Apr 26, 2014
Que pasa
We spent Friday catching up on personal matters which involved a lot of phone time. I did manage to get out and pick up my car insurance and at the same time do some grocery shopping. Sticker shock. We have been eating what I had purchased in the US last week and this was my first time in a Canadian grocery store in over 6 months. Everything from bread to fruit is so expensive not to mention the veggies. I’ll have to start looking at the flyers and doing some selective shopping. When we unloaded we found many of the basics unusable. Both the salt and the sugar were rock hard, I guess they had absorbed a lot of moisture while in Mexico. They were new when we left and neither had even been opened. My grocery list is expanding.
One of the calls Colin made was about getting the RV fumigated. The first quote was for $500.00. The second guy we called had already heard about us from the first guy and didn’t want to quote. The third guy is willing to do it for $159.00 and will come in twice, a few weeks apart. No one will guarantee killing the flea eggs, if there are any, in the carpet. Those eggs can withstand a nuclear blast. The termites appear to be dead and we have only seen three cockroaches and we think they came in hiding within things brought into the RV from the outside while on the Isla. Do we really have fleas? We never ever saw any and we were never bit. We did see their feces on our sheets, the dark blood spots so the girls did have them before the flea bath at the vets. I still think they were transient fleas picked up on the beach and not an infestation in the RV. Colin wonders if we should just wait and see what develops. I say we fumigate mostly because I don’t want to be on the road and start having issues. Any thoughts?
I have several of these little guys flying in and out this week. Can't say that I have ever seen them before.
They don't sit still long enough to get a good shot of them.
Does anyone know what they might be? They have a yellow stripe/dot on the top of the head.
Remember whenI purchased my new camera last month, for $180.00. Well Colin decided he should get a new camera also. Only his is bigger and way more money. This was the year he just had to get a new Nikon D800 and of course he is justified as that is how we make our income. The body only, no lens was $3,370.00 with tax. Good thing we can write his off as a company expense.
Is anyone looking to buy a Nikon D200 camera with AF - S Nikkor 18-200mm DX ED VR lens? Complete with charger and 4GB flash card. Very good condition. Only $300.00.
EDIT…..the ad for the camera and lens was placed at 6:00PM Friday and has been sold by 10:30AM this morning to the first caller. Amazing 🙂
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Your birdie looks like a Yellow-rumped Warbler.
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/yellow-rumped_warbler/id
Lots of Warblers on the move right now as they migrate from south to north!
Not sure what to tell you about fumigating the RV, but I will be very curious to follow the outcome, as I’m sure any of us with RV with animals must likely face this problem someday.
CONGRATS to Colin on his new camera! I’ve heard some spectacular reviews (and some great shots) of the D800. I’m sure his clients will love the higher resolution images he gets with it, so well worth the investment!
Thanks Lynne, that is what it is, looks like I have only seen the male thus far. I made an error in the price of the second quote and have since changed it on the body of my post. The price is $159.00 for two visits.
George, yes he does need to keep up with technology. This new camera also does video which is one of the requirements of the new contract he just got.
Fumigate, I would think its a good idea.
Great for Colin he needs good tools for his trade, keep up with technology.
Contessa, just a comment about fumigation. You may want to ask the fumigator if the fumigant can attack any of the motor home components, some of the fumigants we used in older days would bother the electrics on our plant equipment.
The other suggestion is to look at buying the Ortho version of Vapona “no pest strips”. They kill most insects and if the motor home is unoccupied for a while you can place these strips in a number of locations including the basement. You can “overload” the unit with strips, let it sit closed up for a while then air it out.
I haven’t checked if these kill fleas but they work well for other pests.
Al,you always have great advice. We will look into both of your suggestions. The RV will likely be in storage until October. Mille gracias.
Hi again Contessa:
Another couple of comments. The active ingredient in vapona strips is an organo phosphate called DDVP, I looked and it appears that it’s good on fleas (apparently it’s used on dog collars). It’s on the “hit list” for banning in the US but it’s still available in Canada and elsewhere. Lots of info on it on the net.
If you plan to declare war on the bugs and use a number of strips to get an effective kill be sure to air out the RV well and spend minimal time opening windows and vents when you do, and as always read the directions and MSDS info.
Al
Al…love your attention to detail and thanks for the heads on our health if we go this route.
Good Luck Duck….the thing is that the dogs were protected with Advantix and we still got fleas. We switched to Frontline and so far so good. The Mexican vet we saw suggested switching products every few months. I’m just concerned about the eggs but you are correct, if they hatch they should not live.
Cheryl, thanks for that. Yes I saw that article when I Googled ‘fleas in an RV’ while still on the Isla. That is why we vacuumed so many times and we had Cedarcide which is a natural bug killer that we sprayed repeatedly.
I bought a house that was flea-ridden. I was going to bomb the place, but my vet told me to Advantage the cats, instead. She said that fleas will hide in corners and re-emerge, but with animals running around, the fleas will be attracted, will bite once, then die and not reproduce.
It worked perfectly.
Nina from Wheeling It made this blog post on fleas.
http://www.wheelingit.us/2010/08/30/flea-busting-the-rv-the-non-toxic-way/
She has lots of great suggestions and her comment section also had some great natural/organic ways to deter fleas.
I think you have the right idea to fumigate if you don’t want issues when on the road again.I tend to think like Colin.but hey..Im a guy lol
Hey Hank, I am getting lots of good ideas today so we shall see what we decide.
I can see why that camera went so fast, that was a fair price. Apparently there are only so many pictures that can be taken by a digital camera before it cr*ps out, but that’s only a vague notion that I read somewhere.
I think I’d fumigate, truth be told. It’s like buying insurance. You pay and hope that it’s not something that’s really needed. That’s my best rationalization.
Bob, Colin has heard that notion also but has never actually heard of a particular camera that it has happened to. He says that is like a car, you can only put so many miles on your engine and even a still camera will have it’s springs wear out after so many clicks. Appreciate your input on the fumigation situation.
We agree that the bird is a Yellow-rumped Warbler. There are 2 kinds. Yours is the Audobon’s Warbler found in the west. The other one is the Myrtle Warbler with a white throat like we have here in Ontario. We also see it in Texas in the winter.
We enjoy your girls. They look a lot like one we used to have named Mulligan. We all, dog included, spent some winters RVing in Mazatlan & also visited the vet there. Visited Stone Island & that beach & RV Park a couple of times while we were there.
Thanks Sharon & Gary for the further clarification of the Warbler. Thanks for reading my blog and welcome to the comment section, nice to have you here. Wish we had know you back then when you were RVing in Mexico. Do you think you will ever go back?