lose a whole family. I called them Mom and Dad, just like they were my own, and I could talk to them about anything. Even with their old-fashioned sensibilities, they always tried to relate.
Anyway, I gotta go to work and it does me no good to get all worked up and teary-eyed beforehand.
Have a great day.
Thanks for listening.
MsAmber

Friday in Missouri

I had a cutover last night, it went well. It started raining while I was on base. When I got home, the lightning and thunder began and there was a real rain downpour. I love to sleep with the sounds of a thunderstorm.
At 2:00 am the water thawed. I woke up to hear all the faucets running, so I got up and turned them down to a drip.
This morning there is not a bit of white on the ground. The rain was warm enough to thaw every bit of snow.
I just experienced a very strong, direct, and sustained wind against the trailer. Usually that means another weather front. I heard this one is supposed to bring freezing temperatures back this morning. I'd better do the dishes and batten down the hatches before going to work. Who knows how long this thaw will last? But I'm glad for it. I can get the dishes done and take a real shower this morning.
Gotta go, lots to do.
Thanks for listening.
MsAmber

Thursday Morning in Missouri

When I got home last night, it appeared as though the drains have thawed. I'm reluctant to believe it, but if that's true, then I can get the water working again.
I had to let the water freeze because my tanks weren't draining and the sinks were filling up. If the drains work, then I can thaw out my water line and at least get water back in the kitchen. I'm hopeful. The outside temperature didn't warm up above freezing but it may have warmed up enough that the milk-house heater could keep up.
I still must skirt the front end of the trailer. Today we are expecting either: rain or freezing rain. There are two different weather forecasters in this region, and they apparently don't talk to each other.
As a funny: I've been hit on by two different guys in the past couple of weeks. Both men are over 70 years old. The first guy was surprised to find out that I'm only 38. He had thought that I was over 40. The second older gentleman is one of my escorts in the top-secret areas. He's a flight instructor. I don't know if I should be flattered or...what?
I had two cutovers yesterday, the first one in the morning and the second after 5 pm. I didn't get home until 11 pm. I have two cutovers scheduled today. One in the morning and another after 4 pm. Then I have one big cutover tomorrow, and another on Saturday. Somewhere in there I need to take my propane tanks (yes both of them) to Warrensburg and get them filled. I've been using the second tank for over 3 days now, so I expect it should run out soon. It's kinda scary running them both out in weather such as this. I also broke off one of my windshield wiper arms when I was scraping ice off the windshield the other day. Must get that replaced also.
Ah, fun fun.
You have a great day, I must wash my hair and get to work.
Thanks for listening.
MsAmber

Another day in Missouri

Still froze up solid. I have no drainage, my holding tanks are full blocks of ice, and I have no water. I went to the neighbor's and filled up my coffeepot, tea kettle, and my bean pot. I made a cup of hot cocoa last night, I have coffee this morning, and I just heated the bean pot so I can wash my hair and take a sponge bath.
I can do this. No problems, no worries.
I gave myself a sassy little haircut. It's pretty short, but I think it looks good. If you can't wash it, cut it.
This situation is quite laughable. The only real pestering inconvenience is not being able to do the dishes. I still cook dinner and eat from plates, but I can't wash the dishes. The trailer is clean and comfortable otherwise...
I'm pretty booked up this entire week with work, but if I get any time at all, I need to rent a blast heater and set it at the head of the trailer and get myself thawed out. I wonder if pouring salt down the drains would do any good?
Just a few hours off is all I need... It may be possible on Friday.
I turned off the hot water heater, I worry about it staying on with no fresh water coming in.
Well, I gotta go scrub down now, the water is hot.
You have a great day!
Thanks for listening.
MsAmber

Tuesday Morning.

