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, April 12, 2013

Baby, It's Cold Outside / C-PAP / Night Visitor !

Still Cold:
   Wow, it was 40 degrees when I got up this am! I feel like we need to have chili or spaghetti for dinner. I think I need to go back into hibernation!  I imagine I will turn my electric blanket on tonight, it is supposed to be in the low 30's. We want 70's again ASAP! Lol!  I know Spring is almost here, because our Forsythia bush is blooming now! Usually when it blooms, we have a couple of cold snaps with cool temps, then it warms up and stays warm. So nice weather will be here soon! See I'm being positive!  You thought I was going into my whine again, didn't you? Haha!

Sleep Apnea:
   Mike was able to go to Troy, Ohio today to get his sleep apnea machine, or his C-PAP machine, I think it is called. I hope it helps him get some good sleep from now on so he will have more pep and energy!  The first test showed that he stopped breathing 94 times during the night of the test! So you can imagine why he is tired all the time waking up that many times a night. In case ya didn't know, every time you stop breathing it wakes you up from sleeping, and that i is really bad! It can cause stress, irritability, tiredness,and depression. I am glad that they finally got him diagnosed, and I hope the machine helps him rest. I also hope that the machine doesn't interfere with my rest! Hehe! I guess I'll find out how noisy it is tonight! Haha!  Maybe it will be an even trade off, since he won't be snoring anymore! Lol! If it helps him be more like himself, more relaxed, and with more energy I will deal with a little noise! I'm sure I'll get used to it after a little while.

Night Visitor:
   Last night we had a little visitor. Mouse Alert! It wasn't Mickey Mouse either!  I actually saw a little mouse run across the floor, and under my dresser! Yikes! That is really strange after not having any all Winter. Now in April we have a mouse? No,no,no,no!  I am afraid,that he will not be checking out of this hotel! Sorry, if you all are animal lovers, but I will not live with mice running free in the house, would you? So I think he is going to go check into mouse heaven. Pets are one thing, but I don't like wild critters in the house. Our boys had all kinds of pets as children. We had our fair share of iguanas, mice, gerbils, turtles, snakes, and even a tarantula. (That lived for 10 years!) The difference was they were all in cages, not running loose in the house!  I assure you if we could catch this little mouse in a cage then we would release it. It must have found a way in, that we missed when we fixed any holes we found last fall. Now we'll have to go searching for more holes. So cue the axe music from cartoons,( dum da dum dum) cos we're gonna play a little game of Mouse Trap. Sorry just a little sick humor!

    Time for me to get this blog posted, so all of ya that are traveling, keep the pedal to the medal as you travel down the road, and stay safe! Until next time...

















Thursday, April 11, 2013

Chilly and Rainy / Fiver Cooking Inside / Outside / and the Beast

Chilly/Rainy:
   The temp today is a far cry from yesterday! It is amazing what a little sun will do for ya. Today it is in the high 50's/low 60's, with clouds,and did I mention it is kinda chilly? Haha! Yesterday,it was in the high 70's,sunny& warm,and I had shorts on! Today I have on jeans,a tee shirt,and socks. Mike lit the gas fireplace for me, cos it was chilly in here, and I was cold. There is a 70% chance of rain today. I think it is supposed to be like this through Saturday,and then start warming back up on Sunday! I know I said a few days ago I would try to keep the complaining to a minimum   but,I hope you have some cheese,cos I feel a little whine coming on! Lol! Oh well,they say into each life a little rain must fall,I guess it my turn. I gotta just keep telling myself April showers bring May flowers,but ya know dang it,flowers need warmth to grow too. I don't need to grow anymore,but I do need to see and feel the SUN after the Winter we have had! Natural warmth(sun)is so much better than artificial warmth(fireplace)it just feels nicer. Okay I'll stop,after all,this is only Thursday. I still have to get through Friday and Saturday,
and I'm sure you'll hear some more whining before it is over! Lol!

Foot Blurb:
   I found out night before last,that I hate having this pin in my foot! The dogs were playing,and bumped it the other night! OUCH! My foot went numb for like 2 minutes,then the pain hit! Omg,it was terrible! I had to go lay down on the bed,I thought my foot was gonna fall off. I felt sick at my stomach,and felt like I was gonna pass out at the same time! This time the pain pill did not help. When Mike came to bed that night,he brought me an ice pack,and I left it on for like an hour. It was so numb that I couldn't feel my foot, but then I couldn't feel the pain either,so that was good! Needless to say,I don't want that to happen again,it still hurts! IF(and I say if because right now it is doubtful)I ever have the other foot done,I want the Doc to use a screw,and put a cast on my foot. No more pins with just an ace bandage,and a surgical shoe! I swear that pin has moved out a little farther,and when I wiggle my toes,I can feel it it move in there. I know,then don't wiggle my toes anymore,right? Haha! Okay, no more about this incident,I don't even want to think about it anymore,let alone talk about it! It just creeps me out!

