The Writing Studio: Gas Burners!

It’s the little things, right? Today we got both front burners working on the gas stove! The rear burners work but we need to run to the hardware store for a small part first. I finished sanitizing all the surfaces in the kitchen–fridge included–while dad stripped a sheet of old insulation from beneath one of the beds to discover much of the wiring and gas lines we’ll need to access for future repairs. Pictured at left is the bunk on the same side as the kitchen–you can see the heating duct from the gas-fired furnace, the copper tubing for propane for the original water heater in the bathroom, and wiring for two thermostats all stored under the mattress board. Note the original puke-green carpet (glad that’s gone!) and the lack of support bars for the mattress (easy fix). Pictured at right is the bunk on the same side as the pantry and it’s pretty much ready to go once we replace the fronts of the storage drawers that slide from underneath the mattress board. When it’s all said and done, hopefully the one on the left will look as nice as the one on the right.

The deeper we worked our way toward the back of the Airstream, the more we discovered. Little parts here and there–a bolt, a screw, a hardware rivet, an oddly cut piece of paneling–started to pile up on the kitchen table for later use. We’ve never done this before, but we know enough to know that most things are there for a reason, even if that reason isn’t immediately apparent.

Tomorrow? I’m treating all the wood with Pledge, Dad’s going to decide whether or not to rip up the bathroom carpet and, depending on AC/DC requirements, we may be able to test the microwave and refrigerator to make sure they work. So far, we haven’t found anything we can’t fix with a little effort and, even better, we haven’t found any costly or impossible repairs. Fingers crossed! 

This is my last pitch for MONTHLY FICTION for a while. I have residencies secured through the end of summer 2012 and need to earn a minimum of $400 per month with my writing if I want to make ends meet with what I have saved, what I have coming in, and what I have going out. Monthly Fiction is 12 of my stories for $12 over the course of 12 months–delivered right to your inbox! It makes a great gift for budding writers or online readers. I’ve made it as affordable and accessible as possible in the hopes of sharing my work and earning gas money along the way. Here’s a sampling…

From “We Owned it All” in Monthly Fiction:

Down in the catacombs, we owned it all. Tiz juggling fire, Pierre with his rat-a-tat bucket beats. I played trumpet, high notes sending invisible vibrations through ancient walls that reeked of mold and death. Walls that crumbled against your fingertips, left your jeans stained beige the next day. Cybil sang for us. She had a cleft palate and a miniature bulldog and her voice echoed off the limestone like a ghost choir’s, eerie and resonant; the kind of sound that left me haunted in that junkie sort of way…(read more)

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