Back Home

Today I made the 6-hr. trek back home in my van. Roads were dry, little traffic, no sunglare, life is good! My sweetie was glad to see me, as were my 2 cats.

I finally read all of the mail and unpacked my clothes, etc. Now it's bedtime. Nighty nite.

Blogging is fun!

After reading all of your blogs about your Christmas Day in Florida, Texas, Mexico, etc. I am so happy to be blogging. I love reading about your families and friends, your recipes, your visits to restaurants and other fun places. Your pictures of sunsets, deer, birds, and other RV's are so beautiful and fun to see.
My sister and husband headed for home early this morning so she could be back at work by 1:00. Dad and I went to church. It was a combined service of the 3 worship services so there was a good crowd. It was informal and very nice. I liked getting to choose a favorite carol to sing-We 3 Kings. Afterwards, we went out to breakfast with friends.
Now we are working a puzzle and getting ready to watch the Colts beat another team.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! 'Hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas day. We had a quiet day of eating, playing on the computer, working a jigsaw puzzle, and waiting on my sister and husband to make the trek down from Chicago.

An hour before they arrived I looked up a recipe for baked tilapia on the internet. There was the perfect recipe with easy steps, and only a few ingredients that we actually had on hand! I've had bad luck broiling fish the last 2 times because they overcooked and dried out. The baked tilapia turned out perfectly and were moist.

Grease a 9 x 13 oblong pan. Pre-heat oven for 375.
Place fish in pan. Put a little butter on each.
Sprinkle with Old Bay and a little garlic salt. Place sliced
lemons or limes on each.
Pour out a bag of frozen vegetable medley (cauliflower,
broccoli, red peppers) around the the fish. You can salt
and pepper the vegetables.
Cover the pan. Bake for 30 minutes.

Christmas Eve

This morning we got up early, ate breakfast, and went to the noon church service. My dad acted as usher and passed out bulletins. I played my flute for the prelude and during communion, and then played along on all of the hymns. The organist is so good she can can play anything. She asked me to play along on the postlude too which was Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring. That was fun!

Afterwards, we ate lunch at a local restaurant, came home and checked e-mail messages. Jerry says my cats are doing fine back home. I am so fortunate to have him in my life because he does so many nice things for me. He is a joy!

Travel Day

Yesterday I traveled to my dad's home for Christmas. I was glad to arrive safely after 6 hours on the road. We ate dinner out at Fazolis and then I unpacked.

Tonight we ate dinner at my aunt and uncle's home. We had Swiss Steak made from cubed steak. It was so tender and delicious! Then we played a game of cards called "Spades." My uncle and I were partners and we lost. :-( Actually, I don't care that we lost because we just played our hands, bid what we thought we could take and let the cards fall as they might.

Sunday-Music Day

Sunday I had the alarm set to get up early but overslept anyway. I was supposed to be at choir practice by 8:50 AM and I didn't get up until 8:30! I got there in time to sing 1 page of our anthem and then direct the carol sing in the sanctuary at 9:05. I was glad Jerry made it in time for our choir anthem and that he stayed for fellowship time and congregational meeting. We voted on the slate of officers and on the proposed budget. $$

In the afternoon Jerry picked me up to go to his family's Christmas dinner. It was very nice. I took some different recipes of the famous chex mix for appetizers. We ate a delicious dinner and even had a little room left for cookies and pie for dessert. The kids opened their presents and pulled out very fashionable clothes. I guess the peace sign of the 60's is back in style. The boys loved their snug-a-lug blankets with sleeves. I was thrilled with my bath set and fleece blanket. Kelly always makes peanut butter and chocolate fudge. Jerry knows I like it so he let me eat a few pieces. Yum!

Thursday-Busy Day!

This morning I slept in until 9. The sun was out so I felt good about going to the Y to exercise. I took one of my girlfriends to her doctor appointment. We got out at 2 so I dropped her off back home and went to Jerry's for lunch and a dog walk. We visited and read the newspaper together which we like to do. He is so quick at getting the Jumble puzzle answered he has to give me hints.
Around 5:00 I headed over to the school to pick up my Market Day order. I had a hard time fitting everything into my side by side freezer but no problem since I can leave the bag of peas in the car--it's only 22 outside.
After taking care of the cats I headed over to another friend's home to drop off some boxes of unsold jars of soups and cookie mixes our group was selling.
Finally, I went to church and helped serve the Christmas dinner for the Pilgrim Brass group. It was good to see all of them. Mary prepared a lovely dinner of chicken, green beans, salad, veggie plate, cookies and ice cream. We helpers got to eat afterwards :-)

Tuesday

This morning I took the aquasize class at the Y. Then I went to Jerry's for brunch and took Hoby on a nice walk in the woods. The rain/sleet mix was wet!