Fiver:
   I always used to be so glad when the fiver was uncovered again in the Spring! It seemed like no matter how much I looked before it was covered up in the Fall,something I needed was always left in there. Sure,the cover has a zipper,and you can get in the door,but usually what I needed was in the entertainment center across the back. It just so happens,that the entertainment center,is covered up by the slides when you pull them in,and ya can't open the doors when the slides are in. Unfortunately, when the cover is on,ya can't open the slides either,so being able to unzip the cover at the door doesn't help much! Sometimes I would get lucky,and the item I needed was in the kitchen, or upstairs,and I could get to it,but most times it was in the entertainment center. Like I said, I was always excited to get in there,and get out what I'd missed all Winter,this year not so much. I can't get up the steps into the fiver without both feet,so I'll just have to wait. Besides,right now I can't remember what I forgot in the fiver anyway. Lol! I am sure once I am back up on my feet I will need that item,and remember in a snap what it was! Haha! Those nice days we had this past week sure made me antsy to get the slides opened,although it still wouldn't have done me much good. The slides are still shut,and will probably stay that way until Mike gets ready to check out the systems,like the water heater,electric,etc... He'll also have to flush the Rv antifreeze out of the lines and then flush them with clear water. He won't do that until danger of frost is over though. So I imagine,the slides will be kept in at least another 4 weeks,which will put us at the middle of May. At least,I will be able to walk by then! Yippee! 
   Then comes the fun of putting all the stuff back in that we had to take out so it wouldn't freeze. I always like to clean the sink,wash out the refrigerator,clean the bathroom,change the bed,run the sweeper,dust,and clean the stove before we use the fiver. The stove usually isn't too dirty because whenever I can,I cook outside.

Cooking in the Fiver/Outside:
   I have a table I use for our portable gas grill,electric skillet,griddle,and my small convection oven etc...I use a small portable  convection outside,then I don't have to turn the oven on in the fiver get it all hot. We have a canopy that we put over my little outdoor cooking center. The only thing I don't have outside is a sink,but usually,I just carry the rest of the stuff inside,and wash it. I'm not interested in roughing it so much that I have to heat water outside! Gosh,we really don't rough it at all,and that is just the way I like it! Hehe! Most of the time we use paper plates to eat off of so there is just silverware,and whatever I used to cook with to be washed. The reason I choose to cook outside,is that I found out(the hard way)that it is really hard to get grease off the wall covering around the stove in the fiver. So after almost scrubbing the vinyl wall covering off,I now cook outside if it isn't raining. 
   When it does rain I either use cookie sheets in front of the walls around the stove,or sometimes we just go out to eat. I found out it is just easier to clean the cookie sheets than it is the walls,if grease gets on them. The oven is no problem to use,except it makes the fiver hot. Using the burners though,it is better to use the cookie sheets against the walls. Even though I don't very often use oil to cook with,
something always gets on the wall when I am cooking. Maybe,I am just a messy cook,and it is just me haha!
   We have a small tarp that I use to cover the small appliances up with,on the table of my little cooking center. So before we go inside for the night,(in case it rains)I just use clothespins,and clip the tarp to the tablecloth that is under my small appliances. Since I have been doing this,they have never gotten wet when it has rained. So there is a tip for ya about cooking in Rv's,just in case ya always wanted to know! Haha! It works for me, and saves me time and aggravation too.

The Diva Beast:
   Well our big Diva got her new alternator yesterday,and is so happy she is almost purring! Hehe! Mike and Jamie(Son)went to the auto parts store,and got the new alternator yesterday,and got it installed with in an hour. Mike drove the Beast to the base today  to pick up the refills for his prescriptions,and said she ran better than ever,and sounded happy. Lol! Of course,
after Mike stood on his tip toes trying to get the alternator in with Jamie helping,his calf muscles are really tight and sore! We haven't heard from Jamie yet today to see how he is feeling haha! I guess all of us have really gotten out of shape this Winter. Boy, is it gonna be rough starting our walking again. I guess,we'll have to deal with the pain when we finally get started for about a week. That,and trying to retrain these unruly dogs. Lol! 

   Well I better save something in my little head for my next blog,otherwise you'll just be trying to read a blank page haha! I know some of you Full Timers(whose blogs I read)are on the move now,so safe travels to all of you! I am sure you are ready to get rid of that case of Hitch Itch I know ya'll have! I wish we were out,and on the move too! So until next time,see ya's...   













Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Happy Tuesday Everyone!

Tuesday:
   Today I ventured out, and got my hair done. Just a wash and blow dry/flat iron, but boy does it feel better! Don't know how much longer I will be able to stand the sponge baths until I can stand in the shower. Anyway my hair is clean and silky again. I know I can't use the shower until the pin comes out of my foot, so it will probably be sponge baths for the next 4 weeks. Dang it, oh well I will just have to suck it up and deal with it! It will be something to look forward to, being able to get a real shower again! Tomorrow it will be 2 weeks since my surgery! Using the wheel chair has helped my knees feel better, so I will continue to do that, and use the knee walker when I go to the bedroom and out of the house. That is all that I am going to say today about my foot.

New Neighbors:Lol!
   We had new neighbors move in about a week and a half ago. Unfortunately, they moved into our eaves. Two pairs of birds, are now nesting in the eaves of our house! Lol! I don't really like it when the birds use the eaves of our house to nest, but I would never evict them like some people do. Hopefully, we can prevent them from using it for a second clutch of eggs. Once we finish putting the new vents and vinyl eave covering up later this summer they won't be able to move in, and be squatters on us next Spring! Ha ha! They may have to find a new address next year, or actually use trees! Now, there is a novel idea, huh? I guess we'll find out if we're here for next winter.

Fiver:
   Yippee! The cover is off the fiver! Mike and Jamie,(our oldest son) took it off today! He wanted to get it off before it rained, cos it takes about 2 weeks to dry out after a rain. It might cause mildew on it if ya put it away wet. It is supposed to be mildew proof, but ya never know, and we would like it to last as long as possible. Those darn things aren't cheap!

The Beast:
   The Beast,(our truck) got 2 new batteries today! Her motor runs much smoother, but alas, the battery light came back on! I guess that means she wants a new alternator now! You'd think 2 new batteries would have made her happy! Whatever the Beast needs she gets, we're hopeful that if we treat her good, and keep her properly outfitted she'll last a long time! We must have the only truck that thinks she's a Diva! Lol! I think she'll probably get her way too, can we say she is gonna be spoiled and pampered? He he! I guess if she continues to pull the fiver with no problems, it's okay if she is the Diva Beast! Ha ha!

Beautiful Day:
   Believe it or not, today it reached the 80 degree mark! Wow! I sat outside for a bit after we got home from my hair appointment today, but I sat in a chair with much better results than the swing the other day! I was able to get up with no problems from the chair.
   Could it be that Spring has made her way back to Ohio? I hope so, I even saw a few Forsythia bushes blooming on our drive today! So Spring is close, although I still have yet to see a Robin! Things are looking up around here! Usually when it gets warm, that is a motivation to me to get outside and start doing yard work! I may have to pass for awhile this year, and it's gonna be very hard for me to just sit by and watch! I may have to sit on my hands as well as stay off my feet! Lol! Wait a minute, I just heard the music from, dare I say it, the ICE CREAM TRUCK! They must be taking advantage of the nice day. When the kids I had in my Day Care,saw it, I told them it was the music truck, so I wouldn't have to buy them all ice cream. Ha ha! Don't ya know their parents went and ruined it for me? They came back the next day and told me that it was an ice cream truck cos, their parents bought them ice cream from it! Lol! Sometimes young parents just don't know when to keep their mouth shut,I could have saved them a lot of money, if they had just went along with it! Ha ha!
    Okay, enough for today,I will close here because I think I may have to go back and sit on the deck for a little while! It's just too nice to pass up! So until next time friends...

Monday, April 8, 2013

Nice Day

Today:
   It was 71 and cloudy today! That's 2 nice days in a row! I could get used to this! I think it is supposed to rain later this evening, and tomorrow, but it will still be warm. We'll have to see if the rain has that nice Spring smell. I love to smell it when it rains in the Spring.
   Mike did a lot of wash today, since I can't. He got most of it done. Poor Mike, he has had to do most of the work since I had my foot surgery! I really do appreciate him stepping in and doing things for me!

Avon:
   I sent my first Avon order in today, it wasn't for very much because I haven't been able to get out and pass out any books. I also had to order the books  and bags for the next 2 campaigns, so I will probably go in the hole this time. We'll see what the next 2 weeks brings. If I only clear $10.00 that is not going to be worth my time and effort. 

Nothing  New to Report:
   Nothing new to report on my foot, and I'm sure you are tired reading about it. It was much easier on my knees to use the wheel chair today and after I took the foot rests off of it I can maneuver it much better and it takes up less room in here.

