The Nomad

We went on our usual trip to Missouri one year. While we were there, Lee asked us if we'd like to take the travel trailer they had kept parked under a tree for years. He decided he wanted it out of there, to get rid of it. Well the previous winter a tree limb had come down on the roof of the thing, poking holes in the roof. After that it was a whole winter and spring of snow and rain leaking inside of it. Jerry, being his usual helpful self, agreed to take it.

First we had to empty it of all of the treasures they were storing inside of it. It was stuffed to the top with all kinds of things, from old large crocks that were valuable to little pencils and things that should have been thrown away years before. We all carefully took all the stuff out and put it in a place where Esther told us to put it. Lee kept saying, "If you see anything you want, take it." If we did see anything that we wanted and set it aside, within minutes Esther would pick it up and stick it back in her pile and say, "I believe you don't want that." It took a long time to empty it and we hitched it to the van and drove all the way back home with it.

Once we got it home, the real work began. In every cupboard and drawer (and there were many) they had stashed every paper or styrofoam cup or bowl or plate they had ever used. Most were from fast food places. There were also straws and napkins. The only things that hadn't been used and washed were the napkins, they were just the extras they took in case they needed them.

Once we got those out I spent a lot of time and elbow grease scrubbing every inch of it making it clean and nice. I recovered the seats for the table. Jerry repaired the roof and made sure it didn't leak any more. We cleaned the outside. It looked pretty nice by then, for what it was. The only job left to do was repair the rotting floor supports. When you stepped on the floor it was spongy.

Jerry was in no hurry to do that one, since it was costly and time-consuming. Well, Lee and Esther came for a visit later and Lee decided to go inside the trailer to see how it was. He stepped inside and walked a ways and came back out and said, "Jerry, you let that floor go all to hell!"