Eve of New Years Eve

It's 37 degrees at Cactus Country RV Park and it's snowing.  Nothing serious and not sticking to anything yet.  Our high today was supposed to be 46 and that was at midnight.
Sure glad I took off early from Quilting Club early Tuesday so we could do our stock up early in the week.  Wouldn't want to be on the road today between the rain and the drivers who don't know what they're doing.  The highway department pre-treated the overpasses in case it got bad.  Humidity is about 90 % so it's not a "dry rain".
Going to start a pot of cream of broccoli soup for supper.  Our new neighbor in back of us gave us a head of broccoli when he left the other day.  Said he was going to be gone a few days and didn't want it to spoil.  As much as Ron loves cream of broccoli soup, it won't go to waste.

Christmas night

What a wonderful Christmas this has been.  I got to talk to my children Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and it was a great feeling.  My drug induced mood swings were on the up swing, unlike last year, so no tears.  We've spent time with friends and family.  Wayne and Norma's home was occupied with family and friends today.  Food was great, Christmas Breakfast is a nice new tradition.  Especially since it doesn't happen till 10:30 am.  Then desserts are available all afternoon.
When we came home there was another gift bag on our front step, the third this season, makes one want to leave and come back more often.  LOL.  Didn't even need to bake cookies, so many friends did that we have just the right amount to enjoy and not over eat, especially the mincemeat ones.  (Thanks Larry for sharing and Gerry for making them).  God Bless everyone.

Christmas Eve

Just spent a nice evening at Donna and Paul's with half the park, well not half but they tied the record from last year.  23 people inside their motor home at one time.  In all there was almost twice as many coming and going during the course of the evening.  The youngest being only a few weeks old, grand son of our manager, Dan.  He got held by all the grandmas present.  What a cutie.  Plenty of food to snack on and beautiful music, some sing alongs and just visiting and laughing.
Our daughter and son in law sent us a bouquet of edible fruit today,  so we decided to share with our friends.  We are so glad we did, everyone enjoyed the fresh fruit and it all got eaten with Ron and I enjoying our share.  Not going to share our present from our son and his family.  A gift card good at several of our favorite restaurants.  Love gift cards for our favorite restaurants.  In fact we bought ourself gift cards from Sweet Tomatoes, got two free meals for buying them and now we've got gift cards to enjoy eating there the rest of the year.
Merry Christmas and God bless.

Merry Christmas

Like our other blogging friends, it's to beautiful a day to be the eve of our dear Saviors birth.  It is a bit chilly, was 43 when I got up but has warmed up to 51 but still going up higher.
We had a great time last night with some park friends.  Two other couples and a widow and us went to the American Legion for a drink then to supper at Argenzianos, a fantastic Italian restaurant just down Houghton Road.  My chicken Parmesan was  just as good with pasta as it is on french bread.  There was two breasts so dinner today is looking familiar. It all looked good.  A glass of wine and a delicious salad went down easily.  The company was great, we laughed and laughed and got to know each other better.
Now I'm looking forward to "something" that's being delivered here today.  I can't imagine what it is but I'll not leave the house till it arrives.
This evening eagerly awaits friends getting together for snacks and talk.  We've become a small family.
Merry Christmas to All

Catching Up

Not much going on these days but if I put it in writing I'll probably realize I've been busy.  We did get haircuts yesterday.  I say that to warn anyone who will see me in the next couple months.  The color is gone, every tiny bit of red is gone forever.  AND it is short and white, very short and very white, tho the picture doesn't show the white.

Bingo last night went the way it always does in spite of the fact that my friend, Donna, gave me her lucky necklace to wear.  Not only did I not win, neither did she.  And of course we went to Sweet Tomatoes for a late lunch before bingo.
We have learned thru trial and error that Rolaids are no longer sold in stores.  That being important because I like them best and so does my friend, Margo.  She actually found some at a Walgreen's but they wouldn't sell them to her.  We're finding out in bits and pieces that there was a total recall from the factory over nine months ago but they still haven't been able to get it all straightened out.  A clerk at CVS Pharmacy told us they removed the Rolaids space tags off the shelves because it had been so long that they couldn't get any.
The big news is the weather.  It's raining and 61 very chilly degrees in Tucson.  It can officially be categorized as rain since the rain drops connect where the land.   They did forecast 80 % chance of rain for today.
I believe we're off to Montgomery's for supper.  Even though it feels like soup I'm pretty sure I'm having a Ruben sandwich and a bowl of potato salad.  I know, I don't eat potato salad but I like theirs.
Well, maybe not, the rain is getting heavier and the wind has picked up.  Later Dudes and Dudettes.

