Birdie on Marshmallow Ranch

Bye-Bye, Birdie!

Sun, 20 Mar 2022 01:30:00 -0600

I met my classmates yesterday morning for coffee. We always have so much fun visiting. We had some new folks and some who hadn’t attended in quite some time, which is always nice. One of the gals brought little pots of shamrocks for us. I remember when Wood County Bank used to give them out every St. Patrick’s Day. I hadn’t had one for ages so I brought it home and put it in the kitchen window. Hopefully I don’t kill it, but I’m not laying bets on it.

One of the gals who came to coffee was in school with me from second grade on through high school. Barb grew up about twenty blocks from me, but my mom was super protective of me and I wasn’t allowed to wander much more than a three or four block radius from the house. Still, I always knew and liked Barb.

One story in particular I remember. This was back in Junior High and “falls” were in fashion. They were long half wigs where the hair attached to a stretchy headband. I remember Barb coming to school one day and her hair was suddenly very long. Now, I was a terribly protected and naive kid. I had never heard of falls. I was mesmerized. I asked her how on earth she got her hair to grow like that overnight. She told me she laid on her bed, hung her head over the edge, and brushed and brushed her hair. I went home and tried that and the next morning…nothing! I asked her if I had done something wrong and she laughed and slipped the fall off. I couldn’t believe it! lol

I shared that story yesterday and we all had a great laugh. When we were done and the obligatory photo was taken, we all went our separate ways. Barb headed to pick up her husband and the dogs to come to our house to pick up Birdie. This was Barb’s birthday gift to herself. I am so in awe of her. She is a nurse practitioner and lived in Alaska, traveling to remote villages by single engine prop planes. She lived and worked all winter in such harsh conditions in the dark season. Then in the summer, she works at a children’s camp. She recently retired, but couldn’t stand it and went back to work. She’s amazing!

I went through the camper with them, showing them how this and that worked. I know they were on sensory overload so I hooked her up with Girl Camper and with a FB group for a-frame campers where they can ask whatever questions they have. And, of course…YouTube. All of the booklets are in the camper as well, and if they can’t find the answer, they can always call us. I am so glad this little camper went with a friend. It was a little bittersweet letting Birdie go, but we just don’t need TWO birdhouse campers. However we DO need a new roof! Priorities!

I felt like we really accomplished something yesterday. A little “lightening of the load” around here and that always feels good! Now, on to the next thing!

“Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.”
1 Thessalonians 5:11 ESV

Big on the Big Screen

Sat, 19 Mar 2022 01:30:00 -0600

I gave her her first bath, much to her parent’s dismay. I misunderstood. She wanted me to show her how to bathe the baby by not actually DOING it. We all survived and there were plenty of other baths for mom and dad to participate in. Anyway, my first grandchild has gone from a little tadpole to a barracuda. She and her mom are up north at one of her last swim meets as a high school student. Big texted this afternoon with a link and we pulled her events up on the big screen TV. There, I watched my beautiful girls…Big in the water and Daughter #1 timing the races.

I found myself staring at my daughter between heats. Even though she was clear over on the other side of the pool and the picture was fuzzy, I’d know her anywhere. She still stands like she did when she was little. Gosh, I miss my Colorado peeps terribly. I’m counting down. In two months, I’ll be there with them for Big’s high school graduation.

This is a big year for that. My youngest bonus grandchild graduates in May four days after Big. Then, in August, Mr. FixIt and I will attend our 50+1 Year High School Reunion. We are a year late due to covid. We are truly hoping all will be well for that event. Who knows…between covid and world events, things are dicey.

Yesterday was so lovely and warm. One of my school chums is coming today to pick up “Birdie” and she’s heading off to live in Virginia. We worked on her yesterday and made sure everything was in good order. I went in to our home safe to get the title and…it wasn’t there! I checked the safe deposit box last week and it wasn’t there either. I told Mr. FixIt, I’d better head to town and get a duplicate or we were in big trouble.

They’re doing some repair work on the two lane about halfway to town. There’s a huge bump that hooves up over the winter. They come in periodically and shave it down, but this time they decided to do a more permanent fix. The traffic was down to one lane with a flagger. As I sat there, I went through the sequence of events, trying to remember where I could have possibly put that title. Suddenly, it hit me!

It was in my purse! I put it there when we traveled to Colorado last year. I learned my lesson when I had to sell that small camper a couple of years ago halfway through my trip because the rough interstate shook the stuffings out of it and it wasn’t safe to tow back. I had to have Mr. FixIt overnight the title. When it arrived, it was the wrong one so we had to try again. This time I had it with us, just in case.

That eliminated the long wait at the DMV, which is always a great relief. I did need to replace some big washers on the weight distribution hitch that goes with the camper. And I needed a new ball for our hitch. I filled up with gas. $100 was the cutoff on the pump…per purchase on plastic. It was full, so I left it alone. Every time I stand in front of the gas pump or the checkout in the market, all I can see are empty baby carriages on a train platform and I hand over the money with such gratitude.

As I write this, I can hear the spring peepers out there…singing their siren songs…wooing their prospective mates. An occasional night bird I’ve yet to identify calls. The bark of a dog comes echoing down the holler and cars accelerate up the two lane blacktop out front, gaining speed for the steep hill ahead. I can hear the faint background music on the detective show Mr. FixIt loves to watch. Our world here is light years away from the strife and trauma of Ukraine. I pray peace for these people…and for our world. I donate and make informed choices at the voting booth. And I turn it over to God and live the best life I can. I don’t want to squander one moment of it. Those whose lives have ground to a halt in this war would give anything to have this peace. I pray it comes soon.

Today is coffee with my high school friends. We’ll hug and love on each other and not waste a moment of the time we’ve been given. And I’ll try to keep my mind from going into the “what if” closet.

“Too long have I had my dwelling among those who hate peace. I am for peace, but when I speak, they are for war!”
Psalm 120:6-7 ESV

The Warmth of Old Memories and New Friends

Wed, 16 Mar 2022 01:30:00 -0600

I’m a “yarn junkie” and I went to see my dealer yesterday. We do our negotiations right in front of God and everybody. I shamelessly paw through her sale bin with the fervor of someone jonesing for a fix, knowing full well how many “hits” I already have in my stash at home. *sigh* I can’t help it…I’ve hit the mother lode. A yarn shop! Granted, it’s 20 miles there and 20 miles back, so the cost of fuel is cutting into my savings but….c’mon, man…it’s a YARN SHOP!

My score yesterday was six skeins of 100% Superwash Wool for mittens. I have vowed to knit something for everyone for Christmas this year. These skeins were originally $14 each and I got all six for twelve bucks! I might be able to get a pair of mittens out of each skein. That’s a pretty good deal if you ask me!

I stopped at my favorite coffee shop on my way to town and sat in the morning sun, knitting a little on each of the projects I have going. I try not to eavesdrop on people when I’m out, but it was difficult not to overhear the conversation between two men enjoying a cup of coffee together. I got the impression they were retired and may have worked together. I found myself smiling from time to time at the nature of their casual banter. One asked if the other had seen so-and-so recently. The other said he had not. He went on to say he had spoken to the fella some time ago and relayed something he had said to the guy. They hadn’t spoken since and this man was concerned that perhaps he had hurt the other fellow’s feelings in some way. They went on to discuss the possibility for quite some time. And I thought it was only us gals who worried about stuff like that!

This particular coffee shop gives you a cute little sticker placed over the sippy hole in the lid. They are usually seasonal or some cute little saying. I have several stuck to the dashboard of my truck. They make me smile. Yesterday’s was a shamrock and I thought of Mr. Virgo. He was buried on this day, nine years ago. Being a McKinney…he was all things Irish! I felt like he was dropping by to say hello over coffee. One of our happy places was on the front porch sipping coffee on his days off. Yes…it was a sign that I have oodles and oodles of reasons to be grateful and full of joy!

I was greeted by a warm hello when I joined the girls sitting around the table in the front room of the yarn shop. We are in that early stage of making friends where we learn about each other and where we’ve been on this life’s journey. I like these women and I am so thrilled to have met them. As I left the shop, they told me how glad they were I found them and that left me feeling all warm and fuzzy.

I walked across the street and into the Lebanese restaurant for a half order of tabouli and baba ghanoush with warm pita bread to go. I sat in my truck in the warm sunshine watching an engineer maneuver a train back and forth, picking up more and more cars before he headed out on a run. We caught each other’s eye, smiled brightly and waved. Just like when I was a kid, shopping with my mom on this very same street on a warm spring day some sixty years ago.

I headed home. Mr. FixIt called just as I crossed the interstate overpass. He asked where I was. When I told him, he said, “I see you!” We passed each other, waving like we hadn’t seen each other in a month of Sundays. He went on to town to run some errands and I headed home. I started a third project….a pair of mittens from the black wool I bought earlier. It knits up so nicely and it goes quickly because it’s really chunky yarn.

So, I’ve officially joined the ranks of “knitters who work on multiple projects”. I’m also reading a book so I’ve been busy! I was going to head to the farm today, but my bonus daughter and son-in-law are coming over today to help us do some things around the house. We have some trees that need to come down and bushes that need trimmed back. I need to pull “Birdie” around to the side of the building so I can pop the top and clean out what I am sure are a million ladybugs and stink bugs. Her new owners are coming Saturday to pick her up and I want her to look pretty!

It was a joyful day, full of warm memories and new friends….and yarn.

One can NEVER have too much yarn, right?

“You make springs gush forth in the valleys; they flow between the hills;”
Psalm 104:10 ESV

An Outing to Knit

Tue, 01 Mar 2022 02:30:00 -0600

When I had my little needlework shop in Glenwood Springs, a group of gals gathered around the large table in the back and stitched together. We solved the world’s problems as well as a few of our own. We caught up on each other’s lives, encouraged each other in our creative pursuits, and shared a camaraderie I treasure to this day. It’s one of the reasons I love getting my classmates together for coffee.

