Andy the RV Doctor just departed El Casa Móvil De Pennington. His verdict: nothing can be done until the ice dams melt away, as the HUGE amounts of ice in every nook and cranny block access to everything/anything that might be broke. No fix today, in other words... not that I really was expecting a fix. The only good news is Andy feels the issue MIGHT be a holding tank overflow due to ice blockage, as opposed to a broken water line but there's no way of telling until the ice dams melt away.
Andy has been a busy, busy man the last few days. He remarked in passing that nearly everyone living in an RV in the Clovis/Portales area froze up in one form or another last week, with some folks experiencing catastrophic damage. That's obviously good for his bid'niz but not so good for us RV-dwellers. I suppose there's some small consolation of the "misery loves company" variety, but it's small consolation, indeed.
So... the really bad news is three more days of livin' off bottled water, at the very least. The only faint ray of hope is that we'll be in the mid-60s to lower 70s for the next week, so a fix should be forthcoming the first part of next week. That's all well and good but I see at least ONE night in the Holiday Inn Express in my future. That's mainly because I can do the stand-up bath thing with water heated on the stove, but washing my hair is problematic under those conditions.
I guess I'll just pretend I'm "in the field" for the next few.
So... the really bad news is three more days of livin' off bottled water, at the very least. The only faint ray of hope is that we'll be in the mid-60s to lower 70s for the next week, so a fix should be forthcoming the first part of next week. That's all well and good but I see at least ONE night in the Holiday Inn Express in my future. That's mainly because I can do the stand-up bath thing with water heated on the stove, but washing my hair is problematic under those conditions.
I guess I'll just pretend I'm "in the field" for the next few.
You know, not to splach some cold water on an already bad issue but when the melting happens and the "problem" reveals itself you may wish to move the Casa to a new site. I mean, if RV-Andy is right and its the holding tank overflow, how much of that ice rink under you home has some amout of sewage in it? Just wondering, I'd maybe move it accross the lot and get out a shovel and rake over the spot with some kitty litter.
ReplyDeleteJust saying (as I hold my nose). Good Luck either way. It's been icey cold here in the swamp too.
BT: Jimmy T sends.
“In the field??? For an ole flyboy that would mean every luxury Uncle Sam could afford.
ReplyDeleteYa’ haven’t lived till you’ve spent some a six weeks in a tent in the Mojave desert…freakin’ some type of fungus growing on your arms,rattlesnakes/scorpions/tarantulas …MRE’s…jungle juice…no beer…
Believe it or not, I miss that sometimes. Hell I loved the field, it was better than where I was. Though considering the place I was stationed at is Spanish for “The Fleas” that isn’t saying much.
http://wikimapia.org/683500/Camp-Las-Pulgas-43-Area-Camp-Pendleton
Good luck, Buck.
Mr. Pennington, I am Special Agent Smith from the United States Environmental Protection Agency. We are here to investigate an unapproved dump of raw sewage. If any birds, fish, bugs or microbes have been effected by your carelessness, the fines will be VERY expensive. So the best thing for you is to just tell us the whole truth.
ReplyDeleteRV-Andy thinks it's the gray water tank, Jimmy. That's not so problematic. But even if there is some black-water overflow... think "fertilizer" for the big-ass tree right beside ECMdP. Forty-eight million South Koreans can't be wrong, yanno? ;-)
ReplyDeleteSmall-Tee: We, of course, use "in the field" in a USAF context... complete with beer, Hi-Def cable teevee, forced-air heating, and the like. I know you Jarheads have this inexplicable fondness for living like a Neanderthal, and I suppose that's a good thing... in that SOMEONE'S gotta do that sorta stuff.
ReplyDeleteInno: Oops. Are ya sayin' "loose lips sink ships?" Aiiieee.
I'd say that sucks, but you knew that. Hope it warms up very soon (and a lot) so you can get back up and running.
ReplyDeleteBuck, can USAF types even manage to *pronounce* the term "roughing it?"--let alone bring ourselves to actually DO it? LOL!
