Big Birdhouse on Marshmallow Ranch

A Few Stories and My Noom Progress

Wed, 03 May 2023 01:30:00 -0600

Image Credit: Island Free Press

Our daughter-in-law sent us an article regarding all that debris that’s been seen washing up on the beaches from Nags Head to Salvo. We picked up bags and bags of it and gave it to the Federal Rangers who monitor the seashore. At first we thought a smallish boat capsized, but the sheer volume of stuff kind of negated that theory. I thought maybe it was debris that got washed out to sea from those devastating rains and floods in southern Florida, but it seemed to be more regionally located. The article says the nature of the debris indicates it may have come from a US Navy vessel located off the northeastern coast of North Carolina, but they didn’t have specific details. They are still investigating the incident.

The saga of the Big Birdhouse continues.

The fellow who bought the Big Birdhouse called yesterday morning and said he tried to switch the title into his name, but something was wrong. There had been another title issued after that first one. I sat down and wracked my brain and finally figured out what happened. When we bought the camper new, I went to the DMV and paid the sales tax and got the tags and the title. I always tuck the titles in the truck when we are pulling the camper cross country just in case something happens and we need to sell it or trade it in. I learned my lesson when that used camper we had collapsed on the frame when I was pulling into Colorado.

When we decided to sell the Big Birdhouse, I went to look for the title and try as I might, I could not find it. So I went to the DMV to get a duplicate. While I was there, they discovered the VIN number was not recorded correctly which rendered the original title void. They straightened it out and issued me a new title, which I promptly put someplace safe so I wouldn’t lose it. Yeah..that didn’t work out. I couldn’t find it anywhere and the buyers were coming any minute.

Mr. FixIt went out to the truck and tore it apart and found the title. In the hubbub, I totally forgot to check WHICH title it was. We did the exchange, took their money…in a big ol’ pile of cash that would choke a horse. I’ve never held that much cash in my life! I was pretty nervous. I put it in the safe while we went to the beach and first thing Monday morning, we headed to the credit union to pay off the note. Then…Mr. Don called yesterday to say it was the wrong title and I knew he was right.

So, while Mr. FixIt had a test done yesterday, I went to the DMV and bought ANOTHER duplicate title! I almost didn’t get it because they needed both of our Drivers Licenses. But I explained I’d just been in there in March getting the other title…was it possible they still had the licenses on file? Sure enough…they did, so that problem was averted. I got the title and Mr. Don came over last night to pick it. Plus a new dinette table the dealer gave us because the old one had a chip in it. And, I found the second key as well. So now they’re ready to go camping next week for a trial run!

This is not my photo. It came from a friend of mine wanting to know why there were two kinds of eggs in the nest. Read on to find out.

And…we have baby birds in our eaves again. I think they are grackles, however, there have been brown-headed cowbirds in the forsythia and the flowering quince, so we could have an intrepid interloper. Brown-headed cowbirds are not the mothering type. They lay their eggs in the nests of other birds…over two hundred different species to be exact. If they happen to lay in an eastern catbird’s next, she’ll catch it and kick the parasitic eggs out of the nest. But most often, the baby cowbirds hatch much earlier than the host bird’s own eggs and the hatchlings grow faster and are more aggressive so the littler birds often starve to death. Either way, it’s not a good turnout for the host mama. However, as hard as it is to watch the destruction of our favorite birds, it is illegal to raid the nest and destroy the cowbird eggs. Cowbirds have been around for a million years. If their behavior was going to wipe out other host species, it would have happened long before now.

Day Two in the Lifestyle Change Journey

Lastly, some of you mentioned yesterday you might be interested in trying Noom. If you are, send me a private message and I can send you a link to get a free trial and 20% off! Nothing like getting money off and trying something new. I think I’m really going to like this. It’s encouraging…not punitive. And, you can eat anything…you just have to eat it in moderation. Logging your food in the app is super easy. We ate at the same restaurant last night and I could order anything from the menu. Unfortunately, I didn’t get much walking in yesterday because we had to go to town for Mr. FixIt’s x-ray study. I had planned to walk while he was in radiology, but I had to go the the DMV instead. But that’s ok…my legs and feet were a little sore from walking on Monday. I DID lose one pound! I’ll get out today for a lovely walk at the park by the river.

“For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations.”
Isaiah 61:11 NIV

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*Do you have someone you want to encourage? Maybe they’re a struggling mom trying to juggle a hundred different things. Or a widow that wonders if she’s doing anything right now that her world is turned upside down. Or a college student just wrapping up a difficult year. Here’s a coffee mug with an encouraging word…”You’re doing a great job!” Simple and to the point.*

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A Wonderful God Story

Fri, 21 Apr 2023 01:30:00 -0600

You may remember that we found “Grace”, our new-to-us camper, when we drove by the home of her owner. We had the the Big Birdhouse, but it wasn’t quite the right fit for us. When I first saw that camper in front of that beautiful white farmhouse on the hilltop over from Marshmallow Ranch, I knew in my heart it was ours. I had been praying for a solution and there it was, right in front of me. The only problem was, we needed to finance the new camper and pay it off when the Big Birdhouse sold.

Now, the wonderful woman who was selling the camper was a new widow. This touched my heart because that’s how I came to get my first camper. She was so sweet and waited patiently while we got the financing straightened out and soon the camper was ours. We knew we’d have to wait until spring camping season to sell it. Now, we discussed the price to list it. We wanted to get a little more than we owed because the camper is like brand new and was worth it. But…here’s what happened.

The Holy Spirit kept telling me to sell it for a price $2,000 lower than what we listed. My husband is a frugal man and a shrewd business dealer. He thought we could get higher. I prayed about it and asked God to send us the perfect buyers. Well, here’s how He works in our lives. Yesterday morning, Mr. FixIt and I were just finishing breakfast when his phone rang. The woman identified herself. She said she was out in the driveway and wandered if we could come out and show her the camper. He told her we’d be right out.

As I was putting on my shoes, I said, “Wait…what did she say her name was?” When he repeated it, my chin dropped. “Honey…that’s the woman we bought the other camper from!” At first, I couldn’t believe it. Then, of course, I started laughing. Because OF COURSE it was her….God brought her to us! We went out and she had another surprise for us. She introduced us to her new husband. And…just as with Mr. FixIt and I…they went to high school together! Now, they had dated in high school for a couple of years and Mr. FixIt and I were never sweethearts back then. But that’s the only difference.

My heart swelled when I saw how happy they were! He had lost his wife several years ago so it was literally a match made in heaven. We showed them the camper inside and out. And told them how much we were asking. They said they would think about it and get back to us. It wasn’t an hour till they called and said they would like the camper and made an offer. The dickering began and Mr. FixIt was kind of sticking to his guns and only going down a little.

This is when the Holy Spirit kept nudging me and I firmly suggested the price to Mr. FixIt. He hesitated, but when he saw the look on my face, and knew I had a reason and agreed. It was exactly the price I knew God wanted us to receive and the weight of the world lifted from my shoulders. The lesson this taught me is found in the scripture I’ve chosen for today. We must be humble in our requests to God. We were getting a little cocky and thinking we would make a little extra money than what we owed. When God wants to teach us a lesson, He doesn’t mess around.

So, that’s the story of my life. God brings the people to me that he wants me to interact with. And He sends the Holy Spirit to touch my heart to do the right thing. And now, this beautiful newly married couple have the right camper for them at the right time. And so do we. And now? Now we only have ONE camper…like normal people!

God is so good…ALL the time!

And now…we’re off for a week of fun…hopefully with some sun. I’m praying for that, too!

“If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; but God has surely listened and has heard my prayer. Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!”
Psalms 66:18-20 NIV

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“The only reason I have a kitchen is because it came with the camper!”

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A Big Ol’ WV Thunderstorm

Sat, 15 Apr 2023 01:30:00 -0600

I went out yesterday to put the top down on the Big Birdhouse and caught sight of this little dew covered spider web. There was a small black spider in the “tunnel” and he came out to see me for a few seconds before scurrying back to safety.

I had every intention of sewing on the quilt yesterday, but one thing after another kept me busy. Mr. FixIt had to go to town before lunch to get the oil changed and tires rotated on the pickup for our trip to the beach. I stayed home to catch up on things around here. I didn’t get half what I wanted done, but it was still productive. The slow laptop is hampering my progress at every turn. I’m not sure what else to do to speed it up, but I have to do something. I can’t sit around all day and only get two small projects completed.

The weather was beautiful again yesterday. The Weather Channel predicted rain at 8:30 yesterday morning so I jumped up, got dressed, and hurried out to put the top down on the Big Birdhouse. There’s a small place on one corner of the dormer that I want to touch up with silicone sealant and I didn’t want any water near it. Turns out, it didn’t rain at all and the sun broke through the clouds mid-afternoon. It stayed nice till about 8:30PM when a cold front blew through and stirred up the winds. Of course, this happened after I came out to write my post. I’ve gone through worse so I just stayed out there. It wasn’t predicted to amount to much.

Mr. FixIt didn’t get home till 8:00 with his arms full of groceries. He had errands of his own to take care of and sometimes he just needs a day off to himself doing whatever he wants to do. Lord knows he deserves it after the week he had. He really worked hard and got a lot accomplished. He was a dear and brought me a sandwich from Arby’s.

One of my dearest peeps in the world got hold of me yesterday to tell me her sweet daddy went to be with Jesus this week. Yesterday would have been his 102nd birthday. He almost made it. She called…not only to tell me, but to ask if I had any particular memories of her dad. I remembered he wore little round wire rimmed glasses. I also remembered the first time I saw him on TV, I thought Mr. Roger’s was exactly like her dad. Same gentle spirit…same kind demeanor. She laughed and said, “Yeah…I can see that!” I hope she knows what a wonderful thing she did for her dad helping him so much in his final years as a widower.

As I was writing this last night, a big ol’ West Virginia thunderstorm blew up and I put everything aside. Not because I was afraid of anything happening to my electronics. But, because I LOVE thunderstorms and I wanted to close my eyes in the camper and just listen to the thunder rolling across the surrounding hills. We may get more storms today so I am hoping to sew. I want to get that quilt top finished before Monday so I can take it in to be quilted.

I received my new iPad keyboard case yesterday. This time I bought the same model as the one that got me through the last six years or so. I am familiar with the keyboard as it is the same as the one that died a few weeks ago. No more skipped letters and the aggravating chore of editing!

This is good because my sweet friend who always sends me a text when she finds a typo is off on a European vacation! I’m only slightly jealous. lol I hope you all are safe and secure from any inclement weather this weekend. Be safe and I’ll see you tomorrow!

☔️

“Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind, your lightning lit up the world; the earth trembled and quaked.”
Psalms 77:18 NIV

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“This is my Knitting Mug”

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The First of the Outdoor Days

Tue, 11 Apr 2023 01:30:00 -0600

Yesterday was the perfect day for outdoor chores. Sunny and 68° with nothing but a gentle breeze. Mr. FixIt went out to start working on the lawnmower since I so generously popped the belt off the mower deck this weekend. I tell you what… there’s not much that ruffles my husband’s feathers. He just takes things as they come.

While he was working on the mower, I got to work on moving the Big Birdhouse so I could mow the long grass underneath it. First, I had to mow the spot where I was planning to move it. I got the push mower out and filled it with gas then set to mowing the designated spot. It wasn’t long before Mr. FixIt came over and indicated to cut the engine. He needed to run over the hill to the hardware store to get some washers for one of the deck wheels. While we were there, I dropped off a return at the UPS pickup site in the auto parts store. Then we headed to the post office where I had a package. (Daughter #1’s birthday present!)

We popped over the the hardware store then the little mom and pop market for some of their dynamite fresh ground beef for burgers later. We ran over to the little quilt shop to make sure I can bring the quilt to her by the end of next week. Finally, we headed back home and I finished up my mowing. I moved the camper to the new spot and Mr. FixIt came over to help me get her set up. He had the mower deck off and cleaned up but found we needed new blades, so I locked everything up when we set off for town….again.

A quick stop at Lowe’s and we had the blades and booked it home. Between the two of us, we got the belt and the deck on. (Full disclosure…I only lent a hand when Mr. FixIt couldn’t get his hand to work the way it was supposed to and to help with heavy lifting.) We finally got everything put back together and I hopped on the tractor to try it out. Something was wrong. It was scalping the lawn at a setting that I usually use. Unfortunately, it turned out the blades were on upside down. By this time we were both tired and dirty and just…done. We’ll attack it again today.

I finished getting the a-frame camper set up and I took a whole new series of photos and a quick video walkthrough. We reduced the price and we’re praying the perfect buyer comes along. This is camping season!

I cooked burgers for supper and we dined al fresco for only the second time this year. It was so delightful sitting in the warm sunshine with my sweetie. But then, as soon as that sun dipped down below the far ridge, the breeze turned decidedly chilly. I finished the evening by watering the new rose bushes and putting things away. It was time to sit down and write my letter to you. Letters from “home.”

“for behold, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.”

