New Trojan T-105 Six Volt Batteries and Quicklynks Monitor

This is a motorhome modification that we did two weeks ago, but I forgot to get around to blogging about it.

Here goes that Steveio.... 

Busy on another project:

When we bought the Winnebago View motorhome in April, it came with two brand new 12 volt Interstate coach batteries. These are the two batteries that run the electrical items in the camper portion of the motorhome. Although they were new, they were both smaller 12 volt batteries. Good enough to maintain things in between going from campground to campground if you are going to places with full hookups. But that's not our style....  We need longer lasting batteries that can manage boondocking while out in places without electrical hookups. 

Here are the ones that we got with the motorhome in April. Steve already started taking them apart after he labeled all the cables by the time I took this photo. 

Steve took careful measurements of the battery storage compartment underneath our entry step. He decided to install two large six volt Trojan T-105 golf cart batteries. These are deep cycle batteries that with careful monitoring can last a long time. In our last motorhome we had 4 large six volt batteries. With proper care and maintenance, our battery banks have always lasted us eight or nine years before needing replacement. 

We cannot quite afford going to lithium batteries, plus it would also mean changing over the inverter and the controller as well as some of the other equipment on board if we went to lithium. 

So we will stick with what we are used to, the 6 volt lead acid batteries. They have easy access under the entry step cover that we can reach and monitor the distilled water levels. 

It's very important to never let the lead acid batteries get below about 80% of their level. So that means never going below 12.41 volts. If you draw batteries lower than the top 20%, you greatly reduce their ability to be recharged over and over again. 

Steve shopped around and found a very good deal at a golf cart battery dealer called Mayco Industries in Green Bay. We buzzed down and picked them up for $175 each. The core charge was $30 more per battery, so we turned in the two barely used 12 volt Interstate ones, rather than take the hit.  I know we could have probably sold them for more to someone on Marketplace, but we decided to just turn them in.

Steve carefully marked each battery cable before removing them off of the old batteries. They had been set up as two 12 volts hooked in parallel. These new 6 volt ones he had to adjust the hook up a little bit different to do two 6 volts hooked up in series. That way it equals 12 volts. The new 6 volt batteries are known to have slower discharge rates because the plates are further apart in the battery cases. So they last longer than 12 volt ones. Also these batteries have higher amp hours, 225 amp hours. (The 12 volt batteries that we replaced were only 110 amp hours total). 

Something we added at the same time was this bluetooth battery monitor from Quicklynks. It gives a more detailed accurate readout via a Bluetooth signal to a smartphone. 

It was only $26 on Amazon:

QUICKLYNKS Auto Battery Monitor BM2 Bluetooth 4.0 12V Device Car Battery Tester https://a.co/d/dphtTlf

The little wire clamps are attached to each battery post, and the base unit attaches to the wall of the battery storage compartment. Very easy no fuss installation. 

An easily loadable app is added to the smartphone. Just turn on Bluetooth and connect and it shows the state of charge, as well as the state of what is drawing during use. Very handy!

We are excited to test out the batteries and the new monitor the next time we do some boondocking. Along with our solar panels that we added 3 weeks ago, we should be all set!  We are looking forward to a few longer trips, now that we have worked out all the little details and modifications. 

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A long time ago, my daughter Erin bought me a copy of Life's Little Instruction Book. One page had always made a big impression on me. I remembered it and quoted it often. Here it is:

Taking note of the second item on that page where the red arrow is....

Yup! 

Youngest granddaughter Claire decided she needed to have a lemonade stand. She made up her sign and then she and her mommy went to the store for supplies. She had little Ziploc bags of shortbread cookies. She also included a free bouquet of dandelions with each purchase!

I helped with advertising by pasting this photo on all of the local Marketplace and chit chat groups for Oconto.

She also got lessons in what net profit is after subtracting the cost of cups and the products that she was selling. The ice came free out of their freezer. She provided service with a smile.  We "tipped" her too.

By the time she was done, that little stinker raised $16!

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Around the house, we've been getting a few things settled into the flower beds and I also planted my tomatoes. Our son-in-law Waylen dug up some raspberry plants for me. My friends Joyce and Bob also let us come dig up some raspberry plants from their plot. So we are going to start a raspberry patch. All of the coleus flowers are in the flower beds and taking off nicely.

