From RVbookstore.com
Moving On
By Adrienne Kristine
You've checked your lists: the awning is retracted and clamped, the hoses and cables are stowed, the pilots are out, the propane is off, the antenna is down and the steps are up. You've locked the door, opened the curtains, closed the windows and vents, and removed the sunshade from the windshield. You and your RV are ready for your next adventure.
I don't think so. The first time I drove a motorhome, I glanced around and didn't see anything loose. There were a couple of pictures hanging on nails, the microwave was on the counter, the coffeepot was in the slot under the cabinet; the doors and drawers were closed. So I started the engine and drove down the street.
A block away was the first of four speed bumps. I crawled over them at 2 MPH. I heard things rattling but nothing fell. When the back tires went over the last speed bump, I sped up to a fiery 25 MPH to reach the corner and the stop sign.
Suddenly from between parked cars, two children on bicycles raced each other into the street, looking up in horror when they realized I was looming over them. I slammed on the brakes. They were terrified and I couldn't decide between rage and relief. The kids rode away and I pulled over to the curb to catch my breath. I thought of "The Night Before Christmas. . . because "in the back of the rig there arose such a clatter, I sprang from my seat to see what was the matter."
I cringed as I faced the mess. Then I cursed the engineers who put magnetic latches on the overhead cabinets. What were they thinking?
First, I walked to the back of the RV and pushed the plastic containers with my clothes in them back inside the cabinets. The spice jars had fallen on the dinette seat, not the table, so nothing was broken. I put the spices back in their slots. Two pictures had fallen off the walls onto the other dinette seat and nothing was damaged. I had remembered to put the pin in the refrigerator latch so nothing fell out. The coffee pot had slid forward but not out of the coffeemaker. I pushed it back. Then I opened the cabinet with the dishes. Fortunately, nothing inside is breakable and my reflexes are pretty good. I managed to catch most of the cups, plates and bowls that had also slid forward toward the bulging cabinet door. I wasn’t so lucky with the other cabinet. When I opened that one, I almost caught all the tea, coffee, jam, soup, napkins and food containers. The jar of homemade spaghetti sauce landed just under my right eye, creating a mouse I wore for a couple of days. I had never been attacked by food before.
The couch had been replaced with a six-foot counter over two kitchen cabinets with four drawers each. Thank goodness the microwave had stayed in place as did the TV. All eight drawers, however, had opened and were in various stages of closing. Nothing fell out but the contents were a bit jumbled.
The bathroom was a disaster. The medicine cabinet opened (my first adjustment of the latch failed) and everything fell on the floor. Again, nothing was breakable. As I was retrieving the little bottles of aspirin, lotions and potions, I had to laugh when I thought, "Gee, I haven’t spent nearly enough time on the floor behind my toilet lately."
I was heading off about 120 miles to a camping weekend with the RVing Women. I sat at the dinette and thought about a quick fix so I could be on my way again. Duct tape to the rescue! I taped the spice jars in the rack, the coffeepot in the coffeemaker, the pictures to the wall, put a strip over all the drawers, and taped the overhead cabinets and medicine cabinet closed.
On my way home, I stopped at the hardware store. I bought cup hooks, a roll of Velcro and a roll of double-sided foam tape. I parked and spent the rest of the afternoon removing duct tape. I replaced nails with cup hooks. I adjusted the medicine cabinet door so it stayed closed. The heavy items were held with Velcro; the lighter ones with foam tape. I had some ribbon left from a present I received so I put Velcro on each end, threaded the ribbon through the coffeepot handle and attached the ends to the side of the coffeemaker. The pot doesn't move.
The next day, I ordered latches. When then arrived, a carpenter installed them on all the cabinets and drawers. Now I have to push a button to open them. I put adjustable refrigerator bars inside across the front of the dishes and food cabinets. The microwave and TV have heavy-duty clamps to hold them on the counter. I also found out about Earthquake Putty. It’s similar to museum putty. I roll up pea-sized bits and put them on whatever I want to stay in place. So far, it's holding my CO/smoke detector, leveling the pictures, tacking the candles to the stove cover, and holding the coaster rack, ceramic spoon rest, alarm clock and the Damp-Rid containers. Even the monthly calendar is tacked to the bathroom door.
Nothing slides, opens or falls and that’s how I like it.
© Copyright 2007 by RVbookstore.com