It looks like it may have snowed a little overnight, the ground is white. I haven't gotten out to feel of it yet. It might just be more frozen rain, but I think maybe it is snow because I didn't hear any ice hitting the trailer roof last night. The weather forecast is calling for snow today... yay.
I checked my lotto tickets. If there were a prize for absolutely not picking any right numbers...
My right tonsil is red and swollen, but my left tonsil is still tiny. Strange that only one tonsil would be acting up. I think breathing cold air at night while I sleep may be causing this sore throat and tight lungs. I was so thirsty all night, I kept chugging water and Orange juice. I drank about a half-gallon of each and I kept getting up to pee and drinking some more. When I'm coming down sick, I tend to crave pepper sauce (Tabasco) and Orange juice, both of which give me heartburn.
Speaking of heartburn. A neighbor turned me on to these chewable papaya tablets. They work faster than Tums or Rolaids, but they don't seem to keep it at bay for very long. It is amazing though, chew 2 tablets and the heartburn goes away instantly. A homeopathic remedy that seems to work pretty good, and they don't taste bad either.
Well, it's time to bundle up and trundle to work.
You have a great day.
Thanks for listening.
MsAmber

Crap, crap, crap, crap, crap!

Yesterday morning, it was a nice temperature. I put on a sleeveless dress with a sleeveless sweater and opened up the doors. It was overcast but relatively warm. Probably around 57 degrees. I went to WalMart to get some more jewelry findings for my project and the temperature started to drop. By 2:00 it was freezing. Then it started to rain ice. It rained ice all night. I left my faucets dripping, but when I woke up this morning the bathtub faucet had quit. Once again, I have kitchen water but I have no bathroom water. It's 16 degrees outside right now, and there are sheets of ice over my windows. I can feel the chill coming from the walls and floors.
Darnit, darnit, darnit!
I just want to go back to bed and stay there.
Okay, maybe I am overreacting. But goodness, can't a girl catch a break?
The good news is: It ain't windy.
The good news is: I'm still alive.
The good news is: I still have heat.
The good news is: I still have food.
The good news is: I still have shelter.
The good news is: I still have my dog.
There is a lot that I should be grateful for, so I'll just shut up, live with these minor inconveniences, and go to work.
Forgive me for complaining.

Thanks for listening.
MsAmber

The wind, it was outrageous.

Where did that line come from? "The wind, it was outrageous and the snow was howling."
Ah, yes. Bob Dylan. In "Isis" I believe...

It's not snowing, but the wind is sure blowing. The trailer is rocking with the gusts.
Doesn't bother me none, I'm cozy warm and comfy inside, but it makes Megabyte nervous.

I got all the chores on my list done except for: vacuuming out the truck, repacking the wheel bearings, and I'm adding dumping the blackwater. I think I could knock out two of them today. The wheel bearings will have to wait, again. I also need to stuff some silicone in the screw holes left by the visor on the cab of the truck.

Did I tell you about that? No, probably not. After Thanksgiving, I drove up to OKC. I was towing the RV into a 30 mph headwind. The visor over my windshield ripped out of the roof of the cab. I took it off to prevent any more damage, but it shredded the screw holes. I went to a body shop to inquire what they would do about it. They said they would weld it and grind it down smooth and repaint. The estimate is $619.00. Well, I can't pay that, but I think I will tap-tap-tap it down smooth, and fill it with silicone until the weather warms up, then clean it up and put JB Weld in the holes, let it set, then drill new holes and re-mount the visor. $619.00. Can you imagine? Wow. It's a good lookin' old truck, but I sure ain't paying that.

Well, I'm in a crafty mood today, so I think I'll drag out and open up the old craft-trunk and see what I can make.
Thanks for listening.
MsAmber

My Little Christmas Tree...

I had a strange night.

