My Suburban Got A Piggy-Back Ride

I once again am exhausted and just fell asleep in the chair. I am trying a new mouth guard for my sleep apnea, and it is hurting my teeth, two in particular and it is keeping me from getting a good night sleep. 

I have been busy as well, so I just need to catch up on some sleep! I fell asleep in the chair and again and it is almost 4 a.m. 

I spent most of the day trying to figuring out why my suburban won't start. I was so happy when for the first time in years my suburban started right up for camping as I had a trickle charger on it. It did fine until after camping, we were cleaning out the trailer and I forgot to unplug it from the suburban. 

While draining the water tank etc, the battery drained on the suburban and we had to use my little battery pack to jump start it. We got to the field where were were storing it, and we were just about to pull the trailer onto wood planks for winter storage, and I turned the car off to make sure they were lined up and when I got back in, it wouldn't start. 

We tried jump starting it again using several different methods, and it wouldn't start, it would just click. I thought perhaps I damaged the battery. We had a trickle charger on it overnight and went back the next day and nothing. 

Today, I went by my mechanics and got a new battery thinking perhaps there was something wrong with the battery. I traded them out and nothing. I did notice that when I was connecting the red terminal, it was sparking each time I connected it and my mechanic told me there was something keeping it from connecting well. He thought it may be the rubber covers keeping it from connecting, so I cut those off. Still nothing, so my next guess was the starter. 

I purchased the started used, and got a few good years out of it. I hope it is a cheap and easy fix. I don't want to put much money into it as it is older than three of my girls and we use it once a year to go to the lake. 

Thank heavens for AAA. I have had it for more years than I can remember, but rarely use it. I have the RV plan, so I get 100 miles towing. I was able to have it towed to my mechanic and was grateful to the couple allowing me to store it in their field. It is so nice not having to deal with weeds, and prickers to hitch it. They visited with me as I waited for the tow truck for a few hours as they needed the big truck as my suburban is BIG. 

The problem was that it was still attached to the trailer and the trailer wasn't quite on the boards. The house owners helped me block the trailer, unhitch it, tow my suburban out of the way, then hitched up to the trailer and pulled it onto the wood planks, then sat and visited with me in the shade. They were very kind and sweet and allow me to park it on their lot for free! I covered the tires and had already winterized the pipes and it is such a relief to have that at least done. 

By the time we dropped it off, it was nearly 8. I visited with the tow truck driver and he went to school and was in percussion with Princess Three! In visiting with him, he shared that his mom had five kids and her former spouse was VERY similar to mine. This mad said he has nothing to do with his father. He said his dad stopped paying his alimony at the beginning of COVID as he knew the courts would be shut down and his mother couldn't get in anytime soon to get him to pay it and it is amazing to me that a man could give up spending time with this man as he was hard working, clean cut, respectable, an asset to the community and very kind! What a loss that father is to humanity in giving up contact with his son for money and laziness / pride / selfishness! We talked about how sad it is for him not to know his grandchildren! 

I shared with him that my oldest grandchild asked when Princess One's dad died a few years back. She just assumed since I was single, that he must be dead! So far as any of them know, he is. I can't understand some behaviors, but sometimes feel it is better to not have certain people in your life! I could see this man had sadness over his loss of a father in his world. I explained that he and his children are better off without that trauma and drama in their world, as if you let someone like that into your life, they get a hold and then you can't seem to get them out again, so it is better to draw a firm line and stick with it. 

I let Princess Three know he asked about her and said to tell her "hello" and she replied. It turned into a nice day, but it was VERY HOT and VERY LONG! I need to get some sleep. 

Have a blessed day!

Lots of Fun But Now I am Done

I have been sitting in my chair staring at the computer for over an hour.

I have been camping and didn't sleep well! 

I can't function. I have had such a busy bunch of days that I just keep falling asleep!

I am just going to bed. Have a blessed day!

Contacting Rubbermaid For New Spigots - We'll See How It Goes

I have four 55 gallon drums for water storage. I have two of the four filled with water. They take up a large area in the garage and if I ever need to get water out of them, or clean them and put fresh water in, I have to use a siphon pump.  

I decided recently that I want to get rid of the 55 gallon drums and start to keep my water storage in water coolers as they are movable and easy to exchange the water in them. I already had four or five 5-gallon coolers of different brands, but over the years, some have started leaking. 

I took three to our family reunion, and two of the three were dripping from the spigot. I have tried to clean them and replace the washers I can get to, but I can't get to the washer inside the plastic push button. 

