One chore taken care of

This morning my plan was to call my road assistance plan about the flat tire, and call my insurance company about the awning and basement panel that was crunched.  When I pulled out my Sam’s Club Road Assistance card I noticed that it had expired at the end of March.  Oh, no!  I was surprised because I had not received any notifications that would indicate I should renew.  After scrambling around for a while, I found the customer service number.  It turned out that the card doesn’t expire until next year, but they hadn’t sent me an updated card.  Phew!

They then transferred me to the service number, and eventually help was sent out.  Of course, the tech couldn’t find this place even though I had given detailed directions.  So, I hopped in the car and met him a few miles away and led him to my site.  He determined that his jack would just sink into the to sand, so I suggested that I could pull in the slides, lift the levelers, and then only use the driver’s side levelers to tilt the rig high enough so he could get the tire off.  It worked, except he still couldn’t get the outer lugs nuts off to remove the hubcap.  So, he drove back to the shop to get the proper tools and returned about an hour later.

He still struggled because he thought he could just pull off the lug nut covers.  Not so.  Eventually, he figured out that they had to be unscrewed.  We were finally making progress.  In the process of trying to pry the covers off, he bent the screw driver I gave him.  It was one of those cheap things from China.  He felt bad enough that he gave me a top notch screw driver to replace it.  (that was after he asked how my husband got the covers off  )  My answer surprised him.

Once the tire was removed, it turned out that nothing was wrong with it.  The valve extender that I had installed was not screwed down tight enough, thus a slow leak developed.  That’s better than having to buy a new tire!  You can bet that I let the place where I had it installed know about the problem.

So, the properly inflated tire is all put back together.  It was 3:00 in the afternoon before everything was taken care of, and even though I hadn’t done much of any physical work, I was pooped.  Once he left, I re-leveled the rig and put the slides back out.  I was thinking I might have a bill to pay with all the goings on, but he said it would be covered by my policy.  I signed the dotted line, and off he went.

I never did get a chance to call the insurance company about the other issues.  Guess I’ll tackle that tomorrow.

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later,  Judy

Old Sol finally returned!

When I took Emma for her first outs this morning, I was a little shocked to realize that I was actually going to see the sun today.

There have been heavy clouds, rain, and storms for the last week or so.  What a treat to see the sun finally shine through.  Of course, the prediction for today included temps around 90, and that’s what happened.

 

Most all of the holiday weekend folks left by noon today.  It’s too bad they had such a miserable weekend weather-wise.  The weekend wasn’t as wild as many campgrounds I’ve been in for Memorial Day, and my only gripe is about my next door neighbors that have two dogs.  One of them was not on a leash, and of course came over to do its business in my site.  There were a lot of dogs here this weekend, and I didn’t see any owners carrying bags to clean up after their pets.  That is a pet peeve of mine!  (pun intended)

 

I had a couple of new visitors to the Hard Rock Bird Café today.

Mr. and Mrs. American goldfinch stopped by.  I’m surprised they didn’t choose the Niger seed sock, but with all the rain we’ve had perhaps the seeds are no longer very fresh.  I’ll have to check that out tomorrow.  Do you notice that the seed tray has been pretty well gnawed?  That’s from those pesky squirrels down in Mississippi.

 

Emma and I spent a good share of the morning and late afternoon outside.  The midday sun made it just too hot to sit outside.  Emma was panting away, so we moved indoors for a while with the AC on.

A nice swallowtail butterfly took a little rest in the front yard.  Without lots of flowering plants around, it’s hard to get them to hold still enough for a photo.

 

Perhaps you’re able to detect that I finally got a decent night’s sleep last night, so I’m feeling quite a bit better today.  Tomorrow morning is the last dose of the medicine I’ve been on.  I’m thrilled with that prospect.  I’ve had several of the listed side effects from this drug; one of which is a bad taste in the mouth.  Bad taste isn’t strong enough.  It’s like I’ve been sucking on a lead pipe, and it’s enough to gag a person. 