I went to the beauty shop and got my hair cut and styled. That was a big improvement! Afterwards I went shopping, came home for dinner and went back out in the snow to choir practice at church. I stopped by the library and picked up some books on CD for the car.

Most of the evening I spent talking to my family on the phone. Thank goodness for cell phone plans.

Rainy But Wonderful Sunday!

This morning I arrived at church in time for an 8:25 bell rehearsal, followed by choir practice. We rang bells for the prelude, began the service, rang some more, sang in the choir, had our regular service and an immersion baptism of a young man.
The flowers on the altar were in memory of 2 special women-my mother who died a year ago this month and Jerry's wife who died 8 years ago this month. The flowers were pretty red and white carnations.
Our bell choir brunch was great because we had time to relax, visit, eat, and enjoy the comforts of a member's beautiful home.
At 12:45 I headed back to the church to pass out carol books and bell necklaces to our caroling party. We sang all of the carols at an assisted living home, a nursing home, and several members' homes. It was fun to sing and visit with them a little bit. We gave bells to the people we sang for and let them ring and sing along.
Tonight I am back at home playing on the computer, keeping my cats fed and entertained.

Sunny Saturday

The sun was out most of the day and the temp. was in the 30's. You can't ask for more than that. So why didn't I go outside and enjoy it? I really don't know. I got up around 9, baked my coffee cake for the Sun. bell brunch, iced it, and sprinkled the nuts on top. Ta-duh!

I finished typing a little note to insert in the Xmas cards, printed it, cut it in half and stuffed the cards. I even licked the envelopes and put on stamps. I plan to drive by the post office tomorrow and drop off about 50 cards. Next week I need to buy more stamps and mail the rest.

Friday-Blustery Day

This morning the wind was howling and snowflakes were flying! I chose to stay home and work on Christmas cards. Around noon I headed over to Jerry's and took Hoby for a run through the woods. Man, was it cold!

Next, we went to BJ's Wholesale Club to see what bargains we could find. Food is expensive, even in this kind of store. We each found a few things to buy and agreed that the creamed herring was the best deal.

I made it to the Y and exercised on the Fitness Links machines plus another 12 minutes on the recumbent bike. My legs were sore before I went but they feel better now.

Thursday-Goofing Off Day

The first thing I heard early this morning was the snowplow going down our street. There really wasn't much snow so I presume it was the salt truck. The temperature was 18 degrees and boy, was it windy!

This morning I was up early to meet Tim the Nuisance Control Man. He found 2 dead mice in my attic and refreshed all of the traps in the house, garage, shed, & RV.

I picked up dead branches off the driveway from last night's heavy wind and did a quick check around the house to make sure no damage was done to the house.

Later Jerry and I went shopping at some local stores and then stopped for lunch at McDonald's where we sat and read the newspaper. For being a good dog, Hoby was rewarded by shopping at his own pet store. He loves sticking his head into the bins of dog bisquits and helping himself. I figure if they didn't want dogs to do that they wouldn't put the treats down on the floor at their level. Anyway, Jerry bought lots of bisquits and 35# of dogfood. We shopped at Dollar General and then it was 3:30 so we headed to our respective homes.

It was a nice leisurely day with no commitments or schedules to follow. To top it all off THE BROWNS BEAT THE STEELERS!!!!!!

Silver Sneaker Class

This morning Carane and I met up at the Y for the Silver Sneaker Class. I thought it would be mostly stretching but I was mistaken. When we arrived we were given a chair and directed to the closet to pick up a rubber inflated ball, 2-pound weights, and a rubber band with handles. There was a lot of aerobic dancing back and forth, side to side, arms moving up and down for a half hour. Then we sat and began heel and toe stretches, weight lifting for 5 min. Back up with our weights we repeated the dancing around and then sat to use the rubber bands. Finally, we paired up with a partner and tossed the balls. After an hour I was ready for the showers!

