More About The Grand Kids

“Take me out to the ball game, take me out to the game.”  Well, this isn’t exactly a ball game, but they don’t have a good hockey song.  Here are some ardent hockey fans cheering on the Nashville Predators.  Catia was one of the Junior Cheerleaders and got to perform during the game – how exciting!!

It rained most of yesterday morning so we just “stood” inside and worked on getting paperwork done.  Katie and Alex got their nails done (not one of Katie’s favorite things).  Today they’ll get their hair done (not another one of Katie’s favorite things).  Tomorrow they get their booster shots (you guessed it, not another of Katie’s favorite things).  Just so you know, Alex doesn’t much care for any of the above either, but he tolerates it while Katie throws a big hissy fit.

“This is the way we wash our rig, wash our rig, wash our rig!”  Today I’ll crawl up onto the roof and begin the task of washing our house.  We want a clean machine when we start “Wandering America” again.  With all the “pine dust” that we’ve had this spring, I’m sure that the roof will require a good scrubbing.  Tomorrow and Saturday I should finish washing the RV and the truck.  Sunday I’ll pick up the oil and filters for the truck at Uncle Wally’s corner grocery, hair care, and auto lube center.  Gonna be busy, busy, busy over the next week.

Even though we are “chomping at the bit” to get underway, I guess we don’t want to head too far north too fast.  It looks like New England is in for another foot or so of snow from that storm that passed over us yesterday.  Yes, snow on April first – no fooling!  The last thing we want to hear is, “We’ll plow your site out for you!”  We’ve heard that one once before in Michigan and it wasn’t a pretty sight.

We have “camped” once before in sub zero weather in this unit.  It was around 10 below and we kept the slides in so there would be less area to heat.  The furnace ran “twenty four seven” and we burned through a thirty pound tank of propane every two days just to keep the coach in the high sixties.  Even though we have thermopane windows and the “arctic” insulation package, this unit is still not made for winter living.

Well, it’s time to get my kiesta moving so,

Take Care Until Next Time - - - - -

A Rainy Day

“I love a rainy day, I love a rainy day, I love to hear the thunder, watch the lightning when it lights up the sky!”  This could very well be a PJ kinda day.  It began raining (thunder and lightning) during the night and continues on this morning.  We need the rain so that the green “stuff” can have a nice drink of water and to beat back the pollen levels.  Besides, it’s nice to enjoy a rainy day listening to the pitter patter on the roof while sitting back with a fire in the fireplace and a good book in hand.

We’ve finished going through the file drawers and shredding old paperwork so now the coach has been totally cleaned out.  We probably took a hundred pounds of “stuff” out of the rig.  As y’all know, it’s all about weight management when you live this kind of lifestyle.

Tomorrow I will begin washing and waxing the RV and truck and next week I will do all the maintenance items on the truck (oil, filters, air pressures, etc.) and put all the yard “stuff” into the storage shed.  That will wrap up another season at Rainbow Plantation and leave us ready to roll a week from Friday. 

Let me tell you about my grand children, again.  Pictured from oldest to youngest.

Briana, Catia, Lola, Kalina, Rocco, and Radek

Take Care Until Next Time - - - - - -

Treading In Place

We need rain sorely, however, we need a nice one or two days of a gentle summer rain.  What we are about to get is another fast moving storm deluging us in several inches of rain in a couple of hours.  It will help knock down the pollen count but just won’t give the lawns and trees the real drink of water that they need.  Oh well, it is what it is.

Mom and dad have completed all their doctor’s appointments so now it’s Katie and Alex’s turn.  They need to go in for their annual shots this week.  We won’t tell them until we get to the doctor’s office.  They’re not the best little patients in the world.  Before we take them, we will need to trim their nails and give them a good brushing.  They shed like mad when they are stressed.  Hopefully Katie will let the doc give her the shots; she hates (that’s hates with a capital H) to be restrained and has been known to throw one heck of a “hissy fit”.

Other than counting down the days until we start traveling, we’re finishing up the Ol’ Ta Do List, going through our travel check list, going for daily walks, and reading.  We did update our actual expenditures for the first quarter; yep, three months of 2011 has just about passed us by.  Food and Fuel were over budget (surprise, surprise), but not as bad as we thought it would be.  Food was $103 over and Fuel was $68 over for the quarter.  Dining out was only $13 over budget.  Overall we were under budget but we are seeing our “margins” shrink.

