June 2, 2008
Good morning! This is an early morning muze as my mind is full and I am so sore I can't even think about getting back into bed. All I want is for the coffee pot to hurry and to find the ibuprofen. My back is seizing and my shoulders hurt from painting. My toe that I broke is hurting for the first time today. I think one of our bedfellows slept on it as there were 3 cat bodies all snuggled up at the foot of the bed. Just a big OUCH is all over my body.
I am living a charmed life; I am sitting in front of the bay window at the end of the sofa and can see either the harbor or the N. Atlantic. All I have to do is shift my eyes to the right or left. Oh what a dream come true........the only thing that is missing is my family. Oh to share this with them. Sweet Jack asked me the other day how long it would be before I would come to see him. I couldn't even let the feelings surface until now as it is an ache that radiates through my heart. How do we all stay happy as we live our dreams??? Just live them and suck it up as we can't have everything. We love it here so much that we don't care to leave to go to the bigger towns for even a day. We will have to go to Gander to the customs office to meet the driver of our goods plus the ones that didn't stay for Jon. Like Bernie said they are coming for a reason!!! We shall see. We can take back whatever when we return to the West coast.
WC and Leslie are starting on their way to Alaska but are stuck in Utah trying to get their satellite dish to work, It is even baffling the technicians. We have to have ours shut off for the stay here as it doesn't want to work. It's too close to the curvature of the earth to pick up the satellites and we will have our internet in 8 days.
Well my dears, I smell my famous Jose's vanilla nut decaf fresh in the pot so I will sign off and get my ibuprofen...............if I can stand up!
June 1, 2008
HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANDREA. HAVE A BEEEEAUTIFUL DAY!!!!!!!
OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG, yesterday was an absolutely stellar day; one that blew our socks off.......I don't wear socks tho! Chet kept pointing out the fog bank outside of the harbor. It was a strange one, I must say, all white and very low to the water. We kept looking and then it dawned on us that it was not fog but it must be ice. We jumped into the car and went out to the lighthouse at Long Point and there it was as far as the eye could see in either direction and as far out as we could see. Pack ice. Miles and miles and miles of it with some icebergs mixed in. There were seals below us in the water and they were having a good frolic.
The ice was so incredibly spectacular. Even more so than the icebergs we have seen. It happened to be a gloriously sunny day and we just stood in awe as it floated by. We had a million projects going so we came home and watched an iceberg float by the mouth of the harbor again. It is so amazing to watch them pass by as if a boat. We also saw two cruise ships. Later in the day we went back and a lot of the heavy ice was past us but there was still more coming. We drove to LITTLE HARBOUR and saw it close to the entrance. What an amazing day!!!!
We came back and I had started painting Brett's room so I worked for a while then we went to take a shower. The first time we used it the hot water was hot for
about 3 minutes. The others were fine. Yesterday the hot water lasted about 2 minutes, just enough time to get shampoo in your hair. I screeched a lot and
said to Chet that was the 2nd and last time that was going to happen. Off to the hardware store we went and a new hot water heater was delivered an hour later.
Chet worked all evening and got it all hooked up and boingo there went another pipe in the floor upstairs. Someone was not too well versed in soldering. Once again, no water, so we had to go to Cal and Josse's to fill some buckets for the toilet. GRRRRRRRRRRRR................. This morning the pipes were dry enough to solder so Chet fixed the problem. We held our breaths while we turned on the water and HURRAH....all was well!!!! What a nice long, hot shower was taken today.
We went to Bernie's for supper which is our dinner and had a great time eating hot dogs and salad. We sat at the table in front of his window in his kitchen and watched the water as we ate and chatted.
Supposed re-plumbing of the house was a figment of "DR." Gregg Domm's story not his imagination. A few thins might have been done but whomever did it had their eyes closed. The blow off valve had been put way up the piping and that is a big no no. It was upgraded some years ago and the water heater was an oldie.
We will re-pipe everything and don't even want to think about the upgraded electrical work at this time.
We still love what used to be Helen's house and is now Gaye's house. We are rearranging EVERYTHING so as to erase Greg from the place as there is not a good feeling about his presence here. The one saving grace in the scheme of the puzzle is meeting Bernie. There is an ease and comfort here that I have never felt anywhere else in my life and I know that Chet would agree.