I love that kind of interaction. It feeds my social side as well as stimulates my intellect. Any time you can gather with people you have opportunities for connection, enlightenment, and personal growth. In that vein, I am going to the yarn shop today to share some time and knit amongst other enthusiasts. I have a bag filled with goodies I’ve knitted in the last three months that I’m taking for “Show and Tell”.

I finished the hat last night that goes with the fingerless gloves. It’s so stretchy and soft. I did decide to go back and try inserting a band of lace from the pattern I used on the second shawl I knitted. I think I just needed to have a break from the project overnight and look at it with fresh eyes this morning. As soon as I picked it up, I knew exactly what to do to make it work and I really liked the way it turned out.

A friend contacted me last week and heard that we are selling the “Little Birdhouse”…the smaller A-Frame camper we bought in August last year. She wants to buy it so they have something easy to pull with the vehicle they already own and this is perfect for that. I’m so excited that someone I know will be buying this sweet little camper!

This is the month that is not quite spring…not quite winter. It’s a little dicey to think about going camping in March in this area because you never know what the weather is going to be like. It could be warm and beautiful or torrential rains or a freaky spring snowstorm. That’s why I kind of limit my camping to our field during the months from November to at least April.

My dear friend Gail is having a gathering of gals at her house late this month. She has an AirB&B house right next door to her and she can house the lot of us in separate bedrooms to reduce the risks of spreading Covid. Just because precautions are loosening up, doesn’t mean the virus is gone. It can still be spread. But I do feel a bit braver about gathering with others…especially if they are fully vaccinated and I can wear a mask when I want.

And, here is it. March.

Where does the time go???

“What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.”
1 Corinthians 14:26 ESV

My Get Up and Go, Got Up and Went

Tue, 26 Oct 2021 01:30:00 -0600

Even though I have a list as long as my arm of things I want to get done before the snow flies, I didn’t get much accomplished yesterday. Since we had our Covid boosters on Sunday, I kind of expected yesterday to be a bit of a slack off our usual schedule. I wasn’t wrong. I don’t feel BAD. No headache, no fever, no body aches any worse than my baseline. Just didn’t have a lot of juice is the only way I can describe it. My arm is sore, but not as sore as the last two shots. So, overall…I’m good.

I finished winterizing the new camper. While I was out there, I could hear a repetitive series of four beeps in the distance. Once I was finished, I went to investigate and it was Birdie…chirping! It turned out, I left a bucket of water with a little cleaner in it. And Sunday night, we went out and closed the ceiling vent because rain was coming. I think the combo of the cleaner and the vent being closed set off the CO/Propane monitor. That and the fact that the battery ran down because the camper hasn’t been plugged in for a couple of weeks. I set up the trickler on the battery and reset the monitor and the beeping magically went away.

By this time, we were both ready for supper. I bought a London Broil for $15 on sale Saturday and set it in the fridge in a bowl of marinade. I turned it yesterday morning and let it set another 24 hours in the fridge. I have never broiled anything in this oven before and it took longer to get to internal temperature than I thought it would. It didn’t turn out quite as tender as I had hoped it would, but it was very tasty. We’ll use the leftovers for sandwiches, steak salad, and fajitas this week. That will simplify meal prep.

We had rain off and on yesterday. I changed the bedding and put the electric blanket on. I love a warm bed in a very cool room. Mr. FixIt, however, loves a warm room with a very light blanket. I have slowly weaned him from that by making sure the electric blanket is really warm when he comes to bed. It just doesn’t make any sense to me to warm up the house for the few seconds it takes to undress and hop under the covers. There are many things we both compromise on and, after all, we’ve only been married three years. We’re still finding areas where we can give and take. I topped off the bed with this really sweet vintage quilt I picked up somewhere along the way. I love sleeping under a quilt. It seems like all the love that went into each square wraps itself around me and makes me feel at peace.

I was looking at my Facebook memories yesterday and found these great pictures I took on an outing at a local nursery…pre-Mr. FixIt. While spring and summer are my favorite seasons, I think I love fall the most when it comes to photography. I love the warm and cozy vibe you get on cloudy, misty days. I’m definitely NOT a pumpkin spice and Hallmark movie kinda gal, but I do love a big baggy sweater and leggings and great boots with maybe a barn jacket thrown over it with a scarf if it’s really chilly. I’m a falling leaves and cocoa and a great cookbook lover. I’m the happiest when I have something yummy in the oven making the house smell divine. Maybe by the weekend, I’ll have all this camping gear organized and put away for the winter and the family room will be livable again. One can only hope!

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“he will give the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the later rain, that you may gather in your grain and your wine and your oil.”
Deuteronomy 11:14 ESV

The Mister Picked a Purple Pepper

Wed, 29 Sep 2021 01:30:00 -0600

Our trip to Colorado pretty much threw our gardening and canning out the window this year. You can’t be gone a month and expect the garden to tend itself, and what I really wanted to can came on while we were gone. Namely, half runner beans. Next year’s trip will happen in May for Big’s graduation. So we’ll be home for harvest season. We did get some purple peppers and there are still many blooms on the plants. I doubt seriously they can come to fruit before the first frost, but we shall see.

Mr. FixIt mowed the backyard yesterday while I did some routine maintenance on Birdie. When you drive that far, you need to go around and check to make sure you haven’t lost any screws and tighten any that may have loosened on the rough highways. Even when you drive below the speed limit and try to avoid all the potholes, a camper still gets the stuffin’s shaken out of it so It’s best to keep up with your preventative maintenance.

I am shocked tomorrow is the last day of September! This year has flown by…much faster than 2020 which took approximately a decade and a half. October is one of the prettiest months of the year here in West Virginia. Our third wedding anniversary is coming up the middle of the month. We usually take a trip to the beach in October, but with the trip to Colorado under our belts, I think we’ll just explore our own beautiful state as we celebrate another year of marital bliss.

I’ve really wanted to take a camping trip and revisit some of the beautiful places I stayed when I was towing the Girl Camper Raffle Trailer a couple of years ago. When I asked Mr. FixIt what he’d like to do that week, he suggested we camp somewhere and take one of the excursion trains to see the colors. I love that we are so attuned to each other and enjoy the same things. I’ll sit down this week and plan out a fun trip for our last camping trip of the season. Another adventure awaits!

Mr. FixIt has things to do in town today, so I’m going to piddle around here at home. There is always something to keep me busy!

“A cheerful heart is good medicine….”
Proverbs 17:22 NIV

Time Flies When You’re Having Fun!

Mon, 27 Sep 2021 01:30:00 -0600

I woke up yesterday morning to the sun peeking through the curtains in the camper. It was cold…a very brisk 46 degrees! My electric blanket turns off automatically after a certain amount of time and I keep forgetting to reset it when I’m turning off the lights. Consequently, it was off and getting pretty darned nippy in the camper along about 6:00. I turned the blanket back on, as well as the little ceramic heater, and it was toasty in no time and I slept till 8:00.

I stretched and watched the shadows of the trees on the window for a little bit, then I heard my friends rattling around out there. Gail threw logs on the fire and it was soon crackling, so I knew I needed to get up and get moving. Anne made peanut butter pancakes with real maple syrup…yummmm! There was crispy bacon and scrambled eggs…and coffee! I don’t know what it is…but camping coffee tastes better than any other coffee I’ve had.

After breakfast, we each made our way to our campers and started gathering things up and packing for the trip home. There are always last minute reminders of something left at the campfire, but soon enough, we were all giving covid-approved hugs (faces turned away…no lingering…and only with another vaccinated camper) and declaring this the best trip yet. (Aren’t they all???)

It’s always sad to say goodbye to good friends, but we camp together at least twice a year, and we FaceTime at least once a week during the winter to make the time go faster. We always learn something new with each new campout that we can take forward to make camping even more fun! Like this cool collapsible electric tea kettle. Mr. FixIt went without his beloved nightly tea ritual while we were traveling to and from Colorado. If we would have had one of these, it would have made it easier to do. And, instead of heating up your hot water tank in the camper to do a few dishes, you can heat water up in this, add it to cold in the sink, and get your dishes done in a hurry! It pays to hang with camper chicks!

[www.amazon.com/dp/B08S32...](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08S32G8H5/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_K4HMDKDBTB58G7FPQBGN?_encoding=UTF8)&psc=1

“Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.”
1 John 4:11-12 NIV

Knitting Wounded Hearts

Sun, 26 Sep 2021 01:30:00 -0600

I wish I could say I made these beauties, but they are Cindy’s creation!

One of my biggest goals for the weekend was to be here to support my dear friend, Gail. She has had so many family emergencies with life threatening illnesses this year…she was feeling overwhelmed and in dire need of hugs. I’m so glad we got to spend some much needed one-on-one time yesterday. We sat and knitted for hours. We laughed, we cried, we hugged. Sometimes you just need a dear friend to hug you and say…I’m here for you.

When you are knitting with a friend, you are knitting much more than yarn. You are knitting wounded hearts.

Knitting and chatting with my dear friend, Gail…and admiring the colors.

We had a crackling fire going all day because it was pretty darned chilly at the campground. We started the day with a hearty breakfast…scrambled eggs, bacon, homemade cinnamon rolls, and coffee. I brought a new variety of apple for snacking. They’re called Cosmic Crisps and they are SO good. It has been a long time since I’ve eaten apples and really enjoyed them, but these just might get me back into “an apple a day”.

Three of our camper gals went out exploring in the afternoon so Gail and I continued to knit. I’m using up the leftover yarn from the shawl I knitted this summer and I’m making a hat. I love it so far.

The camper is working great. The girls love it. It was predicted to get down to 46 degrees last night so I’m really glad I brought my electric blanket and little space heater. They worked well Friday night. Today, we’ll all have breakfast together. Jan brought her banjo so she’ll play a little for us. We’ll break camp then Gail and I will watch church together before I head home.

Talking around the fire.

