A few steps closer

We are a few steps closer to being able to put our feet up and say that our 2015 project list is finished. Now do not misread that sentence! We are still several projects short of that goal. The tulips are about done for this year.
We made good progress today.
We have new underlayment and rock in our driveway.

 I finally cleaned the front flower bed. It never feels right till that chore is completed. Note the new railing Butch built that I have not painted yet. It is still on the project list.

 Here is a view of the flower bed and the driveway.

 The white spot in the background on the right is where the new shed will be sitting tomorrow.

 Last year we nearly became stuck with the motorhome as we were leaving so we added more rock to take us back to the alley where the base is more solid. This was a good move even if it doesn't look or sound like much. We hope to have the alley open soon. wink,wink.

 The white area to the left of OUR rhubarb patch is where the new shed will be. The burn barrel is ours.

 Our back yard where more projects will be taking place throughout the summer.

 This tree is in our backyard and I am standing on the steps out the back door. The new shed spot and our rhubarb seems so far away but it really isn't.

Beautiful Sunday and Camper for sale

Jason came over and we walked to HyVee for breakfast. It is a new store for Jefferson and that is the first time we have been there for breakfast. Jason wanted biscuits and gravy, Butch had a traditional bacon, eggs and toast and I went ala carte with french toast and scrambled eggs. I like the ala carte idea very much because you can order exactly what you want. And the food was good. They also were preparing for a full all-out buffet with omelets made to order and all you can eat for $14.99 a person. I am almost 100% certain that will never be something we do. They were getting set up so I have no idea if there were people who would choose that route.
And then Mickey asked if I wanted to ride to the bridge and back after it warmed up a bit and I said yes and then we did. Perfect day for it. We have now accumulated enough bicycles so if someone comes without their bike we can still ride. The new shed will help with the storage of them.
I did finally get inspired to do some spring cleaning and started with the window closest to the computer desk and the one that bothers me the most. Sure feels good to look through a bright shiny window. Might even get to another one today. wink,wink.
Son Gary is selling his Camper. It is now located in Missouri but I am sure arrangements could be made if you are interested. It is in very good condition with the exception of the awning fabric. I can get you connected if needed.

Update north and south

The big news is on the Magnolia Park Blog. www.magnolianews.blogspot.com.
They had a big, bad storm in South Texas last night around midnight. Read about it on the magnolia blog. I hear our manager is at management school and missed the whole thing. nuff said.
When I came back from our trip to Costco that took place on Friday rather than Thursday here is what my romantic husband was doing! So for all you husbands who want to know how to woo your wife. This is it! I greatly appreciate his thoughtfulness.

And here is my solar glow ball on the table in the 3 season room. I love it too!

Tomorrow is Thursday!

And guess where I am going? Costco!! Mickey and I are going to make a Costco run. Like old times but with different friends.
Tuesday night Mickey had us and a few other friends over for Mexican. Delicious by the way and we also had a great deal of fun with a Wii. I have thought of purchasing one before but they certainly are pricey little devils. If we ever must stay in Iowa all winter I may reconsider because they are great exercise. We had a blast with it and I have not laughed that hard since Peg, Kay and I got the giggles over I do not remember what...or maybe I do but cannot share. Anyway the friends, the food and the Wii were a bunch of fun.

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Rhubarb is abundant right now and I may get around to making this bread. It certainly looks tasty. I have a great patch of rhubarb and I have made a list of the rest of the things I need. I will let you know what I think of it.

Orange Rhubarb Bread Recipe

TOTAL TIME: Prep: 15 min. Bake: 40 min. + coolingYIELD:12 servings

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/4 teaspoon grated orange peel
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 2/3 cup finely chopped fresh rhubarb
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

• 1. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, orange peel and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with sour cream. Fold in rhubarb and walnuts.
• 2. Transfer to two 5-3/4-in. x 3-in. x 2-in. loaf pans coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks. Yield: 2 loaves (6 slices each).

Editor's Note: If using frozen rhubarb, measure rhubarb while still frozen, then thaw completely. Drain in a colander, but do not press liquid out.

