One more reason to love RDB...

New campers come with new problems - like how I smacked my head on the drop down queen bed in the back of the trailer not once, but twice, on the trip to Mississippi.  Both times it was such a hard hit that I knocked myself silly and needed to lay down for a bit.  I may not be a natural blonde, but I am certainly a natural klutz, no doubt.  

Bad news - that's how you look when you're laying on the picnic table after the second time you've beamed your brain.  Good news - the view from there isn't half bad:

So, how does loving RDB even more play into this?  Well, notice the packing quilt pushed under my head in the photo:  In my hast to "lay down before you fall down," I just plunked myself down on the bare tabletop.  RDB came over and put the blanket under my head for cushion.  But to add to the hilarity, from that point forward, every time he lowered the bunk in the camper he'd "beep-beep-beep" out a warning and made sure that I was well aware of the 'low clearance' situation.  

It's when he does silly little things like that to keep me laughing, even when the pain of life sometimes makes me want to cry, that makes me love him that much more.

A Thousand Reasons Not To

Well, maybe not a thousand.  But this trip sure did start off on the WRONG foot.

Here's a few reasons why you might not want to go camping:

- It might be COLD. Like, there's snow on the ground when you get there, COLD.

- You might forget your power drill.  Which means you've got to hunt down the hand crack you haven't used since you bought the camper in order to crank down your stabilizers.

- Cans might come falling out of the cupboard on top of you.  "Shift Happens."

- You might burn your fingers on the closed grill lid walking past not realizing it was left on high to burn off the crap from the last time it was used.  A quick Google search will tell you it's a second degree burn.

 - When things shifted in the cupboard, a bottle of olive oil might fall over.  And spill.  And generally make a ginormous mess that you have to clean up with your now injured hand.

- The propane might run out in the middle of the night and the heater will stop.  (See the first item on the list again).

- You might set up coffee for the morning and instead of setting the time, you turn it on.  5 minutes later coffee starts brewing.  This is at 10 o'clock at night.

- The water spigot might be frozen. So you might have to stand outside with your little electric heater to defrost it.  (And you might have to Google 'spigot' because you can't figured out it's not spelt 'spicket').

- You might burn your hand (again) trying to cook breakfast.

- Your sewer hose might not be long enough to reach from your camper to the sewer hook-up. Yea.
- The firewood might not light, because it's been snowed on.

- The snow will melt, and then you'll deal with mud. Lots and lots and lots of mud.

And that was all before the first trip to Wal*Mart Saturday morning. So, why, why on earth would I be all excited that we're going camping again this next weekend?!

Well, you might get to say you've actually gone camping in snow.  Not really that much snow, mind you, but snow nonetheless.

You might get to enjoy some amazing food - both at the restaurant we ate at Friday night (because after burning my fingertips so badly I didn't want to cook) and then again Saturday afternoon once they stopped throbbing and I did feel like cooking.

Stuffed sweet potatoes.  Deee-licious!

You might get to see the ingenuity of your husband (heheh - husband!) as he figures out how to defrost the water faucet.  (And yes, we stayed with the heater the whole time - because electricity and water do not mix!  And, we found out later, we could have called park maintenance and they would have defrosted it for us.)

You might get some studying done....

...or some sleeping...

...or some security guarding...

...or more sleeping.

You can build a fire.  Lake Livingston SP has firewood available for donations.  I put $20 in the honor box and the Ranger said: That's gonna be a lot of firewood.  Sure enough, we didn't end up burning it all, so we've got plenty for this next weekend.  Oh, and a big thanks to the campers next site over who offered their lighter fluid...

And who knows, you might actually have a good time, despite the thousand reasons not to.

We were in Site #55 at Lake Livingston State Park - who is piloting a site-specific reservation system this year.  We *loved* that we could grab one of the sites near the water and knew exactly where we were going when we got to the Park.  We've been here once before: A Relaxing Weekend at Lake and very likely will be back here again.

I know, I know, I say that all the time!  But with so many reasons to go back, why wouldn't we? ;-)

For a few more camping photos, go here.

A Bunch of Firsts

We went out to the Country this past weekend.  Once again, it's awesome to head out where we have the place to ourselves (with Dad and Bunny of course).  Even though we've been there before - and will again twice more before summer - we had a bunch of firsts:

First flowers of Spring.

 

First time letting Diesel run free, off leash. Oh, he loooved it!

Ruuuun, Diesel, Ruuun!

First time Diesel met barbed-wire (in the dark unfortunately, we got there late at night, he had no clue - and he came running back to us immediately.)  I was very grateful for my doggie first aid kit and that he only got cuts on his nose and back.

First time taking Clyde the Big Truck out with our camper. Also, first time I drove the Big Truck.

 

That camper looks so tiny!

First time I drove the Big Truck, and got it stuck in the mud.  But I come by it honestly - from what Bunny says, it's a family tradition: Papa's gotten his truck stuck out here, Uncle Roy's gotten his truck stuck.. So has Dad.  And now me.  Huh.

