MORE OF AS THE WHEELS TURN

if you have not read yesterday's post,  go there......this is a continuing saga

Around four o'clock Tuesday, we pulled out of Danny's shop that is located behind the Pilot Station in Waynesville, N. C. and headed to Mt. Pisgah National Forest campgrounds.  It was a fairly short drive and we were settled before the sun dropped behind the mountains.  We had a bite to eat and fell into bed thoroughly physically and mentally exhausted.

Wednesday greeted me with cool temperatures and sunshine.  John slept. I think he was a bit depressed and embarrassed.  I let him work through it  in his own way and time.  I fixed my breakfast and the dogs and I went for a long,  long walk.  

It was strange,  The only animals I saw was 2 squirrels.  And only one bird ventured my way!  So much for bear country. 

 I thoroughly enjoyed the walking up and down the paths.  It is the exercise I need now that I am living wheat / gluten free.  A month ago, I would not have been able to complete such a hike!  Who needs wheat, rye or barley?  Not me!  That "stuff" is poison to me.

We stayed one more night and then yesterday (Friday) heading for our present location, The Old Mill RV Park in Townsend, Tennessee. The park is located on the Little River and is at a  dam where the mill was located.

Today we went to explore the  Tuckaleechee Caverns a AAA top-rated cave in the Kentucky, Tennessee area.  We trekked the mile long underground pathways viewing the stalactites, stalagmites and the large creek that runs through the cave.  

In addition the Tuckaleechee Caverns house seismic equipment that monitors earthquakes throughout the world.  The equipment was built by Nanometrics and is embedded in solid  bedrock, which gives it a more accurate reading.  It can be viewed in the visitors center.  Today, all was quiet around the world, but Turkey's earthquake made the needles dance.  The equipment only  indicates an earthquake, not the location.

I was totally awed by the size of some of the rooms.  One room was the length of a football field.  Another room had a multi-story waterfall.

How did we fare?  John had to stop often to breathe  and there were times that i was thankful that he made those stops!  The climbing was a stretch, but really good for us.  We can tell that we have lost

some of our umph since returning from the southwest in the spring.

We hope to head back to the SW the first of December, so we have a lot of walking to do.  At least the heat and humidity is gone making it possible for John to be outside.

Tomorrow morning we are off to Muphresboro, TN to a fiber festival and whatever else floats our boat.  We are slowly inching our way home for my Wednesday appointment with the cast removal and to see Dr. DiLella of Ortho Indy, my hand surgeon.

Until later.............

God Bless

I FEEL LIKE A STRANGER!

The last time I posted I was four days post surgery.  This Tuesday, I will be three weeks post.  I have had a cast change.  We have hit the road for Asheville, N.C. to do a show which was hugely successful and are now taking about ten days to chill.


The show  in Asheville was a challenge.  The second day out I suspected that John was getting a cold.  For many of us catching a cold is an inconvenience.  For John, at the FIRST sign of a cold, he must call his lung specialist and get on an antibiotic.


Of course, denial is his first action when mine is to immediately make the phone call.  So, being the obedient, submissive wife that I always am, ahemmm, I deferred to his judgement.  


Two days later, I insist on the phone call.  The prescription is ordered. It is time to set up our booth for the show.  John can't stop coughing and is having trouble breathing.  So much for being submissive to a man with emphysema. 


Thursday, it takes twelve hours to set up when  a normal set up takes four or five hours.  Great start to a huge three day show.  He both works in the booth and goes back to the motorhome to rest.


Sunday, our break down was much smoother than the set up.  The motorhome was packed with much less than we took out of it - thanks to my loyal returning customers and all the new friends we made.


Monday we made three stops.  The first was for lunch with friends Bob and Deb Cline at 12 Bones!  My, oh my!
  The best barbecue I have ever had.   


After lunch, we visited a pottery studio then were off to the Antique Tobacco Barn where there are so many antiques to pass by since they do not  fit in a motorhome.  


I did find a beautiful yarn swift to resell in our booth. But, that's okay since I sold an antique spinning wheel, a rigid heddle loom with stand and a portable spinning chair.  Three things out and only one in!