Nutritional Facts

1 slice equals 128 calories, 7 g fat (3 g saturated fat), 31 mg cholesterol, 81 mg sodium, 15 g carbohydrate, trace fiber, 2 g protein.

Read more: http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/orange-rhubarb-bread/print#ixzz3Y2xQsJQb

Tree Bones

One of the things intriguing about this time of year is being able to see the "Bones of a Tree". This tree has beautiful bones.

Bought a shed

Went to Ames yesterday and bought a shed. Butch has had his fill of construction for a spell having been immersed in it every summer since 2011so we decided to buy a ready made shed and we like this one. It is lofted on the sides increasing our storage area by quite a bit. We have some land leveling we want to be completed  before this is delivered. So in a few weeks we should have our new shed and be able to shift some items giving Butch more room in his "shop/garage".

Everybody is happy!!

RVing Tip of the Day

Butch and I have replaced our big bulky TV in the front of our Motorhome. More than once actually. I wish we had seen this article before we did it and that is why I am sharing it with you. This option has much appeal on many levels. 

This info came from a newsletter we read regularly and you may want to as well so here is the website. http://www.rvtravel.com/?q=daily-rv-tips-issue2129602

Barb B.

More ado about a drop-down TV bracket

by Greg Illes

 

Editor's note: Back in Issue 596 we ran a story on a fold-down TV bracket that Greg put into his Class A motorhome. We immediately were hit with cries of, "Where can we get one?" from our readers. Here's a follow-up from Greg. 

 

The bracket is full-custom, not store-bought. In order to get the TV nearly flush to the windshield, and also up tight against the overhead when stored, I needed a bent bracket design.

 

First, I used a piece of wire to mock up the angle and length I needed. Then I had a local plastics shop put a bend in a piece of 3/8" ABS textured sheet.

 

The sheet is attached at the front with two standard three-inch steel hinges, fastened to a metal portion of the overhead structure.

 

At the back edge, I used two strap retainers to hold one-inch black nylon straps. These use standard strap snap-catches to hold the TV up in stored position. I used two for stability and fail-safe design (don't want that puppy coming down while I'm driving), plus I needed the finished affair to be rattle-free. These worked out very nice.

 

I punched a one-inch hole in the overhead to accept all the cabling, and I put a split-sleeve cable cover over it all to dress it up a little.

 

The TV didn't hang down quite vertically (bent bracket center-of-gravity offset), so I mounted a small wooden knob into the windshield vertical post (not shown in photos). The bottom of the bent bracket slips over the edge of the knob to hold the TV vertical, and also to keep it from swinging.

Weekend of fun

I looked at the last post and I must say I am slipping! I never used to let that many days go by without a post. I began this blog in 2002. Thirteen years ago and it does not seem possible it has been that long.
We have been  getting settled in at our "other" house and the more years that pass the longer that seems to take.
We stopped all the action on Saturday and went to Missouri to see our Great Granddaughter Elise in her first theatrical performance. The Harrisonville High School theatrical group performed "The Music Man" And our little Miss Elise age 4 soon to be 5 was the youngest member of the cast as one of the River City children. She was magnificent of course. She had a few minor snafu's in the 4 two-hour performances. One of which was she was missing from the stage when she was supposed to be there. She told her grandmother that she had to go to the bathroom and thought that was more important. And indeed it was!
Photos were not allowed during the performance although a few were taken during dress rehearsal. All of the performers did a wonderful job. It was indeed very entertaining and I am not saying that to be kind. It was of a very high caliber.                      
                                                   Our Miss Elise

                                   After the performance sitting on Papa Gary's lap.

 She put up less fuss about the uniform as long as she had the horn.

Leo and Elise Teeter

                                         Leo turned two on April 11th and his diction is superb for his age. He is also a very amiable young man and cheerful much of the time. When we first arrived he came down the stairs to greet me and he said, Hi Nana Barbara! with a big smile And I said, "Well, Hi there Leo, How are you?" He said, "Good!" with an emphatic nod of his head! The clearness of his speech blew me away. It really makes you take notice when you hear a two-year-old speak clearer and more defined than many adults.

It was a fun weekend!

