Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

I’m just a talker, trying to find a channel!

When you’re a Republican, they let you do it.

I really should read my own blog.

Accused of treason; bitches about the ratings. I am in awe.

Trump’s legal defense is going to be a dumpster fire inside a clown car on a derailing train.

This blog will pay for itself.

Republicans do not pay their debts.

Accountability, motherfuckers.

So many bastards, so little time.

They’re not red states to be hated; they are voter suppression states to be fixed.

Can we lighten up on the doomsday scenarios?

Jack be nimble, jack be quick, hurry up and indict this prick.

There are no moderate republicans – only extremists and cowards.

Let’s delete this post and never speak of this again.

DeSantis transforming Florida into 1930s Germany with gators and theme parks.

Within six months Twitter will be fully self-driving.

I wonder if trump will be tried as an adult.

Never give a known liar the benefit of the doubt.

They are lying in pursuit of an agenda.

There are a lot more evil idiots than evil geniuses.

The party of Reagan has become the party of Putin.

You don’t get rid of your umbrella while it’s still raining.

I’m starting to think Jesus may have made a mistake saving people with no questions asked.

Live so that if you miss a day of work people aren’t hoping you’re dead.

You are here: Home / John Cole Presents "Stories from the Road" / Another Day Closer

Another Day Closer

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Another Day Closer

Got the USS Shitshow all loaded up today, and that is how we are doing it. Luggage in the Thule Cargo Carrier on top, both cats facing the back, Thurston’s crate behind the cats facing the center of the car so he can hop onto Joelle as needed, and miscellany packed everywhere. This is going to be interesting if nothing else.

Got the rest of the house almost ready, too. Freezer is empty (gave everything to Gerald), fridge is empty except for milk and condiments, ready to be unplugged. I’m surviving on cereal and apples for the next day until I pick up Joelle tomorrow night.

Tomorrow I pack the clothes, get the air tags up and running on the piglets, and get paperwork organized for the glovebox.

Reader Interactions

73Comments

  1. 1.

    Suzanne

    Is Thurston comfortable riding in the car in a crate? I’ve never had a dog who was. I’m envious. My big dogs have always ridden in the back of the SUV, and they basically take up the whole area.

  2. 2.

    SpaceUnit

    Don’t wait until the last minute to unplug the fridge.  You could potentially have thawing and leaking.

    My refrigerator stopped working back in April and it was a mess for a couple of days.

  5. 5.

    Almost Retired

    I think even Lewis and Clark would think you’re over-preparing for this expedition.  Although to be fair, I don’t think they took any cats.

  7. 7.

    TaMara

    Why are we unplugging the refrigerator? Wouldn’t it be better to leave it plugged in, and throw a big box of baking soda in it? I mean I’ve never gone away for as long as you are, but I’ve seen what happens with refrigerators in storage…ugh.

    NOT THAT YOU ASKED OR NEED ANY ADVICE FROM THE PEANUT GALLERY.

  8. 8.

    SpaceUnit

    @TaMara:

    But you’re right.  I’d leave the thing plugged in.

     

    ETA:  We need an emergency front page post to discuss John’s refrigerator immediately.

  9. 9.

    frosty

    What Tamara said. We’ve taken 4-month road trips without unplugging the fridge.

    If I was going to do it though, I’d leave the doors open. That’s what we do with our trailer fridge with no problems.

    ETA Have a great trip!

  11. 11.

    Kristine

    You were in the Army, Cole—you got this.

    Had loads of fun with my fridge this afternoon when it beeped at me every time I opened the door. Then the light went out and the temp control box showed two different settings. I remembered this had happened before and resolved itself (I thought), but still, it shouldn’t happen with a year-old fridge. Called repair place, set an app’t time for the 26th, then moved stuff into the deep freeze and the garage fridge to play it safe. Tried unplugging/replugging fridge. No go. Read the manual, and the brain light went on. Like last time, the fridge kicked into Sabbath Mode setting on its own; like last time, I pressed the temp control and air filter buttons at the same time for a few seconds and like magic, lights and compressor and everything came on.

    Now I just need to remember it for the next time…assuming the repair tech can’t fix it.

