It’s All About Survival

 

Thankfully, at least as of a few minutes ago, Dave may notice some improvement in his pain situation.  The visit to the doctor got him a muscle relaxer and an oral steroid for his pinched neck nerve.  He’s been in a bad way lately, in a lot of pain.

This morning it was –5 out, but we’re to see the mid to upper 20s today.  We did have water via our fresh tank and water pump the past few days, but not so this morning when we got up.  We still have water in the office trailer.

You know it’s subzero outside when steam is rising from the river.  The water temperature is actually warmer than the air.  It’s a reliable indicator.

Right now it is literally all about survival.  The gate lock freezes and has to be thawed in the morning with a propane torch to get it to open.  Heat has to be maintained to our RV, and we’re going through a 30-pound tank of propane a day.  Even with six tanks at our disposal to use, that usage means Dave is going for propane once a week (the weekly run sees him taking four tanks) and sometimes twice during a week to ensure we make it through an incoming storm, weekend, or holiday.  Having no water in our rig puts a twist on bathing and meals . . . cooking, if it occurs, has to be creative with microwaveable dishes or crock pot meals as dish washing has to be kept to a minimum.  I can’t keep much in the way of perishable food not only due to this but because our fridge may stop working . . . again.  Snow and ice have to be removed from the trucks before they can be driven.  We’ve even seen windshields ice up again between de-icing them and actually getting into the truck to go . . . a space of just a few minutes.  Auxiliary heater in the basement gets turned on before going to bed and turned off in the morning.  One has to be careful in walking outside not to slip on ice; thankfully, I have cleats that go on my boots.  Of course, when it snows more than an inch, paths have to be cleared to get to the office from our rig, accessing our rig to change propane and so forth, getting to the dumpster, etc..  Yes, that means shoveling.  At least the snow we’ve had is the light, dry, powdery kind; that makes shoveling a lot easier, but it’s still hard work.

That’s just a few of the things that happen in conditions as harsh as these.

Funny how non-RVers will ask, “Are you staying warm?”  Well, yes, staying warm is not the issue, thank goodness.  It’s all the rest of daily life right now that becomes “interesting.”  This lifestyle ain’t for wussies, I tell ya.

It’s all sorts of actions that one does not give any thought to usually that have to be planned and executed slowly (like walking) and a bunch of extra things that have to be done just to keep our rig (and us) safe and warm during these conditions.

This morning the sun is shining and we are on a warming trend the next few days, although we may be getting some snow/rain/ice this weekend and I’ve heard mention of yet another polar vortex event in the next week or so.

Existence is a challenge right now and will make for great stories in the future, but we’re ready for Spring.  We have mentioned a few times how these conditions are quite like what we experienced when living in Minnesota (in a sticks-n-bricks home) for a couple of years.  The winters we had there were mild for the area.  What we’re going through now is indeed very much like that.

Thanks for stopping by!