Panicle Hydrangea at The Farm

We are going through our little a-frame camper with a fine toothed comb. We cleaned out the water system yesterday and discovered the hot water heater desperately needed a new anode. We rinsed out the fresh water tank and refilled it…adding a capful of bleach to sanitize it. While it sat for a while, we drove into town to one of the local camper supply places. They had exactly what we needed. After a quick stop at Walmart, we headed back home.

I opened the drain to the fresh water tank and we got things ready to install the new diode. There was quite a bit of calcification in the threads where the anode screws in, so I cleaned it out as best I could with a wire brush. Mr. FixIt found a socket that fit the end of the anode rod, so I got it screwed in nice and tight. When we tested it with water, there were no leaks! We filled the hot water heater with water and turned it on with propane. It worked exactly like it was supposed to. We waited about ten minutes and turned on the hot water faucet in the sink and….bingo! Perfect!

We turned off the hot water heater and started putting everything back together. The mechanicals are underneath one of the dinette benches. The dinette is broken down into a twin-sized bed so we had to take the mattress out to getting into it. Once everything was put back together, we cleaned up our tools and put them away. Now, the only thing left to test is the refrigerator on propane and the furnace. One wouldn’t think we’d be needing the furnace anytime soon with the heat wave we’ve been having. However, one thing I learned living in Colorado for forty years….winter can come early and with a vengeance. I clearly remember eight inches of snow on September 16th one year. I want to be prepared.

I need to strip the big bed and wash all the sheets and blankets today. I’ll bring in the black “camping trunk” we use for all our cooking and cleaning needs and go through it. I like it to be organized and I learn from each trip out what we can absolutely do without, thus streamlining our packing. This will be a first camping with the two of us in such a small space. If we don’t kill each other by Kansas, I’ll count that as a win! 

Once we had all our tools and trash picked up and put away, we were so hot and tired. The only answer was to hop in the pool. We’ve used the pool a lot more this year than usual…probably because it’s been hotter than normal. And SO sticky humid. It is a treat, and well worth all the work involved, to have that respite at the end of the day.

We also need to mow today. With my hip still bothering me, we’ve decided to get the mowing done today instead of waiting till Sunday afternoon. Mr. FixIt bowls on Sunday night and doesn’t want to take any chances he’ll be sore. And I want to have as little to do as possible on Sunday so I can really rest and ice this hip all day. We’ll be packed up and ready to head out early Monday. This is the part that is hard for me. I’ve been known to leave for a trip one or two days early because I’m ready to GO! When I travel solo, I don’t have reservations ahead of time, but with the influx of new campers since covid hit, campsites along the busy interstate corridors are booked up in advance. That means, traveling on a schedule. Not my favorite, but then again…sleeping in a Walmart parking lot in the middle of Kansas without electricity during a massive heatwave is even less desirable. We do what we have to do for comfort and safety.

T-minute 2 days and counting!!!

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“For nothing will be impossible with God.””

Luke 1:37 ESV