One of the gals was telling me yesterday that she likes to do a variety of activities when she goes camping so she feels like she’s had a longer weekend. I’m just the opposite. I am SO busy in my everyday life that all I wanted to do this weekend was sit for hours, talk with my friend, and knit. I feel like I’ve been gone much longer than a weekend. Yet…it always ends too soon when you’re having fun, doesn’t it?

“Oil and perfume make the heart glad, and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel.”
Proverbs 27:9 ESV

Mum’s the Word

Fri, 24 Sep 2021 01:30:00 -0600

It’s mum season. Pumpkin spice everything is everywhere. I’m sorta kinda ready this time. I always hate seeing summer leave us, but I know we will have stretches of “Indian Summer” in a little while so there’s still lots of time to get out and do fun things. I was too busy yesterday to take any photos for this morning’s blog, so I went through my archives and chose some pictures I took of beautiful autumn flowers to share with you today.

I always say I’m going to plant flowers “this year”…but I end up looking at the price tags and thinking… “I could have a great camping trip with that money!” So, I drive around and visit nurseries and take some great photos. They’re free, they never die, and I can pull them up and look at them whenever I want. I can kill a silk plant…seriously. I’m always amazed at the flowers we have outside that I haven’t managed to kill. That’s because I leave it all up to God to do the gardening. I’m just along for the joy ride.

Mr. FixIt changed the oil in my truck for me yesterday in preparation for my trip to camp with the girls this weekend. The weather has really taken a turn and it’s predicted to be pretty darned chilly. I rummaged around in the guest closet yesterday afternoon, pulled out an electric blanket and set it by the front door to take with me. I have leggings and sweatshirts packed. I’ll find my hiking boots and wool socks and put them in the truck. I think I’ll even take a heavy coat for sitting around the fire. I have my small ceramic heater in the camper already. The furnace for the camper is actually located under the dinette, which is currently down in a twin bed position, so I can’t light it. It doesn’t matter though…that little electric heater really warms up a small camper in no time.

I always wait till I get to the town nearest my destination before I buy what I need to contribute to the communal meals when I camp with a bunch of girlfriends. That works out really well with this little a-frame camper. Normally, I would just go in and fill the fridge and pantry in a bigger camper. But I’d have to pop this one up in order to get in and that isn’t feasible. This way, I can just drive the last ten minutes, get set up, and then put everything away.

I went through my camping supplies yesterday that I keep packed and ready to go. I use a rechargeable drill to lower and raise the stabilization jacks on my campers. I know I had the charger for my drill earlier this summer in preparation for camping. But now I can’t find it anywhere. So… “Mr. FixIt’s Mercantile” to the rescue again. He has one of everything and two of most, so I just raided one of his drills and chargers. I charged the battery up in it to make sure it’s working right for when I set up today. I may not have been a full-fledged Girl Scout, but I was a Brownie…and that’s pretty close! I like to have every possible scenario covered…just in case.

I have food prepared for Mr. FixIt for when I’m gone. I made a big pot of spaghetti sauce yesterday and we had it over spaghetti squash last night. SO good! It’s so packed with meat, he can eat it like a Sloppy Joe, or add beans and chili powder and have a nice pot of chili for the weekend. He has sandwich fixin’s and a full pantry, so he isn’t going to starve. I just like to leave him some “love in a pot” when I go somewhere so I know he’s well cared for.

He has plenty to do to keep him busy. It’s time to close the pool for the year. The garden needs pulled up. The burn pile is growing ever larger so that could use doing. What I really hope he does is put his feet up, call a friend, take a nap, watch a movie. If I’m going to be out playing with the girls, he should be relaxing, as well.

And, so…it is autumn.

“The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.”
Isaiah 40:8 ESV

Home is Where You Park Birdie

Thu, 23 Sep 2021 01:30:00 -0600

It rained all Tuesday night in Indiana. We awoke to a veritable pond surrounding our camper. I said a little prayer the night before that there would be at least a small break in the downpour…just enough to get things packed up and on the road. When I woke up, I listened. Nothing! The rain had stopped for the moment. I sprang up out of bed, threw on my clothes and told Mr. FixIt he’d better hustle his butt up out of bed because I was closing up shop as fast as I could. We were up, dressed, packed, and on the road in less than fifteen minutes. Good thing, too…it started raining again with a vengeance.

I-70 is a barrel race with automobiles, trucks, tractor trailers, RV’s…it’s crazy. Add some really heavy rain and road construction and you’ve got white-knuckle driving extraordinaire! I was SO glad to turn off the “I-70 Raceway” onto US-33 and ease on down the road to West Virginia. We are always pleased as punch to see that “Welcome to West Virginia” sign over the bridge as you cross the Ohio into Almost Heaven Land. Even more so yesterday.

We had just passed Lancaster, Ohio when we went around a curve and…all the windows in the truck fogged up at once. I looked at the thermometer on the dash and we went up ten degrees in just a couple of miles. We had crossed through the cold front. Things were about to get interesting. Those few miles in front of a moving cold front are dicey. The abrupt temperature change causes winds and heavy rain in most cases and by heavy rain, I mean car wash heavy. I hit standing water on the highway and couldn’t see the vehicles around me. For a split second, my foot said “HIT THE BRAKES!” Fortunately, my brain was there with “Not so fast, Jack!” Mr. FixIt and I both had our noses as close to the windshield as we could get and in a few hundred feet, the sky cleared up. There were cars and trucks and RV’s parked on both sides of the highway where they took shelter. That’s too scary for me. I just stay in the middle lane with my emergency flashers on and keep moving careful forward. I feel safer that way.

We stopped and picked up the cat from the Kitty Hilton. I expect one of these days, Mr. FixIt will decide it’s cheaper for him to just stay home with the cat and let me go on these trips by myself. Wowza!

We got home just before it started raining again. I refused to go inside at first. I hate when a trip is over. So, I stretched out in the camper, watched the rain on the back window, and relaxed. Mr. FixIt will change the oil today…unless it’s too wet, which is highly likely. In that case, I’ll run to town to get it changed. And tomorrow, I head off to camp with some of my girlfriends for the weekend! Gotta take advantage of every moment in the camper that I can possible get, because winter is coming. It’ll be here before we know it.

“But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.”
Ephesians 4:7 ESV

One More Day

Wed, 22 Sep 2021 01:30:00 -0600

We woke up this morning and got the camper closed up before it sprinkled. The drive was easy, but there are an awful lot of trucks on I-70. The detour around Indianapolis was a sight to behold. Miles and miles and miles of traffic in both lanes…sitting at a complete standstill. Coming from the west wasn’t such a big deal because there was a clearly marked detour on I-465 circling around the south of the city. However, by the time we joined I-70 again, the westbound lanes looked like a parking lot and we were ever so grateful we weren’t going in that direction.

We drove in and out of little rain storms…nothing more than a few minutes with the windshield wipers on. When we saw the big cross at Effingham, we knew we were almost there. We went to get something to eat before we went to the campground so we wouldn’t have to come out again. I will tell you this…it will be a LONG time before I eat fast food again. Ugh! We made sandwiches several times, but we never once cooked…either in the camper or on the outdoor grill. I am really looking forward to a good home cooked meal from our kitchen.

We were thrilled to get the very same campsite we had last time here at Grandpa’s Farm Campground in Richmond, Indiana. We got the camper set up, opened up the curtains to see the view of the walnut trees in the campground, and hunkered down for the night. The owner tells us these trees only produce every other year and since last year was a bumper crop, we shouldn’t be awakened in the middle of the night with a loud bang on the roof. I certainly hope not. We camped under oak trees a couple of times and those big, fat acorns sound like a gunshot when they hit the camper roof!

As much as I love traveling, I am looking forward to next week. We get home tomorrow, then I leave Friday to go camp with some girlfriends for a couple of days. We have to go to Columbus on Monday for another scan trying to find my parathyroid glands who have gone AWOL. Starting Tuesday, we have no major plans for a while. I really am looking forward to some down time!

“If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.”
Psalm 139:9-10 ESV

Finding Feathers and Pennies from Heaven

Tue, 21 Sep 2021 01:30:00 -0600

I didn’t sleep very well the first two nights of this trip for some reason. Probably because we’re leaving the family. And it’s been really hot so we have to sleep with the AC on and I don’t like that. At any rate, I was awake before dawn both Sunday and Monday mornings. When we got ourselves up and around and were putting things away, I saw something peeking out from behind the power box. On closer inspection, I found a perfectly beautiful primary wing feather from what I believe is a wild turkey. Someone carefully wedged it behind the power box to be found by another camper coming in for a stay and I was delighted. I plucked it from its hiding place and carefully tucked it under Mavis, the GPS, for safe keeping till I get it home and add it to my collection of found travel treasures. I also found a penny…so it was a big “message” day. Someone saying hello!

We had every intention of camping at Graham Cave State Park in Danville, Missouri last night but we got there so early in the afternoon. Today’s drive was going to be very long, so we decided to keep on trucking and stopped for the night in Mulberry Grove at Cedarbrook RV Park & Campground. It is an older place that definitely needs updating, and there were mostly seasonal rigs there. But, it was clean, off the highway, and very quiet on a Monday night deep in September. The moon was full, the sky was clear, and even though there was a storm predicted, we battened down the hatches, took a very welcome hot shower, and called it a day.

We head to eastern Indiana today. Because we traveled longer yesterday, our travel day will be shorter. We are expecting cooler weather today which will be a welcome respite from the oppressive heat we experienced yesterday. We stopped at a rest area in the middle of Missouri around 2:00 yesterday afternoon and it was 92 degrees. It was overcast all morning so you didn’t really feel the heat. As soon as we stepped out of the truck, the sun broke through and it was like standing in front of a fiery furnace. There was a gal with a flat tire on her cargo trailer and a guy was changing it for her. This is exactly why I have AAA Plus…so I can get help should we ever need it, no matter the circumstances.

One more sleep and we’ll be back on the Ponderosa…aka Marshmallow Ranch. Two nights at home and I take off to camp with my girlfriends for two nights! Honestly…we’ve been gone nearly a month and we’re having a blast! I think we could do this thing full time!

