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Tuesday, September 25, 2012

WHAT IS UP WITH MY BLOG/BLOGGER????

 

And I thought that Live Writer was going to be better than Blogger.  So far, I have had one problem after another. 

 

Tonight’s blog was published.  Comments were made.  I read and “published” the comments.  Now, all but two are missing.  Somewhere out there in blog land cyber space are comments that readers took time to make.

 

In addition to the missing comments, since switching to Live Writer, I cannot access my dashboard, etc.  I just get an error 405 message.  And to top it off, I have lost many of the blogs that I follow.  And when I try to go to my blog, I get the one with a screw driver and  wrench at each of the topics. 

 

If I could, I would return to Blogger, but have no idea how to do it.  Sooooo, if Rick is out there….or anyone else that has a better understanding of my Live Writer / Blogger mess, please speak up! 

 

Other than that, I am having a great time blogging! hehehehe

STAYING BUSY AT THE ASPHALT JUNGLE

 

Our original plans were to be able to leave Indianapolis tomorrow, but here we are at Camping World Of Indianapolis’ transition / overnight parking lot.  Our asphalt jungle. 

We watch people come in for repairs.  The steady streams of RV’s coming in and out is astounding.  Some come for repairs or to shop.  Some come to leave their old RV and take delivery of their new home on wheels.  Today, the new home owners are having to compete with rain showers.

 

I am inside cooking.  John and I love apple butter.  Our former neighbor gave us a huge sack of pears, so I am attempting to make pear butter.  The pears, peelings, cores, stems, cinnamon sticks and all cooked in the crock pot.  They cooked all day yesterday and last night.  This morning they had cooked down to that looked “right” to me.  After they cooled, I put then through my grandmother’s ricer that she used for mashed potatoes.  Voila!  It looks like apple butter, but tastes like pear butter that is a bit sour.  Now I need to go to the store to purchase some Truvia to sweeten my pear butter. 

 

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Today is another experiment with food.  I am making a squash, yam bisque.  I am not sure it will be finished cooking in the crock pot for dinner this evening.  Maybe, lunch tomorrow.  We shall see.  As you can see, it is just starting cook. 

 

We took Oliver and Olivia to the groomer to get their full timing trims.  The cuts are a bit short right now, but in a month or so, they will acceptable.  Now, Oliver shivers when he is going out to do his duty first thing in the morning.  He also sleeps under a blankie now. 

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Another activity we are participating in is new to us motorhome shopping.  Shopping on line, shopping here at C. W.  There are questions we ask ourselves.  Diesel pusher, gas or gas pusher?  Winnebago, Monaco, Newmar or Tiffin?  At least we have the make narrowed down to four.  This could take a long time. 

 

We also have had an offer on our last Indiana property, the condo in Greenwood.  We have countered and are waiting for a reply.  At least this offer was more reasonable than the offer on our house.  I do not think this will be nearly as stressful as the sale of our house. 

 

Twenty three days until John’s MRI and biopsy.  God willing, we will pull out of here and head to South Dakota in twenty four days.  In the meantime, we continue to pray for God’s healing to continue in John, and every other blogger that we follow.  There are many suffering RVers out there and they all need our unceasing prayers.

 

Thanks for stopping by.  Please feel free to leave a comment.

 

God bless you and keep you healthy and safe. 

Friday, September 21, 2012

WHAT A MIXED BAG WHEN YOU WAIT TOO LONG TO POST

Wisconsin Sheep and Wool was, again, a delightful experience.  We visited with our friends from the north that we saw annually.  Other friends were there that we vended with at most of our shows, so we could continue conversations that were left two weeks prior at the Michigan Fiber Festival. 

 

Some of you enjoyed the names of the vendor’s businesses, so I took more photos to share with you.  Some are quite clever and others very business like.  Either way, they brighten anyone’s day.

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I especially like the “Wool From Over the Hill.”  The couple that had that business were senior citizens and it just seemed to ring true.  Do you think they have a sense of humor?  I sure do. 

 

When attending a fiber festival you expect to see wool, yarn, spinning wheels, weaving looms and some finished products.  I especially liked Jan Cox’s weaving. (The Village Weaver)  I also liked the felted items.  Of course I would love the felting items since that is my love.  Farmer Lamb, Giraffe, flower etc. are examples of rug hooking.  The next photo is of hand dyed roving.  Roving is fibers run through a carding machine to align the fiber in a row.  Then this fiber can be spun into yarn on a spinning wheel or used in felting. 

 

Baskets and basket making supplies were available.  Baskets come in all shapes and sizes.  The color comes from the artist hand dyeing the wood. 

 

Weaving supplies and looms are available…. oh my, such temptation. 

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Button making is another art form from early days. 

 

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Antique spinning wheels as well as new wheels are available to try and possibly purchase.   Weaving looms are a bit bulky for vendors to bring, but some are brave and just do it.  The hand made shuttles are much easier to transport to the shows.  To top it off, we found a potter and his pottery. 

