Saturday, December 6

Saturday, December 06, 2003
Cleaned house yesterday. Washed widows and screens inside and out. It gave us a better outlook! ;-)
We now have the screen room secure enough to let Angel out there and not worry about her escaping. But she chooses not go out there. She prefers the motor home where she can see out the windows.
There was a theft incident in the park on Thursday. They had been leaving the back gate open during the day. We wondered about it when we got here because they sure didn’t in years past. Someone in the park left his or her pickup parked near the back gate. Sandi, the owner of the park, noticed some strange Hispanic fellows inside the park. She told them to leave and they did but a generator was missing from the pickup after they were gone. Thus the back gate is no longer left open.
Butch, who worries about his memory, remembers the code from past years. Now if he would just remember the toilet seat….
Today we are off to the races…the dog races that is with Lucy and Joe. Those of you who know me well also know that I am along for the ride.
The weatherman announced that it would be cold this morning and it is cold. A whopping 50 degrees! Monday they promise more 80 degree temps so we can wait.
We haven’t indulged in the social life of the park much but we plan to soon. Today there is a big garage sale in the main community room. Next Wednesday is the first bike ride and I am ready. They play cribbage every night at 7:00 in the office game room and I plan to mosey down there soon too. They are repairing the pool and Jacuzzi but when it is back and running I plan to use them as well. Butch and I have been getting our walk in every day. At least a mile of it.


Friday 12/5/03
We went golfing yesterday. First time I have golfed in a very long time. It went fairly well. I had a 53 for nine holes on a long course. I suffered no aches or pains for the experience. I could tell it had been awhile since it is more difficult to focus and stay with it for nine holes. I wore a pedometer to see if I really do get any exercise playing golf out of a cart and I do! It registered a whopping 2 miles. That was a pleasant surprise.



Wednesday, December 3

Wednesday, December 03, 2003
Yesterday we went to the ‘city’. McAllen. Shopped at Sam’s Club, WalMart and the SAS Shoe Store. The SAS Shoe Store is not a factory outlet so we were checking prices to see if we needed to go to the factory outlet in Brownsville. We do. The shoes Butch wants were $121 and in Brownsville they will be $84.
There is a very good little restaurant about a mile west of us. Vicky’s. They have a good cook and Butch likes to eat there. We walked down to eat yesterday but I couldn’t get him to walk today so we ate at home. I guess two miles is too far for breakfast. That and we encountered a dog on the way. It wasn’t a threatening dog but a dog still the same.
We fastened the screen room on today. Good to have that done.

Monday, December 1

Monday, December 01, 2003
We arrived last night about 5. The Thanksgiving weekend traffic going north was horrendous. At the checkpoint cars were backed up a mile or more. I was so glad we were headed south!
The weather is warm. 70’s daytime, 60’s night. We had the windows open and no furnace running. It is great. Angel has been quite intent on viewing her surroundings.
J. D. and his little dog Tony are conspicuously missing this year. They were our neighbors to the west and their place was a semi-permanent dwelling so it is not a good sign. For now we have empty spaces on three sides of us. Feels a little strange. We have the satellite TV hooked up and running. Internet connection is fine- just fine! Next stops are the Farmers Market and grocery store.

Sunday, November 30th
We enjoyed a Thanksgiving meal with George and Jackie, neighbors of Bill and Jo. Everyone along the river is very sociable and kind to strangers. ;-)
Friday was all geared toward Butch’s eye doctor appointment. His eyes are much improved although Dr. McNair suggested he continue the medication for 2-3 weeks and then try the eye drops again to be sure that is indeed the cause of the allergy.
We then did some housekeeping in preparation for our departure.
So tomorrow we are off!
Saturday morning after daybreak we left Heber Springs Arkansas headed for Texas. We aimed for a Flying J truck stop in Texarkana because we needed propane. When we arrived there they didn’t have anyone working authorized to do it. So we will take our chances without. Our route was 59 south to 79 and today we will pick up 77 at Rockdale. There are two main arteries into the Rio Grande Valley from the north, 77 and 281. We have been on both but this time highway 77 is our route of choice.
Last night we stayed at the Tucker Truck Stop south of Palestine Texas. It is always noisy with trucks nearby but we didn’t notice it much. Still no Express Network Internet connection. In the valley we will be near several large cities so I do not anticipate any problem with it then she says hopefully. ;-) I haven’t checked it as we have traveled because it is too much to turn the computer on and off all the time. I may check in Victoria Texas today when we go through. It will be the largest city we go through until we reach the valley.