After saying good-bye to the Clines, we programmed our new Garmin to take us to Mt. Pisgah National Forest campground.  


Garmie got confused.  It was almost dark in the mountains. She took us on a wild goose chase and a harrowing misadventure.  We looked at the "road" she wanted us to take and said NO WAY!  So on down the road we go and she is giving instructions on a U turn.  She says "make a left"  John makes a left.  What the heck!  This sure is narrow!  Yep, she took us up a steep drive that ended in someones driveway.


There was no room to turn around and John started backing down.  The incline was so steep that applying the brakes was hard to do.


I am hanging out my window giving directions to keep him off the lawn and to get us down the hill.  As we are moving down the hill,
I am saying bring the rear my way and suddenly he says there's a drive.  I will back in there. (the opposite way I was telling him to turn). No sooner that was out of his mouth, the motorhome tipped to my side.  Really tipped.  I have never been so frightened. 


He tries to pull forward.....no go.  The owner of the house comes out and says we have knocked down a stone wall and he will pull us out with his tractor.  Nope, didn't work.  Time to call Sam's Roadside Assistance.  We discuss what they need to get us out of this mess. 


Upon closer inspection, we did not knock down the wall, but had we gone a couple feet further, we would have been a teeter totter with front end on the lawn and back end suspended in the air.  I have a picture of this on john's phone (he does not know it).  If anyone can tell me how to transfer it from his Motorola Droid to mine, then to post it here,  let me know!  I'm sure you would like to see the picture.


They send out what seemed at first to be the wrong wrecker.  It was the kind that they pull a car on the bed instead of towing.  They hooked the chains from to the motorhome and inched it back up the hill.....over and over again.  All the while, the motorhome will not start to help out with the climb.


After many pulls and thugs, the wrecker's wheels start spinning on the blacktop drive.  It can go no further.  


The tractor to the rescue!  The tractor is hooked to the wrecker and they, together tug the motorhome back up the hill while my mind is racing----saying we want to go DOWN NOT UP!!!!!!!!!  But up the hill it went.


The wrecker driver from Danny's Towing tries to start the motorhome again and announces that the gas tank has been damaged and possibly the fuel pump.  He takes a can of starter fluid, sprays it someplace in the engine compartment to start the engine in order to have brakes and power steering to back down the hill.  It worked. 


After he gets us down the hill and on the road, he leaves us to go get the BIG DADDY to haul us into the shop for repairs.  I now feel like Judy and Emma.


We spent the night in their lot and had electricity.  We were sung as a bug.  We awoke Tuesday and they went to work.  


Oooohhhh, how I wanted to say I told ya to listen to me!  Instead, we didn't talk much until late yesterday. Let's see, Monday through Thursday afternoon, humm---not good.


Well, we are up to Tuesday.  Typing left hand only is tiresome and this post feels too long.  I will save more for tomorrow.

OH BOTHER!

Four days have passed since my hand / thumb surgery.  my recovery has been quite different since the left hand was done 2 years ago.  


i am sooo tired this time and sleep much of the day away.  i am thinking that is due to waking up often during the night.  i have been off pain meds since wednesday night.  that pleases me!


being right handed and having only my left to work has presented a few challenges, created a few "oops" moments, and has made me laugh at myself a lot.


things i have learned that i cannot do left handed:  

1. zip or unzip a zipper
2. open the envelope containing my tea bag
3. remove the lid from a wee, small bottle of my liquid stevia
4. comment on blogs with a cuppa tea in my hand
5. get the covers properly arranged around my chin at night so i can cozy down.
6. seal my right arm in plastic so i can take a shower
7. pick up anything larger or heavier than my laptop
8. fold clothes
9. brush oliver's hair and fix his pony tail
10. use my camera!
11. spin yarn on my spinning wheel
12. make socks on my circular sock machine
13. felt
14. set  up my booth by myself
15. write a receipt
16. put on my bra!  whoopppeeeee
17. cut my own food
18. i cannot be frustrated

what i CAN do with only one non dominant hand is:

1. wear my robe unzipped and stay warm
2. pull up my jeans
3. dress - with one exception
4. open that tea bag envelope using my teeth and left hand
5. after having the stevia opened the first tine, do not close completely
6. put on my socks - that was a challenge!
7. carefully lift my computer
8. learn to type with left hand only
9. stay positive.  this will last only 2 weeks

i am sitting here thinking of a friend whose child was born with no hands and only a partial leg.  her mom sent a video of her doing a gymnastics routine of jumps, flips and tumbles.  the same routine done by her classmates!  She writes.does artwork and her writing is better than many with two good working hands.


with that, have a great day everyone!


0h,  right now, i do not capitalize  due to long stretches of 1 hand.


god bless your coming and going and may he hold  you in his hands.

THIS IS NOT GONNA BE PRETTY!

This isn't gonna be pretty but here i go.

OK, it is done.  After 3 hours of surgery then the recovery room we headed out for a bite to eat and to Home Depot to get a water filter for the frig. The thumb is fixed.  Dr DiLella told john that i should have had this done earlier.

Now 4 the recovery.  Ice is my bestest friend right now right next to pain med. Except the RX makes my nose and lips itch like crazy - no hives of an allergy reaction though.

I expect to be much better tomorrow.  Nothing more to write about since i'm sleeping a lot 2day.  

take care 

God bless!

PROBLEMS AND STRUGGLES

Welcome to Mike and Pat!  They have been full timing for sixteen years!  I wish I had thought about it sixteen years ago!  


Fellow Hoosiers, Don and Gayle have also joined our journey down the road.  So glad to have you on board.  Hopefully we will be able to meet everyone that follows.  


This was posted on Facebook.  I am not a huge fan of Facebook, but occasionally, something comes to my computer that is worth sharing.  


We all are having one kind of struggle or another.  Some are minor irritants and some are huge, life threatening.  This put things in perspective for me.


Take a close look at this photo from National Geographic.  Really look at it.
\
LOOK at the camels first and then read the message below.

This is a picture taken from directly above these camels in the desert at sunset. It is considered to be one of the best pictures of the year. When you look closely, you can see that the camels are the little white lines in the picture.
The black images you see are just the shadows!

Sometimes, our "problems" seem to be as big as the shadows...but they are little. Have a lovely day!
LOOK ONCE MORE. YOU CANNOT BELIEVE IT, RIGHT?
You know, I cannot "get" this picture, but I do get the message.  


Tomorrow is the  "S" day for me.  The thumb surgery.  I'm ready.  John is fixing tomorrow's breakfast for dinner tonight since I cannot eat until after I get home.  


Every time I felt an "ouchie" today, I would think ..... hehehe .... you'll be gone tomorrow!  Not the thumb but the "ouchie".


I sewed grass seed today, groomed Oliver and did some housework. It sure takes longer to clean the house than to clean the motorhome.  Another reason to full time!  


Tomorrow, Oliver goes to the real groomer for the works.  I was just working on him to get some tangles out.  He'd rather I did the pulling than the groomer.  


This time of year, he picks up leaves, grass, seeds etc and then his coat tangles.  I know it would be easier to have him in a puppy cut, but we like him in full coat.  The full coat takes more work, but it is also prettier.  Here he is with Noah, our cat.  Looks like we like long hair doesn't it.  


These guys love to ride on the dashboard of the motorhome, especially at night.  I think Noah comes up to tell us it's time to stop driving and to go to bed.  He has an inner clock that works no matter where we are.  


Have you noticed that Noah is larger than Oliver?  That cat weighs twenty pounds and Oliver weighs in at a whopping eight, but looks much larger with his long hair. 


I was looking at the selling prices that houses in our area.  We are fortunate to live in an area that houses are still selling.  I just hope it continues until we sell our home. 


Ok, dinner is over.  I am heading to bed.  Hopefully, I will post tomorrow night.  


Have a great day tomorrow and stay safe!

LOVELY LORD'S DAY!

