Is it Ten, or Eleven?

4:17 am - Friday - December 7th - Campbellsville, KY - 36º F, 85% humidity, wind 6 mph out of the north.....cloudy today with a forecast high of 39º F.

Thursday was another wonderful day away from the concrete bunker.  It was actually sunny for most of the day even though the temperature only managed to briefly nudge the 45º mark.  Just being able to go outside and be warmed by the sun as I performed the weekly ritual of black tank purification was much appreciated.  There was no rush to get in out of the bitter cold for a change.

Around 1:45 pm TLE headed into Campbellsville for her semi monthly massage at 'Green Room Salon and Day Spa' whilst I remained behind to take a nap.  Napping often during my days off work is something I look forward to for the four days I walk up and down endless aisles searching for my next 'pick'.  I don't take naps during the work week as there are only 3 hours from the time we get home from work until we go to bed, and taking a nap then seems redundant.

While TLE was gone I walked over to the campground office to pick up two packages which had arrived the day prior.....our new 2019 mini calendar (7" x 7" - we don't have the wall space for a full size calendar), and a new Sirius/XM Radio receiver.  We have three of them (Newell, VW and Trailer) and the one in the trailer was about 7 years old and failing quickly.  I like to have music when I'm working in the trailer, so a working Sirius/XM receiver is a must.  I had to call Customer Care to activate the new receiver, and to cancel the subscription on the old one, but that took just a few minutes and I was back in business.  The new receiver did not cost me anything but shipping ($10.21).  The receivers typically cost about $69, but I just wait until I get an email from them offering one for free before I order each time.  Now all three receivers are updated to current technology....they seem to get smaller with time.

TLE was home a little after 3 pm looking and feeling refreshed after her 55 minute massage for $55.  She had stopped by the store to pick up a couple of things, but after they were put away we returned to watching Christmas movies on the Hallmark channel (312 on DirecTV).  What a nice way to spend a cold afternoon!

We were in bed at our usual 8 pm looking forward to our next to last week of work at Amazon.  I wrote the other day that we had 15 days left, but I was incorrect.  We had 17 days left at that time, and just 10 now.  I always forget that each Friday and Saturday we are finishing the pay period we began the prior Sunday and Monday (Tuesday if we have MET).  The pay periods run from Sunday to Saturday.  So this Friday and Saturday will complete our current pay period thereby leaving just 8 more work days (with no MET) until we are released.....that's if we are released Saturday, December 22nd, as we suspect.  Currently the published release date is December 23rd, but that begins a new pay period, so we think they will make it the 22nd.  Either way our time is short here in the land of schizophrenic weather....lol!

Thanks for stopping by!

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Finishing.....

7:43 am - Thursday - December 6th - Campbellsville, KY - 23º F (feels like 16º), 92% humidity, wind 6 mph out of the south......clear today with a forecast high of 45º F.

The high Wednesday got to about 33º F sometime late afternoon, but for most of the day it was in the mid to high 20's.....not conducive to outside activities, especially for a native SoCal boy.

Right after breakfast I put the small bathroom heater back in TLE's hanging closet to finish the drying of the wood sub floor.  By 11 am the sub floor was pronounced DRY by TLE.  Then it was time to cut the area rug we had purchased to fit the space.  That took about 20 minutes, but soon the new piece of carpeting was installed and it was time to begin to put TLE's clothing back in the closet, and thereby regain the full use of the salon....

Before.....

After.....

.....we spent the rest of Wednesday watching the Hallmark channel, and one Christmas movie after another.  There was one English Premier game (part of the annual London Derby pitting local team rivalries against each other....in this game Manchester United tied Arsenal 2-2....it was a very good game) that we watched, but otherwise it was Christmas movies all day, and into early evening.  We watched 'Survivor' at 8 pm via live streaming, and then a recorded episode of 'Gold Rush'.

Thanks for stopping by!

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A small bump in the road.....

6:46 am - Wednesday - December 5th - Campbellsville, KY - 30º F, 95% humidity, wind 7 mph out of the west......cloudy today with a forecast high of 33º F, and a slight chance of snow.

 Had a brief dusting of snow overnight

Originally we had planned to drive into Elizabethtown (about 40+ miles) to do some 'junking', maybe visit a micro brewery, or two, and then come home late afternoon, but Mr. Jello intervened in those plans on Saturday evening.  TLE had gone into her hanging closet which is at the back of the coach on the left side of the bed to get something.  She discovered that the carpet on the floor of the closet was wet!  We had just gone through that 'toad strangler' of a rain storm, and it appeared the rubber gasket around the rear window had been leaking for a period of time, but just at the lower corner of the window which reaches into TLE's closet.  My hanging closet on the opposite side was dry.