We are extremely dry and haven't had rain in a number of weeks. I have been hosing everything down with city water as my rain barrels are bone dry. I hate using city water on my plants, But a girl's got to do what a girl's got to do. 

I also splurged this year and picked up three beautiful fern plants when we were at the local Menards store. I love ferns!!! 

I have always wanted to hang ferns along on the front porch just like this. I have seriously looked for realistic looking silk ones to hang there.  I know it gets way too hot in the summer afternoons as this side of the house faces to the West. I've been carefully saturating them every morning and every evening until the water runs out of the bottom of the hanging baskets.

On the very hottest days I have been moving them into the shade and then hanging them back up once the sun goes down. We will see how long I can keep them going. If by July or August it's just too hot out here, I will move them into the backyard where there's more shade in the afternoon. 

We also put up this sign that we had gotten from Steve's dad's house.

I think it looks so "farmhousey" here. Set up between the rocking chairs and my big old ivy plant, I think that's the perfect location for the sign. 

Ohhhhhh

In the little wreath underneath the coach light,

we now have five baby wrens!

They are so smushed in there now, I am thinking they are almost ready to fly.  

Their parents chose this spot on the wreath which is right next to our rocking chairs and just down from the porch swing. We moved the rocking chairs over to the other side of the front porch. We have avoided even going out on our front porch at all, other than to just grab the mail or water the plants. Giving them their privacy and security so they can raise their babies in peace.

Last year the wreath was down on the other end of the porch where we hung the sign. They built their nest securely hidden in the wreath last year....  but a huge blue jay came and snatched out the little babies before they even had feathers on them!  I was SO MAD at those blue jays!!!

Then the determined wrens started a second nest of babies, which grew to fruition and flew away.

It looks like this year, by choosing to be located over closer to our chairs, the nasty blue jays have not come in this close to our door. Smart parents!  

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And to finish off the rest of this blog, lately Grandpa has been giving each of the grandchildren a special ride in the Mustang. They somehow always end up over at Shake-A-Burger which is a local Drive-In with ice cream. He has taught them the delights of having dipped ice cream cone twists! 

(it is his favorite, 

and I am allergic to dairy,

 so he needs pals to go with him)

And after they are done with the ice cream, he brings them home again. 

What a great way to start off the summer!

Stay-At-Home Memorial Weekend

Since we went camping last weekend, we decided to have a Stay-At-Home Memorial weekend. We usually do not care for camping with the crowds or the busy Holiday Weekend Warriors. We prefer peaceful quiet rustic serene camping. We decided it's better to leave the rig parked and stay home. That's okay, because we had a couple things to take care of.

We have gotten over 2 inches of rain in one huge deluge. This of course flooded up the center of our backyard all of the way to the back of our two and a half acre property! Generally, it just sinks into the ground and dissipates... but there is more rain in the forecast. It also runs to the north, all along our fence line too. 

I can tell you this, the standing water bothers Steve (quite a lot!). So much so, that he has a collection of big roll up flat hoses and a couple of pumps. After a big rain, he sets them out the to pump it all down into the existing drain tile. We have some underground piping in one portion of the yard and from there it goes out to the curb and down the street. But he has to get it OVER to the portion that is already there. 

The water doesn't come up near the house during this time of year. But it still fills in that middle section of the yard and can kill off the grass if it doesn't dissipate soon enough.

View from our bedroom:

So here is Steve with one of his gas-powered pumps set in the red Radio Flyer wagon. With his series of hoses, he moves the water from one section to another in the backyard until it is routed completely over and down through the drain tile and then out to the curb. From there it glides down the street to the nearest storm sewer.

We have decided to get more drainage pipe and rent a trencher and get more laid underground than what we have now.  He has to wait for the ground to dry up a bit before doing any trenching work and laying pipe.  I don't know what he will do once the water problem is solved, it's been kind of a "hobby" for him to go play in the puddles? 

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We also had another reason for staying home. We had a couple of commitments with the grandchildren.

This smallest grandchild just happened to be graduating! Can you believe it? Actually graduating! From her 4K Kindergarten preschool class---

Here she is in the little white and blue dress sitting with her little friends at the daycare. They had a cute little program for each child and the families. As grandparents, we were included in the event. 