Well, that is the state of affairs here at the Patterson household.  We can hardly wait for another grand child fix or two.  It will be nice to be traveling once more; the time here at Rainbow Plantation has gone by quickly, however, it seems like we’ve been here forever – know what I mean?  I find myself humming “On The Road Again” more often than not.

Take Care Until Next Time - - - - - -

Getting Ready To Get Ready

Well, this is it!!!  This is the last full week that we’ll spend at the Plantation before making tracks toward a grand kid fix.  Yep, those little tikes have a draw on Grandma and Grandpa that’s for sure.

Yesterday was church, Mellow Mushroom with Norm and Linda, and more reading.  Fortunately for us, there is hardly ever anything on television that captures our interest so reading has become our main source of entertainment.

Today we’ll scan the Ol’ Ta Do List to see which of the last few items to select.  Right now it’s overcast with threats of rain so maybe it will be cleaning out the file drawers and shredding “stuff”, we’ll see. 

We have been firming up our “vacation” plans with Marc, Amie, and kids for this summer.  It looks like we’ll be spending several days with them at the Northport RV Travel Park just south of Belfast, Maine in July.  My brother and his wife will have a few weeks of open time in early July as well.

As you can see, our focus is now on getting ready to “set sail” for the summer.  Take Care Until Next Time - - - - -

A Simple Saturday

Judy and Terry made a trip to Michael’s to pick up some crafting “stuff” yesterday morning while Randy and I stayed at home.  I had planned to mow the lawn, but when I went to check out the lawn mower it was broken – aw shucks, I just hate it when that happens!!  I guess it was just meant that I take the day off so that’s what I did.

After lounging and reading for most of the afternoon, Judy and I joined Randy and Terry for dinner - Terry wanted to prepare a birthday dinner for Judy (any excuse to eat is a good one).  As usual, it was a great evening filled with chatting, chewing, and chuckling.

Then it was home again, home again for some more reading before retiring for the day.  Like I told you, it was A Simple Saturday.

Take Care Until Next Time - - - - - -

We Got ‘R Done

We did it!!!!  The storage shed is organized.  Judy headed over to Beading Group and I started pulling “stuff” out of the shed.  I put it into several different piles - “stuff” that needed to go back into the shed , “stuff” that needed to go into the RV, “stuff” that needed to go into the truck, “stuff” that needed to go to the dumpster, and “stuff” that needed to be sorted.

We keep the bikes, bike rack, bike cover, and helmets/back pack that we use while riding in the shed while here at Rainbow Plantation (Judy wants to know what we’re doing riding our bikes in the shed, but I think you get the gist) – that “stuff” will go back into the RV.  Also, the charcoal grill went back to the RV shed (front compartment).  All the katt’s travel “stuff” is kept in the shed while here – it will have to go back into the truck before we leave.

Once Judy returned she started the sorting process which resulted in another pile - “stuff” for the donation table at the clubhouse.  Then she helped me build another shelf in the storage shed to be used to store yard “stuff” and maintenance “stuff” for when we are on our site.  Next we organized everything and put it in its place in the storage shed.  All in all, it only took us 4 to 5 hours to get the job done and crossed off the Ol’ Ta Do List.

While we were working at the storage shed project, Randy and Terry stopped by to wish Judy a Happy Birthday.  Terry has caught up on her sleep and was in rare form.  She sang her birthday wishes to Judy.  Laughter and levity followed.  It’s always a pleasurable experience whenever the four of us get together.  Especially when Judy and Terry go into laughing fits.

Being that it was Judy’s birthday, I became the master chef and prepared one heck of a meal.  The pork scallopini was absolutely delicious, we served it over whole grain spaghetti – umm, umm good.  Judy did make the frozen margarita’s and her own blueberry cheese cake for dessert – they were “oh so good”.  As an unusual event, I did up the dishes after cooking and again after dinner.  Hope you had a happy natal day, dear. 

Friday night television stinks, so we picked up our Nooks, headed for our recliners, and buried our noses in a book for the rest of the evening.  Our jammies were calling us real early so we slipped them on before we began reading.  Aaah, how comfy!!  A nice ending to a nice day.

TTFN (ta ta for now).

Making Progress

We have gone through all the closets and cabinets in the coach, we’ve gone through the RV’s “basement” and “shed”, and now all that’s left on the Ol’ Ta Do List for the rig is to clean out the file drawers and a wash/wax job.  We’ll save the file drawers for next week since we’re supposed to get some rainy days and attend to the washing/waxing after the rain pushes through.

