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09/03/2006 Archived Entry: "Ernesto, Fire, and the Stinky Slinky"

Ernesto, Fire, and the Stinky Slinky

Raving Reporter Thunder here.

Well, it's been almost 3 weeks since we gave up the lap of luxury and moved into our RV. We're still in the process of transitioning to the new place. Every day is an exercise in figuring out whether or not a particular item needs to stay or go. If it stays, then we have to figure out where is it going to go. There are constant trade-offs in that regard; you only have but so much room for things. Living in an RV is not for the unorganized. Lightning is great in that regard. Me? Not so much, but I'm getting better.

Ernesto came through our area and like a pomeranian with an overactive bladder, it came in with a lot of noise and pissed all over everything. Damage in our area was minimal. I had to go into work (I'm "essential" personnel so even when TSHTF, I gotta report in.) and left Lightning to fend for herself in case things got ugly. A drainage ditch that is about 300 yds from our home overflowed and steadily began to expand it's shoreline ending about 100 ft from us before it started to recede. We had enough food, water,and propane. Our electricity never went out. The power did blink a few times, but never stayed off more than half a second. We have generator backup and I'd run that about an hour or so the day before in preparation.

All in all, it was a breeze (pun intended). Much better than it could have been. We were scrambling a bit more than we would have liked due to our recent move. We were still figuring out where certain supplies were: here or in storage. Have to say we're glad that we have those supplies. Due to the nature of our living arrangement, we don't have as much stored as we'd like to have, but we'll have that rectified soon.

One of the good things about simplifying your life and moving into an RV: campfires. When was the last time you had a nice campfire in your front yard? Friends like to kid me about my "fascination" with building a campfire, jokingly referring to me as a pyromaniac. In my defense, I'm not a pyro. I don't enjoy watching just anything burn. I do, however, enjoy a nice campfire every now and then. There's just something about a nice warm, glowing, crackling campfire that makes me feel good. Is it the fire itself? Sure, it feels great on a cold and nippy morning or evening. Sure, you can cook on it as well, providing food that warms you from the inside out. But the lure of the campfire that hooks your friends and family, drawing them in, may be the best part. Even if the conversation isn't that verbose and is argueably on the verge of being terse. Around a campfire, that's ok. It's the enjoyment of the company and the comeraderie that is the real magic of the campfire.

One of the cons of RV living: the "Stinky Slinky". Don't know what a "Stinky Slinky" is? Consider yourself lucky. Honestly, it isn't that bad. Yet. Wait until it starts to fall apart.

A "Stinky Slinky" is a hose that is basically a Slinky wrapped in plastic. This hose is then hooked up to the drain for your greywater and blackwater tanks. Ideally, you empty the blackwater tank first and then the greywater. The greywater, which is usually soapy water from doing dishes, washing hands, and taking showers, washes the blackwater down to the sewer and makes the hose a bit cleaner for you to handle. Some people get double usage out of their greywater. Instead of using it to flush the hose, they drain it into their yard or garden so that water doesn't go to waste.

Well, that's a small taste of full-time RV living. It's really not as bad as you might think. Things do tend to be much better when you've (literally) got less stuff to worry about. Try simplifying your life. You just may find that you're happier. I think of it almost like adopting ikebana as a lifestyle. (Ikebana is the art of arranging flowers aesthetically. One tries to represent the three elements heaven, earth, and mankind in a well balanced relationship. It was developed in 15th century Japan.)

Posted by Thunder @ 10:22 AM CST
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