Days are getting longer and busier

Today was Tuesday.  Tuesday means coffee and donuts.  But today the donut man was ill and didn't make the donuts so they had to designate someone else as donut man.  Charlie, the temporary donut man, was late and didn't pick to much of a variety of donuts, but then, he did get the donuts and they are free, so I age two.
10:30 am rolled around and off we go back to the Rec Hall when the rest of the donuts are waiting along with the tables along the outer wall filling up fast with sewing machines attached to various stages of quilts.  I added my machine to the end of the table and started pushing tables together so the sewers will have enough room to spread out and work.  Linda McPhail, one of the quilters who doesn't live in the park now, called during the previous week and offered to help me finish my Sudoku baby quilt.  I was so excited.  We started out by taping my back piece to the pool table top, then the batting and the top.  We used safety pins to make sure the layers were flat of any puckering.  (Didn't work).  After two attempts at the pinning, Linda deemed I should start sewing around 1/4 inch from the end of the material piece (I don't know what they call that piece) and when I got two of the four sides done I ran out of the backing material so I quit.  Linda and another lady put their heads together and decided I needed to tear out the two sides of stitching and buy different piece for the back.  Jessica Lynn and Hailey Elizabeth, I'm telling you right now that it is only my love for you that keeps me from putting the entire thing in a plastic bag and tying it tight never to be seen again.  But I will sit this week while watching TV and tear out the two sides.  When I buy a new piece of material, don't hold your breath.
Sans supper we went to Yoga class tonight at 5:15pm, paid our $3.00 fee and stretched out on a mat to contort ourselves.  Ron did an excellent job of doing the different positions.  How do I know that?  I sat and watched him part of the time.  Some of the moves I could do but some gave me an upset stomach so I sat more out than I would have liked to.  So much so that I turned down the bean soup Donna and Paul brought over to the Rec Hall to share with JC and his new girlfriend, who just pulled in today, Sarah and Ron and I after class so we wouldn't have to go home and cook.  So we ended up coming home and me taking some meds for my stomach.  Poor Ron ended up with a BLT sandwich (bologna, lettuce and tomato).  That he had to make himself.
The walk home was nice......a little chill in the air but the stars, moon and a planet were shinning brightly in the sky.
Then watched Illinois beat Nebraska.  Welcome to "THE BIG TEN" Nebraska.

Day after Christmas

We had such a good time yesterday even though there were no little ones, an adult Christmas was nice for a change.  Our Christmas present from Wayne was definitely unique.  162 DVDs in a huge case.  All movies he thought we would both enjoy.  He even made a "chick flick" section.  wasn't that nice of him?
I've been having problems with my computer.  Some strange tool bar got down loaded due to an error on my part.
Nephew, Nick, Wayne's youngest, is quite adapt at computer stuff.  Not educated stuff like Keith and Linnea but fix regular people's goofs.  Much to our surprise, Wayne called this afternoon saying him and Norma, Nick and Sarah, Nick's wife, were coming down to visit us.  After a fast straightening and awaiting their arrival.  It was such a nice visit.  Norma, Sarah and I walked around the park model homes while Ron, Wayne and Nick drove around the entire park.  By then it was getting cool out so they decided to head back home with a promise that since Norma only has a half day of work and then she's retired they will be coming back for visits more often.

Christmas Eve

It's 51 degrees and the sun is out.  I haven't ventured outside to see if it feels as nice as it looks but I will after lunch.
We're enjoying the piece and quiet one more day till we join in with family and friends for a delicious Christmas morning breakfast combination of traditional and Mexican.  Yummmm
Daughter just called, they're off to see the new grandbabies born yesterday.  Twins, boy and a girl, to Rick's daughter, Nora and her husband.  What a blessing for them all.  They've waiting so long for this to happen.  I'm hoping as the years pass we'll be able to be friends with them and make them a part of our family.
Going to miss being with all our family but prior events prevent it from happening even if we were back in IL.  Sure do feel bad about it but can't control people.  Life will go on at our house and if some feel they can't be there if others are.......it's their loss.
Merry Christmas to all.  Happy Birthday Jesus.

Count Down to Christmas

Since we didn't go out to lunch yesterday we went today.  Got haircuts in the morning and then a quick trip to Sam's Club and back to Red Robin for French Onion Soup and split a burger and fries.  The traffic was heavy but we weren't in a hurry.  Ron got the last parking space on that side of the mall.
The sun is refusing to shine today so he's pretty chilly.  I think it only got up to the low 50s.  Not used to the lack of sunshine.
When we got back and unloaded the truck I took a quick trip to the office to get the mail.  Another surprise box.  Two this week that have been a total surprise as to the sender.  A very pleasant surprise from our son, Bob, and daughter in law, Tara.  The first was apples, pears and tangerines ( I think Cuties) from California and the second cheese and sausage from Wisconsin.  They must know how much we like to snack.  Cheese, crackers, sausage and fruit are all our favorites.
Now that we have an abundance of food, we can stay at home, sit back and relax till Christmas morning when we will join Ron's foster brother and family for a combination traditional and Mexican breakfast.  Looking forward to the tamales and the biscuits and gravy the most.

Winter Solstice

Since today is the first official day of winter I'm going to blame all the changes in routine on the sun and the moon changes.  Today is Wednesday but we're not going out to eat.  Instead I'm making cookies.  Six at a time at 10 minute intervals.  Going to put together a hamburger helper some time this afternoon and that will be our main meal.  Figured I'd get the cookies done so the flavors could meld for a few days.  They're for the cookie exchange at the Rec Hall Christmas Eve and of course our enjoyment, too.
Tomorrow is hair cuts and maybe Red Robin for French onion soup and share a hamburger.  They're really good about cutting the burger in half and fixing up two separate plates.  To bad all the restaurants don't honor the corporate promotions.  It's a beautiful 73.5 degrees and the sun is shinning.  Love this type of Arizona weather.

Rain.

If anyone is keeping stats on the number of times I've used "rain" in my blog since November 1st.  I don't think I want to know.  It's been a really weird November and December here in southern Arizona.
Church was inspired this morning.  Pastor Connor is a man of God with a message delivered with a keen sense of humor.  Today was special because the entire Connor family was present for the first time in over five weeks.  Their youngest son (Caleb) has had major surgery so him and his mother have not been at church.  It was great to see them both this morning.
I got my KFC fix for the noon meal today.  Realized last week after a phone call from dear friends that I hadn't had a bite of fried chicken since we'd been at CCRV.  It sure tasted good.  I ate every bite of chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, slaw and biscuit.  Then proceeded to take a nap.  Does fried chicken have that sleeping drug?
I managed to sleep thru a major rain storm, according to WHN .  I did hear some loud rain drops which he tells me was hail.  We haven't been outside to check the official Green Bay Packer rain gauge but I'm sure it will be pretty high.
Well, it's the last week leading up to the day we celebrate Christ's birthday.  Thank you Mary for my first present.
The new activity directors have set up a horse drawn ride thru the desert for Tuesday night.  I think that should be fun.  Just hope it's dried out by then.  Feliz Navidad

Halley Elizabeth

Our daughter, Betsy, got to go visit with her niece and meet her new great niece today.  She is so tiny.  But her birth weight was 4lbs 5 oz and she looks like a perfect little person.  BTW that's her father, mom doesn't need to shave her legs.
Can't wait to get home in the spring and get her in my arms.

More of Rainy Days and Mondays

Well my plan of not making cookies fell thru.  Ron just called from the Entimein Wholesale Bakery with news that he bought cookies and fruit cake.  Plus a couple cans of shoe string potatoes he likes.  Oh yes, couldn't find a breakfast pastry he liked so he bought a pound cake.  Guess I shouldn't let him go shopping so close to lunch time.

Rainy Days and Mondays

No, I'm not going to sing a Carpenter's song.  Lucky you.  But it is a rainy Monday.  I keep saying we need the rain, we need the rain but I'd like some of those famous Tucson sunny days.  The mountains above us are supposed to get 10-16 inches of snow.  That should make the ski places happy.  We were thinking about taking a drive up to Mt Lemon but better hold off for a few days.  They close the road to non residents.
Christmas is coming along nicely.  We have our Christmas Cactus out lit, cards addressed and put in the mail and the two remaining presents being purchased today so out they all will go and we can sit back and relax.  No special cooking since Ron's still hording the caramel and fudge I made for Thanksgiving.  Not much spirit since it's only the two of us and neither need any extra calories.

Sunday Evening

Well, the sun and the temperature have both gone down.  The Packers Won.  It's 41 degrees and falling.  Supposed to be sub freezing tonight and tomorrow night too.  So you see, AZ isn't always hot or even warm.  This is a little worse than normal.
We did have some pleasant memories from today.  As we sat in church this morning the clouds moved enough so we could see the top of some of the Catalina Mountains for a few minutes.  They were just beautiful, covered with snow.  The sermon was beautiful, as Pastor does so well.  Did you know there's a phobia for fear of belly buttons?
After the sermon we met Wayne and Norma for lunch at Olive Garden.  The Taste of Italy I had was delicious and plentiful.  Feeling sorry for our waiter for setting around and talking for so long we added to the waiter's tip.

Sunny Arizona

Well, the sun is out but I haven't been out to see how warm it makes 45 degrees feel.  Instead of steak and caesar tonight it's going to be chili.  I've got the turkey thawing and all the ingredients setting on the counter waiting to start it up.  If nothing else it will make the rv smell nice and feel warm.
Stay warm my midwestern friends and family.

