THAT DARNED ELEPHANT.....ONCE AGAIN,IT IS TIME TO EAT AWAY

Dr. Lykens was able to make a diagnosis today.  They were trying to decide between more lung problems and atrial fibrillation and congestive heart failure.

AND THE WINNER IS...
             CONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE CAUSED BY THE A  FIB

That sounds bad at first.  At least until the diagnosis is made and the treatment is centered upon one illness to treat.  Actually both are linked and the old saying "which comes first, the chicken or the egg?"

This time the extreme fatigue from moving into our new motorhome is the culprit.  In simple terms, he just, plain overdid it.  

The fatigue, catching a cold, the Atrial Fib, his COPD and his unwillingness to just totally cease all activity and rest taxed his body beyond what is reasonable.  

He began to retain water, he was always tired and felt weak, the end of last week, he was unable to sleep because he could not get his breath. He would wake at five or five thirty in the morning.  I would rouse in the dark to see him sitting on the side of the bed.  His head would be hanging. Keep in mind, this man loves to sleep and would gladly sleep till nine any morning.  

We would come to the dining area and he would be so tired that he would put his elbows on the table, hold his head in his hands and nod off.  This would last for two or three hours.  

I am telling you in order that someone will read this and keep it in their memory bank.  It might happen to  you or a loved one sometime in the future.  Congestive Heart Failure is a sneaky menace.  

BUT THE PRAYERS AND THOUGHTS OF OUR READERS, FAMILY AND DEAR FRIENDS HAVE BLESSED US ONCE AGAIN.  Thank you...each and every one of you.  

John is making progress much faster than in the Spring.  He is working hard to follow all instructions to the tee.  Learning to breathe in deeply through the nose and out through his lips is difficult to remember.  If he does this, he is able to keep his oxygen levels in the nineties.

Using the tried and true breathing exercise was hard at first.  Now, he makes that ball do the happy dance!  Aren't those yellow socks cute?

Finding plant based food and eating on a diabetic plan has been a stretch of the imagination.  He combs the menu for hours deciding what will work for both eating programs.  It is much easier here at home.  

He has made both plans work together.  He is my hero!  

I never hear a complaint from him.  He amazes me and the entire medical staff with his quiet humor.  

Indiana University Hospital is a teaching hospital.  The physicians that are produced by this program are among the nation's finest.  And eighty percent of Indiana's top Doctors work at the medical complex of Indiana University.

The two on the right are Residents.  On the left you see a pharmacist.  These pharmacists travel on rounds to help with the dosages, spot drug interactions, make recommendations.  Every Pharmacist has a "Pharm D"... a doctorate in pharmacy.  

This afternoon, Dr. Lykens, came to check John's progress, give us tons of information and to allow us to ask questions.  He was in no hurry to leave and answered every question and asked us if we needed more information.  Then he pronounced John improved enough to leave the Progressive Care Unit and go into a "regular," (my works, not his) room. 
The best news was and is that Johns congestive heart failure is not permanent.  

 Do you think John is eager to move?  His bags are packed and he is "ready to rumble!"  Where is that nurse with that wheel chair????

Ahhh here she is, going through her check list.  This young woman  is an excellent nurse!  I am so thankful that she was the one to care for John today. 

Some nurses just seem to go through the motions.  This lovely lady was so efficient and caring.  When she told us that she was her first nursing position and started just one month ago, we were astounded with her presence and skills.

When the director of nursing checked with us to see if we were happy with the care John received, we were sure to heap praises on this angel of God. 

Dr. Lykens was so encouraging.  CHF - Congestive Heart Failure does not have to be a permanent diagnosis.  For John, this is temporary.  We WILL need to be  cognisant of any signs or symptoms.

If all goes well, John should be out of the hospital by the first of next week.  We should be able to travel in about two weeks after a follow up visit with Dr. Lykens.  

There are a few new rules.  John can drive a maximum of two hours, if his feet do not swell.  If swelling occurs or the two hours are up, I take over the driving and John gets to sit in the co-pilot's chair, a recliner, and tell me how to drive.  Oh happy day.

I do not know how much rock climbing and rock hounding we will be doing.  I want this to be a winter of recovery and strengthening.  We have the rest of our lives to do the more active interests.

Thanks for visiting. Thanks again for your support.  You all are a wonderful group of people.  We are blessed.  

For you new visitors, on the regulars too.  Feel free to leave comments, ask questions etc.

God Bless and have a great Thanksgiving.  "Count your blessing, one by one....count your blessings, see what God has done..."

MRI COMPLETED AND FORTY FEET OF ANSWERED PRAYER

We arrived at Indiana University Hospital and the Simon Cancer Center for John's MRI.  After a short wait, John was escorted to the "inner sanctum" of the hospital.  Then, I waited for an hour and a half.  I had no idea that it would be that long.  

While waiting, I watched many patients come for their tests.  Some had huge "cocktails" to consume prior to their test.  Others had their hair in pretty wraps to cover their bald heads on a very cool, windy day.

One gentleman sat in the warm sunlight and enjoyed the garden on the other side of the huge, glass window.  He radiated peace.  It was good to glance up from my reading and see him sitting there.  

