Simple Pleasures

Sometimes it's the simple stuff that makes life easier. Really simple stuff.

Case in point. In the last month or so we've made four really simple changes in our household: A dimmer switch, a trash can, a towel rack and a spice rack. And, as a result, life in our rolling home is a whole lot easier.

Let me explain.

We love to eat dinner at home. We always have. For years we've enjoyed preparing some culinary delights together and sharing a glass (or a bottle) of wine over dinner by candlelight. There are nights at Chez Paul and Mary that can beat any big city restaurant. Lots of times we even have dinner with a view. No extra charge. We love it!

The problem is, or was, finding just the right lighting for a romantic dinner in our rolling home. We'd light a candle and then fiddle with the lights all around our house. We have two lights right above our table, but we'd never use them. They're just too, too bright. We'd keep them off and find just the right combo of other house lights that would somehow cast the right glow. Truth is, most of the time, we were eating practically in the dark.

Before we pulled into Forest City, we had an idea. Our bedroom features a dimmer switch to our ceiling lights. Somewhere in South Dakota it dawned on us that it would be great to have just such a switch for our two mongo lights above our dining table. So, in Forest City we asked if they could change our dining table light switch out for a dimmer. And, they said yes.

Such a simple thing, we know. But, we gotta tell ya, dinners are so much more enjoyable with that little dimmer. We turn it on, dial it down and forget about it. It feels so much more like home.

In the darkness of our kitchen cabinets sits our trash can. Until recently it was the same trash can we've had since we bought our first motor home. And, for two years it's been too small. Way too small. And, of course, we knew it. Once we moved into the new moose we took measurements and went in search of a bigger, more manageable trash can. And, for some reason, every waste receptacle we looked at was way too big. While shopping in West Yellowstone with our friend Juanita awhile back, she found the perfect trash can for their rolling home. And, I lusted after it. I wasn't sure it would fit, so I didn't buy one. But, weeks later, Paul and I found ourselves in the Dollar General in Forest City, Iowa (Our first Dollar General ever!) and spotted the same trash can. We took measurements and it looked like it would work. With great delight we plunked down our four dollars to the general and took our new trash can home. It works like a charm.

Yes, folks, there's nothing like opening that cabinet door and seeing that great big trash can. We love it!

I mentioned a few weeks ago that while we were in Forest City we attended a seminar about RV storage at GNR. That seminar inspired us and really got us thinking. One of the things we realized was how screwy our kitchen towel rack was. Our towel rack sits on our range. It looks nice and is very low profile. So, we put our towels on it. Over the last year we've realized how truly screwy that is. If we want to get in either of the top two mammoth huge drawers under our range we need to flip up the towels, hope they stay up and then open the drawer.

Not good.

So, we started looking for a tasteful towel rack to hang on one of our lower cabinet doors. By being out of the way of the two top drawers, it would make this primo kitchen storage real estate much more accessible. While in Hartland, we made a stop at Bed Bath and Beyond and found a perfect towel rack. Within minutes of arriving at home we had it and the two kitchen towels hanging in a new spot.

And, all was right with the world.

Yes, folks, we're talking simple!

No kidding. It's really made life easier and better. Not only are the towels in a more handy location, but suddenly we have access to these two huge drawers in the kitchen that we didn't really know we had. It's like finding a hidden treasure. Sorta.

With the towels out of the way and ready access to two new kitchen drawers, we decided the top drawer would be used for kitchen utensils, which had been spread amongst three drawers, and spices. Our spices were in sad shape. Depending on which savory addition you wanted to add to a dish, you might have to check in three or four different places. Yes, it was a bit nutty.

So, while we were at BBBY we picked up a nifty spice rack that goes in a drawer. And, voila! It fits perfectly in that top drawer. Now, all of the sudden, we have every spice in easy reach. Our candlelight dinners are so much more tasty!

Driving a big piece of machinery from place to place can get to be a bit complicated. But, sometimes, as we've discovered, it's the simplest things that can make a rolling house a home.