Later in the day I took the good dog Hoby for his walk through the woods. I sincerely hope my heart is healthier and I am getting stronger. I feel better even though I am sore.

I shopped at Marc's for over an hour and then came home to eat dinner and play on the computer. It is really blowing hard outside so I am glad to be in. Temperature is dropping by 20 degrees since this morning. Snow is in our forecast. :-)

Aquasize Class

This morning Carane and I tried the 9 AM aquasize class which combines water and exercise. I'm glad I was in the water because putting my body through all of the rigorous exercise would have been harder putting weight on the joints. Man did we work! Of course afterwards we rewarded ourselves by sitting in the hot tub. Still, I was really wiped out.

I delivered Meals on Wheels with Jerry and then we went to McDonald's for lunch with Bruce and Kenny. That was fun!

This afternoon I took Hoby for his daily walk and then hunkered down to read the newspaper and relax with Jerry. He made tuna noodle casserole for supper which I always enjoy. Then it was time to go home and feed the cats.

This evening was bell choir practice and choir. It was a busy day. Now I am ready to turn in. I hope to go to the Silver Sneaker class tomorrow, weather permitting. The YMCA has so many good programs.

Monday-Book Study Day

This morning was our book study day. We are reading The Faith Club about 3 women of different faiths-Muslim, Jewish, and Christian. Our group is so mind stimulating that I come away feeling awed.

Afterwards I went to the Y and tried out all of the machines on my own. I did pretty well and even learned to balance on one of those giant balls to do stretches. I know I will feel that tomorrow.

This afternoon I ran errands with Jerry and then came home and made ham and bean soup. I tried it for supper and thought it was very tasty.

Of course we are all reminded of Pearl Harbor a day that will live in infamy.

Christmas Tree-Up!

We had a sunny day today but it was cold-in the 20's. After I took the good dog Hoby for a walk I put up my Christmas tree over at Jerry's. We used his lights and ornaments. This was an old tree that friends Tom and Zoraida gave me over 30 years ago. After you get the lights and decorations on it I think it matches any of the expensive trees you see anywhere.

Saturday-Exercise Day!

Today I finally went to the YMCA and had my orientation for the exercise machines. My name and fitness machine information is entered into the computer and I can use the FitLinks. Now I just have to get myself over there to do it. Afterwards I took Hoby for a walk in the woods.

Tree Lighting on Chardon Square

The annual tree lighting on Chardon Square was beautiful, even without the snow. Santa & Mrs. Claus arrived in a one-horse open sleigh.

Christmas Parties in Full Swing!

This is truly a week of parties for me. So, heeeeere we go!
December 1st, the first Christmas party of the year took place. Geauga County Retired Teachers met at the former Grandview Inn in Middlefield for a fine luncheon and great entertainment by the Cardinal High School "Cardinaires."
December 2nd, the second Christmas party of the season will take place at Dino's in Mentor. The American Business Women's Association will have a family style dinner and be entertained by Chardon High School's "Free Harmony."
December 3rd, the Chardon Square Association will host the annual tree lighting ceremony on the square. A wonderful chili supper is held at the Pilgrim Christian Church next to the fire station. Everyone wants our chili recipe but we can't give out the secret. Many people bring their chili and we dump it all in together for the best chili east of the Cuyahoga.
December 4th, Cardio Rehab is having a Christmas party at Big Creek Park. The exercise enthusiasts will bring a potluck meal to the Meyer's Center. I'm not sure of the entertainment yet.

Home again, home again, jiggety jig

Jiggety jig, jiggety jog! My cats were very glad to see me. They are sitting on their chairs on either side of me while I type. They take turns asking for pets and hugs.
Last Christmas I received a gift card for Trader Joe's but had never stopped there. I decided to shop today since it was on my way home. I had fun looking through the store and deciding how to spend the card. I came away with many frozen entrees and some gingerbread cookies for Jerry. So thank you, Aunt Doris.
My trip home was uneventful and really nice weather until I got near Cleveland where it began to sleet. By the time I got to Chardon there was already snow on the ground. Of course I stopped to see Jerry and Hoby. We ate dinner and tried to watch the news but we were both sleepy. I gave up and drove home. It is good to come home!

