Six Years Living in a Motorhome

A Log/Journal of the Travels of One Ben Hissong

File:Travellog1.rtf

Last Update: 02/02/2016

The ole rig has rolled on to a new owner. It was my home for over five years and a true blessing when I needed it. I traveled in it solo for nearly seven thousand miles and I believe God was with me every inch of it. One of lifes adventures that I will not forget.

What follows here is a log that I kept while traveling the road. I started it to keep track on how the rig (and me) were doing and if any fixes or changes would be in order. It is about 58 pages long and I've stopped making entries. It is posted here so perhaps my grandchildren (and others) can read to see that life can always be an adventure.(Noted 04/2017)

Beginning of Log:

I begin this document on December 2, 2010. I am about to embark on a journey from Howard Ohio to Corpus Christi Texas to visit my youngest brother and to escape the Ohio winter that is coming on. Living through an Ohio winter in my motor-home would have been too harsh.

This journey will be traveled utilizing the highway system and it is about a 1600 mile journey. I have never traveled this far before alone. I am a bit apprehensive about my mental state and the mechanical reliability of my motor-home in making this trip.

If God wants me to do this, then all will be well.

The Course of Events Leading up to this:

I have been out of work since October of 2009. It was an act of God I believe that I made it through last winter. I am doing fine still. I have not suffered any physical discomforts that I cannot handle. It was a blessing that my last home of over ten years sold and gave me some extra cash to get out of debt, keep me going, and indeed eventually allowed the purchase of a 24 foot motor-home. This rig is now my home.

Yes, there have been some emotional discomforts and I have had to make many adjustments. I loved my log house and miss walking in the woods and having the fireplace going this time of year. But I’ve settled on just cherishing the memories of the ‘ole house. My daughters lived with me there from time to time. Also there were family outings and the like. But that story will be covered in a different writing entitled “Carson Road” if/when I ever write it.

So I spent the spring and summer of 2010 living with my eldest brother & Mother in Howard Ohio. I helped them out with this and that while still trying to find work. I eventually found a motor-home that came close to suiting my needs. I got it fixed up and modified to my satisfaction. So here I am.

I hung around Ohio until my youngest daughter delivered her first baby a few days ago. I have said my goodbyes to everyone and I will be leaving soon.

Travel Day One: Tuesday, 12/07/2010

I did not get on the road until 11AM. It was a cold and snowy morning. The rig had a dead battery that needed jumped (I should have bought a new one and will probably still need to). Then, on my way out the door I got a call from someone who wanted to look at the Ford SUV that I had for sale. He came and bought it but it delayed my departure by another half hour.

I made about 200 miles today and will spend the night in Kentucky. The Rig ran just fine except the windshield de-fogger does not work too well. The temperature all day has been in the mid twenties and it is damp. It was also windy between Columbus and Cincinnati. There were a couple of scary moments. The foggy windows & bad visibility was the worst of it.  I spent $70 in fuel.

Travel Day Two: Wednesday, 12/08/2010

I got on the road about 10AM. All of the Rig fluids checked out OK and it started up OK but the battery is weak. It was cold this morning. Things went smoothly today. It was sunny, a little warmer than yesterday, and much less windy. I traveled about 250 miles and stopped in Millersburg Tennessee for the night. My original plan was to stop at a KOA on the other side of Nashville but I saw this sign for an RV park a few miles before Nashville and decided to stay here instead. The name of the park was Nashville County RV park or something like that. They had a neat weather for-casting sign that utilized a rock. The photo is at the end of this document. I spent $120 on fuel but still have almost ¾ of a tank full.

Travel Day Three: Thursday, 12/09/2010

I got on the road again about 10AM. The trip through Nashville was a bit tough but I got through it OK. The Rig ran good except for a drop in oil pressure about mid-day. I added ½ quart of oil and it was OK until about 3PM when I stopped for the day. The oil pressure was low again. I’ll have to keep an eye on it.

As I suspected, the greenish wet spot on the rider side floorboard is engine coolant. The radiator fluid was a little low this morning and that section of carpet on the right side floorboard of the cab is wet again. I have been smelling coolant for a couple of weeks but thought it was just the new radiator getting broke in. I topped off the coolant but did not put much in. The engine temperature has been fine so I think the leak is minor at this point. I haven’t located the leak yet. It may be the heater core as that is the closest thing that would have coolant running through it.

It was sunny most of the day. I got about 210 miles in and stopped in Lakeland Tennessee which is just a few miles from Memphis. I should be well into Mississippi tomorrow and will probably spend the night there someplace. This trip should be about half way through now.

Travel Day Four: Friday, 12/10/2010

This was a bit of a harrowing day. I did not get on the road until almost 11AM. I got a few calls from my sister about some concerns on the sale of my Explorer SUV. Other minor annoyances occurred throughout the day but nothing is noteworthy. They sold LP gas at this camp, so before I left, I had the on board tank topped off as I am still using the furnace and also the stove.

It was overcast all day long with a sprinkle of rain now and then but all in all the weather was good. It was warm-maybe 50ish. I got through Memphis OK and on to route 55. Route 55 is mostly straight and flat. Because of that and less traffic, I was actually able to take in some scenery for a change. Up until now I have had to focus on navigation, traffic, and keeping the Rig on the road.

There does seem to be some swamp along route 55 and I think that I saw some Katrina damage (lots of trees knocked over). I stopped for the day in Canton Mississippi which is about 30 miles away from Jackson.

The Rig ran really well. She purrs right along down the ole highway. It still has the three issues already stated. Nothing seems to be any worse. I topped off the coolant again and tried some SAE30 oil for the oil pressure problem. It appears that after about 3-4 hours @ 65MPH the oil gets thin (or dissipates) and the pressure drops. The rig was built over 20 years ago so if it burns some oil this would not be a surprise. I will stock up on oil and keep and eye on the oil level a little closer. I spent about $60 in fuel.

Day Five: Saturday, 12/11/2010

I did not travel today and remained in Canton Mississippi. The weather for-cast for today included high winds and a chance for thunderstorms. It was windy when I got up but I was thinking about traveling anyway. I even had everything all prepped to go when the wind kicked up even more. So after praying on it and taking other things into consideration, it seemed best to hole up here for another day.

God may have been talking to me because about the time I would have been looking for a place to stay for the night (had I traveled today), there were strong wind and tornado warnings for the area that I would have been in. I heard this on a Jackson Mississippi radio station around 3PM.

There has been some lightning and thunder here already. It is raining pretty heavy as I write this. But, I have had my supper and everything is dry so far (no roof leaks).

I did take the rig out this morning to “town” (roadside tourist trap) to fuel up and get some oil and other supplies. After putting in a quart of SAE30 oil in the Rig’s engine, the oil pressure is back to normal. I think now that it burned up some oil (after 850 miles) and I just let it get too low.

The Rig has two new unexplained quarks. The choke light comes on sometimes when I slow down to make a pit stop. I don’t know what this means. The light goes out after I get going again. Then yesterday as I was headed toward camp, the Rig jerked as I was speeding up. Is this the transmission (the fluid is good), a symptom of low oil or what? I’ll just half to keep and eye on it.

I estimate that it is another 500 miles to Corpus Christi. I under estimated the monetary cost of this trip. I estimate that the Rig is getting maybe 8 miles to a gallon instead of the budgeted 10 mpg. I still have enough cash to get to CC Lord willing.

Day Six: Sunday, 12/12/2010

I am still stuck in Canton Mississippi. The winds are strong and the weather map says 30MPH for Jackson Mississippi and Baton Rouge Louisiana for all day today. Tomorrow’s for-cast looks better for traveling. It is partly sunny now but feels cold with the wind. I’ll do laundry to pass some time. The park manager told me there was no work that I could do to help defray the site rent though I saw several things that needed attention. Maybe they need the cash flow. (Edit Note: The RV park is “Movie Time”.)

Day Seven : Monday, 12/13/2010

 I got on the road about 9:30AM today. I added a little tranny fluid to the rig today. It is difficult on both the engine oil and tranny fluid dipsticks to discern the fluid levels.

The SAE30 weight oil that was added seemed to take care of the low pressure problem. It was fine all day. The “choke light” issue did not occur today either. The engine did that jerk thing a couple of times this morning and that was it. I think the engine was sputtering maybe because of some bad fuel. The sputter did not happen any more after this morning. The Rig still “diesels” sometimes and the fast idle comes back on when I would not expect it to. Otherwise, she ran well all day. Another quirk: It is difficult to fuel up sometimes. Could there a blocked vent tube?

It was sunny all day long though a bit windy. The weather for-cast was for 15MPH winds. It did not hinder me much. I stopped about 20 miles east of Lafayette Louisiana after traveling about 240 miles today. I spent $70 on fuel but still have almost ¾ of a tank left.

Intermission

These are just some miscellaneous notes on the trip so far.

First, I have not witnessed much of the so-called “southern hospitality” yet and not much of even a “southern accent”. Granted, the places that I have been stopping at are off highway tourist places (the price of beer is outrageous) but I expected more friendly folks. The friendly ratio seems to be 50:25:25. Fifty percent are friendly, twenty five percent are indifferent, and the other twenty five percent are down right rude and/or nasty. Again, it could be just the working environment. I also will say that many of these road- side operations are employed by/ran by/perhaps owned by non-Americans. This is disturbing in some ways.

The first “southern bell” that I encountered was at a “Pilot” truck stop (a franchised trucker’s pit stop) in southern Tennessee. This gal was tall, lanky, and somewhat attractive. I asked her where the men’s room was and she pointed to a far corner of the building and said “way down yonder thataway hun”. I fell in love again. But it could never be.

The south-eastern part of Mississippi seems to be “Cajun Country”. I drove over many bridges that spanned across “bayous” or swamps perhaps. The houses were few and far between but all were setting on posts that set them a couple of feet above ground level. There must be a lot of flooding here and there.

Concerning the bridges: It must have been some harsh work to set all of the pylons and bring material to where those bridges were built. It is some piece of engineering also. Louisiana is mostly flat but the farther west one goes, it must be a somewhat higher elevation. I saw farms, cattle, horses, and some really nice estates the further west that I went.

I had two encounters with whom I believe may have been “Cajuns”.

I was on my way back to the Rig after fueling up in Mississippi (or was it Louisiana?) and some ole boy in a nice SUV stopped me and started talking about the cancer problems his wife and he have. This guy had a heavy-drawn-out-I-can-barely-understand-you accent. He had some sort of tubing and vial things taped to the left side of his chest. This he displayed prominently and also showed me a case of some more of these vials. They all seem to have a different color fluid in them.

Anyway, his story was that he was headed for Jackson Mississippi to the hospital. At first I thought he wanted directions and since I had just left Jackson I was preparing to help him. But it turned out they wanted money. A little voice in me told me that he was not being truth-full so I blew him off so to speak.

Then I made a fuel stop in Louisiana just a few miles before I reached Texas. This place had the most expensive fuel that I have bought the whole trip ($2.99/gallon). Here I think I met a little “Cajun” gal. She was running the counter. I startled her at first. I presume that is because she must have been about 5 foot tall and I am a big and ugly six foot four.

Anyway, she must have been born on the bijou as she had a heavy accent although I had no trouble understanding her. She reeked of cigarette smoke but was friendly as anyone could be. She liked the rig and stated that it would be about the right size for her.

(NO, I don’t think that this was a flirtatious come-on)

Day Eight: Tuesday, 12/14/2010

I got on the road about 10AM. I put some SAE30 oil and coolant in the Rig’s engine. All else was OK. It ran good all day except for the dieseling sometimes when I stopped for fuel. The fuel filling problem was not an issue today. Is the vent being blocked by the power cord in the storage box? Is it an issue with various nozzles at the filling stations?

It was sunny all day and the further west I went, the warmer it got. It got more windy in the afternoon as I went further west also. It was a little tough driving but I managed.

I traveled about 210 miles today and stopped in Mont Belvieu Texas. This town is about 20-30 miles east of Houston. The RV park that I stopped at today is basically an asphalt parking lot with RV hook-ups inside a small burg. There are no shower or laundry facilities. The only plus is the sandwich shop about fifty feet away from me. I don’t like it here but “any port in a storm” as they say.

I am about 4 hours away from my brother’s house (per my brother) but I may hang around this area for a day or two to make an arrival on this weekend rather than a week night. The weather for-cast is predicting some rain also so I would prefer to avoid traveling through that. If I stay in this area, I have a different camp to check out. I will not stay where I am now for no more than tonight. I want a shower and a shave and would prefer not to use the Rig’s facilities only because I am big and the head has limited space.

I spent $75 on fuel today but I still have almost ¾ of a tank full.

Day Nine: Wednesday, 12/15/2010

I moved to a different camp today but I am still in Mont Belvieu Texas. I did not travel any further. The for-cast for high winds today was accurate. It would have been difficult traveling in this rig with that wind. Otherwise it was sunny and about 70 degrees all day. Very nice. I cleaned house and did laundry. It was also nice to get a shave and shower. I was going to un–mount the bike and take a ride but decided to walk instead. This camp is nice enough but not all that big.

I did a “full hookup” for the first time at this new camp and de-winterized the Rig. So now I have water inside the Rig again. Things are getting better all of the time. If I could only find some work.

I figure on getting on the road again tomorrow to get around Houston and onto route 35. I may stop on route 35 for the night. This would be a short travel day but I’m trying to time my arrival at Keith’s house for Saturday instead of coming in late on a weekday.

Day Ten: Thursday, 12/16/2010

After speaking with the gal at the RV camp (She was slender, pretty, about my age and had a sweet Southern accent-caving was inevitable), I decided to avoid Houston altogether by heading to Galveston. I got on the road about 10AM and headed toward Galveston. This turned out to be a mistake. The intent was to take 146 south from Mont Belvieu to Galveston then pick up route 6 north then on to route 35 south. The RV park gal told me that this is a scenic route and it would keep me far away from Houston.

Well it did keep me far away from Houston. The problem was that I could not find route 6 and ended up in downtown Galveston. This wasn’t real terrible except that I did not know how to get to where I wanted to go. There are all these bridges over chunks of water. Once you are on one of these bridges, you can’t turn off nor turn around.  After several stops to get directions and going in circles for an hour and a half, I finally got onto route 6. I stopped at some city park at 1:30 to have lunch and to check over the Rig. There were a couple of sheriff guys having lunch there also. I just went about my business. They were still there when I was ready to leave so I walked over and asked them about getting onto route 35 from route 6. They seemed to be of the more respectful class of law enforcement officers. They were nice and informed me that I was on course to get to route 35. But, I messed up anyway two times before I finally got on to route 35.

Here is what I finally realized. Around here, there is no for-warning for turn-offs or exiting to a different route or a camp ground for that matter. This is when traveling on a Texas state route and not an interstate route. So if you are looking to turn north on route 6 or south on route 35, there is no sign to inform you that it is coming up. If you are in the wrong lane or going the speed limit, chances are that by the time you see the sign, you will not be able to change lanes and/or slow down to make the turn. This may be common for other states though I have not had a problem until today. Perhaps it is because I “..am not from around here..”.

So for the reasons above, this has been a stressful day. I am maybe perhaps 100 miles from where I started this morning. BUT, I saw some nice scenery around the ocean fronts near Galveston. The Rig ran pretty good (just have to keep the oil & coolant topped off). I think I’m getting some bad fuel sometimes though since the engine still sputters now and then.

