Take Cover!!!!

I went to Lambert Airport in St. Louis yesterday--twice.  But that is for later...

As Gman and I drove to the airport, we looked at the devestation around us and it immediately transported both of us to another place 20 years ago and another devestating F-5 tornado that we lived through.

4/26/1991 was a spring day in Kansas and gman's parents were celebrating their anniversary.  We went from Augusta to El Dorado to eat at Long John Silvers--that being gman's dad's favorite place to eat.  Gman's dad kept saying he was done and it was time to go-time to go-time to go. 

So, finally gman's mom got her meal in a to go box and off we went. 

Going south from El Dorado to Augusta, we saw people sitting outside in lawn chairs and wondered what in the world was going on.  It is a 15 minute drive from El Dorado to Augusta.

When we just got to the city limits of Augusta, the tornado sirens started going off and we booked it to our house and the basement.  The dogs howled, our ears popped and it was really uncomfortable.

When the all clear sounded, we went out and saw that the road we had just come down had been crossed by the tornado.  The area we were at in El Dorado was hit with high winds and hail the size of softballs making the cars look like someone literally took a sledgehammer and beat the tar out of them.

We missed it by minutes because gman's dad was so antsy to leave--had he not been and had we not left, we would have been in either the hail or the tornado.  To this day, when someone is cranky and wants to get going, I don't say much--just thinking of that day and how it saved our lives.

You have probably seen that tornado of 20 years ago and just didn't realize what you were viewing.  The footage of it has been shown in documentaries about tornados, TV shows and even movies.  You can view it here:

The part that you have probably viewed begins as 4:27 and goes for about 5 minutes. 

You might also remember the video of a little girl and her dad along with a cameraman who happened to be driving along the same stretch of highway running from their cars up under the bridge overpass while the tornado went right over them and the dad saying it's okay.  It's okay.  Everything is gonna be okay.  That was the same tornado.  It was on the ground from Oklahoma to almost Kansas City and was something you never forget.

The footage that looks like a street with stubs of trees and just debris was a mobile home park in Andover that had 219 mobile homes--one was left.  It really truly looked like a bomb had gone off.  Pictures truly do not tell the story until you are there.

The whole town of Andover was pretty much destroyed.  Amazing really!

So, as we drove to the airport yesterday, we could clearly see the path of the tornado.  As we got closer, we saw this (sorry I was taking pictures as I drove, so some are a bit blurry):

Look at the arrow on the left side of this picture.  You can see by the corner of the building that is left standing that it used to be a log building.

I had pix of the airport itself, but didn't realize I had it on video, so it is a bit of the airport and a lot of my lap and the steering wheel!!!  LOL 

As tornados do, The west side of the airport was damaged heavily, but terminal 2 (where Gman flies out) was untouched and you would never have known a tornado was around.

At about noon, I took gman to the airport to catch his flight to Dallas. 

He called as I was leaving the airport to tell me that the flight was about an hour late, but was flying, so I went on back toward home.

As I got about 20 miles from home, he called to tell me that Dallas was under tornado warnings and it was unclear how long it would be until the flight left, or if it would.  Ah the joys of mother nature!!!!

So, I called dad to see if he would like to ride along back to the airport with me, called the campground to see if they would let my dogs out to potty (thank goodness for Drew and Kathy!!!!) and turned around to head back to the airport to pick up gman.  

We got home about 7:30 pm.  I said that I felt as if I had driven to Wichita!  Gman, being the details person that he is, figured it up and said that if I had driven back to the airport one more time and stayed, it would have been the same. 

Our thoughts, prayers and support are with the people affected by the tornadoes of this spring. 

Technical Tuesday...The Ears Have It...

It was Mother's Day, 2008. 

I approached Gman and told him that I wanted something for Mother's Day.

This surprised him--because when I want something, it is usually a powertool or something and he just says "buy it".

When asked what I wanted, I told him I wanted a Tank.

His surprise turned to shock!!!  Talk about the ultimate powertool!!!!

Not THAT kind of tank!!!!  THIS kind of Tank...

I found him at Petfinder.com.  He was at Furry Kids Refuge in Lee's Summit, MO.  They are an organization that rescues animals from abuse and high kill shelters and houses them in foster homes.

We lived in Augusta, KS (near Wichita, KS) about 3 hours away.

We adopted a black pug from Furry Kids the year before as a companion to our fawn pug.  He was wonderful, but I really missed my big dog.  I had been looking at the Furry Kids and kept coming back to Tank.

So, I called Furry Kids to inquire about Tank.

Having pugs and cats, I needed to be sure that Tank was good with both.  As it turned out, Tank was fostered at the same home as Tango was, so they had already been together.  Furry Kids tested Tank with cats and found him to be good with them as well.