Sunday

Sunday-"This is the day we go to church so early in the morning," as the song goes. Jill & Bob left early to head home so she could go to work. After church we tried out a new restaurant called Bella Terra. We went with some church friends and got the breakfast specials. The blueberry pancakes were delicious!
We were home for 30 minutes and then back to church for a funeral. It was a very nice memorial service for a man of 85 years who had served his country, his family, his church, and many organizations.
We got home in time to see the Colts beat Houston, followed by the Bengals beating the Browns.
Now it's time to get out the cards!

Cornhole in November!

Wow!

The weather was fantastic today! We actually played cornhole outside and enjoyed sitting in the sun.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We are very thankful for our family and friends today. This morning my dad and I attended High St. United Methodist Church's Thanksgiving service. During the offering the congregation was invited to bring canned goods, dry food, money, etc. up to the altar for the food pantry.

After enjoying the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade we drove down to Indianapolis for a wonderful dinner with family. My cousin surely knows how to cook and so do her kids. Jordan deep fried the turkey after injecting it with hot sauce. Yum!

Eating Our Way to Thanksgiving

Yesterday my dad and I went to Richards Restaurant for their kielbassi and sauerkraut special. The mashed potatoes and gravy along with a roll were delicious but a little over the top. I was stuffed full all day. :-)

Back Home Again.......

Well, here I am again in Indiana visiting my dad. This time the cats stayed home with Jerry and Hoby. I had a good trip today in less than 6 hours, little rain, mostly grey until Muncie when the sun came out. We went out to dinner at Fazoli's for spaghetti and meatballs. I love their breadsticks and you can request refills which is a good deal.

Friday-Lazy Day

'Nothing much happening here. It has turned cloudy this afternoon and is still in the 40's. I was a little stiff and sore from yesterday's exercises. I should be working on a newsletter, running errands, etc. but a headache has slowed me down a little. I did make a pot of ham and bean soup which tasted pretty good for lunch. It's just one of those lazy days.

Thursday-exercise day

This morning I picked up my girlfriend and we headed over to the YMCA for a swim class. It turned out that this is Amnesty Week where you can join the Y with a 50% discount. I filled out the paperwork and brought it home to look over. My friend is already a member but I was just using a visitor's pass. I like the idea of having so many different ways of exercising. Besides the pool there is a huge fitness room with machines, a regular gym, group exercise on stationary bikes, on huge exercise balls, and the Silver Sneaker class. At least I wouldn't get bored.

Yesterday and today were real winners! The warmer temperatures have been gifts. I got to spend lots of quality time with Jerry, go to the library and find lots of good books to listen to in the car, practice with the bell choir at church, sing in the chancel choir, and attend a visitation meeting also at church. I especially enjoyed walking the dog in the woods. Any day it isn't raining is a good day.

Road Trip

Today I have been invited to accompany Nan on a road trip to Warren. Sadly she is attending calling hours for a friend from work. At least we will have a nice visit on the road and perhaps even stop at the famous "Hotdog Shoppe" along the way.

OUT, Mouse!

When I checked the tube in the RV I saw the shadow of a mouse caught in the trap. I left the tube in for a couple more days in case there were some siblings. Yesterday, finding none, I removed the tube and set it out on the leaves in the woods. Yeah!

EEK! Mouse in the House!

While cleaning out the RV for winter I left the door open. No bugs to worry about, right? Well, a mouse got inside and left its mark on the sink counter. Then it chewed a corner of a beach towel covering my dinette bench.

My trusty "mouse man" set up a tube with a trap inside Mon. but didn't catch anything yet. If my cats and I were still traveling in there this would not have happened!

I went to Wal-Mart to buy peppermint oil to put on cotton balls. (Mice don't like the smell. ) I was shocked to find a small bottle costs $19.32 so I didn't buy it. Now I'm thinking of using peppermint leaves from my herb garden.

Anyway, we drained the water tanks and put in the antifreeze for winter. I should have just kept traveling because November has been a beautiful month.

Amish Dinner

Last night my Scorpion friends met to celebrate our birthdays. We went to an Amish home for a family style Amish wedding dinner. Man, was it fantastic! Great food and good company. I never tasted such sweet corn. And the creamed peas were out of this world, not to mention the mashed potatoes, roast beef and chicken. Everything was homemade-bread, apple butter, strawberry jam, 3 kinds of pies. I wish I could have eaten more but I felt stuffed as it was.

I don't have any pictures for this one because the Amish don't like to have pictures taken of themselves or even of their home. I respectfully asked for permission and put away the camera when the wife declined. She and her husband are a young couple who haven't even started a family yet. They are obviously hard workers and very outgoing friendly people.