Another gentleman came into our area and sat down, placing a huge backpack and what looked like a case for a medium size musical instrument.  He quickly struck up a conversation with the gentleman in the sunlight.  Then they included me in some of the conversation.  

I what kind of instrument was in the case.  As if he was just waiting for someone to ask, he opened the case and revealed a ukulele.  It was larger than the ones I have seen previously.  

He played the ukulele for a while then segued into his version of AMAZING GRACE.  After his song, he returned the instrument to it's case and the conversation turned to "why me?".  The man in the sunlight shared that he went from "why me?" to "why not me? The ukulele player said he has not reached the why not stage, but he does see life in a new perspective.  

Both men were then called for their respective tests and I resumed reading my book until John came out.  We then went to have lunch.  

While eating, my phone rang, but before I could get to it, voicemail took over.  I looked at the number and it revealed one of the dealers in Kentucky that we visited Tuesday and Wednesday.  We decided to finish our lunch, do our shopping and then call the dealer when we returned to our home on wheels. 

Tuesday, we had made our offer on a 40' Tiffin Allegro Bus and the salesman countered.  His counter was unacceptable to us and we walked.  

Wednesday, we returned and shot him our final offer, we left for him to think about it.  We came back to Indy for John's appointment.  We were totally at peace with what we offered and we knew that eventually, we would have a motorhome that met our needs.  

To make a long story even longer, I can now say that he accepted our low ball offer!  This is based on the buyer of the condo completing his purchase next week.

Soooo, here is our new to us Tiffin Allegro Bus!  It has only 26,000 miles, new carpeting, four door refrigerator, washer/dryer, tons of storage.  Thank you all for your prayers, advice, and your encouragement.     

One by one, we tick things off our list.  The only thing holding us back from heading to South Dakota is the results of John's MRI and biopsy.  

Did you catch the ONLY???

Thanks again for your good wishes and prayers.  Keep them coming!  I am praying for zero cancer!  I know the doctor said eighty percent, but I am asking for John to be in the twenty percent!  

God Bless!

WINDY! DETECTIVE WORK!

Whew!  We are having a super windy day.  There are gusts of forty two miles per hour.  The motorhome rocks a bit while we are parked.  I would not want to be on the road today.

Tomorrow, we may travel to Kentucky, Tennessee and possibly West Virginia to scout for a 
motorhome.      

We have been researching dealers and inventories on line.  Maybe, just maybe we will find the motorhome that suits our needs.  

This is not sold to us.  

If we do not find a motorhome, it will still be nice.  At least we will be out of the Camping Word asphalt jungle!  We still have a minor repair that we are awaiting and are grateful for our parking spot.  

Thanks to all who are sending suggestions, hints and leads to motorhomes that are for sale.  We check each suggestion with a grateful heart.

We will return Wednesday in time to catch our zzzzz's before John's MRI and biopsy.  We received a phone call from the doctor's office and his visit with Dr. Koch has been rescheduled for November 6th.  

We were planning to be on the road September 12th.  Now if all goes well and John does not have prostate cancer, we will be on the road November 7th or 8th.  It is a wait and see situation right now.  

Thanks so much for for visiting with us.  Please be safe out there as you travel.

God bless.  

  

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. 

 

                                                                                          

 

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. 

               

 

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. 

WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING

The house went on the market thirty six hours ago.  One showing this evening and now they want to come back for a second look-see.  Oh my! 


Another showing scheduled for tomorrow, Oh my!  


Do you remember the great movie with Sandra Bullock - While You Were Sleeping?  Well I suddenly have visions of John waking up and being able to communicate.  I stand at the side of his bed and say
"dear, while YOU were sleeping, I went ahead and signed the contract to put our house on the market......then I sold the house.....so you are going to be coming home to your beloved motorhome!"  


Oh my, what a dream!  But keep in mind.... God is the one in control!  


Blessings to all!    N

THE ROBINS HAVE ARRIVED!

From the time I was a youngin till my Dad's death, we had a competition.  Who would see the first Robin of the year.  Usually, my dad won. It was great fun, though.  

But, one strange phenomenon was that after the Robin arrived,  it would snow.  I remember one year, the Robins would huddle up close to our barn for warmth because the temperatures really hit rock bottom.  

Well, they are here.  It is now snowing and the 

temperatures are due to be the lowest yet for this winter season.  

The cold temperatures and the colder temperatures are not making us sluggish, though.  We are just keepin on keepin on.  The journey to our full time journey must go on.  

Today, our time has been spent gathering, photographing, listing, answering emails regarding the listings and selling items that were listed on Craig's List.  What a great tool!  And all they ask is a donation and it is not required.  You can be sure we will make a donation!  We have saved time, packaging, gas and $$$$ by not listing on Ebay.  Ebay is good for some things, but not all.  

Tomorrow.  Tomorrow is a problem.  I have yet to plan what I will do.  Will I paint the half bath?  Will I clean carpet in one of the bed rooms?  What a puzzlement.  But I DO  know what I will do Sunday.  R. E. S. T.  

Time to fix dinner, so it's see ya later.

God bless your travels.  