 

I hope you’ve all enjoyed the holiday weekend (or not holiday weekend) depending on where you’re from.  I did take a moment of silence today at 3:00 to honor and remember our service men and women.  I am so grateful to them.

                                                                                 THE END!

 

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later,  Judy

Cold, dreary weather continues

Just like many of the rest of you, I am tired of this miserable weather.  It was a cold, dreary, unpleasant day.  I know I’m in a weakened condition, but I just can’t seem to get warm.  I have ensconced myself in a sweatshirt covered by a blanket, and I’ve got the thermostat set at 75*!  I’ve never had the thermostat set that high.  It is supposed to get warmer on Monday, and I can’t wait.

 

Folks are beginning to arrive for the holiday weekend, and I imagine by tomorrow morning it will be pretty busy around here.  Since it is an oak forest surrounding the sites here…

there are enough squirrels to go around.  This morning, one came pretty close to one of my bird feeders.

I guess he decided to abandon that idea, and moved away foraging on the ground.  There are enough acorns on the ground everywhere to keep all the squirrels fed for miles around.  I sure hope he continues his natural food gathering.

,

I finally got an iffy pic of one of the white-breasted nuthatches ready to visit the café.  I’ll try again once the sun comes out.

 

I am ready to honor past, present, and future men and women serving in the armed forces.  I hope those of you that are citizens will fly our flag proudly.  That’s it for today’s news from Indiana.

                                                                                   THE END!!

 

Thanks for stopping by…  talk to you later,  Judy

Happy 37th Birthday, Robyn

I was invited over to my daughter Robyn’s house this afternoon for supper.  It’s her birthday, and her husband, Dennis, is out of town at a training.  When I got up this morning, I was feeling pretty good.  I decided to call her and come for lunch instead.  I didn’t sleep much last night, so I was afraid I’d be beat by the time the later afternoon rolled around.  She was okay with that, so I headed out around 9:00.  I also packed up my laundry and brought it with me.  She’s got the cheapest laundromat around. 

They were supposed to have an in ground swimming pool installed beginning this week, but with all the rain the only progress has been to get the digging machines there.  Robyn and Dennis were also given an outline of their pool and told to place it where they wanted it.  I know it doesn’t look like much now, but I’m going to enjoy watching the transformation.  I’m thinking I’m also going to enjoy some swimming this summer when I come to do laundry.  Sure beats a mucky old pond!  (it’s going to be a heated pool ) 

 

My sister thinks they’re crazy to put in a pool in this climate, but I remember having a small above ground pool in upstate New York when the kids were young.  It was a life saver for me, and the kids loved it.  We didn’t have air conditioning, and when it got hot, I joined them in the pool to cool down.  I guess I was a more volatile person then, and it just calmed us all down.

 

This morning was a very interesting time.  As I stepped outside to take the picture of the pool area, the door somehow locked behind me.  When I knocked on the door, nobody answered.  It turns out, Robyn was in the bathroom, and the kids kept barging in on her.  Then the youngest, Phoebe, began screaming bloody murder.  Eventually, Robyn opened the door and ran back to the bathroom.  I decided to see why Phoebe was crying so hard.  Turns out she was wearing one of the Mardi Gras necklaces I had sent them, and it got hung up on the little door into the playhouse.  Being just under two years, she couldn’t figure out how to get it off of her neck, so of course, she screamed instead.  It took some work, but I got her loose.  She doesn’t know me well enough yet to allow me to pick her up and comfort her, so she ran crying through the house looking for her mother.  She is a real mama’s girl at this point.

 

When Robyn returned, she gathered up Phoebe, and then her sister, Avery fell down and cracked her head on a chair.  Oh my!  What a wild few minutes it was.   It brought back memories of having three under school age kids at home in my distant past.

For you grandmother types out there, here is a picture of Avery, aged three.  Don’t you just love the chalk smeared on her face?