Surprise Birthday!

If you remember, I said my Sweetie was taking me to a mystery place for dinner on Sat. to celebrate his and my birthdays. Last night he did not show up to pick me up at the designated time. When I called to check on him he was having "car trouble." I volunteered to drive to his house and pick him up. He was a little reluctant but said he had called the restaurant and told them we would be late. His grandson was on the way over to look at the car.

While I was driving it got dark and I was having second thoughts about a long drive to dinner. His grandson pulled into the drive ahead of me. I went into the house and went downstairs to look for him. All of a sudden a bunch of friends stepped forward and wished me a Happy Birthday!

We had wonderful food and more fun than going out. They even bought me presents! I couldn't believe it! Check out the RV on the cake, complete with Hoby and Panda. They explained that Taz was inside hiding under the blanket.

Birthday Week!

This week I celebrated my Big 60! I believe in partying all week long. Last Sat. we had a fun Halloween party. Wed. I got to share dinner with my ABWA colleagues. Today I got to see "Inherit the Wind" at the Playhouse and go out for a birthday dinner with my girlfriend. Saturday my sweetheart is taking me out to dinner to a mystery location??? Monday all of my November birthday friends are celebrating together at an Amish wedding dinner. Birthdays are good!

Welcome to November!

"Falling back" is one of the saddest days of the year. I really miss the daylight in the late afternoon. By 7 PM I'm ready to put on pj's and hibernate. One thing that is good about November is my birthday! I also have many friends with a November birthday so it is a good party month. Here are Jerry, myself, Nan and Donna-ornery scorpions!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!

It is my favorite holiday

because you get to dress

up for fun and eat candy!

My friends are coming over for dinner at 6 to visit and have a good time.

Jerry is Better!

My friend Jerry is feeling much better and is trying to follow doctor's orders.

He gave us a scare when his heart had an irregular heartbeat.

We want him around for another birthday in a couple of weeks.

Panda Helps in the Kitchen

This morning I was in the kitchen unpacking all of the boxes and bags I brought in from the RV. I had the cupboard doors open when Panda came walking through. She went straight for the lazy susan turning cabinet where my teas are stored. The spiced chai got her attention and she began licking the cardboard box it was in. I couldn't let her do that so I took the teabags out of the box and put them into a tin. Then I gave Panda the cardboard box to sniff. She licked it and rolled on it and had a great time just like she does with catnip. I had just bought several kinds of tea to serve at a church guild meeting last week so I decided to put each kind into a tin. I gave Panda each of the boxes and let her sniff, lick, and roll on them.

Hoby Comes to Visit

This morning my phone rang telling me Hoby's daddy was at the ER with an irregular heartbeat. He was more concerned about Hoby being at home alone than with his own condition. I took Hoby for a nice walk in his woods and watered him. Then I went to the hospital to visit Jerry. Instead of releasing him, the doctor admitted him and sent him upstairs to a room for the night. Jerry felt better today than he had all weekend but the doctors want to play it safe and check him over to avoid blood clots. I hope and pray Jerry will feel even better tomorrow and that the doctors will figure out what needs to be done so Jerry can return home soon. In the meantime, Hoby is resting on my porch couch.

Autumn Weekend

This has been a beautiful autumn weekend in northeast Ohio. My friends and I went to breakfast Sat. morning and then hit all of the horse stores. This took the place of going down to Columbus to Quarter Horse Congress. We got our horse fix and had a good time being together.

RV Maintenance

Yesterday I took full advantage of a warm autumn day to do some necessary repair work. I climbed upon the roof of the RV with a silicon caulking gun and sealed all of the roof vents, skylights, and antenna. I hope that does the trick--no more rain in the shower!

Hoby

Today we are celebrating Hoby's 5th birthday! He came to live with Jerry a year ago. What a difference he has made to all of us. Hoby is very sweet, has a funny sense of humor, is playful and very adaptable. Hoby loves his pet door. My cats love him. Hoby is rather nonchalant around them but poses no threat to them.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HOBY!

DKG Executive Board Meeting

Last Friday I drove to Westerville, OH for the board meeting of presidents of DKG. I camped overnight in a very nice campground which had a pretty view of a horse farm. The "girls" and I enjoyed a cozy evening. The temp. dropped down into the low 40's so our electric heater was a must.

