COMING HOME FROM THE TRIP

Well, we made it through last week’s trip and home again.

While away husband came across something that he has wanted for decades.  It is a small loom that makes tape.  No, not sticky tape, this makes a long thin strip of fabric.  In earlier centuries (before the 20th ) it was used to make fabric tapes for clothing and other purposes.  As an example, in the 18th century ladies’ petticoats (skirts) had a casing or hollow waistband at the top and one of these tape would go through the casing - well actually two of them as the petticoat were not attached front to back at the top/casing.  At the two sides the tapes would be tied together to bring the sides of the petticoats together to the fit of the woman/girl wearing it, tight enough to hold it together and up, but not so tight that one was uncomfortable.  (No, really, this works fine.)  Why were the two sides open?  Well, women had a garment called a pocket or a pair of pockets that were large tearshaped bags with a slit on the side facing away from the body.  Since the sides of the petticoat were open, one could reach through the slits formed by the opening and waist ties and reach into the pocket(s) easily.  Oh, the pockets were sewn to/hanging from - tape and were tied around the waist (under the petticoat). 

The tape loom is around 24 inches tall, 24 inches front to back and around 9 inches across.  Well, at least the one husband found last week is.  In the past the tape looms he has found has been too expensive for us to buy.  He even bought a book on how to make the looms - but decided that he would end up cutting off two many fingers trying to do so.  The one he found last week was made by another craftsperson (always good to support a craftsperson) and was 1/4 of what is usually being charged for them - oh, and since it was a museum shop, we were supporting the museum also.  He was unsure.  I knew we could not let the loom get away from him.  He was about to agree to buy it when the big question hit him.  Remember how small the RV is, he decided it would not fit in the RV (securely to keep it intact).  I had to go out to the RV and measure where I thought I could fit it to make sure - it did fit there.  Then again, I told him that he was buying it, if it had to ride around the rest of the day and the next day until we got home - in my lap! 

How did I fit it?  We have one of those boxes intended to go in a trunk.  It has 2 sections and collapses down for storage.  I keep the box under the bed to make it easy to pull out and store laptop computers and what we call the last minute bag - huh? Well, we prepack the RV, but there are always the items that have to be used the night before we leave or the morning we are leaving, so we have a bag that we put those items in when we travel.  It goes under the bed in this box.  I pulled the box out from under the bed.  I then wrapped the loom in several large laundry bags. (I keep the bedding in them when the beds are not made up - so they are large enough to hold 2 pillows each.)  I laid the loom on its side - the flat side, not the one with the mechanism on it, in the bags, at the back end of the under bed space - one of the flat sides against the back wall of the space.  The space is carpeted so it helps protect whatever is there and keeps it from moving as easily.  I then put 2 tension curtain rods in front of the loom (I stuffed a large plastic bag into an open area where the loom forms an “L” shape and the curtain rods).  Why do I have curtain tension rods?  I use them in front of the box mentioned to help hold it in place under the bed.  I used two of them to keep the loom in place.  I collapsed one side of the box and put the box into place in front of the loom and stood the laptops standing next to the box and then put my last curtain rod in front of the box to keep it and the laptops in place. 

It worked!  Nothing moved out of place (and roads around here are pretty bad and there is much bouncing of the stuff in the RV) and the loom was in perfect condition when we arrived home.  As I mentioned last week - it is amazing what one can fit into the small space that is this RV.  Now, short of it traveling on a bed or in the walking aisle of the RV, this was the only space the right shape to hold the loom and hold it safely. 

When we get home and unpack the RV we have to be organized also.  The first things that are unpacked are the refrigerated items.  I put them into a fabric bag and husband will run back and forth to the house with the items.  When the refrigerator is empty I shut it off and put a folded towel under the freezer compartment.  (There is no separate freezer, just a colder freezer section and if there is any condensation, it will drip in the refrigerator, so the towel will catch any drips.) 

I have to remember what has to go into the house. Normally the next thing to go into the house would be “the last minute bag” with items such as medications and the like packed back into it from the trip, but this last trip the next thing that went into the house was the loom!  It made the trip in perfect condition.  Then onto the last minute bag.

I pack the clean clothes that we did not wear into the second regular laundry bag - we always bring clothes for a day or two longer than we will be away “in case” - case something happens to what one or both of is wearing (such as the time we had to step over a small section of water, but I was too short and stepped down into what looked like a thin layer of water, only to find out that there was a drain system under it that I stepped into up to my knee, barely managing not to get hurt) or something happens and we need to or decide to stay a day longer than we planned.  When we pack we put our clean clothes into 2 laundry bags - one for each us - and then put them into the shelves in the “closet” (a small cabinet) and put one laundry bag (the one the clean clothes go into at the end of the trip) away with the last minute bag, and we use the other laundry bag for - well, our laundry that accumulates during the trip.  When I put for husband to take into the house, I add the towels (hand and dish) that we used - it will get tossed down the stairs to the basement for washing when it goes into the house). 

Little by little it all goes back into the house.  The food that was not in the refrigerator (stored in small locking plastic boxes in the RV “kitchen cabinet” - a shelf with a door on it) is taken into the house in another fabric shopping bag.  The shoes come out of the cubby they are stored in and are put into plastic shopping bags.  The laptops come out from under the bed.  Magazines and such come back into the house.  I then go to the front of the RV and pack eyeglasses and such that were in the front.  I have an manila envelope a little larger than a regular envelope for each of the regular trips we take to accumulate reservations, coupons, etc. for that trip and I take the envelope with me in the map pocket - it has to come back into the house.  Almost forgot - jackets and sweatshirts have to come back into the house. 

The next to last thing I do before I leave inside the RV is I walk around the inside in a circle and touch each area that we put things into and have to take things out of and put back in the house to remind myself and make sure that I remembered to empty each area. The last thing I do is shut off the lights and then the RV battery - and as I do I say out loud to myself - lights are off, battery IS off.  This way I will remember that I shut them off.

We also unload anything we stored in the back of the RV through the back door that we brought or bought - there is a laundry basket there to hold the items. 

Oddly, I was greatly short on time to write this post tonight.  Husband decided to set up his new loom tonight.  “It will only take 5 minutes.” Famous last words.  Two hours later it was set up.  Two hours that I had other plans for.  But that is life and life is more important.

THOUGHT OF THE WEEK -

If you do something over and over again develop a plan to follow to make sure that all of it is done and follow it.  I find that when doing something such as checking the kitchen (in our house) at night, locking the door when I go out, or finishing unloading the RV to say something out loud. 

When I close up the kitchen for the night (we watch TV in same at night - such as right now while I am writing and posting this) I lock the back door.  I then check the back door and say “door locked”.  I then look at the 6 knobs on the stove next to the door and count one to six out loud and say “all off”.  I then look at the electric outlet box next to the stove, check it and say “nothing plugged in”.  (This is the electric outlets which are used for small appliances and we don’t leave them plugged in when they are not being used.) 

When I go out I lock the door.  As I do so I say to myself “door LOCKED” so I remember.

As mentioned I touch each area in the RV and say that it is emptied before leaving it when the trip is over.  I also say out loud that the refrigerator door is open (it is propped open to prevent odors forming) and that the lights are out and then that the battery is turned off.

By saying and doing each of these things it registers on my brain and I do not go running downstairs - or outside to the RV - or back to the door - to check that the chore is done.

I want to offer hopes that anyone living in the areas which are being flooded in the heavy storms are safe and dry.