Song of Solomon 2:11-12 ESV

#spring, #outdoors, #farmlife, #mowing

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“Go Where the Wildflowers Bloom”

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The Continuing Saga of Country Living

Tue, 21 Mar 2023 01:30:00 -0600

Mother Earth is waking up. The grass is getting green. A few more warm days, a few more good rains, and mowing season will be upon us in a hurry. This means I’ve got to “make hay while the sun shines”…so to speak. I fixed breakfast and took my bagel and egg sandwich to the Big Red Chair and set to work.

It was a day of frustration. The internet was spotty at best. And right in the middle of my peak performance, someone on the website I was using decided it would be a really good time to switch things around on the home page so that the procedure I’ve been using daily for three months was suddenly rendered inoperable. It was one of those day when you want to tear your hair out but Mr. FixIt had better ideas. He decided it was time to change the door on the refrigerator in the “Big Birdhouse”…the a-frame we are selling.

When we had the camper at the dealership to fix something, the service guys put a deep scratch on the front of the refrigerator door. I pointed it out to them and since it was still under warranty, they ordered a new one for us. I don’t know how many of you have travel trailers, but you can’t get a part to save your lives since the pandemic started. They ordered the fridge door in November. When I hadn’t heard from them by February, I contacted the service department and they said the door wouldn’t be here till June! They didn’t want us to wait till then (and since we’re selling it, I’m praying it won’t still be here then) they took the door off of a different unit and sent it to us with a label to send our door back to them. Since it’s going to rain today, yesterday became the perfect day to make the exchange.

It really wasn’t a difficult job. We just took the bottom bracket off and Mr. FixIt slid the door right off the hinges. We repeated the process backwards and the door was replaced in just a few minutes. I spent some time inside the camper cleaning and getting it just perfect to sell then I closed it back up. Mr. FixIt was busy painting a “Camper for Sale” sign when I headed back in to work. I cleaned the door we took off the camper and got it ready to ship back to the dealership and I’ll take it in tomorrow to the local UPS drop.

We are past the worst of the cold weather now. We are supposed to be up to 72° by Thursday then continue with temperate weather. We survived another winter and even though I haven’t completed everything I set out to do by this time, I’m not far off. I can see the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel!

“The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.”

Proverbs 21:5 ESV

#Work, #Camper, #TheProject

Opening a Can of Worms

Wed, 08 Mar 2023 02:30:00 -0600

We had a busy day yesterday doing this and that. We finally got to the place where we could post the three campers and the van we’re selling. Oh. My. Word. I had NO idea what was going to happen when those things hit the Marketplace! Our phones immediately started lighting up and were still going at it four hours later when I sat down to write this. In hindsight, it might have been prudent to only put one item on Marketplace at a time, but I’m not one to do much of anything halfway!

So…in a quick five hours, we sold the old van, the hybrid camper, and my ‘67 Franklin! Wowza…we were really hopping! Now we only have the a-frame to sell then we’ll have a much lighter load around here. It’s going to look really weird to have all that stuff gone out there in the old driveway!

I’m going great guns on The Project. At some point, I’m going to need to stop and say it’s done. But I still have a few days to tweak it a little here and there. As I sit here and write, I realize how tired I am. I’ve done little else than sit with my laptop on my lap desk in the Big Red Chair since before Christmas. And here it is…almost time to mow! I’m looking forward to next week when I take off for a few days camping with my girlfriends.

I’m thinking I may have the Grand Reveal on March 20th. I’m not at all sure if there is WiFi at the campground where I’ll be staying, and I don’t want to be out of touch the first week in case I need to put out any fires. So, I’ll get it all put together before I leave then I can get away for some serious R&R for a long weekend with the girls. Then, we’ll be ready to celebrate when I get back! How’s that sound?

In the few short but frantic hours since I listed the items on FB Marketplace, I’ve met a few of the sweetest folks. A fellow that was here last year to buy something came back and bought the old van. Then a lovely fellow came to buy the hybrid camper to use at church camp this summer. And finally, a young couple are coming tomorrow to buy the vintage camper. They’ll fix it up and rent it out with others they have on Air B&B.

While I appreciate getting some money out of things that were just sitting here, I love meeting the people who will be giving them new life. That does my heart good!

“Whoever has a bountiful eye will be blessed, for he shares his bread with the poor.”
Proverbs 22:9 ESV

The Big Birdhouse is Back!

Tue, 06 Dec 2022 02:30:00 -0600

FINALLY!!! After being in the shop more than we actually had her, the a-frame is back from the camper doctor. And she looks absolutely perfect…almost like a brand spankin’ new camper. I say “almost” because when we opened her up for her final inspection, the very first thing I saw was a huge scratch across the front of the refrigerator door that wasn’t there the last time we saw her in September. Oy! It’s ok though…they are ordering a new refrigerator door that will be delivered to us and we just have to pop it on. No problem!

We stopped at Menard’s and bought some new tarps. The one on Joy, the ‘67 Franklin is ripped so we needed a new one for her. We also needed one for a couple things we have stored outdoors. And I wanted a great big one that absolutely wraps up the a-frame so there isn’t the least bit of chance it will leak. Then, in the spring, we’ll put her up for sale.

Mr. FixIt and I were talking about the details of all she’s been through and he was worried it might deter someone from buying her. But, here’s how I look at it. Every new camper…no matter how expensive or well made…is going to have bugs to work out that first year. That’s what the warranty is there for. This particular camper had a few more bugs than usual, but we’ve stayed right on top of it, addressed each issue, and rectified it with repairs that made her better than new. So, I feel confident someone is still going to get a beautiful, useful camper that will give them years of pleasure. Really, the only reason we wouldn’t keep her is our age and Mr. FixIt’s balance. It’s meant for a younger, stronger person who wants to get out in the woods and have some fun. And besides, we have Grace, the 2021 Jayco.

It was almost dark when we got home. We quickly parked the camper and covered her up for the winter. We tied the tarp down with sturdy ropes instead of bungee cords. Bungees seem to deteriorate so fast out in the sun and rain. We had supper on the way home from the RV dealership. After we watched the news, I made some peanut butter cookies with the recipe I shared in a video for National Cookie Day. They were delish! Here’s the recipe:

Peanut Butter Cookies

1 c. peanut butter
1/2 c. sugar
1 egg

Mix ingredients together. Chill ti stiffen dough. Roll into balls, place on parchment lined cookie sheet, and flatten with fork or press a chocolate kiss on top. Bake at 350° for 10-15 minutes till done. Let cool some before removing to wire cooling rack. Makes about a dozen medium sized cookies. Enjoy!

I received a book in the mail that I ordered from eBay and I was so excited to get it. It’s about knitting Fair Isle and I really want to master that this winter. Imagine my dismay when I opened the package and it was a book on crocheting granny squares! lol Don’t get me wrong…I love granny squares, but this was NOT what I was looking for. I immediately wrote to the seller with a photo of the book I received and he apologized profusely for selecting the wrong one from the shelf. He’s sending me the correct one today and told me to either keep or donate the book that was sent in error. That was so kind of him…the only thing I dislike more than getting the wrong item, it’s having to package it all back up to return it. It’s a king-sized hassle. Instead, I’m going to gift it to Daughter #1 who crochets! Win/Win!!

So…today is “Tamale Tuesday”!!! Yay!!!!!

“Rejoice not over me, O my enemy; when I fall, I shall rise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me.”
Micah 7:8 ESV

A Full Day and Then Some

Thu, 08 Sep 2022 01:30:00 -0600

My Happy Place

Remember yesterday when I told you I never know what I’m going to end up doing any given day? Well, that’s how the day turned out. I started out in the kitchen…with two pressure canners running. My little one holds seven quarts or nine pints. The big one will hold twenty pints on two levels, but still only seven quarts. I finished canning the green chili and got six more pints for a total of eleven. Then I did a run of seven quarts of pinto beans. I canned an eight pound bag of Walmart’s Great Value Dried Pinto Beans and got twenty pints and seven quarts for a total cost of $5.98 plus a little bit of my time. And they’ll taste so much better than processed beans in a can.

Homecanned Pinto Beans

Some of you asked for my green chile recipe. I put a link to a recipe the other day that I looked at. But I always end up making my own version no matter what a recipe says. So, here’s mine as best as I can tell you. I rarely ever measure anything so I’ll do my best to relay it accurately.

Pork Green Chile

1 quart cooked pork (I always use butt roast cooked in the slow cooker till tender)
1.5 boxes of chicken bone broth
2 jars of 505 Southwestern Flame Roasted Green Chiles, 16oz. each
1/4 c. dehydrated minced onions
1 to 3 tsp. minced garlic, to taste. I used 2 tsps.
2 heaping tsps. Ground Cumin
1 heaping tsp. Ground Black Pepper
1 heaping tsp. Smoked Paprika

Mix all the ingredients together in a slow cooker. Mix a couple of heaping tablespoons of all purpose flour in with 1/2 cup of water or use some of the extra bone broth and stir it in the chile. Heat on high till hot and bubbling around the edges and is slightly thickened…about an hour or two. It’s even better when served the next day as the flavors marry. Serve piping hot with tortillas or a quesadilla to dip in it. I like to squeeze a wedge of lime over mine and add a dollop of sour cream on top. Yummmmm!

This freezes or cans well. I canned mine in pints because I usually heat it up and pour it over burritos.

An alternative would be to cut the meat up in chunks when it’s raw and add the rest of the ingredients and let the meat cook with the chiles. When I make a pork roast, I use it for a hot meal first with sauerkraut and mashed potatoes. Then I make another meal of cold pork sandwiches. So, I already had cooked pork in the fridge.

While I babysat the canners, I started knitting a new sweater. I decided to try a simple turtleneck version this time. I’m using the same yarn but a darker blue that would go great with denim. This pattern calls for a mock turtleneck, but Gail tells me I can just knit it longer so it folds over. I really love this designer out of Denmark…PetiteKnit. The pattern is called Novice Sweater. What can I say…I’m still learning the ins and outs of sweater making even though I may not be a rank novice. I’ve been working really hard the last couple of weeks so I am taking a sabbatical for a long weekend with my knitting needles and no work. Just good food…and maybe a nap!

As soon as I finished the canning, I headed out to the mower and got everything finished. I came in around 5-ish and made cold pork sandwiches and potato salad for supper. There is something wonderful about having food made up ahead of time that you don’t have to cook. The day was perfect…75° with intermittent clouds. Mr. FixIt and I went out after the sun set and it was so cool and lovely.

Passion Flower

Crab Spider…caught a ride on my hat!

African Lily

I contacted the service department yesterday and even though our camper has been there for six weeks (THIS time), they still have not received the parts they ordered to fix it. I’m just about done with this. Ohio has a generous Lemon Law and I’m about to have a discussion with them. This isn’t right. We’re missing our favorite camping season completely. More than a little frustrating.

In the grand scheme of things, no matter what kind of inconveniences head my way, I still have a pretty blessed life. The Bible doesn’t say we MIGHT have troubles from time to time. Instead, it tells us we WILL have troubles, but when troubles strike, remember whose child you are and straighten that crown!

“When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken.”
Psalm 34:17-20 ESV

Day Eight was SO Great!

Sat, 23 Jul 2022 01:30:00 -0600

Unfortunately, there was a puddle of water in the camper yesterday morning so off she’s gone to the camper hospital!

As you know, we’ve been having some problems with our new camper…the Big Birdhouse. It’s got some leaks and there was a problem with the part that raises and lowers the top plus a few other things. New campers can have bugs that need fixing and it just seems this one has more than her fair share. I’ve been communicating with the dealership, but they weren’t hearing back from the manufacturer so I took matters into my own hands on Thursday. I sent an email to both the dealership and the manufacturer to make sure we were “all on the same page”. Miraculously, within half an hour, I had three emails from the parties involved and things started moving. I was polite, yet firm, and my “shot across the bow” got the attention it needed. Yesterday morning, Little and I emptied out the camper and took it up to the dealership and they will work on it first thing Monday as they have promised to give it priority. We shall see what the next steps will be, but for the time being…we are camperless. *sigh*

Little and I are cut from the same bolt of cloth. We both love camping, cooking/baking, crafting, and antiquing/thrifting. We dropped off the camper and headed to a really great antique store in Lancaster. It is housed in an old factory and it is jam packed with so much cool stuff. I found a glass gallon milk jug…the kind with the plastic handle. I’ve wanted one for iced tea. The container I’ve been using is kind of awkward and Mr. FixIt has trouble manipulating it without spilling. Little found a specific type of suitcase they’ve been looking for since 2016! It was a really fun excursion and we both found a treasure.

On our way home, we stopped at my favorite restaurant in Logan, Ohio. Millstone BBQ has the BEST baby back ribs. Little and I shared a full slab and each had a side. Topped off with sweet tea and lemonade and we were happy little campers when we got done. We stopped to see the smallest church in Ohio which is adjacent to a rest area near Coolville. We went to the Kroger store in Belpre. I’ve been looking for masa preparada…a mix for making homemade flour tortillas…but they didn’t have any. We ran into Little’s second cousin twice removed which was an unexpected treat!