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

Good Morning, Kansas!!!

Mon, 20 Sep 2021 01:30:00 -0600

Ok, y’all…western Kansas is flat…and windy…and flat. And, did I say windy??? Wowza! We’re talking wind-tunnel windy! We’re not in Kansas, Toto windy! When we set up the camper, I had to make sure Mr. FixIt had a tight hold on his side then we threw a rope over the top to anchor it down. I took it down yesterday morning between gusts and all went well.

Traveling east on I-70 was a little different yesterday with all that wind. It buffeted me around a little and it took more concentration to drive. It was a long driving day…about six hours or so. So by the time we got to our campsite, I was a little over stimulated. And when I get over stimulated, I get snippy. It’s nothing personal, but the person who will catch the brunt of that snippiness will be the person in front of my face. And we all know who that will be…my beloved Mr. FixIt.

I recognize it. I hate it. But, it’s also hard to stop. So, when we arrived at the campground last night, as he started to get out of the camper to direct me back into the site, I placed my hand gently on his arm and said softly… “Please just stay here in the truck with me, will you?” Without saying a word, he shut the door. I backed into the campsite with the slightest self-correction of my angle, and placed it perfectly. Then I asked him to please go back and tell me when I was back far enough to still be able to put the rear stabilizing jacks down. He did. And…just like that…it was done. No snippy. No frustration. No feeling bad afterwards. I think we may just have stumbled on the solution to the “I’m sorry for what I said when I was backing up the camper” problem!

Carol #2, me (camp hair…don’t care! , and Carol #1

When I realized the other night that I had vastly overestimated our ability to drive all the way to Salina, Kansas the first day…I got out the iPad, opened the app “RV Parky” and reconfigured our itinerary. I realized this would put us in the Topeka area the second night. And, my dear friend Carol #1 lives in Topeka! I texted her as soon as I knew where we were camping and she and a friend, Carol #2, came over. Carol #1 has been following Marshmallow Ranch since before Mr. Virgo died. It was so good to see her. We ordered Chinese food and sat around until the mosquitos started to eat us alive. I hated to say goodbye, but we promised to connect again in the future!

Lake Shawnee Campground - Topeka, KS

I stumbled on a real treasure of a campground here. Lake Shawnee Campground is actually a city park operated by the City of Topeka. There’s a large lake and a lovely campground right on the shore with lots of big trees for shade. And, it’s only $24 for a site with electric and water! It was super easy to get to from the interstate. It was incredibly clean and quiet and our site was right across from the bathhouse.

Eastern Kansas is so much prettier than western. About the time you get to Salina, you start to see some changes in the topography. The grasses are greener and there are some rolling hills. Then you enter the Flint Hills and there are trees! As we travel east, there will be more trees and hills in Missouri. We will camp in “The Show Me State” tonight at a place I’ve never been and I’m really looking forward to sharing it with you. In the meantime, we’ll enjoy our coffee alongside the lake shore this morning before we head out on the open road.

“In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”
Proverbs 3:6 ESV

Drifting Along With the Tumbling Tumbleweed

Sun, 19 Sep 2021 01:30:00 -0600

We got up fairly early yesterday morning and I made a batch of fresh buttermilk biscuits. We heated up the grits and the sausage gravy and had a breakfast fit for kings! We had our last round-table discussion with Ben & Sue for awhile and it always makes me sad when I leave my kids and this beautiful couple. They have embraced me as their own for a long, long time. And When Mr. FixIt came along, they welcomed him with open arms. Mr. FixIt and Ben are so much alike, it isn’t funny. They are a hoot and a half.

We actually got on the road shortly after 10:00…not long after my goal. But we had to make a stop at Walmart to return something. And, I decided to get a twin sized mattress topper for Mr. FixIt. The one we had on his bed was too big and it kept sliding around. This one is perfect and he says it is quite comfortable. So, that’s a win!

The extra stop put us back a little, but by the time we passed E-470…the outer ring of the circle around Denver…it was closing in on 11:00 and the traffic thinned out nicely. It becomes much more like normal interstate driving. When we added the extra overnight on our way to Colorado, I knew I wanted to do the same going home. That made us leave a day early, but the kids were all busy yesterday anyway so it wasn’t a big deal.

We stayed overnight in Colby, KS at the Whistlestop Antiques and Campground. It was SO windy when we got there, and I was really worried about setting up the camper. We were very careful, but you could still see a little daylight in the top driver’s side corner. We slung a rope over the top and tied it to the back bumper and the front hitch to give more protection should the wind pick up during the night.

We had water service last night so we each took a sponge bath to get the dirt of the day off. We felt so refreshed afterwards. The campground is right by Walmart, so Mr. FixIt took a walk over there before supper and brought home cookies! He saw tumbling tumbleweeds on the way back. We pulled sandwich fixings out of the fridge and had a picnic sitting on the edge of our beds chatting. I don’t know why, but this little camper feels so much more like real camping. My big camper is seriously a small house. You almost feel like you’re roughing it in the little a-frame.

So, today is more of the Kansas highway. I know it has its own beauty, and I’m looking for it. We passed fields with thousands of round bales of hay. There were interesting cuts in the earth where creeks and rivers carved up the terrain in the days of rain. I have no idea when they last saw rain here, but I’ve never seen the west this arid. It’s scary. Like, Dust Bowl scary. Please pray for any moisture they can get.

Oh, Daughter #1 went to an Octoberfest celebration last night and texted me. She had just met the sister of a guy Mr. FixIt and I graduated from high school with. She and her husband have retired in Colorado. What a teeny, tiny world it is, yes? I’m looking forward to seeing an old friend from Sisters on the Fly tonight. She and a couple of gals are coming out to see us at the campground and bringing Chinese food for dinner! I can’t wait to see them!

“Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.”
John 15:13 ESV

Hitting the Road…Again

Sat, 18 Sep 2021 01:30:00 -0600

I showed Ben & Sue the Merlin Bird ID app from Cornell Labs yesterday. Sue and I sat at the table and recorded a couple of birds. We saw a huge hawk in their yard but it was gone too fast to get a picture for identification. As we sat and talked over coffee, Sue pointed out something in the shrub outside the window. I went out to look and found a feather with a reddish-orange shaft. I did a Google Lens search and found it to be from a male Northern Flicker (red-shafted). I haven’t had time to research when that bird is here, so I’ll have to do that later.

I’ve always loved sitting at the breakfast table with Ben & Sue. There are always vibrant discussion and we end up solving all the world’s problems over a couple of cups of coffee. I’ll miss our time with them. I’ve become very close to them over the years and they are my family, too.

Vacations are always way too short, aren’t they? Even when you’re retired, you have to go home sometime and it’s usually right when you’ve relaxed and really started to enjoy yourself. Daughter #1 and family came over again last night and we had a barbecue and a great around table discussion. I so love this family and I’m going to miss them all. Daughter #2 and her wife work through the weekend, so we said our goodbyes on Wednesday. I’ll miss them both as well.

We’re getting up early this morning and I’ll bake one last batch of buttermilk biscuits and we can take some on the road as breakfast sandwiches for the next couple of days. Tonight we’ll be in Kansas! The weather has really changed since we got here in early September. The nights are really nippy. I brought my little ceramic heater that I always keep in my camper because you never know when you’re going to have a chilly night…even in the middle of summer.

I camped in a tent at Beaver Creek State Park one year…I can’t remember if it was spring or fall. I was so very cold the first night. So I dug around in the back of my truck and found my little ceramic heater and an extension cord and put it in my tent. It was a lifesaver! I have a feeling, by the time you read this, I’ve turned it on and been glad we had it with us. Birdie has proven to be a great little camper and we are thrilled with our purchase.

So long, Colorado! See you next spring!!!

“The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way;”
Psalm 37:23 ESV

Mommying Never Ends

Thu, 09 Sep 2021 01:30:00 -0600

Daughter #2 and I had the best day yesterday. We got together early for coffee and actually sat inside a nearly empty Starbucks. It was so wonderful to visit with her…one-on-one. We went back to her house and worked side by side again for a few hours and got her front lawn nearly finished. She just has a small pile of sticks to bag up and trim the edge along the sidewalk.

She told me the sprinkler guy had come out to fix her system and set up the timer. It was supposed to come on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 7:00pm. However, it came on at noon on Tuesday and again at noon yesterday. The control box is down in the crawl space so I got my flashlight from the truck, pulled the wooden covering from the access, and got down the two steps to peek inside.

My former father-in-law was an extremely frugal guy. He did things in that house that still make me scratch my head. A couple years before he died, he told his only son he should take some of the money he’d been saving all these years and update the house. When they went in to start the demo, they found he had installed an in-ground sprinkler system, but had the control panel mounted on the wall in the spare bedroom. Odd place for it, to be sure…but I’m sure much easier for him to access. When they did the remodel, they moved the box to the crawl space…right on the edge of the opening so you don’t actually have to go IN there.

When I checked the settings, it was scheduled to come on every day at noon. I sat and puzzled on that for awhile, then asked my daughter if they had a power outage sometime since the sprinkler dude was out…and they had. That had to be the answer. The system reset itself when they lost power. I reset everything then, on Monday when we visit, I’ll show her how it works and how to reset it. There should be a battery backup in case of a power failure, so I’ll research that, as well.

It didn’t take long for us to finish the mowing. We sat in the shade on the porch with a bottle of water and congratulated each other for a job well done. I came back to Ben and Sue’s in the afternoon and took a well deserved nap. I think we all did. It’s been really hot the last few days, but the evenings and nights are blessedly cool. Mr. FixIt and I went out and brought supper home so no one had to cook…salads and chicken. After the news, I went around and took some pictures.

