SMART MACHINES

Rain came down with a vengeance, off and on all day yesterday. And, mighty welcome, too. I have a yen to sew when it rains and my Elna, ten years old but hardly used, is, like a cell phone, smarter than me. Read: frustrating. When I used to sew all the time, I had trouble with it. Now, I have to re-read and re-read the directions that are of questionable help, as in- to do this, you do this, and refer to page 21?  GAK!  I hate that. Thread kept breaking. I couldn’t get the tension right, nor the stitch size right given you have to change it for zigzag. From the pictures, I couldn’t tell what dial they were talking about. I brought the machine to my dining room table where the light is excellent and gave up after 3 or 4 tries. It sat there for a month. Yesterday, I got the tension and stitch right. A small ephiphany.

But, I’m not abandoning my reliable straight stitcher Singer that I hauled out of storage to use while the fancy machine took up space in the dining room. I’m going to keep it on my sewing table, JUST IN CASE.  It yanks your arm out of its socket when you lift it, but it isn’t smarter than me. Read: simple.  (That probably describes me, too.)

I had new gutter guards professionally installed so I don’t have to climb on the roof and clean gutters anymore. The company has returned five times because there is a leak in front of my door. I called the owner and he came to fix it. Well, the rain is gone for now, the whole deck is dry this morning except for that spot in front of my front door. I’m about ready to diss this company. There wasn’t a leak before they cleaned my gutters and installed their system. If Jim were here, he’d be down to their office in a heartbeat. I might do the same come Monday since I have to go to Sonora for new tires.

I’m working on my book a bit each morning as I try and limit my on-line time to two hours a day.

I hope we get the rest of the rain we’ve been promised.

 

 

 

I Found A Crack…

in the kitchen sink plumbing assembly.

Shortly before our arrival at Mary’s home on October 10th, she indicated to me that there was water in the compartment under the kitchen sink. Since we are not at this moment living in the motorhome is was not a priority issue for me. I finally got to looking at the situation yesterday…

The inspection revealed one of the plastic components had a small crack which allowed for the minor leaking. I was able to find the replacement part at the local hardware store and replaced the broken piece. Then using a solution of backing soda and vinegar I cleaned the inside of the pipes and now all is well once again.

In an earlier Blog entry I discussed how it helps to be technically minded/inclined when you are an RVer. With a little of my time…of which I have plenty…and $1.10 for the replacement part…the problem was resolved. I’m betting a place like Camping World would have gotten me a minimum of one hour’s labor for the job…which translates into $120. Then how much would they mark-up a $1.10 part? Don’t forget the sales tax.

A little technical skill goes a long way as an RVer. I’d much rather take the about $130 I would have paid at Camping World and put that money in the motorhome’s gas tank. A much better use for that money!

This was just one of the several other things I accomplished yesterday. 27 days until my departure.

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2011
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