Our last stop was at Wendy’s for a Strawberry Frosty…oh.so.good! We got home, tired and happy. When I asked Little if they had a good day, the answer was, “Oh, gosh yes, Nana! I always have the BEST time here with you!!!” Lord, this child melts my heart.

By the way…I wore the kid out!

“Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, and the glory of children is their fathers.”
Proverbs 17:6 ESV

Day Five Was SO Cool!

Thu, 21 Jul 2022 01:30:00 -0600

We had a blast at our sleepover at the farm. We told stories and walked out to see what a really dark sky looks like. It was the first time Little has actually seen the Milky Way! We warmed up leftover pancakes and corn cakes for breakfast. I sat on the front porch with my knitting and coffee and listened to the birds. Little slept in then we packed up and did a little walkabout. I showed them what the buildings were used for. We looked at the pictures of the people who built them. I explained how things worked before they got running water on the farm.

When we left, I decided to take Little back up on the hill where the old home place was. I explained how the kids had to walk all the way down off the hill, catch the school bus and ride all the way to the nearest school after they outgrew the little one room schoolhouse down the road. Then, when they rode back at the end of the day, the bus driver dropped them off at the base of the hill and they walked all the way back home…rain or shine, snow or ice or the heat of Indian Summer. It’s just the way it was.

We drove out the new road they built to the compressor station for the gas pipeline. I was amazed how noisy it is and I’m so glad they built it way back on the hill and not any closer. There is an old church across from the driveway that turns into the compressor station. In the mornings, the family used to go to the little white church that I attended many years later. Then, in the afternoons, they walked out the ridge and went to this little church for Sunday evening services.

Little was fascinated with the signature book for visitors. They signed their name under mine with a smile. We looked around and commented how the old church is settling on one side. When we went back out to the truck, Little said, “Nana, there were cobwebs and bugs and dirt in that church. We need to go back and clean it. The windows could use a good washing, too.” I so love this kid! I told them we would go back before their trip is over so we can give it a good cleaning. We might leave a floral arrangement in their great great grandparents’ honor. That would be nice.

On our way back home, I showed Little where Frank and Beans live…the new owners of the farm. As we drove by, I mentioned the building at the end of the drive. It was where the bus driver parked the school bus. I saw something out of the corner of my eye and before I could get a good look, Little called out, “Nana, look!!! An OWL!” Sure enough, there was a Barred Owl sitting on the ground, right smack dab in the middle of Frank and Bean’s driveway! It was in the area where I caught the recording of the juvenile calling in the middle of the night the last time I stayed at the farm. Pretty neat!

Someone has seen a young black bear on the hill above our house two days running. I told Little we needed to drive out the road on the ridge to see if we could find it. We didn’t, but we came around a turn and there were wild turkeys crossing the road and going into the woods. Little got to see them.

We got home and had some quiet time. I worked on a Christmas Stocking I’m knitting with stranded color work…a technique I haven’t used since I made Big’s baby dress eighteen years ago. I cleaned and cut up a huge pan of broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts to pop in the oven to roast alongside a good sized salmon filet. I bought a bottle of really good quality lemon infused extra virgin olive oil at William-Sonoma when I was in Colorado in May. I’ve been waiting for just the right time to try it and…all I can say is…WOW! What a lovely addition to both the fish and the veggies. We ate the whole 13”x9” pan just the three of us.

After supper, Little and I jumped in the pool and swam around till nearly dark. We have some of our best conversations when we are outside in nature. We talked about faith and God and what a cool guy Jesus is. Little looked up and pointed at a flock of birds above us. I was about to tell her about murmurations when they suddenly started one…swooping in and out of curved formations. It was fascinating. Then, just at dusk, the bats came out and one kept diving the pool for drinks of water and that’s when I told Little we’d had enough and it was time to get out!

We needed to get some things out of the camper, so Mr. FixIt helped me set it up. It has leaked again, so I need to get it back to the dealer. I’ve just about had it with this thing. Too many problems for a brand new camper. We did keep it set up and decided to “camp” in the field last night. There was a storm predicted, but we were bound and determined to tough it out! You will have to wait till tomorrow to see how that worked out!

“Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?”
Matthew 6:26 ESV

The Great White

Sun, 17 Jul 2022 01:30:00 -0600

We left the campground at 10:00 yesterday morning. I’m not going to share the name of the campground. I wasn’t terribly pleased with it, and I haven’t had the opportunity to speak with the owner, so I don’t want to give it a bad review based on the couple of things that I really didn’t like about it. Let’s just say…it’s centrally located and folks seemed to be fine with it. It just wasn’t my cup of tea.

Little slept like a log through every train. Ahhhhh, the joys of youth. Kids can sleep through anything! The long drive home was a bit of a surprise. I don’t think Little had a concept how long it would take. It was ten hours driving back because we had to stop more often. Let’s just say, we were all really glad to get out of that truck. And Little and I camped in the field last night….with NO trains running 25’ from the camper…all night long!

On our way back, we stopped at the West Virginia Welcome Center in White Sulphur Springs, WV. We hiked to the top of the hill above the rest area and checked out the view overlooking The Greenbrier Hotel…also known as “The Great White”. It’s a lovely edifice and it’s been forty years since I stayed there. I doubt it’s changed much.

We are looking forward to a little down time and pool time today. Maybe I’ll mow…maybe I won’t. As I wrote this, I was just too tired to care one way or the other. I hope you are enjoying a beautiful Sunday!

“Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, and the glory of children is their fathers.”
Proverbs 17:6 ESV

Sweet Tea

Thu, 14 Jul 2022 01:30:00 -0600

Ahhhhh….sweet tea! Nectar of the gods. Southern house wine. There is nothing more refreshing on a hot summer day than a mason jar (or in this case, a Kerr jar) of southern sweet tea. The way the light shines through the amber richness. The way the sweat drips down the jar. The way the ice tinkles against the glass. I have to admit, there are indeed a zillion true souther ladies rolling in their graves when I say this, but…I don’t use sugar. I do like it sweet though, so I use stevia. Yesterday morning, I mixed up a batch of hummingbird juice for the feeder. I use a quart jar, put in one cup of granulated sugar and fill it to within a half inch or so from the top with water. I stir it with one of my wooden spoon so I don’t chip the rim. When I fill the feeder, I always have about a cup or so of the sugar water. So, I added ice and filled it the rest of the way with tea. It wasn’t quite sweet enough so I added on packet of stevia and it was perfect.

When I was a little girl, my mom would take us to my Aunt Dixie’s house. She made the BEST iced tea. She started by putting a couple heaping spoonfuls of sugar in a heavy glass. She always used an iced tea spoon…you know, the long handled ones? She put in a Lipton tea bag and poured boiling water over the spoon to “cut the shock” so it wouldn’t break the glass. She only filled the glass about half full You stirred to dissolve the sugar and wished for it to cool faster. Then you filled the glass with ice cubes. The kind you cracked out of an aluminum ice cube tray. Now THAT…that was the very best iced tea I ever tasted and I’m sure it’s because it was made with love. I clearly remember the last time I sat at her table and asked her to make me a glass. I had just returned from England and was about to embark on my life out West. I never got the opportunity to ask for that tea again.

As I sipped this ambrosia, i got to work and…the sweater is finished! It took me seventeen days. I would have had it done sooner, but there was mowing to be done and getting ready for this trip. And, it was a new pattern. I’ve never made a cardigan sweater before so there was a learning curve for me. I have to say, I really love this pattern and I’ll make more cardigans in the future. I did learn some things along the way. Bulky yarns and big needles make quick work but the ends are particularly hard to weave in and hide. There’s a lot less yarn per skein so you definitely need to buy more than you think. I was really happy the extra yarn I bought matched. And, while this yarn feels soft to the skin, the sweater is REALLY heavy. And I had to go over every join and woven end with a needle and thread to keep the yarn ends from working out. I’m worried that the yarn will pick easy so I need to show Big how to tuck in any loose ends. See that little white button on the backside of the sweater button? That anchors the button so it doesn’t pull out your yarn. those six little bone buttons came from my grandma’s (Big’s great great grandmother’s) button box. So, Big will be carrying a little piece of her ancestry with her. Overall it’s a beautiful Bippity Boppity Blue and I’m sure she’ll love it.

The other big chore yesterday was changing out the actuator on the new camper. It’s not hard at all, but it was a two person job. The actuator is the motorized lift that helps raise the camper top. Unfortunately, the actuator broke when the roof was in the raised position. It took me a while to visualize what I needed to do to fix it. I unplugged the old one and removed it. Then I plugged the new one in and Mr. FixIt held the switch that extended the rod to match the same length of the broken one. That way, I was able to just slip the new one into place and fasten two nuts. Easy peasy! It went down like it was supposed to. There is a design flaw that makes the motor prone to catching rainwater in it. So I put silicone around the seams. Hopefully that will keep the water out.

We’ll have a big day today driving nearly five hundred miles. Then we have a whirlwind thirty-six hours with the family. Therefore, I’m not going to write a post the next two nights. I’ll schedule something easy ahead of time and I’ll be back Sunday morning.

Prayers for travel mercies!

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“And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.”
Isaiah 30:21 ESV

Getting Stuff Done

Wed, 13 Jul 2022 01:30:00 -0600

The buttonhole placket was so much easier to knit than I thought it would be.

I paid $4.36 for gas yesterday! It’s coming down. The supply chain issues are evening out and they are predicting prices on most goods will fall accordingly. The crazy housing market is cooling off and maybe someday young people will be able to buy that little house with the white picket fence. I don’t know. All I know is, when you live on a fixed income, you’ll take every break you can get!

I had the oil changed on the truck yesterday when I was in town. I also had the tires rotated. I never really bothered buying the lifetime warranty on tires till I retired and money needed to be stewarded better. To be honest, rotating your tires isn’t as big a deal when you live in Colorado. Most of the roads are straight and if your wheels are aligned properly, you don’t wear them out unevenly. Not so here in the twisty-turny state! When Daughter #1 visited last summer, she remarked on the weird speed limit signs out our two-lane blacktop. She said, “Mom, I couldn’t even get UP to 55 before the next turn came and said 20mph. I laughed and said, “Sweetie, those are just recommended speeds. Y’all do what you can around here.”

I was tickled to have the time to sit at the garage while they worked on my truck. It gave me some solid time to work on Big’s sweater. And…drumroll please…I got it done! Well, the knitting part is done. Now I have to weave in five million tails from where I joined yarns. This bulky yarn only had around a hundred yards of yarn per skein. So every two inches or so, there is a join. And this particular yarn is very slippery. I have to weave in the ends, then anchor them with a needle and thread to keep them from slipping out. Very time consuming, but it’s going to be beautiful when I’m done!

Mr. FixIt also had a laundry list of things to do yesterday, and rather than sit at the garage with me, he drove in separately. He brought home tomatoes from the garden in town and they are SO yummy! Supper was a ham sandwich with thick slices of tomato, salt & pepper, and a slathering of Duke’s Mayonnaise on whole wheat bread. Yummmmmmm!

We need to change the actuator on the lift for the Big Birdhouse today because tomorrow…we camp and get to see most of the Colorado family!!! I cannot wait!

““Then the tent of meeting shall set out, with the camp of the Levites in the midst of the camps; as they camp, so shall they set out, each in position, standard by standard.”
Numbers 2:17 ESV

And the Year is Half Gone

Fri, 01 Jul 2022 01:30:00 -0600

So, is 2022 really half over? Is the glass half full or half empty? Neither…it’s full to overflowing! You can see the water…it looks diminished. But there is air filling the rest of the cup. And that air, even though you can’t see it, is just as important. The calendar may imply we’re half done, there’s an awful lot of unseen days ahead with great potential if we give it our all! We can make a huge impression on the world in six short months!

I really enjoyed my time at the farm. It’s always so beautiful at this time of year. And I saw all kinds of critters….deer, a little tiny baby bunny, birds galore, lots of wasps and honeybees and bumblebees and butterflies and lightning bugs, two huge European hornets (thankfully deceased), a slick lizard, and a great big black snake! It was a plethora of nature!

I stripped the bed and washed the linens. I would have hung them out to dry, but I didn’t have enough clothespins. I love the smell of sheets dried in the sun, but they are always a little rough on the skin if they aren’t dried in the drier. Personal preference, I guess. I cleaned up a little around the farmhouse. There’s always lady bugs and dead wasps on the floor. And of course, we always track in dirt and grass and leaves.

When I got home, I pulled out my knitting and somehow I’ve gotten something on it. I don’t know if it was my morning coffee or what it is. I will have to work on it a little this morning. I’m making great progress…just finishing the third skein of yarn. Bulky yarn and big needles make for a quick job when you’re knitting a sweater.