Freddie is getting another infection in his mouth so we started him on antibiotics today. The old boy is losing his choppers and is a hurting unit right now.
Spotty is still fat and Twilly is a joy a minute. He reminds me of a cat that I once had that I hand raised and who was totally attached to me. His name was Horrible Hairless Herbie as all of his hair fell out as I was bottle feeding the litter and he and a couple of the others lost their hair due to the lack of something the momma cat was to have passed on to them. She couldn't feed them and moved to the neighbors because she would get stoned with the kid who lived there.
I loved that kitty and memories flooded in today of how I got rid of him because Lorin couldn't stand him scratching at the back door. An ache crossed through me and I only hope he had a good life and was loved like I loved him. I'm sorry Herbie, I am.
We had another wonderful day even though it rained. My pond was full and looked so cute. We are going to put heavy plastic in the area that it is diverting the water underground to see if that helps before we divert the stream.
It is beddie time in NL so a very happy lady bids you adieu......very happy but oh so sore from painting and getting into positions I haven't been in since being on the road!
May 29, 2008
My tummy is all full of salad and Kielbasa, microwaved garlic cloves and toutons.....the grilled bread dough that they
are famous for here. This morning we had cod cakes and scrambled egg whites. Oh, it will be fun when I get my
kitchen finished.
Our washer doesn't work in the house. Maybe it froze to death...we're not sure.
It was a beautiful day most of the day until the clouds rolled in. It seems we get up and don't stop all day long. We
are still sorting things out and trying to make arrangements for people to work for us. It will all fall into place. It
just gets exhausting and it is hard to make myself sit down and write my muze.
Yesterday we saw some more spectacular icebergs and a beautiful pheasant. I had never seen one in the wild
before. We didn't have the camera one more time. We have to hang it somewhere so we don't leave without it.
We went to eat supper with Bernie at Cal and Josse's restaurant last night. We see more people on a daily basis than
we have ever seen in our lifetimes. We have some wonderful friends and neighbors. I really have come to like
Marilyn and Gordon Ashbourne who live across the field very much. They're very nice people and I enjoy hearing all
about T'gate from them and everyone we meet. The only fly in the ointment has been Greg Domm who we bought
the house from. The stories that are rampant in this town about him are unceasing. i would say it is his good
fortune that he is from Ontario and not here as I don't think anyone wants to see his face again. The great thing that
has come of this is that we met Bernie, Randy, Tracey and Tia, the Ashbourne's, Jim and Linda Smith and their son
Caleb, and are meeting nrw people every day. Sometimes it is so hard to understand them as they have such thick
Brogues and talk a million words a minute.
The story abiut Greg is so convoluted and I am so tired of hearing about him that I don't even want to begin as I
would like to get this posted tonight. It will be geat to get our internet on the 10th.
All of our things got packed yesterday in Portland and just caught the driver as he was putting the things I had left
for Jon on the truck. We failed to tell Carl who was overseeing everything that we had separated a lot of things for
my son. The driver pretty well remembered what he had taken from behind the cardboard barrier but I'm sure we
will be getting some of the things that weren't coming, It ought to be interesting. At least the wood stove and the
leaded glass windows and the farm tools stayed, Nothing like paying $1.50 a pound for things we don't need. Who
knows, maybe it all stayed!!!! Chet just talked to the driver and he is picking more things up in Seattle and will be
stopping inEdemonton, Alberta, Ontario and then on to us. It will probably be 2 weeks before we see our things but
we need every minute of the time. We are shuddering as we wait to see how much over the estimation we
were....aaaarrrrgggggh!
We LOVE it here in Gaye's house, formerly Helen's house and then Greg Domm's house, now ours.....why I even got
a call from an Ashbourne in Ontario yesterday who wanted to buy some of the family pictures that were left but I
had already given them to Marilyn as I could see no reason to hold on to pictures of someone else's family photos.
I will sign off and get this posted when we go down to the restaurant to use Cal and Josse's wifi. They have been a
great help and are good people.
I shall sign off now as the former hell's Angles that Greg Domm said we were.....pretty cute....not. The only bikes
we ride are recumbents and don't do that all that often!