Thursday, November 27

Thursday, November 27, 2003
I spent yesterday fine tuning Bill’s computer. I am so proud of it and can hardly wait for him to use it. It runs like a dream. Anyone who has had Win ME will appreciate what he has been through. He has a great computer but he had the worst operating system. Now he has the best and it should serve him well for a good long time.
Wayne Shipley took us to see several scenic spots around Greer’s Ferry Lake. I will post pictures on webshots and you can see them there.
http://community.webshots.com/user/barbie1943
Even though it was a dreary day I think the pictures turned out okay.

Wednesday, November 26th

Spent entire day installing Win XP on Bill’s computer. I have done this installation many times before but never with the amount of trouble this one gave me. It is up and running now though and quite well I might add. I was spent! Bill will be “spent” when he gets his phone ill. I was on tech support with Microsoft for over two hours and no it was not an 800 number.

Tuesday, November 25th
Colder! 28 degrees this morning.
Bill, Butch’s brother has Windows ME on his computer and it keeps freezing up on him and failing to recognize his installed peripherals such as his printer and digital camera. So today I am installing Windows XP on his machine. I am sure he will like it much better.

Every morning the local guys go to an Exxon station up the road for cappuccino. The women go for a walk. There is a lesson there. ;-)
But this morning my walk will wait till it is warmer—much warmer.

Yesterday we went to Little Rock with Bert and Wayne Shipley. We stopped at a day-old bread place and they loaded up on bread to feed the wildlife. Wayne had a trunk crammed full for $5. We ate at Cuz’ Roy Fishers restaurant in downtown Little Rock. It is the restaurant where Elvis ordered a fried banana and peanut butter sandwich or so they claim. The service and food were both excellent. The kitchen employees were black and all the out front help were white. Gave me pause for thought. Both factions did their job very well.



Monday, November 24th
Cold! 32 degrees this morning. Butch does not want to get out of bed. Same old, same old. J I told him it was his turn to take Angel for her walk. She was feeling the need for speed this morning racing from one end to the other. Poor girl…exercise is a problem living in a motor home. We plan to let her out on her own when Bill, Jo and Maggie leave Tuesday for Thanksgiving in Indiana. I think she will like it here.


Sunday, November 23

Sunday, November 23, 2003
Below is a recipe I have been asked for. Since I have been on Atkins I use cauliflower but the recipe used to be my potato salad recipe. Now my secret is out!
Dark and dingy day with cold weather on the way. Still better than what they are getting in Iowa.
I took Angel for another walk this morning. I do believe she is enjoying it.

Cauliflower Salad

Dressing
3 T Splenda Or Sugar
1 T Red Wine Vinegar
1/2 c Heavy Cream
1/4 c Mayo
ds Salt

10 pkg. Cauliflower, Par-Cooked And
-Sliced
6 Egg, Hard Boiled & Diced
1/2 c Onion, Diced
1/2 c Celery, Diced

Prepare vegetables and eggs and cool. Mix dressing using wire whip. Combine dressing with vegetables and eggs.
Atkins approved if you do not use sugar and use mayo-not salad dressing.

-----

Saturday, November 22

Saturday, November 22, 2003
First thing this morning Angel and I went on a leash walk. I have been on a slow walk before but this was the slowest ever. Angel and I had quite a meander all around the neighbor’s house. Good thing they weren’t around to see us peeping in their windows. Angel enjoyed her outing and didn’t fight the leash much at all.

I am finally getting with the program. This morning I went for a 2 mile walk with Bert Shipley, a neighbor and long time friend of Bill and Jo.
I ventured down to the river and fed and took pictures of “the girls”. That is what Bill calls the ducks.