 

Yep.  That's stuck.

First time our camper has been towed by a tractor.... that also rescued the truck from the mud.

Wow, look at those ruts....

 

Regardless of all those firsts, we had bunches of fun.  Diesel was all over every stick and pine cone that he could chew on, and it was a wonderful trip - even with the rain that caused the mud that got me stuck.  Yeah, the rain - I blame it on the rain.  :-)

For more camping photos, go here.

Tips & Tricks #3: Camping is for the Dogs!

Because he might lick you to death.

By now, I'm sure you've figured out, we love camping - with our Pup.  I won't say it hasn't been challenging - from having to plan for his meals (he's on a raw diet) and all the looks you get from people who mistakenly think that he's aggressive, and having to figure out what to do with him while you're trying to set up and break down (come to find out - he likes to curl up in the driver's seat... and occasionally honk the horn!)  It can be tryinga t times, but I think any dog owner will tell you that the love and loyalty that a dog gives makes all the extra work worth while.

So, a few things that we do, or bring, to make the dog days of camping a bit more fun:

Notice the reflective collar - it's the first thing I grab out of the camper, as we're heading out, and change Diesel into.  Not only is it reflective, it's bright orange, and even lights up with a detachable rechargeable battery pack.  I was looking for something with high visibility for our deer-like dog while camping.  There's no mistaking him for wildlife when he's got his camping necklace on!

Attached to the collar are his dog tags - one that has all of his important, constant info engraved on it (name, our phone number, his rabies tag number, Harris Co. licence number, microchip and vet phone numbers) and another tag that is temporary. It has our check-in and -out dates on one side and the camp site number on the other.  I use a permanent marker and the metal-ringed paper tags (find them at the office supply store).  They've lasted through rain, dirt, and some chewing.  Good enough for a weekend trip - in case he gets loose, I want people to very quickly be able to return him to us.

And hopefully, we won't ever have to worry about him getting loose, because we use a trolley system to keep him in the campsite.  The red steel cable in the pic above attaches to another steel cable that runs between two posts we drive into the ground (or in this case, one post and one perfectly placed tree).  The trolley gives him the ability to have some space to roam around in, but be securely within the boundaries of our site.  Keep in mind, different campgrounds have different rules about dogs-on-leash and driving posts in the ground.  Most TX State Parks require no more than a 6' lead, but we've not had any problem with this system.  We make sure Diesel is well inside the boundaries of our site - and that there's plenty of space between him and the road.

Once inside the camper, we use a collapsible crate.  Diesel is crate trained at home, so he's very comfortable going in and laying down in his 'house.'  We bring the same blankets that he has in his crate at home so they smell like him and are familiar.  One gets placed over the top of the crate to make a 'cave' and the other is tossed inside for him to lay on - he's happy as can be to just lie in there and sleep.  This crate lives in the camper, folded down compactly and on the bunk end.  Since we don't need the extra bunk for sleeping and we use it for storage while we camp - it's become Diesel's bunk at this point, too!

We carry a box that's specifically for Diesel stuff - and this one goes with us on trips that aren't just camping trips, so it doesn't stay in the camper.  Let's see, there's a set of bowls, the trolley system I was talking about earlier, a small bottle of dog shampoo, some of his favorite treats (freeze dried salmon), the markers and tags from earlier, spare poop bags, a training snap (in the bowl), a spare leash, harness, and collar, and his dogie first aid kit (small white bag).  It contains the following:

• Instant ice pack
• Two sizes of sterile pads
• Tape (same stuff the vet gives us to post his ears)
• Triple antibiotic ointment
• Fine point sharp scissors
• Quick Blood Stopper (styptic powder)
• Q-tips
• Alcohol swabs
• Benedryl (1mg/10lbs)
• Ace bandage (in case we need to muzzle him)

It was also suggested that we take along a pair of pliers (in case of encounters with a porcupine or cactus) which we already have in the tool set in the camper, and also hydrogen peroxide (to induce vomiting) and I've got that in my Poison Ivy First Aid Kit.

So, that's our Diesel dog stuff.  Any other suggestions?

Diesel telling me how much he
 looooves to go camping!

Tips & Tricks #2: Poison Ivy First Aid Kit

Did you know - 15-30% of the population has no allergic reaction to the 'poison' found in poison ivy?

Lucky dogs.

I'm not one of the chosen few - I've joked that if I can just see the ivy vine, I'm gonna get the rash.  I've battled with poison ivy/oak/sumac through my entire life and can even recall getting a poison oak rash so badly on my face that my classmates called me ScarFace (It was sixth grade, after all.  And kids are mean at that age.)

After a pretty nasty bout of it this summer from pulling branches down on the dam at Mom's, and then loving on Diesel after he inadvertently ran through it out in the country at Dad's, I've decided that I'll be prepared the next time (and God willing, there won't be a next time) I encounter this horrid plant.

