Wednesday, September 14, 2011

A Day at the Alfa

I spent much of the day up at the Alfa today, waiting for the mattress delivery.


I have been moving firewood (from all the tree work we had done) down from the upper drive to an area near the house.  A few cartloads a day. So I did some of that. We have a DR Power Wagon (a motorized cart) that makes the task something that I can do.  I limit myself to logs I can lift easily, but I find I can handle some pretty hefty ones!  Craig will have to help me with what's left.  Some can be rolled to the driveway. But this is a two man job because the wood is uphill from the driveway, and if there isn't someone to stop the rounds they will continue past the driveway and roll off down into the forest on the other side!  Some of the rounds are so large that they will have to be split there before bringing them down.  Work for another weekend!


Then I spent a couple of hours in the Alfa doing a some little things.  I put hooks inside the cabinet door for my hot pads.  I used the new sticky hangers by 3M that promise to be removable. I put some Wonderliner on a couple of shelves.


The cabinet above the sink  has a board along the back edge of the lower shelf that is about 3 1/2" wide.  A little shelf.  As it was, I think anything put there would fall off when the coach is moving.  So I lined it with the Wonderliner and made a little front piece by covering a strip of cardboard with contact paper and used Velcro to hold it in place. It's like a  pocket now.
It's just right for a stack of plastic glasses and my boxes of zip lock bags plus who knows what else.  I thought of Barbara at Me and My Dog when I bought this contact paper at the dollar store because she calls her RV "The Palms!"


 I found a place, and installed a hanger for the broom in the corner behind the potty. But the broom handle  wasn't compatible with the hook so I designed one that was.  I used picture wire and Leopard print Duck tape. (found it at target and just had to have it)! 


A good place for the broom, but it looked awful because the stick was bright yellow.  I solved that by spray painting it a buff color very similar to the wall.  Now you hardly see it, and yet it is handy for a quick sweep. Also found a little waste basket that fits just right!


 The only other places to put the broom would have been in the large wardrobe closet, which is inaccessible when the slides are in,  or down in a basement compartment.  


I feel so clever today!


  I can't believe I'm blogging about and taking pictures of brooms and wastebaskets!  


picture from Web
While up there I saw several deer pass by the window, and was checked out by a bobcat.


I was up in the driver's area when I saw him walking up the center of the driveway straight toward me.  He must have seen me move, because he froze mid step.  He stared at the Alfa, and perhaps at me, and then came slowly forward.  I lost sight of him in the front blind spot, but the door was open and he came slowly along that side of the coach.  When he was only inches from the step, he paused again and looked in, before he continued on his way.  I hope he keeps patrolling for rodents in the area!


Finally the truck with the new mattress arrived.  Their GPS had sent them in the wrong direction, and I had given them my house phone number  so they couldn't reach me for directions!


I'm quite happy with the new mattress.  They told us it would feel a bit firmer than the one at the store, and it does, but I found it very comfortable when I tried it.  I almost took a little nap!











20 comments:

  1. Sounds like you have your own campground with the woods and animals. If you don't sell your house - you could install some RV hookups for visitors. It's fun to add things to the RV and set it up.

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  2. Progress! Now that you have your mattress issue settled - a definite priority - have you thought about the maiden voyage?

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  3. Time for another sleep over in the Alfa!! I know you will enjoy your new mattress....anything beats what they put in the MHs...although some are now putting in sleep number mattresses.

    You sound so happy and excited!! I can't tell you how happy I am for you. Isn't it fun moving in???

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  4. It's so much fun to get everything set up just like you want it...let the adventure begin!

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  5. Oh, you are having so much fun! When I started all that little stuff, I felt like I was decorating my doll house, every little thing was a BIG happy deal. Your broom hangar is very clever. :)

    Thanks for the mention, too! That contact paper would have worked very well in The Palms, for sure.

    Wow, a bobcat? I hope you had the screen door shut? I had a friend who was killed by a mountain lion in the 90s, and I always worry about wild cats. Be careful!!

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  6. aren't you having a grand old time!!! and it's only going to get better!!!

    and just what!? would you have done if the bobcat would have come in for a little visit? and where was your camera??? that's pretty exciting!

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  7. sounds like you are enjoying setting up the new house on wheels!!..hope you have a nice nap one day soon!!

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  8. You do have the perfect camp ground right in your yard. You should keep hornet spray at hand it will give them a real sting but won't hurt them.That Bob Cat sure was a beauty. You never know what will show up at your door. The hornet spray will shoot 20 ft and is better than bear spray. You seem to be having a great time fixing her up.

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  9. You have sure come up with some clever ideas. I have never had a great place to keep a broom and I need it to be handy.


    What a great campsite you have..and free too. Glad you like your mattress. I don't know why they put such crummy mattresses in rv's.

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  10. Oh man! I have such motorhome envy! Looks like you're having my kind of fun.

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  11. Have always enjoyed that fun and creative period of time puttering around in an RV fixing up things the way I like it. Always an enjoyable and exciting time. I was just going to tell you what a great Bob Cat photo you had until I noticed the caption:))

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  12. I'm keeping your ideas filed away..good ones! I guess I missed the post, but you must have figured out how to get the bed pedestal down?

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  13. Being in a new rig is almost like playing house. :)

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  14. Now that we have all our "necessities" in the motor home, we have a new rule. (Ya buy something for the rig, you take something out). Can't believe we have filled thirty five feet to the max!

    Continue having fun....It's a blast!

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  15. Looks like things in your new home are coming together quite nicely.

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  16. So fun setting it up for yourselves! They are all great when they arrive, but they aren't yours until you make them yours. Good job, but watch out for bobcats and rolling logs!

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  17. Looks like you're settling right in to the RV lifestyle. I love mods to the rigs, practical and fun. That is a great shot of the bobcat!

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  18. Very creative! Sounds like you are having fun with the Alfa even while it's still in the driveway.

    Too bad you didn't have the camera ready when the local wildlife came calling. Bet you enjoyed the seeing them though.

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  19. Wow! An actual Los Gatos Wildcat! That's great!

    The kitchen-design (cabinets, etc.) department is adjacent to a "sister" to my department at my new job. To the advent of the leopard-print duct tape, one of our designers used that exact stuff to repair/improve the armrests of one their desk chairs. Duct tape: fix anything with style!

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  20. My gosh you've been busy nesting into your new Alfa. I did some of that when I first got Olivia and it's fun. I think it's important to make it ours. You sounded so ho hum about that bobcat that I'm thinking that must not be the first time you've seen one. What a great picture.

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