Poked Full Of Holes

You know how you stick a fork in meat to see if it's tender?  It makes the meat full of holes so all the juices flow out?  That was me yesterday ... and I'm here to tell you I'm tender as can be and short a few tablespoons of juice.

That's what happens when you own a motorhome.  It constantly requires repair of some sort or other. It's like an earthquake on wheels as you drive down the highways and byways, loosening every nut and bolt there is.

A very wise man named Tom Westerfield once told me, as we walked around my rig somewhere in New Mexico when I followed their rig on our way to Maine .... you need to get a good screwdriver and carry it in your pocket. You're gonna need it.  As it happened, I had TWO screws missing, which he promptly replaced.

Ever since then, I've done my best to keep MY eye out for things like that, so important stuff doesn't fall off while motoring down the road ... like your entire awning!!

The first to go are these little slot covers on every window.  As soon as you bring the washing brush down the window, these pop off.  You would think they could figure out a better way.  Thin breakable plastic is NOT the ticket.  

Silly me, when this one fell to the ground, I ran my fingers along the window frame to remove the dirt before replacing it.  BIG mistake.  I sliced my thumb tip wide open.  Do you have any idea how many things you use that thumb tip for?  I now know painfully well! 

I found two of the three missing pieces of cheap plastic and replaced them, adding a little extra silicone to keep them in place.  

Next up, while washing the rig, I noticed the bolt cover was ajar at the top of the slide.  I climbed up the ladder, removed it (more black plastic) and look what I found.  The bolts are coming clear out of the side.  I'm surprised they are still attached at all!!  

I grabbed my handy dandy tighten-things-down gizzy I found at Harbor Freight.  Truthfully, I got this to try and fix a loosened screw on the inside window frame, which can't be reached by normal means.  I still haven't been able to reach it.  At any rate, it worked fabulously to tighten the nuts above.

BUT .... see the metal track the cheap black plastic slides IN TO?  Yup ... another poke on the right hand next to my fingernail .... OUCH!!!  A little more juice leaked out.  

I only checked the roof and the outside.  Just imagine how many bolts and screws are loose underneath where I never check.  That's just scary.  I think this year when I have my oil changed by Mr. Jim Fulkerson in Indio, I will sweetly ask him to give it a once over.

Apparently I was't poked full of enough holes, because at the end of all that work, I spent some time playing the ball game with Jessie and Cooper.  Jessie never bites down hard ... really ... but totally by mistake, she gave the ball a hard chomp when my finger was still attached.  Not exactly a hole, but a nice bruise underneath my fingernail. 

Number four came from Cooper, whose jaws are like a steel trap, all from the exercise of biting down hard to hear the squeaky toy.  Yup .... insert fingers in puppy mouth and you get another BIG hole!!

In spite of bandaids and antibiotic cream, my poor fingers poked full of holes hurt every time I touch something.  I can tell you I'm VERY tender!!  I spent the rest of the day keeping the couch from running away.  The countdown to takeoff has begun!!