I couldn't sleep.
When I got home, I frustrated myself by looking around at all that I have left undone for the past week. I go to work before sun-up and I return after sundown. I had a sink full of dirty dishes, muddy paw prints on the floor, dead insects in the light fixtures, clean laundry in bags on the floor, full trashcan in the kitchen, and a funky smell in the refrigerator. Not to mention I've needed to repack the wheel bearings, clean out my truck, replace the photographs in the collage on the wall, refill the soap dispenser in the bathroom, and finish skirting the front hitch on the trailer.
I had a tummyache and muscle spasms by my kidneys that wouldn't let me sleep. So, I got up and started cleaning. First, I did the dishes, then I pulled out the pine sol and wiped down every inch of walls and ceilings. I took the covers off all the light fixtures and washed them. I swept the carpets and hand-scrubbed the linoleum, set a pot of black-eyed peas to soak, washed the dog dishes, cleaned the toilet, windexed all the glass, and dusted. It was like an OCD nightmare. I finished by 1:00 this morning and went to bed. Slept like a baby. I woke up at 5:44 this morning with the song "Jolene" by Dolly Parton running through my head. I'm not sure what I dreamed, but it included that song.
My tummy feels better this morning, but the muscle spasms in my lower back are bugging me. I did lift some heavy batteries yesterday, then exacerbate that by scrubbing on my hands and knees. I think I'll take some advil and see if that helps.
I'm going to take a shower, haul all the trash to the dumpster, drop off my dirty laundry, vacuum out the truck, buy canvas snaps from Lowe's, oil for my Sabbath lamp and milk from WalMart, change my sheets, and rearrange the pictures in the collage this morning. Then maybe this afternoon I'll attack the refrigerator and shampoo the carpets.
All should be right in the world by sundown tonight.
Now I've got to find that Dolly Parton song...
Thanks for listening.
MsAmber

Frozen Wasteland

OK. The rain never did turn to snow. Instead we had freezing rain all day. I had some waiting time at the shop, so I decided to get out my Carharts and go help the outside plant guys. I found my Carharts and they were wet, so I laid them out to dry in the office and bundled up. I had two shirts, my hoodie pulled up over my head, a thick coat over that, and two pair of gloves. I could only take the windy cold for a little over an hour. My feet and legs were froze, my fingers were cold even through the gloves, and we all had drippy noses. Man, it was cold, and you know I'm no wussy.
I woke up this morning and my door was frozen shut. My lungs hurt, I think I've got some chest congestion starting too. Oh boy!
Today, I shall wear my longjohns and every item of clothing I can layer and still move. I may be waddling like a penguin, but at least I'll be warm.
I put the adapter on the extension cord for the milk-house heater underneath the trailer, but the bathroom water froze up anyway. Today will be a hat day for sure.
I don't mean to sound negative or pessimistic, but this is a lot of aggravation for one job. Honestly, this jobsite is management-heavy, ill-conceived, and contrary to what I was told: they really don't need me. I was ordered here as though they were understaffed and I needed to get here as quickly as I could. I find that they aren't understaffed, but overstaffed with fluffers.
Do you know what a fluffer is? In the porn industry, they are the persons responsible for making the male actors ready for their scenes. Get it?
No, I don't care to slam my company or co-workers on my personal blog, so I won't. But a job like this could make me look for other, more interesting work.
I'll just stick this one out and hope it gets better, (or die trying).
Thanks for listening.
MsAmber

Tuesday.

I bought a 30 amp to 110 adapter at WalMart yesterday, it was only $5.
I got a couple of hours off to run errands because I had a building cutover scheduled for after-hours. I went back to work at 5:30 and didn't finish until 11:00.
I really didn't want to get up this morning. Not because I'm tired, but because it's raining. I love to hear the rain when I sleep.
The rain is supposed to turn to snow today. I'm actually looking forward to the snow. I haven't seen snow in 3 years. Not since I was stuck in a snowstorm in New Mexico for Thanksgiving. Danielle and I were working on the Windstream project and got ourselves stuck in a snowstorm. We rented a motel room then went and soaked in the outdoor hot-tub in the middle of a snowstorm. It was cool. (Actually, it was COLD! Brrr.) But it was fun to watch the steam and the snowflakes above our heads. When we got out of bed the next morning it was a winter wonderland. About a foot of heavy wet snow had fallen. Perfect for making snowballs. Oh, what memories I have.
I see crystal ice formations on the windows this morning. It's starting to frost up, so I anticipate the transition to snow will be fairly soon. I hope it doesn't just turn to freezing rain. I don't care for falling ice at all.
While I was at WalMart, I bought two pairs of really thick winter socks. I'm definitely wearing a pair today!
Meg doesn't want to stay outside to do his business. Poor guy. How he can hold it I will never know.
I gotta run through the shower and get to work.
Thanks for listening.
MsAmber

Monday again.