  13. 13.

    Scout211

    @TaMara: @SpaceUnit: @frosty:

    Here’s what GE says: GE Vacation Recommendations.

    If you are going to be away for more than a month (or will be placing the appliance in temperature-controlled storage), we recommend the following:
     

    • Turn the temperature control to Off. See the Owner’s Manual for temperature control features for your model.

    • Turn the icemaker off.

    • Turn off the water supply to the refrigerator. If you shut off the water supply to the refrigerator, you must turn off the icemaker.

    • Remove all food and turn off the circuit breaker or fuse that supplies power to the refrigerator or unplug the cord from the wall receptacle.

    • Clean the interior with a baking soda solution (1 tablespoon of baking soda per 1 quart of water).

    • Wipe the interior dry.

    • Place an open box of baking soda in the refrigerator or put 2 cups of dry (unused) coffee grounds in a small paper bag and place it in the refrigerator.

    • It is important to leave the doors open. These last two steps are to prevent the formation of residual food odors, mold and mildew.

    I guess Cole is on the right track. I’ve never been on vacation for two months so this was news to me.

  14. 14.

    Scout211

    @SpaceUnit: Another solution would be to take the refrigerator with you.

    I’m sure there’s room in that SUV somewhere for relevant  kitchen appliances. Easy peasy.

  18. 18.

    CliosFanBoy

    @Kristine:

     You were in the Army, Cole—you got this.

    As he plays “As the Cassions Going Rolling Along” from West-by-God Virginia to Arizona. :)

  20. 20.

    Ealbert

    When we would close down our camper for the season, we would clean out the fridge, shut it off, and then fill it with old newspapers. The paper would absorb the odors so it wouldn’t stink come spring.

  21. 21.

    mrmoshpotato

    @HumboldtBlue:

    Laura Lynch, Dixie Chicks founding member, dies at 65 in head-on Texas car crash: ‘Laura had a gift’

    RIP, and George Warcriminal Bush is still an embarrassment.

  27. 27.

    David ⛄ 🎅The Establishment🎄 🦌 🕎 Koch

    You’re not going to put Thurston on the roof of the car?

  33. 33.

    Prescott Cactus

    IF you leave it plugged in. . . for the love of dog and cat, empty it completely. My neighbor christened me “Keeper of the Keys” when he went up to Washington state each summer to avoid the blazing heat of Phoenix. I would check weekly and do a interior walk thru.

    Everything went fine the first two years, even with his non starter ideas of pulling weeds and hand watering exterior plants.  Mid summer in year number three I opened the door and thought a deer or coyote had gotten in and died.  There are no deers in Phoenix (that I ever saw), but a coyote didn’t seem big enough to create that much smell. . . the smell of death. . .

    Long / short, the compressor died on the freezer in the kitchen and fridge side was fine. The freezer was loaded with meat. My immediate call to let him know was met with, can you clean it up, can’t you. . . I suggested he find a hazmat / crime scene cleaner and I would let them in the house.

    They came and I warned him about the smell. He entered with 1/2 face mask. 5 minutes later he walked with the mask hooked to his belt and said “Not bad compared to a lot of places I have to go.

    So, please empty. . . please.  . .

  34. 34.

    Suzanne

    @The Kropenhagen Interpretation:

    Yes, I know about Mitt’s nonsense about the height of trees in Michigan. 

    So, when we lived in Phoenix, I always liked to get out of the Valley and go to Flagstaff in the summer. Mr. Suzanne, who grew up near the redwoods, would always complain about Flagstaff and the Ponderosa pines, and would say they were too short. I was like, WTF dude, they’re perfect the way that they are.

    I would have totally stayed in Arizona if I could have gotten Mr. Suzanne to agree to live in Flag.

  37. 37.

    Jay

    @Prescott Cactus:

    coffee.

    Deer Hunters had this stupid idea that if they dumped the waste of the carcass out on the side of a Forest Service road, carnivores and scavengers would “recycle” it.

    We lived on a Forest Service road, so I often had to clean up the rotting waste to keep the dogs out of it.

    I tried Vicks under the nose with a mask, not great.