I saw online that Rubbermaid gave another YouTube channel a free replacement spigot, so I thought I would contact them and try to get new spigots for the coolers I have. I have four non-Rubbermaid coolers from igloo and Coleman.

I have 2 ten gallon, five 5-gallon, 2 three gallon, and one 2 gallon water coolers. That should be enough water storage for me living alone. I just need to make sure they aren't leaking or they won't be any good for water storage. 

I went to the website linked but after filling out the "contact us" section, I kept clicking "Submit" and had to click on different photos to prove I am not a robot, but I never got to a page that said it had been submitted. I hope that the form submission went through as I need lots of new spigots. 

If not, I figure I can put rubber in between the bolts so no water can get out of the spigot at all, but at least I can use them for storage. 

I'll do an update if I get the spigots. 

Here is the information on the Website about contacting them and getting help. The phone numbers are also listed below.

 Here is a link to the warranty information for Rubbermaid. 

"For replacement parts, please contact Rubbermaid Consumer Service by calling 1-888-895-2110 Monday through Friday, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm ET or by email using our contact form.

Please be sure to have the model number from the packaging or instruction booklet, or the molded in part number located on the bottom of the container, lid, or beverage bottle. Note: Outdoor Storage items will have part numbers molded into the interior wall of each panel of the unit.

Replacement parts are subject to availability and cannot be returned for refund or exchange.

Local Stores / Retailers do not currently carry inventory on replacement parts for Rubbermaid products"

Hopefully this can be resolved quickly and I can get my water storage done. Have a blessed day! 

An Unexpected Night Around The Fire

I went to our annual family Easter camp-out for the first time in five years. 

My girls all left on Friday to go home as they had obligations. Much of the family would be staying through Saturday, but since my girls were going home, I wanted to leave. 

I started to get packed up but had the feeling I should stay. I visited and played games around the campfire with many in my family I hadn't had any contact with for some time. 

I was able to help a niece that was needing somewhere to sleep. I was able to visit with her in the trailer for a few hours and we gave each other foot rubs which was really nice as I don't get them all that often anymore living alone. 

I am glad I listened to that feeling and got to catch up with my niece and visit with others. I was able to get home safely on Saturday. 

Have a blessed day!

Tee Pee and Hammock - Camping Fun

I am exhausted and have tried to get a few things done today since we went camping this weekend for our annual Easter Camp-out with my family. 

I haven't gone in five years now as my girls were all busy, or I didn't feel up to going and getting the trailer and suburban ready. I had LOTS of help from family getting things ready and helping with issues on the trailer. 

I helped a neighbor a few months back to clean out her basement. While doing that, she had a homemade tee pee she was getting rid of and I thought my grandchildren would enjoy playing in it. I decided to take it camping and it was a hit with the kids! 

I ordered a hammock for my father for Christmas a few years back and that was also a hit with the grandchildren. They would climb in and beg for someone to push them. 

I am hoping I feel better tomorrow. I am still exhausted and finished cleaning up all the coolers and other food items today. It was nice to be able to sleep in as I have had the grand-kids and love them when they are around, but I also love to be able to catch up on sleep when I can. 

I found a similar tee pee online and it is $100. It's more authentic being light in color, but I like that mine is darker in color so I don't worry about it getting dirty camping and think I will leave it in the trailer for our reunion. 

Here is a link to the similar tee pee in case you are interested in getting one.  

Here is a link to the post where I share about the Hammock I researched and bought for my father. 

I would recommend both of these items for camping. Both are easy to set up and are enjoyable for all ages. 

Have a blessed day!

Never Fear.. Grandpa is Here - Annual Kids and Teen Pancake Making Contest with PRIZE MONEY

As you know by my last few posts, I have been cleaning off some SD cards and am finding lots of things I wanted to post about but haven't posted about. 

There is something my dad and step-mom do every year at our reunion, at the lake, that makes it so much fun for the grandchildren and now the great-grandchildren. 

They have come up with a really creative way to keep the kids entertained for hours in the morning. Mornings are tough when the lake is cold and many parents are not quite ready to go down to the water and watch the kids knowing they will be down there all day and evening. 

They came up with an annual pancake making contest. They have always had prizes but I think as the tradition got more popular and the pancakes more elaborate, the prizes have gotten bigger and they give out ribbons as well. 

Because it is getting to be such a fun tradition, this year, they enlisted "judges" and even created a scoring method where each judge will give pancakes number ratings for each area of the contest. 

They have many categories so there can be more winners, but they have a grand-prize, and the top three and then prizes for creativity, flavor, moistness, most toppings, traditional etc. You can really make up as many categories as you need to give everyone a prize. 