We went to our little town to get an ice cream last evening and went to check out a new little junk shop called Happy Jim’s. Trust me, Jim was happy. And talkative. We could have been there for hours listening to his stories. He had great stories! I found a perfect vintage tablecloth…not a spot or fray on it. As a matter of fact, it hardly looked used at all. Try as we might, neither one of us could find the price. Happy Jim asked me if $5.00 sounded good. We paid up and I continued to browse during the bulk of the storytelling. I was holding the tablecloth in my arms so I held it out in front of me to admire my find. I don’t know how we missed it, but there was the price tag. It was the same color as the pattern where it was placed. $18.00! I went right to Happy Jim and said, “I’m a good Christian, and I cannot in good conscience walk out of here paying the wrong price.” He took a good look and he said, “Well, ma’am, it looks like you got yourself a good deal!” I objected but he wouldn’t hear of it. “Just tell the folks you got yourself a good deal here at Ol’ Jim’s place, ok?” So, you heard it from me…you can find a good deal at Happy Jim’s!

When we got home, Mr. FixIt and I took a walk around the property just before dark. There are several pears on the two trees out between the house and the main road. They’re pretty small and the trees look to be blighted. I’m not a tree person, so I’ll have to search the internet to see what I can do for them, if anything.

We still don’t have the pool just right. We can’t seem to get the water clear. We have one more thing to try and hopefully that will fix it. It would be awfully nice to get in it on these hot summer days. I came out to the camper last night to write and even though it was still pretty warm out, the fans circulated the air and made it quite comfortable. With the price of gas and the crowds at the campgrounds, I’m finding “home camping” to be a viable and cost effective alternative. Heck, you’re just going so you can sleep in your camper or tent anyway. What difference does it make where you park it or set it up? I’ve camped in tiny back yards and I’ve camped in National Parks. It’s sleeping no matter where it’s done, right?

Happy Friday, everyone! It’s a Holiday weekend…I hope you get out and enjoy the outdoors!!!

“On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.”
Psalm 145:5 ESV

Back Home and Back to Work

Sat, 25 Jun 2022 01:30:00 -0600

We camped at Beaver Creek State Park near East Liverpool, Ohio this week. It’s one of our favorite campgrounds, largely because my dear friend Gail is sometimes the camp host there. She isn’t hosting again till fall, but she was supposed to come camp with us at least one night. Unfortunately, she was a little under the weather this week so we had to take a rain check on the visit. We still had an amazing time, as always.

We visited Columbiana and shopped at the local antique dealers and ate at Das Dutch Haus restaurant and it was SO good. We took apple dumplings home for dessert and they were heavenly! We had ice cream TWICE at Bruster’s Ice Cream Shop in Calcutta. They have Black Raspberry ice cream at this time of the year and it’s one of my all time favorites. Mostly, we just hung out at the campground, chatted with what few campers were there, and enjoyed the peace and quiet of the woods in June.

Midweek camping is the way to go. Even at the peak of June, people don’t usually start showing up till Thursday night. We took long walks and got lots of good photos with nothing but nature in them. We did gain some fellow campers on Thursday night and it was so fun to hear the kids playing, riding their bikes, and running around catching lightning bugs. Tuesday and Wednesday was really hot and we had to run the AC, but Thursday night got down to 56° and I actually woke up cold at 3:30am. I had to get up to turn off the fans, and then…of course…I couldn’t get back to sleep till just around dawn. Poor Mr. FixIt…there isn’t another room to escape to in a camper, so I kept him awake, too.

There was something I saw at the campground that really upset me. I was sitting with Mr. FixIt, the sun was setting, and I had been knitting. I set my needles aside to get up for a drink when I noticed something on a tree at the edge of our campsite. I walked closer and…believe it or not…someone had BRANDED the tree! Like…with a livestock brand! I know there is someone out there who thinks it’s uber cool that there’s a tree at every campsite they’ve ever camped at with their “brand” on it. But that is just wrong. What ever happened to “leave no trace”? Campsites and parks should be left better than you found them! Don’t leave “art” like decorated rocks or walking sticks behind for the “joy of others to discover”. Don’t stack rocks in streams…it disturbs native habitat for all kinds of critters. Don’t move picnic tables or fire rings.

Go to the woods…enjoy it to the fullest…then leave it pristine for the next guest! Nature is for everyone.

*stepping off my soapbox now.

And now, it’s time to get back on that mower and get some work done around here! So glad to be back home and with you fine people. I hope you’re enjoying summer so far!

“You have fixed all the boundaries of the earth; you have made summer and winter.”
Psalm 74:17 ESV

You KNOW I Can’t Stay Away!

Thu, 23 Jun 2022 01:30:00 -0600

We are having a grand time camping in one of our favorite state parks in the whole wide world. But, I’m telling you what…it is H.O.T. We have an air conditioner that will freeze meat but it is located under the bed I sleep in. Have I ever told you I’m a light sleeper? Well, this thing is kinda like what I would imagine sleeping on top of a jet engine would sound and feel like. The bed vibrates and it’s so loud and it switches off and on with the thermostat. The first night here was so nice and cool in the high 50’s. Tuesday night? Not so much! The only way to sleep was with the AC running and I was awake all night.

Daddy…and Mommy…Long Legs!

As I sat outside yesterday morning with my coffee, the birds were singing. The campground was blissfully quiet, as it almost always is midweek. Suddenly, I remembered when I had my first camper. I couldn’t sleep on that bunk bed either. I put the dinette down and slept there. So I told Mr. FixIt I was going to move all the stuff from the dinette area over to the bunk I was sleeping on. When I got it done, I stretched out and it was perfect!

We drove to a little town twenty miles away and looked around through some antique stores. There was only one thing I really liked and that was a Campfire Marshmallow tin from the ‘30s. It was in the window and the clerk couldn’t get in to look at the price. I climbed into the window and squeezed between things and could NOT believe the price. $275!!! I liked it, but not THAT much! I’ll keep my eyes peeled and see if I can find a more affordable one.

I’ve been knitting and visiting with what few campers there are here. I met a very nice lady who has a similar story to mine. She took off in her popup Volkswagen Vanagon camper and ended up going all over the country and finally married her high school beau! They have the sweetest rescue dog named Stella. I love a good camping dog.

We ate in Amish Country yesterday and that is the best cooking you can find. Mr. FixIt had chicken and noodles and I had baked steak. We took apple dumplings back to the camper with us for dessert. We have one more night camping then we head home. We have been blessed the storms went around us for the most part. We did find out some of our peeps came down with covid this week so please keep them in your prayers. Thank God for vaccines because the virus has calmed down tremendously. It doesn’t affect those who have been vaccinated nearly as bad as it did in that first year and a half.

Buffalo Leafhopper

I’ll be back on Saturday…I just couldn’t wait!

“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.”
Psalm 19:14 ESV

A Bang Up Birthday!

Tue, 14 Jun 2022 01:30:00 -0600

Pumpkin is all grown up…she’s a jungle cat!

I’m so glad we got the mowing finished on Sunday because yesterday was so hot. Mr. FixIt went to the tomato patch to weed it then stopped on the way home for a watermelon. I would rather have a watermelon than a birthday cake, but it’s a little early in the year and this one was kind of mushy. But it was cold and that’s what I was aiming for.

When the sun went over the hill, we jumped in the pool to clean it. I knew there was a bad storm coming, and when it started getting darker, I could hear thunder in the distance. I asked Mr. FixIt if we should put the camper down and he thought that was a good idea. So, we got it all tucked in and I pulled it out from under the maple tree just in case the wind took a limb out.

We had hardly gotten inside when the wind hit as the front came through. They were predicting a derecho which is straight line winds in excess of 60 to 80 miles per hour. Scary! We got rain and lots of thunder and lightning, and as I am writing this, we’ve been without power for over an hour and a half. No power equals no air conditioning. Fortunately, the rain brought a 20° drop in temperature so we opened all the windows in the house.

I had a beautiful birthday. Quietly spent at home with my sweetheart. I finished knitting a hat. I did a little reading. Lots of people texted and called and FaceTimed for my birthday. And YOU…how nice of you to take the time to wish me a happy day! I appreciate you all so much!!! Then, God topped it off with fireworks!

Hopefully everything will work out today to go camping. I’ll have to check at the state park where we are going to see if they had much damage and it’s still ok to come. Hopefully the electric comes back on soon. That’s one of the downsides of living out in the country. Lot’s of trees. Trees and wind equals downed limbs which takes out power lines. And those power lines are often quite difficult to get to.

I hope you are all safe from the severe storms today. Be careful out there and stay hydrated!

“The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him.”
Nahum 1:7 ESV

Gramma Roseannadanna Is At It Again

Sat, 11 Jun 2022 01:30:00 -0600

Remember when Gilda Radner played Rosanne Roseannadanna on Saturday Night Live back in the day? She would make a point by saying, “It’s like my Gramma Roseannadanna always used to say, “It’s always something. If it’s not one thing, it’s another.”” Well, we picked up the camper from the service department at the dealership on Thursday and decided to stay overnight at a local state park to give the camper a once over. We just wanted to make sure everything worked as it should.

I went over that thing with a fine tooth comb. I got the water heater going which took a little doing. I couldn’t get it to light, but then I found out I wasn’t giving it long enough to start. Patience, patience. Once that was going, I made sure the water pump worked. It’s supposed to turn on, pump up to pressure, then kick off. Instead, it just ran and ran. That’s when I figured out you have to let the water run for a little bit to build up the pressure in the lines. THEN it quits. Again…patience.

I couldn’t figure out how to turn the ceiling fan on. I checked every fuse, every circuit breaker. I even checked the power at the pole. There was no reason why it shouldn’t work. Another call to my trusty service guys and they told me there is a main switch in the camper that turns off the overhead lights. If that switch is turned off, the fan will not come on. Yeah…patience.

We camped at Lake Hope State Park near Nelsonville, OH. I’m telling you…that is a gorgeous campground. Really big, nestled in the trees, asphalt pads for parking your camper although there aren’t many that are real level. Nice clean shower houses and plenty of restrooms. Water is not available at your site, but it’s spread out all over the park so it’s easy to get to. And the birds? I captured the song of several birds I didn’t have on my list. I heard my first whippoorwill of the year there. I didn’t hear any owls which would have been icing on the cake. We sat out in our chairs all morning, ate breakfast and I knitted while Mr. FixIt read. A bunch of brown headed cowbirds came and walked all around us. We got everything packed up and headed home around 1:00 yesterday afternoon.

We were getting close to home when we pulled into a rest area. As I walked around the back of the camper, I noticed one of the rear running lights was sticking way out at the bottom. Like it had been pried off or something. When we got home, we set up the camper and looked inside and the back wall is bowed in as though something is pulling it from inside the wall itself. I am not sure, but I think the spring that helps lift the top of the camper up has broken away from its mounting and pushed out on that light. I contacted the service center and spoke with the service manager. I sent him the pictures and he is sending them on to the manufacturer. I should hear something Monday. The camper will likely need to go to the factory for this repair. In the meantime, I taped a quart sized zipper lock storage bag over the light fixture to keep any rain or bugs out.

I know this company. And I know they will do right by me and fix this. However, it’s still just a big pain in the rear to have something that’s brand new break so many things so early on. Thank goodness it is still under warranty. But as soon as this thing gets fixed, I’m selling it and getting something with fewer moving parts. I need something that’s already set up and I don’t have to mess with it in order to get inside.

Even with all that, we felt refreshed after just one night camping. It was such a treat. I got to camp all of May, but this was the first time my sweetheart got to go and he was so happy!

So…the saga continues!

“For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him,”
Luke 14:28-29 ESV

It’s That Time of the Trip

Sat, 28 May 2022 01:30:00 -0600

This is the point in the trip when I say to myself…”What on earth was I thinking??? I’m too old for this!” I got a decent start yesterday. There was a portion of the drive with no rain. And, there was a goodly portion where I thought maybe I’d made a wrong turn and was in a car wash! Holy cats!!! Of course, you have to slow WAY down, which adds time to your trip but give you a better chance of actually making it. Of course, if the truckers had their way, they would have used cow catchers on the front of their trucks to just move us slow pokes out of the way. Relaxing, it was not.

I killed time by asking Siri to read me a story. The folks who program her have a great sense of humor and I soon found myself laughing out loud with delight. It’s the simple things. The sky lightened up in the middle of the day and I thought just maybe we were home free. But, not so much. The sky on the horizon got darker and darker the closer I got to the campground. I pulled into a grocery store to pick up something for supper. Mac and cheese I could heat up in the microwave. And a “superfoods salad”. Comfort balanced with healthy.

As soon as I came out of the store, the sky opened with a vengeance. And, of course, when you are parking a camper, you have to park way out on the periphery. I waited a while but it didn’t look like it was going to ease up any time soon so I made a made dash for the truck. The upside was, the rain wasn’t freezing like a Colorado rain, so I was ok. I got to the campground and went into the office to sign in. There was a woman ahead of me, and by the time I got checked in, there was a line of campers out on the road. Oh, right…this is Memorial Day Weekend! Welcome to camping season!

The owner escorted me to my site, a pull though, than you God! I waved him off and just sat there till the rain slacked up a bit. It finally did and I got the camper set up. I am getting the hang of doing it quicker, but its still a king-sized pain in the patoot and it’s not going to work out for me. It’s one thing if you are going to a campsite and staying for a week or two. It’s quite a different deal if you are moving every day. NOT convenient for that kind of camping, but still a very cool camper overall.