ANOTHER DAY IN THE JOURNEY

A welcome aboard to four new followers.  So glad you can join us on our journey.  Nancy has joined us from Oregon.  I still can't pronounce Oregon they way people in Oregon do.  They are new to the RV and blogging world.  Sue and Mo are having a great time out there.  Their header picture reminds me of Joshua Tree National Forest....sigh.  


We also have a fellow artist following us.  Richard the RV Painter is here.  He has some nice art work in his blogs.  Hopefully, when we are on the road, I will be able to get back to being creative!  When I first saw the RV Painter, I thought he painted RVs.  And no, I am not a blond.  Richard's wife is Melissa.  Welcome Melissa!  She is an artist of words.  Melissa writes books.  I'd love to read her book.  


The weather here in Indiana was wonderful for outside chores.... until today.  We have accomplished so much and are thankful for the energy we had.  Today, John is bushed and napping a bit.  Even with emphysema he pushes and pushes till a job is complete.  It may take longer, but when it is done, it is done right.  I am so thankful for such a neat guy.


This strenuous journey to our Big Journey, is soon going to only be a memory.  Our discussion over breakfast was; "what do we do to have the total body exercise that we are getting from all the work we are doing here?"


There is much lifting, pulling, pushing, walking, bending, squatting etc.  In the future, when we are full timing, hikes will do some good, but we want to find something that will incorporate all the above.  We like the extra strength we are gaining and when we are not too exhausted, it feels good.  


Yesterday, we did maintenance on our second patio.  It is located in front of the barn that is closer to our house.  The patio is Tennessee Blue Stone.   In the patio, we designed and built a lovely water feature that is eighteen inches as well as two feet below above the patio.  Visitors are awed by a water feature that is partly above and below ground.  You also get to see the tools we forgot to put away.  The fountain is not turned on, but you can get the idea.  


These pictures are hazy due to the fog and rain.  They are taken with the telephoto on my new Canon Power Shot SX 150 and are not as good as they could be due to the photographer.  - me.  


Here is a picture looking out the kitchen window using the zoom feature of my new camera.  It was until a year ago that you would see our llamas.  I do miss my fiber kids, but they were a lot of work.  And this year a bale of hay is almost twice the cost of a gallon of gasoline!  Now our hay money goes into the motorhome gas tank and we have less work.  I hope we get out of here before the pond out back freezes over and it is ice skating time!  Would anyone like to buy a house?  


Thank you for taking part in today's journey and for your prayers for our strength and energy to accomplish our tasks at hand.  


God bless your journey today!   

ENJOYING THE JOURNEY?

Earlier, when we would begin our trips, I could hardly wait to arrive at our destination - so we could enjoy our vacation.  We would drive "straight through" for sixteen or twenty hours - in order to be there sooner and start our vacation.  We would arrive totally exhausted, but we were there, it was time to enjoy!  (After we rested for a day.)


Then I learned that the journey was part of the vacation and that I needed to be thankful, slow down and appreciate the drive.  


Why am I talking about this now?  Because I have learned another lesson in "enjoying the trip,"  the journey.  


John and I have talked about selling the house and full timing for over a year.  It was a dream in the distant future, something to chat about, to read information and blogs, to investigate.  


As the last eighteen months have progressed, the talks were more frequent. We talked about traveling to the art and fiber shows as part of our full timing.  We would just make our journey fit the show schedule.


Selling our house became part of those wishful discussions.  We sure didn't want to full time and have a house back in Indiana.  So we interviewed Realtors and set the plan in motion.  


We decided, before listing the house, we wanted to do some work to increase the value and decrease the waiting time for the sale.  The cherry hardwood floors were already down.  That was one thing we had in our plan book from the day we moved in fourteen years ago. 


We made a list of all the other things we wanted to do prior to the day of listing. We also set a goal, an unrealistic goal of January first. Now keep in mind that this goal was set the second  week of November.  


Today is January eighth and we are still working!  Gee, what a surprise.  Our second goal of January fifteenth is fast approaching. We will not meet that goal either.


Let me digress about ten days.  John's health is not the best.  He has emphysema.  He is on three inhalers and oral medications.  He has to stop and catch his breath often.  To add to that, he has always been a slow worker / mover.  It is just his nature.  I have tried to challenge him to walk faster, work faster, think faster, drive faster.  But that just isn't John.  Finally, I have accepted it and am thankful for what he does in his own speed.  


With his emphysema and my arthritis, setting up our sales booth has become a greater challenge at every show. We drive to the city where the show is located, unload, set up the booth, greet customers for two or three days.  But we are exhausted.  


When the show is over we are back to packing up, transporting merchandise back to the motorhome and reloading the basement with the shelves, displays and merchandise. All the time, I'm grouchy because I hurt all over and John is just trying to breathe.  Now does any of this make sense to you?  Not me, not John.  I have had two huge meltdowns in the last few days.  How ridiculous. 


We have decided that we do not NEED this extra work.  The money is not worth it.  The work is hard on us physically and hurts our relationship.  You just can't put a dollar amount on health and relationships.


I will continue my art work. I love my art work.  It is part of me.   I will sell on line ..... if and when I choose!  I do need to work on an excellent website and establish an Etsy and Ebay outlet for my work.  


