The third day always seems to be the hardest when I/we make this cross country trek and yesterday was no different. OMGosh! First of all, we had barely gotten on the road when another big storm started coming at us, so we pulled into another Love’s Truck Stop and parked between two semis. It didn’t look like it was going to be as severe as the one on Thursday, which turned out to be a derecho. So, instead of waiting in the truck, we climbed in the camper and went back to sleep!
While our total miles from Point A to Point B was actually shorter than Wednesday’s, wowza…was it different. And LONGER time-wise. And more exciting Mother Nature wise.
Every morning when we start out driving, I hold the cross that hangs from my rear view mirror and ask God to wrap his arms around us. To build a wall around us to keep us safe. And, with all the heat, thunderstorms and tornadoes doing on in the midwest, I asked him to control the winds.
I woke up at 6AM and started tucking things away in the camper and let Mr. FixIt sleep for another hour. I was puttering around in the kitchen when I heard his alarm go off so I went in to wish him good morning. We were up and dressed and started packing the last of the stuff in the back of the truck. The lawn is mowed. The beds are changed. The dishes are all done and put away. The trash is out. The mail is stopped. The former Mrs. FixIt is watching the cat and watering the plants. My WV daughter and her husband are going to mow the lawn. That part is all set.
I had all these plans to clean, do laundry, pack, and all manner of other things yesterday. Instead, I had just finished breakfast when Mr. FixIt saw a lawnmower on Marketplace. We bought a push mower from this guy a few years ago for our rental house and it’s still running well. Ours, on the other hand, needs something. I put a new carburetor on it and it still surges. We tried to adjust the throttle but you get two speeds….won’t start or jet engine. So, it was time to bite the bullet and replace it. It was only $140 for a 6.5hp Craftsman so hopefully it will do the trick and last us a long time.
No, we didn’t buy another camper. The other day when we drove through town, we saw a sign in the park.
“Music Saturday Night 7-9PM”
Cool! We love live music. So we made a note to go. But then it started raining and more was predicted through the evening. Mr. FixIt said that would be the end of the music so I took it we weren’t going to go. We went to the farm yesterday to mow before we leave on our trip. Beans texted me early to say the kids were there and there was no water. That pump has seen its better days and try as we might…repeatedly priming it isn’t a long term solution. The problem is, that meant the pump in the cellar house had been running for gosh know how long. It took us quite a bit of time to get the tractor to start this time, but she finally fired up and I got the lawn mowed while Mr. FixIt unplugged the pump and turned off the water heater again. Frank and Beans will get a new tank for the pump and hopefully that will take care of the problem.
Anytime you’re gone from home any length of time there’s always a stack of stuff to deal with when you get back. The mail, the laundry, the shopping. Yesterday it was dealing with the truck and getting it ready for the cross-country trip. We drove separately to the local garage yesterday morning and I brought Mr. FixIt home. He started working on outdoor projects that have been put on hold due to the rain. I worked on the second big trip we’re taking this year. We are going to the beach the week of our wedding anniversary and taking the camper. This is the first time we’ve done that, so I wanted to add three days of extra camping on each end of the trip and explore some places we usually just speed by. When we get back from that trip I think that will be the end of the 2023 camping season.
We were sitting around the campfire Wednesday night when one of the girls said, “Hey! It’s the Summer Solstice! Aren’t we supposed to get naked and dance around the campfire or something?” We all looked at each other in our 70-or-darned-near-it bodies and laughed and laughed. Ummmmm, hard pass.
I’m losing weight so I’m feeling pretty good about that. I bought a new scale for the occasion. It measures accurately…unless I think I should have lost more or maybe I gained a little. But overall, I’d say it’s pretty accurate. It’s slick looking, too. Black glass. It tells me my weight and BMI…Body Mass Index. A number solely designed to confuse those of us who think maybe 30 ain’t so bad. It gives you the weather report and by golly, it wished me Happy Birthday! This thing is uptown.
The little camp cat…I’m so tempted to take her home, but I’m afraid Pumpkin will hurt her. She attacks anything that steps foot on her turf.
We awoke yesterday to sprinkles and it looked like rain several times but never happened. We had breakfast under the pavilion. Lynn and Michelle bring their dogs with them when they camp. Lynn has two Corgis and Michelle has a Leonberger. They are best friends who love to travel together and it’s usually in Lynn’s Class B van. Now imagine two people and three dogs sleeping in a Roadtrek. Lynn has it fixed up with crates for the dogs to sleep in and she has made good economical use of her space. But I’m afraid I’d be getting a little claustrophobic with all that extra company.
It’s nothing to write home about. We ate, knitted, and enjoyed each other’s company. A friend we hadn’t seen in a long time came by to visit. The other two gals who are camping with us showed up midafternoon. We caught up with each other’s stories. Michelle and Lynn hadn’t been here since the campground was reopened after the reclamation project was completed so they were in awe at the thousands of trees that were planted. I learned something new. The trees they removed during the reclamation project were non native species and they’ve replaced them with trees native to Ohio. Thinking ahead for the generations to come. What a novel approach. You don’t see that so much anymore.
What a beautiful day to drive up along the Ohio River. The sun was shining and it was 81°. The traffic was light. It doesn’t matter what Siri says…it always takes me longer than predicted because I have to stop here and there along the way. It’s just how I roll. But glancing over and catching sight of boats on the river made my heart sing.