Rainy FridayP

As today is the first Friday of the month the quilters took their usual trek to Desert Cactus Quilters Shop.  10 % off any material except fat quarters and they're 12 for $10 dollars.  I picked up some more pastel design fat quarters for the quilt that should be done but hasn't been started.
Then a stop for lunch at an Italian restaurant  on the way home.  Chicken parmeasan sandwich on delicious Italian bread.  It was so big and delicious that I ended up only eating half of it and brought the other half home to Ron, which he proceeded to eat the other half for his lunch.
It's been raining again and the sun is peaking out and then going back behind the mountains.  Ron's official Green Bay Packer rain gauge says 3/10 of an inch.  That's a lot for here.  Hope it leads to the beautiful desert flowers next spring.
The park is filling up now with some of the regulars.  Unfortunately quite a few of the regulars are being delayed by medical conditions and they are in our prayers.  We miss all our CCRV family when they're not here.

MondayTh

Well, I'm finished with the dentist.  I got my implant completed this morning and my insurance runs out the end of December.
More good news about Hailey Elizabeth today.  She's breathing on her own and they're taking out the feeding tube.  Don't know what the weight is doing but she's taken to the bottle very well.  Jessica has decided to stay till Tuesday before leaving so she can spend more time with Hailey.
81 degrees here and sunny.  Ron has the awning put up till the evening winds start up.
The kids parked in Clark's old spot are having a rough time.  They came with a pretty good size truck and camper on top.  It seems they only took the camper off a few days when his Ford F350 looked really different.  He got rear ended by a Ford Taurus.  Well this weekend he started stripping his truck of all his equipment.  The insurance company is writing a check for the truck.  Can you believe a Ford Taurus totaled a Ford F350 by rear ending it?  The frame is bent so bad they can't fix it and they'd never be able to put the camper back in the bed of the truck.  They're young kids from Alberta, CA that came down to do some mountain climbing.  I think they got some in but no where near what they wanted.
She wasn't in the truck and it appears he wasn't hurt to badly.

New Addition to the Family

Jessica presented us with a new great grand daughter yesterday 11/25/11.  Hailey Elizabeth Vicic was born 5 weeks early by emergency C section at 4 lbs 3 oz.  Heard from mom last night and she is doing fine.  This morning she got to see her baby and declared her the most beautiful child she's ever seen.  The breathing tube is due to come out this morning so that's a good sign.  She is in NICU.

Thanksgiving 2011

We had a very nice day visiting with family and friends.  We were at Wayne and Norma's at 11 am so we could help with dinner preparation.  Turkey was cooked and divided.  Potatoes were mashed and in the crock pot.  Three tables were set and ready to hold the plates of delicious food.  Ham cooked and cut and set on serving dish.  Then we waited ......waited for family.....waited for friends.....and waited.  The first one finally arrived at 12:45 and the last one at 1:45.  The food was still great and we all had plenty to eat and left over for later munching.  Several pumpkin pies with whipped cream, a cherry and an apple pie.  Yumm.

Hope everyone had time with family today.  That's what Thanksgiving is about.  Time with family and friends, not playing golf and watching football while the women cook. (Just my little rant).  Nothing personal to anyone who reads this blog.
No Black Friday for us.

11/22/11

Beautiful day, low 70s with plenty of sunshine.  Coffee and donuts courtesy of LaMesa RV Dealer with an invitation to have lunch at their store any day prepared by 4 women who make home made lunch everyday.  Quilting talk and turn over our quilts we made over the summer for the Linus Project.   It's always good when we get together and today was extra special.  Teri Brown joined us for the first time in a long time.  Her health has improved so much.  She's in a wheel chair waiting for the knee replacement but she's not diabetic anymore.

More Rainy Days and Mondays

Another rainy Monday in Tucson, AZ.  Ron was going to get up early this morning and do the wash, hang out sheets and towels but just as he started out the door it started to rain.  Sure would be nice to have a washer and drier inside the RV.  The A-10s are flying low and loud this morning but that's OK.  They have a job to do and are doing it just fine.  Thank you.
Church yesterday was good except for the guest speaker.  Our pastor and his wife are out of town with their youngest son who had surgery this past week.  The speaker informed us he would be done when he decided to end since there would be no Sunday night service and we could eat lunch later.  I'm sure that made the ladies of the church happy when they had all the food set out in the courtyard and no one came out to eat.
Don't get me wrong, we enjoyed his sermon very much, he just didn't know when to stop.  I'm surprised people didn't get up leave.  The food was worth waiting for.  Great variety to choose from and family to sit with and chat.
Ron enjoyed his Packer 10-0 victory even though he didn't get to watch it.  

The Day Before.

First I want to thank Elizabeth and Robert for putting such a nice message on Facebook.  Ron really appreciated it.
This is a quiet night at home.  We kind of like it that way.  We got the party animals out of our system when we were younger.  Tomorrow is all you can eat omelets from Dave for breakfast.  Probably pass on lunch and then  from 3 pm to 5 pm a steel band at the new Tiki bar by the pool.  Hopefully Dan got the grass skirt and coconut bra for Ron, if not I'm sure we'll still enjoy it even if we stay home we'll be able to hear and see it all.  Then at 5 pm they're having a BBQ but we'll pass and I'll make Ron his favorite meal for his birthday dinner.
Sometimes in between I need to put a pork roast in the oven and get it ready to take to church Sunday morning for the Thanksgiving pot luck.  The Fudge is made and hard, weighs a ton so I'll need to boil up some pasta for my pasta salad and add kraut to the pork roast and reheat it on Sunday morning before we leave for church.
Oh yes, I need to go to the neighbors and pick up Ron's birthday present from Betsy and Alan.  Nice to have neighbors to hide things for you.

Thursday in the Park

Well, I won one game in bingo but since I had to share my winnings with another player and then split again with Paula so I'm down to $1.50 in my pocket and it cost me $6.50 to play all night.  I've got to get a cheaper hobby.
Guess it's a good thing Ron's brother never called to tell him where to meet for lunch as I didn't but the right things to make caramels and fudge.  Ron was so good to me, he still tried to give me the day to myself like I'd planned.  Instead of fried chicken I was planning for lunch I had egg salad sandwich and the mac and cheese for supper that I'd planned not to have.
I did get the caramel and fudge made thanks to Ron running to the store for me and even came home with a treat for me.
Ron managed to hand wash his truck so now it's looking like that beautiful new truck he loves.  We went over to one of our neighbors this morning to look at their place.  Had never been inside.  It was very large and very well decorated.  All new "real" appliances in the kitchen including a dishwasher.  It's always so interesting what all they can get in by using all the empty spaces.

More CCRV Fun

Had a great time last night at all you can eat pizza.  Some person (s) unknown disposed of the school bell used by previous activity directors.  HIP HIP HURRAH.  We don't have to all see quietly at our table until someone tells us it's our turn to eat.  HHH    When we got to the hall about 5:20 Dave was already putting out pizza so we just helped ourselves and sat down and enjoyed our meal with friends.
Tuesday morning coffee and donuts is being run the same way, walk in, get your coffee and a donut, sit down and enjoy talking to friends.
Today, being Wednesday, means Sweet Tomatoes and Bingo.  Maybe a movie before lunch, we'll see.  It's supposed to be another beautiful day of temperatures in the 70s.  Good luck to our daughter, Elizabeth, on her oral surgery this morning.  Love you Bets.

Just another Tuesday in Tucson

Being retired sometimes gets real busy.  This morning, being Tuesday, is coffee and donuts at the rec hall.  More than enough donuts for everyone, the park bought 4 dozen and SkyMed brought 4 dozen.  They wanted to give their spiel.  They provide transportation home for critically ill travelers and their rigs and spouses and pets.  In fact we bought it a few years ago so we weren't interested.  Just ate the donuts.  Then sewing at 10:30 am.  Lynn (our new activities director) asked for help in making some stick horses for a "Derby Day" later in the month.  Our circle is pretty small so far.  Two people won't be back and the rest are coming later.
A quick lunch of PB&J for moi and off to Green Valley WalMart for drugs.  I've found that I can get three months supply from them cheaper than my Medicare Part D.  Picked up some groceries that we needed and headed back to the park.
Now we're waiting for 5:30 pm so we can have pizza.  There's this guy named "Dave" who sets up a half dozen ovens and puts out pizzas as fast as you can eat them in just about any combination all you can eat for $5.00 a person.  In past years the activities director has added extra money on to the $5.00  but this year the new rules are no upcharges.  Got the Green Bay Packer bucked filled with ice and cold beer and extra olives for the beer to head out in about an hour cause if we're there at 5:30 pm we'll be late.

Rainy Days and Sundays

It's not supposed to rain on SUNday or southern Arizona but it did.  I awoke to the sound of raindrops on the roof.  It wasn't bad enough to flood the washes but who knows what they'll look like when the water finally reaches them.  Might be very interesting.  We'll see.  We did go to church this morning and the pastor reminded us it's sunshine 360 days in Tucson so the rain is a treat.  The beautiful ceiling to floor windows behind the pastor only showed there was an outside.  The beautiful Catalina Mountains were gone and coming home the Rincons were partially covered with clouds (we thing that's what the white stuff was) but the Santa Ritas were almost completely visable.  Breakfast was at Jerry Bobs on Broadway.  I'd recommend it to Triple D but it's only open till 2 pm.  Best breakfast in town.  

