Katie=12.4 pounds; The Palms=11,760 pounds

WELCOME to our new follower, Theresa! She wants to be an RVer, but for now is following blogs about RVing.  I followed tons of blogs for more than a year before I got my RV.  Theresa is hoping to start traveling next year.  I hope that works, it sure is fun to be on the road in an RV, and we're happy you are following along with us.

WELCOME to our new Follower, Harriet Mayeaux!  Harriet, you don't have any information shown, so I can't give you a plug for your blog.  If you have one, please leave a comment with the blog address so I can check it out.  I guess you are either an RVer, a future RVer, or an RV dreamer.  Whichever one it is, Katie and I are happy to have you along on our adventures.  (NOTE: Harriet's new blog is: Giddyup! Gumbo.)

Welcome Aboard to you both!

Don't forget to check your moderation and spam folders.  The old version of Blogger gave an indication that there was something in those folders, but this new one doesn't.  After I blogged about a couple of free Kindle books, I've had some followers' comments end up in those folders.  Also some others that were just normal comments, not referring to Kindle, were in there.  (Denise, this might be your answer as to why my comments aren't showing in your comment section - they might be in your Moderation or Spam folders.)  FYI.

Katie went to her new vet yesterday, Dr. Pollock at Anasazi Animal Clinic in Camp Verde, AZ, and everything was fine.  Her weight and temp were good, and she got her shots.  She shook a little, which is unusual for her, so I knew she was nervous, but she didn't bat an eyelash.  She was so good.  When they took her temp, though, her eyes got round and she looked insulted.

So Katie is good to go for another year.  Dr. Pollock wasn't concerned about her nose, he just said to get some Triple Antibiotic Ointment at the drug store if it becomes a problem. He didn't see anything wrong.

I'd recommend this animal clinic if you are ever in this area. The staff and doctor were all very nice, spent time talking to Katie and petting her, making her feel comfortable, and the clinic was nice and clean.  I'm glad I chose this clinic.  For those of you who are interested, Office Visit/Exam was $40, Rabies and DHP Booster shots $20 each, total cost $80.

I asked the vet if I could give Katie people peanut butter in her Kong toy, and he said, yes.  It won't hurt her, but don't give her too much, because it has fat in it. She loves this stuff, so I'll keep giving it to her.  It gives her a little challenge and keeps her busy for a while.  Here she is trying to lick the peanut butter out of the Kong.

Then our weighing company came over, it's called Weigh To Go, LLC.  It is owned by a husband and wife, Tom and Lonni Case.  They were great!  It was more involved than I thought it would be.  Some of you know this, but for those that don't, here's what happened.

 Tom getting out the scales and other tools.
(Click on the photo for their phone number or website)

As Tom got out his tools and the scales, Lonni got all the information on The Palms from the Forest River stickers inside my driver's door.  They take into account if your tanks are full or not, and add that into the weight equation.  Then Tom laid out the scales so that when I drove up on them, I'd be completely level.

Tom checked all my tires to see what kind they are and how old they are, and he measured each tire's pressure, except one. One rear outside tire's valve is laying against the hubcap, and none of his tire pressure tools could get it. They measured the distance from the front axle to the rear axle.  Tom got under the Palms to see exactly where all the tanks are located.  (While he was right near the cabin step, he found a place where a critter chewed through the insulation and chewed the covering off a copper wire that controls the step.  He said next time I'm in for service, have them repair that area.)

After they checked everything and got all the information they needed, I drove up on the scales and they recorded those numbers.  

While Tom put away their tools, Lonni went into their truck to enter all the information in her computer and printed out a report for me.

One thing Tom said is that the tire pressure shown on the side of the tires or suggested by the maker of the RV is only an estimate.  You can't know how much the tire pressure should be unless you weigh each tire with it's load.  You need to know how much weight that part of the rig is carrying.

Also, if one tire is carrying a heavier load in the front or in the back (my passenger front tire is carrying more than the driver side tire), you always inflate both the front or rear tires at the higher PSI.  That makes sense. You want the tire with the heaviest weight to be inflated correctly.