I stopped for the night at a West Columbia Texas city park. It is a nice park. They have a few RV sites with full hook-ups, a pond, a trail, etc. There is a laundry & restrooms but no showers. I unbolted the bike and took a ride for the first time in a month I think. This is a pretty quiet place. AND, I think God was with me again several times today. Firstly, I had stopped at a different RV camp an hour earlier. Though there were several RVs parked there, no one was around to greet me or check me in. The front building was all locked up and the place looked kind of dumpy and things just did not feel right so I left.

And then, when I got here (and I almost did not find this place) there was only one site left. It was right out in front where I could see it from the road. It is very quiet here and I met some nice folks. Some of them live here all the time. One man and his daughter (I did not see a wife) have been here while his house was being built. He and his family are leaving tomorrow.

Lord willing, I will be at my brother’s house this time tomorrow and this may be the last entry until I leave to return to Ohio if that is what God wants me to do.

Day Eleven: Friday, 12/17/2010

I got on the road about 10AM. It was overcast all day and cooler than yesterday. I topped off the fluids in the rig and it ran well all day except for the sputtering at slow speeds. I still think this is a fuel issue.

I got into Corpus Christi about 2PM. After getting lost, I called my brother and he came to escort me to his house. I did have enough foresight to stop at some landmark place where he could find me. So I am now parked in his driveway.

It was a good reunion. I met the rest of my brother’s grandchildren. He is a real family man still. I am happy for him.

I still don’t know what I am doing. I need something to do and some of it needs to be profitable and glory to God must be in there most of all. This is all still new to me.

Trip summary:               Traveled 1630 Miles

                                    Used 198 gallons of fuel

                                    Spent $566 on fuel

                                    Spent $280 on Lodging @ RV Parks

                                    Total cost of trip (less “extras”), $846

--------------------------------   CHAPTER NUMBER 2 -------------------------------

Wednesday, January 05, 2011

I’ve decided to continue with this log/journal for now even though the journey from Ohio to Texas is behind me.

I spent two weeks biv-wacking in the driveway of my brother and his wife Lane’s house. I helped them do some re-modeling and other odd jobs around their yard. It was a nice visit. I got re-acquainted with nieces and nephews and met some new ones. I also went to church some. My bicycle was stolen from the back yard. I’m told theft is a big problem around here. Keith loaned/gave me his bicycle to use.

After mailing out about twenty cover letters and resumes to various RV parks, I received a response from one of them. I am now at “Laguna Bay Village” RV park, “employed” as a maintenance man. The management and I agreed to a one week trial period on this arrangement. I like the work as it is a variety of things and I am outdoors most of the time. This is a “ma & pa” operation so things are pretty friendly and relaxed. However, I am only working to pay for my RV camp-site and perhaps some propane. Though the managers/owners of the park seem pleased with my work so far, they have been reluctant to trade cash for my services and time. They want to do the W4, SSN, Medicare, medicade, etc type of “with-holding”. I told them up front that I will not agree to this. My convictions are still strong. I am quite willing to work for this RV park but I will not work for nor voluntarily be enslaved by any government. (There is a Bible verse that would apply here. A mans “pay” is worthy of his hire or something to that effect.)

So regrettably, this may be the first and last week that I work here. Unfortunately, I and everyone else require FRNs in order to trade for real goods. I need cash for food, fuel, and other supplies. Perhaps the park managers will bend some but I am not counting on it. I intend to contact my brother Keith to see if I can come back to his driveway. He has much work to be done at his house and perhaps I left him at a bad time. I just sensed that he did not want to spend anymore money remodeling for awhile and, perhaps I was starting to be a burden on his household.

Sunday, January 09, 2011

I am now back at my brothers’ house, camped in his driveway. I will stay here and help with his re-modeling project until it is complete (or his wife kicks me out).

I will continue to seek work or other ways to get some revenue.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

It is 8:40PM and I am still camped in my brother’s driveway. It is good here. I am only making this entry to note that it is important to level one’s RV as much as possible. My rig is on a front-end incline while parked in this driveway. Though this incline is not too inconvenient while moving about inside of the rig, it is causing some drainage problems.

It is pouring down rain as I write this and water is collecting on the aft section of the rolled up awning. Then this collection of water dumps on the ledge of the window in the bunk area where it then starts to seep in. It makes it kind of wet when trying to get a good nights sleep. So, if the rig can’t be leveled (fore to aft) and it looks like rain, I need to:

1. Roll out the awning a foot or more so water drains away from the bunk window or:
2. Cover the bunk window with something water-proof to allow the run off from the awning to get past the window ledges or:
3. Put on a wet suit before I go to bed and prepare to get things dried out the next day.

The rig has had other rain leaks that seem to be related to how she is resting. I have caulked the roof vents, the AC flange, vent pipes, etc. The rain still comes in sometimes thru the AC and now the bunk window(s). Well, I was warned about leaky RVs.

Wednesday, April 06, 2011

So all of the re-modeling work that I was helping my brother with is now complete. There isn’t much more for me to do here so I am preparing to hit the road. I am laying in supplies and checking out the rig for the return home (is Ohio still my home?). It has been a very nice visit and I hope that I have been of some use but I feel that it is time to go. There is no urgency for my departure. I just need to find some work and would like to avoid the heat and humidity that is coming to Corpus Christi.

I’ve mapped out a route back to Ohio that will keep me inland more. I don’t like going over all of those huge bridges to pass over water. Eventually I’ll end up in part back on the same route that I took to get here. I pray that the journey back to Ohio will be as uneventful (meaning good) as well as enjoyable. I will pray daily for this.

I have sent out maybe 24 resumes to RV parks that are along the route that I intend to travel. I hope to find some work along the way. Brother Keith is paying me something for my work on his remodeling project. This is a blessing that I did not expect. I could possibly get back to Ohio on that resource alone but I will still seek work along the way.

My life at this time still lacks goals or any macro ambitions. I want and need something to do and to survive as comfortably as I can. The desires basically stop there for now. At the age of 58, I have more or less 25 years left on this planet. What am I to do with it?

--------------------------------------------- CHAPTER 3 --------------------------------------------

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

I am now on my way back to Ohio. I left my brother’s driveway in Corpus Christi Texas this morning around 10:00. I fueled up and an hour later I was still in CC. I was going in circles trying to get onto RT 357 (the SPID) headed in the right direction to get to route 37N then onto route 77 north. I stopped at three different places to get directions and each time I ended up getting lost again. One of my side excursions took me past “Busters Butane” so I stopped there and had my on-board LP tank filled up and got more directions.

My brother calls the SPID “evil street” and he always tries to avoid it. I can see why now.

I only got in 190 miles today but it was still a good day all in all. The wind was light, it was partly cloudy, and in the low 80’s temperature wise. The traffic was light on route 37 and route 77. I went through a couple of towns that could have been bypassed but, it was not much of a problem.

The rig ran really, really well today. I did not add any fluids under the hood as it was all fine the last time I checked. And there were no spots on my brother’s driveway.

My steamy/slimy windshield problem is gone since I bypassed the heater core. Steam from the coolant was apparently being blown on the glass via the fan and leaky core. Repairing/replacing the heater core is on my fix list.

I tried the cruise control today and it works! I did not use it on the way to Texas. It did not seem worth it. But, I’ve decided that it is nice to have. I am trying to keep my maximum speed at 55MPH to see if I can improve on the 8MPG fuel consumption that was used getting to Texas.

I drove until 4PM today and am now camped in Schulenburg Texas. Route 10 is just up the road. This RV park that I am in is one that I sent a resume to awhile back. I left my card at the desk when I checked in and awhile later was given two interviews. The first one was by the daughter (cute Holly) of the owner then later by the owner (Loretta). Loretta invited me to sit in her golf cart with her and talk. We talked at length. She is a nice lady and was sympathetic with my situation. She stated that she would like to “have someone like you here” but she needs someone for the whole summer. I had stated that I would like to get back to Ohio sometime in May. So, I probably won’t get any work here but one has to try.

Thursday, April 14, 2011

I got on the road this morning around 10AM. I added about ¼ quart of SAE30 oil to the engine last night. I’m still not sure about the oil level as it does not show up on the dipstick but the oil pressure gauge indicates a fairly high pressure when the engine is cold. It stabilizes to a lesser pressure after rolling for awhile. I am concerned about putting too much oil in it. I’ll just keep an eye on it. The coolant and other fluid levels have been fine.

The rig ran really good again today. It was difficult re-starting a couple of times this afternoon though. Bad fuel again?

I was shooting for 300 miles per day on the way back to Ohio but I’m not fairing well so far. I did get in about 220 miles today after traveling for about six hours. I’m still trying to average 55MPH on the speed to possibly improve on the MPG consumption.

It is more pleasant and less stressful traveling the secondary highways instead of the major inter-states. (I will be back on them tomorrow). But one does pass through some towns along the secondary highways and thus slows you down some. It cost me today perhaps an hour of “delays” passing through these small towns.

I am spending the night at an RV park in Jackson Texas. The locals tell me it is still about an hour and a halves drive to Shreveport Louisiana. As always, the distance as measured in time is relative. Texans drive fast. I don’t. So it may be after lunch before I get to Shreveport and switch highways.

I wanted and needed a shower and a shave but this park has nasty facilities. (Note: the place is Shady Pines.) I settled on a shave and sponge bath. I am going to compose a polite letter to the management of this place pointing out some areas that could use some improvement.

It was quiet here at least until about an hour ago. Then the damn boom, boom, boom, boom… of some ones sub-woofer in the park started up. So that has stopped now thankfully. But now some folks are getting kind of loud across the way. Perhaps that will dwindle off soon.

I had this misconception that Texans would be different. It may be perhaps just the places that I happen to stop at.

Friday, April 15, 2011

At 10AM I was already rolling. The rig ran really well again all day today. I calculate that I am getting 9 or more MPG with the fuel traveling at 55MPH. So I will stick with this speed for now. I stopped for the night at a nice RV park (“Magnolia RV Park Resort”) in Vicksburg Mississippi. It is just a mile or so past the bridge spanning the Mississippi river. I did not plan to reach Mississippi today but that is the way it worked. I started looking for places to stop for the night around 3PM but it was 4:30 before I found this place. This must be where God wanted me to stop for the night.

The right rear hubcap escaped I figure somewhere around the Louisiana border. The hubcap was there when I left camp this morning but I noticed it wasn’t when I stopped for lunch before I got onto route 20. It is on my list to paint the rims of the rig and was thinking about leaving the hubcaps off since they gather stones. This makes for a lot of noise. So I won’t miss the hubcap anyway.

A skinny black cat came cruising by while I was sitting outside after supper. I called to her and to my surprise she came to me and started buzzing around. I gave in and gave her a can of tuna (the slice of bread I threw out did not meet with approval I guess).

So anyway, that was today.

Saturday, April 16, 2011

I did not get on the road until 11AM this morning. It was so quiet and peaceful at this RV park that I just wanted to rest. It crossed my mind to stay here another day but I decided to get some more miles in.

I added a little engine oil to the rig without knowing if it needed any. The oil pressure as well as everything else was good all day. The rig is running very well. It did sputter a bit when I pulled out of the RV park this morning. Maybe I released the fast idle too soon.

Nothing much noteworthy happened today. Someone had a tire blow out in front of me near Coldwater Mississippi where I am camped for the night. He got stopped OK and I presume they had a cell phone so I went on. (I regretted later not stopping. It would have been the right thing to do.)

Memphis is about 30 miles from here. If I travel tomorrow (Sunday), I could perhaps be a few miles inside of Kentucky by this time tomorrow. That would leave about one more days travel to Mom & Sandy’s place.

It is nice here at “Memphis South RV Park and Campground”. Seems like I stopped at the north version on the way to Texas. It is nice but they charge $35 per night and this seems to be the off season. So I may just drive tomorrow. I am in no hurry but have nothing else to do. I’ll offer my services and card before hand to see if they need any repair work.

Sunday, April 17, 2011

I got on the road about 10AM. Same as yesterday, I added a little engine oil to the rig without knowing if it needed any. The oil pressure as well as everything else was good all day. The rig is running very well. It still sputters and diesels sometimes. I’m thinking it is bad fuel.

The only excitement today was that something fell while I was traveling. The 120V galley light fell off its holder. It ruined the bulb (not broken) and that was all.

I am in Franklin Kentucky tonight. This RV park looks nice but there are some annoyances about it. Maybe it is under new ownership and they are still working out some things. They also have stages set up for bands/of the bluegrass type from their ads. There was some construction going on. I considered asking them if I could help but did not. With one more day of hard travel I can be in Mom’s driveway. I already checked over the rig so I can get an earlier start (9AM?) tomorrow. My cell phone quit working for some reason but the lady at the desk was kind enough to let me use the business phone to check in with Mom.

This is a dry county. I had a few beers left over from yesterday so that will do.

Monday, April 18, 2011

I was on the road by 8:30 this morning. It was overcast as I left but dry. The weather forecast that I got the evening before predicted scattered showers for pretty much along my whole route for today. But weather-wise, it was good all day.

The whole day was pretty much uneventful until I got to Ohio. Construction work in two different places on I-71 caused traffic backups. I waited at one such place long enough that I had time to eat a sandwich while stuck in a traffic jam. I got through Cincinnati OK but hit Columbus at the rush hour. I forgot about the time change. It was still 3:30 to me (Texas time) but it was 4:30 Ohio time. So there were a few delays and much breaking. I had a close call and had to “slam” the brakes. The rig has good brakes. A few things shifted in the lodge part but no harm was done.

I was going to stop for a break at the road side rest before Sunbury but there was a tractor-trailer accident up further that would have hindered my re-entry onto I-71. This accident had traffic backed up for a mile or so and caused about a ½ hour delay in traveling.

I am now parked safely in my Mother’s and brother’s driveway in Howard Ohio after traveling about 400 miles today and nine hours behind the steering wheel (whew! I don’t want to make a habit of that).

We had a nice reunion but I do not intend to stay here for too long. I will help out where I can for awhile but I need to find some fulfilling (and profitable) work.

Trip summary:             Traveled 1587 Miles

                                    Used 170 gallons of fuel

                                    Spent $635 on fuel

                                    Spent $150 on Lodging @ RV Parks

                                    Total cost of trip (less “extras”), $785

------------------------------------------- CHAPTER 4 -----------------------------------------------

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Just a quick update entry. I am still camped in my mother & brother’s driveway in Howard Ohio. I am still well fed and healthy. I keep busy by doing yard work, odd jobs, and miscellaneous repair work for mom & brother. Mom pays me a little something now and then from her meager social security cash.

Since my arrival in Ohio I have perhaps sent out 24 or more resumes. I have also made cold phone calls to various places. I have only had one interview thus far and it was an “open interview” so I don’t put much credence in it.

My cash reserves continue to dwindle. With luck I will be OK until fall at least. I am still praying to find some work that will enable me to earn a “grubstake” for traveling this Fall/early winter. Living in the RV is OK. It is nice though to have another place to deal with hygiene (like an RV park or a family members bathroom facilities).

Even though I am OK with living in an RV, it will not be practical to stay in one through an Ohio type of winter. So I must be prepared to travel to a state with warm winters (Texas? Arizona?) or face winterizing the rig and holing up here for a winter. I don’t want to stay with mom & brother through a winter. If they had a larger house perhaps it could work. But as it is, the only “space” that I have is the rig parked in their driveway.

Father in heaven, what do you want me to do ??????????????????????????

Wednesday July 27, 2011

Praise the Lord I am now working for pay. An ex Florida man bought a run down farm near Bangs Ohio and needs LOTS of help getting things fixed up. He advertised in the local paper for someone with carpentry, electrical, & plumbing skills. I was his first caller but it took a week before he (Rivers) agreed to give me a try.

Some of the work is more that I bargained for. It is hot this time of year and there is much digging and other “grunt work” required. I am doing what I can and Rivers & his wife are good people and understand that a 58 year old man can only do so much.