Today we’re going to tackle the storage shed.  After a quick review, we both agree that it probably won’t be as big a job as we thought; after all, we’ve gone through and sorted most of the “stuff” once before.  It’s just the additional “stuff” that we’ve moved from the RV into the shed that’s not neatly organized and/or packed away.  We should finish the job today leaving two weeks for us to prep our equipment for summer travels.

We have a couple of items to take care of on our site; trim back the bushes next to the shed and wash the north wall of the shed as it is all mildew plus we’ll need to mow the lawn a couple more times.

That will leave the truck requiring the major work; it needs to be cleaned inside and out, change the oil and filter, change the air and fuel filter, and wash and wax.  Makes me tired just to think of it all, but we’ll be ready to pull out in two weeks from today.

Okay, that’s enough on the Ol’ Ta Do List.  We, being the retired people that we are, mix it up.  We’ll spend a few hours working on “the list” and then we’ll find a nice spot to put out the lounging lawn chairs where we can sit back, sip iced tea, and read.  We, also, squeeze a daily walk into our schedule as well as checking in on Randy and Terry (or Randy and Terry checking in on us).

Today is my baby’s birthday so I’m going to cook her one of her favorite meals; pork scallopini followed by a strawberry or blueberry cheese cake (her choice) for dessert with freshly squeezed coffee.  We’ll start with a nice frozen margarita and probably sip a nice wine with dinner.  That should be fun and yummy.

Take Care Until Next Time - - - - - -

Antsy

“WE`VE LAID AROUND AND PLAYED AROUND THIS OLD TOWN TOO LONG.  WINTER`S ALMOST GONE, YES, SUMMER`S COMIN` ON.

WE`VE LAID AROUND AND PLAYED AROUND THIS OLD TOWN TOO LONG AND WE FEEL LIKE WE GOTTA TRAVEL ON.”

Yep, we’re chomping at the bit to haul tail; even the katts are ready to roll.  Yesterday we crossed a couple more items off the Ol’ Ta Do List.  The bedroom closets, cabinets, and drawers have now been cleared out and organized.  That leaves a couple more cabinets in the livingroom as well as the file drawers that need going through before heading to the basement.

The big project, clearing out and organizing the storage shed, still looms ahead of us.  Once we finish that, hopefully early next week, then it’s just the “tidying up stuff” left to do – you know, washing and waxing the rig and the truck, lubricating the slides, jacks, and hitch, changing the oil and filters in the truck, etc., the check list items. 

We’re moving our departure date ahead a few days so that we can spend two weekends with the grand kids in Murfreesboro.  We’ll leave here early on Friday the 8th and drive straight through to Cedars of Lebanon so we can attend Catia’s soccer game on Saturday.  Yup, we’re in desperate need of a grandkid fix, that’s for sure.  So, two weeks from Friday we’ll be “On The Road Again!”

Speaking of the little tikes!!!  This picture would be a great candidate for a Norman Rockwell Painting.

A Day At The Zoo

Take Care Until Next Time - - - - - -

A “Git R Done” Day

It was up early and out of the house to make my doctor’s appointment at the VA Outpatient Clinic in Pensacola.  I had my blood work done a couple of weeks ago so the Doc reviewed all my numbers with me.  I’m happy to report that I’m fit as a fiddle – all of my numbers are within acceptable limits except my BMI.  Both the nurse, who did my intake, and the doctor scolded me; they agree with Judy that I need to be 99% fat free.

Okay, so I arrived at home just in time to take Miss Judy on a special outing to the library, Wally World, and Walgreens (Judy’s Big Day Out!!!).  After we stashed our groceries, I changed out the anode in the hot water tank.  I almost messed up!!  I forgot to turn the electric heating element off before draining the tank.  Fortunately I remembered before it imploded itself – whew!!  That’s one more task off the good Ol’ Ta Do List.

Did I tell you that I really enjoy my Nook (easy Terry).  The missus and I whipped up some iced tea and put out our new lawn chairs to spend a couple of hours sitting in the sun/shade while reading.  Judy is reading a Debbie Macomber book and I’m reading a John Grisham book.  Grisham is my favorite author; his writing style holds your attention and he keeps his stories “clean”. No bad language or lurid sex scenes – I always say that sex is not a spectator sport.

We attended the four o’clock social and then returned home to have breakfast for dinner.  Tuesday night is NCIS night (one of my three favorite shows – NCIS, Bones, and History Detectives).  So, thar ya have it; another fast paced day in the life.