I’d have to say, the trip home is always more challenging. I’m tired. I’m cranky. I’m a month older. I haven’t had a shower in five days and I have to drive with me in the truck! I’m leaving this morning in time to get the camper to the dealership to fix what has now become a laundry list of things that shouldn’t need fixing on a brand new camper. I’ll gently yet persuasively give them a piece of my mind. I’ve been told I have a way of telling people to go to H E double toothpicks and they don’t seem to mind the trip. Maybe I can pull that off again!

Mr. FixIt is waiting for me at home!

“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
2 Corinthians 12:9-10 ESV

The Calm After the Storm

Fri, 27 May 2022 01:30:00 -0600

Just when I was totally overwhelmed with camping and traveling and putting a camper up and down in the rain and doing it all by myself…along comes God and says, “Here…take a nice nap. And when you wake up, I’ll have something pretty for you to see!”

I awoke yesterday morning to a chilly, gray, wet day that was thankfully not actively raining. I only had to drive through a little bit of drizzle a couple of times. I had my eye out for a coffee shop and was prepared to get a cuppa joe and a pastry when I saw…the sign! Perkins Pancake Shop!!! JUST what the doctor ordered. There is no schedule when you’re camping so I pulled in and sat down away from others. And enjoyed the HECK out of a nice hot breakfast with really GREAT coffee! I gave the waitperson a very nice tip because she was working her tail off. I wrote “God Bless You…have a great day!” on the receipt. It’s the little things.

What a mood lifter! I toodled through the Iowa farmland as the early morning fog was lifting. The windmills reached their arms high, disappearing into the low hanging clouds, slicing through the air to bring much needed electricity a la Mother Nature. The fertile black earth has been furrowed and planted and neat rows of spring green corn is sprouting up everywhere. Herds of black cattle with their babies in tow dotted the fields on either side of the road. The constant hum of the wheels on the road set the backdrop of my silent journey east.

I crossed the Mighty Mississippi at Davenport, Iowa keeping my eyes carefully on the single lane crossing the bridge. It’s “orange cone season” for sure. As I turned south on I-74, I watched the sky growing heavy and dark in the direction I was heading. I often ask Siri multiple questions as I drive. For instance, she can tell me, based on my speed and the local traffic, just how long it should take me to get to my destination. When I asked her what the weather was doing in Galesburg, Illinois, she confirms my suspicions. There was a thunderstorm when I was heading.

Fortunately, the storm was moving northeast while I was moving southeast and I did not have to put the camper up in the rain. I had it set up in no time and settled inside to eat my lunch and stretch out for a nap. I was awakened by the sound of rain on the roof and lay there listening. I love that sound. After a while, the rain stopped and the light outside turned golden. I grabbed my phone and headed down the through the tunnel of trees to the lake where I knew a spectacular sunset was coming.

All those beautiful clouds reflected the most gorgeous light down across the lake and into my very soul. God reminds us that…even in the darkest of times…there is beauty in His creation. I hold onto His promises in times like these and remember this is not my home. I’m just passing through.

And with that, I leave you with His handiwork.

Allison Lake Storey Campground - Galesburg, Illinois

“And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.”
Matthew 8:26 ESV

Just Breathe!

Thu, 26 May 2022 01:30:00 -0600

Ok…I’m going to vent a little. Sorry.

We bought this camper in October. Brand new…never been used. When I was preparing for camping this spring, I discovered the refrigerator doesn’t work. Ok. These things happen. I took it in and they couldn’t get it fixed before my trip to Colorado so I brought it with…sans refrigeration. No big deal. That’s what coolers are for, right? Then…when I picked it up to bring it with me on this trip, I noticed a leak. They’re going to have to fix that. There is a glass cover that opens and closes over the sink that is attached with hinges. Every time I tow the camper, the vibrations cause the screws to come out and fall down in the sink and I have to use a special tool…which I do not own (I used Ben’s) so I’ll meet to get one and also see if they can do something about that. Maybe some sort of adhesive? Also, every evening when I stop to camp, the microwave has creeped it’s way deeper into the cabinet that holds it and I have to fish it out. At least it isn’t falling out on the floor!

Add to all that, it has been raining since I hit Nebraska and it hasn’t stopped. Putting the camper up and down in the rain is a pain it the neck and the interior gets wet (including my bed, which I was non to happy about!) When I got the the park last night after driving six hours, there was one site left. A walk in. You get the registration from from the kiosk, fill it out, put half of it on the post at your site, put your money in the envelope and drop it in the post back at the kiosk. Well, one site, right? I wasn’t about to find the site, then drive back around to drop off the money, then come back again to back into the campsite. In the rain. And, I wasn’t about to walk uphill in the rain to drop it in. I called the reservation number, gave them my info and told them I am a trustworthy individual. I’ll drop the money off in the morning before I leave. I told her if that wasn’t good enough, she is welcome to send someone to knock on my door and I’ll be happy to give them the money.

I was on the phone straightening out my reservation for Friday night when there was a knock on the door. The nice man in the camper next to me asked if I knew I’d left the window down on the driver’s side. In the rain. Argh! I trudged out and closed it, fished out a towel and sopped it up as best I could, and came back in…soaked to the skin and cold.

I believe we’ll be trading in the sweet a-frame and getting a free standing camper that isn’t so fussy. I’m too old for this ****! lol

Ok, I’m off my soapbox. Tucked in, listening to the rain. I had grapes and cheese and yoghurt for supper and I’m warm and dry under the electric blanket. First world problems notwithstanding, I am incredibly blessed and almost half way home!

“Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.”
James 1:12 ESV

Flexibility is Key

Tue, 24 May 2022 01:30:00 -0600

Change is my middle name. I have absolutely no problem changing direction at any given moment and can shift with the winds. I spent a good portion of the day with Daughter #2 yesterday. I picked her and her wife up and took them to our favorite breakfast joint. Then, after dropping my daughter-in-law off at home, my daughter and I ran errands and chatted. We oohed and aahed over the kittens at PetSmart. We browsed the sale racks at Target and I bought a new floor fan. Then we went to the most beautiful garden shop and looked at plants. They are working on building up the soil in their yard so we picked up a few bags of this and that. When we got back to their house, we looked around the yard at the new plants coming up. They’ve made a lot of progress since I was there in September and I’m very proud of their hard work.

Everyone is busy at this age. Work, home, families…it all takes time and I’m thrilled with what time I can get with them. I’ll be the last one to guilt my kids into spending time with me. I remember what it was like to be their age when you’re pulled in ten different directions. So, since we all got proper visit time, I made the executive decision to head home today. I’ve been gone since May 4th and I’m homesick and I miss my husband. I’ve had a wonderful time visiting Colorado, but I’m ready to get back to my beautiful West Virginia home. It’s time!

So, here we go…can you say “Road Trip”???

“The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.”
Psalm 121:8 ESV

#Colorado, #RoadTrip, #WestVirginia, #Camping

Saying Goodbye to My Bubby

Mon, 23 May 2022 01:30:00 -0600

It’s always hard to say goodbye when you are “of a certain age”. We’ve experienced losses now. We know we’re on the short end of the stick and things can change in a heartbeat. We want all those loving hearts to keep on beating as long as possible, and the thought of possible “last goodbyes” cuts deeply. My brother is doing so much better now. When I called him to tell him I got back to Denver ok, he answered the phone (yay!) and was out on a little afternoon junket. He went to Subway for lunch, then took the bus out to Target to do a little shopping. That’s an incredible improvement over just a few short months ago! As long as he is doing this well, he is in the best setting, but I know he misses me as much as I miss him so at some point, I’ll bring him to West Virginia.

I didn’t sleep well the last couple of nights I was camping. For one thing, the foam cushions which serve as “mattresses”in this camper are not comfortable for the long haul I’m putting them through. After a while, they smash in the middle and offer very little support. My hips and back have been screaming at me and the change in the weather hasn’t helped. I dragged myself out of bed yesterday, got the camper all set to move, then went to pick up some breakfast for my brother and me. We visited and chatted over our food till the time finally came to hug and say “See ya next time!” It’s so bittersweet.

I went back to the campground and hooked up to leave. I stayed at a little place called The Hideout at Glenwood Springs. I’ve passed that place for decades and I have a faint memory of camping there with my younger daughter when she was very little…I wanted to camp someplace near home in case it wasn’t successful. Most of their sites are filled with full time residents who live in their campers, which gave me pause. But it was very quiet and clean. There are also some small cabins and sites for “tiny homes”. However, they have one section with about ten sites for anything from tents to medium sized RVs. I stayed in Site D6 and it was beautiful. Water is available for filling your tanks, but not to hook up. And the site had electric for $40 a night which is quite reasonable.

The drive back to Denver was fairly uneventful. There was road construction on the east side of Vail, heading up the pass. Multiple lanes were shifted down to one and there was a bottleneck that brought us to a complete stop with bumper to bumper traffic. It really only delayed us about twenty minutes and before we knew it, the freeway opened back up and off we went. There were several areas that were wet from the snow melting off the sides of the road. When I went through, the temperature was in the forties, so there was no danger in slipping and sliding around. However, when it gets dark at night, that’s when you have to watch out for things like that. I just saw a story this weekend of a woman who hit an icy patch on a bridge and flipped her little camper on its top, so I was super cautious.

I’m glad to have that part of the trip behind me as far as the driving is concerned. I have another few days to visit with family, then I need to start heading for home. I’m missing Mr. FixIt and there are people and things that need my attention in West Virginia, too. My sweetie mowed at the farm today and sent me the most beautiful pictures. It’s so green and the trees are all filled out. They were barely budding when I left and I’m missing one of the most beautiful seasons in my beloved Mountain State.

I’ll rest up this week and get things organized and spend some more time with my Colorado peeps. It always flies by so fast!

“Whoever troubles his own household will inherit the wind, and the fool will be servant to the wise of heart.”
Proverbs 11:29 ESV

#Family, #Colorado, #Camping

A Murder of Crows and a Magpie

Sun, 22 May 2022 01:30:00 -0600

After a day of snowy, cold weather, it was a treat to wake up to Colorado sunshine!

I had a lovely visit with my brother yesterday. We watched a little baseball. I fed him his favorite food. Then I cut his hair and trimmed his beard. I am so pleased he is doing better in the new setting. He has more support, more often. Even though he still has trouble understanding/hearing his roommate, I found them getting along pleasantly. I spent some time working on my brother’s phone. He told me he answers it every time it rings, but I can assure you…after missing no less than twenty-seven phone calls from me in a two day period…he wasn’t hearing it ring.

I set his phone to a ringtone he was sure to hear then I turned the volume up to the highest setting. I also added a vibration to it to attract even more attention. Then I sat down with him and called him. It turned out, he was hitting the “hang up” button every time he answered the phone! I showed him how to answer it properly and placed a dozen calls to his phone to make sure he had it down pat. Now, I need to get him a little pouch to carry his phone around his neck. He won’t carry it in his pocket because he’s afraid he’ll lose it. And when it’s in his fanny pack, he can’t hear it and even if he did, it takes too long for him to get the phone out. So, I think we have corrected the phone problem.

After he was settled down for the night, I went and picked up a sandwich from Chili’s for my supper. Unfortunately, as is all too often…they didn’t get the order right and I never think to look till it’s too late to say anything. But it was food and it was good and I am grateful for the convenience.

As I waited for my order to be ready for the curbside pickup, I heard crows. LOTS of crows! I followed the sound and there must have been two dozen crows in the field by the shopping center and they were putting up quite the fuss. I soon discovered why. There was a solitary magpie fighting off this “murder of crows” from what I assume was her nest. She was relentless, bobbing and diving and chasing off these marauders. It made me think about how I’ve been feeling in this town which was once my home…fighting off the interlopers.

Hubby #2 and I moved here in 1986 after he finished his internship and residency. It was a sleepy little cow town with two stop lights. When they put in the third, we thought it was getting WAY too busy! Then they finished building the interstate through the nearby canyon and that was the end of the sleep little town. From then on, it grew exponentially and now? Oh, lands. Now it’s like stepping into a hive of angry bees.

There are people everywhere. It’s what we used to refer to as the beginning of tourist season, but I’ve a feeling it’s like this year round anymore. There’s a line to get into every restaurant in town on a Friday and Saturday night. A hotel room that used to cost $75 a night now runs $250+! I was happy to find a peaceful campsite for only $40 a night for a site with electric only, but it’s beside a rushing mountain stream and it’s really been very quiet.

Mr. FixIt sent pictures of my bonus granddaughter’s graduation from high school yesterday. It was at 10:00 in the morning and the temperature was already a balmy 88 when they got there. My poor husband looks like he just got out of a shower with his clothes on in the pictures! But, they had a grand time and the graduate was beautiful and happy, so we have achieved what we were shooting for…attendance at both graduations. Just one at each, that’s all.