There is actually a numerous amount of carpentry, electrical & plumbing work to be done. I’ve already spent many hours on some carpentry work. So anyway, unless I get a fantastic offer for work from one of the countless resumes that I have sent out, I intend to work with Rivers throughout this summer and fall. He has plenty of work and he seems satisfied with what I have done for him thus far. This should give me some traveling cash and possibly carry me through this winter. There are also a couple of RV parks in Texas that may give me some pay work this winter. So, I again feel blessed. The Father is taking care of me.

Sunday, 08/19/2011

Rivers is content with my work and wants me to stay on the job with him through this winter. I am considering it. I’ll need a vehicle and a place to lodge near Centerburg. What do I do and how do I do this Father in Heaven????????????

Friday, 11/04/2011

My attempts at finding lodging near River’s farm and cheap transportation did not pan out. I have nearly the $4000 that I wanted for a traveling “grubstake”. It would have taken nearly all of that to get set up for staying in Ohio and working for Rivers. That would not leave me much financial cushion. Things might have worked out differently if I had started working in April when I first got back to Ohio.

So I have decided to leave Ohio and head for Texas at the end of this month. My tentative departure date is Monday, November 28. I am getting the rig and myself ready for the trip. I would leave sooner but I have a granddaughter who will be one year old on the 26^th of this month and a grandson who (Lord willing) will be born around that time also.

So, the Monday after Thanksgiving, Lord willing, I will leave Ohio again. I will pray that this rig holds together.

Sunday, 11/12/2011

I have given notice to Rivers and this will be my last week working for him this year. He wants me back in the spring of 2012. So, Lord willing, if/when I get back to Ohio, I will have work with RB at least.

I still plan to leave Ohio on November 28-about two weeks from now. There may be a twist to my previous travel plans however. Mom spoke with my youngest brother’s widow in Tucson and she seems to need some help out there. That would be home repairs and perhaps some guidance for my nephew Jon and niece Jennah.

So I mapped out a route to Tucson Arizona. It is about 2000 miles from Howard Ohio or about another two days travel in lieu of going to Corpus Christi Texas. It would cost an additional 200-$300 more to get to Tucson instead of Corpus Christi. There are other concerns of course. I will need cash to get back to Ohio in the spring. From a Craig’s List search, there does seem to be work in Tucson for “techies”. Will I get along with my brother’s widow and his children? I have not seen them for nearly twenty years.

I will pray much upon this. I have the funds to get there barring any major problems. My concern is if the rig will make it. But….as I have trusted before in the Father in Heaven, if He wants me to make this trip, then all will be well. I will pray for His guidance in the direction I should head before (or when) I get to Memphis Tennessee. It is in Memphis where I must decide to go South-West or due west.

Monday 11/21/2011

I took the rig out today to get the tires aired up to 60PSI. They measured a little low a few weeks ago. I drove about 15 miles in all, round trip. The rig still runs well. The battery was low and I had to put in on a charger for about a half hour before getting the engine started. This battery was bought new in Texas in April of this year. There must be some parasitic power draw somewhere. If the engine is not ran for over two weeks, the battery goes down.

There is still engine coolant appearing on the right side floor board even with the heater core bypassed. This did not happen as I recall when coming back from Texas. Is the heater core still draining? And did I cause this when I tore into the dashboard? ‘Just need to keep an eye on it.

----------------------------------    CHAPTER 5 ---------------------------------------

Tuesday, 11/29/2011

I am all set to depart tomorrow. I’ve waited for a good window of weather to come by between Ohio and Tennessee. It looks like it is now or wait and waiting any longer does not seem like a good idea.

I will say my final farewells and head south. I still have a small inkling to travel to Tucson instead of Corpus Christi. My constraints are funds (I don’t have as much traveling cash as I had hoped for) and concerns for the mechanical reliability of my rig. I can travel until Memphis before a decision needs to be made. I will continue to pray on what our Father wants me to do.

Travel Day # 1, Thursday, 12/01/2011

I stayed put on Wednesday do to a forecast of snow and high winds. The forecast for Thursday thru Sunday along my travel route indicates sunny, dry, and mid 40’s.

I left Howard this morning at 10AM and drove until 4:30 and made almost 300 miles. I am camped at a KOA in Shepherdsville Kentucky. It is a few miles south of Louisville and about 160 miles from Nashville.

It was around 33 degrees outside when I left this morning and is about 50 as I write this.

It was sunny and calm all day long. The rig ran very well. The cruise control does not work now. Maybe after I get into some warmer temperatures it will start working again.

After running all day, there was no coolant on the left floorboard. So I am not going to worry about it-just keep checking the fluid levels.

I was on the 265 outer belt going through Louisville at 3:30 and traffic was not bad. So always use 265. No major traffic problems. Columbus: OK, Cincinnati: OK. Just avoid the rush hours.

Travel Day #2, Friday, 12/02/2011

I got on the road just before 11AM this morning. Nashville was about 158 miles away and if I left too soon I could hit the noon rush hour. I drove until 3:30 (EST) today and made about 240 miles. I am camped at a KOA in Hurricane Mills Tennessee off of route 40. Loretta Lynn’s museum is not far from here. Memphis is about 150 miles from here.

It was around 40 degrees outside when I left this morning and is about 60 as I write this.

It was sunny and calm all day long. The rig ran very well. I checked the engine fluids this morning and all was well so I did not add anything. The cruise control still does not work. I am wondering if the brake sense wire or something else got unhooked while I was working under and around the dashboard.

Again, after running all day, there was no coolant on the left floorboard. So I am not going to worry about it-just keep checking the fluid levels. The engine diesels only a bit and only sometimes. I think this is caused by some iffy fuel.

I read where the TSA is now active on the Tennessee highway. I may have seen evidence of this. I spotted several black SUVs with tinted windows and no markings. They were usually parked along the median along with a marked cruiser. I saw one SUV marked “K9”. They were looking for something. The truckers call them “state workers”. I thought I might like living in Tennessee but it could be that the state “cops” are highly predatory.

Travel Day #3, Saturday, 12/03/2011

I got on the road just before 10AM this morning. Memphis was about 140 miles away and if I left too soon I could hit the noon rush hour. I drove until 4:30 (CT) today and made about 280 miles. I am camped at a private RV park in Vaiden about 90 miles north of Jackson Mississippi off of route 55. I did a full hookup since there was no lodge with showers, restroom, etc. They do have Wi-Fi though which is a blessing.

It was around 40 degrees outside when I left this morning and is about 60 as I write this.

It was sunny most of the day though a bit windy at times. All in all, a pretty good day. The rig ran very well. I checked the engine fluids this morning and all was well except the oil is a bit lower so it may need a quart before I hit the road again. I did not add anything. The cruise control still does not work. Again, after running all day, there was no coolant on the right floorboard

The only excitement for the day was that the fridge door came open at some point and my beverages fell out. The door will need secured somehow when rolling. Then I missed my exit to route 55 in Memphis and went a couple of miles into Arkansas on route 40. I crossed the Mississippi river (?) bridge. I don’t recall having trouble when I took this route from Texas to Ohio. Should I have taken the 240 bypass? Did I get off of route 40 too soon? Need to figure this out on the route back. I doubled back at a fueling station and took a break.

As I was preparing to leave, a young man perhaps in his thirties approached me and began telling me a hard luck story. I thought “oh boy, I must be looking like a rube again”. He did have a “Forest Gump” movie DVD and wanted to trade it for some gasoline cash. I’ve been approached before by folks with sad stories wanting handouts. This is the first time that anyone offered something for trade. He seemed somewhat sincere (and sad). So I gave him $5 for the DVD and wished him good luck.

Travel Day #4, Sunday, 12/04/2011

I was rolling by 9AM this morning. It was overcast and windy all day. When I switched to route 20 west, I met the forecasted weather front head on about 50 miles into Louisiana.  I drove in the rain for awhile and prayed for a place to stop for the day. The Father gave me one in Monroe (Louisiana). So I stopped here around 2PM. I only made 200 miles today. But I am further along than I thought before the front would stop me. It is about 120 miles to the Texas border.

It was around 60 degrees outside when I left this morning. It got so warm in the rig that I shed down to a T-shirt. It is 55 as I write this. The front really chilled things down.

The rig ran very well. I checked the engine fluids this morning and all was well except the oil was lower than yesterday. I added ½ quart of SAE 10W-30 oil. The cruise control is working now so maybe cold weather breaks it. It is nice having it working again.  (I may have prayed for it to work but did want to bother the Creator of the universe with something so trivial).

Monday, 12/05/2011

I did not travel today. It rained all last night and did not stop until about noon today. Sometimes it rained very hard. A leak appeared in the window of the head. The window frame will need re-caulked. After it stopped raining, I unhooked and traveled a mile down the road to top off the fuel and get some supplies then returned. I considered doing laundry to pass the time but walking anywhere in camp meant walking through water. I decided to stay in the rig and keep dry.

The weather forecast for tomorrow looks fair for traveling. So hopefully I will roll out around 9-10AM.

I offered my services in trade for the camp site but was informed they already have a maintenance man.

Travel Day #5, Tuesday, 12/06/2011

After adding about ½ quart of oil to the rig’s engine, I was rolling by 10AM. It was cold (near freezing) and uncomfortable driving all day with no heat in the cab. I traveled until 5PM (CT) and now parked for the night in Buffalo Texas. It is a small burg. Route 79 passes through it. This park has full hookup, and cable but that is it. It’s out in the boonies so there are no restrooms, showers, Wi-Fi, etc but there is a one bar signal on the cell phone at least. I am thankful to be stopped and have a chance to get warm.

I exited off of route 20 at the first sign for route 79. It was sooner than necessary. There are at least four exits from 20 to 79 in Shreveport. So heading back to Ohio, take the first one. Coming back to Texas, wait until downtown Shreveport is behind you. Going through Shreveport reminds me of Cincinnati. It is sizable but manageable. Avoid any rush hours.

Nothing exciting happened today. The rig continues to run well. She purrs right along down the highway. There is an exhaust leak in the crossover up front I think. It has been there since last year but does not seem to be getting any worse yet.

I saw some nice scenery today. All in all, a pleasant trip so far.

Travel Day #6, Wednesday, 12/07/2011

I got on the road at 9:30 this morning. The fluids for the rig’s engine were OK. The temperature was 40 when I got up this morning and is 62 as I write this. It was sunny and nice all day long. I am parked in Schulenburg for the night. I stopped here in April on my way back to Ohio. I left my card at the office in case they can work me.

I am about 150 miles from Corpus Christi. It would have been a hard driving day to get there today. My brother will not be home until late tomorrow so I may stay here another day to hopefully get to CC on Friday.

The rig continues to run very well. Today was uneventful except I got off course in Hearne. Route 79 takes an easterly jog in that town and if you miss it you end up in the small town of Bryan (as I did). I stopped at a filling station and two guys were kind enough to get me back on course. They told me that everyone misses that jog and end up in Bryan. So I messed up on their instructions and ended up backtracking about 15 miles to Hearne. But I found the place where I missed the 79 jog.

Thursday, 12/08/2011

I did not travel today. Brother was going to be out of town until late as stated above. It was fairly nice weather wise. It was up to 70 degrees by suppertime. I passed the time today doing laundry and cleaning house. I also unhooked to go to a nearby grocery store. There was also a place nearby that sold LPG so I stopped there and had the tank topped off. The only thing exciting today was that I discovered a leak in the water feed line to the water heater. Some of the carpet got wet. So I unhooked the water feed to the rig and won’t be able to use it until the leak is fixed.

Travel Day #7, Friday, 12/09/2011

I got on the road at 10:30AM. I added 1/ 2 quart of oil to the engine. All else was OK. It was overcast all day but dry and warm (70 degrees). At one of my stops I noticed one of the tail pipes is hanging down a bit. It needs the hanger fixed or replaced. Nothing else exciting happened today. I pulled into my brother’s driveway at about 2:30PM. All is well.

Trip summary:             Traveled 1629 Miles

                                    Used 179 gallons of fuel

                                    Used 1.5 quarts of Oil

                                    Spent $565 on fuel

                                    Spent $222 on Lodging @ RV Parks

                                    Total cost of trip (less “extras”), $787

----------------------------------    CHAPTER 6 ---------------------------------------

Saturday, 12/31/2011

Since it will be January 2012 in an hour and fifteen minutes, I thought it would be good to make an entry. Three weeks after my arrival at my brother’s house, I am still here. My search for work has not been fruitful thus far. There is a slim chance to work for someone at Keith’s church. In the mean time I am helping with projects and chores at my brother’s house to help out, keep busy, and hopefully earn my keep.

With no positive cash flow, my cash reserves are dwindling. I am still OK for at least three more months with no income. AND it is my bad habits that are depleting the cash. My living expenses are almost nil.

I remain happy and healthy. Having so much free time allows me to do research and work on some projects that I would otherwise not have time for (the blog, “You Tube”, etc.).

So I continue to pray for guidance and the resources to continue when the need arises. Who knows what 2012 will bring. Based on everything else that is going on all over the world right now, my issues are trivial. In fact some might say that I am doing quite well. I feel blessed.

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

It will be two months next week since I arrived at my brother’s house in Corpus Christi Texas. I am still well. Brother keeps me busy with home repair stuff and is paying me some cash here and there. My work search continues to be fruitless. I am not discouraged though. I like being “semi-retired” and doing what I want to do. In a practical sense though, I still need a reliable positive cash flow. I continue to investigate various home business ideas. I have a dream now for my retirement abode. So now I just need to figure out how to get there from here.

Saturday, February 4, 2012

Just a quick entry regarding leaks. The side bunk window still leaks during a heavy rain even with the awning rolled out some. Based on the water stains on the bunk top and the mattress, this has been an on-going issue-even before I came along.

The problem seems to only occur when the rig is not level fore to aft-the front being higher than the rear. As stated in a previous entry, rain water is collecting on the aft section of the rolled up awning. Then this collection of water dumps on the ledge of the window in the bunk area where it then starts to seep in.

I think there needs to be overhanging ledge/baffle along the top of the window to divert rain away from the bottom of the window frame.

Wednesday, February 08, 2012

I took the rig out today and topped off the LPG tank (4 gallons for $17) and the fuel tank ($50 worth at $3.39/gallon). It has been nearly eight weeks since the rig has rolled so it seemed like a good idea to prove it some. It creaked a bit when I first started out but sounded good by the time I got back to my brother’s driveway. I only traveled about 12 non-highway miles.

There is an impending “conflict” between the US government, Israel, and Iran. If this happens, fuel prices could get very high. And that is a selfish comment. If this conflict happens, people will die needlessly. Who are these evil people responsible for starting  things like this?

Saturday, March 03, 2012

Since a new month has arrived it seemed prudent to make another log entry. I am still camped in my brother’s driveway in Corpus Christi. I am doing OK still. I have given up looking for work here as I hope to head back to Ohio next month. Brother keeps me busy with some projects on his house and said he will pay me some cash for the work. This is a blessing but one that I wish wasn’t needed. Family members should help each other without any expected compensation. If I wasn’t so “cash poor” I would help anyone for free.

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Brother’s house is all painted up now and I don’t have much else to do here. I put in a bid for some painting work next door. If they want me to do it, it will keep me busy for about a week. Otherwise I have tentative plans to leave Texas next week on route back to Ohio. The Ohio weather seems favorable now for RV living. So my next entry may find me on the road.