The prizes were large amounts of cash which I think is super generous of them since they pay all the fees for the camp ground, golfing, much of the food and other things helping people get there etc. 

It has become a looked forward to event by the kids and they do their research and planning ahead of time so they have everything they need to make their creations and as you can tell by all these individual pictures of the pancakes, the competition was stiff! 

They then tallied the totals for each persons judging sheets and it took a bit more time this year than in the past due to all the different judges but we had lots of fun while waiting doing Karaoke and games. 

I think you could actually do any type of annual contest maybe even sugar cookie decoration, or chili cook-off, or something else entirely, like a painting contest and bring a pad of watercolor paper and a bunch of water color paint sets or something. 

Mainly, the idea is to start an annual tradition where the kids look forward to coming and participating and this just happens to be what they came up with for our family. 

I love that they, (mostly my step-mom whos is like a mother to me) continually come up with such fun things to make ever get together something memorable and enjoyable. We are truly blessed and I count them as a HUGE blessing in my life and my children's lives. 

Have a Traditional and Blessed Day!

Learning How To Make a Playlist On Youtube - Six Playlists For Your Viewing

I had a viewer of my channel write this past week and give me a suggestion that I think was helpful. He suggested that I make a playlist of all my parasite videos making it easier for someone to find all the videos pertaining to one subject. 

I figured out a few years back how to make a playlist on my channel of the cheer videos I had but thought it was just a playlist for me to find them and watch them more than a playlist for others to view. 

When this viewer suggested this, I did a bit of researching on how best to gather my videos and put them into a playlist. It was much easier than I thought it would be. Basically, I went into my "video manager" on my channel and searched for a topic. 

The first topic I did was "parasite" and up came quite a few videos. I was able to click the check off box at the top of the page on the left and it checked all the videos on that page. I then clicked down on the little arrow to the right and in the pulldown menu, I could create a new playlist. 

I then typed the content of the playlist "Parasite videos" and all those videos off that first page went into that playlist. I then clicked to the second page of parasite videos and checked off the little check off box at the top of the page and was able to then click the little pull down arrow to the right and the new playlist was there in the list. I clicked on that playlist and the new videos I had checked off were then added to that playlist. 

I was then able to make quite a few more playlists. Here is a link to the first playlist which is a list of videos I have made about my trailer.

Here is a link to my playlist on jewelry, finding it, sorting bags, how to tell if it is real etc. 

Here is a link to my parasites videos. Hopefully they are in order but you can view them by date as well. 

Here is a link to my dehydration videos. Comparison of dehydrators, how to etc. 

Here is a link to making quilts - t-shirt quilts, hats, sweatshirts, baby clothes etc. 

Here is a list to "health" related videos. There may be some of the same videos in this one as some of the other playlists as they cross over but I made it its own playlist. 

Hopefully, these lists will make it easier for people to find what they are looking for on my channel. 

Have a Blessed and Organized Day! 

Looking For a Relaxing Christmas Gift For Dad

 It has been years since I remember getting a Christmas gift catalog in the mail. I think it was several years back and I got a nut / candy catalog for the holidays. 

I am not a big online or through the mail shopper. I usually like to feel what I am buying and see the quality and I hate getting something through the mail and opening it to find out it is cheap quality. 

With that, I don't know why I would get catalogs in the mail, but I got one from a company I have never heard of before to my knowledge. I figured I would flip through it to see if there was anything in it I would be interested in as I have sometimes gotten gift ideas by flipping through catalogs. 

There were 156 pages of just weird things I can't believe people would purchase. There was literally one page in the entire catalog of anything I found interesting. There was a portable hammock and a folding camp table with a little shelf under it to hold things. I thought that it was fairly neat as if you read this post, you know we go camping a few times a year on a good year. 

Over this past weekend, I showed my step-mom these items asking if she thought she and my dad would use them in their motorhome.... She didn't seem against the idea but thought he may like them. Like I shared, I don't like buying things without seeing them, but figured I could at least look up the items online and see what the reviews would say. 

I looked at many different types of portable hammocks and there were LOTS of reviews and I spent well over an hour reading reviews and making a list of ones I had viewed and the pros and cons of each. 

I read about plastic parts breaking soon after getting the items and people hurting their tailbones, people flipping over in the hammocks and being dumped on the ground, fabric ripping within the first week of use, people being heavy or long once they got the item, it was smaller than what they thought etc. 

I finally found one that showed tall and heavy people in the hammock and the frame is steel and there are different fabrics depending on if you want to leave it out or have a snuggly cotton wrapped around you etc. 

The price was within $30 and I think I am onto a winner as I was going to purchase two hammocks for them but this one holds up to 450 lbs and is built for two! 