Welcome to my world to Judy and Emma.  I sure hope you two get out of the parking lot soon.  I love your patience and positive attitude!  Also Kenny and Angela have come aboard.... welcome to you too - even though you are from Kansas City!  hehehe


What a beautiful fall day we have been blessed with.  The sun has been out most of the day.  The temperature has been huddling around seventy five degrees.  Walnuts are falling with loud thuds blessing me with a vast amount of dyeing materials.  


When dyeing, walnuts provide the most beautiful shades of brown.  I will collect them and place in a wheel barrow and then let it fill with rain over the winter.  Then I will bring the brown rainwater into the studio and dye.  


Walnuts and Marigolds are my two favorite dyes found in my yard.  I have tried others, such as Queen Ann's Lace, but quickly learned that is one dye that I don't want to use in the studio since the odor is like a nap in a field in the plant.  It is a very pungent odor.... not pleasant.  The color though is a soft gold.  I like it.  


There are many other natural dyes and eventually, I will try them.  My schedule, thus far, has hampered me from taking the time to experiment.


Gluten free living is going quite nicely.  John went to the store and found many gluten free products.  The one that I have tried and will give a five star rating is a product from Enjoy Life Natural Brands, LLC, a nut and gluten free bakery in Shiller Park, Illinois.  Yea... not China.  Have I told you I don't like products from China?  OK, the name of the product is their soft baked snickerdoodles!  Oh my!  mighty good.  


The exercise portion of my take charge life is moving right along.  We are walking almost two miles.  This is a MAJOR accomplishment for John with his emphysema.  He must stop occasionally to breathe (kinda important), but he keeps pushing.  


I was surprised how badly I am out of shape too.  Sitting with this osteoarthritis is not the answer.  I could not believe that two miles was all I want to do at this point.  Me, an ex runner..... two miles... sad.  And the time it took us to walk that far....   on my goodness.  
We will do better a month from now, I am sure.


Observations:  the last tree to leaf out on our little farm was the Sycamore.  It is also the first tree to loose it's leaves.  It is in its full splendor only four months of the year and has no beautiful fall colors.  The first tree to gain it's leaves, is I believe the Bradford Pear and it is one of the very last to shed all it's leaves and provides colors starting with gold and ages to red, maroons and purples.  


The Colts lost again today.  They are STILL my team of choice.  It is a shame that with the Super Bowl here this season, that the Colts will not be playing.  


My hand surgery is Tuesday.  I am so ready.  I am looking forward to having two working hands.  There is only one problem.  I don't know if I will be able to post for a while.  I will try to find a way. I am right handed and have been practicing doing my right handed activities with my left hand.  Some are easy and some are not.  Oh well, this too will pass. 


Stay safe out there.  


God bless your walk today.... 

GLUTEN FREE LIVING AND OSTEOARTHRITIS

I wrote a post for today hours and hours ago.  Every time I clicked on the publish box, everything came out befuzzled.  I have tried and tried to correct the mistake that I cannot understand that I have made, so I just say Geesh.....and write another.


What I was trying to share today is my adventure into the Gluten free diet world.  Gluten?  What's that?  It is a protein found in wheat, barley, wheat products.  And it is been found to cause inflammation of joints.  Joints as in body joints, not dives and other yucky places.  


Many people have found that by no longer eating wheat, their osteoarthritis improves.  I, personally, have two friends who have testified to the benefits of living gluten free. 


I ventured into this program after visiting with my orthopaedic surgeon at Ortho Indy, one of the nation's leading group of orthopaedic physicians.  


My physician, Dr. Mark DiLella, made the comment that after looking at the x-rays of my hands, that I am one arthritic person.  That comment gave me visions of being so crippled with arthritis in the years to come, that I might end up in a wheel chair or something similar.  


I know, I know, I have a vivid imagination and sometimes tend to see the worse case scenario.  That's okay in this instance as it has given me the kick in the arse to take charge of my future when it comes to how I will be able to move about.