Thursday, April 12, 2012

This log entry still finds me in Texas. The bid I made on a painting job came to be. So I have been doing some painting on the house next door to my brother’s house. I should be done in another day or two. The pay for this work will nearly pay for the fuel I will need to get back to Ohio. So it has been a blessing to get more work. Some folks from the church need some work done but I did not bid on any more work. It is warming up here and I need to head for a cooler Spring/Summer climate. I have tentative plans to hit the road the week of April 16 2012.

Thursday, April 27, 2012

This log entry still finds me in Texas. The painting job has been done for several days and I have been paid for it. I remained to attend the hearing for Hannah Overton. She is the daughter of my brother Keith’s wife. I will not make any details here concerning that matter. I hope to hit the road early next week.

----------------------------------    CHAPTER 7 ---------------------------------------

Monday, April 30, 2012

The hearing is over, I’ve said my farewells, and the rig is checked out. I intend to roll out by 10AM tomorrow morning.

Travel Day #1, Tuesday, May 01, 2012

I was rolling by 10:15PM. The engine fluids checked out OK yesterday but I had to charge the battery again for the engine to start. It had not been run for a couple of weeks. This battery discharge problem is on my fix-list.

The rig ran really well. The clicking in the left front wheel is more pronounced now. Is it the hubcap? I removed it and put it back on in a different position.

I got through CC without any problems. It has been partly cloudy and hot (95ish) and humid all day long. I only traveled about 200 miles in four hours today and stopped in Schulenburg. I did a full hook up. There were a few things I wanted to check out before traveling too far-things I could not check in my brother’s driveway.

The rig’s fluids checked out OK for tomorrow. The water heater fix is holding. No leaks. I also checked the oil in the differential. It was OK. The TV hookup that I added on the road side does not work. It could be anything at this point so I’ll keep playing with it.

Travel Day #2, Wednesday, May 02, 2012

I was rolling by 9:30AM. Today’s events: I got off course once but got it corrected soon enough (missed a turn). Later in the day the exhaust leak up front got louder. I don’t think I can make any road repairs. I’m praying my journey is done before it gets much worse.

I traveled until 4:30 today and camped in Carthage Texas. I had hoped to reach Shreveport today but it is only about 30 miles away so I almost made it. I am at “Carthage RV Campground”. It is on the Rt 79 “outerbelt”. I don’t recall doing the outer belt before. Maybe I went through downtown coming to Texas.

This camp is clean and has concrete pads and roads. The only negatives I would give it are they aren’t overly  friendly (but helpful) and even though they tout Wi-Fi, It isn’t free. Or if it is, they don’t know how to hook you up to it. Maybe the clerk today was a “new guy” and was still learning.

The rig’s fluids checked out OK for tomorrow except I did add ½ quart of 10W-30 oil to the engine. The engine dieseled when I first stopped at camp. I’m still thinking it is cheap fuel (ethanol laced) or maybe it is hot and tired at the end of the day. It has been hot and humid again all day so I started up the cabin A/C. It works good.

Travel Day #3, Thursday, May 03, 2012

I was rolling by 9:15 after a fuel up. It was foggy this morning but clear enough when I hit the road. Another day of hot and humid. The exhaust problem does not sound any worse so I’m going to roll on and pray it holds up until I reach my destination. No navigation problems occurred today. I am camped in Canton Mississippi for the night. I reached the Louisiana border around 10AM and the Mississippi border around 2PM. I traveled until about 4PM. I hope to get through Memphis by midday tomorrow and perhaps through Nashville by supper time.

Travel Day #4, Friday, May 04, 2012

I was rolling by 9:30 after a fuel up. It has been partly sunny/partly cloudy all day. Still in the 90’s and humid. I reached the Tennessee border around 1:00PM. The Memphis traffic was insane even at that time of day. I prayed and God the Father got me through it OK.

I stopped at Yuma Tennessee around 4PM. Nashville is about 80miles from here. I hope to be in Kentucky by lunchtime and half way through the state by supper time. That would put me in Ohio by supper time on Sunday.

Nothing eventful happened today. I am weary of driving but don’t have far to go now. The exhaust leak does not seem to be any worse so I am still praying that it will stay together for another couple of days.

Travel Day #5, Saturday, May 05, 2012

I was rolling at 9:45AM. I drove until 7PM (Central Time) and traveled 375 miles today. That was not my intent. I meant to stop for the night just north of Louisville Kentucky but could not find an RV park on/off Route 71. There were two “camping” signs that I checked out. I did not note the town name or camp name. They were far off the highway. The first camp was empty and had metal entrance gates. Only half of the gate was open. This place did not look inviting at all. So I drove on to where there was supposedly another RV park. There was an occasional sign for this park. But I just kept going and going on this winding and hilly road and in a westerly direction. I did not feel safe at this point and was blessed to find a spot to turn around. So I got back on 71 and drove until another camp sign was spotted. The sign read “Camp, 5 miles”. That was farther than I wanted to go but it was getting late and I needed to stop. After some back tracking and directions from a kind stranger, I am finally camped at “Oak Creek RV Park”. This is the first RV park that I stopped at in 2010 on my first trip to Texas. It seems to be the ONLY RV park between Louisville and Cincinnati.

Notes- I only have about 200 miles to go.

There are lots of cops in Tennessee & Kentucky.

There was some rain later in the day but it was light and did not last long.

Rig is getting louder(?) Or is it all of the hills?

Travel Day #6, Sunday, May 06, 2012

I got on the road at 10AM after adding ½ quart of oil and fueling up. The owner of the RV park gave me directions back to route 71 via route 75. This way had fewer hills and winding road. I had no trouble getting back onto route 71. This is probably how I got to the park in 2010 when I was headed south. There does not appear to be a direct way here when one is headed north. The weather was good all day but the traffic was heavy. Cincinnati and Columbus had very heavy traffic which surprised me the day being Sunday. I had a couple of close calls changing lanes. Some drivers seem to ignore turn signals and/or are just plain rude. (Do my turn signals need brighter bulbs?). I arrived in my mom & brother’s driveway at 3:30PM safe and sound.

Trip summary:             Traveled 1593 Miles

                                    Used 176 gallons of fuel

                                    Used 1.0 quarts of Oil

                                    Spent $640 on fuel

                                    Spent $143 on Lodging @ RV Parks

                                    Total cost of trip (less “extras”), $783

Supplementary Log Entry, 06/15/2012

I have been back in Ohio for almost two months now. I worked three weeks for Rivers Burke. He is struggling financially right now so my work with him is on hold. He still wants me to help him out but the extra dollars aren’t there right now. So I am seeking another income stream. “Jobs” are still tight around here right now unless you are a truck driver with a CDL or a STNA. I am OK for 2.5 to 3 three months with my current cash reserve before panic sets in.

The exhaust leak on the rig is around the left side of the engine manifold. I could not find the leak. The manifold seems solid. Perhaps it is a blown gasket. As I feared though, this is something that I would prefer not to tear into myself. I’m guessing I’ll need to come up with $200-$350 for someone else to fix it.

But, I continue to be well fed, healthy, and not unhappy. I just don’t know what to do with myself when I am not working. I do a few things for Mom and Sandy here to hopefully pull my weight some, but I feel that it is not enough. I glide through the days with no worries but no goals nor direction. Am I possessed by the Holy Spirit? Or Satan?

Supplementary Log Entry, 07/05/2012

I am still OK. To date my state of being is as the same as the last log entry. I continue to seek work on numerous internet websites and local newspapers. I send out resumes to no avail. I am not in a panic yet but I am down to $1000 in cash reserves. This time last year I was not working for pay either. It was the last week in July of 2011 before I got some work with Rivers Burke. I am still hopeful that something will come up so I can earn a grubstake to ready the rig for travel before the Ohio Winter. My long term goal is to get back on my feet and get established somewhere so I do not have to travel any more. I leave that up to God. I still do not know what I am doing nor what I should be doing. Should I give up looking for a j-o-b and concentrate on generating a cash flow by other means? What? How?

Supplementary Log Entry, 08/07/2012

A new month but things are about the same as the last log entry. I did work for Rivers for two weeks while he was out of town. It was just tending to the animals and a little mowing-just enough to make the travel time to his place worth while. He still has cash problems. There is still a chance to get more work from him on his farm and a deal he is pursuing in New York. It would be a week to ten days per month and would be long hours. But, I could make some serious cash if it comes to be.

I continue to seek work on numerous internet websites and local newspapers. I send out resumes and respond to ads by telephone, all to no avail. I am not in a panic yet but I am down to $800 in cash reserves.

I’ve started a project that is partly “a labor of love”, partly a business venture. I’m writing a “how to” manual for installing a hand operated water pump over an existing well head. I will give the manual away for free but hope that some folks will hire me to do the work. There is some risk in me doing this as there are “registration” and “licensing” issues for working on water wells in Ohio. But, I sincerely believe that everyone who has their own well should have a backup hand pump. A recent storm caused a wide spread power outage for over a week. What did those folks do for water? (Mom & Sandy have a backup pump that I installed in 2010).

So anyway, that is where I am now.

Supplementary Log Entry, 09/03/2012

A new month but things are about the same as the last log entry. I have not had any paid work for three weeks now. Mom does pay me a little for mowing the yard. I keep in touch with Rivers. He still has work for me but still has cash problems. There is still a chance to get more work from him on his farm and the deal he is pursuing in New York. It would be a week to ten days per month and would be long hours. But, I could make some serious cash if it comes to be.

I continue to seek work on numerous internet websites and local newspapers. I send out resumes and respond to ads by telephone, all still to no avail. I am starting to panic as I am down to about $300 in cash reserves. I may need to change my lifestyle real soon.

The nHand Pump project is nearly done. I completed the flier/instruction pamphlets and have distributed about 30 of the fifty sets so far. I am working on getting it on the Internet via my blog. Then this project will be complete. The neighbor let me install a pump for him so I could get photos and work out bugs in the instructions. They promised to reimburse me for the material.

I have spoke to some neighbors about work and keep passing out cards. Hopefully something will turn up.

So anyway, that is where I am now.

Supplementary Log Entry, 10/01/2012

A new month but things are about the same as the last log entry. I have not had any paid work since my last entry. Mom still pays something now and then for doing odd jobs. Rivers did not get the revenue he was expecting so it is doubtful that I will get any work from him in the near future. This month marks the third year since I was laid off from my career job of 30 years. I wrote them a letter last month with my current contact information. I have not heard anything from them. Maybe I will call sometime.

I continue to seek work on numerous internet websites and local newspapers. I send out resumes and respond to ads by telephone, all still to no avail. I am starting to panic as I am down to about $180 in cash reserves. I may need to change my lifestyle real soon.

The nHand Pump project is done. I distributed 50 sets of the instruction manuals along with my business cards. I have had zero response so far. The instruction manual is now on my blog also (for free).

I had my sixtieth birthday last week. I am blessed to be in good health and mental capacity.

“The world is on fire” with financial problems, civil unrest and government corruption in numerous parts of the world. The presidential election in the USA looks to be a scary farce. I believe we the people are/will be in a world of hurt soon. May God have mercy on our souls.

So anyway, that is where I am now.

Supplementary Log Entry, 11/01/2012

Nothing much new. I am still parked at my brother’s place in Howard Ohio. I did move the rig out of the side yard and onto the gravel driveway though.

I will now definitely have to spend this winter in Ohio as I have no traveling funds nor any hope of getting it. I continue to pick up some odd work now and then so thanks to our Heavenly Father I have not been totally broke. My cash balance hovers between $100-$200 of late.

I have been working on winterizing the rig the best I can to make ready for the cold winter forthcoming. I intend to dwell in the rig unless it becomes unbearably cold as it is the only “space” that I have here.

I am still OK thanks to blessings from our Father and family. It bothers me that I am not supporting myself. Even when I was in college many years ago I at least was able to support myself.

So I will continue on the best that I can and give thanks for I do have.

Supplementary Log Entry, 12/01/2012, 2100 Hours

This date and time last year I was camped in an RV park in the middle of Kentucky headed southwest. But for now I am still parked at my brother’s place in Howard Ohio.

I continue to pick up some odd work now and then so thanks to our Heavenly Father I have not been totally broke. My cash balance hovers between $100-$200 of late. I did borrow $500 from sister Brenda so I could get stocked up on propane and other necessities for getting through this winter.

I have been acquiring things to work on this winter like a generator and engines to convert to propane fuel. This interests me and perhaps it will be useful to someone. “Things” are still crazy and scary. Something bad is likely to happen. There seems to be no end to the insanity that is plaguing these united states and other nations.

I continue to pray for guidance and strength. I am still OK thanks to blessings from our Father and family.

Supplementary Log Entry, 01/01/2013,  1400 Hours

New month, new year, and I am no better off. My cash reserves is under $20.

This date and time last year I was camped in my brother’s driveway in Corpus Christy Texas. But for now I am still parked at my other brother’s place in Howard Ohio. We had some nice weather in December but now it has turned cold. About 30-40 degrees during the day and low to mid twenties at night. It has been OK thus far. The furnace on the rig is keeping me warm enough. I did borrow a 100 pound LPG tank from the local RV park. It cuts down on the fill-ups and my 40 pound tank gives me a backup.

Still not much work. I hope to shovel some snow to get a little bit of cash and perhaps the new year will bring some more opportunities. I want to prepare to re-locate in the spring if a work opportunity warrants it. Otherwise I will stay in Howard, put out a large garden, and help out with whatever I can. I still do not have any direction in life, do not know what to do with myself, and I do not feel needed nor wanted sometimes.

I put articles on my blog and in the newspaper to pass the time. But I fear that at some point I will be literally “bouncing off the walls”. I do not feel cramped in the rig. I just need some space and a place to do something!

Same month. More notes:

Watching any amount of TV (just to be sociable) causes brain cells to be sucked through my eyeballs. I have come to the conclusion that watching TV can be a very brain dead and anti-social behavior. Even if one is not watching alone.

I am losing my intellect due to a lack of intelligent conversation.

I feel that I am being assimilated into a lifestyle of the mundane.

The cold weather is sapping my strength and makes me sleepy all of the time.

Not having to take care for myself is robbing my self esteem and self confidence.

Not being financially able to support myself does the same.

Supplementary Log Entry, 01/22/2013,  0900 Hours

The temperatures have been around 40F or warmer during the day and around thirty at night. A 40 pound LPG cylinder will fuel the furnace for about ten days at these temperatures. That applies when the thermostat is set to keep it about 60F in the lodge part during the day and set to 45F at bedtime. Also the cab is blocked off with a wool blanket. The stove is used about three times per day to heat water. So it has been OK so far.

The outside temperature is 17F as I write this. It was 21F outside last night when I collected this data: Inside temperature = 63F, the furnace runs about 9 minutes and stays off for about 17 minutes before starting another heating cycle. If it matters, a 75W light bulb was on as well as two computers and the refrigerator.

So the rig is approaching its limit on cold weather occupancy. I did face the rig so that the morning sun shines through the picture window. This helps. I hope that it warms up soon and does not get any colder.

Supplementary Log Entry, 02/01/2013

I am still in Howard. I never seem to have more than $20 and that is usually a handout from Mom. One side effect of being poor (and cold) is that my beer consumption is less than half of what it was.

The weather changes from pleasant (50-60 degrees) to cold (15-30 degrees). The snow comes and goes. It has not been as bad as I feared spending an Ohio winter in the rig. But it has been challenging. The furnace has been making “I’m going to break” noises for almost two weeks now. I think it is one of the blades on the exhaust fan. I’m hoping that it will hold together until the heating season is over. I will pull it out then and clean and repair it.