Good morning.
How very fortunate I am. I still have water and drainage.
The trailer is considerably warmer inside than it was before I put the canvas around.
I feel pretty good about everything right now.

I pretty much stayed indoors this weekend. I didn't get out so I didn't get cold.

An older male neighbor came by on Saturday. He had seen me working on my underpinning on Friday. He waited until I was done and came by to see if I needed any help. How funny.
I asked if he had an adapter 30 amp male to 110 female, he left to go check. He came back without one, but decided to tell me all about electricity, and how I need to get that milk-house heater on another circuit because it may be pulling too many amps and that's why it keeps tripping the breaker. He even went so far as to explain that one appliance may be pulling 10 amps and another 5 amps and it's only a 15 amp breaker... duh! I had already explained the reason I wanted the adapter is because I want to move the milk-house heater to the circuit on the pedestal. It's on the GCFI circuit inside, so whenever it cuts itself off, it trips the breaker. I had to listen to him go on and on about what I should do. I really dislike being lectured on what I already know, but I didn't argue I just let him talk. He didn't come up with any usable solutions, the most absurd of which was to cut the end off of an extension cord and just stick the bare wires into the outlet on the pedestal. I told him no. Old men like him are the reason I can't stand to work with them. I suppose he thinks he was explaining something complicated to a simple girl, and he's sure that I rejected his reasonable idea because I'm afraid of the mystery of electricity. Instead, I perceive him as a dumbass who would burn my trailer down with his dumbass idea.
(Sigh). I'm so misunderstood.
Why do men think they know things by virtue of being men? And why would they assume I don't know? Good grief!
Three of the guys from the crew dropped by to see my winter solution. They were impressed. I showed them the snaps that I used. Greg said if he would have done this then he would still have his RV here. He took his RV back to Oklahoma when the weather turned cold because he froze up too, and now he's in a motel. I have to say that I think I did a pretty good job making a skirt for my trailer. It cost quite a bit, but it will last. The oiled canvas is water repellent and mildew proof, and it's heavy enough that it won't blow. I paid $250 for all this canvas, and another $35 for all the snap kits, then it took me about 6 hours to manufacture it into a custom skirt. Voila'.
Well, I have ranted enough for one morning.
Thanks for listening.
MsAmber

I have thawed!

I have water, I have drainage... I'm ecstatic.
I bought $250.00 worth of oiled canvas and put snaps all around my trailer. I cut the canvas into 4' strips and hung it all around, and I put a milk-house heater underneath the trailer. Then I waited. All night long I wondered if it would work.
I woke up this morning and my drains are empty and I can finally do my dishes.
Yesterday working outside I got so cold, my pinkies hurt, my skin hurt, but I was determined to finish. Megabyte stayed with me the whole time, but he tried to stay in the sun. When we came inside for a break, I noticed he was shivering. That's when I decided to turn the heater on. When the dog starts shivering, you know it's cold. When I finished I put the drain plug in the bathtub and took a shower. The drain plug was to warm up my feet. After the shower, my skin was still cold, so I turned on my heating pad and used it for 10 minutes on each part of my skin. It's been a long time since I was this cold. Quite invigorating it was...
So now I have a brown canvas skirt around my trailer. Looks pretty good, and it helps keep the inside of the trailer warm also. I think I just might survive the winter in this thing.
Today, I need to refill the other propane bottle so I don't run out, fill up the truck with real gasoline, and buy the last package of snaps from Lowe's. I'm not quite sure how to skirt the front of the trailer where the hitch sticks out, that is the only part I didn't get to finish. Then, if I feel warm enough, I just might shave my legs.
But then again, it might be interesting to see if they do grow out to look like a golden marmoset...