Since we have returned home, I have not been able to do much felting due to the pain in my hands and back.  I was fortunate to have some inventory to take to the St. James Court Art Show in Louisville, Kentucky last week end.  


To be able to work  at the show, I had to have pain medication beyond the typical Alieve or Ibuprofen.  That was not "a good thing" for me and I sure did not want to think I had to rely on narcotics to get me through the rest of my life.


Two of my friends have been preaching / touting / sharing the benefits of a gluten free diet.  Bah humbug, I thought for the last two or three years.  


Last week, I asked myself what I had to loose if I tried the gluten free diet.  When I could not come up with one reason.  When I knew that I wanted to have a better life than sitting in a chair all day.  When I knew that I wanted to explore the deserts of the southwest this winter, I gave in and started to live the gluten free life.


Guess what!  It is an easy way to eat!  No wheat, that's it.  No bread.    So?  I can live without bread.  No pasta, hummmm.....well I guess I can live without linguine with clam sauce.  I can live without chicken and noodles....I think.


Well, I am on day nine.  I am still alive!  I have survived and it is no problem.  I feel like I am doing something positive about my discomfort.  As a matter of fact, I feel better already!  I am moving more fluidly and no pain!  I had no idea it would happen this fast.


It happened in such a sneaky way.  I didn't realize how much better I am until John and I were talking about it and voila!  I said, "hey... wait"  I feel better already!  


The next action I have taken in increasing my physical activity.  I am not sitting and reading all the time.  I am getting up and walking. I walked for about eight blocks with no discomfort!  This is tremendous!  I hope to get to the point that I walk a minimum of an hour daily.  


The weather is beautiful and is conducive to walking.  Arthur is going to have to chase me to get me down again!  Now, if I could just get rid of these crooked fingers.....  hehehe.  


I still must have the surgery on my thumb this Tuesday.  I have totally ruined that joint.  But guess what????  I will be able to enjoy my fiber art once again.  Life is good!  


I have put my life in perspective in the scope of all life.  A fellow blogger is fighting Lymphoma.  She will have surgery on Wednesday.  


Another blogger, at the age of thirty eight just lost her husband to a heart attack.  Sure makes my life simple, doesn't it.  


Yesterday, I wrote about the buds of life and the process we go through in living our lives.  I am so thankful for God and His blessings and His COMFORT in times of stress and need.  


My prayer for each of you is that your days to come are enriched with his love and blessings.  


God bless....N

I AM GETTING TALLER?

When I go outside.


 I decide that I am getting taller.  On a bright, sunny day I look at my shadow and WOW!  Look how long my shadow is.  I'm no longer a mere five feet tall!  


But, then I see the trees are taller, the motorhome is taller, even the fences are taller.  What is going on, anyway?  Oh yeah, it is fall.  It is not me getting taller, it is the sun getting further and further away.  What a huge disappointment. 


Hum, the shadows are getting taller and the days are getting shorter.  And just wait until we all set our clocks back in just a few short weeks.  Bummer.


I enjoy fall with it's riot of colors, the walking sticks, flying grasshoppers.  They all come fashionably late to the seasonal party.  The colors change so rapidly.  First comes a bit of yellow, then red and we see purples, oranges added to the palette. 





Then the leaves fall to the ground to be raked into mounds of color.  Browns now join the leaf party.  After the leaves fall, the trees are left bare and we again see the beautiful sculpture of the trunks and branches that have been hidden from view for the last six months.  


So is life.  We go through seasons of life just as the trees, flowers, insects etc. How we deal with our seasons is up to us.


Guess what is on those branches. The buds of the future,  the beginning of the spring to come.  These are tiny buds.  Buds that must experience the harsh trials of winter in order to blossom into beauty.

Our hope.  It takes strength to be a bud and withstand the trials of the harshness of winter. 

But alas, 

spring comes bringing blooming of those buds and the life cycle continues.  


A fresh start. A clean slate. A new beginning. 




Summer comes and the beauty of life shines through as does the beauty of the flowers, the sky, all nature is at it's peak performance.  



We no longer see the buds, but they are developing.