I had two job interviews this week. One was a waste of time. The other was a cold call but there is an inkling of hope there. Imessco is working with John Novak on a innovative new product. I met John a few times through Jim Doane Jr. They were friends of sorts and I think Jim was working with John on this new product. So anyway, in this case I know someone who knows someone. The CEO of Immesco also knows my cousin Jack Hissong. He is a P.E. It could be a foot in the door. We will see. The “withholding” deal will be an issue with me. Perhaps there will be a solution if things go that far. I also visited Divelbiss Corp. a few days ago. This is where I worked for over thirty years before a layoff put me where I am. I spoke with Terry Divelbiss (the president). He stated that business is still not back to where it was in 2007. Not much has changed since I was there last in 2009. It was nice to see some of my former co-workers. It was a good visit and I am glad that I stopped in.

I am still writing articles for my blog and the newspaper to keep busy. I’m also designing a chicken tractor to possibly build this spring. If I stay in Howard, I intend to start a chicken brood. My mother and brother are not…..let’s just say they are not self starters and tend to procrastinate along with having negative attitudes. So anyway, I try to push them along sometimes. The world around us continues to grow more insane and uncertain. “Prepping” is a must these days if a remnant is to survive.

Supplementary Log Entry, 02/07/2013

This entry is made as a note on LPG consumption. The 100# bottle lasted 15 days. It may have gone another day but it was nearly empty so I had it filled. The temperatures have been in the mid thirties in the day and as low as 18-20 at night. There were a couple of warmer days also.

So if LPG weighs about 4.3 pounds per gallon, I used 100/4.3 or about 23 gallons in 15 days. This equates to about 1.53 gallons (23/15) per day in cold weather as described. So if I had installed a 200 gallon tank at a cost of about $200, it would have lasted about 131 days (200/1.53) or maybe 4.5 months (131/30). This would have been a whole lot less money than repeatedly filling up the 100# and 40# cylinders. And the 200 gallon tank could have quite possibly lasted all winter (all of the heating season).

Noted on 01/11/2014: My brother in law, sister Brenda’s husband, died by his own hand in February of 2013.

Supplementary Log Entry, 03/01/2013

I am still in Howard. New month but life is about the same. I never seem to have more than $20 and that is usually a handout or a loan from Mom.  My “IOU” ledger is now up $1000 so I am no longer debt free. I had an interview in Newark last week. It was a factory maintenance position and probably a good place to get into 30 years ago. The interview went well but if they make me an offer I regrettably must recline. The place uses some nasty acids and I don’t want to be around it.

“Almost work” still pops up but I am still not making any cash. I will say that I continue to learn about things. With lots of free time to fill, I research generators, LPG engines, farming, God, people, etc, etc. A feeling came to me once several years ago that I was in training for something. Perhaps I still am. I continue to pray for something to do and guidance. I also give thanks that I am healthy, well fed, and have a place to live.

One job (that I will not make any money) caused me to acquire an electronic CAD package to generate a schematic diagram. The CAD package is a free demo version and has some limitations but is working for me just fine. “DIPTRACE” is the one I decided to get (perhaps purchase the full version someday) a couple of years ago. Anyway, I am relearning what I did for so many years at Divelbiss Corp. It is sort of fun and things are coming back to me. Perhaps I can do something with this. I’ve seemed to have recovered from electronic burnout.

The birds are getting active outside and the daylight hours are longer. So when the temperature gets above the mid 50’s, I’ll get active outside.

Supplementary Log Entry, 04/01/2013

So I am still in Howard. I did get some paid work last month and made about $400 doing some electrical work. If I could do that on a regular basis I could get back on my feet and work toward being more independent. That boost and another loan from sister Brenda got me off of the bottom again concerning cash reserves.

I continue to look for paid work but I do keep busy. I have several projects going on right now and cannot seem to finish any of them for one reason or another. The CAD program listed in my last entry has been very useful. I am in the process of designing an “OVP” for residential generators. This was inspired by the purchase ($20) of a generator that had blown out a refrigerator due to a faulty speed governor. Anyway, I may decide to bring the OVP to a PCB prototype and perhaps there is a market for it. I also have a Spice package for an evaluation period. It is the one I used at Divelbiss. It has been useful on this endeavor.

Other stuff: The weather is slowly warming. I hope to prepare a garden this month.

This time last year I was very tanned and very slim. This winter in Ohio undid all of that. I hope to slim down at least this summer.

All in all the past winter was tolerable. Avoid the same situation in the future if possible. But if I cannot, I at least know now what it will be like and can possibly be better prepared for it. Definitely set up a 200 gallon propane tank to use instead of the 100 & 40 pound bottles. It will be less money.

As before, I lack any life direction and oddly, I don’t seem to worry about it anymore. I’ve learned to be thankful for what I have and give daily praise to our Father in Heaven for the blessings. The insanity and evil doings in America and all over continue. I am very tempted to shut every thing out and get more focused at the “smaller picture”.

“…for the prudent shall keep silent… for it is an evil time. Seek good and not evil….” (Amos 5:12-15)

One last thing, there is a “boom town” in North Dakota (Wilisison or something). Oil drilling and construction for housing and businesses. I’ll keep an eye on this. Perhaps later in the year head that way? I’ll need traveling money and some cash to get the rig fixed up and ready to go.

Supplementary Log Entry, 05/01/2013

So I am still in Howard. I did get some more paid work last month and made a few dollars doing electrical work and fixing “yard engines”. I have about $700 left from what sister Brenda loaned me.

I continue to look for paid work but I do keep busy. I still have several projects going on right now and they are slowly headed toward completion. The “OVP” design for residential generators is done. I will order material and build a prototype when I feel comfortable with the cash outlay.

Other stuff: The weather is warming and I have begun tilling up for a garden. I have mowed the lawn twice now. It gives me something to do and helps pay for my keep here. It will also help me burn off the gut I put on this past winter.

And still, I lack any life direction and don’t seem to worry about it. I am trying to help family members and others where and when I can. That seems to be enough for now.

I don’t want to go to any of the Dakotas no matter how much work is there. They have some long and harsh winters there.

My major goal this spring to fall is to earn all the cash that I can and get the rig prepped to travel. Of course if I had a better option for lodging that would be better. Though I must admit that I missed traveling this past winter and spring.

Supplementary Log Entry, 06/02/2013

‘Still parked in my brother’s driveway in Howard. I am down to about $400 cash, I owe my sister almost $1500 and my brother about $500. I worked for cash some last month and continue to pick up small jobs here and there. They pay well when they come. If paid work was more consistent I could get back on my feet.

There are always plenty of things for me to do. My sister bought a house not far from here and I will be helping her with some fix up and clean up to work off at least part of my debt.

Lots of changes within the family the past few weeks. More job losses, death, cancer, siblings moving to other towns (closer which is good).

The insanity of the world continues. But….

The gardens are planted and veggies are popping up.

The generator is working now (A 5KW generator and only about $60 invested in it!)

I am getting back into good physical shape and have lost a few pounds.

Supplementary Log Entry, 07/01/2013

There is nothing much new to say from my last entry except that my cash reserves now hover around $300. I have worked off part of the debt with my sister. I am hoping to “sell” the repaired generator to my Mom & brother to settle most of the debt that I have with them. Not much paid work lately thus not much income. WWIII looks like it could erupt about anytime. I pray and pray. I pray that others are also praying. Somehow I am not worried. If there is something for me to do everyday, that seems to be enough. Have I lost my mind? (I do not think so).

Supplementary Log Entry, 08/03/2013

‘Still in Howard. I am close to being cash broke but I have had a painting job for the past few days. When it is complete my pay may be close to $400. Mom and brother now own the generator so my debt with them is cleared. They were too generous but I accepted it. I continue to get small fixit jobs here and there. There haven’t been any “employment” jobs to apply to for some time now-ones that I would qualify for. Technical work is scarce.

Sister Wendy is moving from Marysville in with sister Brenda in Apple Valley next week. Wendy’s son Benny moved to Newark this week. He is sharing and apartment with his young girlfriend and her mother. An odd arrangement I think.

We are getting some veggies from the garden in spite of varmints and flooding. The hens are laying eggs like crazy. So I have everything that I need. I just don’t know what I want.

Insanity and evil in the world continues. Much of it is with those in power.

Supplementary Log Entry, 09/02/2013

There is nothing much new to say. I still get an odd job now and then-nothing steady. I did have two interviews with PACs in Mount Vernon. They made me an offer but when I stated that I would not sign a W4 nor give an SSN the deal seems to have fallen through. My convictions are still strong on this matter.

I am OK. I probably will have to winter here in Ohio again. I am concerned about the rig sitting so long. It would be nice to have the resources to take it out somewhere. Perhaps a remote and temporary job site or a minnie vacation. I would like to get away from here for at least a short time. God bless my Mom and older brother but it is a challenge to be around them so much. Our life styles are so much different.

There was another death in the family-Michelle (Shelly) Pence. A sad year so far. And now the feds are talking about waring on Syria. Some say this could lead to WWIII.

Supplementary Log Entry, 10/04/2013

Same o same o. The cash balance hovers between $20 and $400. I continue to get odd jobs. They pay well. It just needs to be more of them and more consistently. Sis continues to give me work at her place and she is generous with the cash.

I intend to take the rig out soon. I’ve made it temporarily road legal. My intent is to get the LPG and fuel tanks topped off and get the tires aired up. That will be about a 20 mile excursion. There is still the exhaust leak but I think it will make it out and back OK. I’ll say a little prayer first.

Insanity in the world continues. There doesn’t seem to be any escape but I and everyone that I know all seem to be OK.

My youngest daughter Megan will be married in a few weeks.

Supplementary Log Entry, 11/02/2013

Same o same o. The cash balance hovers between $20 and $300. I continue to get odd jobs. They pay well. It just needs to be more of them and more consistently. I have about three weeks of work pending between three different clients. I am waiting on them to call me. I hesitate doing follow-ups as I do not want to appear desperate. There is a man near Danville that I have been doing some electrical work for (James ?). I get about two days work per week from him. It may come to pass that this will be the case all winter. That would be good.

My youngest daughter Megan is now married. It was a nice ceremony and reception party. I felt so good about it all that I even gave Megan’s mom (my ex) a hug.

Another death in the family. My sister’s mother in law Barb Pence (three deaths in the Pence family this year).

I have not been able to take the rig out yet. I was all prepped to go one morning and the battery was dead. I got it charged and started the engine then noticed the needle on the battery voltage meter was low. Long story short, the alternator went bad. It may be that the tranny fluid issue (see repair log) caused it to fail over time. Or there may be a converter back-feed issue. I’ll need to figure it out. I am thankful that the alternator did not fail while I was on the road. Anyway I do not have the $100 to replace it right now so I am grounded for now. I still hope to roll the rig somewhere for a few miles just to turn the tires and drive train. I want to keep it road worthy and not rot away in a driveway.

Log entry 11/09/2013

I replaced the engine alternator today so now the power plant is up and running again. ‘Still have the exhaust leak though. I have a 100 gallon propane tank on order. I still hope to take the rig out and roll a few miles before the LPG tank is installed for the winter.

Supplementary Log Entry, 11/15/2013

I took the rig out for a little excursion today. ‘Went to Apple valley and put $20 worth of gasoline into it and topped off the on-board LPG tank ($24). She creaked a bit when I first started out but it all got smoothed out. It really looked good standing by a fuel pump ready to roll instead of sitting in a driveway. And it felt good behind the steering wheel. If only…..  So I traveled maybe 15 miles and part of it was at highway speeds. I put her up to 65 to pull a hill and it went well. I would say she “purrs” but there is still that exhaust leak. I wanted to get the tire pressure checked but a highway close off hindered that. I’ll check the PSI myself. If the tires need aired up badly, I will try to get it out again before the weather prohibits it. All in all, the mini trip went well and I praise God for it. I feel better now that I was able to get the rig out and prove it is still road worthy and that I am still portable.

Supplementary Log Entry, 12/01/2013

I now have a 100 gallon propane tank set up in front of the rig. I hope this will last two or three months and be more economical that using the 100 and 40 pound cylinders. I measured the PSI on the tires. They are about 5PSI too low (55 instead of 60) but I hope they will be OK. I am more concerned about the cracking. I hope there is another couple thousand miles left in them.

This December has been colder than last year. There have been a few nights where it got down to 20 degrees and barely above freezing during the day. The furnace is working well but does make an inflating sort of sound when the blower kicks on. Does the new blower have more of a CFM output than the old one? I don’t think there is a problem but I’ll keep an eye on it.

Work is still off and on. At this date I am off. I applied for an open maintenance position at a church last week. I have not heard anything from them. Tomorrow I will apply for a maintenance position at an apartment complex in Mount Vernon. I do not have high hopes but I need to try. I still may get some work from Marty M. if his deal goes through. And James still needs help but has cash flow problems at this time.

Thanksgiving day is now over and I will be glad when the Christmas ordeal is over with. I give thanks every day for what I have so that day is redundant for me. Sister Brenda did cook up a fantastic meal for it though. I was not very socialable that day. Three hours looking at mundane/insane TV and listening to loud and inane conversation shut my brain down.

I ran the engine of the rig a couple of weeks ago. It ran fine. I had left the battery connected and it was not discharged. Also when I re connected the battery after replacing the alternator, I did not seem to get the spark that used to happen. It was my thought then that the spark was related to the parasitic load on the battery that was draining it over time. I am wondering now if the faulty alternator was the parasitic power draw. It has an internal voltage regulator that may have been what failed eventually and was hiding other problems. I am blessed that it did not fail while I was on the road.

I am so looking forward to spring and warmer weather. I want to get out of here and do something different. I will go where I am needed though as God guides me.

Supplementary Log Entry, 01/02/2014

Another month, another year. Things are about the same as last month. The cold winter is in full swing. We do get a couple of days here and there of 40 degrees. I still get enough work to keep from going totally broke. The two job interviews mentioned last month did not pan out.

I bought a digital thermostat for the furnace and installed it by the road side door above the one storage cabinet. It was located in the bunk area. It is now easier to set the cabin temperature more consistently. I calculate that I am using about a gallon or so of LPG per day. This is in line with my estimates from last winter. The 100 gallon tank gauge is reading a little above 50 which I interpret to 50% of 100 gallons or 50 gallons remaining. So if things go well, the tank may hold up until mid February.

The furnace is still making that inflating noise when the fan first turns on. I may look into it if we get a warm day. Otherwise the furnace is keeping it warm in here OK.

I ran the rig’s engine a few days ago and in spite of the cold weather, the battery still had a strong charge. So I am now about 98% sure that the battery discharge problem was the faulty alternator. I will make no mention of it again unless I am proven wrong.

Supplementary Log Entry, 01/06/2014

I may have to spend tonight in the house. It is 2PM as I write this and though it is sunny outside, the temperature is 8ºF. The forecast for over night is sub-zero temperatures. With the digital thermostat set to 67º, the aft mercury thermometer is hovering around the 60º mark. The forward mercury thermometer is hovering around the 58º mark. And if it matters, all of the lights are on plus both computers are on. The furnace duty cycle is roughly 50:50 with an average of 8 minutes on to an average of 7 minutes off. The average was calculated after five on/off cycles of the furnace.

It is usually comfortable in here with the digital thermostat set to 67º (This gets a 60º reading on the fore and aft mercury thermometers). I do wear a flannel shirt and socks. But with the outside temperature is below 10ºF, my feet are cold even with three pair of socks on. The propane tank is still reading about 40 gallons so I am OK in that way. I am somewhat concerned about the furnace running so much. It has some age on it and was it designed only to take the chill off while camping? Therefore is cold winter heating is taxing its capabilities?

