At home post --- motorhome repair, heat and Thermocells

Whew .....  It sure has been scorching hot weather around the country this week.  Our Wisconsin weather has been hot, humid, muggy and stormy.   I sure appreciated the dry air of the desert last winter during our travels.  With my lung condition, it was a huge relief to breathe out there without feeling like I have two 20 pound bags of flour sitting on my chest!   Not so here in Wisconsin this spring, it's been just horrid.  

The heat indexes have been over 100 and I have been holed up in the cool loom room and guest room with the portable AC unit on full blast down there.    We don't even try to cool the main floor and loft, as the dark log house attracts wayyy too much heat on the logs from the sunshine.  While it is nice in the winter to  have the logs absorb the heat and retain it longer, in the summer this is not a good thing.  Due to the construction, we lack ductwork in the walls which means no central air.  Having crankout style windows limits the use of window AC units.  So we have this portable guy that can be rolled around, and vented out patio doors with the plastic flange. It cools the lower level quite well, but not large enough for the whole house if we put it on the main floor. 

This morning we woke up to 54 degrees and much cooler.  The humidity broke and it might not even get over 70 today which is just fine with me.  I feel re-energized and able to get some things done! 

Not sure about going camping this weekend.  There is a big celebration in our small town called Copperfest, and also the motorhome is broke.  Yes... broke! 

We noticed the ride was getting rougher and we could hear a rattling sound, thinking it was our shocks that are only 11 months old.  So once we got home, Steveio turned the tires way to one side so he could look underneath.  He removed the passenger side shock and checked it out.  Fine.  Then he checked on the driver's side and it turns out the whole part of the frame that the upper portion bolt onto is broken in two!   ARGGGHHH   

It's right next to the diesel tank, so welding it on the rig is out of the question.  But it is just bolted into place.  Remember, our motorhome is 15 years old, so removing rusty original bolts and nuts are a problem.  Steveio managed to get one part off easily and you could see part of the break was older and only the final inch or so to the left side in the pics below is a new fresh break.  So it must have been cracked for a while, and now just broke clean through.   

The other portion was stuck on tight and even with the air tools he could not get it off.  So he sprayed it down good with WD-40 and let it set overnight.  Luckily yesterday (in that horrible heat) he was able to get that part off now too.  He is taking it to work today to weld it up during his lunch hour.  He will reinforce the area with an additional gusset.  I am so thankful he is able to do all these repairs--- what a guy! 

Besides all of the thick winter hats I have been hand knitting, 

I got a few rugs done and off the looms this week. 

Plus I have been reorganizing and cleaning through my stash and supplies. We have company coming next weekend and I wanted to spruce things up.  It was a nice way to spend my time downstairs while hiding out from the heat.  LOL 

My RV buddy Dee was talking about how bad the mosquitos are where she is visiting up in New York State.   So I reminded her about the Thermocells we use here in Wisconsin.   This spring with all the rain, we have a BUMPER CROP OF SKEETERS!    We use the Thermocells out on the back deck, out next to Steve when was working on the rig, or out when I am working in the flower beds.   

Here is a repeat of a blog post I did about them a couple years ago now: 

THERMOCELLS:

Now this one is gonna sound like a commercial… but honestly, in Wisconsin with the mosquitoes being our national bird, this new device is totally necessary!!!  We use them at home on our back deck overlooking the river, and have them in the camper for when we are in the woods.  GREAT for the grandkids, we don’t have to slather on icky poisonous repellant lotions or sprays on their soft skin and tiny hands and fingers…  you know how babies put everything in their mouths!  These units are set on the endtable, out of reach, and all the mosquitos are gone!

First time we used them, we were sitting out at a lake where everyone else was huddling inside or dashing to the outhouse, flailing their arms like windmills to beat off the skeeters.   The skeeters were awful, this was May, and they were attacking in droves. 

We were sitting in an area where you could virtually see the skeeters buzzing about 10 feet around us…  above us.. along side of us… but not daring to come near!  Our dogs even huddled closer once they realized the skeeters were not biting them when they laid by our chairs.   Soon folks were asking what those things were, and the next day, the nearest Walmart was a destination goal for all the folks who were camped near us.  They sold out about noon!  LOL