When I woke today, one of the first things I did was look out the window to see if we had had snow overnight (the weather folks were saying last night and tonight were likely). I was pleasantly surprised to see none of the white stuff on the ground *or* swirling about in the air! As much as I love the snow I think my mind and body have transitioned into spring/summer (although my head knows spring doesn't always mean the snow is gone in this part of the country!)
It was a blustery day as Pooh would say, though, so after several cups of coffee I finally mosied my way outside to finish the door lock (the door jam component). With the sun shining and 3 layers plus gloves on I was comfy and a few (frustrating) hours later had a functional deadbolt installed. OK, well, partially functional. It works from the outside which is the important part - I'm not worried about when we're around. If we are going to have it lock from the inside I'll need to remove the weather stripping I installed around the door (and as a result, increase drafts) as the door will need to close a bit more in in order for the lock to engage from the inside (from the outside I can push it in far enough; not as easy from the inside).
After finishing the door lock I decided it was time to test the fridge with the gas option (I had confirmed a few days ago it worked with the 120V option). I hooked the gas tanks back up, lit the pilot light and then set out to find something else to do while I waited to see if it got cold.
As the fridge needs a decorative front I thought I'd tackle that next... Our original plan was to put a piece of the microdot formica in but I wasn't convinced it would look ok - with the microdot only in the bathroom I was afraid it would stick out a bit. I considered the countertop pattern, the grass fabric I had used for the blinds and then I had an epiphany - why not use the flooring! It is durable, decorative and wouldn't scream - "Hello, I'm a fridge and here I am!"
Soooo tah - dum! I present to you the fridge, now in disguise. I'm pretty darn pleased with it really.
Now to just make a cover plate for the dials (it was missing when I bought it) and a drawer to slide in underneath!
Maybe wood for both faces? With a plastic (or something lightweight) for the actual drawer (to keep it light)?
As space is somewhat limited (though I don't think we'll need to make use of all of the existing space until our extendo trip in July - airstream design is so efficient so ther e is ample room already!) I want to make the best use out of every nook and cranny...
Before we fill in the gap to the right of the fridge I want to see how I can best use the narrow and tall slot for storage - given the right setup I'm sure it's a prime place to store things like cookie sheets, and/or maybe a broom, etc.... the tall skinny stuff....
Anyone out there have any ideas?
On a completely different, non camper related topic....
Over the last few days I've also started the seeds for the garden - both inside and out. I'll admit I'm WAY late on starting the inside seeds....and I'm going to have to place the blame on poor Loretta as she's been the one getting all the attention lately. (I feel for the big house - if only I had more time and money I could do double duty! Til then, Loretta is totally showing it up!)
By now I'd normally have near full size plants hardening off to go into the garden (with the protection of the walls of water of course) by next week or so....
Ah well. So downstairs, I've got the following started:
- wave petunias (the mainstay of my flower crop - they are fantastic in planters!)
- lobelia
- basil
- tomatoes
- sweet peppers
- hot peppers
- cucumbers
- butternut squash
- and something else I know I'm forgetting
Outside we have 212 ft2feet of raised bed space for veggies (not incl the 3-level 4x4 strawberry bed) in which I've started:
- carrots
- lettuce
- kale
- spinach
- beets
- parsnips
- snow peas
- sugar snap peas
With the recent moisture (rain!!! and a bit of hail this afternoon - which makes me nervous about Loretta - we get some serious hail storms here) and the forecast of warm weather (starting tomorrow) I'm thinking we'll see some seedlings pop up very shortly!
Yahoo!
On the horizon we have a *potential* fix for the toilet arriving... I actually submitted the order on 15 March and called Saturday to inquire as to the whereabouts of the part (the water valve, thetford part number 09869, specifically) as it has been a month. Apparently there was a glitch in payment and the part had been on the lady's desk ever since waiting for me to call/email (I didn't receive any of those they said were sent as follow ups)
It's expected on Wednesday which is just in time - if the stars align we might just have a functional toilet (and hopefully a non leaking black water tank) in time for departure Thursay evening - kick off for Loretta's second adventure!
