About US

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This the story of our journey, Into Something Good, going Somewhere Over the Rainbow, and trying to Hold Onto Our Dreams. How we got on the way to becoming HALF time RVers! Our Ford 350 super duty diesel truck is our horses, we call it the Beast . Our 2008 34'7" 3 slide Cedar Creek Silverback fifth wheel is our Prairie Schooner Wagon,we call it the Bear. Just like the first RVers, the Pioneers of Yesteryear traveling around the country searching for a rich full filling life! Come along with us for the ride and read about our triumphs and mishaps along the way! About to be Part time RVers in a Cedar Creek Silverback 2008, 34'7", 3 slide 5th wheel, which is our Prairie Schooner Wagon, and a 2006 Ford 350 super duty 1 ton diesel truck is our horses, or oxen, only we have to feed it diesel instead of grass, and oats, which costs a lot more! Retired Air Force empty nesters off to see the good ole USA! Favorite Quote: "Life is a Blank Canvas, Made For Me to Add the Colors" Goal: I am trying to add as many colors as I can to my life!

Friday, February 29, 2008

NEW STICKER FOR TRUCK!

New Sticker:
This afternoon and $105.00 later our truck is legal again! Mike's birthday was on Monday, and our tag sticker was due to expire tomorrow. So we took a little drive and got a new sticker for the truck and now we are again legal until next February.
The next thing we have to do before we go pick up the 5er is get plates for it! So in the next 2 weeks we will get the plates for our 5th wheel. Wow, time is getting short and it won't be long before we pick it up from the dealer!

House Plants:
I am having a difficult time trying to figure out what to do with my house plants, when we go full time! The small ones I will probably be able to take with us. My weeping fig tree I will have to find someone to take it, because it is about 5 feet tall and is over 10 years old. It also is in a very big pot, and is extremely HEAVY! So with weight being a factor it is not an option to take it with me. Unfortunately it will die if I leave it here at the house, because my son would forget to water it. I always have my son take it outside for the summer on Memorial weekend.

Sad News:
Mike Smith of the British Invasion band, The Dave Clark 5 has passed away. He was 63 years old. He was to be inducted into the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame with the rest of the Dave Clark 5 in just 2 weeks. He had been confined to a wheel chair since 2003 after a fall left him paralyzed from the ribs down. Rest in Peace Mike Smith you will be missed.




Thursday, February 28, 2008

WALMART RUN

Walmart:
Every once in a while ya just have to go to Walmart. It seemed like we were out of just about everything, so off I went. Parrot food was one of the main things I had to get. Sometimes I think the parrots we have eat better than we do! They get their parrot seed mix, plus peanuts and almonds. Then they usually get raw carrots or celery, apples and sometimes even grapes. Would ya believe they love chicken? The love to chew on those little wing drumsticks after they're cooked. Sounds like a little bit of cannibalism huh? They also love small wheels sliced off of corn on the cob. Every time we have spaghetti they get some of the pasta and sauce. They love having popcorn mixed with their food too. They can eat pretty much anything except apple seeds, chocolate, and avocados. Usually they get a bit of what ever we have for dinner on a saucer. The macaw, Sunny loves to throw my saucers on the floor and break them, and paper plates he just tears up and throws on the floor food and all. Nice bird huh?

Mike:
Mike continues to improve daily. He still needs help getting up out of chairs and getting dressed. When he is up walking around he has to wear a brace for the next 3 months. He will wear it so he doesn't tear or move the bones until they are fused together. Once it is fused he will not have to wear the back brace anymore.

5er:
We are hopeful that in about 2 to 3 weeks we'll be able to go get our 5er from the dealer. They will keep it through March without charging us rent, after that it will start costing us money every month. So thats another reason we want to get it home. We're not sure it will even fit in our driveway, so we may have to park it at our other Son's house, or rent a spot in one of those secured places where you can store your extra stuff.

Cold:
Today was another cold bone chilling arthritis hurting day here in Ohio. We had a high of 25 here. We're supposed to have an 80% chance of those bad words S--W and I-E for this weekend. Come on Spring!!!!!


Tuesday, February 26, 2008

WELCOME HOME MIKE!