Love to you all as my whole being misses you......
May 25, 2008
There probably aren't many people who can sit on their sofa and look out the window and watch an iceberg float by. We got to do that this afternoon and it was amazing to see how fast it was traveling. It would have been fun for it to come into the harbor but the wind is quiet today.
We decided to take a day off and go iceberg hunting after we did the week's worth of dishes that had piled up while having no water. Yesterday was the big day and we got it running. We're still a little afraid to leave without turning off the main valve but as the days go on I imagine we will become a little more confident. Chet is going to change all of the pipes this summer while putting in our new bathroom.
We drove out to the lighthouse and saw 2 bergs, one of them being the one that floated by. We couldn't see it earlier and thought it would take a few days for it to go by. I guess we were wrong. We left there and went down the road to Little Harbour and off roaded to Lower Little Harbour and took a nice hike up the rocks to see the berg
that has been grounded there. It was our first hike since arriving and do our legs ever feel it. We got some great
shots of the berg and one very far off in the distance. After that adventure we went past our house to the next town of Durrell and saw several smaller bergs and broken ice. It was really beautiful in the harbor there.
We're home and had some dinner/supper....late lunch, early dinner which are dinner at lunch and supper at dinner.
I get all turned around.
We went to a pot luck at Bernie's last night and had a lovely time. We had some great food and some in home entertainment of Newfie music by the Split Peas, the local group that performs every Tu. and Thurs. night during the summer. A good time was had by all.
I am so out of practice cooking that I actually burned a head of cabbage the other day and burned up my beater yesterday while making brownies. I am starting to get a bit of a complex!!!!! It will be nice to have my own stove and pots and pans. I won't have any excuse after that.
We want to head down to Cal and Josses' restaurant to use the wifi and get this posted. We are schedule to get our internet on June 10th.
Our friends Randy, Tracey and want to come and spend a weekend with us here so we can just kick back and have some fun. They're great people.
Hope you are all well and happy. We are but also just plain exhausted!
May 22, 2008
Oh, I had to sit down as my feet were screaming at me.....NO MORE.......Chet and our friend Cal, who owns the restaurant that has the webcam in it, have been trying for two full days to get the water to work. First one thing and then another and on and on. Finally, yesterday they were finished with all of the leaks that were popping up and the turned on the water. I was in our bedroom and I yelled that I heard water running and thought it was outside...not so! A pipe in the floor of the upstairs bathroom broke and it was pouring out of the ceiling in the living room. Not cute and not a good place to have it pouring from. Chet was in the process of taking up the floor in the upstairs bathroom today to see what needed to be done. I found out it is spring cleaning week so we made a detour and emptied all of the old furniture that was unusable in here and cleaned out the stable. They pick it up and take it to the dump for free if it is at the curb. The lady at city hall said it wasn't too late as they drive by here on the way to the dump sooooo we have a huge pile of stuff at the curb. It was not an easy job as the old upholstered furniture weighs a ton as do the pillows. We cleaned out the stable and there is a MAJOR amount of stuff at the curb. I sure hope they pick it up tomorrow as we will have to haul it all if not. We'll see what happens.
It is so good to be here and so beautiful to be sitting on our new leather loveseat in the bay window looking at the ocean. We just had to stop as we were so very tired and haven't given ourselves this privilege very much. There is so much to do to get ready for our things that will be leaving Portland next Wednesday. We are trying to erase the slate and make this our home instead of the person's who sold it to us. He turned out to be a pathological liar and it has been an interesting thing learning of all of the things he has done to people to con them and take their money. We got taken for some tax money and rent money for the fish store but all else was okay with the transaction of buying the house. He spread the word that we rode with the Hell's Angels...interesting.
We have seen some ginormous icebergs. They are amazing to see and so beautiful Today has been the coldest day we've had since arriving but that is okay. Nothing can take away from the beauty outside our windows. We got the stuff for our tv hookup today but I think Cal was grounded as he has a restaurant to run and has been helping here.
We have spent the last 2 evenings with them watching American Idol and tonight I will probably get to see the finale of Grey's Anatomy there, too. Maybe tomorrow we will either get the water working or the tv.