Veterans Day

Just another day in our house so when Ron suggested we go to the movies, I accepted.  After checking out the possibilities online a unanimous decision of "J Edgar" was decided.  Off to the Park Place Mall to enjoy a matinee.  About half way there two things became apparent......1 Veterans Day was more than just another day since the traffic was so bad it became apparent we weren't going to make our movie time.......2 Maybe we should have waited for another day.  Upon final arrival at Park Place Mall we quickly decided both our assumptions were correct.  Not a parking place to be found around the mall.  Applebys had a line around their restaurant SURPRISE.  So off we went in another direction.  Maybe a drive thru Saguaro East National Park.  It's one of my favorite places and we hadn't been there yet this year.  Got our National Parks Pass out and headed out Broadway for Saguaro East.
Self said "I'm hungry" so I told Ron what self said and he pulled into MickyDs.  After a nice quick lunch we decided we'd stop at the Walgreen's across the street to see if they could still give Ron his flu shot.  My dear husband refuses to carry his insurance card with him.  Two hours later, we both had our flu shots and I had a pneumonia shot but decided to bypass Saguaro and go home.
The day had just been to much "people watching" and we needed to rest our eyes.

Tucson

Well, thanks to my friend, Larry, I realized I hadn't blogged in almost two weeks.  We arrived at Adventure Bound/Cactus Country early November 1st and spent the morning setting up the RV and emptying the truck.  In the afternoon we headed out to Wal Mart in Green Valley for supplies.....Milk and bread and cereal and things we only need one of.  Wednesday was Costco and then Sam's Club to stock up on meat.  We got home in time to divide everything up and package it for the freezer.  Got enough meat to last most of the season and still make it to Sweet Tomatoes for a late lunch which leads to Wednesday night bingo. Not many people at bingo, lots of reasons why it wasn't well attended.  Low attendance didn't help my changes so I came home with a lighter BINGO bag but had a good time laughing and talking to friends.
The rest of the time has been spent settling in and getting ready for all our friends to return.
BTW, last night at bingo wasn't any better than last week even though there were fewer people someone else had the luck.

Last Day on the road

We're in Lordsburg, NM for the night.  NO, don't go dragging out your atlas.  We're only 2 hours from Tucson. We'll have a lot of setting up to do so figured we'd get a fresh start in the morning.  Plus we redeemed some Best Western points and made this a free night.  Used a $50. coupon earlier in the trip that we had earned last fall on the way home.
It's close to 80 degrees here now but we're tucked nicely into our beautiful oversized air conditioned motel room with a king size bed.
We had a nice drive the past two days.  Decided when we left Kearney, NE that we'd follow the GPS in the truck.  SURPRISE!!!!  We ended up in Denver but not where we could see any downtown.  It took us on a bypass that ended up by the airport.  Worked great.  Made it to Raton, NM for the night.  Via my little pink computer traveling down I-25 at 75 + mph I found a new Best Western and made the reservations.  What a nice treat to stay in a new motel.  The room had an outside entrance where we parked and an inside entrance to the rest of the motel.  Had it's own restaurant, bar and lounge.  Dinner was cob salads and $3.00 Margaritas and breakfast was any type of breakfast food for free, fixed to order.
We're glad our trip is almost over.  Now we can wait for all our dear friends to roll in.

Heading West

Well, we've completed the first leg of our journey to Tucson.  We managed to have the back of the truck packed and the bicycles loaded up last night so this morning it was load the back seat and do the "little things" around the house.  Since we got involved in a TV show last night and didn't get to bed till 1 am the 9:15 am start was pretty good.  After an hour ride to 'R Place in Morris we stopped for breakfast.  It was delicious, even the butter on the toast tasted fantastic.  We then started a leisurely drive west on I-80 stopping at a rest stop before we crossed the Mississippi into Iowa and then again at the big truck stop.  I can't remember the name but it has a lot of "stuff" and is really big.  There was a full sized semi with a 53 foot trailer hooked up sitting in front of one row of windows in the truckers section.  They had it painted with a beautiful rolling prairie scenes.  Wish I'd taken pictures.  Any way we arrived in Coralville, IA about 2:45 and waited for housekeeping to finish with our room, Backed up to the sliding door and unloaded what we needed and are settled down for the evening.  Not sure what and where supper will be, the menu for the restaurant here isn't to inviting but we'll enjoy the free hot full breakfast in the morning before we head off toward Kearney, Nebraska.

Counting Down

Another day closer to leaving for AZ.  We decided to take our bicycles with us this year so off we went this morning to the local RV store and purchased a bike rack for the back of the truck.  Then my dear husband insisted on taking me out to lunch.  I figured Portillos or some place like that but he suggested Bakers Square which really sounded good but when we got there we couldn't get into the parking lot so he pulled back over and headed to Golden Corral.  What a real surprise.  We both had salad and a little entry and dessert with a cup of coffee.  Have to save room for supper tonight.  We're meeting our # 2 grandson, Eric, and his soon to be fiance for dinner at Olive Garden at 7 pm.  I'm presuming this will be the last one we'll see before we leave.
This morning I ordered Ron's birthday present.  I had seen it earlier this summer but almost couldn't find it again to order it.  While I was searching the Packer's site I found an article that they may be going to issued shares again.  We'll see.  I don't think Ron is interested in any more shares.  What he will like (I hope) is the brick I ordered to be placed on the wall of the Atrium in Lambeau Field.  It will say "Proud Shareholder
Ronald R Cummings" with the Green Bay Packer G underneath it.  If any one does go on a tour and they find it, please take a picture and send it to us.  I'm planning on getting up there next summer and getting a picture with Ron somewhere close to it if possible.
Time to get ready to meet Eric and Julie.

Followup to a busy few days.

First, the Medicare Part D.  I went to the Medicare site and entered my zip code and the medications that I take that are NOT from Wal-Mart.  The site gave me 10 possibilities with the least expensive first and on down.  With the meds that I take Humana was the best buy for me this year.  Saturday was the first day to register so I did the minor paperwork online.  We'll see what else I'll need to do between now and January 1.  I really believe I'll go thru this every year to make sure I have the least expensive full coverage and would suggest anyone else to go to Medicare.gov and at least check it out.

The deep freeze is another story.  We ended up loosing 3 garbage bags of food.  Ice cream and veggies from our garden are at the top of my list but we did save the meat.  We were using it down since we were planning on leaving soon.  We're not going to get a new deep freeze before we leave.  Just hoping the refrigerator that is older than the deep freeze stays running while we're gone.  Going to ask the people who check out the house to keep a real close eye on it and if it starts to go just empty it out and unplug it.

Medicare Part D

Well, to say yesterday was a day of enlightenment would be an understatement.  Marcia, the president of our local retiree's group called on Tuesday asking me to attend the Executive Committee Meeting of the Will County Board.  They were going to announce the new insurance premiums specifically the ones for over 65 prescription drug plan.  Last year it had gone up $60 more a month and we were expecting twice that much this year.  The County had previously kept us in their active employee pool until last year when they put us out on our own.
I wish I could publish this on every county employee's computer but since I can't I'll just explain as best as I can without being to hostile.  The chairman of the committee acted like an arrogant asshole.  The vice chairman used to be a friend and is still one of my County board members.  The one County board member from my district who answered my email did attend, as she said, but didn't say anything but answer the roll call to accept "yes" when the vote came for the higher premium.  They decided that 1.  They didn't owe us anything despite all the years of service..  2.  They had to take care of the taxpayers. (like none of us pay taxes) 3.  If we don't like it......leave.
So that's what I'm doing this morning.  Comparing Medicare Part D plans thanks to Medicare.org.  It's showing Humana Enhanced as my cheapest choice and all my prescriptions are on their Formulary list.
The time to switch starts tomorrow (Oct 15) so the County picked a good time to shove us out the door.
If anyone has any suggestions, comments or helpful hints, I would appreciate the help.

Friday night

Grandson, Eric, stopped by tonight.  Returned a bowl that had chili in it when it left this house and chocolate chip cookies when it came home.  Kid's been raised right.  He also had to show papa his baby.  The baby Kimber is back all fixed up and looking good with new grips and the finish fixed.  No more rust spots.
I want to say to Julie that we're sorry she missed out on time with him but he didn't know you were coming home early to surprise him and came over here instead.  Thanks for sharing him.  Hope he makes it up to you later.
Hamburger casserole tonight.  Ron's been waiting all week for it.  The corn that Betsy and Alan provided made it so sweet and especially good.
Time for Blue Blood at 9 pm.  I'm glad the network picked it up for another year.  Great police family drama.