I got to run the generator on Sat. so the electric heater could keep the camper warm for the cats. It didn't start up on the first few tries but finally backfired and purred ok. After the all-day meeting we headed for home. That may be the last campout for the year. I haven't decided yet. It is always sad to unload the camper and winterize it with antifreeze. That means no more adventures with my cats!

Fall House Cleaning

Well, it is that time of the year--fall house cleaning! It is too wet to do anything outside so I am inside attacking stacks of paper, changing the closets to fall and winter wardrobe, and dusting and cleaning. My "church ladies" are coming Thurs. night so I want to be all decorated for Halloween by then.

Last July while traveling in the RV I noticed my jaws held a lot of tension. They soon began to hurt and stayed sore for several days. Now, believe it or not, I have a rather small mouth. I always had trouble "opening wide" enough to suit the choir directors at school when I sang. Visits to the dentist, of which there were many, were painful because it was hard to open wide enough to get tools inside. My jaws would get so tired and so sore just staying open while getting fillings, root canals, caps and crowns.

As I said, I noticed this in the RV on my way to Vermont. One of my friends was on that trip and mentioned that she has a nifty device her dentist made for her mouth to keep her jaws in place while she sleeps. I was quite interested in hearing about it. So today when I went for my 6-month check-up and the new dental hygienist mentioned how small my mouth was I asked about a device. My dentist said it should help relax my jaws. He took an imprint of my upper teeth and it will be ready by Thurs. :-)

Home Again

After traveling and camping for 2 weeks, it was good to come home. My friends and I attended a wonderful orchestra concert this morning. Hearing Debussy's Nocturnes, Beethoven's 5th, and Wagner's "Die Meistersinger", was like hearing old friends.

It has rained here all day. It is a good day to work inside. I've been cleaning out the garage, putting away summer furniture, and preparing for winter. The cats have been taking turns resting on their favorite chairs, pillows, boxes, etc. I think they are happy to be home too.

Muncie, IN

Ball State's Homecoming was Sat. Although we tried to see the parade, the route was shortened so we misjudged the time it would arrive on University Ave. The cold wind made 20 minutes seem like "enough" parade. I met up with a good friend of mine from elementary school Linda Putman. We got together and had a great visit.

My sister and her husband spent part of the weekend with us so we got in a card game and a nice dinner at the Olive Garden.

This week my dad and I are enjoying lots of fun activities here in Muncie. We took part in the High St. Methodist Church golf outing. 'Not that we were much help to our team but we had fun and enjoyed great weather.

Earlier in the day my dad taught a card class at the High St. Church's Update Learning. We played Cancellation Hearts which is always fun. I attended a great class called Drumming Live which stretches your muscles, increases your pulse, and lets out tension. You use 2 sticks to beat on foam pads which are attached to the top of a folding chair. The music was mostly marches which I love. I think everyone had fun.

Gypsy Journal Rally-a blast!

This past week I experienced my very first RV rally. I met so many wonderful people, learned so many new things about RVing, and expanded my computer knowledge with Jim and Chris Guld at the Computer Bootcamp. The whole 7 days were unforgettable. Nick and Terry Russell worked so hard to put together the very best rally ever. I can't wait until next year!

Summer Camping

This has been a wonderful summer for camping. We started off in May-June in Memphis. Next, we went to Vermont in July and wandered back through wine country in New York. In August I met my dad in northern Indiana where we stayed at 3 different campgrounds, toured the areas, and saw old friends. Afterwards I camped on his driveway for a week. Somewhere back there in August Jerry and I stayed in our favorite campground-Pymatuning State Park. Now I have been camped in Jerry's driveway since the county fair. Hoby comes over everyday to visit the cats and drink their water. He's so funny!

This coming Friday I will head for the Gypsy Journal Rally in Celina, OH. I'm taking the Computer Bootcamp with the Guld's. They are the famous Geeks on Tour couple who live fulltime in their class C RV like mine. This will be a real adventure! Afterwards I will head to my dad's driveway in time for Ball State's homecoming.

I hope to keep camping as long as the weather permits. I'm using a portable heater every night as it is down to the 40's and 50's.

High St. Church Picnic

High St. Church had its annual picnic at Morrow's Meadow in Yorktown, IN on Sunday evening.

Pastor Jack celebrated his 65th birthday.