Saturday in the Park

Perfect day, 70s with beautiful sunshine.  Breakfast at the rec hall of sausage gravy over biscuits, OJ and coffee, yummo.  Ron passed and ate at home but I enjoyed a couple helpings of food and conversations with Carol and Ed and Sharon (who retired last spring but came back for the grub) and Donna and others stopping by our table on their way in and out.  Richards, the chef, donned a chef's had and shirt to fit the part.  Richard fries up the sausage days in advance making your taste buds pop when you walk into the rec hall.
Ate so well we forgot lunch, well maybe I ate so well and forgot to suggest lunch.  Ron finished up his work bench for the shed.  It looks great and it even fits.  As you can see below.  I positioned my chair in the shade of the shed and then the tree in the next space as warranted and did some knitting but mostly talked to people as they stopped by on their way in or out of the park.
Really glad to see Wayne and Fran and learn that they'll be moving into their own place in the park on Monday.  They'll be an asset to the south end.  (That's were all the snowbirds stay).

Sunday Sunshine

What a beautiful day our Lord hath made.  Church, as always, was joyous occasion.  What wasn't was we forgot Ron's brother, Wayne, birthday.  Luckily, his wife didn't and sent him to teach Sunday School with instructions to invite us back to their beautiful home for dinner.  A friend, Terry, was at Sunday morning service also.  All dressed up in his zoot suit and driving his pea green "Super Bee".  Terry lived in Lockport area for a long time and even went to the same church but we were always a few years ahead of him.  We keep finding more and more things we shared at different times.
So, all of us went back to Wayne and Norma's home and were joined by Norma's son, Jay, daughter, Bridget,and her boyfriend, Matthew, and her daughter Kelsey.  Wayne's son, Nicholas, and his wife joined us later for a delicious meal of lasagna, garlic bread and salad with apple pie a la mode and coffee for dessert.  Followed by breaking up in mini groups talking and shooting off fireworks, they're legal in AZ now.
Our day was so enjoyable Ron didn't mind missing all the football games on TV.

Saturday in the Park

With the temperature hovering in the mid seventies you'd think it was the 4th of July but it's the 4th of December instead.
A 9 am arrival of the guy to power wash and wax our RV plus caulk the roof and put a sealant on it started our day out with a lot of noise but we left them to their project and took off with a neighbor to the Rincon Farmer's Market.  I was disappointed in the produce venders, they were few and far between.  The Artisans were plentiful and the ones in the barn had some beautiful wares.  We did venture out the other side to the crafters and such.  Pat and I sampled some pretzels that looked interesting until we saw the price on the small plastic bag and decided they weren't that interesting.
When we arrived back to our sight we spotted a beautifully clean and shinny RV.  They did a great job and it will be a positive image for people coming in the park since we're on the front row.
The rest of the day was taken up with talking to friends and neighbors and getting the fixing ready for supper.  Starting out with shrimp cocktail and a martini and ending with Steak....Caesar Salad.....Baked Potato.  We would have had a baked apple for dessert but someone left them in IL and we haven't been to get any more.  So we'll have to settle for a couple pieces of good Christmas Candy from Farm and Fleet that we did remember to bring back with us.

First Friday of the Month.

The first Friday of every month the Quilter's Patch Quilt Shop has two specials.  First is 12 fat quarters for $10. and if you call ahead and bring more than four people you get an additional 10 % off your entire order.  That said, nine of us piled into two vans and headed for Sahaurita Road.  I drove one van with three friends riding along.  We arrived in time to be the first customers giving Pat the honor of picking the fabric bolt of the day with 20 % off as the prize.
After an abundance of fat quarters and a few yards of beautiful material off we went to the second stop on what is becoming our first Friday of the month routine.  We stopped at Argenzianos for lunch.  It's a small Italian Restaurant with the most delicious smells as soon as you walk in the room.    I'm presuming everyone had all that they wanted to eat since we all got to go boxes.
It is sure nice having the van here so I can take my turn driving and parking is so much easier.

Last night on the road, this time.

Well, we're in Las Cruces, NM for the night but getting here today was the most fun.  We left Amarillo, TX about 7 am and drove for two hours till it was 8 am in Clovis, NM.  Then headed south.  IL plains have nothing on NM flat land.  Wow, you could see nothing for ever except  BNSF trains filled with coal cars and piggy back  semis and inter modal shipping containers. Roswell, NM was our next stop.  We weren't interested in the UFO stuff so we stopped at the visitors center and fell into a great FREE Museum on the same property.  It had exhibits of a man who made and carved the most beautiful guns.  400 to over 600 hours of carving on every one.  Then there was an exhibit of a rocket maker who moved to Roswell so he had room to experiment shooting them off AND he was a friend of Charles Lindberg who helped him.  We stopped in Ruidoso, NM for lunch.  When we looked out the window of Denny's it was snowing.  Wasn't sticking but that was a false sense of security.  The farther down the road the more Casinos we saw and the more snow along the side of the road.  It never got real bad.  Then we came along by White Sands National Monument and decided to stop and take a look.  Thanks to our senior citizens National Parks Pass we got to see it for free.  It was a self tour of 8 miles round trip.  The gypsum that looks so much like snow was beautiful since it wasn't snow.  LOL  We ended up driving off the roadway and just driving on it.  We had to get out and take pictures of each other standing next to a dune.  It felt like really fine sand.  They were going to have a moonlight walk later on but we had places to go.