Well, what to do, right?  It's about 6:30 pm on a work night, and it will take a while to dry out the space.  First up was to get all of TLE's clothing out of the closet, then I immediately removed the carpet piece, put it in a large plastic bag, and took it outside. I then got out some 2" wide Scotch brand blue masking tape and went outside (it wasn't raining at the time), dried off the rubber gasket, and window in the area where it appeared to be leaking, and applied the tape.  This stuff is amazing!  Even with it being a little damp to the touch the tape still stuck, and held through the night through another rain session.

The offending window gasket and where it was leaking

So, we went to bed Saturday night with TLE's clothes all over the salon area of the coach and just decided we would deal with the aftermath of the leak when we were next off work, which as serendipity would have it was Tuesday instead of the expected Wednesday.  Instead of going into Elizabethtown we dedicated our Tuesday to get the floor of the closet dried out.  I took the small heater from the bathroom and set it on the closet floor and let it run all day long in there.  By the end of the day the floor was 98% dry, and should reach 100% sometime Wednesday.

TLE's empty closet...the floor is almost dry.  You will note what appear to be damp spots, but those are old burn,or scortch marks from, apparently, two shorted out wires that were replaced a few years before we bought the coach.

A few years ago when we were at Cape Blanco doing our volunteer lighthouse gig my hanging closet had gotten a little damp (we had a lot of rain that October, and one day hurricane force winds).  It does tend to get a little damp in that back area because of condensation build up on the window when it is cold and damp.  We tend to forget about that area as we don't access those closets very often.  While my carpet did not get 'wet', it felt somewhat damp so we got it dried out, put everything away, and kind of forgot about the problem until this past Saturday.  Why?  Well we spent most of the next few years in the southwest, as well as at Lake Tahoe where it is quite dry as a general rule.  In order to deal with this issue on a long term basis we made a run to Lowe's to buy some 'Damprid' (moisture absorber), some mildew treatment, and a new carpet piece to put down in TLE's closet after it is all dry and ready to use again.  

TLE's used the 'CLR Mold and Mildew' solution on the floor in her closet, and then treated the carpet in my closet, then hung a bag of the DampRid in my closet, and will also hang one in her closet when we put the clothes back in, and reinstall the new carpet piece.

While we were out at Lowe's we dropped off a large bag of clothes we were no longer using at Goodwill (when you begin going through little used closets you begin to realize there are things in there you have not worn in a couple of years.....time to 'thin the herd'!), and then Krogers to pick up some milk and a few other items (including a new supply of limes for some Margarita's later).  That was the extent of our first day off work this week, although we did watch three English Premier soccer matches (two recorded, one live) in the afternoon after returning from our brief foray into the cold December weather.

In the overall scheme of things our little experience with water intrusion is just part of living whether you live in a sticks and bricks home, or in an RV.  Stuff happens and you deal with it, then move on to something else.  Considering that we have been living full time in our Newell for almost 7 years now it is remarkable how few major problems we have had to deal with in that time.  We have managed to rise to the challenge each and every time.  We don't even really consider what happened to be a major problem......just a small bump in the road.

Thanks for stopping by!

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Goodbye MET......

7:15 am - Tuesday - December 4th - Campbellsville, KY - 35º F, 88% humidity, wind 6 mph out of the north by northwest.....cloudy today with a forecast high of 37º F.  Once again it is very cold on our days off work.  It is supposed to be 33º

We found out our MET* day, Tuesday, had been cancelled just before lunch time.  I was prepared mentally and physically to work the 5th day this week, but it appears we are not needed, so now we have an unexpected 3 day weekend.  At any rate, it was a regular day inside the concrete bunker.  Other than the MET* cancellation news it was business as usual.  Each quarter (for example - 6:30 am to 9 am is one quarter of the shift) kind of takes on a life of its own, and as the quarters worked pile up over 8 weeks it becomes almost impossible to remember where you were at any given time just a day, or two later.  That is the lot of the 'repetitive task' employee......'wash, rinse, dry, repeat' day after day, week after week.  Fortunately for us 'Camperforce' folk it stops at the 'week after week' at the 8 week mark, or whatever duration you have chosen, but for those for whom this is a permanent job it stretches into months and possibly years.  Fortunately permanent employees work 10 hour shifts, just like we do, and during most of the year (outside of Peak Season) they (the permanent workers) would be working just 4 ten hour days per week, with 3 days off each week.  Once you get used to the routine the time does begin to pass more quickly, and I can see how one might adapt to the work routine.  For me the deal breaker would be the constant background noise.  I do not think I could take that on a long term basis.  When you, during your hourly movement from one Pick Mod to another, come to a quiet place, like P-1-C, the difference is startling, if not jarring.  You find yourself wanting to linger there as long as possible.

