An Argument For NOT Cleaning

I've never been a "cleaner".  Although I do like a nice clean house, cowgirls were never meant to do THAT kind of work.  From the time I was a little kid, I just wanted to be outside with the horses and cows.  Too bad for me, my mother thought I should be INSDIE helping her with the cleaning.  I can still remember her making me dust and vacuum when I was five years old.

The day before yesterday, while brushing my teeth in the bathroom, I smelled something akin to a candle.  That little hot something smell that perks up your nose and brain.  The search began!  Being right over the electrical connection, I thought that might be the culprit.  I put on my Sherlock Holmes hat and went outside.

I checked everything ... touched everything ... but found nothing.  Hmmmm ........... that made me pretty nervous.  Back inside, the smell was gone.  I thought about it all day of course.  Maybe some wiring was getting hot and melting, least that's what it kind of smelled like.

Yesterday, I smelled it again.  Back outside, looking in every compartment, feeling for hot wires ...  STILL NOTHING.  That was enough to ruin another day.  Finally, it dawned on me!!

Cleaning shouldn't bother me so much, since the RV is small, but I procrastinate.  When I couldn't see the dials on the dash any more, I grabbed my duster and made a pass through the rig.  Why in the world I thought to clean the light fixture in the bathroom, I'll never know.  Apparently I succeeded in depositing a LOT of dust on the bulbs.  Turn the lights on, and there's a distinct burning smell from the overheating dirt and hair spray.

I turned them off, let them cool, grabbed a damp towel and went to work.  Really, they weren't that dirty, but when I turned the lights back on for several minutes, there was no more smell.  Of course one didn't light up and I couldn't get my head up high enough to see why.  I just jiggled the loose bulb back into place and voila!!   I'll never clean them again!  That caused me two days of anxiety thinking the rig was going to burn up.  There will be no more cleaning in THIS house!!

Once that problem was solved, I stopped back in at the Darlingtonia factory down the street.  I have to say geocaching can be a big waste of time on occasion.  I looked and looked up one side and down the other, finding absolutely NOTHING!!

I even ran my hand under the boards of the walkway all down the side until I ran into this baby!  Extremely hard to see, right in the middle of the picture is an arched brown leaf.  Just below it is the upward curving black and light brown leaf ... only it's NOT a leaf, it's a snake!!!  RUN!!!!!!!  

Thoroughly irritated that I couldn't find the darn cache AGAIN, I went back to the rig and sulked with a pint of chocolate peanut butter ice cream!!

In the late afternoon, I whipped up a batch of guacamole and chips (no cooking involved) and headed off to Happy Hour at Jessie M. Honeyman State Park.  If you haven't stopped here, drive through and take a look.  They have a beautiful little lake with 70-something degree FRESH water in the middle of the sand dunes.  

Built in 1933 by the Civilian Conservation Corps, it provided $1 a day to men 17-25 years of age, keeping them afloat during the depression.  There's something like 360 camp sites, many of which are big rig size (some full hookups available too).  H loop is the place to stay ... George says it was the last built with the best electricity.  It's beautifully maintained, just don't expect television since it's located in the trees. 

I met up with Ken Smedley at Diana and George Ruelens camp site.  They do interpretive talks for the park while Ken and his wife Shirley rent paddle boats and stand up paddle boards, as well as give fishing lessons to the kids (and sometimes adults) for free.  There are lots of trout here, but fish early in the year.  This lake is the local osprey buffet.

After a great time, I was getting ready to leave when I spotted this huge stack of "things" on the table.  Lobster mushrooms they said.  Well for heavens sake ... I've never seen anything like it!!  Some were absolute HUGE!!  Ken offered one to me to try.  Only found under spruce trees by someone who knows what to look for, they are delicious fried with lots of butter and garlic.  I'm having mine with eggs for breakfast!!

As usual, the days are never long enough and it's time to hit the road.  Next stop, Bandon ... where I'll get to pet the kitties and do that all time favorite ..... LAUNDRY!!