Simple Things Can Make All The Difference

There’s a few things I’ve done since we moved into the Squatch that make day to day life just a little bit easier.  I simply want to change my immediate environment to best suit my needs.  I’ve found myself getting into new routines that simplify and order my life.  Structure is something that I’ve only ever experienced in school and at work.  Put to use for my personal interests, structure and organization can move mountains, I’m sure.  I find my time gets frittered away by the summation of trivial tasks throughout my day.  Minor things, grabbing my toothbrush from the medicine cabinet or washing dishes in an inefficiently designed kitchen sink, can over time, add up to a delay in the tasks I really want to accomplish.  It comes down to design.  Design is everything.

The first example is our kitchen.  I have a long way to go, but this is about minor changes that go along way.  The most noteworthy feature is the faucet itself.  Granted, I didn’t build the faucet, but we did choose it at the local RV parts store.  For $38, the mostly metal copper finish is a lovely addiition to our home.  I am surprised by the find.  I don’t have a good picture of the old faucet.  All I can say is that it was way to shallow and made washing any larger items next to impossible, leaving me to resort to the bathroom shower.  Not only is it higher, but it extends further into the left sink well, since the spigot was moved over to the left hole where the hot water came through the countertop in the old design.  In the right hole, I fixed the sprayer hose, which the Squatch did not have before.

I’d like to also note that this faucet has separate hot and cold valves as opposed to a single lever which is swung left or right to select water temperature.  This is very important to me as I’m sure it wastes less hot water.  Additionally, out of frame is an electric foot switch that controls water flow.  This goes a long way to further conservation efforts.

Also of note, is the stainless pot for spoons and spatulas, screwed down to the countertop, the small shelf made from a scrap piece of the original bench table, and the hanging planter for fruits and vegetables.

This is a picture of our drinking water pitcher.  The overhead cupboard seamed like a good place to keep it out of the way.  Problem was, it had to be pushed back and turned so the door wouldn’t close on the spigot.  I wanted a little kitchen lazy susan for it to spin on, but every one I found was  piece of junk.

For $6 I purchased the hardware for building one.  At a capacity of 500 pounds, it’s a bit overkill, but with a few scraps of plywood and some glued on drawer liner, this lazy susan will last a long time and can someday be used for something else.

Our water supply from the park protrudes from the ground and was housed by this very sad looking plywood box.  The park hasn’t been well known for their attention to maintenance needs, so I wasn’t going to wait around for them to build me a new one.

A few scraps and 40 minutes, I had a suitable replacement.  I dug down into the ground a few inches to place it so there would be less air circulation in the colder months.  If I come across some insulation scraps, I will line it and then paint the whole thing.

It’s a little cleaner and less creepy to get into now.  I don’t really want to waste the electricity, but I may have to heat tape the pipe to keep it from freezing.

Anyway, that’s enough for now.  I just ran out of propane this morning, and need to get a “Y” adapter on the onboard tank so I can hook up a portable LP tank.  Lots to do!

-M.C. Pletcher