I love this little oasis in the middle of one of the larger Denver suburbs. Two acres with a garden and flowers, trees, and an abundance of squirrels and birds. The bathtub came from the most recent remodel in their house. I really want this tub…not only because it’s a great size, but because it belonged to Ben and Sue and it’s from the oldest part of the house. It’s small enough to fit in the bed of the truck so we CAN take it home…however, of all things, I forgot to bring the weight distribution bars for the hitch. The former owners had them installed, but you really don’t need them with a camper the size of Birdie. With the added weight of that iron tub, we would absolutely HAVE to have the weight distribution hitch to keep the rear end from sagging. So…no cool tub for me, doggone it! I’m sure I’ll find one in West Virginia or the surrounding area.

We found out yesterday, my brother is being moved to his new apartment on Friday. At first, I thought…how inconvenient! We are all heading there on Friday to help him celebrate his 70th birthday this weekend. Then I realized, this is such a God thing. He’s moving on the very weekend we are all going to be there to help him get settled in his new digs! What an amazing Father we have. This move has been in the works for the last year and a half…all times when we were unable to be there due to covid. Then, all of a sudden, everything came together for the move to occur when we’re there! There are NO coincidences!!!

Little gets to come “camp” with me tonight! Fourteen and still wants to camp with Nana…I’m pretty jazzed. I can hardly wait to spend time with her again. It’s laundry day and get things ready for the trip to the mountains tomorrow. I can’t believe it’s been nearly two weeks since we started Birdie’s Grand Adventure!

“So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.”
Psalm 90:12 ESV

Fixing Birdie’s Blinker

Sun, 05 Sep 2021 01:30:00 -0600

When I was backing into our campsite at Lake McConaughy the other night, Mr. FixIt called out to me to say the driver’s side brake light was out on the camper. That means no turn signal, or flashers, or brake light on that side. Not good when you’re traveling with a camper. The guy behind you needs to know where you’re going. We stopped on the way out of Ogallala to get a new bulb, but we had to duct tape the red plastic lens on because the little clip that held it on was broken. That worked fine till we could fix it properly.

We sleep out in the camper when we visit people as long as it’s not too hot. We can turn the AC on if we have to, but we prefer not to if we can help it. I like that because we aren’t in anyone’s way, we can stay up and talk, and sleep in. Given the two hour time difference between Colorado and West Virginia, we try to stay on our same schedule as much as possible. It makes it easier to adjust when you go back home. And, when you are a guest for an extended stay, it helps to not be under foot. Even though we are as much family here as anything else, Ben Franklin is the one who said, “Fish and houseguests begin to smell after three days.”

My son-in-law’s brother and his family arrived yesterday morning with breakfast burritos from Luna’s…our favorite neighborhood Mexican restaurant down the road. We had a lovely visit and when they left, Mr. FixIt and I went to Gander RV to buy the replacement light to fix Birdie’s broken blinker. We visited with the family most of the afternoon. The guys went to get Popeye’s chicken sandwiches for lunch. Mr. FixIt watched the last half of the WVU game and I stretched out for a little snooze.

When the sun dipped low in the west, Mr. FixIt and Ben went out to turn the water on in the irrigation ditches then they replaced the broken tail light. By then it was time for pie. We do love to eat! Around 9:00, the guys walked back up to turn off the water in the ditch and that was the end of our first full day of vacation.

We did get some good news yesterday. Daughter #2 was upset the day we arrived because she found out her boss has covid and she wasn’t feeling terrific. She went to get tested yesterday and it was negative, thank God! We were so worried for her because, even though she is fully vaccinated, she has asthma so we sure didn’t want her to get this terrible virus. AND, besides that…we haven’t seen each other since their wedding in August 2019! It would have been a double tragedy to not get to hug my baby because of covid!!!

So, I get to see my Moon Pie today!!! I cannot wait to squeeze her tight!!! Tell everyone you love them, people. Time is a commodity we cannot afford to waste!

“yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.”

James 4:14 ESV

The Grand Prairie and Birdie’s Grand Adventure

Fri, 03 Sep 2021 01:30:00 -0600

If we were just meandering around the country with absolutely no agenda, there are some places we would have stopped and explored some more. Like…oodles of antique stores and quilt shops, for one thing. And there were some interesting museums that explored the history of pioneers heading west. I would love to see that some day. But I’m ready to see my kids!

We left Two Rivers State Recreation Area in Waterloo, Nebraska yesterday morning. The day broke cloudy and cool which made for great sleeping weather and driving was easy on the eyes. Since we were so far north of I-80, “Mavis” the GPS took us due south on US-77. What a great road! Seventy miles per hour four lane with NO traffic. Unfortunately, it was over all too soon and we were off to the dodgems of the long haul truckers heading west. We passed through several rainstorms but they weren’t nearly as heavy as the once we saw earlier in the week.

The Grand Prairie really amazes me. Long stretches of fields filled with thousands of round bales of hay. Soybeans and corn and grains of every variety as far as the eye could see. But the one thing that takes my breath away is the blanket of yellow Prairie Sunflowers. These aren’t the big heads of cultivated sunflowers grown for seed, oil, and other byproducts. These are wild and gangly and….everywhere! They look a lot like what we call Black-Eyed Susans back home. When we arrived at our campsite last night, the whole place was surrounded by fields of these beautiful flowers that make me smile.

As we were driving along, I noticed a dark moving “cloud” and immediately caught my breath.

“Look! A murmuration of birds!”

A murmuration is when a flock of birds fly together and as they soar around, they come together and expand, and create moving shapes in the sky. They are mesmerizing. They flew up from the fields of corn, did their sky dance, and just as rapidly…settled back down into the field again. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a really big murmuration…and this one could be seen from quite a distance.

We decided to cut our day in half yesterday and stop at Lake McConaughy in Ogallala, Nebraska. I’ve never been here and it was such a shock to come over the hill and see this huge body of water. The next thing you notice is how low the water level has fallen. The entire west is in a mega drought. I’ve seen reservoirs drop, but this is shocking. The lake is still huge and a major source of recreation in the area. Just about every license plate in the campground was Colorado. We were really lucky we hit the place yesterday, because they are booked for the next several days for Labor Day Weekend.

One “benefit” of the low water level is the broad, sandy beaches left exposed. People rush here to camp right down on the sand and by last evening, it was beginning to resemble Ft. Lauderdale. It was fun to watch. These huge tractors with massive tires towed the campers and 5th wheels down to the beach and backed them into their places. Then, when it’s time for the campers to leave, the tractors come back and haul them back up to the parking lots and their owners hook up and head on home. I’ve never seen anything like it.

Everything has been working well with the camper. And, as with all mechanical things, little stuff needs tended to from time to time. As I was backing into the campsite yesterday afternoon, when Mr. FixIt noticed the brake light on the drivers side was burned out. He went to pop off the lens and found it was glued on. This happens frequently because the lens attaches to the light fixture itself with two small plastic hooks. It’s very easy to break one of those hooks when changing a burned out light bulb. And the easiest fix is with glue. We will need to do a permanent fix with new rear light fixtures. They aren’t very expensive. We can order them from Amazon if we can’t find them at a trailer supply store in Denver. No big deal.

Everything in life requires maintenance. I’ve been enjoying the “tuneup” traveling with my sweetheart has afforded me. I think Birdie is the best camper we could have bought to keep us in close quarters. And hours in a pickup truck, toodling across the miles is an excellent way to keep the communication going. Every time Mr. FixIt and I take a trip, we always say “That was the BEST one!”

And yet…each one gets better!

“Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips!”
Psalm 141:3 ESV

This Land is Your Land, This Land is My Land…

Thu, 02 Sep 2021 01:30:00 -0600

The Sun Rose on Birdie at the Lake Storey Campground in Galesburg, IL

We woke up yesterday morning to a cool 66 degree morning in Illinois. I don’t reveal the name of the campground where we stay until we’ve gone to the next one. The Lake Storey Campground in Galesburg, Illinois is very nice. It’s clean, quiet, and the lake is so pretty. The first time I was here, I was traveling with a friend of mine from a women’s camping outing in South Dakota. We just happened upon this place. We had dinner then noticed there was probably a nice sunset so we walked down to the lake. This sunset picture was five years ago. Too bad my sweetheart didn’t get to see this, because it was one of my most memorable sunsets ever.

The Same Campground…Six Years Ago

The sun came up yesterday, the sky was clear, and there was no evidence of the massive rains we received the day before. We took our time waking up. We like to plan our travel days so we arrive early enough to enjoy the next campground…to go for a walk, to make a nice supper, to sit together quietly in our camp chairs and talk. We like to drive in an unhurried fashion, stopping here and there to explore and stretch our legs. That’s why it’s going to take five days and four nights to get from West Virginia to Colorado.

Same View Yesterday Morning

When Hubby #2 and I brought the baby to West Virginia for the grandparents to see her for the first time, he had one week off. It wasn’t the first time we drove from Colorado to West Virginia and back in one week. That was absolutely miserable. But, when you’re working full time and you are poor as church mice, you do what you have to do. Now that we are older and retired, there’s no hurry to get from Point A to Point B.

I love driving across Iowa. The farms are pristine. The fields are chock full. The barns are amazing. There are silos and grain elevators everywhere. It was so obvious we were in the bread basket of America. Everywhere we went, we met the nicest people. We stopped in pretty rest areas and gazed at the amazing wind turbines that are capturing Mother Nature and putting her to work in people’s homes and farms. We hopped up to I-80 and, while the road had us feeling like we were riding a washboard most of the day, there really was a lot less traffic than there had been on I-70.

I spent months planning this trip and I wanted ever single stop to be memorable. I can’t wait to tell you about the campground we stayed at in Nebraska last night. It was a sight to behold! We got in around 5:00, which is perfect. The campsites are spaced far apart with lovely grass lawns between them. And, for me, the very best thing is…no one had a campfire. At least not close enough to cause me any respiratory issues.

I don’t know if it’s still because this camper is so new to us and the shine hasn’t left it, but I honestly think I am enjoying camping in this little a-frame more than any other camper I’ve had. It’s so small. As a matter of fact, I showed pictures to my friend Diane and she couldn’t believe it was big enough for two people. You may remember when I was pulling the Girl Camper Raffle Trailer, I took my non-camping friend with me for a weekend of fun with a group of gals. While that camper was much smaller than what I was used to, this one is micro in comparison.