She received her preschool diploma!

All of the different daycare workers wrote in indelible marker on the back of a Frisbee for each child. What a wonderful momento of their time at preschool.  Awwwwwww

Here she is with Miss Abby. She is really going to miss her and said that even though she only lives a couple blocks away, she will look for her whenever Miss Abby walks her dogs.

We took the little graduate back to our house for a special overnight sleepover at our house to celebrate.

She was helping me in the She Shed with finishing up this long runner rug. It's 84 inches long. She helped me unroll it and cut it free from the loom.  

She is quite the helper in my she shed Loom room. Here she is rolling it up so we can carry it upstairs and take care of hemming the ends before listing in my Etsy store.

I love the colors in this rug. It reminds me of the Wisconsin Countryside. So that's the name that I gave it! This is from my listing on the Etsy site:

Imagine driving through the Wisconsin Countryside on a beautiful summer day. 

Red barns dotting the green landscape. 

Blue sky with white puffy clouds. 

Bright yellow bits of sunflowers.

Multicolored window boxes and flower beds in bloom. 

This rug has every color I can think of as we drive through the Wisconsin Countryside.

Here is a link to the rug 

and other items that I also have available 

in my Etsy store

Wisconsin Countryside Farmhouse Rug in my Etsy Store

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After helping me with my rug, we had just enough time to pick out some fabric and sew a little sun dress and matching blankie for her dolly. She helped with all of the pins, and measuring the elastic. She learned how to draw the end of the elastic through the casing with a big safety pin.  These skills I show the grandkids, I hope will last them a lifetime. 

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Then the youngest grandson also had an event at the elementary school that we needed to attend. They called it their Historic Wax Museum! All of the parents and grandparents and special guests were invited.  

The fourth graders had chosen a historic figure, they did research and gathered information and facts. They created a display board of their particular figure that they had chosen. Then they dressed up in character and became wax figurines. They prepared for this for weeks in advance. In front of them on the floor they had a button. You had to tap the button with your foot and the wax figurine would come to life and recite their information --- from memory! Over and over again as someone selects their button to push. Boy oh boy, that sure takes a lot of courage when you are only 10 years old.

MEET WILLIAM CLARK

of the famous LEWIS AND CLARK EXPEDITION! 

The parents and grandparents and visitors went from site to site, gaining information on all of these historical figures. Here is Clayton's presentation that I downloaded to a YouTube link:

The crowds of people went from display to display throughout the entire cafeteria for all of these brave young fourth graders were willing to recite about their historical figure, at a moment's notice, with grace, talent and flair. We walked around visiting quite a few of the characters, and asking questions and thanking them for their information. We met people such as Abe Lincoln, Ann Frank, Michael Jackson, Helen Keller, and Martin Luther King, to name a few.

Then the school allowed the other grades to come in and take part in the event. Imagine our surprise when we ran into our next youngest granddaughter, first grader Whitney! We had big hugs all around, and it was so nice to have such an educational event for all of the school children to take part in.

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Spring has finally arrived at our home in northern Wisconsin. The lilacs are out in full bloom, and the smell is just heavenly. The flowers on the lilac bushes on each side of our home are abuzz with bees and hummingbirds. We have the traditional purple color, and a few small sprigs of white lilac just starting to grow. 

I was sitting out on the front porch with a soft breeze coming up from the south. The intoxicating smells of the lilac intermingled with my cup of coffee this morning. It was so comfortable to sit out and enjoy the front porch again. I miss it so much in the winter. 

Little Binney likes the front porch too, 

nestled up by my feet on the porch swing.

Our little nest of wrens on the front porch has been safely monitored from afar. They built a home in the top of the wreath. We don't walk too close to it since the 3 babies arrived. 

They are growing by leaps and bounds.  I use the camera zoom feature to get a picture while standing far away. 

They are pretty big now, and we noticed that the mom and dad are not bringing as many worms and bugs to feed them. Instead, mom and dad are sitting out on the power lines, calling loudly to the babies in the nest. We think that they are trying to entice them to try their wings and flap and fly and come on out and leave the nest! So far, none of them are taking the dare!!!