Butch and Bill are golfing today. Anybody surprised?
I plan to connect on the 25 cent a minute connection just long enough to get this sent. It will be awhile before I can post pictures and blogs. You will be sure we are back to normal when I have my Express Network connection again.
I may try to get things done on Bills computer but with Windows ME and a dial up connection I reach the end of my rope rather quickly. Till next time…
Barb

Friday, November 21, 2003

Wednesday night Butch’s eyes were so red it was alarming. At the turn, down Bill and Jo’s road is the office of an Ophthalmologist / MD so I pressed Butch to go see him. They worked him in yesterday. He was told he had developed an allergy most likely to Alphagan, which are the drops he uses to lower pressure in his eyes. The doctor also noticed his hack and snort coughing so we discussed allergies in general. He told us most allergies are food related with the three most common culprits being milk, wheat and sugar. So for the next 8 days we are eradicating those items from his diet to see if we can isolate that problem. All eye drops have been stopped temporarily to get his eyes cleared up. He is using a mixture of refresh P M ointment and a steroid drop on the outside of his eyelid with the idea that some of it would also get into his eyes. His eyes have improved tremendously already.
So what does this do for travel? We are grounded for the time being. We have another appointment next Friday- the day after Thanksgiving. We didn’t plan to stay here this long but the eyes have it! Once the allergy problem has been addressed we will need to get back to the pressure issue. It does sound like the doctor has some promising ideas.


Defining Spirituality
While the spirit is often relegated to the province of religion, there is a distinct difference between religion and spirituality. Spirituality exists in a realm all its own and belongs to everyone. Its domain is the nonphysical - it deals with our inner essence, our cosmic energy, and our personal understanding of a higher power. In many languages, the words "spirit" and "breath" are the same, and it's rewarding to enhance spirituality by practicing breath work, meditating, taking walks in nature, or even by keeping fresh flowers in the home. While religion can be your primary avenue for spiritual work, you may find spirituality in other places as well. Sometimes music, art or inspirational books speak to you on a spiritual level. Health necessarily encompasses our bodies, minds and spirit, and true health cannot be easily attained without a strong connection to our spiritual selves.


Thursday, November 20, 2003
Yesterday I sounded a little “clipped”. I have no fondness for traveling in this State where the roads are as crooked as their politicians. 40, 30, and 25 mph roads hold no appeal for me. Scenery, you say? Sorry, but it is lost on me. I endure rather than enjoy.
Give me land, lots of land under starry skies above. Don’t fence me in! …I do have my sense of humor back. J I also plan to start walking again and make the best of things.
Along with no Internet service there is also no satellite TV.
This too shall pass…

Wednesday, November 19th
Heber Springs, Arkansas…No Internet connection. It shows that it is available but there are no bars of service. I suppose if I drove around these hills and maybe got on top of one I might find a connection. Fat chance. We are parked at Butch’s brothers place. Butch and Bill plan to golf and I plan to read and do needlework.

Monday, November 17

Tuesday, November 18, 2003
We left Harrisonville yesterday morning about 7:30 A M. It was misty. We went north to go south but that is typical of Missouri and Arkansas. L
We had our first adventure as we were passing a semi. Our awning came out! It isn’t like we hadn’t been warned this could happen. We were successful in getting pulled over to the side of the road and getting it secured with bungee cords. And we think we got by without any appreciable damage.
Our destination was the home of Dwight and Madonna Louk on The Lake of the Ozarks. It is a beautiful spot. Their neighbor is a man with money who has provided 6-8 spots for RV’s with full hook ups at no cost to those who use them! Now there is a deal for ya! But like all deals you have to “Know Someone” and in this case we know the Louks.
Butch used to work with Dwight many years ago at the REC in Jefferson IA.

We had a lengthy visit yesterday including a delicious pot roast dinner prepared by Madonna.
One of the negatives to this spot is no Internet connection. But I knew this would happen on occasion and I did suspicion that this might be one of those places. When this happens I plan to write anyway and post it when I can. When we leave here we will be headed for Heber Springs Arkansas. Butch wants to take the scenic route. Many of you know how I feel about that and the rest of you can guess. But Butch is the one who is newly retired and I told him I would let him have his way until I got tired of it. ;-)


Sunday, November 16

11/16/2003
We are off!! I am sitting in Gary’s driveway in Harrisonville MO connected to the Internet! It still blows me away how this works.
We stopped in Maryville to see Granddaughter Amanda. She took us back to her dorm room to see her latest projects. That girl is going to do so well with whatever she chooses to take on. It becomes more apparent every time I see her.
We went to look at Gary and Susan’s hole in the ground where their new house is being built. They have a woman builder. Now that is something you do not see every day! It will be a beautiful house and very practical.
Gary and Susan treated us to supper in celebration of our retirement. Then we went to see The Big Creek Country Show in Pleasant Hill MO. Local talent but at the same time very professional. The only difference between the big names and the people we saw last night is a little bit of luck and a whole bunch of marketing. We had a very good time but this old pair isn’t used to being up till midnight!