 

All in all, there are over one hundred vendors filling two huge buildings.  As we walked through these buildings, John and I commented on how God went before us.  In January, I felt as if I  should cancel all our fiber and art events for 2012.  In March, John had respiratory failure.  He is unable to help with set up and breaking down the booth or loading the motorhome.  But I feel blessed to have him still in my life.

 

Our time at the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival with highlighted buy a gentle rain and a beautiful rainbow.

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From Wisconsin, we headed back to Indianapolis / Greenwood to begin our round of visits with some of John’s physicians and his birthday celebration with some of our family.  I also had plans to meet friends for luncheons since I knew I would not see them for a year.  I believe that for me, this not having physical contact with family and friends will be the hardest aspect of full timing. 

 

John’s visits with his physicians were very encouraging.  The first appointment was with his Urologist, Dr. Koch.  Dr. Koch blessed John with the wonderful prostate exam, but said things “seemed” to be good.  He wanted John to have another blood test this coming week before he pronounced him ok to travel.

 

BUT yesterday, John received a telephone call from Dr. Koch.  John’s urinalysis results came back yesterday and his ? count is supposed to be, if I remember right, is supposed to be at 35…..John’s was 389 and this is supposed to be an indicator of prostate cancer.  Need I tell you all how we feel tonight.  I have not felt this way since John was on life support just five months ago.  Do ya think our faith is being tested a bit?  So here is another request for prayers on John’s behalf.

 

John will have a MRI and a biopsy on October 18th.  Needless to say, our Thursday’s September 27  departure is postponed until, hopefully October 19th. 

 

We have confidence in John’s Dr. Koch.  He is head of the urology department at Indiana University Hospital which is part of the Indiana University Medical School.   IU is where Lance Armstrong was cured of his testicular cancer.   Actually, when had his appointment with Dr. Lykens, his pulmonologist told us that he has enough confidence in Dr. Koch to have had Dr. Lykens’ father in law see Dr. Koch. 

 

What concerns us soooo much is the changes Obama has made in healthcare for seniors.  I suggest that if you have Medicare Advantage, as John does, that you go to this link   http://my.brainshark.com/The-President-s-8-Billion-Coincidence-356086344 

 

John and I are Independents when it comes to voting, but I am leaning to Romney.  Especially since he released his tax return today! 

 

Right now, John is a million dollar man with all his problems five months ago.  Medicare Advantage has paid and left us with very little out-of-pocket expenses. 

 

Now, with my Med Sup, I would have $0.00 out of pocket expenses.  And you ask, why was John not on my plan.  He is on the Advantage plan because at that time, the Advantage plan did not look at pre-existing conditions.  Other than hypo thyroid (under active thyroid), I have NO problems…………other than being concerned about John. 

 

IF, and only IF John’s tests prove that this is just a fluke, I am wondering if we will be able to make the trip to South Dakota to establish residency before it is time for snow in the mountains.  We need to be in Anza Borrego, CA  for Thanksgiving and San Diego for Christmas.  Why????  this will be the first time we can have Thanksgiving and Christmas with our daughter in California for almost twenty years.

 

We have been looking at newer motorhomes and have yet to find one that meets our expectations.  So…..what do we do?  Geee, why are we surprised?????  NOT….. I would say that it gives us time to look for the “perfect” motorhome. 

 

I could go on for another hour or two, but I just do not have the energy! 

 

I just want to  bring you all up-to-date on the Talley’s Travels.  Or not travels….lol

 

We are in the midst of a severe thunderstorm watch with hail over 3/4”.  So far, we have been spared, but the motorhome is rocking a bit right now.  And we were in the middle of the worse drought in history for this region.  HA…no more!  It is soooo good to see green grass flourishing right now. 

 

So, ………………. here we sit.  In Camping World.  Waiting for tests, waiting for the storms to subside, waiting on God’s healing.  Waiting for the hail to stop….. Waiting…………Waiting…………Waiting

 

But we know that God has a Master Plan for our lives……………. we are just waiting to learn what it is. 

 

So, God bless each and every one of you.  May he protect you in your travels and your stops and your thoughts. 

 

Go with all of God’s blessings and our love for each and every one of you……

 

N&J

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I an experiencing a huge bag of emotions right now.

Friday, September 7, 2012

A BUSY WEEK IN MICHIGAN

 

We left Traverse City State Park and headed north to Petoskey State Park.  We did not have reservations and by the grace of God, we got the last site.  We wanted a site for just one night and that was the only time our site was available! 

 

 

Petoskey State Park, located on the north end of Little Traverse Bay, is situated on 303 scenic acres and offers a beautiful sandy beach on the bay. The park has two separate modern campgrounds. Tannery Creek offers 98 campsites, and Dunes offers 70.