This is Phoebe after she calmed down.  I’m thinking these two may play quite a part in my pictures this summer.

 

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later,  Judy

 

P.S.  I can’t believe I have a daughter 37 years old!  Where does the time go?

Taking it easy

Not much to report tonight.  It rained a good share of the day, so I just spent the time recuperating. 

I think I’m feeling well enough to try to deal with the insurance company tomorrow over my mishaps from last week.

With all the rain, there wasn’t much chance to get photos today.  Tomorrow is my daughter’s birthday, so I may drive up to see her in the morning.  As usual, it all depends on how I feel.  Sorry things are so boring around here. 

 

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later,  Judy

I think I’m going to live

In my mind, it was in doubt the last four days, but today I just about felt like half of a human being.    I even felt well enough this afternoon to do the needed grocery shopping and a few other errands.  I didn’t want to push it, so I returned to the rig as quickly as possible.

 

One of the reasons I came to this campground for the summer was to test it out as a summer location for the next few years.  I’d be near two of my five grandchildren as they grow up.  I don’t want to rush into a decision, and I’ve got a couple of more months to think about it.  But sometimes, a place just feels right.  I’ve done quite a bit of traveling in my five years on the road, and a semi-exit plan has been on my mind lately.  I’d still have the fall and winter to travel, but it would sure cut down on the chore I like the least…driving.

The views aren’t as spectacular as Yellowstone, or the high desert of Oregon and Utah, but those images are alive in my memory.  Perhaps it’s also a little bit of a nesting instinct as well.  My mind whirls with visions of little things I’d like to do to improve this 1/4 acre site. 

I’ve got plenty of time to think further about it.  While Emma and I were sitting outside this afternoon, a red-headed woodpecker was moving through my front yard.  I’m hoping it returns so I can get a better picture of it. 

 

I sure hope my recovery continues tomorrow, but this fever has been a tricky thing.  It quits for a day or two, and then returns.  I will certainly take the full treatment of the antibiotic as I sure don’t want whatever I had to return.

 

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later,  Judy

Waiting…

You may guess that I’m waiting to feel better.  Well, today, I really didn’t feel any better, but at least I didn’t feel any worse.  I do feel slightly drugged up, however.  It has been a real blessing to me that so many bloggers keep posting.  That’s how I’m spending my day…catching up on blogs.  I don’t feel strong enough to do much more than sit, so reading has become my modus opperendi. 

 

My sister called last night and explained that family business had prevented her from calling earlier.  She then said that she wasn’t surprised that I was backing out of the trip.  She had noticed that my posts had become shorter and less often as I traveled north.  She and Stanley will take the trip anyway, which relieves me.  I really hate to miss it because I really enjoy traveling with them.  Oh well, maybe next year.  Hopefully they will spend a weekend or two down here at Pioneer Family Campground during the summer. 

 

One of the things I did accomplish last night was to send the following pictures to Premiere RV in Louisiana.

This is the hookup that is located near the engine in the back.  I had Premiere set up a system for me that would allow me to hook my trucker’s antenna to this coupling which runs under the coach and up into my entertainment center to attach to my Wilson Amplifier.  I have only one or two bars reception here, so that’s why I had it set up.

This is the connection that comes down from the trucker’s antenna that I attached over the top of the rig, attached to the rear ladder.  Maybe you can tell that the antenna hookup doesn’t have a way of attaching to the rear hookup.  Premiere has promised to make good on a correction ASAP.  I sure hope that happens soon.  I have been really pleased with their work, so I’m hopeful the fix will be sent to me soon.

 

What a storm front we had move through about 4:00 this afternoon!  Thunder, lightening, heavy rain, and some hail.  It was strong enough for me to pull in my slides and hunker down.  There’s a tornado watch until 10:00, so I’ll be watching the skies closely.  If I feel better tomorrow, I really need to go to a grocery store, and do a few other errands. 