Sunday Afternoon etc.....

3:30 pm on a Sunday afternoon and we pull into a motel for the night.  Ummmm, wonder why so early, could it have anything to do with football?  Maybe it was because we'd been on the road since 6:30 am this morning?
Well, what ever the real reason is, we're in a motel room in Amarillo, TX for the night.  
Tomorrow's destination is Los Cruises, NM.  Hopefully that will be a shorter day with time to stop and check out some things along the way.  Landing at CCRV, Tucson, AZ is scheduled for Tuesday. 
Which reminds me.  Just got an email from one of Ron's foster brother, Dan.  As you probably all know he was on Wheel of Fortune this summer but couldn't tell us how he did except he didn't ask Pat "I gotta P".  The show he was on is supposed to be broadcast Tuesday, Nov 30th.  You'll have to check your local paper to find out the time.  Can't wait to see him on TV.  Hope he did well.  

Saturday after Thanksgiving.

We're on the road again. Heading for AZ.  Spending the night in Springfield, MO.  What do you think the chances are that I'll run into Brad Pitt without Angie and the kids?  That's what I thought.  Oh well, if I found him, I probably wouldn't know what to do with him.  LOL
Today went well, chilly but the sun was bright and warm.  The van is a much better vehicle for long trips than a 3/4 ton diesel truck.  Conned Ron into stopping at a Cracker Barrel for lunch so I'm not hungry for supper but when I am, I'm going to have a delicious turkey sandwich and cranberry salad.
Ron's enjoying unlimited TV channels with a "clean" remote.  That's what the remote holder said, "clean" remote.

Friday after Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving day was great.....great company AND great food.  Food would have been a bit better if I hadn't done/or not done something to the noodles when I made them but it was obvious they were not going to be used.
The turkey was sweet and juicy and easy to cut with Elizabeth's twin to my knife that Ron bought us this summer.  Cranberry salad turned out good, as usual, with Ron's secret ingredient.  The lima beans were cooked to perfection as was the corn that Elizabeth and Alan cut off the cob and froze themselves.  There was even left over potatoes, not because they weren't delicious but because Elizabeth and Nick peeled enough that even Eric (Alejandro) couldn't eat them all.  Everything was cooked perfectly and ready at the same time so that all of us, including Eric's friend Katie, could set down and enjoy.  Enjoy we did, that house was never so quiet.
Ron and Alan pitched in and helped clean up the kitchen so Elizabeth could take a break.
We all enjoyed a slice of her home made pumpkin pie and a cup of delicious coffee, relaxed for a while and then headed home so Oliver and Gracie could come out and enjoy their home again.
Thanks Betsy for one of the best Thanksgivings I've had in a long time.

Another Day in Lockport

We survived yesterday's 29 degree eye opener and two more trips to grocery stores.  A trip to the Moose allowed us to watch Dancing With the Stars on one TV and The Good Wife on another.  But watch was about all we could do with other TVs playing football and basketballs games and the regular noises there wasn't much listening done.  We did get to see a couple of old friends.  It's been so long since we've been there and so many of our friends have died or became seriously ill or moved away that there were a lot of "new" faces for us. We miss them all.

Today is cranberry salad and home made noodle day.  Sure wish we had TV so Ron would sit down and rest up for the drive back.  He's cleaning gutters this morning (only the one story roofs)

Lockport, IL

Well, we made it back to Lockport.  Poor Ron, what a drive today.  It started out from Joplin, MO doing fine and then it turned windy all the way across Missouri but when we crossed the Big Muddy into IL it got dark and rained and rained and rained all the way home.  Driving thru Springfield and Bloomington was quite a feat but my guy did it.  To reward him, when we got home, I jumped into the van and backed out of the garage leaving him to unload the truck while I went to the grocery store.  My timing was perfect, by the time I got home with some needed staples he was done.  It will feel good to just relax for a few days before we head back.  I know Ron needs it.

Trip back to IL

Well, since we decided to leave our 5th wheel at CCRV all year instead of pulling it back and forth to IL and park it in our driveway for the summer, we decided to bring the pickup back to IL and pick up the van for the remainder of the time we're out there this year.
I don't know why we picked the week of Thanksgiving but we did so we're on our way.  Last night was in Santa Rosa, NM and tonight is in Joplin, MO and home tomorrow, we hope.  We usually stay at Best Westerns and did last night and tonight.  The one in Santa Rosa couldn't have been any more perfect.  The room was large and clean and the sheets were soft and comfortable.  I don't know why we decided to stay at this one in Joplin.  We stayed here two years ago and swore we would never again.  Well it was where we wanted to stop so we decided to give it another try.  The room is small, single sink with small counter.  No frig or microwave, as
promised and we WILL deal with that issue.  One chair in the room and barking dog outside.  Not conducive to rest and relaxation.  We'll both be glad to get to Lockport and make other overnight plans for our return trip.