I also searched for the folding camping tables and found this really cool one that can be short or tall and has a zippered shelf at the bottom! It wouldn't probably be the best for eating around with the shelf under it but it looks removable. I LOVE that it zips closed keeping mice and bugs out of your stuff and also, it is often windy at our Easter Campout so being able to zip up the paper goods under the tables we leave out would be wonderful as we have to take them in and out due to the wind usually. 

Both items were Amazon best sellers and I love that you can pick the pattern for the hammock as well as the type of fabric... Other family members decided they wanted the folding camp table as well when I suggested the gift ideas. I thought I would share these ideas as I spent lots of time researching and figured I would share what I learned! 

The name of the table is: CampLand Aluminum Height Adjustable Folding Table
The name of the hammock is: Vivere Double Hammock with Space-Saving Steel Stand

Have a Blessed and restful day! 

Teak Oil Will Draw In The Bugs - Don't Oil You Items Near Dusk or Near The Water

Princess Five and I have been working on finishing up the "waxing" of the trailer using Teak oil. I shared that I thought we would finish up today. 

Imagine my surprise when I walked out to finish and everywhere we worked last night was covered with bugs! While I was using the teak oil today, Two bees came sniffing around my rag as they were drawn to the teak oil. 

I have used this so many times on so many items that I was a bit shocked about how many flies and gnats were stuck to the side and door of my trailer. I have not seen that before and I have used up about four cans of teak oil on all sorts of items so I didn't understand why there were bugs only this time. 

I have worked close to dark every night this past week and have not had a problem until last night and today. I am wondering if the teak oil smell is more concentrated at the bottom of the can. The can we are using has been used on the picture window, the grill, the swamp cooler, the kitchen and bathroom cabinets and a few other items over the past year or so. It is nearly empty and I didn't want to purchase a new can so I have just been finishing up this one. 

I think the concentration of sediment is in the bottom of the can and now we are getting to that part of the can and it attracted the bugs. I laughed so hard when I went out to finish up the trailer. I had to go get my camera and take a few pictures and a video of all the bugs on the side of the trailer. I of course couldn't leave them there, so I started wiping them off but wanted a picture before I did so I could show Princess Five who was at work. 

I am happy to share for the most part, the bugs and goo came off the trailer but the moth wing marks in the bottom picture didn't come off. I guess it liked the smell but not the stick and marked up the trailer a bit. 

We finished oiling the front portion and I used it on the painted bumper and tongue / stabilizer hitch as well and the trailer looks fairly good and I am SO excited that the door closes well now. Considering how many times I have repaired it, I am happy it is closing and locking even thought it isn't perfect. 

It feels good to get something off the list which is SUPER long but I have to take pleasure in the small things. We are going to put it in storage tomorrow and it will be nice to have it off the street and then I can get working on pruning all the trees before winter! It would be nice to have them all done before Princess Five's farewell. It is coming up fast...… 

Have a Blessed and Bug Free Day! 

Almost Five Years Ago, I teak Oiled My Trailer Instead of Waxing - Good Fast Option

Five Years ago this November, I spent lots of time working on my trailer. I put all new butylene tape in around windows and vents as well as replacing vent covers and teak oiled the entire trailer. 

I shared that there was a man that shared with me about how I should use teak oil on my trailer and fiberglass while I was shopping at a local store. I was on the phone and he came up to me asking what I was going to "buff" as I was looking at a buffer wondering if it would work on the trailer as the rub on rub off waxing thing was an arm buster. 

I am SO GRATEFUL for that man interrupting my call to share with me about the wonderful use of Teak oil! It has been used so many times in my life from my bar-b-cue, kitchen and bathroom cabinets, garage door, aluminum siding and windows and my trailer. It is such an amazing product that and it is so inexpensive to purchase. For my entire trailer, it was less than one can which is about $10 at Walmart. 

Several people over time on my blog or channels have asked me to do an update on the trailer sides and garage door to show they are still in good condition. I can't tell you how much easier it has been this time to apply the teak oil to the trailer. The teak oil sealed the sides and there is some oxidation but there aren't the many, many dirt lines and sticky dirt stuck on it as there was last time. 

If you look at this blog post from when I did it the first time, you can clearly see how dirty and flat the exterior of the trailer was. I used mineral spirits to clean the trailer sticky or really dirty spots and I haven't had to use mineral spirits once to clean anything this time other than where I stuck duct tape on the door a month back before I fixed it. 