I was blessed to spend a great portion of Monday's 10 hour shift ensconced in the quiet confines of P-1-C, and that is where I spent the last 90 minutes of Monday's meanderings throughout the bowels of the concrete bunker.  TLE actually joined me for about 30 minutes in P-1-C right after lunch....it was just the two of us picking up and down the Pick Mod from row 14 to 84 and back again.....very nice.  Catching an occasional glimpse of TLE, or sharing something funny with her is one of the things that makes my day tolerable.

When we walked to work Monday morning at 6 am it was about 55º F, but when we exited it had dropped to 35º F, and it was blustery adding a little wind chill factor to the mix.  We felt a kind of lighthearted as we made the uphill trek home knowing we had three days off work.  Life is good, and soon we will be winging our way home to see our kids, grandkids and great grandkids for Christmas.

Thanks for stopping by!

*MET = Mandatory Extra Time

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'Days of Our Lives'.....

4:21 am - Monday - December 3rd - Campbellsville, KY - 37º F, 81% humidity, wind 5 mph out of the west.....partly cloudy today with a forecast high of 41º F......that's 23º lower than yesterday!

 I have to open this installment of 'Days of Our Lives' telling you that I finally escaped from Building 'C', and Pick Mod 'E' once again just before the lunch break Sunday.  It was miraculous.  I was picking on P-2-E after having picked on P-4-E and P-3-E.  A message came over my scanner requesting (it always says 'Please') me to move to (I thought) P-1-E....a logical conclusion, right?  This was about 11:10 am.....5 minutes before the lunch chimes sound.  I dutifully walked down the stairs to the ground floor, found a 'pick' cart, got a couple of totes and then looked at my scanner again to see where I was to start picking. It was then I noticed that my scanner was really directing me to P-1-C!  After 11 hours of picking in Pick Mod 'E' I was free once again to return to Buildings 'A' and 'B', and that is where I remained the rest of Sunday (TLE also escaped right at the end of the 10 hour shift).  Being able to 'pick' back in areas which provide so much variety with virtually no 'stowers' really made my day seem to gain speed.  The time passed quickly, and once again TLE and I were exiting the concrete bunker arm in arm walking home in the last light of what appeared to have been a marvelous, sunny day.

The day was filled with laughter at break times, and up and down the long picking aisles as I crossed paths with many friends during the day.  Once again another MET day (Monday) was cancelled for those who begin their work week on Thursday of each week, making Monday their 5th (MET) day.  This makes 3 MET days cancelled in succession, and leads those of us on the DH-3 shift to believe our MET day on Tuesday may also be cancelled this week.  We are only speculating at this point as we will not find out until 'Stand Up' on Monday morning, or perhaps by lunchtime at the latest.  We begin each week planning on working 5 days, and so far we have worked 3 MET days, so we are still planning to work this Tuesday, but if we, instead, get 3 days off work there will be no complaints.

In our original orientation group there are about 4 people who are battling colds right now....thankfully TLE and I have been spared so far.  I've already had my 2nd cold of 2018, so I am theoretically done for the year with colds......I usually get two a year, but I've been taking my ZICAM each day as a precautionary measure.  There is nothing worse than 'picking' for 10 hours, and being sick.......nothing....well, maybe being 'put to the rack', or having your finger nails pulled out one by one, but not much else.

I wish I had more Amazon wisdom and/or witticisms to dispense, but the well, for now, has run dry, so I will bid you adieu once again and begin the task of girding up for another day inside the concrete bunker....thanks for stopping by!

When you shop Amazon, please use our link (below) to access their website.......we will appreciate every purchase you make using our Amazon Affiliate link, and  remember, using our link will not add one penny to your purchase, plus we will receive a small commission which helps defray our travel expenses to a small degree.

We're in!

4:15 am - Sunday - December 2nd - Campbellsville, KY - 55º F, 88% humidity, wind 7 mph out of the south by southeast......clear today with a forecast high of 64º F.....and then it gets C-O-L-D again!

All through the night I was aware it was raining....sometimes hard.....always raining.  We awoke to rain, and it continued raining so hard that we took the VW to work once again.....two days in a row.  As I wandered up and down P-1-C first thing Saturday morning I could hear water coming down the large 12 inch diameter PVC drain pipes from the roof.  I could hear the water running each time I passed one......all day long.  And when we emerged from the bunker a little after 5 pm it appeared it had just stopped raining.  Of course, it was not done....not by a long shot.