Yard Sale Day

Today was yard sales at Cactus Country.  Carol and Ed across the way are selling one of their trailers so they emptied it out.  I think they did pretty well.  Sure looked like a lot less stuff tonight than last night.  I only walked around our section and besides Carol and Ed the other two were selling their home made baked potato bags, dish rags and crocheted dollies.  Nothing I couldn't make myself.  There was word that someone had a bike for sale but when I checked it out it was a man's mountain bike and way to tall for me.  Usually the yard sale is in the spring only but this worked out well.  They posted signs at the entrance on Houghton so they got a lot of traffic.  Ron has been busy making our site permanent and the RV as stable as he can.  Today one of the guys came over and told him where to put some boards and jacks.
The best part of today was breakfast.  Just as I was getting ready to get out the cereal and bagel one of the neighbors came over with two breakfast burritos still hot off the stove and a container of home made green salsa to use on them.  Ummmy ! ! !

Winter Home

One step closer to making this our winter home.  We bought a shed from the park today and it's already on our site.  Ron's out sweeping and cleaning.  He got a couple of drier sheets and put inside so it would smell better.  I have a feeling next is a small freezer to put inside and a trip to Home Depot or Lowes for the necessities needed to whip it into shape.  That's ok.  It'll keep him busy for a few days.
It feels good.

Sunshine and Wind

It's a beautiful day in Tucson, AZ.  It's 77 degrees at 9:21 am and the breezes are blowing with attitude.  All my plants that I brought with are enjoying the weather.  How do I know that?  They are standing straight and tall and the chenille plant has dozens of cute red fuzzies.  
Since yesterday was Sweet Tomatoes, today is stay home and start making the place look like it.  Got pictures to put on the walls and nicknack's to put out.  It will definitely look more like a home by the end of the day.
Lasagna thawing out for supper and some good Milano bread in the freezer ready to be taken out and butter and garlic added, then heated to a golden brown.
Yes, last night was bingo night but I didn't win nor did I come close but that's ok.

Tucson Day One

It's 8:10 am and 68 degrees in Tucson this morning.  Beautiful gentle breezes and sunshine.  Wish the weather would stay like this all season but it's going to get warmer today, that's a fact.  We arrived before noon but took most of the afternoon setting up and talking to friends that it took all afternoon to finish up.  A nice dilemma.
We're still on IL time.  Ron was up at 4:30 am and I slept in till 6:30 am.  After a second attempt to make coffee we ate a bowl of cereal and then at 9am over to the Rec Room for coffee and donuts.  It was great seeing old friends that were already here but we didn't win the 50/50.  Oh well, got all winter.  10:30 was a short quilting meeting and then after lunch Ron and I took off for Wal Mart in Green Valley.  Back home one of our neighbors stopped by to let us know her park home is still for sale.  Tempting??????
Then a quiet evening at home watching the Will County election results on the internet.  Sheriff's race is way to close.  Probably won't know who wins until they count the absentee votes.  Well that took all day, it's 8:10 pm.

Last blog for October

One last post for the month and the trip.  It was another day.  We left Santa Rosa around 8 am MDT.  Only stops we made were for gas and a car fire.  We're in Lordsburg, NM for the night.  We usually spend our last ni itght here.  Just gives us an early start and plenty of time to get set up in CCRV before its late in the day.  Got lots of friends to greet and catch up.

Day 3

Sorry I didn't post yesterday but I was just plain pooped last night.  Long day.  We went from Stanton, MO 450 miles to just west of Oklahoma City.  Today was a little shorter as we got the advantage of a change of time zones to give us more time to relax after we arrived here in Santa Rosa, NM.  We saw some interesting things along the way but everytime I got my camera out to take a picture Ron put a semi he was passing between me and the scene I wanted to capture.
The beautiful Texas welcome center was one and the other was cotton fields that they were harvesting with their modern cotton gin.  Tomorrow should bring us by more on the road between Hatch and Deming.  The intended destination tomorrow is Lordsburg, NM early to relax and rest up some more so that when we pull into CCRV we'll be ready to meet and greet our friends.

On the road, day 2.

We made it to Stanton, MO last night.  It was a little chilly but we used our elect heater.  Today is beautiful and sunny and we're heading for OK.  Just stopped at a rest area with Route 66 motif.  They have picnic tables with covers showing the Rt 66 memorbilia.  I'll try and post a couple pictures I took with my cell phone.