LaGrange & Shipshewana

Sunday we attended the Methodist Church in Lagrange where Pastor Chris is the senior minister. We were so happy to see him and his wife Carolyn. They have a lovely church building and many friendly people there. \

Afterwards we went to Gene Stratton Porter's home in the Limberlost. The ranger at the visitor's center answered all of my dad's questions about Gene's life and death. He knew a lot! (my dad).

Monday we moved to Shipshewana to the South RV Park. Our site was beside a pond where the resident duck welcomed everyone. We drove around and saw many Amish and Mennonite people, buggies, homes, stores, etc.

Tues. we went to the famous Shipshewana Flea Market. It is quite large. There are over 900 booths which feature closeout items, clothes, kitchenware, tools, hats, party paper products, plants, vegetables, make-up, antiques, furniture, lawn decorations, etc. It was 4 hours of solid walking. Then we walked over to the Bluegate Restaurant to meet Pastor Chris for lunch. He was kind enough to drive us back to our car.

We had a beautiful sunny day and a gorgeous sunset. The cats are happy!

Indiana wants me!

We camped in Elkhart and Middlebury, Indiana at 2 very nice campgrounds. Both had swimming pools and a miniature golf course. The rain and cooler weather made it too miserable to enjoy either.

Instead, we went to the Farmers Market and bought beautiful homegrown tomatoes. We visited the RV museum and saw the old time campers from way back in the early 1900's. Then we headed down to Napanee to Amish Acres and another flea market.

Packing for Next Adventure!

Yes, it is time to pack the RV again! Panda & Taz are bored staying home so it is my job to entertain them with another trip. I think they are gypsy cats!

We are visiting Indiana next. My dad is meeting us up north. Hoby has to stay home this time.

Pymatuning State Park

I always love going to Pymatuning State Park and seeing the big lake. Last week I took my cats, my SO Jerry and his dog Hoby camping. We like the Ohio campgrounds. The neighbors were friendly and helpful.
Donna and Ken drove over on Fri. and took us to the marina in PA where we rented a pontoon boat for an hour. That was fun. It was Hoby's first boat ride and he took it in stride as he always does. He is a very adaptable dog.
We were surprised to see some more friends back at the campground. The Rayl's have a new camper with lots of space due to the slide out. We cooked our salmon and steak on the grill and Donna brought sweet corn and homemade bread. We even had "Some'mores" for dessert along with blueberry pie Ken brought. This was camping at its best!
Sat. I attempted to swim in the lake but it was too cold. Later on the rain came and sent us inside for the night. We watched a couple of John Wayne movies and stayed nice and dry.
Sun. while we were packing up to go home the temp. went up to the 90's and the humidity was right up there too. Then I went back to swim in the lake and found it to be colder than Sat. (because of the rain) but much more enjoyable because of the heat. I stayed in for awhile talking with the Rayl kids and splashing around. Then, off to the showers and back to the camper to finish packing up.
We got home in an hour and were able to unload everything that was necessary. What a great vacation!

Camping Trip to VT, NY

We left on Mon., July 20th for a ten-day adventure.

Our 1st night was at Sylvan Beach, NY.

The 2nd night was in Shellburne, VT where we visited the Teddybear Factory.

We visited Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Factory where we indulged in wonderful scoops of all flavors of ice cream.

Our Delta Kappa Gamma NE Regional Convention was well attended by 700 members! We took many workshops on a variety of topics, ate at both the Thurs. luncheon and Sat. banquet, attended the general sessions, and enjoyed meeting educators from around the country. The women from Pennsylvania invited us to the next NE Regional in Hershey, PA in 2011.

Freaky Friday

As I look back at my Friday I wonder where the time went. I got up early, ate a good breakfast, read my devotions, turned on the computer to read e-mail and then..........

It was 3:00 PM and a beautiful day outside but I didn't ride my bike or go anywhere. I just worked on the ABWA newsletter, clicked on everything possible for RVing, watched birds and squirrels outside my porch window, enjoyed my cats napping next to me, and relaxed. I guess everyone needs a day to do that.

Later on I went to Jerry's, accompanied him to his great granddaughter's fastpitch softball game, and had dinner. We read the newspaper together and worked the puzzles, our favorite thing to do.

Tremendous Thursday!