Supplementary Log Entry, 01/07/2014

So I packed a couple of videos, a few beers and moved into the house for a night or two. I turned the thermostat down to 45º so the rig would not go into a hard freeze. I am praying that the antifreeze in the engine will keep the block from freezing and cracking. It has not been in this harsh of weather for many years.

I am going crazy in the house so as soon as the temperature gets as high as 10º it is back to the rig. The forecast for tonight is “warmer” (above 0).

Supplementary Log Entry, 01/18/2014

I ran the rigs engine a few days ago after checking the fluids. It started OK so the subzero temperatures did not seem to harm it.

My nephew Benny and his girlfriend are moving in with his mom (my sister Wendy) this weekend. We all hope that it will be a better situation for everyone involved.

As it was this time last year, I am going crazy for lack of something meaningful to do and any intelligent conversation. The two winter work jobs that I was counting on are not happening. Maybe they are having problems also. I did put my fixit ad in the Mount Vernon newspaper for several days. I have not had any calls on it yet. Hopefully a few people wrote down my phone number.

Just about a year ago to date, I made the following entry:

“Watching any amount of TV (just to be sociable) causes brain cells to be sucked through my eyeballs. I have come to the conclusion that watching TV can be a very brain dead and anti-social behavior. Even if one is not watching alone.

I am losing my intellect due to a lack of intelligent conversation.

I feel that I am being assimilated into a lifestyle of the mundane.

The cold weather is sapping my strength and makes me sleepy all of the time.

Not having to take care for myself is robbing my self esteem and self confidence.

Not being financially able to support myself does the same.”

I would reiterate those thoughts again at this time.

Supplementary Log Entry, 01/20/2014

It seems more LPG efficient (and more comfortable) to set the thermostat for around 57º before bedtime instead of 47º. The inside temperature (and walls and other surfaces) then does not have such a long recovery time for the daytime setting of 67º.

Supplementary Log Entry, 01/21/2014

Another cold spell. It is 15º as I write this at 9PM. It did not get much above 20º all day. The LPG (100 gallon tank) is down to about 18 gallons. I was hoping that it would last until the first or second week of February but it may not. I’m guessing I’ll have enough to last until the end of the month. The duty cycle on the furnace is about 50:50. Given the temperature and all other considerations, that is not bad or better than I would have guessed it to be.

Supplementary Log Entry, 01/24/2014

The gauge on the 100 gallon LPG tank is reading 0. The 40# cylinder has a couple of gallons left in it. I am running on it now and will get it filled tomorrow. Hopefully this will last until the 100 gallon tank is filled. I intend to use the 100 gallon tank in the daytime until it is depleted and hookup the 40# cylinder for the night. I don’t want to have to get up in the wee hours of the morning to switch tanks. The on-board tank is still full so I have that as a backup.

Supplementary Log Entry, 01/25/2014

Not a good day. I left in the morning to get the 40# LPG cylinder filled at the RV park near Millwood. The roads were snow covered and I found out later that we were under a level 2 snow emergency. I made an unwise choice (by not turning around and going back to brother’s place) and ended up in a wreck just before getting to “eagles curve” on route 36. The car started sliding while going around a curve. I was going fairly slow-maybe 30MPH. I saw another vehicle coming the opposite way and I seem to remember vehicle(s) behind me. The car spun and was hit in the left rear door. I do not know who hit me. One vehicle (the one behind me?) went over the bank on the right side of the road. I ended up on the right side of the road but was facing back the way I came. I do not know exactly what happened. I was busy trying to get the vehicle straight.

Thankfully no one was hurt. The folks in the vehicle that collided with me and a passerby helped me get the folks out of the vehicle that went over the bank. They left with the passerby guy in his pickup truck. They had called AAA and did not want to stay. Someone called the law. I think it may have been the ones in the vehicle that collided with me as they told me “they are on the way…” and that everyone should stay put. I went up to see if they were all OK. I think there were four or five people in the vehicle (SUV?).

While we were waiting on the highway patrol, maybe 8 to 10 other vehicles past by us and all of them were sliding around the curve. One was a woman with a child. She came close to sliding over the bank on the right side of the road. Thankfully she got stopped in time. I advised her to engage the 4WD and back straight back into the road as she was close to the edge of the embankment.  She was also told to keep away from the right side burm and use the 4WD (she was in a SUV).

A ten wheel semi tractor (no trailer) went sliding on the curve also. He was going near sideways almost to the top of the hill at “eagles curve”. He ended up broadside in the highway. Someone with a 4WD pickup (I think it had a snowplow on it) helped the big truck get straitened out and on up the hill.

Another pickup truck came close to going over the bank on the right side. He stopped and engaged his 4WD and went on also.

So I am noting all of this in case it matters. I have to appear in court on February 5^th. I was cited for “failure to control” and an expired driver’s license. I intend to argue the “failure to control” as everyone was having trouble controlling at that time and under those conditions. I am guilty of making an unwise choice to travel under those conditions but I don’t feel that I did anything wrong. Two hours later the roads (Rt 36 anyway) was in pretty good shape. I should have delayed my trip until then.

I knew that the DL was expired (4 years ago) but that has been one of my items of protest. If they did not ask for the damn SSN and that you declare that you are a “US Citizen” I would not have as much of an issue with keeping it renewed. So I don’t know what will happen in court. The last time I was in court was for a collision (over 4 years ago) and the license was expired then for the same reason. The court sentenced me to 30 days in jail and a three or four hundred dollar fine. The jail time was suspended under the condition that I get a license and keep “legal” for a three year period. So I did all of that. We will see what these tortured souls have in mind for me this time.

I am losing my flipping mind.

Supplementary Log Entry, 01/27/2014

They came today and filled the 100gallon LPG tank. The maximum gauge reading is “80” so I presume that is 80% of a 100 gallon tank or 80 gallons. LPG took a spike in price because of the demand increase. It is about $4.20 per gallon today. So I may owe Mom & Sandy another $300. They had some put in their tank too so we will have to figure out the billing as to how much they got and how much I got.

The weather forecast is predicting subzero temperatures for tonight so I may have to sleep in the house for a night or two.

Supplementary Log Entry, 01/28/2014

It got down to -15F last night. I heard the rig’s furnace running almost constantly while trying to sleep in the house. I went out to check on things this morning and the thermostat was indicating a “LO” message. Since the mercury thermometers were indicating an inside temperature of about -8, I presume this temperature is beyond the control range of the digital thermostat. My water canteen (with water in it) was frozen solid. I brought my guitar inside along with few other things.

I am debating whether to put the old thermostat back on and get the heat on again or just sit out the cold spell inside the house. The subzero weather is in the forecast for at least another day.

Supplementary Log Entry, 01/30/2014

Day four inside the house as the temperature has not yet gotten above 10ºF since the 27^th. It still gets below zero at night. I am going crazy at a faster rate now. It has also been over four days since I have had any beer. It has been so cold a beer really does not sound tasty anyway. Because of the cold and change in fluid intake, I have been feeling “dopey” for a couple of days. It is sort of the way I felt when I quit smoking. Perhaps it is a withdrawal symptom of some sort. I have been drinking four to five cups of coffee per day instead of the normal one cup. Sooooooo…question is-should I continue to abstain from the beer? It sure would save me a lot of money that I do not have. The “dopey” symptom eventually eased off when I quit smoking. Perhaps it will again. And I realize that coffee is a whole lot less money than beer.

Supplementary Log Entry, 02/02/2014

Groundhog day. It was overcast all day so no groundhogs should have seen any shadows. So as the folk lore goes, we will have an early spring instead of six more weeks of winter.

I moved back to the rig a couple of days ago and spent two nights in it. I am back in the house now and perhaps will need to stay here until the weather warms up.

The furnace on the rig has a non consistent problem of not always lighting the burner. I have fussed and fussed with it and may do some more but as it stands now, I cannot depend upon it to run OK after I retire for the night and keep me from freezing. Here is a summary of what I found:

1. The “faston” terminals to the gas valve were loose (This was corrected but the problem persists)
2. There is a relay on the circuit board assembly that may be iffy. This relay controls the gas valve. It is a “Form C” and the NC contacts were reading open/high resistance while I had the PCB non-powered and on the work bench. The contacts may be burnt or corroded. This relay is sealed so I could not do much with it though I considered cutting the top off to see if the contacts could be cleaned. Probably should go ahead and replace this relay as a “PMS” act.
3. <<Mother and brother are watching “The Dukes of Hazard” at high volume as I make this entry. My mental decline is on a spiral. I gotta get outa this place>>
4. I think that the gas valve is OK. I worked it manually and it had a strong “thud” when activated. Plus I smelt gas when furnace tried to start.
5. It seemed at some point that the furnace would work or not depending if the outside cover was on or off. It is still possible that there is a flaky wire connection though it did not show up while doing the “wire wiggle” test.
6. There is about a 1.5 to 2V voltage drop across the thermostat wires, and about a 1V drop on some of the other wires depending what devices are on (fan, gas valve, control board, etc).

a.)    The voltage drop on the thermostat wires is < 1V when only the original wires are used instead of using the new position near the door. So I need to use some heavier wire and perhaps re-wire the whole thermostat wiring from the furnace. The thermostat seems to be carrying a considerable load current (0.5A?) since it provides a “GND” for the gas valve and control board.

b.)    The connections on the 6-pin field connector were iffy at one point. I though I got this corrected though when I had the furnace out to replace the fan motor. Check this again or perhaps consider re-wiring the whole thing when the heating season is over. Some of the wires are a stretch also so make them longer too.

7. I removed the igniter electrode assembly for inspection. It looked good. No corrosion or signs of burning.
8. With the above igniter assembly removed, I was able to partially inspect the inside of the burner assembly. The burner appears to have burnout/worn out/rust damage near where the gas comes into it. I can’t tell what it is supposed to look like from the drawings in the manual. It is not highly detailed. But I am guessing that the damaged part of the burner was a gas feed tube/chamber that directed the gas to near the tip of the burner. This is where the igniter spark occurs. So with this feed tube/chamber damaged, the gas is not getting to the spark and is instead collecting/remaining where the gas line is connected into the combustion chamber. This is probably the reason the exhaust is forced air otherwise this could be a dangerous situation. <<So how is all of that for a theory?>>

So, I may play with it some more as time permits. I need to prepare for the court date next week. Plus I still need to seek paid work. My cash reserves do last longer though when I am not spending it on beer.

<<That idiotic “Dukes of Hazard” TV show is STILL ON! How much more can I take?>

Supplementary Log Entry, 02/04/2014

Exciting day (ha ha). Went with sisters car shopping. Sister Wendy’s car is about shot. And I cleaned my hair brush.

Supplementary Log Entry, 02/09/2014

Still in the house. The temperatures barely get to 20 degrees. I am trying to prepare for my court date this week and write something up for Brenda. I am sitting at the kitchen table and can hear brother’s TV in his room and mom’s TV in the living room. There seems to be no escape from the dammed television. It is sucking my brains out. I am being absorbed and assimilated.

Supplementary Log Entry, 02/13/2014

Court went OK the other day. I plead innocent to both charges and now have a pre-trial date for February 26^th. I hope to have enough evidence pulled together in my favor by then that the charge(s) will be dropped.

Today was an interesting day. I think God was talking to me. Not sure what the message is/was yet but here is what happened:

Went to town with mom and sister. I waited in sis’s car while they had doctor appointments. I got to thinking about things-how I still have no direction in life, how I feel “dopy” all of the time etc. So later I went to get a copy of my DD-214 for an ID to get the DL issue resolved. The recorder’s office kindly blocked out the SSN on my DD-214. Well guess what the OMV department wanted with the DD-214? The fricken SSN. I tried to present my case of concerns regarding the SSN to the “DL Cop” but my words fell on deaf ears. So I am in a bit of a dilemma. In order to get a DL in Ohio, one is asked for a SSN (even though the ORC gives an exception), ya need a resident address and who knows what else. I don’t mind continuing to be a “DL outlaw” except it could cause problems for mom concerning the use of her vehicle and her & brother’s insurance policy. So I am praying for guidance on this.

Stuff that happened today:

1. Ran into Rusty Rine (East Knox Classmate) in the Southside Diner. He wants to get together sometime. I’ll give him a call when the weather gets better.

2. Had a job interview. I start next week helping to renovate a rental house. It will be 2-3 days per week initially but it can grow into more if things work out.

3. A former teacher and coach from East Knox (Tom Trace) lives next door to the rental house. Coincidence? I think I should pay attention. Perhaps my Father has something in store for me.

4. On the way back from the job interview I thought I might stop at “Fast Eddy’s” lawn service shop and drop off a resume. They are looking for a mechanic again. I have applied there before but they have yet to call me for an interview. Given the time of day (late rush hour) I was having second thoughts about stopping at “Fast Eddy’s”. It may have been difficult getting back onto Route 36 from his driveway at that time of day. So before I got there I consulted God about it. (I use to do this all of the time. What happened?) So what do I see when I get over the hill with ‘Eddy’s on the right? A cop’s flashing light on the left side of the road. I thought there was a wreck at first but it turns out a “violator” was trying to pull into ‘Eddy’s place-and this he did with the cop behind him. So given that scene and the fact that ‘Eddy’s parking lot was packed, I took this as a definite sign that I should move on-so I did.

So this has been an eventful day. I feel in better spirits. Warmer weather is in the forecast. I hope to work on the rig’s furnace tomorrow. If I can get it working again and IF the temperatures stay above 20° then I can move back into the rig and sleep in my own bunk again. All of this TV exposure in the house is driving me insane! If the masses are watching all of that crap, it is no wonder things are so bad. Everyone is being programmed to be stupid!

Supplementary Log Entry, 02/14/2014

I checked my blood pressure this morning for the first time in several months. It was a very healthy 122/68! This in spite of the cold weather, a gallon of coffee every day, and a lack of exercise. It is approaching three weeks since I have had any beer so do I see a connection here? I still do not have any desire for a brewsky. The cold weather initiated the wagon ride but now my attitude and perhaps strength to resist is coming from a higher power. I can’t help but feel that something bad is brewing (no pun intended) and there are things that need to be done…things that will require some clear thinking.

Supplementary Log Entry, 02/15/2014

I ran the rigs engine for a little while today. The battery needed charged for about a half hour first though. Not surprising with the sub-zero weather we have been having. The engine ran good. The oil is a bit low so I will need to check that and other fluids before traveling anywhere.

I got the old burner assembly out of the furnace. Thankfully the furnace did not have to come out of the rig to achieve this. The burner is definitely shot. I hope to travel down to “Country Boys” RV in Fredonia on Monday. Lord willing, I may be back in the rig on Monday evening.

It has been 21 days since I have drank any beer. ‘May as well abstain at least until the end of the month just to say that I did. (And perhaps God will direct me to continue past that. I just wish my head/alertness would return. I feel so sleepy all of the time even while drinking coffee all day.

Supplementary Log Entry, 02/22/2014

I got the new burner for the furnace installed and I now have heat again. It is such a blessing to be back in the rig where I can have some privacy and not have to listen to TV unless I want to.

It took some modifications to the new furnace burner and some other tweaking to make the furnace work again. They don’t make burners anymore for my older furnace but the guy at Country Boy said the burner he sold me would work. Well it did eventually. I added some notes to the furnace manual on what I had to do. So all is mostly well again.

I have some temporary work helping with fixing up an old house in Mount Vernon. There is enough work there to keep me busy most of the summer maybe. So we will see what happens. I still have at least two other clients with some pending work for me also.

I want to leave Howard and move on whenever I have the funds and a destination lined up. Sister Brenda is talking about buying up some land again which may give me somewhere else to go and perhaps help out. Otherwise I am looking at Virginia. I have family there now. If there are some good prospects for work there I may take a trip and check things out. It is less than 400 miles so 1 ½ days of easy travel time and about $150-$200 in fuel would get me there. So we will see.