Thanks for listening.
MsAmber

Another day, another 50 cents.

When I got home, the bathroom pipes had thawed, I anticipated a hot shower... I washed my dishes and discovered that my graywater was full, so I went and hooked up my sewer hose to drain it. Yep, you guessed correctly: my holding tank is frozen. Wouldn't drain. Oh goody.
I took a shower anyway, because it drains into a separate graywater tank which isn't full yet. Boy, I hope those tanks thaw today. I doubt that they will because the weather is supposed to turn colder today.

Aren't I just a mess?
I know you're jealous. You want to be me, right? Such an adventurous person, a devil-may-care kind of life...
Trade ya!

I dreamed that the hair on my legs was long and luxurious, kinda like a golden marmoset. It seemed perfectly natural in my dream, but I woke up and had quite the laugh over it. I was grateful to reach down and find just the normal stubble growing there, but I'm sure my subconscious is telling me that I need to either shave, or reconcile myself to being a hairy ape.

Well, It's time to bundle up and get to work.
You have a great day.
Thanks for listening.
MsAmber

I'm in Knob Noster, MO.

Okay. I made it. It was snowing when I arrived (alright, maybe just flurries). But it was cold. I set up the camper and wrapped my water line, had to wait until 6 pm to get the electricity turned on. I left the kitchen faucet dripping so it wouldn't freeze but I forgot about the bathroom. I have no bathroom water this morning. Good day to wear a hat! I went to town and got one of the propane bottles filled so I wouldn't run out in the middle of the night. Now I'm toasty warm.
I tried to call the PM this morning to inquire whether or not we are working outdoors, since I hadn't heard back from him I put on my longjohns, two pair of socks, three shirts and my wool hat. He just now called and said I would be working indoors. Oh well, at least I'll be warm.
I checked my lottery tickets. Again, I didn't win. But I'll let you know when I do...
I have to go to work now, you have a great day.
Thanks for listening.
MsAmber

Obstacles to Overcome.

I have a couple of obstacles to overcome today.
Nothing earth-shattering, mind you. Just little aggravations.
I am somewhat stuck in Joplin, MO.
I had anticipated having all this week off, so I cut my finances a bit close.
I paid my Cellphone bill early, I paid my trailer payment early. I bought parts to fix up my truck, and I had a cheap place to park my rig.
Yesterday morning, as I was tearing down the truck to install a new power steering pump, I received a call asking me to get to Whiteman AFB in Missouri.
I told them that I needed my mileage in order to drive that far.
He said they aren't paying mileage but he would get me my next two weeks' perdiem deposited overnight. I knew I only had about $160 in the bank.
I fixed up my truck, gassed up and rigged up, and headed that way. I drove all night. I got to Joplin MO at 1:00 this morning and pulled off into an RV park.
I slept for 6 hours and woke up with a bad headache. I made my coffee and logged on to my online banking only to discover that I have $19.00 left. I have to pay $30.00 for the RV park this morning. I bought 5 tanks of gas and paid $17.00 in tolls, and I have a headache, and I find that they didn't deposit my perdiem. I'm a little aggravated. Plus, I need propane. My feet are cold. I need a shower. I need the Advil to kick this derned headache. My skin is sore from being scrubbed with Dawn dishsoap, and I have scrapes on my arms from yesterday's wrenching. They are stinging a bit. I'm waiting for the office to open up so I can get them to wire the money into my account this morning before I leave here, so I can pay for my parking spot. Aargh!
Sometimes it's a bitch, Sometimes it's a breeze.
I'll probably be able to think my way through this pickle just as soon as this headache goes away.
Thanks for listening.
MsAmber