Latest Updates to Trailer and Blog...

I have some new plans to show you, but before I lead you to those, I want to mention one quick thing. The troll that showed up a couple weeks ago finally revealed himself (at least I'm pretty sure they are one and the same) by directly emailing his verbal hate messages to me. As a result, I set up filters in my email account to not only block any further such nonsense, but to delete them automatically, so I never have to be aggravated by even seeing them.

What I can't figure out is why people can't just live their lives on their own terms, the same way that I try to live mine. If they have so much hate in their hearts for this lifestyle, for me, or for whatever has tripped their trigger, then why would they want to dwell on it by continually aggravating the situation? Why even read my blogs if it triggers such feelings of hate? Go live your life and I'll live mine, and maybe we'll both be happy.

"Nuff said".

The other thing I wanted to announce is that I have updated the plans, which can still be found HERE (look about a third of the way down the page for the bold blue links) to include the latest revisions, which includes having to move the bulkhead wall 4-inches farther forward than originally planned, adding a toe-kick space under the kitchen cabinet, and extending the overhead cabinets all the way to the front wall to make space for our computer printer and the Perma-Power Automatic Voltage Regulator which protects our computer equipment.

I also did a little adjusting on measurements for the kitchen base cabinet, but keep in mind, my cells on the grid were established to be one-inch. Obviously, lumber is typically 3/4-inch or 1-1/2-inches, Paneling and plywood can be many different thicknesses, so the plans are only approximate. It is up to the builder (in this case, me) to fine-tune the exact dimensions to how the components go together, as it is being built. That's what a builder does. The plans are only a guide to visualize how the whole thing comes together in relationship to the available space.

The other thing I did was to create pdf files for three of the views. I know many people don't know how to use spreadsheets or how to work with them, so if all you want to do is "see" the plans, it is very easy for anyone to be able to view them, and zoom in to see detail. After all, nearly all new computers come with Adobe Reader already installed, so that pdf's can be viewed, so there's less excuses now in why you haven't looked at them.

One of the pdf's is an overhead view, showing as near as possible how it is being built. The second pdf shows a side view from the right side. Dotted lines indicate structure behind the foreground items, so you will be looking "through" the piano that has it's back facing the right side, but you will still be able to see the detail of the kitchen cabinet that sits on the left side of the trailer.

The third pdf shows a possible future change if and when we ever get rid of the piano. In this drawing, the piano would be replaced with a washer/dryer combo unit, and an apartment sized (18-inches wide) dishwasher, plus an extra pantry. A third option that I did not draw out, would be to simply add a two-person dinette along that wall where the piano was.

Any of that could happen or none of it could happen. Only time will tell. If the piano stays in tune after all the bouncing around on the road, we might keep it longer than we think. If we have trouble with it in the first few months, it may go out the door quicker. No one knows until we try it.

One thing is definite...if the piano does go at some point, we have to have something on that side to balance out the weight. Right now. the trailer is purposely designed to be relatively balanced, with the major weight just in front of the axle, and approximately the same amount of weight side to side.

A dinette going in where the piano would come out may not be enough to balance the weight...unless I do some rearranging...like moving the heavy batteries over to underneath a dinette seat. I hate to think of that, because it will require a major rewiring job, or at least heavy cables being run under the trailer, back to the side where all the fuses and cords are. Not fun.

Anyway, we'll worry about it when the time comes...if ever.

Today was one of the first truly beautiful days of the spring, warm ,sunny, and with low humidity. I wanted desperately to get outside and work on the trailer, but as usual "life" got in the way again.

My (new) lawn guy called early this morning to show up for the first (way overdue) cutting of the year. The grass was already 30-inches high in places. In the last half hour, he must have gotten caught up in the temporary internet line that has been stretched across the front porch since the septic system was installed in January of 2014.

All of a sudden my internet went out....red DSL light on the router. We have no home phone, or it would have gone out, too. I tried to call CenturyLink with my cell, and both times when the line started to ring through to a CS rep, the line went dead! I think they purposely hang up if they have too many calls in queue! It's not only rude but very aggravating!

And don't you just love it when the recorded message says you can also go online to their web site and deal with them there? DUH!!!! If I had internet I wouldn't need to even contact them, would I?

So after the lawn guy finished, I had to run five miles down the road to McDonald's and use their internet to get in touch with CenturyLink's repair department on chat. The first place I tried couldn't help me, and couldn't even relay the repair order! The second time I tried, I must have gotten the right department, and they asked if Monday was soon enough! I said that I was hoping for something sooner, as I work online and every hour that I am down, I'm losing money! So they expedited the work order to Saturday morning (tomorrow). I went ahead and had lunch there, and within an hour after I got home, the local repair guy called me and said he would be here in a few minutes!

Hurray! We found the cut in the old temporary line, and rather than repair it, he ran a new one, and then put in another work order for next week, for someone to come out and bury a permanent line. Of course, by clock time, all this had taken a good four hours out of my day again!

The only problem now is that the entire front yard is taken up with (new) buried septic system and new water line. So they are going to have to go completely around the house on the east side, through the back yard, around the cargo trailer, around the propane tank, and come in from the west!

But so be it. At least other people won't be digging back there...or at least none of us will be! We'll be out of here by the end of the summer (or sooner) and then it will be someone else's problem!

And now I still have other tasks to be done, and the four hours that I could have spent on the trailer is long gone again...never to be seen again.

And between the trolls, the abusive emails, and the tasks needed to be done yet, the stress goes up!

July 28th can't come soon enough to get out of here, but in reality, we'll probably need every one of these remaining 87 days to get everything done! I'd better get to it!