Okay, back to the subject of enjoying the journey.  Now that we have decided to withdraw from the shows, we do not have to be in Tennessee mid March!  That means we do not have to "break our necks" to get the house ready to sell so fast in order to get out to southern California and back to Tennessee!  Whew, what a relief.  


Yesterday, we both worked outdoors. John installed new outdoor lighting.  I mowed part of the pasture that needed some TLC.  While mowing, it was so nice to look over the ground, at the trees, to watch the wild life even if it was voles and rabbits running from the tractor.  I began to enjoy the journey to full timing.  


We burned downed trees, branches, brush.  I cleaned the chicken pen and around one of the barns.  I enjoyed the journey a bit more.


Today, is a day of rest for us.  We will enjoy this journey too.  We are going to the motorhome to watch the New York Giants play Atlanta in their wild card game.  We must support at least one Manning since our poor Colts did so miserably this season.  


I have two more beams and the fireplace brick in the family room to paint.  John has four columns to finish and to put baseboard down where we installed the new hardwood floors. (kitchen, front, family, dining rooms and the entry.)  Now THAT was a journey!  Oh yes, I must paint the columns and baseboard.  Oops, there are windows to wash and cabinets and wood trim to polish.  Oh oh, there is one closet left to empty.  And my studio!  Eeeek! We both know that there will be more tasks to raise their ugly heads, don't we.


Tomorrow, we continue the journey to clean the barns.  Can anyone say dumpster?  We continue to work outside as the weather allows.  I am amazed that we are outdoors working in January.  I am thankful for the Journey.


One thing we have continually asked ourselves during this journey is why didn't we do these tasks earlier for ourselves?  Why didn't we get the new appliances so we could enjoy them?  Why didn't we do .........Why?  


Maybe the reason is to teach us to enjoy the journey.  Every journey that God blesses us with.  

THERE IS SOMETHING HIDING IN THAT CLOSET!

It is Thanksgiving eve.  One Turkey is done and the other is now in the roaster.  I have read about brineing a turkey, so that's what we did today.  We will see how they taste tomorrow.  Nothing like experimenting on family.  Right?


The majority of the day has been spent getting rid of "stuff."  I cannot believe how much stuff we have.  It is mind boggling.  It took one day to sort through my closet!  Did you know that closets can grow?  Mine sure has.  Not only can I walk into the closet, I could have a dance in there!


We have bags stuffed to go to The Refuge. The Refuge is a Christian organization that provides food, clothing, furniture, training,  counseling and encouragement to people in need.  Before people can be encouraged spiritually, they must have their physical needs filled.  We try to support The Refuge as much as we can.


I have one more closet to go through.  The coat closet is going to be more of a challenge for John than for me.  He has way too many winter jackets and coats.  I have just what is necessary.  He probably has three or four times the clothes that I have.  Now, this guy has some major decisions to make since the motorhome will hold only so much "stuff."


I am more of a minimalist.  He is a gatherer.  But I do have a few things in the closet that I must make a decision whether to donate or keep.  They are the most recent clothing purchases prior to my gaining back the lost weight.  The problem....they are in perfectly good shape.  Hardly worn.  What's a person to do.....I dunno.  I am sure I will make a decision between now and when we list the house.  


I surely do like the lack of clutter in closets, drawers and cabinets.  Tomorrow, I will see a niece who has and collects Fiesta Ware.  I have Fiesta only because I got it when we moved John's mom from her home to ours.  Fiesta -  Another bunch of "stuff" that will not fit into the motorhome.  


We have decided that instead of selling our antiques one at a time, we will call dealers, get quotes and sell to the dealer with the highest bid.  


Now to find a way to sell all of MIL's quilting fabric and supplies.  I did join a Yahoo quilting group with the intention of posting items there.  

THEN there is John's HO trains.  He was building a layout, collecting and constructing trains etc. and has more stuff than a train store!  He is going to sell this "stuff" at a show/sale Saturday.  He has packed quite a few plastic tubs and is working on more.  Oh my.  


I know this is hard for him to "let go."  He has worked on this hobby for at least fifteen years.  It has been a labor of love.  I have left him along to sort, price and to say good-by.  


It is really sad, because I can take my fiber with me and continue creating my art on the road.    I will have both my spinning wheel and my circular sock machine.  They provide the fun money for our trips.  


But!  He is now tying flies for fishing and is becoming interested in rock hounding.  So, he is saying good-by to some thing and welcome to two new interests.  

Yesterday,  our granddaughter, Megan, came by for my sewing machine and brought along Harper, her daughter and our great grand!  Wow! so much fun!  


Her capau took time out from his trains to play with her and they were having a grand ole time!  

She said that she wants to go on a trip with us.  But I don't think Meg will let her go yet.  Rats!  


Maybe she can come along when she's a bit older.  Yesterday, she was six months old.  She's a tiny thing.  


Well, the turkey is five degrees from being done.  Then I can go to bed!  Tomorrow, comes the rest of the cooking.  


Happy Thanksgiving to all.  Let's remember the soldiers who are away from their families to help protect us from harm.  Let's pray that they will be safe and return home quickly.  