D Day + 2

Another day in beautiful Lockport, IL.  Made the decision last night that we just were not going to take the chance today.  As Bob said, we've got plenty of time.
The one downside to all this is we're going to have to repack the RV.  We keep bringing things out to use.  Last night was the "drugs" and milk for the cereal this morning and cream cheese for the bagel.
Definitely have to change my traveling clothes and maybe add a winter jacket to the haul.  We'll get there when we get there.  No need to rush.  The beautiful sunsets will still be there waiting for us with a new show every night.

D Day + 1

We were up at 5 am this morning ready to beat the storms but it just didn't happen.  While we were still packing the few last minute things the wind picked up and the rain came down.  Decided we'd better check the weather channel and are we glad we did.  They were saying this front is covering IL down to St Louis with tornado warnings.  Didn't take any more forecasting to convince us to wait another day.  I let the kids know right away so they wouldn't worry.  We dug out an old coffee pot and some kona coffee we hadn't packed to make coffee.  Ron ran to the RV for juice and his laptop and then to the truck for my little one so I could get the air card out in order to go online in the house.  Got to do something to keep busy till this front goes thru.  The rain stopped a good hour or so ago but the predicted wind is right behind it and the temperature is doing just what they said, dropping.  I guess my shorts and tee shirt will give way to sweats and a sweatshirt.    Good thing I hadn't suspended the DirecTV.  Now Ron has something to keep him busy.  No Tribune news paper and no mail but we can live without that.

Sunday

Not a typical Sunday but an interesting one.  Got to talk to grandson via skype.  Don't know where he is but he's not there yet.  Since grandma was the only member of his family to have skype we had a nice long chat.  We talked about a Lionel Richie song I used to hold him in my arms and dance to.  He didn't remember me doing that but the song is one of his favorites.  His mom and Alan were over for awhile this afternoon with a picture of Alan's new first grandchild, it's a girl, and Ron finished washing the 5th wheel but it's not loaded by any means.  Still have some essential articles of clothing to be added after laundry tomorrow.
Raining so bad the Packer/Viking game wasn't on the TV due to satellite interference from the storm.  Now we're watching the weather for Tuesday, they were predicting high winds coming out of the southwest/headwinds and if they do come we're probably not leaving.  

Another Day

Well, we started loading the trailer today, rather I started loading and Ron did whatever Ron does that has to be done.  One time he was on the floor underneath the table scrubbing something and another time he was on top of the trailer attaching covers to the air vents.
I also made a run to the post office and city hall.  The post office could have been done online but someone didn't want to pay the dollar so I went there and filled out the same form for free to forward our mail.  The city hall has always been done by phone but this year I had to go in and fill out a form and sign it to not get billed for the garbage pickup and sewer.  BTW, when I talked to someone on the phone they took the same information then as I put on the blank piece of paper.  The newspaper web site wouldn't let me put a vacation stop so I did that by phone pushing buttons.  All in all it's getting easier to take care of the things that need to be done before we leave.  Can't do the satellite till we're on the road since they have to get the monthly payment first.  Don't even ask.
Grandson left for Afghanistan this afternoon.  God Bless him and God Speed him home safely.  Love you Michael Philip.

Closer and closer

Today was the day to do the things that had to be done outside the house.  First we took off for St Vincent dePaul resale shop on N Chicago St. in Joliet to drop off four (4) large garbage bags of clothes and some shoes and a dozen dresses and sweaters still on the dry cleaners hangers.  We always try to take out outgrown clothes there so they can resell them to people who need them.  I tried on every piece of clothing in the storage bags hanging in the closet and Ron contributed his fair share.
Then to Lieberman's Jewelry to have my baguette ring resized and check the engagement ring we found in a mall parking lot years ago.  Since no one had claimed it I decided I'd have it checked and wear it.  It wasn't diamonds but it's still beautiful and I'll wear it.  They're a very responsible jewelry store that has been in the family for years and we trust them.
Then to the eye doctor to have my new glasses adjusted one more time.  We always enjoy going there, the staff are nice and fun to be around.
Then to the Galimores to drop off a big bag of acorn squash, the one veggie that was abundant in our garden this year. We've already shared with Betsy and Bob and still have a milk crate full to share again at Thanksgiving.
The next stop was Pot Bellys for lunch.  We have only been to one once before but we both loved the sandwiches so decided to go one more time before we head southwest.  It seems they only have stores from Illinois east and Texas.  I had a ham and swiss with ground mustard and thin dill pickle slices and Ron had Tuna and cheese.  They are served hot and taste so good.
Target was the next stop to buy a new ice maker but they don't carry them anymore so we bought a gallon of milk, 3 bananas at 19 cents a piece and a bag of candy corn.
The bank was the last stop but today wasn't the day they were giving out free samples so we got our safety deposit box and make some additions.
Being tomorrow is garbage day we decided it was time to get rid of things that don't work, not counting the human residents.  The broken ice maker and space heater went to the curb first and then Ron went to work disassembling the upstairs frig when who should come along but a truck of junk men.  I told them in my best Mexican than if the wanted a frig they could have it if they helped my husband get it down stairs.  So up they went and the three of them and Ron managed to get it down the stairs and outside.  They took it from there and now the curb is empty awaiting our garbage cans in the morning.  Love those guys that drive thru on garbage day.