The pugs, Gman and I took a ride to Lee's Summit (Near Kansas City, MO) to meet Tank.  He was 160 lbs of sweetness!!!!

It was love at first sight!!!!  I mean, who can't love this face???? 

You may have noticed him on my posts???

Here he is all dolled up for the NASCAR races in this pic--showing the colors of his favorite driver...

and here he is on "his bed"

Actually that is OUR queen sized bed--just in case you are having trouble envisioning the size thing...

He uses the bed during the day when Gman and I are not in it.  Otherwise, he has chosen this as his bed...

Back to the story...

We were told that he had an ear infection and was on medicine.  If we wanted to wait, they would complete the treatment and we could pick him up then, or we could take him along with his meds if we chose.

Well, having had dogs for a long time, ear infections and meds were common and not a problem.

We headed home.  He was the greatest dog!!!!  Wonderful riding in the Durango--you could forget he was even back there!!!!  I have NO IDEA who could have given up this dog, but MY LUCKY DAY!!!!

So, we started out with me cleaning the ears and administering antibiotic tabs along with ear ointment.   I am sure it hurt him.

When the meds were finished, he seemed fine, but within a short time the infection came back.

I took him to my vet to check the ears and came home with more ear wash and drops.  This happened many times.
Tank was starting to run from me when I approached--I mean, after all, I was just hurting him.  For about a year.

Drops, antibiotics, washes, even anesthesized deep cleaning. 

And the infections continued to come back or not even go away completely!!!!

We dropped more than $2,000 on his ears trying to get them cleared up!!!!  I was at my wits end!!!  My poor baby was uncomfortable and was getting more and more leary of me--who kept hurting him...

With nothing to lose, I turned to the internet.  I googled "canine ear infection cure" and found a LOT.

I began reading about ear infection horror stories in which people reported that they couldn't even stay in the same room with their pet due to the overwhelming stench!  One even reported that their vet wanted to remove the ear canal!!!!  ARE YOU KIDDING???!!!!!

Then, I found out about a miracle called Zymox.

Zymox is a homeopathic enzymatic solution that you put into the ear.  You don't clean the ear because the enzymes need something to "eat".  The enzymes are 3 enzymes found in milk.

It comes in two formulas--with and without hydrocortizone.

Given Tank's ears, I chose Hydrocortizone to reduce the inflamation and the itching.

You just put the solution in the ears beginning at twice per day and let it do it's thing!!!!  Easy Peasy!!!

AND NO PAIN to Tank!!!

Within a week, his ears were beautiful and clean and perfect!!!!

Given that his ears are so large and heavy

he is prone to infections.  Especially around May and October when the allergens are running rampant through the air. 

Now, when his ears get itchy (like last night) I just grab the Zymox and treat the ears right away.  Within a short time the itching is calmed and in a day or two, the enzymes have done their job and cleared out the gunk!

Did I mention that Zymox is only about $15 online????  Yep!!!!  All those dollars I spent on his ears and $15 took care of him!!!!! 

Tank and I agree...

Zymox is a MIRACLE!!!

And now, Tank and I are both resting comfortably!!!!

Mother of Invention Monday...Single Wide...

It is said that necessity is the mother of invention and as I travel, I see a lot of evidence of inventiveness and creativity.


When you pull the old single wide off of the lot, what are you left with?

A patch of ground with some cement and a sewer pipe along with a big old heap of skirting right?

But, in the spirit of Mother of Invention Monday, these people did this...

Just take the skirting and build a fenced in area with some gravel walkways...

 

 

Add some old tractor parts, an old wheelbarrow and...

Finish off with some deer statuary...

And a birdhouse...

See it right next to the tree on the red and white striped pole?

And you have reduced, reused and recycled in the spirit of Mother of Invention Monday...

A Scene From Alfred Hitchcock...

It was a fine evening. 

The sun had shone all day and the weather was warm enough to leave the door open on the mother ship. 

The dogs and I decided to spend the evening basking in the lovely breezes while I tried out my new anti-gravity lounger.  Ah, the halcyon days of spring...

Yeah, I know the halcyon days are of summer, but this spring day, it was so lovely and I am not a hot weather person, preferring spring and fall to the heat of summer or the cold of winter, so my halcyon days happen in spring...

I looked up and saw some birds come in to roost in the trees that were visible over the roof of the mother ship.

They were these giant black birds with rather unpleasant bird voices.   Oh well, it was such a beautiful evening all creatures were welcomed with open arms...

Then, I saw some fluttering and in came some buddies...

And then some more...

Then, more and the trees were filling up...

And still they came, raspy, crow voices cawing...

The skies were filled with the big black birds...