First off, there’s no bathroom. So, the “Tinkle Tank” is pressed into service during the night…unless you want to walk over to the camp bathroom. Which isn’t a problem…but I like the convenience of not having to go outside. As far as showers…just about every campground I’ve ever been to has had a bath house. I am not averse to taking a sponge bath in between showers. This camper has a sink and a hot water heater. I don’t know…I think the reason I like this so much is, it’s get back to the basics of camping. Short of sleeping in a tent on the ground, it’s a “no muss, no fuss” alternative to hauling a “house” with you with a large flat screen TV and a massive stereo system. And…we get 17mpg pulling Birdie. That’s a bargain! It’s tiny, it’s cozy…and it’s a REALLY good thing we like each other, because you’re really up close and personal in a little a-frame camper.

We are now within a day’s drive of Denver, but it’s a LONG day’s drive and I’m not sure we want to put ten or more hours in today. So, I’m looking at campgrounds between here and there. Something that will get us into Denver after only four hours or so would be perfect. Hang in there with us…adventure awaits!

“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”
Ephesians 4:32 ESV

We Beat Ida, But…..

Wed, 01 Sep 2021 01:30:00 -0600

The Cornfields of Illinois

There was a cold front that swept down through the Great Plains yesterday and it brought TONS of moisture with it. We woke up yesterday and took our time getting the camper packed, but as soon as we pulled out of the campground, it started sprinkling. We needed to check the air in the trailer tires. It took three stops to find an air pump that worked. I have my portable compressor with me, but we forgot to pack an extension cord. Just as Mr. FixIt was adding air to the tires, the sky opened and he was pretty wet when he got back in the truck.

We stayed Monday night at Grandpa’s Farm Campground in Richmond, Indiana. We stayed there once before when the bearings went out on the big camper a few years ago. I stayed there on my way across country several times and love it. When we got on I-70 West, we’d only gone a few miles when there was a sign saying there would be major construction delays and to get off at the next exit. I don’t know why we didn’t, but it wasn’t long till we were sitting in a parking lot. Between the heavy rain and the construction, our 4.5 hour drive turned into about a 9.5 hour journey.

It wasn’t all bad, though. The middle of the day was stellar. The sky was clear and we drove through the gorgeous farms of Indiana and Illinois passing field after field of God’s bounty…corn, soybeans, sunflowers. We drove by Pekin and Peoria…both places my grandparents lived. Three of their children were born in Pekin. We finally got to our campground last night around 5:45. It had been raining so hard and I couldn’t imagine setting up this camper in that. I was afraid we’d have to sit in the truck till the storm let up, but we prayed that God would give us a window…and that the camper would be dry inside. He delivered on both counts and we were snug and dry inside before it started to pour again.

The View From Our Campsite Last Night….Cool and Wet!

We thank God profusely for travel mercies and the blessings he bestows on us. And we thank you for your good thoughts and prayers for our safety. It takes a village!

“Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.”
James 5:18 ESV

Outrunning the Rains of Ida

Tue, 31 Aug 2021 01:30:00 -0600

We seem to have left West Virginia at a most opportune moment. As we drove across the flat farmlands of Ohio yesterday, we put more and more miles between us and the heavy rains that are the remnants of Hurricane Ida. The forecast over the weekend said our home could see 1-4” of rain by Thursday. Our day, however, was lovely. The skies were overcast so there wasn’t any blinding glare on the windshield. It was a decent 80 degrees, but still didn’t feel terribly hot out there.

I am so glad we packed the camper and truck on Sunday night. It rained in the night, so the camper was buttoned up tight. That only left a few things to bring out yesterday morning. That also meant we didn’t have to get up at the crack of dawn. There was no rushing or last minute worries. We took Pumpkin to the Kitty Hilton and hit the road officially at about 11:00. We got to our campsite at 4:30. We stopped a couple of places along the way. A nice rest area. An RV dealer. (We saw the campers like ours that have the dormers on the ends so we wanted to check them out. For $18,000…I’ll make do with what we have, thank you!) We stopped for something to eat. It was a very easy day.

When we got to the campsite, we each did the next thing that needed doing. Once we were set up, we turned the AC on and stretched out for a little rest. Evenings will be harder on Mr. FixIt than they will be for me. I don’t watch TV but he sits down with it every night. No TV in this camper, so he’s entertaining himself in other ways…puttering and wandering about chatting with other campers. He loves that sort of thing. He did bring me a Drumstick Ice Cream…so he made big points on that one!

Rain is predicted overnight. Not the rain from Ida…just the typical rains of an August in the MidWest. Undoubtedly, we will have to close up the camper in the rain this morning. I asked an A-Frame Camper group on Facebook if it was normal to get a little water inside when you open and close the camper and they assured me it was. Any water inside a camper freaks me out, but this isn’t enough to cause damage. The most common comment was, “Hey…we figure it’s still better than camping in a flooded tent!” And that, I suppose, is quite true.

Tonight we will end up in Illinois for the night. I’m trying to stay in State Parks as much as possible this trip. I’ll let you know how it goes! Have a good day today!

“Yet he did not leave himself without witness, for he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.””
Acts 14:17 ESV

Birdie’s Grand Adventure… She’s Off!

Mon, 30 Aug 2021 01:30:00 -0600

For the day before a Grand Adventure, we were pretty mellow. Mr. FixIt finished mowing the back yard and did some fixit things around the house. Our house sitters came and learned the ropes and picked up all the keys. The laundry is all done and folded and either packed or put away. The footlocker we use for our camp kitchen has been restocked and is ready to load up in the back of the truck. Our totes are being filled with clothes and shoes at the last minute. The hanging clothes are waiting in the wings. Food gets picked up at a shop near our destination to keep things simple. The clean bed linens will be put on this morning as it was raining hard during the last hours of light yesterday afternoon.

I’m trying to keep things super simple on this trip. This little camper is REALLY little. No storage space to speak of so we need to be creative. The totes will fit under the twin bed. Two of the milk crates with shoes fit in a cabinet under one end of the twin bed. The other two, with towels and bathing supplies go under the big bed. I bought some suction cup hooks to hang towels and things on. I’ve even entered our first destination in the GPS already. I think we’re pretty well set!

We’re both pretty tired. Saturday was a very long, hot day filled with hard work for both of us. I ended up getting sick from the heat. I wasn’t as careful as I have been…drank water instead of my electrolyte drink, and really should have waited longer after eating to go out and finish the mowing. At this stage of the game, saying you’d think I knew better is a pretty moot point. But, I bounced back fast…no worse for the wear.

Luckily, this camper is not at all difficult to tow. I have a feeling my days of hauling a big 30’ camper across the country are over. I know…never say never, but that big girl wears me out. This little gizmo is a dream to pull so I’m thinking it’ll be much more fun. Oh, and of all things, that terrible pain I had in my hip is GONE. I prayed over it. I iced it, I rubbed CBD lotion on it. I took NSAIDs for it. I even had my friend Marion send some Reiki energy. By yesterday morning, it was just gone which was SUCH a relief. I was so worried it was going to dampen our trip.

Thank you, God…for all you do for us!

“I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.”
Psalm 121:1-8 ESV

Putting Birdie Through Her Paces

Sat, 28 Aug 2021 01:30:00 -0600

Panicle Hydrangea at The Farm

We are going through our little a-frame camper with a fine toothed comb. We cleaned out the water system yesterday and discovered the hot water heater desperately needed a new anode. We rinsed out the fresh water tank and refilled it…adding a capful of bleach to sanitize it. While it sat for a while, we drove into town to one of the local camper supply places. They had exactly what we needed. After a quick stop at Walmart, we headed back home.

I opened the drain to the fresh water tank and we got things ready to install the new diode. There was quite a bit of calcification in the threads where the anode screws in, so I cleaned it out as best I could with a wire brush. Mr. FixIt found a socket that fit the end of the anode rod, so I got it screwed in nice and tight. When we tested it with water, there were no leaks! We filled the hot water heater with water and turned it on with propane. It worked exactly like it was supposed to. We waited about ten minutes and turned on the hot water faucet in the sink and….bingo! Perfect!

We turned off the hot water heater and started putting everything back together. The mechanicals are underneath one of the dinette benches. The dinette is broken down into a twin-sized bed so we had to take the mattress out to getting into it. Once everything was put back together, we cleaned up our tools and put them away. Now, the only thing left to test is the refrigerator on propane and the furnace. One wouldn’t think we’d be needing the furnace anytime soon with the heat wave we’ve been having. However, one thing I learned living in Colorado for forty years….winter can come early and with a vengeance. I clearly remember eight inches of snow on September 16th one year. I want to be prepared.

I need to strip the big bed and wash all the sheets and blankets today. I’ll bring in the black “camping trunk” we use for all our cooking and cleaning needs and go through it. I like it to be organized and I learn from each trip out what we can absolutely do without, thus streamlining our packing. This will be a first camping with the two of us in such a small space. If we don’t kill each other by Kansas, I’ll count that as a win!

Once we had all our tools and trash picked up and put away, we were so hot and tired. The only answer was to hop in the pool. We’ve used the pool a lot more this year than usual…probably because it’s been hotter than normal. And SO sticky humid. It is a treat, and well worth all the work involved, to have that respite at the end of the day.

We also need to mow today. With my hip still bothering me, we’ve decided to get the mowing done today instead of waiting till Sunday afternoon. Mr. FixIt bowls on Sunday night and doesn’t want to take any chances he’ll be sore. And I want to have as little to do as possible on Sunday so I can really rest and ice this hip all day. We’ll be packed up and ready to head out early Monday. This is the part that is hard for me. I’ve been known to leave for a trip one or two days early because I’m ready to GO! When I travel solo, I don’t have reservations ahead of time, but with the influx of new campers since covid hit, campsites along the busy interstate corridors are booked up in advance. That means, traveling on a schedule. Not my favorite, but then again…sleeping in a Walmart parking lot in the middle of Kansas without electricity during a massive heatwave is even less desirable. We do what we have to do for comfort and safety.