God bless you and your families.  

LAZY HAZEY DAZS OF SUMMER

Now this is my kind of weather.  As long as the humidity is low and the day temperatures stay below eighty-five and night temps drop into the fiftys or low sixtys, I'm a happy camper.  That is just where our temperatures have been for a short while.  

There is just one problem with our nights.  Oliver, our huge eight pound "guard dog"  is finding something to bark at.  As soon as darkness falls, the wild life enters out back and he is on high alert.  Every five minutes he wants to go on safari.  Since coyotes are thick around here and regardless of our fencing at the house, they would love to leap over and have a yummy peaches and cream meal.  

Here is our protector supervising one of my students in a felting class that I was teaching.  This boy must be in the center of the action.  

When I am working and if the project is the correct size, this protector is poised on the felting table in order to supervise my work.  He is my best critic, he adores everything I do!  

Summer is winding down,  Art shows and fiber festivals are quickly approaching.  Motor home work is being completed and porjects in the house are slowly coming along.

I have not blogged for a while and had not planned to add anything until we were on the road, but yesterday I was reading Al's blog  and he shared how his readership decreased tremendously when he did not continue to blog through the summer.  Sooooo, since my blog is new and my readership is small, if mine decreased, heck!, I'd not have any readers and that would be a lonely experience.  

I have a neat story to share with you, but not today.  I found a newspaper article that was written about my great aunt and her travels.  Hopefully, tomorrow, I will share, if I'm not in another lazy dazey mood.  

For now, take care, safe travels and God Bless!  

GETTING THE "ITCH"

I had decided not to post on my blog this evening.  I thought I had nothing to say that would interest anyone.  I was comfortable with my decision and off I went to play Spider Solitaire. 

BUT, then something happened.  As I was playing with a blank mind, I had a strange feeling.  A feeling of being someplace in the southwest.  A feeling of peace, tranquility, happiness.  What the heck???

I actually felt the way I did last winter as we toured  Amboy Crater, 

Death Valley, Joshua Tree and Anza Borrego.  What can I say, I was "outta here".  

 Joshua Tree

On our way to Death Valley and a Ghost Town....John Manson style. 

Our home on wheels with Oliver in the window, but almost hidden by the reflection of the sun.

Traveling and living in our motor home this winter, for the first time, was such a neat experience.  It was liberating, refreshing, it was a joy!  

The beauty of the southwest is amazing.  It lingers in my mind and surfaces at least once a day.  But tonight, I felt like I was there in the midst of it all.  What joy!  

Tonight, Al of the Bayfield Bunch wrote of being at the half-way point to their winter travels.  This writing must be what clicked my brain into winter drive and revived the good feelings from last winter.  I think I am as eager as he is to be "outta here".  But we must wait a bit longer.  

We will have Thanksgiving with the family here, hopefully celebrate Christmas a bit early with our Indianapolis family, then set out to be in California with our other daughter.  We have not had Christmas with her in at least twelve years.  It's her turn this year, don't you think?  

I digress....what, if not Al, made me have those feelings?  I keep asking myself.  Probably a combination of things.  

I've mentioned that we plan to put our little farm up for sale.  You know that we have installed cherry hardwood floors.  

Now we have started up-grading our kitchen.  We purchased a French door refrigerator with double freezer drawers on the bottom.  Tonight, we found the dishwasher to go with the stainless steel frig.  The only other things we need to take care of are the counter tops and the new stove/oven. 

Couple that with walls painted, then we will be able to list the house for sale!  How exciting.  AND  the housing market here is not in a slump.  Places in our price range seem to be moving quickly.  Hopefully, it will not take long to sell...............But,.............. oh my gosh!  Then the eliminating begins....

OK,  I have totally frightened myself to death!  I am not going to think about it any more!  I will never get to sleep tonight.  It is already one a.m.

Actually, I have been going through the process of getting rid of "stuff".  I have some empty drawers to show for my work.  

BUT, then there is John....I eliminate, and he removes the "stuff" from the trash to a barn for a garage sale!  So the "stuff" is only moved from one place to another!  We still have to get rid of it~!   

Help!  I think I'm loosing my mind!  I have no clue when we will have time for a garage sale.  My art shows and fiber festivals start with a vengeance in about five weeks.  We will be on the road then till mid November. Then comes Thanksgiving and I've already shared our plans for Thanksgiving and after. Then comes December pre-Christmas shows. 

My thought......  use Craig's List to sell of  some of the stuff.  Call antique dealer to appraise and buy said antiques.  Make numerous trips to homeless shelters with donations.  That would be my choice.  

I choose not to use Goodwill very much.  They charge for their goods and the needy people of the inner city, the homeless, etc have a greater need.  I shop at Goodwill!  I buy silk garments to use in my felting pieces.  It is a cycle....a good cycle. 

Goodwill is good.  It serves a purpose in helping physically and mentally challenged people by providing them with a job.  But we also have seen what donations to the small, homeless shelters, food banks, etc can do for people. 

Hum, I thought I didn't have anything to say tonight.  That changed, didn't it!  Now, I'm off to bed so I can dream of Craig's List, homeless shelters, Goodwill, garage sales, painting, oh my...I'd better get some rest so I will be ready to felt tomorrow!  Nite all!