Then, it became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

All of a sudden, they seemed to have some infighting (or maybe the tree was so full that the branches were beginning to bend under the weight of the ever increasing flock) so some of them took flight to the trees over our heads...

All of a sudden, Tango, who was sleeping in my lap, jumped up and became agitated...

What is it little Tango?  Is Timmy stuck in the well?

Oh, sorry!!  Wrong show!!!

It's Okay Tango, I said, lie down and go back to sleep--they're just silly birds like Heckle and Jeckle I soothed...

More flew in overhead and the noise grew and grew...

 Uh, and grew!!!!   Now I knew what they felt like when the birds were flocking in during the movie, The Birds!!!!

Tango leaped up again and this time, I felt it too!!!!

The birds....

Not only were they LOUD...

They pooped right on us!!!!!

We ran for the mother ship, but not before being pelted several more times!!!

For the next several evenings, right around dusk, those little devils would come in and christen everything around!  It was too windy to put out the awnings, so we would head inside when we heard them coming...

Now I truly know the meaning of the term "Dirty Bird"--and so does Tango...

Oh Black Water, Keep On Rolling...Technical Tuesday

Today is as the title says, keeping the black water moving...

When we purchased Little Blue, the Technician went over everything about him AND I learned a neat new tech tip which I will share with you...in a minute...

In case you haven't figured it out, I am speaking of the loo, water closet, crapper, potty, toilet...whatever you want to call it.  It works a bit differently in a camper, whether large or small--they are all similar in a camper.  Many campers don't realize this little fact--and live to regret it--in a BIG way!!!!!

First, when you connect the sewage (black water) to the sewer line in the park, be sure it is tight.  If it isn't, be prepared to jump!!!!  AND LEAVE THE GATE CLOSED ON THE CAMPER!!!!  Unlike your house, the camper has a holding tank.  DO NOT just open the gate and let the sewer drain as it would in a house. 

This will cause the liquids to run out and leave the solids behind to build up and dry out like a huge pile of stinky cement which will cost you a LOT of money to have removed!!!

So, leave the gate closed. 

Now, use the toilet chemicals.  No, these are NOT just to make a lot of money for companies.  They are necessary!!!   They break down the waste products and keep the holding tank clean and running smoothly--not to mention that they keep the odor at bay.

Chemicals come in many varieties from tabs to liquids.  I even found these tabs...who comes up with these names????  Cute.  At least until I thought about my potty having drinks...

I prefer to use the little packets of chemicals.  I am not sure why I started using Campa Chem, but so far it has worked splendidly for me.  One packet does about 30 gallons of holding tank.  My holding tank on the 5th wheel is 90 gallons, so I pop 3 of the packets in (4 in summer when it is really hot and uh, stinky) along with a bowl of water for each packet and I am ready to go.

When I purchased my first camper, a teacher who had lived in a camper that I was looking at told me that they found through trial and error that each time you flush, hold the lever for a count of 1 mississippi, 2 mississippi, 3 mississipi.  This obviously fills the tank much quicker, but it also creates a good vortex to wash out the solids when the time comes.  Good idea!!! 

And it has worked for us as well...

The next thing is toilet paper. 

There are several brands of toilet tissue made specifically for campers.  You can find these at camping supply stores, Wal-Mart and other places and you will pay about $3 and up for 4 tiny little rolls.  Okay.  Enjoy!

However, if your money tree is not in season at the moment, you can try regular tissue that specifies that it is made for septic tanks.  I like Scott Tissue Big Rolls.  I have been using it for 2 years now and no problems at all.

DO NOT USE CHARMIN!!!  Remember several years ago when they showed the Charmin which they wet and put a toy elephant on--and the elephant didn't fall through?  This was to show how strong it is.

And it is...

Too strong!!!! 

It doesn't break down like the others and will surely clog up your tank. 

I have had several plumbers through the years tell me never to use Charmin even in houses, but definitely not in septic tanks as they will clog up and you will have to have it augered and pumped out.  Of course a couple of them chuckled and said that they just LOVE Charmin because it keeps them in business!!! 

So, watch your control panel and wait for the tank to fill--or when you are moving the camper--either way...

This is my  control panel.  You can see that I am about 60% full at this time (3 of the 5 lights are lit).  When it gets to 5, I will empty the tank. 

I have found that when my tank is getting full, it will begin to kind of bubble when flushed.  I know then that I need to empty the critter.

So, we are now ready for the cool tip that I got from the technician at Loveall's when I got Little Blue.

When you are ready to move the camper, put your chemicals in the toilet like normal and then add a bag of ice just before you go.  The ice will slosh around and dislodge any solids, cleaning the tank as you drive!!!!  How cool is that????!!!!!

Ice...it's not just for drinks anymore!