April 7, 2006

April 7, 2006

Knoxville, Tennessee

YEAR 2 DAY 294

 

I got up very early ( for us ) this morning. I took care of morning routines and chores, so that by 8:00 A.M. I was ready to phone Budget Transmissions. I phoned them, got directions and headed off to find them. South on I-75, west on I-640 to I-40, I-40 to the Papermill Road exit, then onto North Shore Road to the transmission shop. I dropped the truck off, had a discussion with them < sigh >, then they drove me back to Raccoon Valley RV Park. I was back at the trailer before 10:00 A.M.. Just to remove and diagnose the transmission problem will be $400.

I took Bo for an obedience training walk. He did very well. While we were working on obedience exercises, Missy the cat approached, being walked on a leash. I put Bo into a "sit, stay" with "leave it", and "easy". He sat motionless, while Missy approached him, sniffed his face, then rubbed her face on his, as if to claim him for her own. HA HA HA ! Bo trembled, but didn't move. Very, very good dog, Bo. Missy's owner was very impressed. When we returned to the trailer, Teddy indignantly sniffed Bo's face. I put Teddy outside in his nylon kennel, then climbed up on the roof to ensure that all the mounting screws on the air conditioner shroud that I need to replace could be easily loosened. I wanted to be sure that when I do find and buy a new air conditioner shroud that I wouldn't then be faced with difficulty removing the old shroud. I intend to do the replacement in the parking lot of the RV dealer where I buy the new shroud, so I'd like the job to be relatively simple and quick. When that was done, I sat down at the picnic table and trimmed my moustache. My beard trim and haircut schedule is out of whack, and I'm looking a bit "bushy". I'm waiting 2 more weeks to get my haircut and beard trimmed at the same time, and get back "on schedule".

I started work on today's journal entry, then decided to go read and nap until lunch. After lunch we decided we might as well do some "spring cleaning" while we're stuck here. Five months ago, in California, we had hung Damp Rid hanging containers in the bedroom closet to eliminate moisture in the closet. We forgot about them until today. They did their job well. All the Damp Rid crystals were gone, and the pouches were filled with water. We'll have to buy replacements, and check them more frequently. Last fall we installed them because we had some mildew in the closet. Moisture is an ongoing problem in RV's in humid climates, like Vancouver Island, Florida, and here. My next project was to attempt to repair some worn spots on the sofa cushions. Our sofa cushions are becoming very worn, mostly due to Teddy and Bo, I think. I removed the covers from 2 of the sofa cushions, turned them inside out, and reinforced some thin, fraying spots with duct tape. The 2 essential elements to survival for RV'ers are Wal-Mart and duct tape. HA HA HA !

While I was working on that, Joanne was outside playing with Bo and a tennis ball. I put Teddy into his sling carrier and we all went for a walk around the campground. It was just before supper time ( for most people, not us ) and everybody was out walking their dogs ... and Missy the cat. We walked around visiting with many dogs, and Missy. When we returned to the trailer, and turned on the TV, they were broadcasting a tornado warning for much of Tennessee, including Knox County, where we are, until 11:00 P.M. tonight < sigh >. Right now, at 6:00 P.M., the sky is cloudy, but calm.

Late in the afternoon Budget Transmissions phoned. They had not yet completed the removal of the transmission. The transmission removal and diagnosis of the problem won’t be completed until Monday. Obviously, we’re here until at least Tuesday.

We made pizza for supper. It wasn’t as good as the last one we made. I don’t know what we did differently. The worst of the severe thunderstorms, and tornadoes, passed just a bit north of us. We had lots of lightning and thunder, with wind and heavy rain. We watched TV, and I started work on our personal income taxes.

DSK