Angel is getting better every time we venture on the road. Once we arrive and we take her out on her leash she becomes more content to stay in the motorhome. She came face to face with her long lost son through a storm door. It was a hiss free occasion. She decided to come back to the motorhome soon after that.

Friday, November 14

11/14/2003 7:37:25 AM

The big day is finally here and Butch is excited. He has been on standby this past week and he had a call last night in Arispe IA. Arispe is an hour and a half from us.Today I will be going to Creston to pick up my newly released man after his retirement party.
So I had best get to it!

Tuesday, November 11

11/11/2003
Sitting in the RV with the furnace running. A sound I wish to remove from my life…or at least have it be an unusual sound. We need to fill the propane tank every week. Saturday we are heading south to Missouri. I am afraid it is quite chilly there as well so we do not plan to stay long.
We are busy taking care of last minute details. The water is shut off at Mom’s house. I still have gas and electric to call for both places.
Butch has the day off due to Veterans Day. Three more days of work for him and then we will be on the road. Listened to the song ‘Any Way The Wind Blows’ by Southern Pacific this morning. It seemed quite appropriate.
11/11/2003
Sitting in the RV with the furnace running. A sound I wish to remove from my life…or at least have it be an unusual sound. We need to fill the propane tank every week. Saturday we are heading south to Missouri. I am afraid it is quite chilly there as well so we do not plan to stay long.
We are busy taking care of last minute details. The water is shut off at Mom’s house. I still have gas and electric to call for both places.
Butch has the day off due to Veterans Day. Three more days of work for him and then we will be on the road. Listened to the song ‘Any Way The Wind Blows’ by Southern Pacific this morning. It seemed quite appropriate.
11/11/2003
Sitting in the RV with the furnace running. A sound I wish to remove from my life…or at least have it be an unusual sound. We need to fill the propane tank every week. Saturday we are heading south to Missouri. I am afraid it is quite chilly there as well so we do not plan to stay long.
We are busy taking care of last minute details. The water is shut off at Mom’s house. I still have gas and electric to call for both places.
Butch has the day off due to Veterans Day. Three more days of work for him and then we will be on the road. Listened to the song ‘Any Way The Wind Blows’ by Southern Pacific this morning. It seemed quite appropriate.

Sunday, November 9

11/9/2003 8:19:36 AM
Just a few more days and we will be on the road. We are all a twitter. Night before last the temperature outside dipped to 15 degrees. Everything continued to work fine in our little home. We didn’t know it was going to get that cold or we would have been very worried. We never would have guessed that our water would not have frozen at that temperature.
Yesterday we winterized my mother’s house. Blew out the water pipes with an air compressor. Turned off the electricity and gas and made sure all was secure.

I ran across a box of pictures that created a walk down memory lane. There were pictures of my aunts and uncles long since deceased. There was one of me where I looked like a candidate for an extreme makeover. Gawd it was ugly. I may be secure enough to scan it in and put it on the picture site. I am still having an internal debate over it.

This morning is considerably warmer, only 31 degrees when I arose and turned on
the computer. I probably should inform you all about my Internet connection. Unfortunately it is quite pricey; $80 a month for unlimited access. But on the other hand that is only the price of 2 rounds of golf if you get my drift. It consists of an aircard about the size of a credit card with a little antenna. It fits into the PCMCIA slot on my laptop. We have it through Verizon Wireless. I will be able to connect just about anywhere. It is great to be able to get rid of the tangle of wires we put up with before. I will be testing it as we go down the road to see what the connection is doing.

Today I plan to catch up on laundry so Butch can start the process of winterizing our home so I had best get to it.
Till next time….