Fall Foliage and other beauties of nature. (No doctors or hospitals included)

We've been trying to go to Missouri since Memorial Day but every time we start to plan it rains.  Now I know we won't melt; even though I may have been called "The Wicked Witch of the North"; it's not a pleasant drive in the rain and that rain comes directly from northeast Missouri.  Our destination.
So when last week the weather people declared this week to be sunny and dry, time to try it again.  What a beautiful drive, sun roof open and sun glasses on.  The driver got so involved in the accidents on the other side of I-55 that he missed our turn off in Dwight.  He always takes me by the women's detention center and threatens to drop me off for the week.  Ha Ha.  By the time he realized it we were between Pontiac and Bloomington so the old route was in order.  We opted to stop at the Funk's Grove Rest Stop instead of the Dixie Truck stop for cleanliness reasons but still got off at 136 and headed west.
We can't remember the last time we went this way but it's been awhile cause most of the old buildings are falling or have already fallen down.  A little depressing but that's the way life is.  If you don't use it, you loose it.  The scenery was beautiful in all the shades of Fall.  Should have saved our money from the cruise and came down here.
We made good time and decided to stop in Macomb for lunch.  I let Ron pick the restaurant cause I figured we'd have dinner at The Catfish Place.  He picked McDonald's 
We arrived in Memphis about 3 pm and checked into our favorite motel and then off to Rutledge.  We turned on the GPS just to see what it would do.  We traveled thru a lot of open air but it did recognize a few roads.
Our first stop was at Zimmerman's the local, restaurant, grocery store and dry goods store.  I opted for the dry goods section and browsed the rows of beautiful fabric and quilts but decided to avail myself of the knowledge of the sales lady.  After I explained to her what I was working on she suggested a color and after looking at it decided it was a great idea.  Next I asked her how much do I need.  She said 3/4 yard and I said give me a full yard.  300 miles is a long way to come to get more.
Then we went to the grocery store looking for fresh sorghum but Sandhill hadn't had their squeezing yet.  They did have sassafras but I still have plenty of that.  We ran into my friend Reva (Surprise) and headed down to the cemetery to check out my folks graves.
They haven't had rain and everything is so dry but someone trimmed around the headstones and plants so Ron didn't have to do that.
Next stop, Knox City for dinner.  We met up with Reva's significant other, Martin, and her oldest daughter, Penny, came by so we chatted while we enjoyed a good meal.  Ron especially enjoyed his pork cutlet sandwich.     The Catfish Place is closed on Tuesdays.
Back to the motel and a terrible night of sleep and off down the road to enjoy another beautiful day of gorgeous scenery coming back home the way we originally intended.
We can truthfully say neither one of us is allergic to corn or soy beans.  The farmers were taking advantage of the perfect weather to harvest their crops which were plentiful on both sides of the road as far as you could see.
I used to feel the need for a Missouri fix but not so much anymore.  Not really any family and only my friend, Reva and her family.  But it's always a fun trip.

New Technology

This morning was an interesting time reflecting back on what had changed in the past 10 years.  10 years ago we had a computer but the rest of the world didn't so I would say this morning's  revelation wasn't as much as what we have but how it can now be used.
First, Ron and I both have Kindles thanks to our son and his family.  They were presents for Mother's Day and Father's Day.
Ron and I enjoy reading some of the same authors so it doesn't make since for each of us to buy a book for our Kindle but trading Kindles isn't the answer either.  This morning I finally figured out how to lend him a book from my Kindle to his.  Now, there are publisher's rules that don't allow most of the books I have to be leant out.  But I did send Ron a book and he has it on his Kindle.
In doing this I also discovered that Kindle is now compatible with US libraries so you can borrow library books and read them and at the end of the time, they take them away.  They do warn you 3 days ahead of time that your time is running out.
I was so excited that I found an author that I love to read so I proceeded to try and borrow it only to find out my library card expired the end of September.  The library doesn't send email notices for that.  In the car, down to the library to fill out the paperwork and supply ID to get my library card renewed.  I know, just take the book out while you're there but that wasn't the point.  I was going to check out a library book onto my e-reader.  Back home and realizing that most of the books available for e-readers were already checked out.  I put a hold on a couple of books and then searched till I found a couple books that I thought I might like and were available immediately.  Check them out of the library, accept them into my Amazon account.  Send them from my Amazon account to the Kindle and then hook up with a WiFi network so the books can be uploaded onto my Kindle.  I did it.  I have a tendency to print out instructions; with this time being no exception; I read and reread till I got all that figured out.  Hooked into Ron's WiFi network with his password and all and VOILA two books are on my Kindle.  Only took be two hours to figure it all out and get done but I figured that's not bad for the first time.  I'm sure it will go much smoother from now on.
I'd say quite a use of technology.  Can't wait to experience I Pads and Smart Phones.  I'd say by golden years are going to be spent spending a lot of that gold.  ROTF LMBO

The Great North Sea

Guess it's time to blog the cruise.  A 5:15 limo to O'Hare on Friday morning wasn't quite the way I had visioned my dream vacation, but it was ok, as was the vacation.
We were at O'Hare Airport in plenty of time, checked our bags and made it through TSA security without out a hassle.  Then we waited for the next plane going to Boston.  It wasn't OUR plane but it was going to Boston.  Had another cup of coffee and a sweetie and waited for OUR plane.  The trip was uneventful so I sat behind John and picked at the back of his head till he reached back and scratched it.  A girl has to do something to amuse herself.
The day in Boston was interesting.  We took cabs to see the "USS Constitution" (Old Iron Sides) and "Cheers" bar sign.  Back to the hotel to wait for time to head to the ship.  We thought we were early but we were not.  The ship personnel took our luggage at the cab so we didn't have to deal with that.  The line was long for the check ins but moved rather fast.  We found our cabins without a great deal of problem and settled in for a week of sightseeing and relaxing.
We were to early for the fall colors even at the northern part of the cruise in Halifax, Nova Scotia.  We took a tour in Bar Harbor, St John and Halifax and enjoyed each one.  Learnt a lot about the area and how it was developed.  Watched an in coming ocean tide meet an out going St Laurence River with gigantic whirlpools and sprays and a beautiful Victorian flower garden  in St Johns.  St Johns and Halifax are very proud of their part in the attempted rescue of the Titanic victims but bitter that New York got all the glory without any work on their part.  Both towns proudly display the cemeteries of the ones that didn't make it to New York.
We had two days at sea, one between St Johns and Halifax and one when we left Halifax to docking in Boston.  We purchased a tour from the ship to see Boston with a guide and then dropped off at the airport.  We got a much better view of the city and it's firsts, oldest and biggest.  The guide was very proud of his city and reminded us often that it was the "cradle of the revolution" .
The trip home on the plane was great, they moved my seat behind the others so I had an enjoyable conversation with the lady next to me plus a little nap.
Since the day had begun and 6 am EDT, John and Pat decided to spend the night at our house and then go home to Milwaukee on Sunday morning.  It was an early night and all were in bed by 11 pm. CDT.  The spell was broken so I had to cook breakfast but I sat my foot down when it came to putting their napkins in their lap and handing them a menu.

New Experience

Well, today is the day to make sure everything is in order.  We did our airport check in this morning online and printed out the documents.  Ron's off to the bank to put a couple things in the safety deposit box.  Now it's wait for John and Pat to get here, go out for pizza (cause I'm not cooking), clean out the frig and get the garbage ready for tomorrow (that's a constant) and try and get some sleep before the stretch limo arrives at 5:15 am tomorrow morning.  The two piece of luggage are packed, locked and paid for flight.  My clothes are all laid out ready to slip into, can't say the same about Ron.
Got to go cups for coffee if anyone wants to take some with them tomorrow.  Wish I had donuts too but I can't wish for everything.  Please keep me in your prayers that the security check on me goes well.  The TSA documents I got online say they can't ask me to remove, raise or lift an article of clothing or remove the prosthesis so we'll see.

Retiree's Picnic

We've had a couple of really cool days and nights but today was just beautiful for our Retiree's Annual Picnic at the New Lenox VFW.  They have a beautiful picnic area with a covered pavilion and open area with lots of picnic tables under lots of beautiful shade trees next to a rolling creek.  They set up all the tables and provide an ice one for the food that needs refrigeration.  They even furnish the bingo cards and setup so we can play after the noon meal at no cost to us.
Turnout was good.  We had some new people and some guest who used to work for the County but didn't retiree from there.  Plenty of time spent talking and catching up with what's going on in people's lives.  A lot of us will be leaving for warmer climate in a few weeks so we were making plans to meet up with the AZ ones and wishing good luck to the FL ones.  It's nice to have the picnic since we won't be around for the big Christmas Party in December.

Family Time

It's been quite awhile since I blogged but time either stands still or rushes by at the same time.  We've been busy but I can't put a finger on exactly what we've been doing without looking at our appointment calender.
I know we saw a lawyer and made out wills and power of attorneys.  We got hair cuts and I got pedicures and manicures and saw the eye doctor.  Both of us need upgrades on or left lenses.  We had a burglar alarm installed in the house which will make us feel better while we're not home.  We even got the neighbor across the street and a grandson signed up and ready to be key holders when necessary.
This past week end we traveled north to Brown Deer, WI (Milwaukee) with the new truck.  The ride wasn't to bad, it seems to be getting better the more miles he puts on it or I'm getting used to it.  All in all he has managed to tone down the smell of new leather, which was one of my main problems.
We stopped at the outlet mall in Pleasant Prairie on the way up but didn't really find anything plus the place was packed with shoppers getting that 30 % discount.
Friday afternoon travel thru the south side of Milwaukee was a bit slow due to the construction.  Yes, IL is finished with it's construction on the Tri State, now Wisconsin has taken over.  The traffic did keep moving so it wasn't to bad with the aid of the GPS and it's knowledge of new traffic patterns resulting from the construction, we made if pretty quickly.
Friday evening we met up with Mike and Kim and their sons and Keith and Linnea at a German Supper Club, for lack of a better word.  It's a huge bar and restaurant on a even bigger tract of land filled with parked cars.  We in this instance is Ron, his brother, John, John's wife, Pat, and Me.  The menu was all you can eat fish and chicken fry.  Huge pieces of cod lightly breaded and cooked till just done with small pieces of chicken fried to perfection and a choice of potato but no choice in salad, cold slaw, good cold slaw tho, the creamy kind.  I ate my two pieces of fish and two pieces of chicken and was so full I couldn't eat any more.  RATS.
Saturday was a cook out at Mike and Kim's house.  Brats and hamburgers were made on the grill with four different types of salad and baked beans.  I did something I've never done before.  I ate two hamburgers they were so good.  After the men all got done ogling Ron's truck we took off for the ball park to watch the Brewers beat the Cubs by way of a bar some where between there and there.  For the price of an adult beverage, which you could take with, you got a ride on a shuttle bus to Miller Park and dropped off right in front of the field.  That also entitled us to a ride back the same way so none of us had to deal with the traffic.  Despite the Cub loss, we still had a good time.  The picture above is John, Pat, Me, Ron, Mike and Kim.  Keith and Linnea met friends and sat on the other side of the field.
We did make the mistake of staying a little longer than we should have Sunday afternoon but John and Ron had gone looking at guns and Pat and I had gone shoe shopping so the trip southbound on the Tri State was a little crowded considering the baseball game had ended just before we left.
We made it home safe a sound with a stop for supper on the way.  That's another story for another time.   