The trip home was fine until we hit the Iowa line when we encountered a heavy rainstorm. There were a few more after that so we hightailed home not stopping for lunch till we were back in Jefferson.

Busy as Bees

Butch jumped right to it as soon as his feet touched Iowa soil and he now has a new railing built for the front steps. A picture will be forthcoming as soon as I get it painted.
I am still busy moving out of the motorhome and before you scoff and say, "How hard can THAT be." I will tell you. It is very much like moving from one house to another...twice a year. The bedding, towels, rugs etc. need laundered. All the food products need moved from the moho to the house. They do not get any fresher staying in the motorhome where I may forget they exist. And then the clothing gets sorted out. I must say it is a good time to make note of what you wear and what may get donated. This winter in Texas was not a warm one so before I discard all my warm weather clothing I may want to give Texas another chance.
We will have been back in Iowa a week tomorrow and I am a ways from saying I am settled in. I am closer today than yesterday and that is the goal each day for now.

Practice with Chrome!

I read this in a newsletter I receive and thought, " Wow, I have been saying this for awhile and here it is again."

"If you’re an IE (Internet Explorer) fan, you’ll be happy to know that the next incarnation of  IE(Internet Explorer) called “Spartan” will be so much like Chrome you’ll wish you would have learned Chrome :)
Smile! Just kidding….but hey Spartan does look like a Chrome clone!"

Homemade Mosquito Trap

WITH WARMER WEATHER COMES MOSQUITOS! WITH SUMMER APPROACHING, I THOUGHT I'D SHARE THIS.

This is a homemade trap to help keep you and the kiddos from being a blood donor!!!

HOMEMADE MOSQUITO TRAP:

Items needed:

1 cup of water

1/4 cup of brown sugar

1 gram of yeast

1 2-liter bottle

HOW:

1. Cut the plastic bottle in half.

2. Mix brown sugar with hot water. Let cool. When cold, pour in the bottom half of the bottle.

3. Add the yeast. No need to mix. It creates carbon dioxide, which attracts mosquitoes.

4. Place the funnel part, upside down, into the other half of the bottle, taping them together if desired.

5. Wrap the bottle with something black, leaving the top uncovered, and place it outside in an area away from your normal gathering area. (Mosquitoes are also drawn to the color black.)

Change the solution every 2 weeks for continuous control.

Lost is Found

Remember last Fall when Sherri and I went on a bike ride on the Madrid trail and I lost my little coin purse containing my drivers license, credit card and about $50 in cash?
Yesterday Jason came over and wanted to go bike riding so I grabbed my bike helmet took out my biking gloves and there in the bottom of my helmet was the coin purse! I could not believe it!! I am feeling very fortunate!

Treasure trove of dress-ups

Miss Elise is THRILLed with her jackpot of dress-up clothes found at Ropa by the ladies of Magnolia Park. This is her current favorite.

Back on my bike

The truth be known I would not have been on it had Jason not come over to give me a boost in the right direction. The trail is wonderful this time of year. You can see things you cannot at any other time of the year. It felt really good to have the sun in my face while flying like the wind.

Thursday April 9th in Jefferson Iowa at 6:00 PM.

Yes, that is ice on the windshield and after this it turned to snow!

Miss Elise at play practice

 Elise was tired but a real trooper when it came to play practice. This first picture she looks very doll-like to me and perhaps as tired as I thought she was.

 She knows the songs and most of the time remembers what she is supposed to do. She is the youngest member of the cast at 4. She will be 5 next month.

Back Photo Catch up

Whispering Pines Village- Sebring FL

The gal in the middle is in her 90's and her name is Rachel. She is the official park hugger.

There are two pool tables and they get regular play with amiable fellows. Butch thought they were in good shape overall, but could have benefitted from some TLC.

 Butch played once while we were here.

The guys visited a car dealership where Eddie Munster was the star attraction.

He took the camera and took these shots.