God Bless!  

Trying Tuesday

First, I want to welcome new followers, dewelldesigns.blogspot.com and John and Ellen to our web site.  We are so happy to have you on board.  John and Ellen, I cannot locate your blog.  If you want, would you please send me your blog address?  Thanks...

Geez, If I thought Saturday was hot, I underestimated what the weather was to do.  The ultra sultry Temperatures are here in full blast.  Walking outdoors is like opening an over and stepping inside.  At one time today, the "feels like temperature" was 117 degrees.  I wonder if we could fry an egg on our drive?  Maybe if it were asphalt instead of our concrete.

Today was a day of errands.  We took the Miata and had the top down with the air conditioning blasting away.  You know, we must (hehe) get our daily dose of vitamin D.  The top down with a.c. on scenario worked just fine.

One of our errands was to purchase food for Noah our cat.  I can't believe it, but the price is up to just under fifty dollars for a fourteen pound bag!  Did you see what I wrote????  FIFTY DOLLARS FOR FOURTEEN POUNDS!.............  OF CAT FOOD!  That comes to $3.57 a pound!  We have got to find a better way to purchase the cat food.  Noah need low ash because the poor boy gets kidney stones on regular cat food.  Bummer.  And he is a big eater....this big boy weighs twenty pounds!

We are waiting for the temperatures to come down.  The floor in the motor home is prepped and ready for installation of the New Allure Floor Covering.  I'm so eager to see it down.  I don't want to pressure John to do it since he does have the breathing issues.  I'm just ready for a blast of wind from Canada to push this air from the Gulf of Mexico back south, where it belongs.

We did extend the motor home's awning, allowing it to dry out from the rains we have had.  It was a real chore though.  The strap that we hook into became entangled in the awning.  John had to get on top of the  motor home and manually unroll a little and feel around for the strap.  After about four unsuccessful tries,  he went to the front end of the awning and pushed on the support that rests against the motorhome.  I know, the instructions say that is a no - no, but he was extremely careful and the awning unlatched and gently came away from the motorhome just enough that I could go to the other end and coax it open from there to lessen the bind.  Voila, the awning rolled opened as if we had written a script.

I found that missing strap.  I tend to believe that the last time John raised the awning to storage position, he did not have a firm hand on the strap.  It was wrinkled as if it had retracted in wads.  From now on, we will do the awning together, work slowly and holding on to that strap with all our might.  I might even put an extension on it just for extra insurance.

One of the blogs that I read had something very interesting.  It is a web site that calculated miles per gallon for you.  Now, I know, I could do this myself, but why bother now that I have found this site.  We are going to go back to the beginning of our time with the motorhome and calculate all the mileage.

I did read that fifty-five miles per hour is the best speed for the greatest gas mileage.  Is that what you have found?  Last winter, it was my understanding that the ultimate speed was sixty to sixty five miles per hour.  We will try anything to increase our MPG!  Here is the link for the website  http://mistupid.com/automotive/mpg.htm

Speaking of gas, what happened to the gas prices.....again.  For about three days, the prices fell rapidly.  I filled the Miata for $3.17 / gal....then ran home and had John go fill the motorhome!  As he was filling it, the gas rose thirty cents a gallon.  Whew, he just made it under the wire!  That is a hefty savings for a seventy five gallon tank.

Wow, it is seven o'clock and the temperature is down to a whoppin ninety three degrees.  I'm off, to do what, not sure right now... till next time ` ~ God Bless!

A Day of Challenges

Today's challenges have not been monumental.  They are just challenges.  But for some reason, they bug me today.  The heat, the air quality, the sock machine, the silk worms, the grass to cut, the weeds to pull, the motorhome floor to finish, the kitchen to finish as well as painting the house so we can sell it.  That's all. 

Today, the heat has been oppressive and the resulting air quality has made for a difficult day for John with his emphysema.  Working on the motorhome floor is impossible after about one o'clock in the afternoon.  He is so eager to get the flooring down and it is discouraging for him.  He pushes himself further than he should and this is a concern for me. 

The sock machine and I had a round today.  I am using a new / different yarn and am having a terrible time making all the adjustments.  I've knitted and ripped out more times than I can count!  As I have said before, this is a HUGE learning curve.  On the positive side though, I have found the perfect number of rows to fit my foot.  The first socks were too large for my feet, but the last pair.....just right.   What is so funny is that as I was ripping out a sock for the umteenth time, I was thinking that maybe I should get my spinning wheel and spin.  I had to laugh at myself.  When I was learning to spin, I would think that maybe I should just go felt something.  Nothing like wanting to take an easier road.  

The silkworms.....I have three very stubborn fellas.  They just don't want to stop eating those mulberry leaves and make their cocoons.  I have had cocoons for four days now, but these guys keep hanging on and eating.  I still can hear these three chewing on the mulberry leaves.  At first, as wee babes, they needed the youngest, most tender mulberry leaves.  Now they enjoy the large, mature leaves.  When I go out to cut more branches, I see those young, tender leaves and thing, ooooh they will like these.  I put the leaves in the silkworm container and what do these fellas want?  The old, hairy, tough leaves.  I guess my love of the spring mix for salads does not equate here.  I love the young and tender.