If there is a window with good roads through the mountains today, I might head back to Denver. If not, I’ll wait another day. It’s really been restorative camping in the mountains and it’s done my brother and me a world of good to hug each other and say our “I love you’s” in person. I don’t get to see him but once a year so we have to make these visits count.

“But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”
1 Timothy 5:8 ESV

#Family, #Colorado, #Camping

Taking a Little Me Time

Sat, 21 May 2022 01:30:00 -0600

My view out the dormer window yesterday morning…SNOW!

I spent a portion of the day yesterday reorganizing the camper to make it more comfortable. The busyness of the last couple of weeks caught up with me and I’m just going to lay low, read, knit, visit with my brother a little. I went to the cemetery Thursday. The caretaker was there. Mike is 75 and has been caring for the cemetery for many years…on a volunteer basis. He recognized me when I pulled in and waved hello. We sat and visited for a while. He was most apologetic that he hadn’t gotten over to our corner yet and the weeds were pretty high. Mike said the snow was knee deep this winter and that makes the grasses sprout up like crazy in the spring. The cemetery is normally unattended and only has maintenance a couple of times a year anyway.

I now have one of my cushy chairs in the camper. It fits perfectly between the benches of the dinette. I have one of the matching footstools and a battery powered lantern beside me, so it’s the perfect place to knit and read. I stopped at the store last night and bought some foodstuffs and stored it in the cooler sealed tight and in the bed of the truck with the topper and the tailgate locked. My dry goods are in the non-operational refrigerator so there’s no food scents to attract mama bear.

I love hearing the sound of the creek rushing by right outside my window. And feeling the cool mountain air. Thank God there are no fires nearby. Colorado needs this moisture desperately! It snowed till about 3:00 but its going to keep snowing in the mountains and the Front Range, which is where I’ll be heading tomorrow, or maybe Monday. I’ve been enjoying my visits with my brother. He’s crafty…he’s been hitting me up for dinner every night! lol

I went to the hot springs to soak yesterday after supper. I have been so disappointed at how this sleepy little mountain town is bursting at the seams these days. They are land-locked yet building continues and it feels like stepping into a bee hive. I didn’t stay at the springs too long. I basically went to get a shower and wash my hair anyway, so mission accomplished. I was perfectly happy to come back to the camper and curl up with my knitting and a good book.

“And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.”
Mark 6:31 ESV

#Rest, #Camping, #Colorado

A Homecoming of Sorts

Thu, 19 May 2022 01:30:00 -0600

Camping by the creek!

I’m baaaaack! Once the graduation festivities were over, I could pack up the camper and get up to the mountains to visit my brother and camp for a bit. As soon as I arrived, I got a weather bulletin for the mountains of Colorado stating there is a winter storm warning for Friday and Saturday. They are predicting 4-10” of snow with up to a foot to a foot and a half in the higher elevations! Well, as much as I personally detest snow…I’m praying they get tons because it is SO dry here! And, that puts a kink in my plans. I immediately asked the campground to extend my stay at least one day and possibly two, which they did. Then I called Daughter #2 to tell her I may not be back in time to see her on Sunday. Then I called Mr. FixIt and said I’d probably have to extend my stay till after Memorial Day in order to spend more time with my daughter and to have a better chance of finding campsites on the way home.

The drive up was gorgeous. It was in the mid-seventies and sunny with big puffy white clouds. The traffic wasn’t bad at all and moved right along. This town is so vastly different than it was when we moved here in 1986. There are so many more people living here now and the number of tourists is off the charts. It’s bittersweet…it was just a sleepy little mountain town back then. Now it’s like a bee hive. I supposed the feeling is exacerbated by the fact we live on five acres out in the country and the little “town” we live near has a population of 888 people.

There are some good things around still. My favorite doughnut shop and coffee house is still there, as is my favorite clothing and shoe stores. I’m hoping to run into the Thursday morning coffee group that have been meeting every week for three decades. I’m going to visit a friend on Friday morning that I haven’t seen in years. I’d love to get a massage at one of the many spas in town and then soak in the local hot springs. I’m going to be so pampered by the time I head home!

There is a bear that frequently visits this campground so I went to Walmart and bought some bear spray. It’s now sitting just inside the door of the camper. The biggest thing is to not keep a lot of smelly food in your camper or vehicle. And always, always, always lock the car doors and keep the windows rolled up. A bear has no problem opening a car door or pulling a window out if it can get a hold of it.

This is a very small campground and the sites are relatively close together. Someone started playing loud music at 8:45 last night and I am so glad I brought my noise canceling headphones! I just put them on, turned on my rain and thunderstorm sounds and I was good to go. I could even sleep like that if I have to but there is a noise ordinance here from 10pm to 8am. Hopefully they enforce it. That is my one pet peeve about campgrounds…loud music. That’s not what I come to the mountains for. I won’t harsh their fun, but it’s a shame when they disturb the fun of others.

I’ll spend some time with my brother today at his day program. He said he’d be coloring and I asked if I can colors with him. He said yes, and that he might be reading, too. So, I’ll bring a good book…or my knitting…and we can sit in companionable silence.

“Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”
Isaiah 40:30-31 ESV

#Rest, #Relaxation, #Camping, #Colorado

She Done Good

Thu, 12 May 2022 01:30:00 -0600

We went to Big’s Awards Ceremony yesterday afternoon. (Note to self: take a pillow next time! Bleachers are not our friends!) Her name was called several times for academic achievements. She received two or three cords to wear on her robe on graduation day. And she received three plaques…one of which was Outstanding Biomedical Sciences Student of the Year. We are all very proud of her accomplishments.

Yesterday was her last day of high school and she was never so glad of anything in her whole life. She never really loved high school. It was made that much more difficult with the two years of Covid interruptions. Yet, she is graduating with a 4.2GPA and a scholarship for swimming in college so it’s obvious she put her nose to the grindstone and did what she had to do. She is so smart…and such a good human!

I also went shopping and bought Daughter #1 and her husband a propane heater for their deck. Their birthdays and anniversary are within five days of each other and I like getting them a combination gift they can use and enjoy for years to come. It’s a timely gift that they can use when they entertain guests at their home when all the family comes in for graduation.

This is such a big event for parents. And I think it’s especially hard on moms when they’ve been so close to the child that is graduating. She and Big are tight and have never spent much time apart. I am sure she will handle this better than me because she has much better coping skills than I did when I was her age. Her circumstances are different, as well. First, she has a much healthier marriage. And second, she doesn’t have a two year old at home.

The weather heated up yesterday here in Denver. It got up to 89° which made sitting in a gym without air conditioning a little stuffy. It cools off the next couple of days which makes it easier to sleep at night. There were big winds predicted on Tuesday so I put the camper top down and moved my stuff into the guest bedroom in the house. But, by bedtime, the winds hadn’t really amounted to much of anything so I put the top back up and slept in the camper. It’s so much cooler and the bed is mine.

Mr. FixIt worked on the pool and watered the flowers and cleaned the sidewalks yesterday. Today he’s buying tomato plants and tilling up the space behind his friend’s house in town. They notoriously harvested the best tomatoes out of that garden. No one lives there anymore so we’re taking advantage of that good soil. I hope we get a better season this year.

Today is a bit of a lay low day with my Colorado peeps. Perhaps I’ll get a little knitting in. I also need to dewinterize the camper. Sue will need help getting the place ready for Big’s graduation party on Sunday. There’s always something to do!

“Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, and the glory of children is their fathers.”
Proverbs 17:6 ESV

Rest and Relaxation

Tue, 10 May 2022 01:30:00 -0600

The hat I made yesterday. The color isn’t accurate…I took this picture in the camper. It’s actually a pale pink. See the other photo for color reference.

Yesterday was exactly what I needed! I always camp next to the garden at my son-in-law’s parents’ place. The kids are working or in school, I have my own little space, and I get to visit with a couple of the coolest people on the planet! Ben & Sue opened their home to me after Mr. Virgo died. I came here and they nurtured me and fed me and helped me get through the first two weeks of widowhood. We’ve always been close, but when Sue had a health scare a couple of years ago, she and I became like sisters. We chat every night and we are sounding boards for each other. I am blessed to have a handful of these awesome women in my life.

Sue and I visited all day. We made “Porcupine Balls” for Little’s birthday dinner today. Those are nothing more than regular meatballs, but you add uncooked Jasmine rice to the meat. Then you cook the meatballs in regular ol’ tomato soup from a can. And the rice sticks out of the meatballs every which way looking like little porcupines. Sue’s mom found the recipe in a pressure cooker cookbook and has made them for years. They are the most requested food for family gatherings here at the “epicenter of the universe.”

I started knitting a hat this morning with some of the yarn I bought at The Blue Pelican Gallery in Hatteras, NC last month. I finished it just in time to go out to the camper and write. It was a slow, easy day with knitting and a nap, lots of fluids, and fun conversation. I really push the fluids when I first get here to help ward off any altitude issues. Today will be busier with a family birthday party.

Mr. FixIt has been busy with mowing and social events…prom pictures, Mother’s Day with family at the former Mrs. FixIt’s house, then the final softball game of the year. It’s a busy time for both of us and we miss each other something awful! We haven’t spent this much time away from each other in three years. We’ll be back together before we know it but I don’t want to wish away a moment of my time with the kids!

“In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.”
Psalm 4:8 ESV

Day Four was a Doozy!

Sun, 08 May 2022 01:30:00 -0600

I woke up at 5:30 yesterday morning and couldn’t get back to sleep. I couldn’t get the camper together because quiet hours last till 7:00 and besides…it’s the weekend. There’s nothing worse than sleeping soundly in your wonderful camper, only to hear the person next door lifting their jacks and clunking around. I waited till 7:30 then I tried to be as quiet as I could. People were already moving around, so I hope I didn’t disturb them too much.

I got on the road about 8:30. I checked the road reports and the weather and was concerned to see the conditions deteriorating in western Nebraska throughout the day and into the night. Strong winds, hail, and severe thunderstorms were predicted. As I’ve told you, this camper can’t go up or down in strong winds, so I told Mr. FixIt I was going to have to play it by ear as I got closer.

About the last fifty to seventy-five miles were brutal. The winds were blowing so strong straight at me that it was making my truck gear down! I’ve never experienced that before. At first, I was afraid something was wrong with my truck, then I figured it out. There was no way I could camp at Lake McConaughy, which was disappointing.

I pulled into the Walmart gas station in Ogallala and plugged my son-in-law’s mom’s address in the GPS to see how much further it was. It was only another 200-some miles…about 3.5 hours of driving. It was 1:30 (Mountain Time) and I would much rather be with family than stay in a hotel. So, I made the executive decision to just drive the rest of the way. That made 470 miles the first day, 333 the second, and 530 the third! I didn’t HAVE to put my camper up…I could have stayed in the house. But I so love having my own little bed and play house!

And now…I’m whupped. I need to acclimate slowly to the altitude and not get overheated. It was 90 degrees when I got here yesterday. I’ll sleep in, sip on my electrolytes, and be a happy little camper. I thanked God repeatedly for the travel mercies. Let me thank you for all your prayers and words of encouragement. It was a fun drive!

Happy Mother’s Day!!!

“So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.”
Hebrews 4:9-10 ESV

#MothersDay, #RoadTrip, #Colorado

Day Three Was Great!

Sat, 07 May 2022 01:30:00 -0600

Yesterday was by far my easiest day yet. I woke up around 7:30 and was catching up with my correspondence when the camper suddenly shook from a gust of wind. A storm front was coming through and I needed to get moving…fast. These a-frame campers are awesome, but there are a few drawbacks with them. You should not put them up or take them down when it’s windy. The two half’s of the roof are only connected with something akin to bungee cords and a very strong wind could send them flying in opposite directions.

I threw my stuff together quickly and got it from the camper to the truck, then carefully lowered the top and was ready to go in record time. I love when I don’t have to unhook my camper. It makes for a quick exit in the morning. The rain quit as soon as I sat in the truck. I got on the road by 9:00 and headed west. Well…north, then west. I drove up and picked up I-80. Even though it is a major trucking route, it’s not nearly as crazy as I-70 is.

I don’t find Iowa boring at all. I love all the beautiful farms, the windmills, and the gently rolling hills. I only stopped once or twice at the cleanest and prettiest rest areas I’ve ever seen. I took a fifteen minute break and chatted with you all on a FB Live…which is always fun! One of these times through, I need to set up a meet in greet at places along the way! I’d love to meet you all sometime! I caught up with a lot of people on the phone which was lovely.

This is one of those trips where I’m flying by the seat of my pants. I made no reservations, and so far, I’ve had great luck finding campsites. It’s the time of year. The kids are still in school and the weather has been crappy so I have better luck getting spots. When I got into the campground last night and registered, I was given several site choices. I drove around to see what was available and selected the one I wanted. I went to the office and informed them of my choice and by the time I got back, there was a young couple setting up a tent and they already had their music blasting. I backed into my site and rolled down the window to listen. Nope.

