Job Jar

The motion detector security lights at the back door quit working sometime over the past year or so. It is not something we test often, if ever, but I noticed they were not working when I went out for firewood the other night and they did not come on. I checked the local hardware stores and they do not seem to be something they stock, strangely enough. I found one online at Home Hardware for $45 and ordered it.

It arrived in a couple of days and yesterday I installed it. A pretty simple operation. Take it down, unscrew the wire nuts from the old one, connect the new one, remount it on the wall and operate the "test" switch. Success!

Now we have functioning lighting when I go for wood in the dark. Or when a burglar comes to the back door!

2018 Bloggerfest

Bloggerfest 2018. Any interest this year?

One day every January there is a gathering of Bloggers near Quartzsite, Arizona on the afternoon of the last weekend of the "Big Tent" in Quartzsite. It is a very informal gathering of Bloggers and Blog readers. Everyone brings a snack to be shared, whatever you want to drink and a chair. It is a wonderful chance to meet all the folks we have been reading for years.

This year a host has been slow to volunteer but the initial organization has been started by our Mesa friend Shadowmoss. There will be more details later but here is a link to Shadowmoss's Blog and her post on Bloggerfest.

If you are near Quartzsite on January 27, try to make it, you will enjoy it! You do not have to park in the desert if you do not want to, I have driven over from Mesa twice now just for the day.

That's Better!

Winterizing

Since we are staying home this year, it was in the back of my mind that the motorhome had to be winterized at some point. Last night made up my mind as it dropped to below freezing and stayed there. I ran the water and it worked but today was obviously the day!

I opened the drain on the fresh water tank and opened the "low point drains" on both the hot and cols water lines after turning on both hot and cold water taps inside. I will give it a couple of hours to drain and then run downtown for a few gallons of RV plumbing anti-freeze.

That should do the trick.

WINTER!

Further to the "It's bloody cold out there", I am noticing the gas furnace is running more than I am comfortable with. I have decided we will use the airtight heater in the fireplace this year. Searching Craigslist, I see dry, split firewood if $200 per cord this year so I will invest in a cord.

My firewood bin at the back is about a quarter full of old wood from several years ago when we last used it and is not really burnable unless I am starting from a very hot bed of coals. I will remove all that old wood to be burned in the outdoor fireplace to make way for the dry wood. The bin will not hold a full cord but will take at least half of it and the rest will stack beside it, maybe under a tarp.

It will keep us as warm as possible this winter.