Supplementary Log Entry, 03/02/2014

Another month has passed by. Actually everyone is relieved to see February gone. This time last year it was warmer but my thermometer is reading 50 as I write this. And the birds have been active so have squirrels, possums, etc. So thankfully we seem to be headed into spring weather.

My work on Gambier street is “done” for now. They may call me again later on. This time last year I barely had $20 to my name but I have near $300 at this time. So I am not totally broke and still have some work prospects pending.

My day in court was a flop. I had prepared my defense based on something that others had told me and what I thought I knew. Well I was found guilty of breaking their laws and that was that. There is no defense for it. I have heard that in over 90% of court cases, the defendant is always ruled guilty. It doesn’t matter if there was a victim or anyone was harmed. When anyone breaks their (the state) laws, right or wrong, the defendant is guilty and must be punished. So I had to pay a fine of $245. That is all they wanted anyway-just some revenue. The Bible tells us to settle matters outside of court. We should listen.

Supplementary Log Entry, 03/07/2014

I read a book this week by Billy Graham “Approaching Hoofbeats”. I bought it several weeks ago at a thrift store. Though I constantly read various articles, this is the first actual book I have read in quite some time.

I am having difficulty getting interested in doing anything. I just putter around. I do well when working for someone else and doing what they need done. So maybe it is a self motivation problem. I really feel that I need a change in scenery.

Supplementary Log Entry, 03/13/2014

This month is almost half over and we are still freezing. The snow is gone and it is sunny outside now but the temperature is 22º as I write this. We had a couple of warm days and it was so nice. The forecast is looking better for the rest of the week.

No work yet this month. I did put another handyman ad in the newspaper. It was worded a little differently. I did not use the “Big Ben’s Fixit” thinking maybe it is intimidating or on a par with “Honest Johns…”.

Supplementary Log Entry, 03/24/2014

Still cold outside and up to an inch of snow is in the forecast for tomorrow. It has been sunny though.

I have a new client who gave me some work this month. He owns three or four rentals so there may be some more work forthcoming. Another man wants help building a barn/garage so when the weather is better there may be a week or two of work there. And I had a referral from Tom Murdock. His friend Mike is setting up a machine shop and wants someone to wire up some machines with three phase powered motors. I don’t have any experience with that but I have been re-education myself on three phase power. I am fairly confident I can do the work if God will guide me. Working with 240-400Vac is a little scary though. I will pray for guidance and safety.

Supplementary Log Entry, 03/29/2014

Quick note. It will be April in a couple of days. It is 33 degrees as I write this and there is about an inch of snow on the ground. It has been snowing very heavily for about four hours now. But, 50 degree temperatures are predicted for tomorrow so maybe this is a last gasp of this winter season.

Supplementary Log Entry, 04/04/2014

March went “out like a lamb” with some nice weather but the lion has snuck back in since April has arrived. We have had a couple of nice sunny days with 70 degree temperatures. But it has been raining for two days now and hovering around 60 degrees and they are predicting snow flurries tonight. But, the grass is getting greener and the climate is gradually getting better.

Still no steady work and still at least half a dozen jobs waiting on good weather and finances. I will do some follow-ups soon just to keep in touch with the pending clients. In the meantime sister Brenda has a to-do list for me to help pay off some debt with her and give me some pocket money.

I got back into using the DIPTRACE CAD package that I have and I am seriously thinking of trying to market myself as an electrical designer/technician/draftsman. This is what I did for so many years. I find I still enjoy it as long as the time spent in front of a computer is limited to a few hours a day. I don’t know if there is any local need for this service but it is worth a try. My nitch may be very small businesses or individuals with projects that need designed and/or documented. So, we will see.

Supplementary Log Entry, 05/04/2014

April was wet, cold, and miserable. We even had a couple of days of heavy snow. Still no steady work. I think it is the lousy weather that is holding people back with their projects. It may be money also. The insanity and evil in governments continue. Some financial experts predict a financial collapse this year.

Some say “the end is near”. Perhaps so. There have been numerous tragedies lately: Airplanes disappearing, ships capsizing, mudslides, flooding, fires, armed conflicts where people are getting killed, and on and on. Everyday there is some new bad news.

I have been depressed lately and feel I am losing my mind. I think my problem is an over exposure to bad news, a lack of something meaningful to do, a lack of mental and physical exercise, and a lack of any intelligent and intellectual conversation.

So I keep praying for strength and guidance. I don’t know what else to do. I also plan to take more bicycle rides this year. ‘Only went on one last year. That would be some enjoyable exercise.

I found an envelope with $100 hidden in the rig. It was part of the $3000 I had hidden away before my first trip to Texas. I had forgotten about that particular hiding place. So that was a good thing. I think there is another $100 somewhere so maybe it will show up when I need it most.

Supplementary Log Entry, 05/16/2014

We are having a cold spell now in the middle of May. It got down to the mid thirties last night and did not reach even 60 degrees today. We have also had a ton of rain. I’ve had to run the furnace a bit. The 100 gallon LPG tank is reading 0% but something is still coming out of it.

The bad weather is delaying planting of fields and gardens. The Amish planted before all the bad weather hit so they actually have veggies popping up already. It must be the horse manure.

The weather forecast looks better for next week so I hope some paid work will come along and I can get some veggies planted. Sister Brenda is earnestly still seeking another house with land that she, Mom, brother Sandy and I can all live together on. I am helping sis look at properties. This whole deal would be an undeserved blessing for me and I have talked to sis about it. She has a strong feeling that is what she must do. Sis is pretty well off financially and I am glad that she is seeking to convert some of her financial dollars to tangible assets. Many financial experts are predicting that the US dollar could go the way of the German Mark about any time now. I never have enough dollars at any one time to worry about losing it. I enjoy going to second hand stores to look for bargains on things that I can use or perhaps re-sell at a profit.

Supplementary Log Entry, 06/21/2014

See last entry for this month so far. Things are about the same. I did rig up a water filter for the rigs storage tank and shore input. I also tested all of the plumbing. Thankfully everything seems OK after the sub zero temperatures of last winter.

I want so bad to go somewhere else but do not get enough work to build up any cash reserve. I never seem to have more than $200. Thankfully so far, by the time that dwindles down some more work comes along.

Veggies are coming along in the garden and I am healthy and well fed so I must be thankful for that.

Supplementary Log Entry, 07/06/2014

Not much new to say. Paid work is sparse. Mom & Sandy pay me some here and there for taking care of the yard. I have taken two bike rides so far and intend to take many more. I ran the rig last week. It ran fine. I installed a CB radio that I got for $5 at a second hand store. It works much better than the little one I have but is older so it does not have all 40 channels. It is also sensitive to engine noise so I will need to add a power filter before trying to use it on the road.

I continue to be unhappy though content. All of my needs are being met. I just don’t have much control in my life being so dependant on family. Most times I have to keep my opinions to myself as they conflict with others and I dare not risk stirring up trouble.

Daughter Jessie is going to open up her own salon so I will be doing some remodeling for her. That will give me a change. It seems the only time I enjoy myself is when I am with my daughters and grandchildren.

I have to keep reminding myself that my problems pale compared with everything else that is going on in the world right now. As I write this, the unemployment rate is near 30% though the government states a lower number. Israel and Palestine are lobbing missiles and bombs at each other. Jerusalem is under fire also. (There is a verse in Luke 21 about Jerusalem being surrounded by armies indicating a time to be watchful for.) Russia and Syria have been fighting for a couple of months. Every month a massive fire breaks out in California and Arizona now Washington. Agencies of the federal government are defending themselves concerning recent scandals (IRS, NSA, Hillary Clinton/Benghazi, Veterans Hospital/secret waiting lists/vets dying). Tens of thousands of alien children are crossing the Mexican border and into America. The federal government is doing nothing about it except the usual political posturing. There have been new outbreaks of mumps and measles and now an incurable flu virus (ebola) from Africa. In the past few weeks across the fruited plain there have been hurricanes, tornados, massive flooding, fires, and droughts. Everyday someone kills someone and sometimes then kills themselves. (Supplement 07/23/2014: A commercial jetliner was shot down with a missal. Nearly 300 people were killed most of them Dutch).

But as I sit hear writing this, I am thankful to be where I am. It is quiet here and it is a beautiful day outside. My belly is full. I just long to have a purpose-something meaningful to do.

Supplementary Log Entry, 08/05/2014

Sister Brenda bought a large house in Jelloway so I may be moving this month. I have mixed feelings about living together with Mom, brother Sandy and Brenda. But sister is working on me getting my own “space”. There is a detached garage that she may let me remodel for a work shop and living space. There is also an old tennis court for me to park the rig on so I still have the rig for “space”.

I’ve been working more lately. I currently have nearly $400 in cash. I have not had that much for quite some time. There is still more work pending and there will be a list from sister for the new house.

There continues to be bad news every day. The newest is “Ebola Flu” from Africa. Two infected American missionaries were brought back to the states for treatment. So now the virus is here and the political posturing has begun. There may be a treatment/cure for the virus but it is not FDA approved so there will be more political posturing and some will try to make lots of money out of the problem.

Israel and Pakistan are still fighting. Israel is only trying to defend itself but the MSM is demonizing them and some anti Semitism is building. Father in heaven where is the good we are supposed to seek?

Supplementary Log Entry, 09/03/2014

I have been parked at my sister’s new place in Jelloway for over a week now. I’m keeping busy fixing and changing some things in preparation for sis, Mom, and brother to move in.

The trip here from Howard was about 24 miles. The rig ran fine except for the exhaust leak noise. There are some signs that she is getting tired though. I really don’t think that I or the rig should attempt another trip to Texas. Maybe the rig could do it but at this time I don’t feel it is in me to do it.

It is nice here and a pleasant change. I am enjoying the temporary solitude as it gives me time to collect my thoughts and escape some of the nonsense I have had to endure.

I have a rough design for the “bunk house” sister will be letting me use for a living space and work shop. It may not be done enough to inhabit this winter but next one for sure the Lord willing.

So I still give thanks daily that I woke up, have something to eat and something to do. Evil and insane, inane things continue to happen all around. I just pray for guidance.

Side note, my friend, mentor, and “partner in crime” Roy Daughlin passed away this month after a fight with cancer. His wife Sue passed away a year or two ago. I will miss him.

Supplementary Log Entry, 10/04/2014

I have been busy the past month working on sister’s house in Jelloway. There is plenty more to do. I could work 10 hours a day if my body could stand it. As it is I do well to work 6 hours a day. Sis pays well so I have not been cash broke for quite some time.

We had an unusually warm September. The temperature kept in the high 70’s and sometimes eighties. This allowed me to do some things outside and kept the messes out of the house.

The solitude was a nice escape but sister has moved into her new house now. I’m not complaining-I still have my “space”. It’s just that now I am somewhat subject to sisters schedules on various things.

Rivers Burke (a long time client) called me out of the blue last week. He is trying to buy a rental unit and wants me to help with the re-modeling. I told him I am pretty busy now but maybe in a few weeks. Sisters work has the highest priority right now. And I am not sure if driving from Jelloway to Centerburg for $9 per hour is worth it. Maybe my compensation can be re-negotiated. ‘Just have to see how in goes. I have other potential clients that are still pending. So I am hopeful that things won’t get boring this winter. And there is still the “bunk house” remodeling project. So as long as sis has some money to spend I should have plenty to do.

Forgot to mention that Mom also got moved into the Jelloway house this month. She seems content here but as I told sis, Mom will need something constructive to do every day. She has been a “domestic engineer” for many years and now has somewhat lost control of “her house”. I cautioned sis about pampering Mom. She needs a constant flow of things to do and something to worry and talk about. I have already noticed a drop in Mom’s spirit. She seems to have lost energy and maybe something else.

Supplementary Log Entry, 10/27/2014

A big day today. My youngest daughter Megan gave birth to her second child. A baby girl named Molli. She did not have a  middle name yet when I left the hospital. Both are doing well and may go “home” tomorrow.

Daughter Jessie has been working in her own salon for maybe a  month now but today there was a ribbon cutting “grand opening” ceremony. The mayor of Ontario was there, a local news guy and some other VIPs. It went well. Shannon and Paige also came.

Another thing is that as of this morning, Hannah Overton (my brother’s stepdaughter) was out of Gatesville prison and on her way back to Corpus Christi. When she gets there a bond hearing will be held and she should be able to get out on bail and go home to her family. After that, we don’t know yet. The local DA is threatening to re-file the same charges and repeat the trial. This time there will be different players. We don’t know it will be the same judge but hope the man will have enough honor to recuse himself.

The fall weather continues to be pleasant. The temperatures have been in the 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s. I winterized the rig today as cold weather is in the forecast toward the end of the week. I ran the engine for awhile on the 25^th. It started up and ran fine.

I may be done with the remodeling in sister’s basement in another week or two. There is still plenty of work here but my client Rivers did purchase the four unit rental apartment house in Mt. Liberty. I met with him a couple of days ago to look at it. It requires a substantial amount of renovation. I pretty much agreed that I would help him with it. It is about a forty minute drive from Jelloway so I will try commuting for awhile at least. The back yard is large enough that I could park the rig there but I have some concerns about getting stuck or tearing up the yard.

Supplementary Log Entry, 11/08/2014

I am almost done with the basement remodeling project at sister Brenda’s Jelloway place. The two main rooms are done except for some ceiling trim that I don’t know yet what I am going to do. Anyway brother Sandy started setting up down there today. I hope to have the ceiling panels and trim work done in the basement bathroom complete in the next couple of days. I am hoping that I can spend two or three days working on the “bunk house” before I start working for Rivers. Last I spoke with him, there were still a few issues with the rental unit that needed resolved before I start work there.

Wise filled up the 100 gallon LPG tank today and I also had the 40# cylinder filled up in Loudonville so I am all set for a couple of months I hope. Insanity continues wherever you look. A big turnover occurred in the election last week. The Republicans took over again. So we will see if anything actually changes for the good or whatever.

I tested the house battery on the rig a few days ago. It was totally dead. So I put in on an external charger for a few days and it seems to be OK. I don’t know why it drained off. It was in those sub-zero temperatures last winter so maybe it is damaged?

11/14/2014. The house battery seems charged up now. So I don’t know why it drained off. Will need to test it now and then.

I changed the batteries in the digital thermostat. The temperature reading was higher than the fore and aft mercury thermometers. So we will see if that helps.

11/20/2014. I am done with the basement remodeling and brother Sandy has moved in. We had a few days of really nice weather so I got some work done in the bunkhouse. The new wall is up and I am almost ready to start the rough wiring.

It has been bitter cold the past few days-in the low 20’s as a high. Record temperatures are being set. At least we are not in 8ft of snow as they are in New York. I have not been able to work in the bunk house. I withstood 20deg in the bunkhouse but it has been below 10 for a couple of days. Rivers is ready for me to help him but this cold is shutting me down.

I hope to work in the bunkhouse today because a third shut-in day will drive me crazy.

Another note: The 100 gallon LPG tank is down to a reading of 65. It was 80 after it was filled. So this cold weather is burning up the LPG. I am OK for now.

11/29/2014. Thanksgiving is over and I am thankful that it is. Brenda & Mom did prepare some great food. Megan was able to come for the 2^nd meal with the Pences. We had a nice visit. Averi warmed up to most everyone and got to know this side of the family a little better. Moli was a hit of course as babies are magnets for attention. Jessie and her family all were down with bad colds so they did not come. I did invite Amber but she did not come either.