Short and Sweet:
   Since not much happened today I don't have much to write about so this is going to be a very short post today! I can't promise how sweet it is! Lol! Maybe I'll have more to report tomorrow so I'll see ya's in the not too distant future...

Sunday, April 7, 2013

Playin' around With the Blog / Guess What ?

Fonts: Arial
   I am going to type a few sentences in each font to see which one I like, so please bear with me.
Courier:
   I thought I would play with the font settings on here today, so I hope you aren't too bored while I do it.
Georgia:
   I'd like to see which one would be the easiest one to read.
Helvecta:
   So far I can't make up my mind which would be the best one!
Times:  
   Which one would you pick to use on your blog?
Trebouchet:
   My eyes are going bonkers with all these different fonts, are yours?
Verdana:
   I don't think that I really like this one so I guess I can cross this one off.

Winner:
   Can you tell which one is the winner by the type? I think I will try this one for a few days, it isn't as formal as the rest, but if you don't like it please let me know! And the winner is: Courier, at least for today! Ha ha! I want to keep this blog kind of laid back like I am, but we'll see. This may be too informal. This one seems to take up more space than the regular one I've been using which was the Arial. Nope, I don't think it is gonna be this one after all!

Next:
   This one is Georgia. I will try it for a while. I like it better than courier. It isn't as big and doesn't take up as much space. It will probably end up going back to the original one, and that will be weird. Lol! The one I had been using was Arial as I said above. Sometimes it takes a few tries to get comfortable with things. This one seems to be a bit smaller than the courier, but still bigger than I am used to.

Last Time:
   Last time I promise, this will be the one, it is called times. Yes, I definitely like this one better. Sorry for all the changes in the programing! Oh well, it seems like I am almost back where I started. Only this one is smaller than arial. For the rest of this post I will stick with this one. However, I make no promises about the next post! Lol!

Guess What:
   Today, I managed to ride my my knee walker out onto the deck and sit in the porch swing for about a half hour. I propped my foot on the seat of the knee walker. The sun was shining and it was about 72 degrees today. I say if only it could be 72 year round I'd be happy, Mike says I'd still find something to complain about!  That's what being married almost 41 years will get ya! No sympathy at all! Lol! It was very nice and relaxing for awhile, that is until I tried to get up! I didn't think about not being able to get up with the swing moving. It was not pretty, Mike had to hold the walker against the swing so it wouldn't move. Otherwise I had nothing to push against with my good foot in order to get up. Next time, I will just sit in a chair on the deck, no movement, and it has arms for me to use to push myself up with! I really enjoyed being outside though! It did me a lot of good mentally just to get out of the house for a little while.

Foot Blurb:
   The foot is doing well, but I can't say the same for my knees! I may have to use the wheel chair for the next few days because my knees are taking the brunt of the pressure using the knee walker. After having had both my knees replaced, it hurts to put a lot of pressure on them. So I have pressure on the left one pushing down on the cushion of the knee walker, and the right knee is holding up the rest of my body. Ouch!! Lol! They really were sore last night, so if I can get through the rest of the day, tomorrow I will use the wheel chair to give my knees a break for a few days. Sometimes there s just no happy medium for me, so I have to change it up every so often.

Dogs:
   Lilly and Bella enjoyed today also, we left the door open, and they were able to go in and out at  their leisure. Good for them, turns out not so good for us. I actually had a mosquito land on me and try to bite me! I am happy to say he didn't succeed, ya see it kinda had an accident, and somehow got flattened against my arm. Ha ha! Hey, it was her or me and I won!  I'll keep my blood thank you! Made me feel good to be able to at least do that for myself !Lol! Then Mike had to chase down several flies who saw the open door, and thought they were invited to come in for a visit! The nerve of them! Ha ha!  I didn't know the little buggies were out yet, since it has been so cold here. 

Getting Dark:
   It is now 8:10 p.m. here in Ohio, and it is just now starting to get dark, with just a little daylight left. The Grand Daughters go back to school tomorrow from being on Spring break, only Spring wasn't here for the break. They had  1/2 day of almost warm weather yesterday to be outside in, and were lucky enough to get a full day today. Back to the grind for them tomorrow, but they only have about a month and a half of school left. 
   So since it is starting to get dark now my thoughts have turned to getting this posted. I seem to be getting later each time I post. Gonna have to speed it up, but the way I am looking at it, at least I am back to posting regular again! So that is good for me, maybe not so good for you. He he! Hope you have had a great day where ever  you are in your journey! I'll be seein' ya's soon, no that is not a threat, it is a promise so count on it! Until next time...