The water pressure in the RV was kinda sketchy as we were getting ready for bed last night — inconsistent, that is, with an occasional puff of air from the faucets. Last time I’d filled the tank was Wednesday, and clearly it was time to top it off again.
I figured I’d do that this morning.
When I woke up today, reflexively I picked up my phone and glanced at current weather radar — a band of ominous thunderstorms was bearing down on us. At that point they still were about 45 minutes out, but seeing the technicolor radar image lit a fire under me to get my water chores done at something faster than a leisurely pace.
Fortunately, I’ve had enough practice to be damned efficient at this. While thunder echoed down the valley, I even had time to dump the black and gray tanks before the deluge was upon us.
This round of weather slapped us pretty good. Heavy rain. Thunderclaps that rattled windows. Lots of lightning strikes close by.
It was over by 9:30am. By then the temperature was in the mid-70s, which I thought would be perfect conditions for tackling some work in the shed.
I failed, however, to account for relative humidity, which at that hour was 98%. It was mind-numbingly oppressive.
We’ve been running the Ranger in and out of our shed for 18 months now. One thing we noticed from the beginning was that the threshold of the double doors wasn’t designed to bear the weight of a 1,200-pound buggy rolling over it.
The aluminum channel, which also serves as a weather seal, would bend and deform, often making it difficult to latch the doors. Every so often I’d grab a pair of pliers and twist it back, or try to, but a more permanent fix was called for.
I picked up an eight-foot 1×2 at Lowe’s yesterday, along with a box of deck screws. This morning I cut it to the width of the threshold and screwed it down behind the aluminum channel — but not all the way down.
Next, I pre-drilled several holes through the face of the bent sections of the channel and into the 1×2 behind it. I drove one-inch sheet-metal screws (because that’s what I had handy) into those holes, then finished driving the deck screws.
A few more screws secured the 1×2 and pulled the threshold channel as straight as it’s ever gonna get.
Simple as it was, a little effort produced a satisfying result. It also was long overdue. Next up — a loft over that end of the shed.
Deb carried our exotic yellow watermelon out to the tailgate of my truck last night and cleaved it in two — half for us, half for her cousin. From our portion she cut a couple of wedges for us to sample.
It was, in a word, interesting.
Definitely sweet. Not as juicy as I expected, a little dry. Texture different than what I’m used to in a watermelon.
I mean, it was okay. It just isn’t something I’d go out of my way to look for.
(We saved the seeds.)
Take care of yourselves, Patriots. Stay calm. Stay sharp. Stay free.
#WiseUp #LibertyOrDeath #Ungovernable
#LetsGoBrandon #FJB