May God Bless And Keep You Until Next Time - - - - -    

Wrapping It Up In ‘Bama

Today is it!!!  This is the day that I get my annual physical exam.  Doctor’s appointments are one of the reasons we are lingering here in the deep south, however, the weather up north is not nice enough for us to make any fast tracks that direction.  Judy has a couple more appointments scheduled and then we’ll be free as a bird to head toward destinations unknown.

The weather has been absolutely fabulous here in Lower Alabama.  Temps have been just right for playing outside during the days and just right for sleeping at night (if one chooses to sleep).  Lately we’ve been staying up later at night and getting up before the sun.  I guess it’s called making the most of each day.

Today is, also, shopping day.  We don’t need a whole lot of groceries, but are running low on a few items.  Hopefully we’ll be able to stay within our budget this month - ‘twil be close.  We’ve exceeded our food and fuel budget for the past two month (surprise, surprise); thank God there is no inflation!!!!

We’re slowly narrowing in on our major Ta Do List item; that is, cleaning out and organizing the shed.  There’s no room to slide one more item into that poor little building.  We wanted to completely go through the rig first so everything going in the shed would be identified before trying to organize that building.  We still need to organize under the bed and I have a couple of boxes in the basement to go through then we can hit the shed.

Well, May The Force Be With You Until Next Time - - - - - -

Mobile Historic Homes Tour

On Friday morning, Randy, Terry, Judy, and I departed Rainbow Plantation heading for Fort Conde which, also, serves as Mobile’s Welcome Center.

You couldn’t have asked for more perfect weather for a walking tour of historic sites along Government Street.  It was a two mile walking tour (four miles when you walk back) plus we parked about a half mile away from the first stop on the tour.  We got our “steps in” to say the least.

Since we were beginning our tour from Fort Conde and the welcome center we stopped for a “rest” break and a quick tour of the fort.

 

Spain was America’s ally during the Revolutionary War and declared war on Great Britian in June of 1779.  The Spanish attacked the British at Fort Charlotte (Conde) in February 1780 resulting in its surrender and subsequent capture of the City of Mobile on March 14th.

The Mardi Gras Carnival Museum is located on Government Street as well.  We snapped a picture but did not stop in as we had more than enough territory to cover before day’s end.

We decided to walk the south side of the street first visiting the sites on that side of the road and return on the north side (me thinks we may have bitten off more than we could chew – oh well, it was what it was).

        

The churches were beautiful, but we were disappointed in the “Historical” side of this tour.  The only place with some real history, other than the churches, was Blacksher Hall (last picture above).  It is a Neoclassical Revival Mansion that was built in 1901 and is ten thousand square feet with eight bedrooms and twelve fireplaces.

As far as tours go, we all agreed that this one was not very well planned and kind of a disappointment, especially since we paid for this tour.  The Dauphin Street Historic District Walking Tour is a “freebie” and you can get a tour map at the Welcome Center.  There are 52 sites along this tour and, although you can’t go inside any of the sites, you can get a good flavor of Mobile’s history and architecture.

Other than that, Saturday was pretty much a recovery day and Sunday was typical with church in the morning and Ice Cream Social in the evening.  We did manage to get the two stage water filtration system installed as well as our closet cleaned out and organized.  Three weeks before departure, so we are attacking the Ol’ Ta Do List with a vengeance.

Take Care Until Next Time - - - - -

Another Mini Entry

Folks, I’m still mushy minded.  I was pretty much lethargic after my early Saturday morning madness.  We did get out to pick up some propane and a couple of parts I need for the water filtration system upgrade.  A short nap made its way into the afternoon after which we spent a few hours lounging outside with our Nooks in hand.  Last we night attended a “Howl At The Moon” gathering at the pool side, but only stayed a few minutes.

On our way home, we made a stop by to see how the “Tenderfoot” is doing.  Terry has some “wicked good” blisters on her feet, that’s for sure.  Then we headed home and was in bed by 22 hundred hours.  After Saturday morning’s fiasco, I slept right through until 6:30 and now am rushing to get ready for church.

Pictures and stories from our Friday walking tour will show up tomorrow morning for sure.  In the meantime, may God Bless You And Keep You Until The Next Time - - - - - - 

Late Blog Entry Today

This Morning

This is not the real blog entry for today.  I was up until 3:30 this morning and am still sleeping.  Once I wake up, and am up and about, I will submit the real blog entry for today so check back later.  What?  You’ve not heard about telepathy?  Or multitasking?  Or Sleep Blogging?