D Day

Well, a confirmed estimate has been reached in regard to the day we will leave for AZ.  A week from today, if all goes well, we plan to be on the road.
Looking forward to getting there and getting set up but not all the things that need to be done before we leave.
Before you say, OMG, got to see them before they leave, we are planning on coming back for Thanksgiving and taking the van back.  Of course, all is not set in stone and subject to change without notice.

Michael Philip

Well, the good news is Michael will not be leaving for Afghanistan today.  The bad news is he's still going, they just don't know when.  It's a new unit so they're not really sure of what all they need to know so they're trying to cram as much as they can.  At least that's my take on it but then I'm only the grandma and he's a SSgt in the United States Marines Corps.  (Mr President, if you're reading this the "ps" is silent.)
Please keep him and all the men and women in harms way in your prayers.

One Step Closer

Well today was a day of running around.  Picked up some adult beverages to get us to AZ, renewed the license plates for the van and voted.  You know us Chicagoland people, "vote early and vote often".  LOL.  While we were at the county building we went up to the accessors office and filed for a senior citizens tax break for our property tax.  Every few dollars help even thought the taxes will still keep going up, just not as much.
We dropped our last library book off on the way home so we don't have to worry about that now.  Wouldn't want the "library police" coming after us.
I'm sure other chores will pop up before we leave but we're trying to keep them caught up as we think of them.

Weekend

What a weekend we've had.  It flew by but we also accomplished a lot.  Saturday, as usual, Ron cleaned house for our company, which came while we were eating lunch.  We shared lunch and nice conversation after which Betsy and Alan arrived on the Harley.
The three women went upstairs to see some of my stuff.  Pat hadn't seen my sewing center and I wanted to show Betsy the knitted dish clothes I'd just finished.
The three men went out on the back porch to discuss and solve all the problems of the world that two conservatives and one liberal are capable of.
The women descended to the main level and to the dining room to relax and talk.  Before you know it it was time to think about supper.  Syl's in Rockdale was selected and Betsy and Alan were persuaded to come along. The six of us ate and talked and laughed.....pretty much enjoying the meal.  Even got the waitress to not believe everything people said.......like someone who ordered by the price at the right of the meal he wanted.
We got home about 8 PM and Betsy and Alan left for home.  Ron and John went back to the bar to converse or what ever it is that two brothers do when they get together.  Pat and I got into our night clothes and relaxed.  We did some surfing but decided not to start anything on Sunday's project till Sunday.
Sunday morning I fixed breakfast of bacon and sausage, biscuits, cheese omelet and hash browns for the guys.  Ate some myself but put in a pan of sweet rolls in the oven for Pat.  Sure hope everyone had enough to eat.
In the afternoon between Ron and Pat watching football games we managed to get together long enough to make reservations for a fall cruise next year.  Royal Caribbean's Northeast Maine/Canada for 7 days and 7 nights.  We have our room assignments, made our deposits to hold the cabins.  We're next to each other and the balance isn't due till July 4th, 2011.  All painlessly done.

Pillowcase

Sometime last year I bought material with a cat pattern to make a pillowcase for Oliver O Oliver, Betsy and Alan's cat.  One of the ladies at the park gave me a pattern for a "simple pillowcase".  I offered it to Betsy to make herself but she turned me down so I ran out of other things to finish and decided to tackle the pillowcase.

The English language is not to precise.  I read and reread the instructions, laid out the material just like I thought the pattern meant and it laid on top of my sewing center for two days.  It just didn't make sense.  Well along comes hubby with "I was thinking about that pillow case and wondered if ........."  That was enough to put me to work taking the pins out and starting over.  It really was easy to make once I followed the directions.
But now Gracie will be the recipient of the easy pillow case.  She's the new addition to the family and likes to sleep on pillows where Oliver doesn't.  

Airing Dirty Laundry

Sometimes I wonder if I'm really to old for my body. My mother would always interrupt me if I started to say anything about the family to anyone with the phrase "Don't air your dirty laundry in public". I always thought that was some kind of rule, maybe in the constitution. After all, I always thought my mother knew everything that was important.
It seems now days,because of the Internet, people just say whatever comes into their head not contemplating twenty or thirty years down the road what someone important in their lives might react to what they said for the world to see and read. Can you imagine being nominated for the US Supreme Court and someone bringing up what you wrote on Facebook when you were a teen or young adult?

Potato Bags and Dish Rags

Well, I guess I'm officially old and retired. Thanks to my wonderful hubby giving me a sewing center for my birthday I've renewed my interest in sewing. I love to make patterns for new ideas and with all the different ways the center folds and unfolds I can have the room I need to create.

If you haven't used a potato bag to make baked potatoes you haven't had great baked potatoes.