I pulled back out of the spot and headed to the office to request a different site. I am not picky, but I am too old to pay to listed to young kids party. They should have a great time..fine. I just don’t need to camp next to them if I can help it. I chose a much smaller area and got set up in record time. I ate supper from the cooler and stretched out to write. There is a camper nearby playing music. That’s ok, I understand that. Some people want the music as an accompaniment to the camping experience. Me? I want to hear birds, not the BeeGees. (Ok, they’re old, too! lol) So, I just turned on my sound machine and wrote my post as usual.

Oh…I have something really cool to tell you. You’ve heard me say many times how God provides my every need? Well, I was lamenting to Mr. FixIt last night how expensive the gas is in the Midwest. He called me later to tell me I got a letter in the mail from the State of Colorado Department of the Treasury with a check for $284! He took a picture and sent it to me. It turns out, there is an unclaimed property division and they track down people who have money coming to them. This must have been something to do with Mr. Virgo. He had an account with the bank the letter mentioned. Just a little gift from God to offset the higher gas prices. Our God is such a good provider!

So, today I drive across Nebraska. If it goes like yesterday, it’ll be a piece of cake. Hopefully, there will be dry roads and sane drivers. And, finally…I should be in Colorado some time tomorrow!

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
Matthew 11:28 ESV

Day Two is in The Books!

Fri, 06 May 2022 01:30:00 -0600

I didn’t sleep well the first night on the road. You know how it is when you get out of your routine and you don’t drink enough water or eat the right stuff. And, my brain was still moving when I finally laid my head on the pillow. I did sleep…but fitfully. And there’s not a lot of places to wander around in this tiny camper. I could have made a cup of tea, but it all seemed like too much bother at 3:00am.

I fiddled around once I finally woke up and by the time I got hooked up and on the road, it was already 10:00! I forgot to check my tire pressure before I left the campground so I pulled into a service station. The machine was broken and it crossed me to actually LOSE air pressure. I went to another one, and it was broken as well! They should have a sign on them and it didn’t even occur to me to see if there was a phone number I could call to complain. Lesson learned.

I decided to drive the three miles back to the campground and ask if I could plug in my extension cord and pump up my tires with the portable air compressor I carry with me at all times. She did me one better. She had me pull around to the back and her husband pumped up my tires for me with his big air compressor. The folks who own Grandpa’s Farm Campground in Richmond, IN are the best. And…if you ever travel through and stay over on a Saturday night, they have Camp Church on Sundays…complete with coffee and donuts! Check them out if you have the opportunity.

I no sooner got on the road till the rain hit. Everything from drizzle to downpour and back again on a gray and murky day. I-70 was absolutely crazy! And they are still working on it…with big portions closed…in Indianapolis. I am driving the northerly route and cut across Illinois on a diagonal. I wanted to get as far north of the bad storms as I can. The relief I felt was palpable when I left all that traffic behind and sailed along through America’s bread basket. Beautiful farmland…rich, dark, and flat stretched out on either side…anxiously waiting to burst forth their bounty. This far north, the redbud looks like it did on our way to the beach in the middle of April. They haven’t quite started to gain their brilliant green leaves that contrast so beautifully with the fading purply-pink of their blossoms.

I had a long talk with my precious friend, Sparky as I drove through the rain yesterday. I miss her so desperately. I try not to focus on that loss too much as it hurts so deeply. I told her I would never go on a camping trip again without “taking her with me”. She hated camping but she went anyway. I hated losing her…but she died anyway. This is what she gets for leaving me…camping revenge. I may hear about this when I get to see her again…but she’ll just have to deal with it for now!

I stopped at a rest area in the middle of the sprawling farmland for a rest. Now, this is the first time I’ve come up against a downside of this kind of popup camper. I can’t just hop out of the truck, run back to the camper, and stretch out for a nap, use the potty, and eat some lunch. If the weather were nicer, I could certainly have popped up the camper and taken a snooze, but I’m not doing that in a downpour. So, I rummages around in the truck and found a small blanket. I created a turban around my head, leaned the seat back, and slept for an hour. I was so refreshed when I awoke.

I grabbed a snack and hear the man in the semi next to me calling out for my attention. I rolled the window down slightly and he asked how I like my camper. He and his lady friend bought one recently and this weekend will be their first outing. He’s never camped before and they are going to see the country together. I had to smile. He is retired Army. He did three tours in Iraq, for which I thanked him profusely. We had a lovely chat and I wished him a fun and abundant life on the road.

I knew I was getting close to the campground I stayed at last night when I passed a sign for Pekin, IL. My grandparents lived in Mishawaka, IN when my mom was born, then they moved to Pekin, IL and two or three more babies came along. They moved around to find work during the depression and this was where they landed before returning home to West Virginia. If the weather had been nicer, I might have gotten out and looked around but as it was…I moved on down the road.

I was a little puzzled when I saw the time of my projected arrival come and go on the GPS. That’s when I suddenly realized, I had crossed over the date line between Eastern and Central time. Which meant…I had another hour to go! I don’t know why I forget that every time. It’s not bad coming in the other direction because it feels like you’re not driving as long. But going west forces you to change your expectations.

As I was nearing the end of day two, I sent up a prayer and asked God to ease up on this rain so I could get set up without getting soaked. He was so generous to oblige when the rain stopped about 10 minutes before I got to the campground. I got a beautiful site…flat and level, with a nice view. I didn’t have to unhook so it was no time before I had everything set up and I was comfortably snuggled in the Big Birdhouse. I fixed supper from the stuff in the cooler and settled in to write my daily letter to you all.

Another day done. Mr. FixIt worked on the new fire-pit today then went to the youngest granddaughter’s softball game. It’s a busy time of year for everyone and I’m thrilled to be spending it doing something I love…driving and camping…and heading toward people that I love. So…stay tuned for another installment of…The Grand Adventure!

“And he said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.””
Exodus 33:14 ESV

First Day Done!

Thu, 05 May 2022 01:30:00 -0600

It was a really busy day. Mr. FixIt helped me get the truck loaded up. I got on the road about 9:45 which was pretty respectable. I was really surprised I got such a good night’s sleep before. I have to give credit where credit is due…Jesus has been working overtime catching all my cares! I stopped for gas. Did you know that if you download the app for Walmart, you can get $.03 off per gallon? Every little bit helps.

I stopped by the DMV because I couldn’t put my finger on the title for the truck. I always carry my titles with me in case I need to trade in a vehicle in an emergency. I was worried it would take a long time to get out of there, but I didn’t even sit down and they called my number. They weren’t busy at all. That’s another secret…go early on Wednesdays and you can get in and out of the DMV pretty quickly.

I got to the RV Service Center around 12:30. The part didn’t get in and I told them I really needed to get moving. I brought a great cooler with me and I’ll just use that. It’ll be fine. I did notice one thing, the hitch was set too low for the camper and the nose was lower than the rear. I stopped in at the place where we bought it to see Gabe, the awesome trailer dude who did our walk through. He sent his techs out and they fixed it and I was on my way!

I stopped to get some groceries before I got on I-70 and put them in the cooler. I was disappointed to find I cannot open the tailgate on the truck while it’s connected to the camper so I needed to unhook when I got to my campsite…something I was hoping I didn’t need to do. I went through some of the stuff in the truck and moved what was necessary for last night into the camper. The rest I’ll deal with when I stop tonight. I need to keep a weather eye out today as there is a storm coming up from Oklahoma. Traveling through the central part of America is dicey at this time of year.

Oh, I figured out a couple things yesterday. First, these little twin beds are so much easier to make than the big bed that’s turned sideways in a lot of the campers today. I ordered cot sized mattress pads and sheets online and they fit perfectly. However, I knew they would slip off easily with tossing and turning. So, I bought some of those stretchy sheet grippers and put four of them, evenly spaced, completely across the back to hold everything in place. Bingo! Problem solved!

Another thing I did…when I hooked up the camper at the dealership, I wanted to check the brake lights and the flashers. The turn signals were easy. You just turn one on and go back to check it then you turn the other one on and do the same. That won’t work for testing the brakes. I puzzled over it for a minute, then I took my cell phone, opened the camera app, propped the camera up against the chain link fence and started the video. Then I went up and pressed on the brakes and turned on the flashers. When I replayed the video, I could see they were all working fine!

I was pretty chilly yesterday. I am really glad I still have the electric blanket and heater in the camper because it was supposed to get down to 47° last night! I was really whupped by the time I got everything done and wrote this post. Today won’t be nearly as hectic as yesterday was so I won’t be so tired at the end of the day. (I had to laugh…Mr. FixIt and I talked and texted at least a dozen times. You’d think we hadn’t been together 24/7 for the last three years! lol)

“It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.”
Psalm 127:2 ESV

Another Grand Adventure Begins!

Wed, 04 May 2022 01:30:00 -0600

May the Fourth be With You!!!

I’ve lost count how many Grand Adventures this makes. The other day, Mr. FixIt was talking to one of his friends about my upcoming trip. He told the fellow I was about to embark on another adventure and will be pulling the camper to Colorado by myself. The guy was shocked. He said, “I don’t think I’d let MY wife do that!” Mr. FixIt laughed. “You don’t LET your wife do things. You support them doing the things they want to do that makes them happy!” Have I mentioned how much I love this man??? We haven’t spent more than a few days apart in the last three years. I’m going to miss him like crazy!!!

I have the portable kitchen packed. I have my clothes packed. I have the knitting projects I want to work on and the magazines I want to read. I made a wonderful supper of baked steak, mashed potatoes and gravy, and my home canned half-runners. (I’m going to need to can another bushel this fall.) I have a stock of Mr. Bee Potato Chips for the family. I searched like crazy and finally found the “add-a-pearl necklace” that Hubby #1 gave me when I turned eighteen. Now it goes to Big as her graduation gift.

I have the truck in tiptop shape. I need to make a few stops on my way out of town today, then it’s just me, Mavis (my GPS), my Rand McNally Atlas and the open road.

Even with the bad stuff happening around the world…life is good, y’all! And if you don’t like what’s happening…VOTE! And pray…a lot!!!

“He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.”
Psalm 23:3 ESV

The Four Seasons

Fri, 08 Apr 2022 01:30:00 -0600

Red Deadnettle in the ever growing grass of spring

No…not the hotel. And no…not the landscaping company of Giuliani fame. I’m talking the four seasons of the year. Beautiful and somewhat delineated from each other by calendar dates. Not so much on your trip to take The Big Birdhouse to the dealer to get her fridge fixed/replaced. We saw four seasons in the span of about thirty minutes. We went from sunny with big puffy white clouds to rain to sleet to graupel and back. The temperature dropped. There was thunder and lightning. Ahhh…fickle Mother Nature in all her glory!

We dropped off the camper and implored them to have her ready by the first of May for the trip to Colorado. They said the small refrigerators are easier to get than big ones so it’s a pretty fair bet it’ll happen. I hope. If they can’t get it ready by then, I’ll just pick it up and drop it back off on the way home in May and they can fix it then. I can always use a cooler.

My daughter has asked why I don’t just fly. Well, there are a number of reasons. Flights these days get cancelled at a moment’s notice. I can’t get tied up like that. People have seemingly lost their ever loving minds on flights these days and act like spoiled two year olds that didn’t get the right cookie and they need a nap. I don’t have the time nor patience to deal with that. Rental cars are exorbitant nowadays and I don’t want the hassle. I’ll be perfectly fine pulling The Birdhouse out there and back. I’ll feel better having my own little house with my own stuff and my own bed. It’s an adventure, right?

We did a thing yesterday. For the very first time since February 2020…we ate inside a restaurant. *gasp* I explained to the hostess that this was our first time back in and, while we are not afraid, we would appreciate a table away from others. She smile and said, “No explanation needed. I’ve got just the right place for you!” She picked up two menus and took us around the corner to a booth away from everyone. We had southern barbecue and sat and visited…like normal people. It felt weird…but wonderful!

By the time we got home, the temp had dropped and the rain had all but stopped. The wind blew some things around on the deck so Mr. FixIt straightened those out. That’s when I noticed the miniature rhododendron by the pool had a few blooms on it. I ran outside to document this momentous occasion on my phone camera. As I wrote this, I had the window open…listening to the birds and the spring peepers singing their loves songs.

Today is going to be lower key. Taxes, knitting, maybe a softball game if they don’t get rained out. Mundane things. Things we take for granted as “more of the same”. But, what would happen if we changed our expectations to one of gratitude for the opportunity to do things that sustain us? What if we look for the extraordinary in the every day humdrum of life? What if we invite Jesus to come do some fun stuff with us today? You know…I have a feeling Jesus loves to do fun things with us too and not just hear requests for help with the hard stuff.

How will you fill your world with gratitude today?

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.”
Psalm 136:1 ESV

Photographic Memories of My Grief

Sat, 26 Mar 2022 01:30:00 -0600

Little TOW-Wanda…my very first camper. I wish I’d never traded her in!

I keep my photos stored in a couple of clouds. I use iCloud from Apple because it comes with my iPhone/iPad. I do pay a nominal fee to store extra data over the amount that is free. And somewhere along the line, I signed up for OneDrive which is part of the Microsoft 365 Suite of programs. I really love it because I get an email with my “memories of the day.” Similar to FB Memories, OneDrive saves every photo I’ve ever uploaded. And, occasionally I am surprised by something I haven’t seen in years.