There will be information and pictures telling you all about our outing in Mobile with Randy and Terry yesterday; so y’all be sure to come back later, ya ‘ear?

This Afternoon

Oh, oh – It’s 2:30 in the afternoon and I haven’t succeeded in finishing today’s blog entry.  After I finally got my carcass up out of bed, we took off to Ace Hardware to pick up supplies for our next project which is installing a two stage water filtration system.  Last week I ordered a second filter canister and that arrived last night at eight-thirty.  I needed a “nipple” and some ceramic tape to link the two filter canisters together.  I will complete the project on Monday.

Anyway, I have the pictures all loaded and some of the blog entry written.  But at around 1:15 this afternoon, a katt nap snuck up and hit me right behind the head.  And now there’s iced tea and a lawn chair calling my name.  Sorry folks, today’s entry is going to become tomorrow’s entry – hopefully!!!

‘Til Then - - - - - - 

Enjoying The Day Together

Heavy fog this morning, hope it burns off early today as we’ll be getting underway real soon heading for Mobile to do the Historical House tour.  There are eight houses and two churches along the two mile walk on Government Street that we’ll be visiting.  I’m sure that we’ll (Randy, Terry, Judy, and I) partake in a meal somewhere along the walk.  All this means pictures tomorrow.

Yesterday we just “stood” to home and enjoyed each other’s company.  For some reason neither one of us had much energy so we barely got our chores done before placing our loungers outside, fixing a tall glass of iced tea, grabbing our Nooks (be careful here), and spending the rest of the day outside sipping and reading.  This weather has been nothing short of phenomenal; even Alex joined us outside for a while (Meow).

Randy and Terry joined us later around a little smudge pot fire in our fire pit (note to self: need to get some good fire wood); Terry had made a cheesy hash brown thingy for the main dish and Judy cooked up some veggies.  Dessert was Good Humor ice cream drumsticks -  Ooooo, Aaaah, Yummy!  Later we moved the party inside to continue our chit chat and laughter.  What fun we have together.

Judy and I rounded out the day by watching Bones on TV before hitting the hay.  Thus ends the first thirty eight years of marriage and kicks off year 39 – we’ll really celebrate in two years when we hit the big four-oh.  “It’s All Good!”

Take Care Until Next Time - - - - - - -  

Happy Anniversary

March is a special month for Judy.  Today is her anniversary and next Friday is her birthday.  She’s been married for a long, long time now (child bride).  As our grand daughter, Catia, says, “They’re old so they’ve had lots and lots of anniversaries!”

Okay, yes, we were married 38 years ago in Traverse City, Michigan.  I was stationed there in the Coast Guard and was busy guarding the coast when I stumbled onto her laying on the beach.  After a long and stormy engagement of three months we were “wedded” and have almost lived happily ever after ever since (“almost” ‘cause ever after hasn’t arrived yet).

 

So what are we going to do to celebrate?  Why were taking a tour!!  Yep, we’re going to take a tour of historical homes in Mobile, Alabama.  Then we’ll go out for dinner somewhere along the trail, not sure where.  On top of that, we’re taking our next tree neighbors, Randy and Terry, with us (they live on the east side of the trees from us – that means they get to see the sunrise before we do).  But, guess what?  We’re going to have to wait until tomorrow because there is no tour today.

                  

Well, if that doesn’t sound romantic to some of you that’s because I can’t write about what we are actually going to do today, but it will be romantic I can assure you.  Now, before your little active minds go jumping to conclusions – I can’t say ‘cause it’s a secret, that’s why.

  

Happy Anniversary Mrs. Patterson!!!  And Maaannnyyy More!!!

That’s All Folks – Take Care Until Next Time - - - - - -

Random Thoughts

We are experiencing some of the best weather ever here in Lower Alabama.  And it just keeps getting better and better.  We don’t know if it’s the good weather or the time change or just what it is that’s affecting Alex.  He definitely has a case of spring fever (or something).  He’s up early, into everything, teasing his sister, and pacing back and forth.  He’s worse than having a two year old on the loose.

The desk is all done – Yay!!!  Basically, all I did was repair a shelf that had broken, install a plug board so the router can be plugged into the inverter circuit, and organized the printer, paper, and manuals by installing a “false bottom” in the cabinet.  I didn’t take any “before” pictures so you’ll just have to imagine a cluttered cabinet and now visualize an organized cabinet.  Thar ya go!  One more item to cross off the Ol’ Ta Do List – just as soon as I find it, the list has gone missing (probably Alex took it).