T-minute 2 days and counting!!!

“For nothing will be impossible with God.””
Luke 1:37 ESV

It’s Getting Dark in Here

Tue, 24 Aug 2021 01:30:00 -0600

We’re Getting Little Hints of Gold!

Summer cruises right along and it begins to feel like it did when we were kids…like it might just last forever. Then, there’s that one evening when you look outside in shock. It’s starting to get dark earlier and it’s become noticeable. At 7:30 last night, I looked over at Mr. FixIt and said, “OMGosh! It’s getting dark already! When did that happen?!”

I’m not ready for winter, by any stretch of the imagination. But I am open to the idea of cooler, crisper days, good sleeping weather, the splashes of color over these West Virginia hills…and no more mowing for a few months. We’ll miss a goodly portion of our beautiful fall here. It will be replaced with the quaking aspen and bluebird skies of Colorado. I’m praying we don’t get snow while we’re there because we’re taking the little camper. I have seen eight inches of snow in Denver on September 16th before, so it’s not unheard of.

I don’t want to shovel snow yet, but I do love when I can get my sweaters and leggings out and start baking again. It’s just too hot to bake in the summer time. It makes no sense to power up the AC and the oven at the same time. I look forward to really good apples and picking out pumpkins and mums. I love when the garden and flower beds are cleaned, raked, and mulched. I look forward to cleaning the tools of summer and putting them away till spring. I like not having to worry about the chemical levels in the pool.

My very favorite time to camp in West Virginia is the first three weeks of October. The leaves are gorgeous and the skies are almost always clear save for some puffy white clouds here and there. I didn’t can anything this year. I still have so much left over from last season. I figured I would and it’ll still be good for another year or so. That’s the beauty of home canned produce…it lasts and doesn’t ruin like frozen veggies.

While I had lots of work to do yesterday, Mr. FixIt and I were both pretty tired from all the outside work over the last few days. He did have to run an errand in town, but I stayed home. And we both stretched out in these wonderful recliners we bought last year. I never really like the looks of a recliner, but the comfort can’t be beat if you buy a good quality chair. I doubt we’ll get much more recliner time this week as we start packing up.

It’s almost time for another adventure!

“I am a sojourner on the earth; hide not your commandments from me!”
Psalm 119:19 ESV

Birdie and Blue Skies

Sat, 21 Aug 2021 01:30:00 -0600

Remember I told you we’d had an inordinate amount of rain in the last week? Well, my friend Diane sent this to me today and this verifies it. We had at least 6.5” of rain at our house in the last seven days. They don’t see that in seven MONTHS out in Colorado and other parts west! It’s crazy. Where the grass had been laying dormant…crispy as dried hay…it’s suddenly turned green again and I swear you can HEAR it growing! We’ll be mowing again this week.

After driving down to Huntington Wednesday and back home Thursday, I turned right around and went back down yesterday to pick Birdie up from the RV Hospital. They sealed the skylight, let it dry, and sealed it again. Tim says if it leaks this time, there’s a hole somewhere else! Let’s hope he got it and we don’t have to worry about that again! I decided to stay over and camp at a local campground last night. It’s very near the interstate and man, was the traffic noise loud. But, if I left the fan on, the white noise drowned it out.

The campground was packed, and it was one of those places where the sites are pretty close to each other. I have to say, though…as I was writing this, folks were being pretty polite and staying within their campsites. Even the children have put their bikes and toys away and are settling in for the evening. That’s pretty impressive. My campsite is near a small lake with a fountain. I walked around a bit and said hello to people. Everyone was friendly…West Virginia is a friendly state.

The afternoon was really hot, so I returned something to Menard’s that I didn’t need. I’m trying to work out storage in the little camper. When I had my first little camper, I thought it was terribly small. And it had overhead cabinets as well as a pantry and closet and drawers. This little a-frame has one drawer under the microwave and one small cabinet under the sink. It has storage under one of the bench seats of the dinette (which is converted down into a twin sized bed for Mr. FixIt). There is also a moderate amount of storage under the big bed.

Because the top collapses down for travel, you cannot store anything on the beds. I bought some milk crates…two pink and two blue…two for Mr. FixIt and two for me. One of each color slides easily into the door to the storage under the dinette bench. The other two will slide under the twin bed. I also have two long, flat tubs that will fit in the storage space under the big bed to use for cooking utensils and linens. We will each have a small carry on that will stay in the truck.

I bought one of those plastic units that has three drawers in it. It fits perfectly on the counter over the microwave. That will hold our food and snacks. It will either go under the twin bed for travel, or back in the truck. As I plan the storage, I want to keep in mind we’ll be stopping for overnight stays on our way out to and back from Colorado. We aren’t going to want to do a lot of “decorating” or moving things around. I want to make this as simple and seamless as possible.

I was going to run a hose over the camper yesterday to see if the leak is gone, but it was so hot, I was afraid to spray cold water on it for fear of damaging the seal. I’ll do that this morning before I leave. If there’s any leak, it has to go back over to the little camper clinic. I have every faith in them, though and I’m sure they fixed it just right!

As I was tucked in writing this, the katydids were going crazy in the campground. There were a lot of trees around so it was nice to hear more from Mother Nature once the traffic sounds subsided. I hope you are enjoying a beautiful weekend and doing something fun. Before we know it, the snow will fly and have us hibernating back inside again.

“And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.”
Genesis 1:31 ESV

Guardian Angels and Rainstorms

Fri, 20 Aug 2021 01:30:00 -0600

We’ve had an incredible amount of rain in the last week after going through a prolonged dry spell. It’s been a blessed relief but that doesn’t make driving in it very pleasant. When I towed Birdie down to Huntington on Tuesday, I drove through a steady rain till I was nearly at my destination. I took my time, did not use cruise control, and never went over 55mph…60 at the most.

We lost a fellow classmate a few weeks ago to a tragic car accident. I went all through school with Cheryl, though I didn’t know her terribly well. We ran in different circles. Still, when I learned the circumstances of her accident, it haunted me for a while. There were so many similarities. Cheryl was a fairly new widow, getting back out into the world, and was traveling alone when a semi lost control. She must have been passing him or was driving in a lane adjacent to him, because the weight and power of the tractor trailer pushed Cheryl through a guard rail, across the median, and into oncoming traffic. She didn’t stand a chance and we were all devastated by her sudden loss. (Correction, Cheryl was driving in the oncoming traffic and was hit head on by the semi. Still, a car was pushed through the guardrail by a semi with the same tragic results.)

As I drove north through the storm coming home yesterday, I was driving cautiously. The rain wasn’t too bad in the beginning. I started to pass a semi and felt this chill. I thought of Cheryl and her accident. I moved back in behind the big truck. Where he and the rest of the traffic kept up their pace, I slowed way down. It wasn’t too much further and the skies opened up. The kind of downpour where the windshield wipers cannot keep up. More and more cars pulled over on the shoulder and turned on their emergency flashers. I turned mine on, too…but I kept driving. I’m too afraid to stop on the side of the road when visibility is poor. I’d rather drive in the center lane with my flashers on and stay far enough back that I can stop, but not so far back that I can’t see.

Suddenly, brake lights started lighting up ahead of me and I slowed down to a crawl. There, in the sound bound lanes, was a semi…jackknifed. At first, I thought he must have been heading south, but I later learned on the news…he was traveling north, went through the guardrail, and was turned completely around. Just like what happened to Cheryl. Two people were sent to the hospital and as far as I know there were no fatalities. But, I know as well as I know my own name…my guardian angel told me to slow down and not to pass the semi in the rain. She was working overtime yesterday.

Every time I get behind the wheel, I wrap my hand around a wooden cross that I have hanging from my rear view mirror. I have no idea where that cross came from. It just showed up one day out at the farm. It was on my grandma’s dresser one morning so I picked it up and hung it in my truck. I wrap my hand around that cross at the beginning of every trip and ask God to keep us all safe as we travel that day. When I saw that wrecked semi, I wrapped my hand around the cross again and thanked God for protecting me.

I soon outran the storm and by the time I got home, it was back to a gentle drizzle. I called the RV dealership and they said Birdie will be ready by late this afternoon. I’ve decided to go back down to get her today, tow her to a local campground, and stay overnight near the dealership in case anything shows up that I need to get fixed while I’m down there. If all goes well, I’ll tow her back home tomorrow and we can start packing up for the big trip.

I went to Menard’s when I was in Barboursville yesterday and picked up some storage containers that I think might work well. I’ll try them out at the campground tonight. That way, if they don’t fit right, I can return them while I’m still in the area. With all this running around, it’s hard to believe I’ve actually had more restful sleep in the last three days than I’ve had in quite a while. I guess, going full speed ahead wore me out enough to make me sleep soundly.

“For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.”
Psalm 91:11-12 ESV

Birdie’s Little Road Trip…Ginny’s Little Break

Thu, 19 Aug 2021 01:30:00 -0600

Ok, show of hands. How many of you have had something scheduled the following morning. You brush your teeth, take your meds, set your alarm and say your prayers. You lay back, tired from a full day…ready to sleep. And all you can see is the numbers on the alarm clock.