It was another routine picking day, although not as productive for me as Friday, but a good day considering how often I was moved early on, and where I ended up about mid morning....P-1-E....it has been about 3 weeks since I passed through the door into Building 'C', and I have not missed it one little bit.  The 'picking' is hard there, and there are always a lot of 'stowers' adding to the difficulty factor.  Oh well, it is what it is.  Hopefully Sunday I'll find my way back out of Building 'C'.

We saw on the news that George H.W. Bush, POTUS # 41, had died sometime Saturday at the age of 94.  It seems just a short time ago that he finished his one and only 4 year term as President, and now 26 years later he has passed.  He was a war hero, a wonderful family man, and a lifetime public servant.  I wish there were more like him in Washington D.C.

When TLE was preparing breakfast Saturday it was observed we were running short on Half & Half, so right after work we drove directly over to Kroger's to buy some more before heading home.  Even with the detour we were home by 5:15 pm.  About and hour after we got home the skies opened up once again.  The rain was so hard we lost our satellite signal and had to finish watching the Alabama vs. Georgia NCAA football game via live streaming.

I opened up my e-mail account to find that our friends Forest and Cindy with whom we are traveling to Alaska this summer had succeeded in securing reservations at Teklanika in Denali for one week, so we are in!  Since we are seniors the daily price is $12.50 (50% off) making our total for 7 days $87.50.......

......Forest sent me a PDF copy of the reservation details.  That is really the only long range reservation we plan on making this summer, so now that we know when we need to be in Denali we can begin to plan the rest of our 'Jello' itinerary.  December 1st was the opening day for reservations in Denali this summer.  Teklanika is a no frills campground.  We will be dry camping the entire time, but we are used to dry camping for much longer periods than that!

Time to get ready for work.....thanks for stopping by!

When you shop Amazon, please use our link (below) to access their website.......we will appreciate every purchase you make using our Amazon Affiliate link, and  remember, using our link will not add one penny to your purchase, plus we will receive a small commission which helps defray our travel expenses to a small degree.

3 weeks to go.....

4:17 am - Saturday - December 1st - Campellsville, KY - 57º F, 96% humidity, wind 7 mph out of the southeast......cloudy....occasional rain with a forecast high today of 60º F.  Opened my bedroom window last night for the first time in weeks.  Can't believe it is now December.......we arrived in October.  Looks like it will rain on and off all day Saturday, and into the early morning Sunday hours.

The first day back in the concrete bunker after our 'weekend' is always the hardest.  Not so much the first part of the day, but late afternoon.  Usually after the first day the last four are easier, and Friday was no exception.  By 4 pm I was dragging mentally, but I made it to the end and actually had a very good day 'picking'.  I surpassed 1,000 picks in one shift for only the second time this 'Peak Season', and my highest picking quarter was actually the 4th quarter....go figure.

We had a voicemail waiting at home from Carlos Garza, the manager of SDF1, advising they were cancelling all 6th days for the next 8 days.  I think I mentioned previously that you can sign up for a sixth day of work if you wish.  All those who have been working six days per week will only work 5 days next week, plus there are no 12 hour shifts.....only 5 ten hour days.  They have cancelled some MET (Mandatory Extra Time) for several shifts recently, so we will soon see if our Tuesday MET day remains, or is cancelled.  Frankly, I think they are a little overstaffed right now, and while we were at lunch Friday they were bringing in another 30-40 people for orientation.

Saw the news on the TV's in the lunch room about the big 7.0 earthquake in Alaska Friday.  It sounds like a lot of highways in southwestern Alaska have been severely damaged.  I'm trying to get a handle on which ones, and how that may, or may not affect our summer travels.  After all, it is winter, and I'm pretty sure they will not be able to fix a lot of the damage until things thaw out in the spring.  Hopefully over the next few days we will get a better picture of the damage, and what impact, if any, it will have on our summer plans.

We drove the VW to work for the first time in a while as the rain was bordering on torrential at 6 am.  I hate driving the car such a short distance as it really does not even get up to operating temperature in that short distance, but I also don't want to arrive at work with wet shoes. 

Including Friday, we have 17 days of work left, and 3 weeks total before we will roll our wheels once again. Well, time to get ready for work.....thanks for stopping by!

When you shop Amazon, please use our link (below) to access their website.......we will appreciate every purchase you make using our Amazon Affiliate link, and  remember, using our link will not add one penny to your purchase, plus we will receive a small commission which helps defray our travel expenses to a small degree.