The dish clothes are knitted and I like to do them when I just want to put my feet up and relax. Keeps my hands busy and away from snacks. I make them in different colors and designs.

Just say the color and it just might appear in your mail box.

36 years

Happy Anniversary Ron. I can't believe we've been married 36 years. Time seems to have flown by but on the other hand, so much has happened in those 36 years. We have enough memories to last us the rest of our lives together yet we're making new ones all the time.

It was a Friday, the kids were in school, my dad was in town and we were baby sitting the dog, Dirky.

You were in your USMC work uniform and I was in bell bottoms and platform shoes (and a blouse). We took everyone but Dirky to a buffet for dinner, you insisted, I was willing to fry up pork chops. It rained during the night and our private honeymoon tent had holes in it.

I guess that was the sign that our married life would be filled with fun and not so fun, surprises and hardships and lots of love.

Shish Kabobs

Saturday night with good friends. If anyone hasn't heard the story, I'll repeat it because I think it's worth repeating.

I met a tall skinny girl at the roller rink. It was obvious she was much older than me. (3 years) But we became friends. Not every day in your face friends but cycle friends. Sometimes our lives didn't have the time or the need to stay in contact but whenever things fell apart we were there for each other. The last major one was the summer of 1983. Two of her husband's cousins were the first ones killed by a serial murder that summer. Needless to say, we spent the summer on the phone trying to figure out what was going on and who did it. That summer is another long story that maybe I'll document some other time.

She invited us over to their home for dinner one night. She was going to try out a new recipe she found. It involved marinating steak and putting it on a stick along with onions and tomatoes and potatoes and mushrooms and peppers and cooking it over an outdoor grill.

Their three kids and our two were quite young at the time and not very willing to try new tastes so we counted on them taking one bite and heading for the hot dogs and hamburgers. Well, as they say, the rest is history. The kids all loved the shish kabobs and the adults waited while another round was cooked.

I've had the recipe for them for years and she's had my recipe for Caesar Salad but we never fixed each other's on our own. It was always the treat to go to each other's home and enjoy them.

My friend, Caryl, died three years ago so we kind of all figured that was the end of that. But last year we decided we'd carry on the tradition. Now the kids put it all together at their dad's house and we all get together and tell Caryl stories and catch up with our lives since the last time and enjoy the shish kabobs.

Last night was one of those nights.

Sandwich Fair

Thursday, September 9, 2010. A day at the last county fair in the state of IL. Some things never change and Sandwich Fair is one. It was a perfect sunshiny day with gentle breezes to add to the beautifully shaded Fair Grounds. We were early enough to get a great parking place where we walked past the trotters doing their thing on the way to the ticket booth. Since we're seniors and Thursday was senior citizen day we put down our eight dollars and joined the other seniors enjoying the fair. The flag at right is suspended high above the race track for everyone to see when they pull into the parking spaces no matter which way they come in.

We met Betsy and Alan (our daughter and son in law) and split up to do our own things with a time to meet up for a late lunch.

Betsy and I enjoyed the 4H exhibits drooling over all the delicious foods that would not be eaten cause they were entered into the judging. Sure would like to be a judge.

We met Ron and Alan at Fey's Pork Chops and BBQ Chicken tent. The line was a little long, looked like everyone else had the same idea, but it moved fast. People were saying they pricing had gone up since last year so I took a little extra of everything on the buffet. I chose a pork chop which they placed on a plastic plate and I started by adding baked beans to the same section as the pork chop then cottage cheese in another and cold slaw in the last. I passed up on the apple sauce but I was the only one who did. I took a couple slices of bread and several packs of butter, grabbed a packet of plastic silver ware and stopped at the beverage counter for their famous watered down lemonade. I was given a surprise, the lemonade was pink but it was still watered down. No seconds for me. The pork chop was moist and tender as usual, cutting it with the plastic knife is the norm for Fey's. If you ever get a chance to go to this fair, don't pass it up. The week after Labor Day weekend is the date every year.

Birthday Lunch

Nice day today. Started out with a retirees meeting and candidates forum. We didn't get to hear them all but the judges that were running gave very interesting speeches. I believe I have decided which one I will vote for in November. We left there early for another appointment.

We met up with Betsy and Alan today for lunch at Sweet Tomatoes. We sure do love that buy one get one free. They even gave Betsy a bag of chocolate chip cookies even though her birthday isn't till tomorrow. We only talked for two hours since Alan had to go get his after bypass stress test.

I'm finishing up my Linus Project quilts so I'll have to work on my tee shirt quilt. Got the pattern laid out for an apron and was just waiting for my new scissors. Got them today from Betsy, she had two identical pair. Been trying to keep busy with my hands so I don't use them to insert food in mouth.

I did make a couple knitted dish cloths. That was fun. Haven't knitted since I was in high school but with the help of a great how to book I'm doing pretty good. I'm going to miss my sewing center when we go to AZ. I'll take the sewing machine but won't have access to all the counter space I have here.