Judy is still infected!!  Monday afternoon she went back to the saw bones to get more drugs for her sinuses.  Something is going on in that head of hers and it won’t let loose.  She’s now on a stronger antibiotic for a longer period of time.  Hopefully this will do the trick and kick whatever is infecting her sinuses right out the door.  She seems to go through this every winter with each year getting worse.  Right now the doctor feels that it is virus related rather than allergy based.

Today I need to mow the lawn.  All of this nice weather has caused the grass to grow which means another chore that will most likely need to be done each week.  When we’re on the road, the club mows the lawn for us.  It’s part of the maintenance fee that we pay each year.  They, also, provide the lawn mower and gas along with a weed whacker and other yard tools for us to use while we are here.

Judy has her woman’s Bible study this morning – they’ve been doing a Beth Moore study.  Tonight is our 242 Home Group (242 as in Acts 2:42).  This evening’s meal is to be “Country Cooking”.  Since my biscuits and gravy was such a big hit a few weeks back, I’ve been requested to “do it” again.  I’ll whip up the biscuits this morning while I’m waiting for the water to warm up to wash my hands.

Well, I guess we’ve covered a whole spectrum of “stuff” this morning and since “enuf’s enuf”, I’ll sign off for now. 

Take Care Until Next Time - - - - - -   

A Busy Day Planned

“If I had some ham, I’d have some ham and eggs, if I had some eggs.”  Well, guess what?  I do have some ham and I do have some eggs and, further, I have some cheddar cheese and I have some English muffins.  How does a nice ham, cheese, and egg sandwich sound?  It’s either that or a bowl of cereal – we’ll see as the day progresses on.

Today I plan to button up the desk modification project.  The hold up has been applying the polyurethane on the trim pieces.  I wanted at least four coats of “poly” on each piece so that was a two day process.  The desk will not look a bit different from the outside, but it will be waaaay more functional on the inside.

Judy J. is heading out with a whole herd of other women rampaging and pillaging every fabric store in their path from here to Pensacola.  Lord have mercy!!!  They’ll, also, light at some eatery along the way to boost their energy levels.  I’m sure that they will all return home content and smiling by day’s end.

Larry the cook is planning to set fire to some wood later today so we can burn some wieners on a stick for our dinner – fine dining is still an art.  What goes best with a wiener?  White wine or red wine?  Most likely a bottle of beer!!!  But, I prefer wine.  Looks as if it’s going to be a great day for that kind of activity – got any clams or lobster?  Then we’d have a real cookout!!

Well, it’s “time to get a wiggle on!” so Take Care Until Next Time - - - - -       

A Quick Entry

Day two of Daylight Savings Time – love the light later at night, hate getting up earlier.  Hey, wait a minute!!  I are retired, I don’t gotta get up until I’m darned good and ready.  Just slide my day to the right on the ol’ time scale.  Thar ya go!!!  Much better.  Now, if we could just get Alex calibrated.

Yesterday was a typical Sunday for us – church, relaxing, ice cream social.  So there’s not much to report there.  In exactly four weeks from today we’ll be heading out for our summer travels.  Unbelievable how fast time moves forward, but we are more than ready to get out of Dodge. 

Just a few more annual doctor’s appointments to get out of the way and then we’ll be free to move about the country, however, moving about the country isn’t free so we’ll just have to take it easy.  The first thing on our agenda is grandchild fixes.  Can’t wait to see those smiling faces once again; Catia, Kalina, and Radek, the Murfreesboro brood.

Well, I guess that’s all I have this morning.  Take Care Until Next Time - - - - - -

Daylight Savings Time

Today becomes our first day of summer – Daylight Savings Time.  Last week, when I wrote about Alex getting us up real early, Norm emailed the following:

In a few days you will fool Alex because 6:00 CT (Cat Time) will become 7:00 HT (Human Time). Just keep the clock covered and he will never know (unless he listens to the news).

So, how did that work out for us?  Well, Norm, Alex must have caught wind of this whole time change thing ‘cause he was pacing up and down my body at 4:15 HT (Human Time) this morning.  Ah shucks, we forgot to cover the clock.  Darned Katt!!!  Ya gotta get up pretty early in the morning to pull one over on him.

So, here we are up at oh-dark-thirty with our minds pretty much putty.  Pretty mushy, pretty groggy, not focusing very well, cobwebs lingering.  Pump in more coffee – hurry!!  We prefer Daylight Savings Time, but could easily do without this fumbling with the clock in the spring and fall.  Making this transition twice a year is tough on the old humaniod psyche.  Roll over honey, I’m coming back to bed!!!