He said it's okay if the tire pressure is 2 to 3 pounds more or less than it should be, but try to keep it in that range for optimum safety and performance.

Then Tom came in and we sat down and went over the report.  He explained everything on each page, and The Palms came out with flying colors.  We are balanced well, each tire had the correct pressure within the approved limits of 2 or 3 pounds.  Tom couldn't get to that one tire - when I get the tire valve extensions I want them to check that one to see what it is.  He said it looks, feels and responds like the others, so it should be okay. I'll also have the tire company put the correct pressure into each tire, according to our weight chart.

The GVWR  (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating) for The Palms is 14,050 pounds, and she weighed in at 11,760.  I can add more weight if needed and not worry about it, we're 2,290 pounds light.  Not that I want to add more weight.

Also, the Wheelbase/LOA Ratio was measured. They measured the overhang in front and back in realtion to the axles, and that came out very good.  Of course - we're only 24 feet.  We don't have a lot of overhang, but that helps give us a better ride down the road.

They measured The Palms from bumper to bumper, and she's 23.5 feet (24 feet if you also measure the ladder).  I've seen limits for vehicles of 24 feet, so The Palms would fit into that measurement.

I haven't been good at checking my tire pressure, but Tom said losing pressure is more of a problem if your rig sits for a long period.  Since I drive The Palms every ten days to two weeks to dump, shop, etc., that keeps my tire pressure more constant, and that's probably why my tire pressure measured within limits.

So - whew! - we are good.  Tires are good, pressure is good, rig is balanced, and total weight is good.  And, if I buy something that is kind of heavy, I'll know the best place to store it, weight-wise.

At $50, well worth the cost.  This is a safety issue, and I thought I was okay, but now I know.  I would advise anyone who has access to one of the companies along the way to take advantage of the service. What you don't know could hurt you.  And if your rig is within all the limits, you won't have to worry about it as long as things stay pretty much the same.

When they were setting up, my neighbor across the way came over and asked if she could cut my hair when they were done weighing The Palms instead of doing it today.  That was just fine with me, and so after Tom and Lonni left, she came over and cut my hair outside while I sat in one of my chairs with her cape over my shoulders.  It was kind of windy, so when she got most of it off, we came inside for the fine tuning.  When she was done it looked really good, she went home and I swept up and got my hair wet and used the hair dryer to style it.  It looked pretty good as it was drying right after the cut.  When I "styled" it with the hair dryer a round brush, WOW, it's one of the best hair cuts I've every had.

After she cut my hair, she trimmed Katie's nails.  She did a good job, and Katie behaved.  The hair cut and nail trim only cost me $20.  What a bargain. 

Yesterday was a very eventful and productive day.  Now we just have the wash/wax of The Palms on Monday and our appointments will be done.

Every month I think I'll save more money, but it's amazing how all these come up from month to month, whether it's the rig registration and insurance, health issues for me or Katie, keeping The Palms (the truck, tires, coach and all the things in it) all running and checked out.  On my balance sheet each month, there are always Miscellaneous Expenses I wasn't planning.  Having the annual spreadsheet will really help in the years to come, because I'll have a good list of these odd-ball things that don't happen every month and I'll be able to plan for them and have a good idea what they will cost.

Roger, who did most of the research and work on my generator/converter issues back in Quartzsite, answered an e-mail I sent him.  I told him where I was, and he said I am in the Goldilocks zone.  Not too hot, and not too cold.  I liked that.  And I like being in the Goldilocks zone.

I just took a break from blogs and defrosted my freezer. It's been a year, so that's not bad.  I was starting to lose some space, and it was definitely time.  I used the old hair dryer/dull plastic spatula method, and it didn't take long.  I'm going to wait a while to defrost the fridge, which has the same ice on the upper shelf/back area.  I kind of like it there, because I put my little milk and water bottles there, and the ice keeps them colder.  When I start losing space on the shelf, I'll defrost that, too.

That's it for now.  From me and Katie, have a great weekend, everyone!  :)