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Steve was able to complete more of the drywall on the ceiling of the garage. He's about two-thirds of the way done. Earlier this month, he insulated the entire ceiling. Now he's been putting up the large pieces of drywall, one piece at a time with our neighbor's drywall lift. See how we hung our canoe, (a.k.a.The Green Bean), from the ceiling in our garage? I can walk underneath it, but Steve has to duck. But it's up and out of the way and easily stores all of the cushions, life jackets, paddles etc inside when it's suspended up above.  Now we will wait till next week when the stores aren't so busy to pick up the last 9 pieces of drywall. 

  

Even though we are home, we are finding ways to keep busy this weekend. 

Steve decided to get the motorhome backed out of it's parking spot alongside of the garage and give it a good bath on all four sides. It hasn't been washed yet this year and he thought it might be a good time to take care of it. He only uses a gentle car wash soap in the bucket. The finish on the motorhome, even though it's 26 years old, looks wonderful! It has such a good clear coat that it does not even need wax. It's never been waxed or buffed and looks just great when Steve is done with the gentle wash and rinse. He did a great job!

While he was washing the motorhome, I decided to take care of washing the king size quilt from inside the motor home, as well as the king size quilt on our bed. Both needed to be washed very carefully on gentle delicate cycle, spun out gently, and then hung to dry. They just fit on our backyard fence and lightly touch the grass. The one on the left is called New England Stellar Log Cabin and the one on the right is a Star Block variation. Yes, I made both of them.

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Earlier this week, my friend Vicky asked me for a recipe. Actually, she asked me the week before and I forgot to give it to her until last week! So I thought I would share it with you.  I am not one for recipes, really, but I saw this recipe online... one easy dump-in casserole with all Aldi ingredients!

Aldi One Pan Baked Sausage Vegetable Potato Casserole Recipe:

Have dinner ready in less than an hour with this simple casserole. Prepared with just a few simple Aldi ingredients, this is one dish the entire family will ask for over and over again.

Half of an Aldi Parkview Polska Kiebasa.

One Aldi can sliced potatoes or you can use raw ones.

Half bag of Aldi Prince Edward frozen veggie medley.

and added thin sliced raw onions and minced garlic and spices, and 2 TB olive oil

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

I slice up some sweet Vidalia onion and put some minced garlic into the bottom of a glass casserole dish, liberally sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.

I love these Aldi canned sliced potatoes! Cut open the top of the can and drain out the water. Then put in 2 TB of extra-virgin olive oil into the can. Put the lid back on and shake it around a little, or carefully tipping it up and down, until the potatoes are coated with the olive oil. Then dump them in the pan with the onions and minced garlic.

We really like the Polska Kielbasa from Aldi, it's the Parkview brand that they carry. I only use half of a ring of the kielbasa for the two of us. You're making a meal for 4, of course use the full ring. I slice it on an angle that makes it look kind of fancy.

Dump the sausage in over the potatoes and onion mixture. Then I liberally apply some spices. I like Lawry's, and black pepper, as well as dried parsley flakes. Then our local grocery store has a mixed seasoning bottle similar to Mrs. Dash called Harvest Blend.

Next, I cover up the entire casserole dish with tin foil and seal it around the edges, tight to the rim of the casserole dish.

Place the dish on the center rack and bake the potatoes and sausage for 20 minutes at 400°F, stirring halfway through.

Now for my third part of the ingredients, add our favorite Prince Edward Medley frozen vegetables. They are green beans, yellow wax beans, and little baby carrots. I use half a bag of this for a serving for two. I might add it's a very generous serving because Steve usually has a double serving and I have one. If you're making it for a larger group use the whole bag.

I just sprinkle them over the top and then I seal the tinfoil back around firmly on the edges. That way the steam from underneath of the potatoes and meat cook up through the vegetables. Return the dish in the oven and continue baking for an additional 20 minutes. Stirring halfway through so that all of the ingredients are fully cooked.

Yummmmm while I was typing this blog this afternoon, I decided to make it for supper tonight!

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Tomorrow is another day, Sunday, which is due to get windier and maybe the temperatures will start rising. Today we were only in the low 60s. But by Monday and Tuesday is supposed to be up in the high 90s and humid! Ugh!!!