These were catch-up photos taken before we left Florida

Home again, Home again-Jiggity Jig

Home  April 9th, 2015
Written on the 10th.
Arrived home yesterday about 3:00pm. Had a bit of a rough start because Butch had trouble getting his brain running on all cylinders, forgetting to hook up one side of the tow bar. He noticed it right away and we were able to get things working after quite a bit of finagling on his part and praying on mine. If he had been unable to get the tow bar working properly it was going to mean I would have to drive the car home from Kansas City. Not something I wanted to think about.
 Started out in 80 degree weather with a southern tailwind. Stopped at Bethany MO at Casey's truck stop where diesel was $2.39. That is a very nice set up for motorhomes and truckers and we want to remember that fact. Add to that the good diesel price and a very nice Subway shop and it was very much a pleasant stop.
After we crossed the MO/IA line the clouds started looking stormy and sure enough they rustled up a heavy downpour. We happened to be fairly near a rest area so we stopped to let the storm pass. After that, the temperature started to drop and we were in drizzle much of the rest of the way. When we arrived in Jefferson it was wet, cold, windy and miserable. Temp was 47 and dropping still. Filled up at Sparky's and decided to look at the alley to see if we thought we could get into our RV spot in the backyard without getting stuck or making ruts. We may have been able to but decided to not take the chance parking it at Leo and Keri's place until it dries up some. We checked out the new Hy-Vee grocery store that has a Market Cafe. It is a sit-down restaurant and very good. Butch had an IOWA tenderloin and it was excellent. I had a pulled pork sandwich but after seeing his tenderloin that is what I will have next time. We feel very fortunate to have this store so close to us. Oh yes, and while we were eating supper it started to snow! Yes, SNOW!. Most of it quickly melted but there was a skiff on the grass this morning.
Today we are trying to take care of details.
1. Water turned on
2. Internet turned on (not yet, but soon I hope)
3. Mail picked up
4. Talked to State Farm about deer accident and windshield chip. (more later)
5. Pick up more needed stuff like tools, meds, etc. from the motorhome.

Deer accident: Damage was more extensive than first thought. The radiator is bent and the AC condenser is damaged from the impact. Looks like in excess of $2600 damage. The radiator is still working, but the AC is not.

Also it seems our neighbor to the south is in jail and will not be getting out anytime soon. It seems he could not pass up stealing a pickup he happened across that had been left running in a driveway. He was quickly arrested and then it was discovered he had been making Meth in the basement of his rented house the one just south of us. We had never smelled anything suspicious although his behavior  and that of his friends always was erratic and a bit bizarre. When we first met this guy (Andy), Butch asked him what he did and he said he was disabled. He did not appear to be disabled in any way unless you count poor judgment as a disability. He never had or drove a vehicle, either walking or biking where he wanted to go. All the windows were completely covered and the AC run all the time. The only time the lawn was mowed was when we went to the city and complained and then his landlord would see that it was mowed. I think the prison system will be in charge of his day to day life for quite some time.

Tomorrow is our last travel day

I had such good intentions of keeping up with info. Throw that out the window.
 I may resort to backtracking on occasion.
Left on Sunday
April 5th-Sebring FL to Quincy FL 400 miles
Travel Day 1
We left Whispering Pines Village in Sebring FL at 7:45 AM with 400 miles planned. Sundays are usually good travel days but we found out that Easter is an exception! The church traffic was awesome and unexpected. Fortunately, both times we encountered it the flow was going opposite of us. Think of a 5 mile funeral procession and that was what it was like. We knew this because they all turned into the same church lots. Darndest thing we have ever seen. Really? They all decided to go to church at the same time?

We took a back way out of Sebring so we did not have to deal with 97 miles of stop and go traffic on highway 27. It added miles but so worth it. We also did not count on Interstate 75 being under construction and so very busy. Truck traffic was less but car traffic was HEAVY! It was such a relief to turn west on Interstate 10.
I used the smartphone, Google Maps and navigation and it has made things so much easier for me. I am a much better navigator. Butch would say it was the lady in the phone but I do have to know what to say to her to get the right result. Other tools I use are RVParky.com or app. I have both. We are also Passport America members and tonight it is saving us $20. Participating parks are half price. It is also Passport-America.com or Passport-America app.
4:00 PM
We have arrived at Beaver Lake Campground at Quincy FL. Exit 174 on I-10. It is a Passport-America so our stay is $20. You check in and pay at the Marathon station. Cash only. They do not take reservations. It is always a first come, first served proposition. Being so close to the Interstate I can see why!

