Miss Terry had a very rough night Wednesday night, with coughing, a fever, and an upset stomach. All that on top of just coming off of a colonoscopy. The poor lady was just miserable! So yesterday was a stay-at-home day. I think part of it is that we are just both so run down from being on the go all the time, between getting the current issue the paper out, then the rally in Yuma, and then all of our medical checkups here in Tucson. I think if we could turn off our telephones, hang a Do Not Disturb sign on the door, and sleep for about 48 hours we’d both feel a lot better.
Even when she’s not feeling well I can’t get Terry to take a day off. Instead of just sleeping or resting on the couch yesterday she insisted on working on the rally paperwork, resolving more of the expenses, and she made out checks for refunds for folks who had to cancel at the last minute.
Except for a quick trip to Ace Hardware and then to Fry’s grocery store with Greg, I spent most of the day at home too. I got a lot of writing done on a new project yesterday, which made me feel good. Sales of my two mystery novels, Big Lake and Big Lake Lynching, have really dropped off in the last couple of weeks. I guess I need to get that third book in the series finished in a hurry, before I lose all my readers!
A couple of months ago when Big Lake was selling 1000+ copies a day people kept asking me what I was going to do when I became rich and famous. Well, it looks like I won’t get rich and famous being a writer, but I have come up with an idea that I think could make me millions. All I need is someone to develop it.
I cannot walk anywhere within three feet of our bedroom slide out without banging my head into it. I still have a dent in my forehead from when it knocked me flat on my butt a month or so after we bought our Winnebago. Not to mention all kinds of bumps, bruises and scratches from subsequent encounters with the slide. So I got to thinking (which is probably never a good idea), there has to be a better way. Our Ford Explorer has an alarm system that starts beeping when we are backing up and come within several feet of an object. The closer we get the faster it beeps. We need something like that for slide out rooms. Some kind of alarm to let me know I’m about to crush my crown again. And it doesn’t have to beep! It might be better to have a recorded voice that just yells “Watch out dummy, you’re getting close!” What do you think? Is that a winner or not?
Do you ever spend the night in rest areas or truck stops? Some people do and some swear they never will. Terry and I have spent many nights blacktop boondocking in places like that and never had a problem. However, one has to use common sense because there are people out there looking to take advantage of others. A good example of what can happen, and exactly how to handle it, can be found in the Lindaxtwo blog. While parked in a rest area overnight, some clown came knocking on their door with some sad story, asking for money. They handled it just right, calling 911 and not opening their door to the stranger. He was probably just a scam artist looking for a quick buck, but who knows? I wouldn’t even open my door to somebody in a police uniform driving a police car at night until I first called 911 and confirmed with the dispatcher that it’s a real officer outside my door.
Hopefully today Terry will feel better. The poor kid sure deserves a break!
Thought For The Day – A good listener is usually thinking about something else.
Nick Russell
World-Famous, New York Times Best Selling Author, and All-Around Nice Guy!
Hang in there Nick. Life may be tough, the future may look dim… But, someday we’ll look back on it and not remember it. 🙂 Best rest is found in dreams
Nick,
What you (we) need is a CAP with the proximity warning sensor installed in it, that way it will warn of more than just the slideouts.
I have no idea how many times I’ve “slowed myself down” by walking into the mirror arms on our bus when the air was down.
Butch
I frequently stop overnite in interstate hiway rest areas. I feel much safer in them than in truck stop parking for some reason and they are often handier than Wally World. most of them are regularly patrolled by state police. I have had enjoyable social interaction with truck drivers much like the confabs that pop up in RV parks. Also most of them have some kind of a park-like area where one can walk or sit to relax outside the rig and you can always find a puppy fix where auto travelers also walk their pooches.
Nick to stop hitting your head on the bedroom slide is to duck each time you pass through the door. Wait you are not tall (short) are you just making up hitting your head to make you sound tall.
The only solution is to buy a motorhome without any slides, or with one like ours that only sticks out about 18 inches. But I like the idea of the cap. Good to be back reading you again — we’ve been fasting, y’know.
For a “quick fix” to the slide problem — get a swimming noodle from the dollar store, slice it down one side, and put that on the slide. Not only does the bright color help you see the slide, but if you do manage to walk into it, it doesn’t hurt so much.
ZoAnn’s idea sounds good….or just wear a helmet. LOL
Hope Terry feels better soon. Not feeling well just sucks all the joy out of life.
Don’t hurry the next book too much, Nick. Hurried books always show it.
I like the helmet idea but how about a beenee with a long propeller on it?
Run it in reverse to keep it pressed downward.
Or try as I saw at an RV Park in Reed Point, Montana.
The owners he hung plastic golf balls off his slide corners on fishing line.
Mark
The swimming noodle seems to be a popular solution. I know it helped my hubby a bunch when we had a five with a slide. Now that it is spring, those noodles will be available everywhere … and they are cheap too!