New Experience

I guess you never get to old to experience new things. Someone egged our van last night. Whoever did it threw the egg with a lot of force since the shells on the ground were tiny. It doesn't appear any other vehicles in the neighborhood got hit but I still think it was an act of opportunity and not deliberate.

Weekend

Wow, what a great weekend we had. Ron cleaned out the "dark room" in the garage finding stuff we forgot we had. Some of it was left here by my father when he left the house to us. That was 1974 in case anyone forgot. He bought new shelving and put that up. Now the garage floor is looking a little overstuffed but only till garbage day. They're not going to like us this week.

I, on the other hand, tried real hard not to leave the house on Sunday and won by a nose. I cut out two aprons, started knitting a dish cloth, finished my last Linus Project quilt top and got out the new fat quarters I bought in Morris last week. I'm trying to decide if I want 4 or 6 inch squares. Leaning toward 6 inch ones for the first quilt. I've got my sewing center set up for cutting so I want to get as much done as possible so I can put it back to sewing, otherwise it takes up to much room in my little "green room".

If I can get around to it, I want to make some more water bottle covers from the material I picked up at JoAnn's. Loved the material shop hopping last week. Ron's a saint. Morris, Braidwood, Frankfort and Orland Park. Quite a road trip.

Put a pork tenderloin in the crockpot Sunday with potatoes and kraut. Turned out great. Plenty of tenderloin left over for sandwiches this week.

It's supposed to be hot and humid all week. Perfect sewing weather. Hoping to see Betsy and Alan this week but have to check with Betsy on when they're available. I understand he has doctor's appointments after his surgery and I have an appointment Friday to make me beauteous. Don't think they'll succeed but at least my roots will match. LOL

Good day. Son in law, Alan, came home from the hospital. Daughter, Betsy is so happy to have him home. The stress of running back and forth to the hospital was really getting to her. This was day nine counting the stay at the first hospital.

Others seems to be having bad days but mine is great. Worked on a quilt top and tried "stitch in the ditch" on one I didn't want to tie. Looks pretty good. A friend had her last chemotherapy treatment. All in all a good day.

I'm not going to think about grandson, Michael, going to Afghanistan in less than 90 days. I'll leave that worrying to when it happens.

Son in Law

It's been quite a week around here. Thank God it ended on a high note. To make a very long story short, son in law, Alan, ended up with double bypass surgery on Wednesday.

Acorn Cholla Cactus in Bloom

Seems like we're all in the mid summer slump. Our big activities are shopping and shopping. I am enjoying my birthday present from my husband. A sewing center that is just perfect for me and my sewing/computer/keyboard room.

Today we're going to use one of the email birthday coupons and treat Ron to Red Robin burger. I'll have the French Onion soup that is one of their specialties.

Our acorn cactus has sprouted "fingers" and is now blooming.

Mammogram Time

I realize the title of the blog makes it about Ron and I, not just me but what we do separately affects us together. Ron has been so understanding and patient (most of the time) driving me to doctor's appointments, waiting for hours sometimes in a waiting room of strangers while I'm in another part of the building having who knows what done. He brings a book and/or his I Pod and tries not to watch the clocks to close.

The mammogram appointments seem to be the worse. They always take longer than they should and he never knows why till I emerge from the inter bowls of the building. This year was no exception but the reason it took longer was worth the wait. A doctor checked the film and gave me a clean bill of health. I'd say that was worth the wait this time.

Birthday Number 65

Well, I survived my 65th birthday. All in all it was one of my best birthdays. Retiree's meeting in the morning with Marilyn leading a rousing "Happy Birthday" serenade with the rest of the crowd followed by lunch at La Mex with Marilyn and Paul, Marcia and Lonnie, Jolene, Dana and Ron. We joked and laughed and had a good meal and great time.

When we got home there was a package in the door. My printer ink. Who says I don't buy myself great presents? The Fed X man came again and when Ron brought me to the front door to see what he left it was three huge boxes containing a sewing center.

Ron opened the boxes in the garage and carried each piece upstairs. The rest of the afternoon consisted of counting and locating all the pieces and then putting it together. I'm guessing we're half done when we called it a day at 6 o'clock. We both decided we weren't real hungry so we postponed my birthday dinner and relaxed. the rest of the evening.

Ron went to a lot of work to make the front of the house look nice for the Independence Day weekend and my birthday. He knows my birthdays and holidays are usually rough on me and is really trying to do what he can.

New Adventures of Old Donis

Well, today starts my new adventure. It's the first of July 2010 and I'm officially on Medicare. You know about Medicare? That's the insurance for old people. So how can I be on old people's insurance? Guess they made a mistake and thought I was old.

I don't really mind turning 65 next Wednesday. I mind them taking all those insurance premiums away from my spending account.

I have a short bucket list but all the items are important. Not just to me but to my family.