Thursday, May 13, 2021

BUSY WEEK, BUT NOT MUCH ACCOMPLISHED!

 A busy week, but not much accomplished.  

For example -

I have mentioned that we have a very small RV (a Chevy van converted to same).  When one has an RV one must deal with the toilet waste from when one has used the toilet during their trip.  In this type and brand of RV it is a different system than in most RVs which use gravity to empty the tanks as the tanks are too low to the ground for gravity to work well.  In this RV a pump is used with a macerator to grind up any (ahem) solids being pumped out. There is a hose in a small compartment at the bottom of the driver's side of the RV located immediately behind that side door.  When emptying the tanks the hose is pulled out the hose end is put into the tank in the ground where the tank contents will end up and then a valve is opened before the macerater/pump is started.  

Since we first got this RV we have not been able to turn the valve.  The original hose which came with the RV was very stiff and hard to put in and out and took up almost the entire section where it is stored.  As a result we were able to leave the valve open as we would make sure that the end of the hose was pointing up so nothing left in the hose could pour out into the compartment (ick).  This worked very well for the first 8 years we had the RV.  In 2019 we had to have the macerator replaced as it stopped working.  While this was being done we asked them to replace the hose with one which was easier to maneuver.  What we did not take into account is that the end of the RV would not longer be able to kept pointing upward.  Husband managed to close the valve at the end of the hose and we have not traveled since due to other work needed on the RV, winters, and Covid-19.  

Husband is now thinking ahead to traveling again (drooling with happiness at the thought of traveling on our short trips again).  He realized something has to be done to be able to close the end of the hose.  Any replacement valve we can find intended for this purpose will not fit into the small opening of the section the hose is kept in – what to do?  Husband spent a good part of 2 afternoons measuring the hoses and the connections. His idea is to replace the valve with a piece of pipe which can have a cap screwed onto it.  He made a list of what we need and checked at a chain home supply store that they carry all of the needed parts and same was in stock at the store close to us.  

We went there this afternoon to buy the pieces.  This store's section of plastic plumbing fittings was a mess.  Bins were empty and items were mixed into the wrong bins.  There is another store of this same chain in the community to the south of us and we headed there.  We were eventually able to find everything he says we need.  We were in the department for such a long time I am guessing that employees thought we were moving in.  Hopefully all of this will work when we put it together.  

This shopping event took almost the entire afternoon – I did not even get to check email today.  

Lest you think we are going to work on this project tomorrow, tonight after dinner we drove the RV to our car mechanic (4 blocks away) as it needs its state inspection – fingers crossed that all goes well.  This will, hopefully be done tomorrow.  

I figured that tomorrow I will catch up – ha, ha!  Tomorrow we are going food shopping, just a fill in trip not one of our marathon “there is a pandemic and we don't want to walk out of the house again for as long as possible” trips of the past year, but a fill in trip.  When I am finished with this post I will update and check the shopping list I have been updating in an Excel spreadsheet (piece of paper on fridge, list items as we run out and then copy to spreadsheet to print out – much easier to write when not written by hand and list is in order of aisles (more or less) at supermarket.  Sooo, there goes tomorrow also!  

On the financial side of life, I have spent the past week chasing down a direct deposit to our bank account which was suppose to be made by a company which handles same for the company through which husband does online counseling.  Deposit was 4 days late – with me telephoning their computer each evening to check – when husband received an email that the deposit was not made as the account does not exist.  HUH?  We have had this account for decades and they have made the deposits to it since they took over handling same for the company through which he does the counseling.  Granted we are not talking big money here – about US$100 -  but still…   I telephoned the company which handles the payments and spoke with a woman there – we each kept getting silence or voices were too low to hear.  At one point she had to call me back as the connection was so bad.  Finally we were each able to provide information to the other – and husband had to confirm he was him and I could talk to her.  We emailed a copy of the last bank statement (with other account info blacked out) and are waiting to hear back.  I checked the bank again tonight – just in case – still no deposit to the account!  This took up most of yesterday afternoon!  Deposit is now a week late.

That's 3 afternoons gone this week and then add tomorrow – and that is 4.  

In between all of this I am trying to track down an IRS refund due one of my clients,  and deal with renewals for our reenactment unit and my embroidery chapter.  I am now at the point where I am pleading with members to get their renewals in as both sets of renewals must be mailed by May 31 to the national offices.  In one case a member says she mailed her dues “weeks ago” (I only put out the notice to renew the beginning of May), but I don't have them.  I emailed her 2 days ago to find out if she mailed to my house (as they were told to do) or our PO Box (which means it should be forwarded, but often is not and we went 2 weeks ago, but not this past week).  She has not let me know where she mailed it.  

THOUGHT OF THE WEEK -
Well, what has to be done gets done and everything else waits for it.  I am not a magician, if something has to wait, it wait.  Today is all I can deal with today!

Did you get Covid-19 shots yet?


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