“6:30. Dang, that’s early. I haven’t gotten up that early in ages. When WAS the last time I got up that early? It must have been when I had my surgery……Gosh…that surgery! I’m so disappointed it didn’t work! Now I’m going to probably have to have another one. Just need to get that next scan done. Wait…when is that scheduled? Oh, yeah…the day after we get back from camping. Which is four days after we get back from Colorado! What was I thinking??? We’re going to be exhausted! Speaking of exhausted….settled down now. Get to sleep. Breathe in….breathe out. Think calm thoughts. Think of the beach……The beach. We’re really going to miss our October trip to the beach this year for our anniversary. Which one is this? Let’s see…’18 to ‘19, ‘19 to ‘20, ‘20 to ‘21. Three! Holy cats! How did that happen so fast??? Three whole years. We are so blessed and have so much fun together. Yeah, we’ll miss the beach, but we are going to have such a wonderful time in Colorado! ……. Oh, I have to remember to pack……”

You get the idea. Staring holes in the ceiling and ticking off the lists in your head is NOT how you get a good night’s sleep. Neither is waiting for the alarm to go off. Mr. FixIt set his alarm for 4:00 to go downstairs and check the storm drain. He was so sound asleep, I had to shake him three or four times to get him awake enough to turn it off. I had been asleep all of one hour…I kid you not. And that was the end of any sleep for me. I got up before my alarm was due at 6:30, took my shower, and headed out in the early morning light to tow Birdie down to Setzer’s to get the leak fixed. It was raining hard as Tropical Storm Fred passed through the Mid Ohio Valley. I drove slowly in the gloomy grey of the wet Wednesday morning traffic.

The monotony of the windshield wipers drove home how tired I was and I had to resort to singing and blasting the air conditioner to stay awake. It took about two-and-a-half hours to get there towing Birdie. She’s so light and easy to pull, you hardly know she’s back there. I checked her into the service department. They may get to her this morning…maybe tomorrow. And, the sealant has to cure for at least six to eight hours before you can tow. I went back to the truck and unhooked the camper and tried to decide if I had it in me to drive the two-and-a-half hours back home through this rain. I made an executive decision and went to a name brand hotel and checked in. I barely made it to the bed before I fell sound asleep for four solid hours. What utter bliss!

When I awoke, I took myself out for a curbside supper from the restaurant across the parking lot from the hotel. Then I went to Menard’s home store and picked up a few storage solutions for the little camper for our trip. I got back to the hotel well before dark and checked in with my sweetheart. All is good on the home front. We bought new blades for the drain snake a few weeks back. He ran it down the drain and it let loose like someone popped a cork. These blades were bigger and heavier duty than the ones that came with the machine and they were much more effective. Between keeping the gutters clean and snaking the drain on a regular basis, we should be good till we can get a permanent fix when we get home from Colorado.

The joys of farm life and home ownership. There’s always something to be built, torn down, fixed, replaced, organized, or thrown away. There’s hardly ever a time when you can just sit down and work on a hobby…not during the summer anyway. This is the time of year when I start to long for the change of seasons…for no other reason than the mowing will be done. For a few months anyway. This idea I have to turning the far field into a pollinator-friendly cacophony of wildflowers will cut down on our mowing responsibilities in the future, as well.

Always thinking ahead.

And now….for that long awaited bubble bath!

“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

The Hits Just Keep on Coming

Tue, 17 Aug 2021 01:30:00 -0600

I was awakened by the gentle tapping of rain just before dawn yesterday morning. The temperature was in the mid sixties and I slept well. I reached up to slide the window closed above my head so the coming rain wouldn’t get in the camper. You have to be really careful with campers. Even a small leak can lead to damages that will eventually kill a trailer.

The previous owner had the large skylight over the bed replaced in July when she noticed a small leak. We’ve had a few really hard rains since we bought the camper and we were thrilled everything worked perfectly after we switched out the faulty GFI outlet. Living with a trailer is like getting married…you never know exactly what you have till you’ve slept with it a while.

I’ve been staying out in “The Birdhouse” as much as I can since we bought it so I can learn the ins and outs and any little quirks she may have. When yesterday’s pitter-patter of rain drops turned into a constant drumming on the roof, I figured I’d better be getting a move on. I had an appointment at noon to get the new tires put on.

West Virginia storms are often a constant torrent of rain all day…sometimes for days at a time. When there was a little slack in the storm, I quickly started closing up the camper so I could hook it up to my truck. I took the blankets off the bed to fold them and put them away. When I pulled the last blanket off…there was a wet spot on the sheets about fourteen inches across in the corner under the newly installed skylight. What the heck? I ran my finger along the bottom edge and sure enough, water was coming in!

I quickly got the camper secured and hooked up to my truck and headed to town. I was way too early, so I sat in the truck for a little bit to catch up on some correspondence. I finally went in…still too early for my appointment, but I knew they would have to find the tires I had ordered from the internet and had delivered there.

The young man who checked me into the automotive department was pleasant and efficient and knew exactly where my tires were. I walked in with him because I wanted to see the date they were manufactured. You have to be careful because you can get “new” tires that are already two or three years old. I don’t want old tires. These were manufactured this year.

As I stood there looking at them, something seemed off with these tires. I ordered three ST185/80R13 LRD 8Ply Carlisle Radial Trail HD Trailer Tires…to be exact. Why three when the camper only has two wheels? Because, I wanted the spare tire to match. Remember…those tires were manufactured in 2014. NOT dependable when you’re going to drive cross-country.

I asked the young man what was wrong with these tires because one seemed larger than the other two. The two were strapped together and he said he thought that was what made them look smaller. I wasn’t convinced.

“Ummmm…you wouldn’t mind checking those numbers for me, would you?”

He did. And checked them again. Just as I suspected, the single tire was the 185 size, and the other two were 175’s. Come on…you’ve got to be kidding me, here. So, they refunded me for the wrong tires and reordered the new tires. Hopefully they’ll be in by the end of the week or so and we can get them put on. We still have some wiggle room with time on our side.

I contacted my friend Lynn who owns Setzer’s World of Camping down in Huntington and we’ll take the camper down on Wednesday to see what’s going on with that skylight. Hopefully it’s a really quick and easy fix. By early afternoon, the rain was gone and the sun was shining again. This is just a minor stumbling block. Compared to everything else that’s going on in the world today, this is nothing to worry about.

“Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.”
Proverbs 19:21 ESV

“Birdie” Needs New Shoes

Tue, 10 Aug 2021 01:30:00 -0600

Camper for Illustration Only…This is an awning idea!

Our new-to-us camper is an absolute delight! I’ve spent several nights “yard camping” and getting a good feel of how to make everything work when we head out to Colorado in a few weeks. I’ve learned SO much about campers since that day, as a new widow, I went to an RV dealer in Denver and bought my first little trailer. I knew NOTHING about campers then. I didn’t know you have to check the air in your tires literally every time you pull out towing your little house on wheels. I didn’t know to keep tabs on the axle temperature and grease the bearings from time to time.

I really had only a rudimentary understanding of what Gross Vehicle Weight Rating meant, or how to empty a black tank, or how packing your camper can affect the sway. Heck I didn’t know what camper sway meant or how to stop it when it happens. I didn’t have an understanding of the wind dynamics and how a passing tractor trailer can suck you into it.

The Girl Camper Podcasts taught me so much about all aspects of trailer camping. I can back up on a dime and have a nickel left over. I can hookup and unhook a 30’ camper and tow it with confidence cross country in the biggest cities during 5:00 traffic. I know how far I can go, how much gas I’ll need to get there, and how to find a place to sleep for the night. I’m pretty adept at this point. One thing I learned early on was when to purchase new tires for your camper. There is a four digit number at the end of the info line printed on the side of your tires. The first two digits of that number indicate what week your tires were made and the last two digits indicate the year. In my case, the tires that are on the little 2015 a-frame we bought is 1714, meaning…they were manufactured the 17th week of 2014. Trailer tires should be replaced at the very least every five years, even when they visually look just fine. Dry rot can render a tire unstable and…trust me…you do NOT want to be traveling down the highway and have a blowout. Especially in a single axle camper.

I’m pretty particular about my tires, having experienced a blowout in the mountains of WV on a snowy spring day in 2016. I don’t go for the cheapest thing I can buy. That is probably more important on my big camper than this little one, but still…I want quality between me and the road. I spent a good deal of time researching tires yesterday. I asked questions in some of the camping groups I belong to. And Mr. FixIt has lots of experience with campers and tires. I haven’t made my mind up yet what I want to get, but I’m getting there.

The next issue is going to be storage. There isn’t a whole lot of room in this little a-frame. Due to the way it folds up, there are no upper cabinets. There is one cabinet under the sink, but if you know anything about campers, there are a lot of pipes and drains and the water pump under there. There is a drawer under the microwave, but I use it for things I need to get to right away like a flashlight, the manuals for all the inner workings of the camper, a couple of screwdrivers, and a container of wipes. The previous owner gave me a wire shelf that fits right on top of the counter above the microwave that can be removed when you set up and take down the camper. She used small baskets on the shelves to store some food and other cooking items. Janine Petit uses clear plastic bins to keep organized. I like that idea because you can see what’s inside without taking it down and going through it. They come in a variety of sizes so I’m going to measure the shelf and see what will work best for us. There is storage under the bed and under one of the benches of the dinette. I can use that for extra blankets, and the plastic bins while we drive.

I’m also looking for ideas for an awning for over the door of the a-frame. I think I may have found the ideal solution because it doesn’t involve adding Velcro tape to the camper itself. And, it’s cute as a bug. It’s really nice to have something over your head as you enter and leave the camper. I usually stand at the camper door and watch the birds in the mornings when I have my coffee and brush my teeth. This little half umbrella would work great!

Planning for an upcoming trip is one of the best parts. I remember as a young girl, when I got my first bike, I used to pretend I was riding my bike to Canada and I would lay in bed at night and plan my menus and how I would pack my food and clothes. Camping with “Birdie” is going to draw on those long ago daydreams in such a fun way! I have an app on my phone called RVParky. You can plan trips, find campgrounds and attractions, investigate campgrounds and make reservations. It gives you an estimate of your gas costs based on your vehicle, specific camper, and weight. It will even route you away from low clearance bridges and underpasses…not something important with this little camper as it is collapsed down for travel. I love being able to look in the rear view mirror and actually see the traffic behind us.

I was thrilled when we looked at this week’s calendar and saw only one appointment listed. I told Mr. FixIt we should go camping. He reminded me that may not be quite so much fun with the temps predicted in the 90’s all week. Unless we went up in the mountains to get away from the heat, we might as well stay here. Then again….hmmmmmm.

*wheels turning*

“The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.”
Proverbs 16:9 ESV