    I found that fresh coffee grounds, wedged between two masks, closed with a stapler, worked great.

  38. 38.

    Jackie

    @Prescott Cactus:

    when he went up to Washington state each summer to avoid the blazing heat of Phoenix.

    I have to assume western WA, as east of the Cascades hits 100+ degrees on a fairly consistent basis through the summer.

    I live in southeastern WA and it gets HOT!

  39. 39.

    Another Scott

    Safe and happy travels, JC and crew.

    Meanwhile, yet another story about things that I only broadly suspected but didn’t know… Mashable.com (from January 2023):

    But, putting the in-fighting aside, there are some big takeaways here.

    First of all, the obvious: A right-wing YouTuber received a $50 million [over 4 years] offer to keep creating the same content he has already been making. There’s clearly big money in conservative media, bigger than many probably realize. To compare, CNN’s Anderson Cooper reportedly receives a $12 million a year salary. The Daily Wire’s offer to Crowder, which he turned down, is more than that.

    However, it should be noted that Crowder likely turned it down because he thinks he can make more than that. The whole reason Crowder aired his grievances is to plug a new website he launched, “StopBigCon,” which is simply a call-to-action to join his email list, meaning this whole blow-up has been a way for Crowder to build out a large and highly lucrative subscriber base.

    It’s also worth noting that The Daily Wire’s terms regarding YouTube monetization make sense if you keep in mind that the contract involves Steven Crowder. The YouTuber has been demonetized and suspended again and again on the platform for breaking YouTube’s content policies. In fact, there have been times where Crowder has come close to losing his YouTube channel altogether based on his consistent policy violations. Since The Daily Wire was going to give Crowder complete editorial control, these terms can be viewed as a sensible insurance policy.

    And finally, one more thing to focus on here is the admission from conservative media that for all their complaints about the Big Tech boogeyman…Big Tech treats them quite well. Crowder’s entire career was built off YouTube. The Daily Wire was ready to reduce Crowder’s pay by millions if he was suspended from Big Tech platforms like YouTube. Crowder was able to turn this all down because of his large following on Big Tech platforms.

    Zooks. That’s a lot of money. No wonder they’re constantly working to be “edgy” and stay in the news and keep their fans “engaged”…

    (via Dan Davies on Substack )

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  42. 42.

    Prescott Cactus

    Suzanne,  Flag or Flagstaff was great for a Summer visit , but to live there. . . they have that snow thing. . . A former Chicagoan, before I left PHX. . .

    Mr Moshpotato,  Lots of beef and pork. They also had a chest freezer in the garage. . . If that would have gone. . .

    Jay,  I had a 2 canister 1/2 face mask, but with dust filters which were useless. Scorched in a frying pan coffee grounds I’ve heard. . . I had a couple of near violent retches and when I found the source, I ran.

    Jackie,   No idea where they went. That’s where they started. He drove his super green hybrid up there and got his diesel duel rear axel and puled a monster camper. .  .

  44. 44.

    mrmoshpotato

    @Suzanne: To quote Olaf… “I don’t have a skull. Or bones.”

    I minded the goddamn 115-degree days in the summer in Phoenix. Fuck. Terrible.

    But it’s a dry heat! 🤣🥵

  45. 45.

    Sure Lurkalot

    @Suzanne:

    I minded the goddamn 115-degree days in the summer in Phoenix. Fuck. Terrible

    Seriously dangerous, how people can maintain in that climate I have no idea. It’s like 40 degrees over my comfort zone which gets smaller and smaller every year. People do differ though on what is worse… too hot or too cold (hint, both suck).

  46. 46.

    Prescott Cactus

    @Suzanne:   My misspent youth and beyond a bit was spent in Chicago and NW Indiana working at steel mills and oil refineries.  I hate the cold.

    I found the bride / she found me and I moved to PHX. I gave up the cold and started working in nuclear powers plant all over the US. Bad news is that they ALL run during summer and only refuel in Fall, Winter and Spring. . . So I got to be at home all Summer. . . in Phoenix. . . and away when the weather was decent… An anti-snowbird. . .

  48. 48.