ReplyDelete(disclaimer: I once spent a cold, muddy, rainy 2 wks in Dec in northern Italy living in 40-man tents during a "bare base" exercise. Gave me a MUCH BETTER appreciation of what the GIs went thru during the winter Italian Campaign in WWII. Really brought home as to why Inf warfare is for 18& 19 yr olds. I was 26 and in GREAT shape and I was UTTERLY EXHAUSTED just fighting the muck & the mire 24/7--and no one was shooting at us! Nor did we have to attack up a mountain-side or ford the raging torrents of the Arno river while taking fire all the while............ I always KNEW there was a reason I joined the Air Force! LOL.)
can USAF types even manage to *pronounce* the term "roughing it?"...
ReplyDeleteWell, yeah. Yes we can (apologies to The One). It's just our definition of the term is different than others.
Apropos o' nuthin'... I got out of the radar biz just in the nick o' time back in 1980. That was when USAF shut down all our fixed LRR radar sites and transferred all radar types to TAC. Livin' in tents and deploying for "field exercises" every 90 days wasn't MY ideer of "fun," so I got out and moved into other (and better) things. That was the best damned thing I EVER did in my career.
All that said, I hear ya 'bout grunts and stuff. That's a young man's game, fer sure.
PS: I forgot to mention that our "bare base" was an old WW2 abandoned strip in the middle of a valley--which what with all the winter fog, rain, low cloud cover and surrounding hills/mountains, made for some *interesting* flying (especially the radar approaches during socked in minimums--not a lot of room for error--probably as close as I ever got to carrier-type landings.) All that BESIDES wading thru all the mud before & after..
ReplyDeleteI'm also pretty sure ya forgot to mention there was an O-Club... or tent... as well. I've NEVER seen a USAF operation that didn't have some semblance of a watering hole, except for the "current unpleasantness." Hell, even us radar types built a functioning NCO Club on top of the highest gotdamned mountain in Thailand. Operational requirements, and all that. ;-)
ReplyDeleteUck-fay at-thay.
ReplyDeleteAs long as credit cards are responsive, there are better places to roost than in the fargin' ice with the penguins.
We survived a winter with out heat in London and I would never do that again voluntarily. I had credit cards then and didn't think of the possible long term health impacts of the cold.
Get thee rapidly to a fine hostel, perhaps even a red light affair that caters to the needs of the discriminating gentleman.
The temps will be up - the problem will be fixed. Hang in there. Or call a realtor.
ReplyDeleteVirgil, I've heard stories from my great uncle who was a war hero in Italy about a winter and being surrounded by Germans and hold-up in an old church for goodness knows how long.
I know that to remain mobile, skirts around the bottom of the trailer are almost counter productive. I lived in a trailer for two winters in kansas and it wasn't until I put a skirt around the bottom that we could even remotely depend on having water 9 days out of 10. heat tapes and skirts are the only solution I know that works. Good luck. Hope Motel 6 is leaving a light on for you.
ReplyDeleteTake solace in the fact that "this too shall pass." Although that doesn't make the immediate moment suck any less. Hope you folks get a warming trend soon.
ReplyDeleteAs long as credit cards are responsive, there are better places to roost than in the fargin' ice with the penguins.
ReplyDeleteI have plenty of heat, Darryl. It's just the lack of running water that's... ummm... inconvenient. I like your "discriminating gentleman" ideer, tho. ;-)
MUD: Skirting a motor home is sorta problematic. I've seen it done, but not well.
BR: We're in the high 50s today and near 70 for the rest of the week. The ice is melting, albeit not NEARLY fast enough.
Oops! You don't know how many times I've been tempted on that realtor thang, Lou.
ReplyDeleteHie thee to the HIE anon!
ReplyDeleteAnd don't forget the adult beverages.
Dang, Buck. The suckage just compounds, doesn't it.
Yeah, it DO compound. But like BR reminds me... this too shall pass.
ReplyDelete