Now back at home after that great camping trip to Fidalgo Island and the town of Anacortes, I settled in to pay bills, do laundry, restock the trailer, wash the truck and the trailer, and do a few other chores around home before heading out on the next camping trip.
One of the reasons I go camping is to see wildlife. But this day at home, I was sitting in my office/computer room paying bills online when I looked up, and looked out my window. The wild deer were here again. 🙂
There is a rule in this community (and it is in writing!) that we do not feed these deer. This allows them to find food that is natural to them. Many of us purposefully plant native plants that the deer like to eat. You can see the small arborvitae plants outside my office window … they will be uprooted and native plants that deer love to eat will be in their place soon.
Hang on sweetie, something more appetizing and delicious will be coming soon!
One of the household projects I did while at home between trips was to replace two of the ceiling lamp fixtures. The photo below is what was in the house when I bought it late last year. Oh my, not my style!
The photo below shows what I installed instead in the living room and in my bedroom. I still have two more to replace (one in the second bedroom and one in the office), but that will get done later this year for sure.
An interesting oddity (or so I thought) about this house that I bought, is that the wiring to the ceiling light fixtures remains “hot” even with the wall switch off. Turns out that the ground wire runs through the light switch, not the HOT wire. So the light does turn off when the switch is off, but the wiring to that fixture is still definitely and dangerously still “live” unless you know what you’re doing. Forty years ago, when this house was built, that system of wiring was legal, but today that system is not … it no longer meets code. So what I do is simply turn the circuit off at the breaker box. And I use a non-contact electrical tester (or “voltage proximity tester” or “volt stick” or “ticker stick” or a number of other common names) to double check that the wiring is no longer “live”. No problem.
My next project this week was to find a way to cover the power tongue jack on the very front of the trailer frame, so it stays dry during periods of rain. The tongue jack raises and lowers the very front “pointy end” of the trailer frame so it can connect to the truck, and so you can adjust the height of the trailer to make the trailer level while you are staying in the trailer. One can buy a manual tongue jack, or an electrically operated tongue jack … either way, it’s best to keep it dry.
During the winter, I have the entire trailer enclosed in a cover that protects the trailer and the tongue jack as well, from winter rain/snow. But during the spring and summer and fall, that large cover is stored in my garage. I wanted something to keep the rain out of the electrical tongue jack to minimize deterioration of the wiring and the electrical motor. I researched online and found the perfect waterproof cloth cover … I ordered the cover for a very reasonable price … it was delivered quickly … and I installed this brand new black cover on the tongue jack in about two minutes … perfect.
That was an awfully easy project. Do a little research. Buy the product. Then put the cover on the tongue jack and tie it down. But it still gets put on the list of “projects completed” and it feels good to have another important thing done.
The camping trip I just got home from, the one to Fidalgo Island and the town of Anacortes, was in August 2020. I went camping in September, 2020, as well … to Dungeness on the Olympic Peninsula. Let me get a few more chores done here at home and then we’ll head over to Dungeness for more sunshine and fun. Thanks for coming along on the adventure!
I’m hoping that third ceiling light photo is of your bedroom, it’s such a lovely shade of soft warm comforting green, and the drapes are wonderful too. What a good job you do of making your environment a nice one.
Yes Ruby, that third photo is of the bedroom ceiling light. Thanks for the nice words about the color and the drapes. It is a wonderfully peaceful and quiet room, though it has color and energy, just the right kind and in the right amount for me.
Yes, sometimes its the simple projects that help the most. Friends of ours never did put a cover on their tongue jack and just a year or so ago, the motor failed because it had rusted out inside. They couldn’t raise or lower the tongue of the trailer frame manually either, because the gears were rusted in place. It was not a good thing. After paying to have the front of the trailer lifted higher (the trailer was too low to hitch to their truck), and then towing the trailer to a dealer, and then paying to have a new motor and gears installed, these friends of ours immediately purchased one of those tongue jack covers. Lesson learned. Good for you Ann.
Oh gosh, I’m glad I do read and do research! That would have been an unhappy day to find that motor seized … and to have to pay for the repair. If you ever notice anything else I’m doing (or not doing) that you think I might like to do differently, please don’t hesitate to say something. One of the best ways to learn is from other people who have been doing what your’re doing and have already learned the lessons themselves. Thanks much!
It would be a worthwhile investment to replace that Wiring. It is actually a Fire Hazard,
Be Safe and Enjoy a Health, Happy New Year.
It’s about time.
Yes, it is a fire hazard. If this house were wired according to the current legal system/code, there would be one hot wire from the breaker box to the light switch, so there’s fire danger usually only at the light switch. But when you do what they did in this house when it was built, when you run the hot wire from the breaker up to the ceiling light, with a bare wire connection there … then the wire runs into the lamp fixture itself … then the “live” ground wire runs from the lamp up into the ceiling and connects there too … and then that same “live” wire runs down to the light switch … then you have FOUR places where a wire can come loose, touch something, and start a fire. It’s no wonder “code” has changed to require that houses be wired as in the first instance, with one hot wire from the breaker to the light switch. I’ve asked an electrician about swapping the hot and ground wires at the breaker box. He says it can be done, but sometimes other devices are on the same circuit so everything in the house needs to be tested and corrected … not just those ceiling lights … and some things might actually be correct! as is, so you don’t want to swap those out. The cost estimate he gave me was reasonable, but significant. I will ponder what to do, and check my bank balance. So far, this house has been here for 41 years with no problems. But your thought about fixing the wiring is a very good one.
You made a great start on the new year — the deer in your yard, new light fixtures, a new jack cover. I never did gt into partying all hours of new years eve, but always planned something for new years day that I liked to do, something I’d remember and be happy about. Thanks for sharing.
I’ve never been into New Year’s Eve partying either, Ben. I’d much rather wake up at my regular time on New Year’s Day and feel rested after a good night’s sleep and then look forward to Day #1. Here’s to being happy!
Done and done for the to-do list.
But the next day another thing seems to get added to the “honey-do” list,
how is that possible?
I guess that is how we know life is marching on and we are still
part of the human “race”.
That new light fixture is ideal – that wiring, not so much!
What a great, water-proof answer for the tongue jack. Towhee can
hibernate now.
Actually, I look forward to the next item on the list. Something else to do or fix or install, and then I feel good and I know that whatever it is I’ve done has enhanced the house or the truck or the trailer, etc. I truly like my to-do list and look forward to projects.
And yes, Towhee is now under her BIG winter cover which covers the entire trailer including the tongue jack in front and the spare tire in back. She’s snug as a bug. 🙂