Mike's Home:
I brought Mike home this morning at 11 a.m. He is resting comfortably with not too much pain. He is wanting to get back into the mix of things as soon as he starts feeling a little better. The worst thing for him is coughing or sneezing with his incision. I hope he has a good night tonite, as it would go a long way toward making him feel better.

Packing More Silk Flowers:
I spent the afternoon packing up more of my silk flowers and floral supplies while Mike slept. I still have a ways to go to have all the floral supplies I've collected over the last few years put away! Now I have to get more plastic containers before I can pack any more. I will keep some of my floral supplies in the 5er so I can work on my future Daughter-in-laws corsages this summer for the wedding in November. As I get them done, I put them in ziplock bags and they will stay clean and dust free for the wedding. The bouquets are a little harder to store and will have to be made closer to the wedding, but are lots of fun to do.

Yarn:
I have found that those popcorn tins that friends sometimes give you for the holidays, are great for storing my yarn once they have been cleaned. They are dust, bug, and moisture free once the lid is on. My yarn will be fine stored in the garage until I need it.

Trips:
We are going to try to average about one trip a month in the 5er until next year. We hope by doing that we'll get all the bugs worked out and get our routine down before taking any long trips.


Monday, February 25, 2008

TAKING A BREAK!!!!!

Today I am taking a break from the hospital. I was over already once today and I will go back in a couple of hours. There is not much going on there with Mike today, so I figured I would give the dogs a break from being locked up in the pantry. Mike is very HAPPY to have finally gotten something to eat this afternoon after almost 7 days! He was starving, at least he thought he was! He managed to walk up and down the hall twice today and I'll get him to go once more when I get back to the hospital. That will make his doctors happy. We're still planning on Wednesday for him to come home, so keep those fingers crossed for us! He can't wait to get home and relax. You know ya can't get any sleep in a hospital! Always someone coming in and doing something to you.


There is still lots of things we need to buy before we pick up the 5er. Then it will be fun deciding how much "stuff" we need to put in the 5er. Right now we only have 2 plastic tubs to be put in, but that doesn't count the dishes, pots and pans, sheets ect... that we need to find places for too. It's a good thing we can order most of the things off the internet when Mike gets home. That way we don't have to go to the stores and tire Mike out until he builds up his strength again.

I'm getting quite used to driving and handling our big truck now! Mike going in the hospital has made me have to drive it more than I did before. So I now feel at ease driving it . That may not be the case when there is a big 35 foot fifth wheel attached to it! I am proud of being able to drive it in the snow and ice and not have any major problems! That was a major accomplishment as far as I am concerned!

Sunday, February 24, 2008

MIKE'S SURGERY & RV DREAMS RALLY!!!


Mike's Surgery:
Mike had his back surgery on Wednesday, February 20th. After a small complication, a nicked vein, was fixed, the back fusion went as planned without a hitch. He is recovering and finally out of ICU. The surgeon was able to remove the ruptured disc and replace it with a little metal basket and screws. The basket will allow the bone to grow through it and fuse that section and hold it stable while it is fusing. He will have to wear a back brace for about 3 months, but that is a small sacrifice to make to be able to live without so much pain. In short he is doing well and should be able to come home, maybe by mid- week.

RV Dreams Rally!!!!! WOO HOO!!!!!
I am just a wee bit excited about the chance to go to the RV Dreams Rally!
Well we finally got our email from Howard & Linda and we are next in line. I am happy to say we will emailing them back and making reservations for the rally!!! We are so excited to be able to finally meet some of you, and talk to other full time rv'ers! Everyone has been so nice that we have talked to, and feel an instant bond
with all of you. We can't wait to hear your stories! We will be bringing our pet Moluccan Cockatoo, Paco, also! So those of you who have expressed an interest in him can meet him. He is a riot and lots of fun. We are very interested in attending the workshops and learning new things about our 5er and how to better handle it!
It has been so interesting learning about all the new gadgets and things that are be available to the RV'er now! Can't wait to find out more and what we don't know we can't do without yet! haha! We're getting excited to pick up our 5er next month too! I'll stop here and continue on in the next couple of days.