 

Thanks for stopping by…. Talk to you later,  Judy

I gave up

After feeling crapola every other day for the last two weeks, I decided to follow everyone’s advice and give up on the idea that I was going to get better on my own.  So, it was off to Urgent Care this morning for me.  I was there a couple of hours, and the verdict was that I’m now on a ten day regimen of antibiotics.  I sure hope it works, because I’m really tired of being sick and tired!

 

The day before yesterday, I emailed my sister that I just didn’t feel up to our planned two week excursion into Michigan at the beginning of June.  Oddly, she has not responded back.  I guess that means one of two things.  Either she has taken it in stride, or she’s stopped talking to me. 

 

It was drizzly all day today, so once I was done at the doctor’s, I spent most of the afternoon indoors.  I’ve decided that I’m going to do as little as possible for the next ten days so I can get rid of whatever ails me.  Of course, that doesn’t mean that I don’t look outside my windows…

Mr. and Mrs. Rose-breasted Grosbeak have decided they kind of like the Hard Rock Bird Café.  I have a Baltimore oriole at my hummingbird feeder along with a ruby-throated hummer.  Titmice and nuthatches have also been frequenting the feeders, but not long enough for me to get off a shot.

This afternoon, a thrush briefly stopped by the woods in my front yard.  It was a very brief stop so I’m not sure yet if it’s a wood thrush or hermit thrush.  Hermits are usually further north, but the bird didn’t appear rusty enough to be a wood thrush.  Perhaps I’ll get a better look tomorrow.

 

I finally met the owner of the campground yesterday.  Turns out the last people to lease this sight were here for about five years, and when they left, there was a lot of junk left behind.  I asked the owner about this and he said he’d take care of it.  My friend, Jack, stopped over last evening to see how I was feeling.  I told him about my encounter with the owner, and he told me not to hold my breathe waiting for the clean up to occur.  Well, what a surprise I had today when I returned from the doctor’s.  Just about all of the junk was gone!  I was pleased about that.  The whip-poor-wills have begun their nightly serenade, so I think I’ll just sit back and enjoy it!

 

Thanks for stopping by…. talk to you later,  Judy

I picked up the quilt

This morning, I headed for my daughter’s house to do ten days worth of laundry.  Not very exciting, but the Memory Quilt I had made for me by KAREN had arrived at my daughter’s house.

In the afternoon, when I returned to the rig, I put it on the bed to see how it looked.  I’m very happy with the result!  It certainly brightens up the room compared to the dark bedspread that came with the rig.    And each square holds very special memories for me.  It commemorates my first five years of fulltiming, and volunteering.

Back at the ranch, it was another overcast day.  I did find a few wildflower blooms in my front yard.  That was about it for my day today.  It feels good not to be having to move on for a while.

 

Thanks for stopping by…. talk to you later,  Judy

Do bad things come in threes?

I sure hope so, because I’ve reached that threshold!  Remember when I hugged a tree yesterday?  Well, that was #1.  Today, as I had almost reached my destination, I pulled into a gas station to fill the tank so I’d be set for exercising the generator, etc.  Jack was waiting for me at the gas station, and as I pulled in, I had to maneuver around a truck with a trailer to get to the pumps.  Maybe it was because I was thrilled to see a friendly face, but because of the truck and trailer I had to cut it pretty tight to get into the slot.

Whatever the reason, I managed to ‘kiss’ the barrier at the end of the lane with this result.  Ugh!  The result is that I will have to replace that ruined storage door panel.  Jack hopped right over and said “Don’t cry now, wait until you get set up in the campground.”  I have to admit that I didn’t cry, but I did use a certain four letter word several times. 

 

Thank goodness, Jack was there to lead me into the campground.  There is a gate barring entrance unless you know the code to get in.  I tried calling the owners to let them know I had arrived, but there was no answer.  Jack opened the gate, and led the way to my sight.

It is a huge site surrounded by Oak trees.  Jack helped me with all the basic setup chores before he had to leave.  That was such a treat.  There is even a wooden deck outside my door.