Before I list out what I've put together as my "after exposure" kit, let me preface by saying: Avoidance is the best medicine! Urushiol is the culprit - this oil can survive and still be toxic up to 6 months after contact. So, learn what poison ivy looks like, be cautious if you're camping or hiking near it and your pet runs through it.  If you have come into contact with it - bag the clothes you were wearing (shoes, too) and wash them in hot water when you get home - trying not to touch them again. 

Remember: Leaves of Three, Let it Be!

Photo: http://extension.missouri.edu/p/ipm1021-13

Here's what I've put together as a supplement to my basic first aid kit - being very specific to the things that have worked for me and need to minimize the impact of the urushiol once I've been exposed.

The most important thing for me after exposure is to remove as much of the plant oil, as quickly and efficiently as possible.  tecnu was something we discovered early on in my life, and its been the most effective soap/wash at removing the oils from the initial contact.  If I even think that I've been exposed, I'll wash with this.  This product is also pet safe.  4oz for $7

Next up, towels.  Coleman has super small towel 'tablets' that expand once they've come into contact with water. That's a 14' x 7' towel compressed to about the size of a really thick dime!  My plan is to use these as I'm washing out the tecnu and oils, and then toss the washcloths afterward. I've got 2 of them stored in a toothbrush cover (that came with the kit you'll see later) 10 in a tube for $3

So, after removing and bagging any clothes you were wearing, washing and cleaning the exposed area, and washing the offending oil-carrying-tail-wagger - you've done all you can to minimize the possible rash. Now, you wait. And hope.  And pray that you either 1) aren't allergic, or 2) will only get a small rash.  The rest of my kit will come into use if I find myself out camping and the rash has started (which for me, takes less than 2 hours from first exposure).

My plan of attack is two-fold - internal and external.  Internally,  I'm a fan of the generic version of Benedryl. Good news, it blocks the signals that the nerves are sending that say: "your arm is the enemy, and should be scratched to death."  Bad news, it makes me drowsy.  Come to think of it, that may be a good thing, because if I can get to sleep, then I don't get that desperate need to SCRATCH!  24 caps for $2

Externally, I've got a few different choices in my arsenal. First up, the traditional anti-itch stuff. I'm not brand specific on these - the pink stuff works, the generic stuff works, this time I picked up the Calagel because it came with a 2oz sample of tecnu, which I was planning to buy anyway.  My travel kit came with a 3oz squeeze bottle, and I transferred some into it for my kit.  6oz for $5

If I want a break from the gooey-ness of the Calagel, I switch over to a generic of Cortisone 10 (are you seeing a 'generic' pattern here?).  Cotton balls are a part of the kit as well - for both of the previous medications.  Just be careful as you're taking pictures of your kit - come to find out, Diesel thinks cotton balls make for really chewing treats.  1oz for $3, cotton balls from a supply I already had.

Diesel back there "helping" me with this post.

Third option - hydrogen peroxide.  I came across this one the last time ran into poison ivy. It works both as a wash (if I don't have tecnu) and as an anti-infection and drying agent.  I scratch.  I admit - there are moments when regardless of how strong I think I am, the overwhelming desire to do something about the incessant itch consumes me.  I try counter that with the use of hydrogen peroxide - on the off chance that I've got something infection-causing under my nails, I want to keep the wound I'm creating as clean as possible.  As a second benefit, peroxide has a drying effect.  I've found that poison ivy rash has three phases: itch, ooze, and ache.  You know you've got it bad when the rash oozes.  The spray bottle came from the travel kit I picked up ($4) and the peroxide I already had.

It's not much to look at, but it's probably the best ~$15 I've spent getting ready for the next camping season.  It'll live in the 'pup and I hope to never need to use it.  But, as my Eagle Scout Dad taught me, it's best to be prepared.

BTW (this part gets a little gross, skip to the 'final note' if you're squeamish) - If you've come across this post because you are currently suffering though a poison ivy rash, I have one more golden nugget for you: hot, almost way-too-hot, hot water. As hot as you can stand it, hot water.  I discovered this the last time I had a reaction - and a really bad reaction it was: oozing, red, swollen, all over my elbow and forearm, and partially on my face (what's up with that!).  If you have a sprayer/detached shower head, turn the water to as hot as you can stand and spray the rash area.  Do not believe the common myth that you'll just spread the rash. (Learn more here.) The oozing is your body producing blisters to fight off the destruction caused by the original contact with urushiol.  If you're at 'ooze phase' you're well beyond the initial contact.  During the worst of my 'ooze,' I would shower in the morning around 7am, spray my arm and face with very hot water, and then have relief from the itching until about 2pm, at which point I wanted to bite my arm off. It worked for me even while camping (think: coffee pot of hot water, arm held over a bowl, and using a washcloth).  This is by no means medical advice.  Gotta say that because I don't want you to come back and sue me if you have a severe ivy rash and you scald yourself trying to stop the itch.  Because when the ivy has you, you'll try anything for relief!



One final note: you know how 15% of the population doesn't have to go through all this? Guess who's part of that group?

Yep, RDB is immune.

Lucky.