Lazy, hazy, crazy days of Summer.

Life in the midwest is just that....middle ground.  It's been hot and humid so most of our life has revolved around either staying inside where it's cool, if the electricity isn't out, or going to the air conditioned car to the air conditioned store.  Been talking to a dozen of my best friends from Cactus Country on Facebook.  That's been a nice way to keep up with the goings on.  Because quite a few of the people there are an older generation than us, we've been losing some every year either to death or illness forcing them to move.  This year we've lost one due to bad health and two have departed.  I wasn't familiar with one of the deceased but everyone in the park knew Fred Imus, aka that radio guy Don Imus's brother.  He was our claim to fame, so to speak.  He had an old truck and older dog named "Dear John" and I didn't know where he went everyday when he drove by on his way out of the park but I did know he bought bales of hay for the free range cows that lived around the outside of the park.  I'm sure that hay was much better eating than the cacti they lived on normally.
Today was our youngest grandchild's 13th birthday.  She's off with her parents and brother on vacation but we did text her happy birthday.
Today was also a good rain day, now Ron will have to mow the lawn.  It did cool things off a bit and I was  able to set outside for awhile and read, one of my favorite things to do.

Rain, Rain........... stay awhile

It rained last night (the ground was wet when I got up) and it rained this morning and it rained this afternoon.  Now I know some people don't like that but my yard and my garden do.  The part I don't like, loss of electric power, hasn't occurred today.  We're trying to remedy that with a natural gas generator but our guy hasn't gotten back to us.  I'm really sorry to have that happen because our Cast In Stone Rule is not to give a second chance on the first try.  Learned that lesson the hard way but that's another story.  One I may never retell because of the painful memories.
We did go to Sam's Club this afternoon.  Ron opened is last bag of potato chips at lunch.  It appeared to have rained while we were gone.  The humidity is getting higher and higher and no it's not entirely my hot flashes.
Not much going on here.  Doing this and that to get ready for the New England/Canada cruise this fall.  Think we pretty much have it under control.  Ship reserved and paid for,  airline tickets purchased, hotel room booked and transportation to and from the airport in IL reserved.  Now it's wait and get all the stuff done so we're ready to go.

"Interesting" weekend.

Actually it wouldn't have been that unusual if the power had stayed on but, alas, it did not..  We started the weekend Friday evening when Ron's brother, John, and his wife, Pat, came down from Brown Deer, WI for the weekend.  Headed to the Knights of Columbus fish fry.  Yes the one on Cass Street, the only one as far as I'm concerned.  All enjoyed plenty of good hot food and Ron and I enjoyed seeing an old friend, Stan Lantka, that we used to work with.  After some catching up and some hugs he took his carry out and left and we enjoyed our sit down.
As usual, we never know when to shut up and go to bed.  It seems we never run out of things to talk about.  Saturday morning and it rains, we need the rain but we also had promised Pat at trip to Oak Brook Center and she'd already been rained out once.  It did stop and we took off.  I love that mall.  I have such good memories from the 60s when my friend, Caryl, and I would go "shopping" and then stop for a salad.  It was one of the very first malls in the area and it was, and still is, an out door mall.  The landscaping inside is always beautiful and this year they had giant "frogs" painted in different motifs.  We did a lot of walking and shopping.  I have reason to believe Pat really liked the experience by the number of shopping bags John was caring.  She realized why I wanted the guys to stay close.  We used and abused them with shopping bags.  It was a little warm for me and I had a few problems but a bottle of water and a sit down helped and we managed to hit all the stores we had planned on.  There is never enough time to hit them all.
Since it was going to be John's birthday on Sunday he got to pick the type of food he wanted for supper.  Pat choose Italian.  We don't eat out a lot when we're in IL so we headed to Pappa Joes in New Lenox where we had enjoyed a meal the Saturday before with friends Larry and Judy.  We were late enough to get there after the entertainment started and chose to set in that part so we could enjoy it.  Unfortunately, Ron and my lasagna was NOT up to the high standards the chicken parmigiana had been the week before.  Pat insisted her pizza was fine and she ate it all and John said is lasagna was fine too.  We had a nice leisurely meal and enjoyed the band and their excellent renditions of 50s, 60s, 70s, and some Country music.
Well, if we'd all gone to bed when we swore we were going to we probably wouldn't have known about the power outage but, we were still up so we all went out on the front porch and talked and waited for the power to come back on.  Didn't take but a couple hours so it wasn't to bad.
Sunday was a sleep in day with more rain to add to the weekend.  We didn't loose our power.  Our neighbor, Marge, came over after church to say hi and got caught in a down pour so we had a nice chat.  We ended up going out for breakfast in the afternoon.  We we got back to the house we settled some more issues with our upcoming cruise and divided up some more items to get us closer to being ready to enjoy our cruise. There can't be much more to do and it's only 54 days away.

Shop Hoppin I-80

Thursday and Friday were very special days.  Started out Thursday with email newsletter form Robert's Sewing Center.  One of the items was the Shop Hoppin I-80 Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.  It consisted of picking up a "passport" at one of the nine quilting stores and visiting the other eight during those four days.  Ron and I decided to give it a try.  Didn't have anything planned so why not?  Started out Thursday afternoon at Roberts Sewing Center in Crest Hill.  Then back to Lockport and Thimbles and on to Frankfort.  We decided the chauffeur deserved to have a passport too so we got them both stamped at the three stores.  We didn't purchase anything at those stores but learned a bevy of information regarding the rest of the journey and conveyed some to people for the ones we'd been too.  If you haven't been on I-80 thru Joliet, DON'T.  Construction is making it a giant parking lot.
Friday morning we slept in but still managed to hit the road about 9 am with a cup of coffee, donuts, lunch and plenty of water and snacks.
First stop was Morris because of a tip we got the day before.  Got our stamps and a kit to make a Christmas runner.  Next actually get on I-80, activate the GPS and head west to Molene.  The trip went fine till we got within a block of the quilt store.  Road construction with the lane closed for a few minutes at a time.  We did get to Quilt's by Oz and got our passports signed plus a yard of pretty Civil War material.  The lady there told us how to get to the next stop, East Molene, by not getting back on the road under construction.  Which we used and it worked.  Ron fell in love with a quilt that they were raffling off to celebrate something in the Quad cities so he bought chances on it and I got our passport stamped.
Back on the road, Kewanee is the next destination but with a stop at an empty baseball diamond with a shaded picnic bench for lunch.  Hard rolls with ham and swiss for you Milwaukee relatives.  Kewanee was one of my personal favorites.  They had pieces made and set up thrughtout the store with kits next to them so you could purchase the kit or just get the pattern.  Got our passports stamped and bought material for Christmas tree napkins, pattern was free.  OK, my favorite thing about Kewanee was when we walked in the door.  Someone greeted us with "the bathroom is straight back, bottle water, chocolate and coffee is to your right".
Next with Princeton.  It was a small shop on the main street and we didn't find anything so we got our passports stamped and our free pattern and left, minus Ron's passport.
Last but definitely not least was Peru.  When we couldn't find the quilt shop and stopped to get the phone number off the passport we discovered Ron's was missing.  Eight shops and you had to visit all nine to be eligible for the grand prize. Not happy.  I called Princeton and they advised me I had left Ron's passport there but they had already called Peru and told them to tell us they had it and would validate it for Peru and send it in from there.  Ron called D Quilt and got directions which meant go back where we had been and read the sign to go in back to the quilt shop.  As we discovered, the people on this hop were friendly and helpful.  By then we'd seen the same groups of people for 3 or 4 times so we were old friends.
I left my completed passport in Peru and bought 6 yards of material on sale.  Heading home with one more stop, I-80 exit 90, Ottawa, Cracker Barrel for dinner.  We talked about our adventure and both agreed it was a lot of fun and would do it again with another group of shops.  Except for people complaining about the giant parking lot thru Joliet, everyone seemed to be having a good time, too.  Shops were eager to help you around I-80 for the three out here but we explained we were from the area and knew how to by pass I-80.  Maybe next time we can get other people to join us.