 

So, perhaps you’re wondering what #3 was?  Well, once I got into the site, it was obvious that the driver’s side rear dually tire was flat as a pancake.  I had noticed when I stopped at a couple of rest areas along the way that the tire appeared a little low on air.  Thank goodness, it didn’t blow out.  I’ll deal with road service tomorrow or Friday.  That’s also when I’ll call my insurance about the awning and the storage door.  I’m just so relieved to finally be here, that I’m too pooped to deal with those things tonight! 

 

Thanks for stopping by…. talk to you later,  Judy

I’ve become a tree hugger. :(

First, I’d like to thank all of you for your advice and concern.  I decided if I felt like crap this morning, I would seek out an urgent care facility.  Wouldn’t you know it?  I had no fever last night, slept like a log overnight, and had no fever this morning.  So, I decided to head about 110 miles up the road to Columbus, IN.  I took my time getting ready, and pulled out shortly after 10:00.  I didn’t want to push it too hard, and only tackled one major city today…Louisville, KY.  It was an uneventful trip until about 100 yards before the entrance to the Columbus Woods-N-Water Kampground.

A 40’ motorhome was in the ditch near the entrance.  It’s hard to see, but the front tire of the rig was actually about 10” off the ground when I arrived.  I turned on my emergency blinkers, shut off the engine, and settled in to watch the extraction.  It only took about an hour for them to be pulled out.  Of course, there’s more to the story.  It turns out that as they were pulling out around 9:30, a Fed Ex truck came barreling over the hill at very high speed.  They’re only choice to avoid a head on collision was to head quickly for the ditch.  The Fed Ex guy didn’t even stop!  They then called their road service company – Coach Net.  Coach Net sent out a tow company, but they refused to take the job.  So, they called again.  The second company said they could do the job, and did without any damage to the coach.  Turns out Coach Net won’t cover the second call, so these folks have to pay the whole bill.  That doesn’t seem very fair to me since the first company refused to do the job.  Would you believe that these folks have only had the rig about six weeks?  They’ve been on the road for several years, and had just traded up to a new model. 

 

When I finally got into the campground, I was assigned site#24.  The approach to the site was a very tight S-curve.  I proceeded very slowly watching my mirrors, but dang it, I crunched into a tree.  My awning took the brunt of the ‘hug.’    Immediately, three men showed up to ask if I really liked trees.  I could not appreciate their humor at this point.  Since I was on a curve, it was a monumental task to detach the toad.  Two of the guys, campground employees, helped me with this, thank goodness!  I could never have done it myself.  Then they helped direct me off of the tree, and into my site.  Ugh!  How embarrassing was that!  Another repair on the horizon.

Soon after I got into the site, the rain began once again.  Even the blue jays are looking bedraggled. 

 

I’ve got about 180 miles left to reach Pioneer Family Campground, and I hope I’ll be able to do that tomorrow.  I’m ready to settle in for a bit.  My friend, Jack, is staying there right now, and has agreed to meet me at the exit off the interstate, and lead me into my summer home.  He even offered to come down to KY and drive my rig for me if I needed that.  What a friend!

 

Thanks for stopping by…. talk to you later,  Judy

Quick travel update

Well, I’m spending my second night in Elizabethtown, KY.  I’ve only got 280 miles to go to reach my destination, but I’m not sure when I’ll get there.  I just couldn’t move on this morning.  That lousy fever that I had about a week and a half ago has returned with a vengeance.  When I get to Indiana, I guess I’m going to have to break down and go to a doctor if things don’t take a dramatic turn for the better.  Ugh!  Being sick again stinks.  Spent most of the day reclining on the couch, and bundled up.

There’s not much more to report.  If I’m feeling a little stronger tomorrow, I’ll at least get through Louisville, and into Indiana.

Thanks for stopping by….talk to you later,  Judy

I put in my 200 miles today.