I thought these photos might have been lost and I was so excited when they showed up yesterday. They were taken when I went off on my three month journey through the wilderness and backroads of Colorado…and New Mexico, Wyoming, and South Dakota. This was in the earliest days of my grief. I purchased my camper after Mr. Virgo died and I took off alone to navigate my grief…one campfire at a time.

Somewhere along a desert highway…pulling my camper on my own. I learned a lot that year.

I knew absolutely NOTHING about a camper. I really didn't know what I didn’t know and like they say…ignorance is bliss. I could hook it up and unhook it. I could back it in with some modicum of success. I didn’t use the plumbing…at all. This simplified things greatly. The heater was pretty self explanatory. I needed it at this point in the trip because it’s really cold in March in Colorado.

There were days I woke up with snow on the ground. If that happened, I made arrangements with the campground to just stay put till things looked better. I passed the days looking at colorful magazines and napping…and writing. I went to the Four Corners area of Colorado and camped on my dear friend Sue’s ten acres overlooking Mesa Verde for at least a week. She took me to my first “wild hot spring”…which was essentially a hole in the ground with rocks around it. Eventually I traveled on south to Ojo Calliente in New Mexico.

The only wild hot spring I’ve ever been in. Free and hot, hot, hot! There was no other water to temper this water that bubbled up out of the ground. You couldn’t stay in for long!

There was a small primitive campground at the mineral springs at Ojo. They had yoga every morning in a yurt on the grounds. A restaurant served wonderful food. You could buy a package deal that got you entry to the hot springs, a massage, a meal, and the campsite. At the time, I think it was something like $50 for all that. Quite a deal. I think I stayed there two or three nights. I was going to go on across the desert southwest to California but changed my mind. I still didn’t feel comfortable being that far away on my own.

I’m planning another solo adventure in a couple of months that I’ll tell you more about as we get closer to a departure date. In the meantime, the weather has turned chilly again with a final wintry mix of snow and rain over the weekend. Night time temperatures will be down in the twenties. I’m WAY over this and will be happy to see winter put to bed for good soon. I finished a pair of socks yesterday and started knitting a black winter hat to go with the pair of mittens I finished last week.

My latest projects…a pair of socks, some black wool mittens, and a hat to match.

I went out to check the camper last night and the refrigerator is still not getting cold so we’re going to have to do something about that. It is under warranty so it won’t cost us anything. But it is a pain in the rear having to take “The Birdhouse” in for service already. I’m sure it’s something easy to fix or replace.

Enjoy your Saturday, dear ones!

“She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands.”
Proverbs 31:13 ESV

#Knitting, #Memories, #Grief

Counting Stitches, Counting Days

Wed, 23 Feb 2022 02:30:00 -0600

Oh, how I love this yarn. The softness comes from 70% Superwash Merino Wool and the sheen comes from 30% Bamboo. It’s like butter. It’s lightweight and warm…just what you want in a wrap for a May outing in Colorado. The pattern is super easy and I love the edge it creates as you end rows and begin the next. It’s a series of open loops that seem to fit the nature of the both the pattern and the yarn.

The shawl I’m currently knitting. The picture shows different yarns, but the one I am using is self striping. I could have thrown in some different textures and stitches, but I’m keeping it simple.

I awoke yesterday morning out in the Big Birdhouse along about 3:30. I was chilled and couldn’t quite figure out why till I discovered the electric blanket was no longer working. It is super frustrating for me to spend perfectly good money on something only to have it stop working after five times. We’ll try to return both blankets. Mr. FixIt’s is still in its packaging, but if one has stopped working, the other will surely be right behind it. Here is where I have to point out…you get what you pay for. In an effort to save a few dollars, I caved and bought the cheapest electric blanket I could find. Sure enough, it underlines my shopping mantra. “Buy the best you can afford. It saves you money in the long run.”

Starry, starry night.

Even though I covered up with an extra quilt I had in the camper, I didn’t really warm up because I didn’t want to turn on the small ceramic space heater. It had just started raining and I wanted to hear the raindrops hitting the roof of the camper. As I lay there fiddling with my phone, I decided to take a picture of the interior with the night vision setting of my iPhone. The blue light from the clock on the microwave created an enchanting “under sea” look that was fun.

By the glow of the microwave clock.

I waited for the sun to come up and somewhere around 6:00, I drifted off for a couple of hours. I had to pack up my camper bag and wait for the rain to slack off a bit before I headed indoors. Mr. FixIt was sitting in the family room when I came in so I poured my coffee and sat down with him. He had an appointment in town in the early afternoon and I had my Zoom call with my brother out in Colorado.

Afterward, I turned on YouTube and watched a few videos on Appalachian folklore, caught a couple tutorials on knitting and making sourdough English muffins, and worked on the new shawl I’m knitting. This one starts with a cast on that ends up being the center of the back of the neck then expands the further down you go. By the time you get down to the place where you knit the lace border, you have 218 stitches. I’ve learned to place a stitch marker every five rows so I don’t have to sit and count that many stitches very often.

Once I start the lace border, I’ll have to go back to paying close attention in order to get the pattern right. It rained hard all day, so it was a perfect day to knit by the fire and listen to old tales from the Appalachian people. There were several videos about old folk sayings and wive’s tales…much of which I heard from my elders as I was growing up. I’ll share some in another post one of these days.

Today is an at-home day. I think I may do a little baking as it is expected to be rather cold and dismal grey here. This bright and cheerful yarn is just what the doctor ordered for days such as this!

““Be glad, O children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God, for he has given the early rain for your vindication; he has poured down for you abundant rain, the early and the latter rain, as before.”
Joel 2:23 ESV

When You Find You’re Out of Shape

Tue, 22 Feb 2022 02:30:00 -0600

It’s Tuesday…2-22-22!

Lands, sake! I am SO out of shape! When winter hit and the outdoor chores were over, and there were no big holiday parties, no big indoor projects to accomplish…I sat down. Well, of course I did! I had knitting to do. And, while I knitted away…happy as a little clam…my muscles atrophied and I feel like I aged ten years. This cannot happen. I’m not even 70 yet. I have things to do, places to go, camping to accomplish.

I was fixing my breakfast when I heard Mr. FixIt rummaging around downstairs. He had decided to run the snake down the drain by himself and, truly…it is a two person job. The cable got twisted and he was having a heck of a time. I gulped down the last of my coffee and sat on the bottom step to help him. We struggled with that thing for two hours. When we did it last year and I was in great shape after mowing and working all summer, it still killed my hips and back. Fast forward to yesterday, a little over two week post op, and….let’s just say I wasn’t as much help and I hoped to be.

By the time we got the cable twisted up twice and jammed in the housing, we both gave up. There’s always another day. We did managed to pull out a big clump of roots from the drain, so we are hoping the rains coming this week won’t overwhelm the system. We both retreated to our respective recliners for the rest of the afternoon.

Since I finished the latest project Sunday night, I decided to pick up the next one. I had a few choices of yarn and I selected a bright, colorful Merino Wool and Bamboo blend. I found a better pattern for a true shawl so I set to knitting. This yarn is SO soft to the touch. It’s super stretchy. And the colors create stripes, just like a rainbow. I think this is the one I’ll wear to my granddaughter’s graduation in May in Colorado. We’ll see how it turns out.

It was 66° here by late afternoon so I decided it was a good camping night. It’s supposed to start raining in the middle of the night and I can listen it tapping on the roof of the camper. I haven’t replaced the chair in the camper since we returned the rockers, so I didn’t bring my knitting out. This camper isn’t really conducive to sitting propped up in bed to knit because the roof angles down at each end. So, I’ll write, and read, and maybe watch a movie.

My friend did well during her medical procedure yesterday and I wanted to thank you all for your prayers. I get to see my brother today over Zoom so I’m really looking forward to that. I need to start getting more exercise so I can get back to work here. Use it or lose it, am I right?

“So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 ESV

The Bird Whisperer

Thu, 17 Feb 2022 02:30:00 -0600

The birds in the ‘hood were going crazy yesterday. I heard birds I’ve never heard before. I saw the nesting pair of red shoulder hawks that live in the woods nearby. I captured a photo this week of a yellow-bellied sapsucker. Sometimes when I capture a bird’s call on the Merlin app on my phone, it says it’s very rare in our area. In that case, I try to catch the call again and get a visual sighting.

I’m really not all that knowledgeable about birds. I just have a passing knowledge and I know where to look them up. This app really helps. This weekend the the Annual Audubon Bird Count. Maybe one of these days, I’ll take the time to be a part of that. In the meantime, I love our little feathered friends.

I was sitting in the recliner knitting yesterday morning when Mr. FixIt caught my attention. He was standing outside the storm door waving at me and motioning me to come outside. When I opened the door, he pointed down and there was a male downy woodpecker sitting on the sidewalk…stunned. He had flown into the storm door. I need to put decals on that door to keep them from hitting it.

I gently scooped up the little critter and went over to sit on the steps leading up to the deck. His head was precariously tipped to one side, his eyes were moving with nystagmus which indicates dizziness, his beak was slightly open. He printed rapidly and one eye wasn’t as open as the other. I held him gently and let him rest. I whispered to him. I asked God to heal this little creature.

At one point, his eyes closed and he went limp. His little head lolled over against my thumb and I held my breath as I watching his. I started talking to him and told him what a big, brave little bird he was and that I really wanted him to fly again. He suddenly took two big breaths, shuddered and….opened his eyes! I cheered him on and he picked up his head. I stroked his head and said I’d take my cue from him.

About two minutes later, he moved his feet under him and pushed up against my fingers. I opened my hand and off he went…first to the porch railing, then to brush behind the building, and finally up into his favorite maple tree! Hooray! I was so happy to see him fly away. Mr. FixIt and I both went in to wash our hands. We moved the feeders around a little because one of the hooks wasn’t strong enough to hold two feeders when they were full.

My sweetheart went to town in the afternoon and I worked on the shawl I’m knitting with the new yarn I bought Tuesday. It is a much more complex pattern for a lacy, airy wrap that I’ll take with me to Colorado in May. I had to tune out any extraneous noises by listening to the recording of a fireplace that I love writing to.

The moon is bright and the skies have been clear the last couple of nights. I played with the camera on my new iPhone. It takes night photos which is SO awesome!

It was 65° yesterday so I went “camping” out in the Big Birdhouse last night. We bought new camp chairs a couple of weeks ago. I moved the table top and set up the chair in it’s place in the camper so I could sit and knit. Well, after about 20 minutes, one of the hinges on the new chair broke. I looked carefully and it was made out of plastic! How frustrating to spend $50 for a camp chair and it broke like that. We’ll take both of them back to Sam’s and get a refund!

❤️

“Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell; they sing among the branches.”
Psalm 104:12 ESV

Super Bowl Sunday

Sun, 13 Feb 2022 02:30:00 -0600

I didn’t knit a stitch on Friday. I let myself process my test results, thanked God for the fact it’s nothing worse, and “camped” in the field. Ohhhh….what a treat that was! We saw 65° on Friday and it was down in the 40’s overnight. I was awakened a few times to the sound of rain on the camper roof. The Big Birdhouse is a sanctuary, indeed. And perhaps this week, I’ll get out to the farm for a couple of days. That would be icing on the cake!

I worked on the sweater yesterday and I’m making great progress. I like a sweater to come down low on my hips. Camouflage, you know. I think I’ll knit with the dark color at least as wide as the dusty rose band…and maybe an inch or two longer. I’m almost ready to start the last skein of yarn on this project. I have to tell you…I know I wouldn’t want to work on a project like this in warm weather. This thing is like an electric blanket on my lap. It’s going to make a wonderful, warm sweater.

We watched the Olympics most of the afternoon. I got drowsy and went back out to the camper for a little nap, which was lovely. It wasn’t nearly as warm yesterday, and by nightfall it was actually snowing! I don’t think it will amount to much. We’ll be cool for a couple of days then get back to springtime temperatures again. This is one of the biggest reasons I live back in my home state. The winters aren’t too bad…nothing like Colorado.

I’m going to put a batch of spaghetti sauce in the crockpot this morning. We’ll watch more of the Olympics, I’ll knit, and we’ll watch the Super Bowl. I have to pull for our neighbors and hope the Bengals win! Joe Burrow is from Athens…which is not all that far from us. I love what he has done for the food bank in his hometown. Since the Division Championship Game, ten years worth of donations have arrived. That will make a world of difference for families who need some help with food.

I’m looking forward to working on a new project soon. That’s one of the reasons socks and dishcloths are so satisfying…closer to the instant gratification I enjoy. Actually, I haven’t been working on this sweater for all that long. It looks like I started it on January 30th, so that’s not bad for a relative rookie!

Enjoy your day, dear ones!

❄️❤️❄️

“Ask rain from the Lord in the season of the spring rain, from the Lord who makes the storm clouds, and he will give them showers of rain, to everyone the vegetation in the field.”
Zechariah 10:1 ESV