Monday Monday

What was it the Carpenter's sang?  Rainy Days and Mondays Always Get Me Down  Long night followed by a wake up surprise. My morning alarm clock gave me my 8 am kiss but it was still dark out.  Darker than it had been at 1:45 am and 4:15 am when I had gotten up.  He started pulling curtains open but it was still dark.  Time to get up and take a look.  With that the sky opened up and a down pour ensued.  That show over with, I proceeded into the family room to see how that side of the house looked and lo and behold the ice maker wasn't on.....That's because we didn't have any electricity.  Oh well, been there, done that and about to get a generator cause the newness wore off a long time ago.  But for today, grin and bear it.  Coffee was already made and juice poured so that was a plus.  We had six very old and stale donut holes which became breakfast on the front porch.  The paper was a bit awkward from a stiff breeze and high humidity but we both got it read and the Trib puzzles done for the day.  ComEd has a program where it's all done with automation so reporting the outage was pretty easy but then wait till they called back with an estimate on time to restore.  Of course the encouraging remarks from friends telling us that they heard it was going to take days to get service restored.
Off to lunch since we weren't touching any of the refrigerators or the deep freeze.  Want to keep everything cold or frozen as long as possible in case those news reports were accurate.  Curtains were drawn to keep out the sun and candles were placed around the house in anticipation of an all nighter without electric.  According to Ron, a trip to the grocery store would keep us occupied.  So, off to Food 4 Less in Crest Hill for four items, two of which we couldn't get because they needed to be refrigerated but that's OK, Food 4 Less was closed because they didn't have electricity either.  Traffic lights were out for some of the adventure to the store so we came home a different way.  Saw trees down across side streets with saw horses blocking the road and no one working on them.  Let me tell you, that gave us a reason to believe it would be days before we got power back.  The house was holding the cool air pretty good so we sat outside for awhile so we would appreciate the cooler weather when we went in.
Neighbor across the street came home and started her generator, what a noise, and then came over and asked if we would like to borrow it for an hour or so to plug in our big frig and deep freeze.  We kindly refused since we felt they were doing just fine so far.  With that Ron stuck his hand inside the front door to turn on the porch lights so we'd know if we did get power and the lights came on.  8 hours with no power wasn't our idea of spending a rainy Monday but we survived.  Our hearts did skip a beat when they flickered and went out for a few minutes when we were eating those meatloaf sandwiches we'd been planning on for lunch for supper but it's back on now and we're happy campers.
When my parents bought this place in 1962 they lost their electricity at the first drop of rain and it continued that pattern for quite a few years but then it stopped.  Guess it's started up again.  Oh yes, the kicker is it's usually just our street, the people in back of us on the next street usually have power and the same with the people in back of the people across the street have power when we don't.

Happy Independence/God Bless America

Somewhat accurate picture of the front of our home this morning.  Got some sun in the way but we do like red, white and blue.  That's me setting on my famous swing.  The one I talk about setting on and reading every chance I get.
Today should be a day of just the two of us relaxing and enjoying the weather.  I fixed a crock pot of sloppy joes yesterday so they're plugged in and cooking.  Smelling good already.  Since Tara and the kids are back from WVa Bob will be off doing things with them and Betsy and Alan will be staying home since Alan has a bad infection on his leg and combined with the diabetes will be off his feet for a few days.  Eric stopped in yesterday afternoon for awhile.  It's always nice when he stops by.
I've been after Ron to buy a gun, I know he wants a new one but he keeps saying he doesn't know what he wants.  Well, Eric spilled the beans yesterday.  Not that I'm going to go buy him one for my birthday but it gives me an idea.  I've been know to buy power tools and sheds for my birthday.  Aren't I a nice wife?

The Week that Was

It's been a week I hope I never have to go thru again but not as bad as it could have been thanks to my State Farm friend, Steve Ostrowski.
Started out last Friday with a letter from Arizona DOT. It stated that if we didn't have AZ insurance on the Honda within 15 days they would suspend our license plates. Yes we've had insurance on the van since we bought it January 15th. Nothing to do over the week end so I called our agent's office on Monday. The lady whom I spoke to, turned out to be the office manager, refused to do anything to help but send me a "binder". She kept saying that it would prove we had full coverage. I tried to explain to her that AZ doesn't care if we have full coverage, they're only interested in liability coverage. Her answer was "well then it's between you and the State of AZ". Thank goodness I've been involved in the insurance industry and State Farm for a hundred years or so. I didn't want to interrupt my friend, Ozzie, so I sent an email explaining both problems. He answered me that evening with a short note that it was being taken care of.
Tuesday morning dawned with a trip to the beauty shop for a hair cut but when I went to pay with my State Farm Visa it rejected the card. Well I figured it was the beauty shop's problem and paid them and left.
When I got home I picked up my kindle and sat outside reading. Just finished a book and decided to order another one by the same author. Well, Amazon informed my my State Farm Visa wasn't any good.
Straight in the house and up the stairs to my computer, logged into State Farm Bank and found a charge on the Visa bill for Safeway in Chandler, AZ. A quick call to State Farm Bank gave me the answer. They had noticed some questionable charges on our account and upon trying to contact us (they had the house phone number which is no more) with negative results they suspended the account until we contacted them. They took over from there, issued new cards, which we received today and sent out a document for us to verify the fraudulent charges. So far there are three, two to Safeway and one to Home Depot, all from Chandler/Phoenix, AZ area.
Back to the previous problem. After Steve got the answers from AZ, he put me in contact with an agent in Tucson who got a hold of my soon to be former State Farm agent and got the van policy transferred to their office. A letter sent to proper authorities and the hopefully no suspended AZ license plates on the van.
I know the coincidence is rare but I believe it was just that. Thank you State Farm for keeping an eye on our account and taking proper action. Thank you Steve Ostrowski for being a good friend and helping me contact the correct people.
I believe I know who and how the credit card happened but can't prove it. Just a word of advise, if you're in a store that's not busy and all the clerks are helping you at the same time, do not let anyone touch your credit card. Swipe it yourself if you can.

Man Cave

Guess Ron has found a new place to hide out.  LOL.  We used to have a butterfly garden next to this shed, which obviously needs a fresh coat of red paint.  Yesterday afternoon Ron decided to clean it out so we could make something out of it besides a weed garden holding gun targets.    This morning he was back at it and, as usual, I went to the bedroom window to check on him but he wasn't in the yard so I checked the back deck and he wasn't there either.  Obviously I have figured out how to keep an eye on him without leaving my air conditioned home.  (There is one place him and the neighbor found I can't see).
Then I happened to notice there was someone sitting on a lawn chair in the shed, which, by the way, was a birthday present for me years ago.  Sure enough it was What's His Name drinking a cup of coffee.
I grabbed my camera and went down the stairs faster than I have in years. I carefully opened the back door to the deck but didn't close it completely cause it makes to much noise.  Rushed over to the east side of the deck so I could get a good angle photo of him setting in the shed.  He saw me, figures, any other time I could shout at the top of my lungs when I want him and he doesn't hear.  But he stayed put and even waved for one of the pictures.
He came up to the deck to see what I was doing and advised he figured he take his "union breaks" in the shed and have his coffee.  I figured, duh?  Walk up to the house and get a cup of coffee and then walk back to the shed?  Not that there is a long distance between the two.  That was when he informed me that he had the coffee pot down there too.
What you see in front of the shed is part of our garden.  The poles and rope are for the cucumber vines to grow on so they don't take over the entire garden.  I realize you can't see anything but the poles but the entire garden is doing pretty well considering the gargantuan amounts of rain we've had this spring.  We had lima beans float up out of their rows but still have some up and growing good.  I'm afraid the spring peas got put in to late but we'll see if we get any in the next few days.

Father's Day

What a beautiful day it was yesterday, Father's Day.  Don't get me wrong, it was hot and humid but it didn't rain.  Ron cleaned and I cooked Saturday and Sunday.  I keep telling him not to clean until people leave.  Saturday I made dill new potato salad and a Texas Sheet Cake.  It's like a moist chocolate brownie with chocolate icing.  Why do people say "chocolate brownie"?  Is there any other kind of brownie besides chocolate? Sunday it was baked beans, creamy and vinegar cold slaw, pasta salad, deviled eggs and got the four (4) slabs of ribs ready for the grill.
Ron wanted to try out the rub recipe I copied off of another blog.  I was a little apprehensive about trying out new things on other people, even if it's family, so we agreed on half rub and half sauce.  As he started putting them on the Weber charcoal grill he realized he didn't have room for all of the ribs.  I suggested turning on the Weber gas grill setting next to the Weber charcoal  grill.  What a novel idea.  Given the fact that he had never made ribs on a gas grill, he burnt the ribs with the rub.  Well not the ribs but the sugar in the rub burnt.  Note to self "tell him to turn down the heat next time".
Thanks to our semi chef grandson, Eric, the ribs turned out pretty good except they were cooked to long and a little dry.  (I'm being nice in case Ron reads this).
Anyway, Elizabeth, Robert, Eric, Alan, Ron and I enjoyed a meal of good food and company.  Jessy and Matt came just as we were sitting down to eat but they had already eaten.  We talked and laughed and had a great time.  At least I did.  I even went out to the vehicles and found my camera to take pictures.  When they all left, it was still sitting where I had laid it down.  Memories will have to sustain us.
I did put the Texas sheet cake and home made strawberry ice cream on the table and it was partaken of.  We managed to send a good deal of the left overs home with Elizabeth and Robert.  Jess helped out with the Texas sheet cake.