You can see the two coocoons and the worms here. 

I am tempted to reduce the amount we are cutting.  With the price of gas, I feel it is a waste of money.  It takes a lot of gas to cut 5 acres every 3 or 4 days.  The grass is still growing at a speedy rate and with most of our grass being out of sight, why not? 

And the weeds.  I just wish everything were level and we could just cut it all down....The woes of summer and home / mini farm ownership. 

We did have a cool visitor today.  I really do not know what it is.  It looks a bit like a dragon fly, but I don't think it is.  "He" was resting on the side of our house and I saw him as I was sitting at the circular sock machine.  Maybe you will be able to tell me it's name. 

Dinner is ready, time to go.....God bless all tonight~!

So Happy to Have THAT Done!

I have been off studying and test taking.  In my other life, I was an insurance agent and I continue to do my continuing education and test taking.  Total stress time for this type A personality.  Of course I must get every question answered correctly.  Now, I ask "who cares other than me?".  Now that the test is over and I have my certificates to prove it, I don't even care. ha

If the studying enhanced my knowledge of health and life  insurance, that would be great, but what they place on there is junk.  Who gives a rip about the dates of early insurance, when Medicare started, etc.  That is not what makes agents good.  Useful knowledge of the do's and don'ts, the ways to use each policy, etc - that would help insurance agents.

I have been licensed  for 30 years and feel like I could write the continuing education materials.  BUT, do not ask me to.  I'm mostly retired.  I write for friends and family.  That is the only reason I keep my license.

Ok, enough of that!

The silk worms are making cocoons today.  It is neat to watch them work inside their cocoons.  The ones that have yet to start are just lounging around, not eating....just sleeping, getting ready for the big push.  I am going to have silk soon!  It has been an interesting experience, but not sure I will do it again.  Right now, I'm just tired and really don't want to do a thing.

But, tomorrow, I head to the studio.  I an positive that will put some excitement into my life.  I have yarn to dye, felting to do etc.  I have some neat ideas that have been cooking for a while and am ready to make some test pieces.

I found my camera!  It was "lost" in the Miata!  I haven't had the Miata out of the barn since Hoosier Hills Fiberarts Festival and I had the camera down there.  Mystery solved.

John is just a step or two from having the motorhome floor prepared for our new Allure floor covering.  He says that after removing the carpeting from the house for our hardwood and removing it from the motorhome, he never wants us to have carpeting again.  Even if one sweeps daily, grit gets though the carpet and just sits on the floor.  Yuck...and that is just what we see!  What about all the mites from our skin etc?  Double Yuck!

I do know that our allergies have been much better since we have installed the hardwood here in the house.

I'm ready for a trip again and so is John.  We haven't been home two weeks and we are ready to roll again.  Maybe next week after the Fourth of July stampede.  We really enjoy going to Brown County State Park and it is only 45 minutes from here.

Well, that's it for tonight so nite and God Bless!

Home

Home, .......... home,  rain filled front lawn, rain filled barnyard, water standing in the field yet to be planted........Rain.........and more rain.

We arrived home this morning to water standing everywhere.  This morning, I woke up to find a ground hog sitting on our hot tub cover, just to have some dry feet! The hot tub is just out my bedroom window.  (If I knew how to transfer photos from my new Droid X to this blog, I would show you his picture!  Flood warnings are flashing on the screen.  The poor farmers are waiting to finish planting their crops.  And then more rain storms show up on the radar.

Then there is Texas and Arizona, New Mexico....the southwest regions of the United States.....drought, and more drought, and fires.  Don't we wish that we could "spread the wealth?  Last year, we had such a hot, dry season.  The corn withered. soy beans did not produce their usual wealth., grass turned brown and was crisp under foot.  We had no-burn orders.  If one tried to burn brush, the fire department was out to issue a citation and to put your fire out.  What ever happened to equal opportunity weather? 

Well, laundry is caught up, I have knitted a sock on my circular sock machine............all in addition to the things that must be done after a trip on the road. Now,  ..............  we are looking forward to the next time on the road.  And that is not far off.  We leave Friday morning for the Wool Fest in Kirkland, OH!  Oh my....

It is time to get some sleep and prepare for the Wool Fest!  Blessings to all.....N

Busy Days

Yesterday as a very productive day.  More work in the motor home was completed.  Those little things that seem to bug us when we are having a quiet evening have been fixed or cleaned.  Why is it that we pick, pick, pick.  It's almost impossible for me to just sit without visually inspecting everything to see what needs to be done next.  Oh well, really, it is fun to work on the "roadhouse". 

I also worked in the studio.  At the last show people were happy to find our knitting, weaving, handwork lights.  We almost sold out!  I ordered more and they have arrived.  Also, the wet felting kits were a very popular item, so I made more for the Great Lakes Fiberarts Show in Wooster, OH that is coming up this Memorial Day week end.  This is a super show and again we look forward to seeing the friends we made last year. 

Rain, Please GO AWAY!