See ya when the sun wakes up.  Take Care Until Next Time - - - - -

Breakfast And Stuff

The world will end on December 21st, 2012; therefore, we’ve got a lot of traveling to cram into a short period time.  “Whachu talkin’ ‘bout, Willis?”  The Mayan Calendar ends on December 21st, 2012 which marks the end of the world.  So, are you ready?  In any event, you need to remember to get ready to get yourself up at two o’clock in the morning and play with your clocks as tomorrow marks the first day of daylight savings time 2011.

Now, onto the mundane things.  Yesterday morning, after we managed to peel ourselves off the sheets, Randy and Terry journeyed over to our place so the four of us could make a run on the Foley Coffee Shop for an oil change (as in greasy spoon).  We all had the two egg breakfast with biscuits, sausage, and hash browns or grits.  I don’t really care for grits, I had one once and didn’t like it, so I had the hash browns. 

Breakfast is one of our favorite eat-out meals.  When we lived in Harbor Springs, Judy and I used to go out for breakfast every Saturday.  It adds a whole new dimension when you share breakfast with your neighbors and good friends.  Too bad there are no ears in Washington, D. C. as we managed to solve all the world’s most pressing problems over two cups of coffee.

Then we pointed our noses in the Walmart’s direction.  Randy and Terry had a few items to pick up and so did we.  Lately, every time we shop at Wally World we leave missing several items that they are either out of or no longer stocking on their shelves.  There were four things that we couldn’t get while in Florida so we figured we’d get them in Foley; not so.  We are still down by three, one of which could become a serious problem soon – Scott single ply toilet paper.  Magnolia leaves will not decompose in our holding tank so it is imperative that we find some within another roll and a half.

From Uncle Wally’s we turned north, passing back through Foley, making tracks for Camping World where Randy and Terry picked up some new short sheets.  Yep folks, most RVs have short mattresses so they require a special sheets (at least the fitted sheet).  While we were there, we kicked the tires on several new RVs.  None of them had a special feature that ours has, it’s paid for!!

After a pass through Silverhill to gawk at the tornado damage, we made our way home.  It was heart breaking to see the damage inflicted on that little community.  And to think, it’s only about six miles, as the crow flies, from where we park our little home on wheels.  The good news is that no one was seriously hurt or killed.

After catching our breath, while relaxing and reading a little during the afternoon, we attended the Social Time which I ended up leading.  Last night we walked over and picked up Randy and Terry for a concert at the clubhouse given by Colonel Odell Smith.  He has a wonderful baritone voice and sings gospel music.  His selections were so good that we all agreed that we didn’t need to go to church on Sunday after hearing them (but we’ll go anyway).

Well, after returning home and staring at the television (wish “they” would find something decent to air on television) for a while, we re-pasted ourselves back onto the sheets thereby bringing an end to a rather eventful day.

Hope you have wonderful weekend.  Take Care Until Next Time - - - - -

Back To Normal

I went to see the vampire yesterday to get my blood work done for my annual physical next week.  While we were in Florida, we decided to do our grocery shopping to see if food prices were any better.  They’re not; however, we didn’t have to pay the 8% sales tax on food items that we have to pay in Alabama.  Too bad it takes three gallons of fuel to get there and back, that would wipe out any savings on sales tax – unless you’re already in Florida for something else like my doctor appointments.

Speaking of food, the cost is getting pretty ridiculous.  Prices are rising every week while the quantities are decreasing.  I couldn’t believe the new size of the spaghetti sauce and olive oil jars/bottles.  One good thing, we’ll have more space in our cupboards from now on.

Our furnace has been making some strange noises, so yesterday afternoon I investigated those noises.  What I learned is one of the screws holding a face plate on was loose as well as one of the bolts holding the furnace to its foundation.  I upgraded the bolting and retightened the screw on the face plate.  I may have to add lock washers if it loosens again.

The happy little furnace lives under the happy little refrigerator which means that I have to lay on my happy little belly to work on it so it’s not the easiest thing in this happy little world to work on.  But, fixed it is and it sounds “normal” once again as it heats up our happy little home.  So, that’s one more item off the Ol’ Ta Do List.

With Social Time, a quick visit with Randy and Terry, dinner, some reading, and “Bones” our day was rounded out.  Today we’ll continue working on the Ol’ Ta Do List and readying our Little House On The Highway to roll once again.

