It Gets Really HOT Here in July

I hope everyone is keeping cool, and staying a safe distance from other people.  With all of the MIS-information we are hearing from the media about covid 19, it's hard to know what is true, and what is just guessing.  Nevertheless, we DO know that many people have gotten sick and many have unfortunately died from this dreadful virus.  We feel very blessed that our RV park has not had any cases, and our county, as of this morning, has only had 17 cases, with no deaths.  There is much debate throughout the country as to what should be allowed to open or not, and if children should return to schools in the next few months.  I can only say that I hope people will wear masks, and keep up the social distancing to try to avoid becoming infected, or transferring infection to others.  I really HATE not being able to hug our friends.  In church we are not even doing the greeting and hand shakes yet.  It's so sad to have to stand back and talk to people we greeted with a hug only a few months ago. I think I heard last night that nationally we are approaching 140,000 deaths attributed to covid 19.  That is terrible.  PLEASE do whatever you can to try to avoid catching or spreading this terrible virus.  So far, I don't think anyone we know personally has caught it, bit I don't want to lose anyone to this deadly disease.  Take care, stay safe at home as much as possible, and get help if you think you might have been exposed to it.

We did invite some friends over for dinner recently.  It was wonderful to see Annalee and Wayne again.  I was going to include here the picture I took of them, but I tried three times, and each time it said server failed.  I don't know what that means, except that I can't put in their picture.  Sorry folks.  We had a wonderful evening together.  She wrote me last week that they were hiking up in the hills and she fell and broke a few bones in her leg.  We were very sorry to hear that, and hope she will be on the mend soon.

😢😢 We are very happy with our new carport, but we decided to add some shade to the sides.  Jim was able to hang the navy blue shade panel we had to use on our awning on the side of the carport so it gives great shade to the car.  Yippee.  I don't know why, but none of the pictures I have tried to add to this text are able to download.  Sorry there will be no pictures today.  I'll try to include pictures next time.   😕

I guess no matter how much storage space you have......your "things" seem to expand to fill the space.  We recently purchased an air walker exerciser, some call it a gazelle.  It has been added to the shed, and along with everything else, the shed is pretty well packed!  My friend VickiJo, asked me when we were getting our next shed!  OMG that is not happening.  But we found something that will help in two ways.  We have ordered TWO deck boxes that are about 46 inches long by 24 inches wide and 25 inches high, with solid lids.  We can store the cushions and pillows from the glider, when we aren't using it, in one deck box.  I think we will put our two outdoor grills in the second one.  As any RVer is well aware, fire is probably the greatest danger to an RV.  Since an RV is a big metal and fiberglas box, if it catches on fire, it burns very rapidly, and people inside can die very quickly.  Our bedroom has a push-out window for escaping such a situation.  However, it is a seven foot drop to the ground, admittedly not as dangerous as the fire, but still an issue.  By placing one, or both, deck boxes under that window, we would be able to step down more easily, and get the dogs out safely too.  Many experts suggest having a "ditch bag" packed and near you at all times (in the bedroom when you are asleep).  We have a water-proof duffle bag we can use to carry what we would need if we had to escape (ditch) in a hurry.  Instead of keeping it inside the RV, I was thinking we could keep it in the car or the shed or even in the deck box where we could easily grab it if we are escaping from a fire.  I totally do NOT think we will 
EVER need this, but it is reassuring to have an emergency plan in place IF we need it.😌

In regards to the title on today's blog, our day time highs are over 100 most days, with the overnight lows in the mid to upper 70s.  We had bought a type of screen over our windows (from shade Pros in California).  They were supposed to block up to 70% of the sunshine, and reduce the heat inside.  I hate to think how hot it would be without them.....but it's still too hot even with them.  we added Reflectix quilted foil panels between the inside glass and our curtains in all of our windows and inside the front windshield.  I think this is helping, but it still gets up to 90 sometimes.....too darned hot! 😓 We have to use the air conditioner more than I had wanted to, but we have to keep it cool enough for the dogs too.  A neighbor said he insulated the area under his trailer with boards that fit between the bottom of his trailer and the ground.  He said that it made a VERY significant difference in his winter heating bill AND his summer cooling expenses.  We aren't sure what we can use that will work for the motorhome since it has open wheel wells that he doesn't have with a trailer.  We had Robert and Dave Bean out here this morning for a small repair, and asked them about it.  They are going to look into it and see what they might be able to use to accomplish this and not look "trashy".  We want to keep out site looking nice and neat and homey.  

They are also still looking to replace our kitchen sinks and faucets.  I'm not sure if we will have to replace the counter top......sure would love a pretty light blue marble or granite counter top, but that might be too expensive.  They are also going to see if they can replace our ugly old bathroom sink (white and stained) with a new one in the original almond color we had before.  Yippee and hooray.

Now I just need to find someone, locally, to buy our Ninja Blender since we invested in the Instant Pot Ace Blender which can also cook hot foods like soups or chili, and make frozen desserts like ice cream or sorbets.  Then I hope to find someone, locally, to buy our nearly brand new Instant Pot air fryer basket and lid and cookbook to use with the Instant Pot Pressure cooker, because I have ordered the Instant Pot Vortex 7:1 air fryer/ roaster/rotisserie so I don't need the other one.  Now you see why our shed is getting too full! 

Well, since I can't post any pictures today, I guess I will close for now.  Please be kind to each other.  Understand that these are difficult times for all of us, but know that God is in charge, and all will work out according to His plan for us.  Remember that His message is LOVE.  Love your neighbors.  Help them in any way you can.  I must admit that I am tired of hearing "Black Lives Matter" because I believe ALL LIVES MATTER.  I don't think pancake syrup is racist!  I think we should stop looking for things to hate and stop blaming everything else for problems that are mostly of our own making.  We need to respect others and stop promoting hateful ideas.  Let's all try to come together and help and love one another.  Good bye for now.😍😀💖