We smell the freshness of a summer rain and appreciate the clean aroma. 


And life goes on once more to fall where some of our life seems to die away in a beautiful array of color and those buds appear once more.  The buds?  They are our hope in the future.  God's gift to tell us to look forward with hope and faith.



I never look forward to winter.  I love spring and fall.  Summer is full of activity and growth.  I love Life, the sweet life that God has bestowed on us.  


So here I sit.  Looking at the trees beginning to change color, beginning to enter another phase of life.  I am excited to see what He has in store for me in the next season.  What is going to happen to my bud?


We go through life.  We have our harvest.  Our harvest of  experiences.  Our trials and tribulations of winter and in our spring, we break out in fresh growth and blossom. Summer is the season of smiles of joy of thankfulness.  


Be safe in your travels and activities and may your buds of life continue to mature.


And God Bless

THE PUNCH LINE AND ST. JAMES COURT IS DONE FOR ANOTHER YEAR!

Let's see..... Friday I shared a joke with  you and said to tun in the next day for the punch line.  Well, the next day came, but the blog and the punch line didn't.  

After spending Friday and Saturday greeting visitors to my booth, trying to stay warm and to keep a cheery face regardless of my fatigue, all I did was git the bed early.

Soooo, here is the long delayed, much anticipated, (not really), wildly waited for,  (ha) punch line.....

When the old lady kissed the frog turned prince.......she turned into..............................drum roll please ..........................   the next hotel!  As the Bayfield Bunch would say.............. groan.


I was appalled at the publicity / news coverage of the St James court Art Show.  The Louisville TV stations would first have a segment touting the art show and IMMEDIATELY switch to the next segment  featuring the terrible economy!  Oh yeah,  go to the art show, but be afraid to spend any money.  

Is is possible that the talking heads could say something positive?  I guess being positive does not attract people to turn into the news?  Are we as human beings that twisted that we have to feed on bad news like vultures stripping bodies after the kill?  No wonder millions of dollars are spent on antidepressants.  Thank goodness I don't listen to the news on a daily basis. 

The artists were shocked at the lack of sales.  A few categories did not feel the crunch.  Jewelry sold quite nicely.  But some artists who normally make thousands of dollars at the show, had only 2, 3, or 4 sales the entire three days of the show.  

I did my share of spending money at the show.  John saw a beautiful sweater / coat that a fiberartist  had made and insisted that I get it.  So what's a woman to do when a man gives the go-ahead to spend money.....   well, she spends money, of course!  

I'm pretty much of a tight wad and I really balked at letting go of the green, but I knew it was important to John.  He has very good taste when it comes to choosing clothing for me, I was a good wife, wasn't I?  

A vital bridge over the Ohio River was closed creating traffic problems on the I 65 bridge.  Many residents from Indiana just did not want to fight the traffic to get to Louisville.



My Friday sales were right on target to meeting my goal.  Saturday, I fell a bit under goal and yesterday, Sunday, I should have stayed home.  BUT  ...........  I put the entire show in god's hands.  He provided what He considered that I need, so I am thankful. 

The bridge closure is hurting the economy of many small towns there in the area of the closed bridge.  New Albany, businesses are having a tough time making ends meet as they depend of traffic from Louisville to help revitalize the revenues of the businesses.  

On our way home from Louisville, we met friends in New Albany.  We ate lunch at a Cuban Cafe'.  The food was excellent.  The service was exceptional!  The number of people eating there was lacking.  I sure do hope they can survive until the bridge is repaired.  It is going to be a long, long year or so. 


The weather in Louisville was a bit on the cool side, but I loved it.  Yellow, red and brown Maple leaves would let go of their summer home and float down then gently glide to the sidewalk or land in my lap.  What a delicious sight and a great promise of a beautiful fall.  Once we have a frost, the trees will present a concert of color.  This is a  beautiful time of year.  


Well, time for the Colts' Monday Night Football.....  oh, how I wish we had Peyton back!  But I'm a fan, win or loose.  


God bless you all....may your Tuesday be full of His blessings...