Rainy Days

Boy o boy did we get some rain yesterday.  The gauge on the deck said 4 1/2 inches around 8 am and it was still sprinkling then.  Actually the gauge doesn't talk, Ron had to go out and pick it up and read it himself.  That would be nice though.  Push a button and it "tells" you how much water is in the container.
As an added bonus we got to turn off the air conditioner.  Well, actually, "we" didn't turn it off.  ComEd did.  After a night of thunder and lightening and rain had stopped, the lights went out........and then back on.......and then out.....and then we made a mad dash for the thermostat to turn the air conditioner off before the power surges blew it up.  I guess we made it in time since the electricity didn't come back for awhile but we didn't need the artificial cool air.
Ready for this?   The people across the street, Carlsons, babysitter told us that she couldn't get the Carlson's children from their sleepover at our old paper girls house cause two transformers blew up in front of her house and no one was allowed out of the house till ComEd got it fixed.  Phew !!
The electricity did return just before noon just as I finished reading a book.  So we ate lunch, cleaned up and headed to Oakbrook to get Ron a new shaving brush.  BTW, the reason we hadn't washed up or brushed our teeth, for those of you who have city utilities, is when we don't have electricity we don't have water.  We really need to invest in a gas generator.  Not so much for water but to make sure our food stays cold/frozen.  Our little area of the world has more than it's share of electricity free days.

Michael Philip

Well, today was a good day in many ways, the least of them was I finally got my nails filled in after two months of trying to take care of them myself.  The other two occurrences  that fall into the category of making my day are equally magnificent.  So I'll list them in their order of occurrence.
First, my dear friend, Paula, got released from the hospital.  She's been their for a week and I miss her so much. While she was in the hospital a "big wind" came through her town and did a lot of damage.  I have thanked God for Paula and Carl's safe status.  I know they have lost most if not all their trees but they are both in their home together.
Second, and equally as important, we got to spend the afternoon with our Grandson, Michael, and his friend, Janice.  They are leaving tomorrow after a to short a visit of 10 days.  Janice is going back to their home in California and Michael is flying to Hawaii to spend some time with his beautiful daughter.
It has been so good having him back with us after seven months in Afghanistan.  We picked them up in downtown Naperville after they dropped off their rental car and took them to lunch at Sweet Tomatoes.  We had a nice leisurely lunch and a nice visit.  We talked and laughed.  It felt so good.  But time does fly so we took them back to his mother's, our daughter, so they could get in some more time with her and Alan before they leave in the morning.  We love you Michael.

Graduation Party

Yesterday was a mixture of emotions.  Sorry son, I was dreading going to Bob's for Matt's 8th grade graduation party but knew it was something I had to do.
Surprise, Matt met us as we got out of the truck.  (Of course we took the truck, there were people who hadn't seen it)  Took his envelope and the dish of pasta salad I'd brought upon Bob's request.  Then met up with a former sister and brother in law that were just arriving.  It turned out they had made provisions for people inside their air conditioned home.  Hip Hip Hurray !!!
Food was as usual for Tara and Bob's parties.  Even though we haven't been to anything at their home for years it was still up to their usual standard of fantastic and plentiful.  
The family made a good showing and chat and laughter abound.  A short break when the weather took a turn but it was over about the time we got the outdoor things secured.
What we didn't know at the time was the storm that virtually missed us met up with another from the north and hit Demotte, IN where Tara's parents live.  They weren't at home at the time, for which we are all thankful.  Paula, Tara's mom, is in the hospital with a myriad of bronchial infections and Carl, Tara's dad, was there with her.  
Someone posted an 8 minute video on U Tube driving thru Demotte cussing and videoing the car dashboard but it did show enough that not all of the buildings were destroyed.  In fact the only damage I was able to see was trees up rooted.  I know Paula and Carl lost some windows and don't have electricity.  Sure wish I had a generator to take to them so they could save the food in the deep freeze.  I think Tara was going to try and load some of it in coolers and bring it back to Joliet.
Since we didn't find out about the tornado till this morning, yesterday turned out to be a very nice day.  Thanks family.

A Beautiful Day

It's been quite a day.  We decided not to go to Missouri this week either.  Didn't want to take a chance on the storms and they were coming to put in the new garage door.  No I didn't run it down.  Ron finally got around to calling his contractor to have it enlarged so I can get the van in the garage AND open the drivers door to get out of the van.
The bonus part of the day came when my phone buzzed with an invitation to lunch at Merichkas from oldest grandchild, Michael.  We agreed to meet there at 1pm to avoid the rush.  Didn't work.  Worst service and food I've ever had there and I've been going there 50 + years.  The company was great, we sat and talked till after 3pm, compensating the waitress accordingly.
After a few errands we made it home just before the garage door people arrived.  While Ron supervised that I started reading email and Facebook mail.  Got several surprises, all of them great.  It's so nice to get nice surprises.

Memorial Day

The Man Cave !

The Rest of the group.

What a wonderful day.  The only thing I would change if I could would have been the air conditioning to not break down but we all survived.  17 great family members to celebrate Memorial Day and welcome our oldest grandson back from Afghanistan.
We did as much as we could before the weekend since Ron's brother, John, and his wife, Pat, were coming down from Milwaukee on Saturday for the weekend.  Had a great pizza at Aurelios on Saturday night.  We'd planned on going to Oakbrook shopping on Sunday but the weather didn't cooperate shopping at an outdoor mall.  The dark skies and ran kept us at home but no damage to our property we were thankful for.
Pat and I did manage to make some progress on our fall cruise.  We booked plane reservations and a hotel for one night, looked at some excursions for each of the ports but decided to wait to book those till we each looked them over again with our spouses.  
Sunday night was dinner at Syls in Rockdale.  Their food always meets high standards and the staff were attentive but not hovering.
Monday morning arrived bright and sunny.  Happy for clear skies and no rain in sight.  A quick breakfast of sweet rolls and coffee and then the work began.  Thanks to John and Pat's help we got the screen room up, beverages iced and the buffet table set before anyone arrived.  The chef cooked some great brats, hot dogs and hamburgers.  Picture taking and baby holding was plentiful.  Met some new girlfriends,  new boyfriends and a new great grand baby.  As stories flew back and for the new members of the family pondered what they had gotten themselves into but seemed to be willing to return someday.  What food left was divided up and sent home but not a lot of that either.  It was a glorious day.  God Bless America

New Toy

Well, I finally got my van back.  Since we ended up not going to Missouri to put flowers on the graves because of the storms between here and there on Wednesday we went truck shopping instead.  I didn't realize the auto industry had rebounded so well that sales personnel don't have to come out of the building to meet up with potential buyers.  Wednesday was a late start so we only went to Dodge, Ford and GM dealer in Joliet.  Parked in front of the buildings and walked to the truck section.  No sales staff and Ron didn't find anything he really liked.  I don't know how he could tell since we could only look thru the windows and read the sticker on the windows.  On the way home we stopped at a different Ford dealer in Plainfield and Ron found a truck he thought he liked.  A salesman didn't come out to us till we were getting ready to leave but he gave Ron some web sights to look up about the new "Ecoboost" engine and offered for us to take a test drive.  It was hot and humid and we had over dressed for the weather so we continued home.  Thursday was an earlier start but headed down to Morris, IL to Greenway Motors.  We have bought quite a few vehicles from our friend Jerry Wicks at Greenway but since he's retired we figured we'd still give them a shot.  Parked right in front of the building where the sales staff sit by the full length windows.  This time it was cold and rainy but we got out and looked thru windows and read stickers and no sales staff.  We walked back to the van and headed to Joliet with a stop at R Place for lunch.  They have good plain food.  It's not a fast food restaurant, it's a truck stop with class.  After a delicious lunch of cheeseburgers and fries we headed back to Plainfield via I-80 but not quite going all the way to Joliet.  Got off in Minooka to avoid all the construction going on on I-80 in Joliet.  Even followed a Will County Sheriff's car.  Don't know what he was doing in Grundy County but he didn't want to go thru Joliet either.
Ended up at Rod Baker Ford in Plainfield and the same salesman was there.  Found the truck and we (Ron) took it for a test drive.  He fell in love, I could tell so we started the dance.  Not to bad, I've had much worse time but they made a couple mistakes early on giving us ammunition we got to use at the end to finalize the deal.  Ron was great and we got a great deal on the truck AND 0 % finance and $500. cash back to add to the deal.
Now my van can take a much deserved rest.  Hopefully in the garage within the next week or so.

Good News Bad News Day

Well, the day started out OK, got better and then started down hill.
Doctor's office called just be fore lunch with our test results.  All of Ron's were fine, surprise.  All but one of mine was fine and it wasn't the LDL/HDL. Triglycerides were my down fall.  I have all the others under control so now I have to figure them out.   
A quick trip to Ikea netted a few things but not the butter bell.  I'm running out of ideas on where to buy one.  We left ours in AZ by mistake.  
Just this evening Ron's son, David, posted on Facebook that his son, Jacob, who just turned 6 yoa, has Juvenal  Diabetes.   We're praying for him and his mom, dad and sisters.

Doctor's Visit II

Today was doctor's visit MD for Ron and I.  My blood pressure was low, for me, and Ron's was high, for him.  So the doctor told me I'm a good girl and he told Ron to lay off the salt and drink more water.  Then he gave him a prescription for his toes with the caveat that that alcohol was a no no with the meds.  It's only a three month supply so we'll see.  But then beer isn't alcohol?
After 2 hours in the doctor's office, a couple guys were catching up on the past winter, we headed out to lunch with a couple stop overs.  First Sam's Club to get potato chips plus a few other things as it turned out.  Then the tollway authority office to get the good Velcro strips that hold up the I Pass transponder.  Those cheap (free) Oklahoma ones don't hold the transponders to the windshield.
Finally lunch.  Pot Bellys in Bolingbrook, next to Jareds.  Yes, we walked by Jareds to get to Pot Bellys for delicious hot subs.  I love their ham and swiss with brown mustard and a slice of dill pickle.  Ron prefers the tuna sub with everything on it.  The person in front of me in line got a meatball sub that really looked good especially the way he was devouring it at the next table.  Maybe I'll try that next time.  Then to Wal Mart to fill the new prescriptions  can' beat the price.  $10.00 each for three month supply of mine and Ron's was $4.00 for a month.
Back home for the evening relaxing and getting back into the "normal" routine after the fasting for the doctor's visit.
I still have to get my mammogram but that will wait a few days till I can get an appointment at the new Women's Center.
Almost forgot, the best news was that our doctor is going to be on staff at the new Silver Cross Hospital where his daughter is already on staff as an OB GYN doctor.