Take Care Until Next Time - - - - - -   

Stormy Weather

Yesterday was a storm day.  Every once in a while you need to have a storm day, however, this was a Stooorrrmmm Daaay.  A tornado touched down in Silverhill which is five to six miles (as the crow flies) from the Plantation. 

And rain?  I guess we got rain!  Our rig became an island with 2” to 4” of water surrounding it.  There was dry ground all around the rig, but the rest of the lawn became a pond.  The truck was sitting in the pond with about 3” of water inching up around her tires.

We packed up the katts in their travel crate, pulled in the slides, and headed for Ruth and Ron’s house arriving just before the rain began.  Randy and Terry, Jack and Jenny, and Ed and Madonna joined us for the Storm Party.  A special thanks to Ron and Ruth for opening up their home to us vagabonds for shelter.  After a couple of hours, we returned home, put out the slides, and hunkered down for the rest of the day.

We didn’t think to take any pictures, but there was water, water everywhere.  It was raining so hard at one point that as a dawg went running by the house he left a wake behind him.  The good news is that it only took a couple of hours for the water to subside once the rain stopped.

Thank God that no one was seriously hurt as several tornados touched down as the storm crossed Louisiana, Alabama and the Florida panhandle.  We here at the Plantation are all safe and sound and hope we don’t have to experience that kind of weather again anytime soon. 

Take Care Until Next Time - - - - - -  

“It’s A Wrap”

Dateline:  Rainbow Plantation – At 12:01 this morning Mardi Gras 2011 was pronounced dead upon completion.  The King and Queen have been dethroned and cast into outer darkness (or in our case, the darkness outside).

All festivities have come to an end and things have returned to “not-so-normal” here at the Plantation. 

Last night was the grand finale with a great meatloaf dinner prepared by Larry and his merry revelers, laughter brought on by the Rainbow Plantation Mardi Gras Players,

a costume contest made up of a host of seedy looking characters,

 

and music by the keenage group named Northwind. 

Also, more money was collected for CARE making a total raised during this event of $1,815.  CARE (Continuing Assistance for Retired Escapees) answers the question, "What happens to full-time RVers when they cannot take care of their own or their spouse's needs following an illness, injury, surgery, or the progression of a long-term health situation?"  It is located in Livingston, Texas and its mission is to provide a safe haven with professional assistance at affordable prices for members whose travels are permanently ended because of age or temporarily interrupted because of health problems.

We have participated in every Mardi Gras here at the Plantation since 2007 with each year’s celebration getting just a little bit better.  This year was no exception.  A good, no great time was had by all.  

Along with all our reveling, I have been working on our “Desk Project”.  The shelf inside the cabinet had broken and we wanted to “rewire” the outlet so that when we are on inverter power we wouldn’t have to move the router and signal amplifier to another location.  Also, we needed to rearrange the area where the printer lives in order to make it more “user friendly”.  This project should be wrapped up by the end of the week.

Take Care Until Next Time - - - - -

“March On”

As you’ve noticed, we’ve not had very many pictures over the past few days (weeks).  Well, that “ain’t” the case today!  Yesterday was our Mardi Gras Parade, Luncheon, and Chair Auction.  So, here ya go – a photo tour of the events.

The Color Guard and King & Queen lead off the parade

Following by some Parade Floats and Marching Bands - Rainbow Plantation style, of course

This year’s Mardi Gras theme is Wacky Sports so here’s the Senior Wacky Sports Olympic Team followed by a scooter and lawn mower entry

Every parade has to have it’s Dignitaries

Rainbow Plantation has a very active Red Hat Ladies group so here they are puttin’ along followed by the Canine Patrol

 

Instead of horses, we have tractors – they’re a lot easier to clean up after

A couple more golf carts for the crowds enjoyment

And then the Marlow Fire Department rounds out the parade

What a lot of fun, especially being that the parade was made up of our friends and neighbors here at Rainbow Plantation.  And, on top of everything else, we hauled in more throws at this parade then we did during the parade at Fairhope.

But, the fun doesn’t stop there ladies and gentlemen – no sireeeee!  The activities move into the clubhouse for a wonderful pulled pork luncheon followed by more shenanigans.

Some of the Rainbow Plantation crafters have been re-caning old chairs and donated them to an auction for the Escapees CARE organization in Livingston, Texas.  They auctioned off 10 chairs and raised $1,250 for CARE – good job y’all.

One last picture – Guess “who dat dare?”

Take Care Until Next Time - - - - - -