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Our Brother Rats |
The eternal question: how can we keep the little rodents of the planet from taking up residence or vacationing in our GMCs? Signs of their presence seem to upset me far more than it does my pilot if those signs are in the bed, the cupboard or the floor, but even he gets emotional when he finds nibbled wires in the engine, nesting material in the tail pipe, or signs of any take-over under the hood - really emotional on some occasions now that I am thinking about it. Now some of his reactions seem quite funny to me while my reactions are quite proper under the circumstances.
We finally found the perfect solution, but it took us 7 or 8 years to find it. At first I sprinkled Comet cleaner around the food areas. Nothing - no good. Then I read stick cinnamon would not only accomplish the same thing, as the little critters would avoid it, but it would also make your coach smell good - like fresh baked apple pie. This was an out and out lie. Then we heard about the ant powder around each wheel so as to create a poison barrier to getting in the coach in the first place. Somehow our rugged country rodents bypassed this tricky moat-like solution. And then we bought some electronic high frequency sound device you plug in that drives the critters bonkers so they run out of the coach never to return. I guess succeeding generations just get used to the "sound". We are talking big money now - $19.95 a device. Back to the mousetrap. Peanut butter spread on apple pieces worked well but be sure and remove the traps every day. I mean every day. Also for some reason we do not like the role of small game hunters. I got tired of mounting all those little heads on plaques. Where do you hang those things in a contemporary décor?
Well, now for the grand solution. After taking everything into account (our country location, animal lover personalities, reliability and effectiveness of method, and success at-any-cost attitude), we simply spent $20,000 and built a big old RV garage two stories high so we can always convert it to an apartment over a garage where we can live as custodians and rent out the big house if times get tough and the RV repair costs get out of hand. We 'll be warm and snug living above our "Baby" and won't have to be separated or ungarage her.
Of course after
we arrived at our grand solution Billie and Duane Simmons arrived
back home after a trip to the Midwest with the wonderful news.
They had run across a method of ridding the coach of all vermin
- a $6 bar of camphor (they say it does not smell) used in barns
for pest control. Let's see - $6 or $20,000 ….. which would
you choose? At this point I refuse to even try the camphor bar.
I don't want to know if it works.
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1. Betty Gaw and
Marilyn Maxwell
Los Osos Rd, Atascadero, CA 93422
(805) 461-0664
2. Marilyn and
Bill Harvey
Moonshine Ridge Trail, Parker, CO 80134
(303) 841-6062
3. Mike and Carol
Mayo
County Road #1, Berthoud, CO 80513
970-532-3476, "camayo@msn.com"
4. Lee and Ozzie
Porter
Shetland CT, Santa Maria, CA 93445
(805) 934-2267
5. Marc and Lillian
Trubert
Barcus Circle, Coarsegold, CA 93614
(559) 683-0995 (South of Yosemite Nat. Park)
6. Jerry and Fran
Hill
Pina Selva Place, Templeton, CA 93465
(805) 434-1213
7. Vern and Mary
Olson
85th Place W., Edmonds, WA 98026
(425) 776-6070
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The GMC Western
States Inc, chapter of the Family Motor Coach Association, is
comprised of GMC Motorhome owners from all fifty states, and
the three southwestern Provinces of Canada. The Chapter purpose
is to promote the preservation of the GMC Motorhome with a technical
program of professional seminars and published information, and
to further the mutual association, membership, enjoyment, and
common interest of GMC Motorhome owners, their families and friends.
Website:" www.gmcws.org" Billy and Debbie Massey, Web Masters |
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Claude Brousson,
Chapter President 6349 W. Saanich Rd, Saanichton Victoria, BC, Canada, V8M 1W8 (250) 652-4913, cbrousson@telus.net Nancy Pettit, First Vice President P.O. Box 10982, Prescott, AZ 86304 (520) 445-9432 Emery Stora, Technical Vice President 3128 Vista Sandia, Santa Fe, NM 87501-8526 (505) 989-8157, emerystora@mac.com Frank Condos, Secretary 42744 Windy Gap Drive Ahwahnee, CA 93601 (626) 303-2898, fcondos@sierratel.com |
Miki Singleton,
Treasurer 1009 Blossom River way #302 San Jose, CA 95123 (408) 269-0638, mikialans@juno.com Norm Kasch, FMCA National Director 1073 W. Powers Ave. Littleton, CO 80120 (303) 795-9281 Jkasch@compuserve.com Bob Blenkinsop, FMCA Alt. Nat. Director 5502 W. Minarets Ave. Fresno, CA 93722, (559) 271-8184 Marc and Lillian Trubert, Editors P.O. Box 2132, Corona, CA 92878-2132 (909) 780-8378, MTrubert@aol.com |
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