Thursday was another beautiful sunny day in Ohio. I spent time on the computer, went bike riding, attended the ABWA-sponsored trip to Cleveland to tour the Women's Air & Space Museum, went out to dinner with friends, did laundry and even hung it out on the line to dry! Man, did the sheets smell good when I remade the bed!

Wednesday Was a Wild and Wonderful Day

Yesterday I never even turned on the computer! I went swimming in the morning at the Y with a friend, went to lunch with some other friends, went to a band concert in the evening, followed by the end of a baseball game. Whew! I was tired last night.
Today we have another sunny day with low humidity. I plan to go bike riding.

Golf Score Soars!

Well today I finally received my official handicap for 18 holes. It is 56L (don't know what the "L" stands for). I played 18 holes and got 153. My putting was especially high today. As usual, the weather was gorgeous! Tues. is a great day to play!

Monday

Hi, Everyone!

Today we picked up our Triple A TripTicket for the Vermont trip. We have 3 routes to look over including Good Sam Club, Mapquest, and AAA. We want to visit the morgan horse farm in Middlebury, the Teddy Bear Factory in Shellburne, the Von Trapp Family home in Stowe, Ben and Jerry's ice cream factory, go on a lake cruise, rent a kayak, swim, bike ride along the trails, and see EVERYTHING! Besides all of this we have a convention to attend. We should probably leave NOW!
I am thankful that we have a housesitter while we're gone.

A redbreasted grosbeak just came to my bird feeder. How pretty!

Sunday

It's another beautiful sunny day here in Ohio. I went to early church (9:15) where we celebrated communion, followed by a continental breakast in our fellowship hall. I plan to go for a bike ride before attending the orchestra concert tonight.

Happy Fourth of July!

Here is picture of Patriotic Panda with special effects from Befunky.com.

We finally woke up to sunshine today! The birds are on the feeders, everything in the woods is very green from all of the rain this past week, and it promises to be a very beautiful day. I'm just finishing up a load of laundry.

I find this holiday to be bittersweet since Mother would have been 90 on July 2nd. It isn't the same without her. She loved to go shopping and see all of the red, white, and blue dishes, towels, decorations, etc. at this time of year. Our neighbors always put on a good fireworks show in the circle which she enjoyed.

'Hope you are enjoying your picnics, barbeques, parades, and fireworks wherever you are on this day.

Try out a new website!

To have more fun with your photos, go to Befunky.com I took a photo of Jerry lighting a cigar and used the cartoonize feature. http://www.befunky.com/photoApps.php?from=direct#imageURL=http://befunkyanonymous.s3.amazonaws.com/cb9038bdbae393e70ff504a13c39e72f1246653612_3088.jpg&from=direct

Panda Cat=Cover Girl

Panda always looks like she is posing for a magazine cover. She is precious and adorable and she KNOWS it! Whenever a box comes into the house with groceries, Market Day, etc. she loves to make it into a bed.

Taz Wants Equal Coverage

Taz Marie is a beautiful black cat with a sweet personality. She is a little shy around strangers but isn't as big a scaredy cat as she used to be. I love her dearly! While we were traveling she earned the nickname "Taz-meow" but soon settled down to life on the road. While in Memphis she became "Taz Marie Presley!"

Hoby

Hoby loves riding on his couch in the RV. He can look out the windows and see everything all around.

RV is air-tight!

After experiencing leaks around the diningroom window in Illinois, I caulked around all of the windows upon returning to Indiana. After 2 days of rain, today I checked the window and it is dry!
I put up a new hummingbird feeder yesterday and got a customer already. The other birds are going crazy over the suet feeder. I have chickadees, woodpeckers, cardinals, and a bluejay.

Hoby is staying with me today while his daddy is in the city. His favorite store is Petsmart.

Be careful driving!

Of course everyone knows that the holidays are the busiest traveling days. According to Mark Polk who writes for RV.Net, the 10 deadliest days to drive are as follows.

1. July 4
2. July 3
3. Dec. 23
4. Aug. 3
5. Jan. 1
6. Aug. 6
7. Aug. 4
8. Aug. 12
9. July 2
10. Sept. 2

Some of these dates are near a holiday but the August ones are just favorite vacation dates.

Camping Cats

Panda and Taz enjoy sleeping on the bed in the RV.

Anticipation

We are eagerly awaiting our big trip out east to Vermont. We made a food list, a clothes list, a list of campgrounds on a map, a couple of routes, bought a bike rack, and are almost ready. This is exciting!