De-Winterizing

I just realized that the motorhome has not run except for short periods over the winter to keep everything lubricated, for 11 months! It cannot be good for it and I have 3/4 of a tank of almost one year old gas in the tank.

The waterlines and hot water tank were also full of RV antifreeze and yesterday I decided to clean it out and purge the system. I drained the water tank, refilling and draining it several more times. I then hooked up the water hose to the RV, opened the gray water valve to allow the water to drain out onto the ground and turned on all the taps inside. I let the water run until all foam and telltale antifreeze smell had been purged out of the system. I then gave the six gallon hot water tank an extra few minutes to be sure it was completely clean. Then I re-filled the fresh water tank, adding about two cups of bleach. When it was full I used the water pump to pump water from the tank through each hot and cold tap until I smelled bleach and let a couple more gallons run through each tap just to be sure. Done!

Today I will tackle the black (sewage) tank! In theory it should be empty but just to be sure I will put a bucket under it when I pull the valve! When I know it is empty I will leave the valve open and use a hose from up above in the toilet to rince out the tank. Once it is spotless I will close the valve and put in a couple of gallons of bleachy water. Where does the dirty water from the tank go? Into the driveway gravel and maybe into the grass and hedge beside the parking area where it will join the deer and raccoon poop. It will do no harm.

Our intention is to put road insurance on the motorhome when the weather gets warmer and use it a little on the Island this summer.

So Here Is The Deal

I am currently dealing with some atrial fibrillation or A Fib, a minor electrical problem with the heart that results in an irregular heartbeat. They are going to treat it with an electrical shock in about a month that will get it back in rhythm. My 17 year old, five foot, Iranian Cardiologist says it is not a big deal, no one has ever died from AFib and he sees it all the time. He has me on blood thinner to reduce the increased possibility of strokes so I have to watch bleeding. I guess that means extreme sports are off the agenda. Just another of the pleasures of growing older.

I had no complaints and had not really noticed the problem but when I was at the doctor's to discuss my latest lab tests (all OK) he noticed something in my colour and sent me for an ECG. The results clearly showed a strong but irregular heartbeat and the telltale "fluttering" in the upper chambers indicating A-Fib. He referred me to a specialist who examined me, did his own ECG, explained the shock treatment and was delighted to hear that I do not eat meat.

I am not overly concerned about this as the doctor is pretty confident he can shock things back into shape (he has done it many times) and either way he says my life expectancy is exactly the same with A Fib as it would be without it. The only downside I can tell is an occasional "vibration" in my chest after exertion. A little scary now that I know what it is but nothing to worry about.

A sign in the Cardiologist's office stated that the best diet for heart health is a Mediterranean Diet. This works well for me as I love that kind of food. I downloaded some recipes and mad a pot of Greek Lentil Soup yesterday. It is delicious! Norma even liked it even though she hates garlic (I only used half the amount called for). The local deli makes a great Greek Salad probably for less than I could make it for. Tonight I will try a Greek fish dish.

I am actually looking forward to experimenting with this diet.

Mexico Memories

I was commenting on a friend's Blog today and was reminded of this occasion in a Guadalajara restaurant a few years ago. I thought I would share the story.

It was in a Guadalajara restaurant where we encountered our best example of the Ugly American! A couple had just gotten their bill and the guy shouted out, “This is in Mexican! Give me a bill in Real Money”! The waiter was unable to help him and the jerk just got louder and the waiter more frustrated and embarrassed. I tried to help by asking the jerk what the problem was and he indicated he wanted to pay with “real money”. I told him to just give them a credit card and the banks would work it out. He said, “I’m not giving anyone my credit card, I want to pay with CASH”, showing me a wad of US cash. I asked what the bill was and he said “490 whatevers” (about $30-35 US at the time). I said, “Just leave $50 US plus tip and that will be close enough”. He said, “Thanks, why couldn’t they have told me that? I don’t suppose they would have any change?” I said no, they wouldn’t have change so he slapped three US twenties down on the table and they stormed out muttering something about that expensive restaurants should have someone who could speak English. On our way out the manager thanked us and asked if we would buy the three twenties from him as it was difficult for him to deal with. We checked on the Internet and gave him fair value in pesos. The peso was much higher then but it was still one killer propina (tip)! The waiters followed us out to high five us. I love Mexico!