Ophthalmologist

Oops, for got to update you on the first doctor's appointment.  Vision is fine with glasses.  The eye pressure is great, very low.  The cataracts are growing but not bothering the vision yet.  The back of the eye looks just like it did last year.  I love going to that doctor except for one thing.  They keep giving me a "field of vision" test which I flunk every time.  I've decided I'm going to refuse to take it from now on.
For people who have never taken one, here's my version.  They sit you down on a stool and hand you a clicker attached to a wire to a giant eyeball shaped thing.  They put an eye patch over one eye and try to get you to believe you're a pirate.  I'm 65 years old, I don't play pirates anymore and I sure as *&^% don't have a parrot on my shoulder.  Next you put your chin and forehead up to the hole in the giant eyeball and they tell you to look straight ahead into a yellow light while they sync your eyeball to their machine.  Then they tell you not to move your eye but hit the clicker every time you "think" you see a light anywhere around the inside of the giant eye.  Well my brain tells my eye that it saw a light and needs to check it out before I press the button.  NOT  That's how I flunked the test.  BTW they switch eyes with the patches and you do it again.

Michael Philip

Short blog today.  SSgt Michael Darr, USMC, is on US soil, California.  Our grandson is safe back in the US of A.  I'm sure he enjoyed his dream vacation in Afghanistan.
Thank you God for bringing him home.

Gardening Day

Not to bad of a weather day.  A little warm and muggy this morning.  One of the outdoor thermometers read 84 and they're all in the shade.
Ron decided to plow gardens this morning because it might rain this afternoon.  First he plowed ours up and down and then across.  Next he took the tiller across the street to do a neighbor's garden.  When he got back we started planting.  Ron raked the soil flat and made the rows.  I watched to make sure the rows were straight. Ron sowed the parsnips, I watched.  Ron sowed the radishes, I watched.  Then I took the rake and covered the row of parsnips and radishes.  Rib sowed the lettuce, I watched........getting the idea of the sequence of events?  Well he also planted the onions but I didn't cover those.  I did cover the three rows of peas he planted tho.
Lunch followed and then off to the locally run market for tomato and pepper plants.  It started sprinkling when we left the house and the farther south we drove the heavier the rain.  By the time we got to Cass and Henderson it was pouring down and the outdoor market is only protected by plastic over the roof.  Now, if anyone remembers back 30 years ago, plastic for roof and rain are NOT a good topic of conversation.  We did get our plants and four hanging baskets without causing any disasters involving large amounts of water.  The baskets were immediately placed on the hangers on the back deck and the veggie plants are waiting their turn for the garden.  As for the weather, it cooled off considerably and is supposed to stay in the 50's for a few days.

Mother's Day

What a beautiful day yesterday turned out to be.  The sun was out nice and warm but not so hot we couldn't sit outside and enjoy the weather.  I took my place on my throne, aka porch swing, and enjoyed it all.  First come was Eric, the second grandchild, with a beautiful bouquet of flowers for grandma.  Betsy, only daughter. and son in law was second bringing Nick, the fourth grandchild, bearing gift of a huge coffee cup and saucer filled with geraniums.  Perfect gift.  The cup has taken on a tradition of returning for the second year with geraniums in it.  The cup and saucer and very pretty and very large and the flowers don't need a lot of pampering.
The conversation pretty much was focused on the Kentucky Derby from Saturday.  Eric was still on cloud nine.  One of his friend's mother's boyfriend is part owner of Animal Planet.  We discussed the race much longer than it took to run but that's OK, I love to watch horse races, they are so beautiful and graceful.
Next came my son, Bob, and his son, Matt.  They'd been riding dirt bikes all day and would no doubt suffer their fate in the next few days.  Matt had just gotten a new and bigger bike so this was his first time riding it on a track.  I think he really liked it and of course his father had to follow.  Their gift to be was totally unexpected but I think will be a great addition to our travel paraphernalia, a kindle.  I haven't chosen any books to download but I did register with amazon and have read some of the instructions.  Even checked into the public library e books but not sure if I can download them.  It would be great if I could.  I'm cheap.  The books I looked into don't seem to be that expensive on amazon but I can't decide which ones to start with.  Ron suggested downloading the classics, which sounds like a good idea.  I'm always thinking about reading or rereading them.  I'll probably start out with my favorite To Kill A Mockingbird even though I just recently re read it.  

Retiree's Meeting

Today was our retiree's meeting.  They only have them every other month minus January but we since we spend winters in AZ we miss the November and March meeting and Christmas Party in December.  Was a little disappointed in the lack of turnout but they are the losers. The Joliet Dulcimer Club played for us and it was just beautiful.  There were four dulcimers, two guitars, one fiddle and a percussionist with a out going personality.  The dulcimers are all hand made by wood workers and were beautiful pieces besides sounding great.
Got my voting signature straightened out.  In fact they already had changed it when I had the problems at the last election but I'm glad we stopped and made sure.  I take my right to vote very seriously and try not to miss voting every chance I get.  My thinking is if you vote and your person doesn't win you have a right to complain.  If you vote and your person does win, you still have the right to complain.  BUT if you don't vote you have no rights.
The weather has still not sprung into spring but it hasn't rained for a few days.  We still need to get up to Wisconsin and put flowers on Ron's foster mother's grave.  Her birthday is tomorrow and Mother's Day is Sunday but it doesn't look like we're going to make it till after the occasions.  I'm sure she understands.

One Week Back

First, and foremost.  I want to thank God, in public, for saving us from all the storms.  We're all complaining about the rain and cold weather but it is nothing like the storms the people in the South are experiencing.  And, yes, I have thanked Him daily for His grace.
Glad to hear from our friends, Gerry and Larry, who are returning to the East coast after a winter in Tucson via the southern route.  They're still far enough south to be safe from the recent wave of storms.  They did hit some high winds and hail stones big enough to damage their motorhome farther back west.  It appears that Spring is not the greatest time of year to be traveling across the South and lower Midwest.
One week back and we've spent a small fortune stocking the shelves but I think we can live comfortably without going to the store for anything but bread and milk and maybe eggs.  Ron is outside seeing if he can mow the lawn this morning.  The Spring Green guy was here yesterday fertilizing to make it grow.
Going to start making those dreaded doctor's appointments for the yearly checkups.  We need to get doctors in Tucson.  The dentist we found, thanks to our friend, Marcia, is great but we need an MD and maybe an eye doctor just in case.   Since we currently have two different insurance carriers to deal with we'll try to get ones who take both Medicare and BCBS plus is an DO.
The sun is shinning and the rain hasn't came.  It's a good day.

Easter Monday

I didn't blog yesterday because it was a full fun day and I just wanted to enjoy the memories for awhile.  I got the ham in the oven about noon and started on the deviled eggs and Ron's potato salad.  Ron likes dill flavoring and me and the kids like sweet pickle flavor.  So, Ron got dill potato salad and we got pasta salad.  I shouldn't say we since I only got to taste it as I was making it.  The rest got eaten at dinner or taken home to enjoy at a later date.  With the potato and pasta salad done and deviled eggs ready I decided to take a break.  Cleaned the parsnips and brussel sprouts and got the lima beans out of the freezer, set up the pans for boiling and sat down on my front porch swing to relax and await our family.  In the meantime, Eric, our second grandchild called to ask if it was ok he came over to see us since we were back home.  I put another plate on the table and went back to my swing.  Betsy and Alan were first (surprise) bringing an Easter Lily.  What a surprise, they don't usually bring Easter gifts.  Next came Bob with an Easter Lily, again surprise.  Eric showed up last bearing no gifts.
Finishing dinner with Betsy's help went smooth and we all sat down around 4 pm, as planned.  The food and conversation went fast and funny.  We always seem to laugh a lot when we get together.  I forced a piece of double chocolate or lemon crunch bunt cake on everyone plus any leftovers they would eat and we talked and laughed some more.
Ron did his usual clean up duty efficiently so he didn't even miss out on anything.  Some really old pictures were passed around and enjoyed a good laugh.  It was a great day, if I do say so myself.  Thanks kids.

Weekend

Saturday in Illinois, the land of enchantment. Ron mowed the lawn and it needed it.  It seems when we get back we both are in a cleaning out mood.  The poor shredder gets a workout.  As hard as we try to go paperless it seems to mount up.  My venture into disposing of unwanted paper turned up some interesting "things".  A picture of me and the used bookstore owner in Quartzite, AZ.  An extended service agreement for an ice maker we no longer own because it broke and we couldn't find the service agreement papers.  At that point I decided it was time to take a different turn in my cleaning direction.  Now I'm looking on my pc for the master of the card I printed about 5 years ago when we decided to return to AZ for the winter.  Need to modify and make some more.  I'm still working on that project, just put it on pause for the evening.