The sides were still quite shiny even if there was a little grit or dirt, it wiped right off with the Teak oil. The only place I cleaned before putting the teak oil on was under the front window cover as there was dirt trapped inside there and I didn't want to seal any of that in so I washed that area. 

I am not technically done putting the teak oil on yet as I  finished one side with Princess last week and I did the back and most of the other side today. I did purchase some caulk for the door window which I did not get done today but hope to get to that tomorrow so I can then finish up the door with teak oil.  

From there, I just have the front around the window cover to do. I am super excited to get that done and am thinking about doing another coat on the garage door while I have Princess Five to help me work on it. It will need a good rinse before coating it but nothing like what we had to do five years ago to get the sprinkler minerals off it. 

It will be nice getting the trailer put away for the winter. I found a spot to store it and will be glad to finish up that project. It seems like there is always another project looming.... Pruning time is upon us and at least Princess Five and I got all the apples off our tree dried for the season in a week or two this year. I have a list on the kitchen counter of many of the things I wanted to get done while Princess Five was home and I hate to share that I have not gotten much off that list. We visit and play games so much of the time but we have also done much service so I am glad that she is having those opportunities. I personally haven't been feeling the best that last week or two with another "bug bite" type infection on my leg that burns and oozes. I thought it was a mosquito bite I got while helping my sister move the other night but last night I got about 2 hours sleep due to the pain and burning of it. I have treated it with the iodine and diatomaceous earth and it seems to be calming down but between that and a cold of some kind, I didn't have the best weekend. 

Yea for hopefully finishing up the trailer tomorrow! Have a Blessed Day! 

Filling in Vinyl or Fiberglass Cracks and Aging spots on your Trailer - RV - Motorhome or Camp Trailer

I think I may have posted about five years ago when I was working on my trailer but I wanted to share with you in video and on the post this information as it works well and I think it is a brilliant way to make the trailer look updated or better in a quick way. 

My trailer has vinyl wording on the side and front. I am not sure why they chose to put the name on with a sticker verses painting it on but it is what it is. The stripes are painted on the side but the door has vinyl stripes on the fiberglass over it being painted. 

Yet, the front window cover has paint on the fiberglass cover with  a tree and mountain scene and for some reason, the striping on the fiberglass door is vinyl. 

It is weird how they did that but either way, the vinyl on both the door and name on the trailer is cracking and peeling some with sun damage, wind, and age. 

I take out several Sharpie markers of similar color types to the area that is cracked or peeling and test them to see which works best. Black actually worked best on the name vinyl so I used the black to fill in the cracked letters and show on the video how I rub it in using a gloved finger as it leaves a line mark if I don't feather it in with my finger while the marker is still wet. 

When it is wet, it melts into the other color better making that are not stand out as much as if I just use the marker without smearing the colors in before it dries. I have probably 15 posts about using Sharpie markers this way on furniture I am refinishing, scratches on black painted furniture or frames and I have used this method on my black leather boots and coats since I was 16. 

Anyone who knows me well knows I LOVE Sharpies. The more the merrier. I have several containers full. I wish they had more colors available individually as they did years ago as I would love one in EVERY color!!! 

I am working on my trailer again as I winterized if for the season and have filled a few gaps in the lights where it looks like water may be getting on the back wall and I fixed the bottom of the main door where the wood had rotted out. I am going to seal all the edges of the door with outdoor caulk to make sure that doesn't happen again. Princess Five is being a big help on this project doing all the high spots for me~!

I then decided I would fix up the exterior again as it looked a bit dull and so I spent a few days working on the names and the fiberglass on the trailer filling in any cracked areas with Sharpies and made a video for each area as someone may look up vinyl or someone else may look up fiberglass so I wanted to cover the bases of each in case someone looked up one but not the other. 

I have been blessed to be able to do all the maintenance on the trailer myself over the years which has been a blessing. Since we only use it one week a year, I have ignored it for the past five years but hope that us working on it for a few days will give us five more years of maintenance free usage. 

There always seems to be something needing repairs on the house or trailer and I am just grateful for two amazing parents who can fix and do anything needed as they taught me to think outside the box and not fear any project. 

As you can see from this blog, I do electric, sprinklers, plumbing, crafts, yard, pruning, dehydrating, wood working, cooking, cleaning, health, car repairs, emotions, and just about anything else you can think of needing work!

I am very grateful that my parents gave me a good work ethic and taught me to have no fear in learning new things and asking questions. I am always asking "how can I do this more easily or faster" and I believe that is how I have come up with some wonderful fix's to situations or problems that others may not come up with!

Thanks Mom and Dad for giving me a great base to be able to figure things out for myself! I am truly Blessed!

Have a Blessed Day!