 

We have now stayed in three Michigan State Parks.  Grand Haven State Park was, by far, the most crowded, but had a nice beach and a wonderful place to walk.  Traverse City State Park was more roomy, but the beach was on the opposite side of the road and we had to climb steps to walk over the busy highway.  Highway noise was not appealing.  Salmon fishing is wonderful in that area.  We were treated to half of a fileted Salmon by our neighbor.  That was  good thing.  It now resides in our freezer.

 

Petoskey State Park was excellent.  Campsites were roomy, there was hardly any noise.  We had walking and bike trails, beautiful sand dunes to climb and rocks.  Did I tell you that they have rocks?  And more rocks, and more…..

 

I found my first Petoskey Stone there at Petoskey State Park!  It was in the water and as I was walking, it just looked up at me and said “here I am!”  Now, I need  rock polishing kit.  Angry smile

 

Due to our delay (heat and air quality advisory), we had one day. But it was a fun filled, day walking, beach combing, and finishing  aIMG_0586 IMG_0597 IMG_0606

beautiful sunset.

 

Sunday, we left Petoskey and drove a few short miles to Mackinaw Mill Creek Camping in Mackinaw City.     Here we found more Petoskey stones! 

 

I was also able to sit outside and spin more yarn.  That made the stay even more enjoyable.  There are not many things that can trump spinning, motorhoming, and a beach with the view of the Mackinac  Bridge. 

 

Tuesday morning, we crossed the Mackinac Bridge with Lake Michigan on our left and Lake Huron on our right.  We entered the Upper Peninsula.   We want to return in order to experience more of the UP, but we had to keep moving in order to get to the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool festival in Jefferson, Wisconsin. 

 

We did take time to shop at Cabela’s. We finally found John some jeans that do not make him look like he has had a bad sick spell! 

 

We are now at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds in Wisconsin.  Next post, you will hear about the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool.  Black Sheep

 

 

 

                      

 

 

Saturday, September 1, 2012

DAY AT THE BEACH

 

Note:  This is the second posting of last night’s blog.  Blogger has done it again and I finally bit the bullet and switched it to Live Writer.  Please be patient as I learn how to create a better blog. 

This time, I did a cut and paste of the first posting.  Aligning the photos with the script is my first challenge!  Ohhh, I pray for patience!  So here goes! 

 

To tell you the truth, yesterday was kind of boring.  John wanted to be a beachcomber - again.  I waded in the water a bit and watched the sun and reflections in the water.  The patterns were hypnotic.  I kept thinking how I could recreate them with my felt art.  Still not sure. 

 

 

 I had a visitor as I sat at the edge of the water.  We played a few games of, I will pose if you will be sure to get my "good" side.  Kind of reminiscent of Barbra Streisand and her nose.  As a matter of fact.............there does seem to be a resemblance!  But this old bird does not have the great voice of Barbra. 

Then came Donald and Daffy.  Judy will be able to identify this couple, I am sure. 

I first thought maybe a spoon bill, but decided that the lower beak was just not the right size. 
These two were so content just to cruise along and feed off the bottom (as far as I could tell). 
After we came home, I cut John's hair.  Now, wasn't that an exciting day! 
Today started on at the same level.  Breakfast out, a trip to Sam's and then drove over fifty miles so John could visit a rock / gem shop, The Korner Gem.  Now that is a neat shop. 
www.kornergem.com

Korner Gem - Traverse City, MichiganClick to Learn More about Beachcombers!

      

I did manage to get a pair of earrings out of the deal.  And I found that I do like some rocks when they are polished!    There is a beautiful rock out there.  It is called a Petoskey Stone.  You see a small example of this in the photo labeled “featuring Beachcombers”. 

 

Petoskey stone

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

“Unpolished Petoskey stone withcm scale.

A Petoskey stone is a rock and a fossil, often pebble-shaped, that is composed of a fossilized coral, Hexagon aria percarinata.[1] The stones were formed as a result of glaciation, in which sheets of ice plucked stones from the bedrock, grinding off their rough edges and depositing them in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, and the northwestern (and some in the northeastern) portion of Michigan's lower peninsula. In some areas of Michigan, complete fossilized coral colony heads can be found.

Petoskey stones are found in the Gravel Point Formation of the Traverse Group. They are fragments of a coral reef that was originally deposited during the Devonian period. [1] When dry, the stone resembles ordinary limestone but when wet or polished using lapidary techniques, the distinctive mottled pattern of the six-sided coral fossils emerges. It is sometimes made into decorative objects. Other forms of fossilized coral are also found in the same location.

In 1965, it was named the state stone of Michigan.”

 

On another note a fellow blogger who is a camp host at Monroe Reservoir (near Brown County State Park) had an escape from death.  You can read about her harrowing experience here.

 

On a last note,  I could use a bit of prayer and good thoughts.  This is the season that I have migraine headaches.  They are bad this year.  When you think of it, send a prayer my way, please. 

 

Please be safe out there on the roads and in your activities.  And God Bless each and every one of you.