It has rained so much that we have not had a day to mow the lawn.  It is about long enough that we could cut and bale it!  The rain started a week ago as we went to Greencastle, IN for The Fiber Event.  The Fiber Event was great!  Sales were up and I met many new friends and had such a great time talking with old friends.  Dinner at Greencastle's restaurant, Almost Home was again a treat.  A great big YUM! 

After coming home from Greencastle, I taught a felting class.  The class was using a resist in felting.  When one uses a resist, they can make an object with no seams such as a vessel, mittens, slippers, etc.  This time the student wanted to make a saddle pad for one of her horses.  By making the pad by using a resist, she will be able to add padding to the hollow inside of the pad.  This project is the largest using a resist.  I was very thankful that I have the felt rolling machine or we would have been totally exhausted!

Late Thursday, Edmundson RV called and said that the motor home would not be ready for our trip to the Fiber Arts Festival in Kendallville, IN.  (again)  We loaded the truck and were on I 69 heading north.  Since we had such a late call from Edmundson, we arrived with only about an hour to set up our booth, but we made it. 

Friday, we were greeted with more rain and a cold that was totally bone chilling.  Since my silk long johns were in the motor home, I was totally unprepared for the cold and drank more hot chocolate than I had all winter!  Surprisingly enough, the die hard fiber artists came out and shopped for supplies.  I was very pleased that our sales were as much as they were and looked forward to Saturday's sales since it was not supposed to rain before 7:00 p.m. and the show was to end at 5:00.  Saturday's sales were also good and for a first time show, I was mildly pleased with our sales.    We packed up and headed home and of course it began to rain as we approached Indianapolis.  

It has rained all day and we have had a quiet, thoughtful Easter.  Our California daughter, Jojo, sent me a picture of Joshua Tree.  They are camping there this week end.  Later, she called and we talked for a wonderfully long time.  It is so hard to have a child 2000 miles away.  Her phone call made the day wonderful! 

The rain is supposed to continue all week.  This will guarantee that I stay in the studio and get some work done.  I also need to order more pottery knitting bowls and the knitting lights.  I have sold about 50 lights in a week.  They are truly a hit with knitters, weavers, and those who do other kinds of needle work and reading! 

The end of this week we will be heading for Nashville, IN and the Brown County State Park.  John will be fishing and I will be attending a 3 day crank in for owners of antique circular sock machines.  This is going to be a great time.  I have yet to make a second sock because I keep running into a problem when I get to the increase portion of the heel!  There will be plenty of people to help this newbee cranker.  So far, I have just been a cranky cranker and I plan to leave as a happy cranker! 

Wow, this week is going to be really productive!  I'm going to felt hats and vessels in the studio and then crank some socks!  What else could I ask for other than 2 dry days to mow!  Hey, maybe we will meet some campers in Brown County! 

Till next time.....may the meaning of Easter bless your lives.....He is risen! 

Discouragement & Who do You Trust?

We are to leave for The Fiber Event this Thursday morning.  The motorhome repairs on the toilet leak that ruined carpeting in bathroom and bedroom, the brakes, door and generator were supposed to be completed "in 2 or 3 days".  The motorhome has been in Edmundson's RV for 14 days and counting.  They say they will call with prices "that afternoon" or "tomorrow" and it ends up that I have to call to get estimates. 

Today, we learned that 1. since they have not called us with the estimates, the parts have not been ordered. 2.  they are not standing behind all the repairs for the damages caused by the improper installation of the toilet after the first repair (they don't want to pay for new flooring to cover the damaged areas) and 3.  This comes to another grand total of around $4000.00.  The only thing they say they will do for us is to give us a "military discount".  Big whoop. 

We took the motorhome to them for repairs due to the fact that we were totally impressed with them and their service department when we were shopping for our motorhome.  Mind you,  we just paid the $6000 in January to fix the toilet for the first time, the brakes, new door handle/lock and other things that seemed to come up that they found. 

Now, in all fairness, the motorhome was a super ride out to California and back.  We did not have to stop for one repair (did have an oil change at the 3000 mile interval).  Reading other blogs and finding that many people have to find a RV service, we felt very pleased and satisfied that we did not have a problem like that. (Other than we did discover on our trip out there that the toilet was not working properly).  I called them from California and told them and the answer was, don't worry, we will take care of you. 

So, tomorrow we are going to have a "sit down and discuss this situation" with the powers that be.  If we need to bring Mr. Edmundson into the discussion, we will.  We don't feel that we are being unreasonable asking them to replace the flooring that was damaged. 

As a result of this damage, we will also have to replace the flooring in the front of the coach, but are not asking for that to be included in their repairs.  We are trying to be as fair as we know how.... is there any input out there?  We would love to hear from you if you think we are being unreasonable, then help us see the light. 

On to more pleasant things...The Fiber Event is Friday and Saturday.  (of course, all booth set up and merchandise will have to be transported in our truck rather than in motorhome).  We are looking forward to meeting up with more vendors that we have not seen since last fall.  We started our reunions in Tennessee and Ohio and will see more this week end.

If you are in the area of Greencastle, Indiana this week end, come visit.  You will find some mighty awesome vendors, yarns, fiber and equipment there.   Till then.....God Bless