Tuesday, November 4

Think about all the things in your home that might freeze, break and create a mess. Now think about gathering them all up. There is all the stuff under the kitchen sink and then the stuff in the medicine chest…and then the cooking things like vanilla. So now I have in my kitchen over 5 boxes of stuff I have to find a new home. I had that many boxes or more at Mom’s house as well. I pawned that stuff off on my sister. I plan to take my stuff to the senior center and “donate “ it. I sure hope it works!

Monday, November 3

11/3/2003
We had supper with Don and Jan Brahms last night. With all these great send offs I won’t have to cook for a spell.
The weather is rainy, cold and downright ugly. It could be worse if the temperature were a few degrees colder. I do not believe we are getting out of here any too soon.
I am forced to wear my heavy cold weather clothes. I’d rather be sweating in my shorts!

Butch needs to get his flu shot. I got mine at the senior center last week. So we will be going to Atlantic this afternoon. Butch had one more day of vacation to get in so today is it. Next week is also a 4 day week for him due to Veterans Day. Butch asked me if we were going to the senior center for lunch since we are eligible. My first day off and he wants me to go back! I said,”No”.

Sunday, November 2

We have been quite busy the past few months getting ready for our big life change…and then a few things have happened. My mother passed away on October 2nd. She had been bedfast for over a year so her passing was something she had wanted for a long time. What that means for me is additional duties as executor of her estate. Things seem to be getting done. It will be a relief to get the things I need to do down to one household.

We are 12 days away from departure. It is getting colder every day. I was hoping for a warm fall but it seems that is not going to happen. I am having trouble staying warm! I think my mind has already traveled south.
From our cold backyard in Iowa we are heading for Missouri to stay in the vicinity of Harrisonville to visit with our Missouri kids, Gary and Susan. They are building a new house in Lees Summit so we will have to look over the site and give our opinion. Yeah, Right! If it is warm in Missouri we may stay a while, if not we will head to Arkansas.

My wrist surgery went off without a hitch. It took longer to heal than I anticipated but the end result is satisfactory. Yesterday I opened about 80 jars of home canned food at my mothers place…dumped it in the garden…but a few months before my wrist surgery that would not have been possible.
Butch is pumped about his retirement coming up on November 14th. Since we have been taking month long vacations in the past it will probably be some time before the reality of it hits him. Neither of us has feared change in our past so I think the future will be the same…no fear.
I retired on October 31st and the seniors at the center where I have been manager for the past 14 years gave me a fancy send off. They had some very nice things to say about me and gave me a lovely gift…cash! I plan to get something special with the money and then let them know about it. I will miss them but I know I left them in good hands.

Our house has not sold yet although we did have an interested looker yesterday. My mothers house will also be on the market but not till next spring. Too much chaos before take off and the weather is pushing us.
I keep promising to get better about my blog reports. I hope to make them daily now that I am retired so mark it in your favorites and check in now and then.
Till tomorrow!
Barb

Saturday, August 16

I almost forgot..and really how could I! I am having surgery next Tuesday on my right wrist. That will slow me down for a bit. It is DeQuirveins (sp?) disease which is very much like carpal tunnel except it is my thumb instead of the back of the wrist. It is outpatient surgery so I should be back to normal in a whipstitch. And then in a few weeks I can golf, cross stitch, bike and numerous other things that have slowed me down in the past 18 months.
Blogger Report August 16th 2003
It has been awhile... Folks tend to think we are a bit weird because we are living in our motorhome located in our back yard. But this serves many purposes. At first many trips were made to the house for forgotten items such as eyebrow tweezers and a favorite spatula. There have also been trips made in the other direction with items that were placed in the motorhome but are never used and take up space that could best be used in a different way.
It is much like moving into any new home. There is always an adjustment concerning where you want items located.
We like it out here. I ran into a quote the other day that fits perfectly. "It is not the size of the house that matters but the love that abides within." There must be enough love because we both are happy with the space we are in.
I continue to pare down daily. It is amazing how little we really need to live quite comfortably.

Speaking of paring down...I am also doing that on a personal level as well. I have been on the Atkins diet since May 14th. I can count on one hand the number of times I have cheated. I find this way of eating very comfortable and I never plan to deviate from this plan. I have lost 19 pounds and I am still losing.;-)

Till next time...
Barb