There is a Burger King within walking distance so I do believe we will be dining out tonight. I am so looking forward to getting a good nights sleep.

I remembered a bit ago what I was doing last year on Easter Sunday. We were in Peculiar visiting the Missouri kids and I was very, very sick. Glad that is in my past!

Monday, April 6th
Quincy FL to Vicksburg MS-451 Miles
A couple of notes about this leg. We changed our route enroute taking hwy 98 out of Mobile AL instead of going further east to hwy 49. It cut off about 40 miles but then we arrived at our planned destination (Hattiesburg) too soon so went further, making it to the Ameristar RV Park in Vicksburg MS. The park was difficult to find and unlevel. Will not plan on staying there again.
The area around Jackson MS has the worst road conditions we have ever been on!! Both south on 49 and within the city on I-20. It should be avoided. I think you should be able to sue the city for RV damage. It was awful. Shortly after that episode the clouds opened up and dropped over an inch of rain in a few minutes and we were in the midst of it.
We made it in one piece after two trips around in a circle before finding the park.  We did not go to the casino. Too tired after a stressful day.

Tuesday, April 7th
Vicksburg MS to Alma AR .-433 Miles
This was last night so I can remember it clearly. We stayed in the Crabtree RV Park. It is connected to an RV business. We were lucky because we did not have a reservation, it was easy to find with GPS, it was next door to a Cracker Barrel and we obtained the last available space! Now that kind of falling into place does not happen all the time. We are very grateful!! We are being watched and cared for in a very special way. We are happy and we know it!
We had planned to travel all the way to Shreveport on I-20 and then take US 71/I-49 north to Fort Smith AR. We have done this before and I didn't remember it as being all that bad. It does have about 130 miles of twists and turns. It was okay and Butch did well with it but I do believe twice is enough. Also, the Google maps/gps knows nothing of the new I-49. Does not show up when programmed.

I have some back pictures to post but as I write this it will not be happening until I have a good connection. So later look for "Back Pictures"

As an added note, we had a great time with Jerilynn and Pete. This was their first year in Florida and they were lucky enough to make some very good friends right away and they shared them with us. They are going back next year and have much more of the same fun. They have found a nice fit for them.

Florida Friends

Back-Jen and Rita
Front-Brenda, Barb, Carla and Jerilynn

Onions...and carrots

Gary L. gave me a couple of special Florida onions. They are called strawberry onions and have a very mild flavor. We had some last night with some cute-numbers (cucumbers). My friend Colleen calls them 

cute-numbers and that may very well stick with me.

Onions seem to be the theme of the day because my friend Kay S. sent me a picture of Texas onions drying out, getting ready to be bagged up for their trip north. Looks like there has been some gleaning going on in Texas.

Kay also sent a pic of my favorite big ol' fat Texas carrots. She knows they are my favorite.

Next step

We are leaving Sebring Sunday morning and going to Iowa. We have decided to forgo the Nashville tour and thankfully our friends Pete and Jerilynn are understanding about it. We have two different routes scoped out and not sure yet which we will take, but they both end up in the same spot so not sure it matters.

Yesterday we went to Lake Placid and toured some. Lake Placid is a city of murals. There are 37 of them and you can spend many hours looking them all over. We did not come close. Lake Placid is aptly named in my opinion. It isn't overly large and has a laid-back demeanor about it. We had lunch at a very popular and fantastic little spot and I am not remembering the name of it. Suffice it to say it was special. The food was good and reasonably priced and we topped it off with ice cream. Super!

There are hidden and missing objects in the murals.  It is fun to look for them.

We came home mid-afternoon, took a nap and followed that up with Bocci ball and shuffleboard. It was a full and satisfying day.

Waffling

Indecision makes me uncomfortable...but that is where we are. We are becoming homesick...but we know it is still chilly there or it can be. Sometimes even downright cold, so we are in the throws of indecision.
Today is the day we must decide how much longer we are staying in Sebring. We are paid up through today and about to go to the office and talk.
I will let you all know when we do. Look for a change from our original plan. Hmmm Maybe I didn't share our original plan. Later