    TeezySkeezy

    The post of a person who could endure some Cormac reading and come out the other side only slightly gooed, like a numbered tennis ball.

  49. 49.

    StringOnAStick

    John, both cats will be much less stressed if you toss towels over their carriers. What freaks cats out is seeing the landscape go by, they are much, much less stressed if they can’t see out of their carriers!  We drove ours 16 hours over 2 days and when they couldn’t see out then they’d be quiet but as soon as they could see out because I unzipped the cover thinking seeing me would calm them, their panic would skyrocket.  Cover those kitties!

  50. 50.

    Prescott Cactus

    @Sure Lurkalot:   When I moved there 25 years ago the a/c went on in Mid May and run constant until end of September. When we moved it was beginning of May and mid October.

    August and September heat is relentless and heat fatigue sets in. Because of the concrete and asphalt it doesn’t get cool at night, staying in the low 90’s. . .

  51. 51.

    teezyskeezy

    @StringOnAStick: Wanna re-up what you are saying. Travel stress hits cats hard. Dogs can endure much more travel stress than a cat. Cats are built for independence. You put them in a forced relocation situation….they really need to be cared for.

  54. 54.

    Rusty

    @TaMara: we have a family seasonal cottage.  You want to leave the fridge unplugged, but the door propped open!  Otherwise you will get yucky smells no matter what.  Propped open the air circulates and and it’s fine.  I just close the door on the broom

  57. 57.

    JaySinWA

    @TaMara: From a relatives experience, you don’t want to have your refrigerator running empty or near so. Put in some jugs of water or something to moderate the cooling. I don’t remember what bad things happened, maybe just freezing of what little was left in there, but the repairman’s advice was to give the machine something to work on or the sensors get hinky.

  59. 59.

    Prescott Cactus

    @Anoniminous:  ah no

    Arizona’s monsoon season begins in June and continues through September. With it comes higher humidity, which can lead to thunderstorms, heavy rain, lightning, hail, high winds, flash flooding, dust storms and extreme heat.

    When it does rain, it cools things off for the rest of the day, but not cool-cool. Summer in PHX cool.

  61. 61.

    Jackie

    @Prescott Cactus: Nights in the low 90’s is sadly becoming the norm for the eastern side of the Cascades July/August. I’m constantly reminding people the same desert runs from eastern CA up through eastern WA. Just different names by region.

  62. 62.

    BQuimby

    Cover the cat crates with towel or blanket with just one side sort of available for a view.  They feel safer if not exposed from all sides.

  63. 63.

    wjca

    @CliosFanBoy: As he plays “As the Cassions Going Rolling Along” from West-by-God Virginia to Arizona.

    Although there might be something to be said for playing “Westward Ho the Wagons!”

  67. 67.

    Odie Hugh Manatee

    @BQuimby:

    While the cages were at floor level (no view outside) we let our cats roam the van while we traveled. They both preferred laying on the floor near one of us, getting up to move around on occasion. Stewie did get up in my wife’s lap (pass. front) a couple of times and liked looking out the front window. That ended when he looked out the side and saw the world passing by real fast. Morty liked looking out the back window, watching the scenery recede.

    The cats were caged whenever we came to a stop where we had to get out. There were no problems traveling with the cats and the cats got to see and do lots of new stuff on our trips.

  71. 71.

    Chief Oshkosh

    , fridge is empty except for milk and condiments, ready to be unplugged.

    Narrator: The neighborhood was later to be declared a Superfund toxic waste site due to the long-term effects of noxious growths originating from milk and condiments left in an unplugged refrigerator…

  72. 72.

    Quinerly

    The Fabulous Flying Cole Traveling Roadshow! Arizona awaits your arrival!!!

    Wishes of safe travels from JoJo and me! We just went to a sunrise “party” at Hopi Point, Grand Canyon. Now a stop for a breakfast Navajo Taco in Cameron, AZ (one of my favorite restaurants anywhere) while on the way to Winslow for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

    Loved our first time stay in Williams, AZ. “The World Famous Sultana Bar and Tattoos” (since 1912) is a must when in Williams….

    There’s a lot to Arizona….enjoy!

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