I really debated about just sitting still today, but being in a less than interesting campground overnight, I decided to push on.  I’m glad I did.  The Texas T Campground in Cornersville, TN, is a vast improvement.  In the past, I’ve been able to put in more miles when I’m trying to make time to get to a location, but not this trip.  I was beat after five hours on the road.  This is a well taken care of campground, and cost me $6 less than last night.  Yes, there are interstate road sounds, but with the present cost of gas, I’m more inclined to take the easiest off and on the interstate rather than drive 20 miles off of it for a quieter location.  I don’t hear all those sounds anyway when I close all the windows. 

 

Being so close to the interstate, I’m surprised I have such minimal service for my phone and aircard.  So, no pictures tonight.  Of course, I didn’t take any either.  It has been overcast and drizzly all day, and it looks like that will continue for the rest of my journey to Indiana.  I did notice a few instances of the effects of the tornadoes along the way, but not too much.  At least the temps have dropped some.  My traveling garb today was jeans and a sweatshirt.  What a difference 400 miles makes.

 

My plans are to make it to Elizabethtown, KY, tomorrow.  I’ll drive through Nashville on a Sunday morning, and stop a little short of Louisville in the afternoon.  I want to check that campground out for a possible longer stay this fall.  There’s lots to see in the area, but I’m just not in the mood right now.  A pretty boring existence right now, but that’s life.

 

Thanks for stopping by…. talk to you later,  Judy

A couple of firsts today

As you all know, we’ve all had problems with Google the last day or so.  This is my post from Thursday night.  I headed out early this morning, but had to pack it in after only 170 miles.  I was just plain worn out.  Guess I haven’t bounced back 100% yet from last week’s flu bout.  I’m just southwest of Tuscaloosa, MS, and there is nothing very memorable about the park I’m staying in.  So, this is it for today…

I was ready to roll by 8:00 this morning, but I had to wait until the bill was finalized.  Wouldn’t you know, once that was accomplished, an incoming motorhome blocked the exit so I couldn’t get out.  While that person checked in, I sat on the MH steps and twiddled my thumbs.  Eventually I escaped, but by the time I filled up with gas, it was 9:45 before I actually started making some headway.  Ugh! 

 

I made it across the Mississippi River without incident.  Then it was head north towards Mississippi.  As I drove along, the temps kept increasing.  When I stopped for lunch at the welcome rest area entering MS, for the first time in my life, I turned on the generator and AC to bring the temperature inside the rig down a little.  While I ate, and cooled down, I called the campground that I had in mind for the evening, and was able to get the last available site for the night.  Phew! 

 

When I finally pulled in just south of Jackson, the temp inside the rig was 91*!  The first order of business was to hook up to the electricity, and start the AC at Swinging Bridge RV.  It turns out that although there are lots of sites, there are only six for overnighters.  I was happy to see it was an easy in, and a slightly challenging out for tomorrow morning. 

There are lots of long term folks here, and that’s pretty much what the campground is run for.   I had checked it out on the RV campgrounds review site, and was warned about the speed bumps and potholes.

 

However, nothing prepared me for the upheaval that occurred inside the rig on my approach to the office.  In all my years of RVing, I’ve never had a cabinet pop open, and its contents belched out.  That was another first today.  Lesson learned…Corel plates do bounce even when hitting a very hard countertop without breaking!  But what a racket that made!  I thought a bomb had exploded inside the rig.   

Once we had cooled down a bit, Emma and I sat outside for a while.  It was certainly a hot day for a black dog.  When I couldn’t stand it anymore, we came inside and the outside temp was still 90*.

It’s a pretty clean park, and several long term residents have planted greenery around their patios.  I hope to head out fairly early tomorrow morning to run before a coming storm front.  With any luck, I’ll be near Birmingham, Alabama tomorrow.

 

Thanks for stopping by…. talk to you later,  Judy

 

P.S.  I love the new shades, but they sure are noisy traveling down the road.