Supplementary Log Entry, 12/05/2014

I tried to start the engine on the rig before the end of November (last week). The battery was too weak to crank the engine. So I charged it up and the rig ran fine today. There is apparently still a parasitic load on the battery. I am going to keep one cable disconnected for now and deal with it later.

I worked for Rivers some at his apartment house. Things are on hold for now until the heat is repaired. It takes me about 35 to 40 minutes to get from Jelloway to Mt. Liberty. If the speedometer in Mom’s car was working, I think that I could travel faster and shave a few more minutes off of that.

Work on the bunkhouse is coming along. The rough wiring in the living area is done, the walls are insulated, and now I am installing the ceiling insulation. Sis had the drywall delivered this week so I can slap all that on when things are ready. Work may have to cease after that point. The mud and tape process will need some warmish temperatures.

Turmoil and confusion continues. Now we have black people hating white cops, demonstrations, rioting, attacks on police officers, distrust in the court system, and on and on. Meanwhile the politicos at the state and federal level keep telling us things are mostly fine and they will form more committees and supply more funding to deal with the problems. Immorality and attacks against God’s people continues. Father in Heaven what do we do?

Supplementary Log Entry, 01/06/2015

New month, new year.

So Christmas and New Years has come and gone and I am glad. Jessie and Sam came over with the little ones on Christmas Eve. That was a nice visit. Megan had other doings with Ryan’s family.

The temperatures in December stayed fairly mild-40-50 sometimes during the day. Sometimes it was sunny and sometimes overcast for days on end. I was able to continue work on the bunkhouse. All of the drywall in the living area is now hung and some is hung in the workshop area. The rough wiring in the workshop is done. So now I am just doing this and that to make headway where I can. When we get another 40-50 degree day I want to try heating the inside with a K1 heater so I can start the mud N tape process. We will see.

Winter seems to be in full swing now. The outside temperature is 22 and there is 4 inches of snow on the ground as I write this. My 100 gallon LPG tank is down to 15% but a fill up is scheduled for this week. I still have the full 40# cylinder as a backup. So I pray to be OK.

I am fighting some sort of cold for the first time in a long time. I think it has been 4 or five years. Sister  Brenda and Mom have been dealing with a cold for nearly two weeks. So apparently I got it from them. Brother Sandy has been spared so far.

I met with Rivers last week. He settled up his bill with me and stated it may be March before he wanted me back on the rental unit. There are heating issues, electrical issues, and funding issues. So I will continue to do some things here in Jelloway and try to get some other odd jobs to give me some cash.

Supplementary Log Entry, 01/07/2015

It is 13 degrees as I write this at 6:52PM. The furnace is running about 8 minutes on to 6 minutes off. ‘Not a most favorable duty cycle but it is what it is. The temperature is no worse that what I have experienced before in a night in the rig. And the 100 gallon LPG tank was filled today so I think I will be OK. I will be glad when I am over this cold and it warms up some so I can get active outside again.

Supplementary Log Entry, 02/02/2015

New month and groundhog day. “Buckeye Chuck” did not see his shadow so supposedly Ohio will have an early spring. “Pawskahony Phil” in Pennsylvania did see his shadow so that is supposed to mean six more weeks of winter. We will find out which groundhog got it right.

We had a few sort of mild days in January-above 40 sometimes. I was able to heat the bunkhouse up to 60-70 degrees with the kerosene heater. This allowed me to get more of the drywall done. I used up nearly all of the scrap drywall in the workshop area and I have maybe 60% of the mud-n-taping done in the living area. Maybe it will be ready to paint by the end of March.

The 100 gallon LPG tank is reading a little over 40% of gas remaining. So depending on the weather this might last me until March. This winter hasn’t been nearly as bad as last winter. There has been less snow and the temperatures stay above 20 most of the time. There is about 4 inches of snow on the ground now along with some ice but the roads are clear.

Not much work-just a project for the Jelloway house once in awhile. Brenda and Mom pay me some cash now and then. I am still hoping that Rivers will call me back to work when the weather warms up.

Another death in the family. Sister Brenda’s brother in law Rick Pence passed away today after being injured in a fall yesterday.

Supplementary Log Entry, 02/14/2015

The month is half over and we are in a deep freeze. There is also about 6 inches of snow on the ground. It is 16°F outside and the wind is blowing hard as I write this. I have not been able to work on the bunkhouse for several days. I’ve done a few odd things for the house but mostly the cold has shut me down.

I got interested in my blog again after I noticed there are over 2700 views on it. So I’ve been making some improvements and fixing the broken links to documents and drawings for the projects I’ve have posted. I’ve also added several new articles. It is fun and something different but I don’t like sitting in front of the computer all day. Cold weather is in the forecast next week also. Perhaps the weather will start improving after that. I’ve also been fighting some sort of cold since the beginning of January. The first cold that I recall having in over five years. I am nearly over it-just a throat tickle.

Supplementary Log Entry, 02/22/2015

The gauge on the 100gal LPG tank is reading 0 but it still has some LP in it. I switched over to the 40# cylinder yesterday as I do not want to run out in the middle of the night. When the 40# is empty I will switch back to the 100 gal tank while getting the 40# filled up. I still have the 20# cylinder and on-board tank for backups. Mom is talking about getting the 100gal filled half way. We will see. Cold weather is in the forecast for this week.

Supplementary Log Entry, 02/25/2015

The 40# LPG cylinder went dry around 6AM yesterday morning. The outside temperature was –10F. I heard the furnace running almost continually prior to that. I stayed in bed until about 8AM. I was fine under the covers but when I got up I noticed the mercury thermometers were dipped all the way to the bottom. I hooked up the 100gal again as it had some gas in it. I got the rig heated back up on it and thankfully Wise filled up the tank again before noon. So I did not have to refill the 40# cylinder.

Supplementary Log Entry, 03/02/2015

March came in like a lion. We got about 4 to 6 more inches of snow between yesterday and today. It is warmer out though. It got up to 40 today and yesterday. It was very sunny today also. I got outside and tinkered around some. The birds are getting active so things are starting to look up.

A couple of issues on the rig. First, this is the first winter I did not cover up the front of the rig. Just an oversight but it is important that it stays covered. Water and melting snow drips off the roof and into the engine compartment.

A new drip has developed over the work desk. A few drips got into the keyboard of my laptop so a couple of the keys stop working. I hope that it will dry out eventually. I think the origin of the drip is around the AC cowling. The rig dips to the road side a bit where it is parked. So I think instead of leaking through the AC as it has in the past, the water is seeping into the ceiling and rolling down hill. I made a note on the repair log as to how this might be finally fixed.

The other issue is popping and pounding noises on the roof and walls sometimes. I don’t know if things from aircraft are falling down on me or what. It does seem to occur when it is very cold outside and we have had some very cold consecutive days. So is it stress on fasteners and covers? Will have to look things over closely when the weather gets better.

I went to see my friend Bud in Danville a couple of days ago. He passed away at the end of January. I did not know and feel guilty about not keeping in touch with him better.

Supplementary Log Entry, 04/29/2015

Since it soon will be May I thought it best to make a log entry. April has been mostly cold, very windy, and wet. We did have a few nice days and I was able to get a little more of the drywall finish worked on in the bunkhouse. It should be ready to paint in May for sure. I was also able to till up a garden spot and have been mowing at Pipesville and now here in Jelloway. Sister got a lawn tractor for here so that is a big help.

I did more caulking on the roof of the rig around the AC but it still leaks so I have a tarp over part of the roof and that is keeping the water out. That will do for now.

I had some trouble with the furnace not starting sometimes. I re-wired the gas valve and tinkered with a few other things. The screen that I put in the gas escape opening (by the fan) MUST stay there. Otherwise the LP from the gas nozzle does not make it to the burner. This is because the burner is a modified replacement as a direct replacement is not available. I had to replace it the previous winter (see older log entry).

I have started building the deck that sister Brenda wants. I figure between that and a few other things to get done in Jelloway, my time will be tied up for a couple of months perhaps. I took my handy ad off of Craigs list for now. I have not yet heard from Rivers but if he calls too soon I may have to put him off for awhile.

Supplementary Log Entry, 08/06/2015

It has been quite some time since I have made a log entry. I’ve actually been pretty busy and I’m usually tired in the evening to mess with this. But to sort of bring things up to date, here are a few bullet items:

1. We have had a cold and wet summer so far. The garden is a flop. As I write this on a “dog day”of August, it is barely 70 degrees outside.

2. Chaos, calamity, and confusion continue in the world around us. People are going insane, there are senseless killings, racial strife and evil people are in positions of power.

3. We have almost 20 “republicans” running for president in 2016. Some of them look like a good bunch. But based on the insanity that is going on right now, my prediction is that at the final ballot, Jeb Bush (“Republican”) will running against Hillary Clinton and Clinton will win. And that will pretty much be the end of the free America as we use to know it.

4. On a lighter note, the deck I am building for sister Brenda is 99.99% complete. I just need to finish the step on the north side.

5. All new wiring to and within the Bunkhouse is complete.

6. All of the old Bunkhouse windows have been replaced.

7. Rain Gutters and Down Spouts on the BH are repaired, installed, etc.

8. The living space in the BH is 99.9% complete. I may start moving into it this month.

9. The BH workshop is nearly ready to paint. It may be functional and organized yet this month.

10. I continue to run the rig for a few minutes each month. Except for the exhaust leak, she still sounds pretty good. It is sinking somewhat into the pavement of the “tennis court”. I need to move it. And actually I have been wanting to get away from here for awhile. I need some solitude time. So I’m thinking of taking the rig to Mom & Sandy’s place in Howard for a few days. I can bivwac there for a vacation and do some fixing and sprucing up also. Maybe that will help it sell faster.

So anyway maybe this catches things up. I continue to be thankful for what I have but still pray for a calling. I go from day to day doing this and that but never know for sure if I am doing any good.

I have lost contact with my daughter Amber as other family members have. She seems to be in trouble but will not let me help her. Father in Heaven, what do I do?

Supplementary Log Entry, 09/27/2015

Today is my birthday. I am now 63 years old. I feel fine. A week ago I moved from the rig to the bunk house. Things are still getting stowed away or thrown away but I am basically moved. A little sad. The rig was my home for over five years and I traveled nearly 7000 miles in it alone. It has been a blessing but it is time to move on. I am weary of traveling. I figure on putting it up for sale come spring.

I am still busy taking care of fixit lists for the house and getting ready for winter. Thankfully this winter I will have a nice workshop to tinker around in. The status of Amber is still unknown. Her sisters will not speak of her and she has not responded to any of the four letters that I have sent. I intend to drop in on her again-perhaps next weekend.

Insanity and evil continue. I do not know what to do other than pray.

Supplementary Log Entry, 10/15/2015

Still no word from Amber. I may drop in on her soon. She had a birthday this week. Maybe I will bring a present.

I moved the rig. It is now facing east. I had a little trouble getting it to roll. All six wheels had sunk down into the pavement about two inches. But it is OK now. It is pretty much empty now. The only thing left in it is camping stuff (tent, chairs, tables, stove, etc). That stuff will stay there for now.

I’m pretty much settled into the bunkhouse now. It’s clean. It’s new. I have things set up so I am comfortable and functional. I’m almost finished with a gun cabinet/vault. I’ll keep the long guns there. I built it to NOT look like a gun cabinet so as to hopefully disguise its true function. I also started working on the digital piano. It seems a bit iffy about getting it working enough to play but I will give it a shot. I paid only $8 for it so no big loss in any case.

The first Democratic “debate” was this week. The republicans have already had two debates. A whole lot of political theatre. Anyone that would vote democrat is insane, evil, brainwashed, ignorant, or all of the above. Most of the republican runners perhaps lean libertarian but are running as republicans as any third party run is an instant loser. We will see. Father in Heaven please have mercy on our souls.

Supplementary Log Entry, 11/07/2015

Many good things have happened since the last entry. The gun vault/cabinet is done and the firearms are stowed away. I was able to fix the electric piano so I built a frame for it to get it off of the floor. I can now start playing with it.

The weather the past couple of weeks has been great. Upper sixties and seventies. I’ve been working on clearing the stream bed here at sister Brenda’s place and still mowing some. One of my good clients (James Q.) is throwing some work my way also. I still ponder about some way that I can make a consistent $50 per day without beating up my 63 year old body too much. There must be a way.

Still no word from Amber. In my last letter to her I stated that I will be stopping by for a visit on 11/08/2015. From there I am going to a birthday party for grandchildren Averi and Molli.

Both democrat and republican debates continue to be political theatre and some sort of Peyton place drama. They don’t discuss issues-just each other. Some of the republican candidates look promising and are expressing their discontent about how these debates are going. I seem to be the only non democrat in this family so I avoid any discussions or debates with any of them as they tend to get agitated with me.

 Supplementary Log Entry, 12/08/2015

The weather has remained pretty nice for a December in Ohio. I am starting to bounce off the walls though due to lack of meaning full things to do. I have not heard from James Q in almost two weeks so he might be done with remodeling for this year. I still tinker with things but the projects that I had lined up for this winter are done now. I practice piano daily and seem to be picking it up. I may get a formal lesson sometime to get some pointers.

We have lost track of Amber. She got evicted from her apartment and no one in the family has heard from her. I don’t know what to do other than pray.

Supplementary Log Entry, 01/07/2016

So Christmas and new years came and went. Nothing exciting. I got to see all but one of my grandchildren. Gracie and her mom Amber are still nowhere to be found. Megan did tell me that she sees Amber once in awhile as one of Amber’s friends lives across the road from Megan. The weather continues to be very mild for a January in Ohio. It got up to near 50 degrees today. It was also sunny. I got out and messed around some but I have caught another cold or something so I did not do much. I covered the AC on the rig as it is leaking there inside again sometimes. I also fired up the engine. The rig smells really bad inside-like dead mouse shit or something. I found a dead nest of mice a couple of months ago but things seem all clear now. I hoping a good cleanup and airing out in the spring will take care of it. Calamity, chaos, and confusion in the world continue. WWIII may be just waiting for the next asshole (leader of a nation) to do something stupid. 

Supplementary Log Entry, 02/02/2016

It’s Groundhog Day and Paskahonee Phil did not see his shadow. So as the folklore goes, spring weather will be early this year. The weather continues to be very mild for this time of year in Ohio. It was nearly 60 today and it has not snowed for at least a week.

Still no word from Amber. I tried to contact her and Grace via Facebook to no avail. I continue to pray for them. The chickens are all gone now. The neighbor dog got one a few months ago. The last two seemed to have frozen to death on one of the few cold nights that we had. They had lost nearly all of their feathers (molted) possibly due to the warmer temperatures. Then it got cold again. They had pretty much stopped laying eggs already.

I am not totally going crazy but close to it. The workshop is a blessing. I have been able to tinker with some things to occupy my mind. One of my clients (Marty) called me and may have a few days work for me. That would be good. I am still healthy and well fed. I work out a little to stay flexible. I still do not snack so that helps keep the weight down. The presidential election campaigns are in full swing. I fear the worse as too many people are deceived. I updated my blog with some new articles and made some changes. My page views are nearly 3700 now. Not very impressive but it is somewhat encouraging. I continue to seek something that will give me a positive cask flow of $1000/month so I can contribute to the household expenses and stop being such a charity case.

Memories of my life in the rig are starting to wane. My traveling days are over so I will probably put the rig up for sale next month.

Because of the last two sentences I have decided to close this log. I no longer live in the rig and have no intentions of traveling anymore. This log is now 53 pages long. I will post it on my blog (www.jbhwonders.blogspot.com) just for posterity purposes. I don’t expect anyone to ever read it.