Thursday, April 26, 2012

Saw the above posted on Facebook today -- it struck me as being appropriate for the way I feel at the end of some days!

Been quite lazy since returning home from our short trip around San Antonio and the Texas Hill Country. I've done a little laundry, put away a few things out of the luggage, but haven't completed a darn thing. These short, fun trips wear me out and I take a couple of days to recuperate. Takes 2-3 days to get over all the wonderful bad food we eat while on these trips!

We are getting our act together to get Casten's Castle moving. We made a reservations to take it to the North Texas Jellystone Park at Rustic Creek Ranch for one night, getting there at about 11 a.m. That means we have it there one day, a night, and part of another day. We did this because we needed to test out the motorhome while at the same time making cleaning the interior and getting everything put onboard (we still have all the "stuff" from our previous motorhome - dishes, pots/pans, towels, chairs, appliances, and such). We have cleaned just about every inch of that coach -- walls, cabinets (inside and outside), scrubbed the nasty bathroom. It took us a LONG time to get things done because there was 14 years of scum and dirt. I'm kinda strange - I don't want to live on top of anybody else's dirt!! We emptied every drawer, every shelf, took down the shower rod to clean it, I got down on my knees to clean floors. We even vacuumed the mattress. Ken thought I would keep the mattress pads and pillows, that were on the bed but no way, no hey. All of that got carted to the dumpster. We will be purchasing a new mattress. Mattresses on motorhomes are NOT very comfortable. We replaced the one on the Fleetwood Flair with a "home" model. I'm sure we'll do the same on this one.

Thought we were not going to be able to go to Rustic Creek today. Ken was in one of his "attack" modes, and I'm not mentally, emotionally or physically able to deal with that today. His blood sugar was over 400, and when he gets like that anybody and everybody is in for it. It is getting worse. I don't want to be cursed out, shoved, hit, yelled at, put up with things being thrown, etc., today, but finally decided he was going to be ok so we headed out. We stopped at Family Dollar to get things like a cheap pack of rags to clean with, paper towels, and some soft scrub. During the drive to Family Dollar it became obvious today would be a horrible day with Ken. And he is not happy until he has pushed all the buttons and I am sticking to the top of the ceiling.

We finally picked up the motorhome and I was traveling behind in the car. I noticed that the left brake light is out. Put that on the list of things that need to be done to the coach. Then we arrived at Rustic Creek, I told Ken which site was ours so he could park while I checked in. When I got over to the site he was in the coach having a ranting fit because the A/C wasn't coming on. Well, number one, he didn't have the house batteries turned on. No. 2, he didn't have the power at the pole turned on. At the same time, I was telling him that he had to move the coach because he had parked it too far to the right of the site and up against a tree that was scratching the hell out of the motorhome. He threw a fit because I made him move it. He still didn't move it over far enough but at least it was better (no way could we test the awning because he was still too close to the tree). Unfortunately he didn't move it far enough forward that the hookups would reach or that the car could be parked. So he threw another tantrum because once again I made him move it.

Then he started trying to hook things up. I have no idea what he did, but the water was on in the bathroom and kitchen. Apparently he never hooked up the sewer. But with the water on I could clean. (He never turned on the hot water heater either, so no idea if that works. The whole idea of today was to test to make sure everything worked - but there is NO cooperation from Ken.) While I cleaned the bathroom, Ken was cleaning out bedroom cabinets and drawers - much against his will. And he stripped all that nasty bedding off that mattress. Yea! I vacuumed it, then let it air out some. Wish I could have set it out in the sun.

I noticed water spilling out from under the kitchen faucet, making a mess on the counter top and the floor. We kept mopping it up thinking it was back splash, but it wasn't. Then Ken checked the cabinet under the sink - it was wet. As though that wasn't bad enough (need new faucet? need new water lines?), he went out to turn off the water and the connector piece where the water hose hooks to the coach came off - he couldn't get it back on...there was something wrong with it. I hear him outside the coach in this family RV park screaming and cussing over and over and I am afraid we are going to be thrown out of this place. I'm sure they would have done it. I went out to get him to shut up, and of course he took the entire problem out on me. He continues to have a toddler tantrum fit using all the loud horrible words he knows and blaming me for this "piece of shit" you bought!!" and I'm telling him I'd like to see the $200,000 motorhome he bought seeing how he's never held a job in his life, hasn't got a damn dime to his name, and mooches his entire survival off of me. Not a good time. I eventually told him to take the part to the store to see if they have a replacement. In his stupidity he thinks I mean the RV Park store, so he's back in a few minutes cussing me out because they don't have one. I looked at him and asked if he was really that stupid, of course they wouldn't have it. I was talking about Camping World which is just a few minutes up the road!!! (Twice today Ken lunged at me with his fists drawn back as if to hit me. I let him know that is exactly what I am waiting for him to do. Once he does that, I call 911 and I never have to worry about his A$$ again; his goose will be cooked.)

Ken took the part to Camping World. They said it was rigged...they had never seen anything put together like that. They got it apart, but sold Ken a replacement for it and told him if the replacement doesn't work the coach will need to be brought in for repair. It didn't work. The coach will go in tomorrow but work will not be done until next Tuesday. In the meantime we got things cleaned up by using the bucket we brought. I took it to the bath house, cleaned it with tub and tile cleaner, rinsed it out, then used it as a source for kitchen sink water so that I could clean cabinets and the floors. We didn't get anything put away today, we'll do some of that tomorrow morning, I hope. I do wish, however, that Ken had been sensible and hooked up the sewer and the water heater. Even after Camping World does repairs we won't be able to leave town or go on a camping weekend because we still do not know if these things work.

Today was just one of many of trying to survive in Ken's insane world. He desperately needs to be in a full-time care facility, but he does not have the income or insurance to pay for that. But he cannot continue to live here in my house being disrespectful to me and expecting me to support him. I want out.

So, that's the day we spent. Ken came home, put out the trash and the bags of evergreen trimmings - which the trash people will NOT pick up, and I've told him so -- he showered, went to bed.

[Note: About Rustic Creek (North Texas Jellystone Park). This used to be RV Ranch of Burleson, and we went there a lot on our own as well as with the Frontier Sam's RV Chapter of the Good Sam's club. This place is trying to become a resort RV park, all kinds of things have been put in for kids (water park, various games, activities), the site prices are out of sight cost wise (we paid $39.60 for a site we formerly got for less than $20). The big club room has now been taken as a rec type room (foosball, pool, a concession kitchen that sells burgers, pizza, and such at 4 p.m.). This is no longer the kind of place most real RV people would choose to stay.]

God give me strength, because for my own survival I need to get out of this situation.

Psalm 105:4 "Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always."