We are loving our time in our home and haven't even gotten the whole motorhome unloaded yet. Everyone has been so darn nice and we wish we could share some of our good fortune with you. We do feel like two of the luckiest people in the world................
May 21, 2008
HAPPY BIRTHDAY BIG BROTHER!! HAVE A SPECTACULAR DAY.........
May 19, 2008
WE’RE HERE….we are home in T’gate and it was happy to see us as the sun just shone like crazy when we arrived. We were told that the sun hadn't’t been out in three weeks.
We had a very uneventful 7 hour ferry ride on Friday evening. Evidently the weather had been terrible prior to that. I was very glad about that!!!! When we got off the ferry, Chet ended up driving until 3:30 a. m. before we stopped. When we woke later that morning, we filled with weather and did a few errands before driving on to T’gate.
We pulled into a magnificent afternoon and people were thanking us for bringing the sun. We’ve had more visitors than we’ve had in the states for years. As we drove in, we saw two huge icebergs. We were so tired that we could hardly think straight.
On Sunday, we worked on starting to unload the motorhome and Jeep, and then we drove around looking for icebergs-and saw more than half a dozen. To quote my son, Jon, there are a plethora of ice bergs this year. My friend, Bernie, said that the iceberg trackers have already counted more than 890.
Sunday evening, Bernie came by and then our friends Randy, Tracey, and Tia came by for a nice chat.
Today happens to be Queen Victoria Day and has put a crimp on getting anything done about turning the water back on in the house. It’s been a sparkling day today!! It’s been magnificent. We’ve been puttering and puttering, but did find time to take a drive off roading and iceberg hunting.
There’s such a peace in the land here. The beauty of the water, the rocks, and the scenery is inexplicable. We feel exactly the same as last year, except luckier, as we sit in our bay window staring at the Atlantic.
Hope your day was as beautiful as ours…
May 15, 2008
Wow, we've done it! We are in Canada and I just drove 100 miles. It was a snap today again, like yesterday. You have to understand that my criteria for driving conditions has been perfect sooooooo I don't mind doing it.
We got to the border and answered the questions re: tobacco, alcohol and firearms, where we were going, for how long, etc. We showed our moving papers and we had to go to the immigration office. They couldn't have been nicer. The only snafu was that we had no documentation on the property we own in T'gate. My heart sank but somehow all worked out just fine. We have to file the papers at the customs office in Gander, NL when the things arrive. We drove on and had the same feeling of exhilaration that we had last year and commented how clean the air and everything looked once again. I had that feeling of "going home" that Chet felt on the ferry last year on the way to NL. I think it has something to do with being raised on the Atlantic side when I was a kid or else we have been here before! Oh, I am thrilled and excited but I have to be wary of feeling too high as it can change in an instant for me. It is yet an hour later now than the US and 1/2 hour later even when we get to NL. Chet just made a reservation on the ferry for 4:00 p.m. tomorrow and it should take 7 hours. Whoopee do! It will be in the low 40's I think when we get there. Hopefully we will get to see some more icebergs this year and I don't mean while on the ferry!!! chuckle, chuckle....hmmmm!
We had our phones changed to the Nationwide + Canada plan which is 3000 minutes and 2000 member to member minutes to share between us and you other verizon customers and then night and weekend free minutes. We may be getting a land line for internet so will figure what's the best thing at a later date. Just wanted you to know we are just a phone call away.
Not much else to tell you except that if I knew we were going to have most of the day tomorrow we may have stopped earlier and checked out a few things.
It has been fascinating going through all of the places in the US that are talked about on the book we are listening to re: John Adams and his life.
When we were in New Brunswick I saw a sign for the place that the last death from a duel took place.
We're going to find someplace to sleep tonight. Maybe we will stay right here at the gas station with the truckers. The only thing is that we always seem to end up facing in the wrong direction if we are here first. But then I have spent most of my life going in the opposite direction anyhow...............it's not all bad.
Have a good night..................
May 14, 2008
We are trying to recover from our day of shopping in New Hampshire yesterday. It's a good thing we ran out of water as it reduces the weight of the motorhome by 800 pounds. We had to buy a 6 gallon jug and get some water from the garden department at Wal Mart so we could flush the toilet. The last place we dumped had no fresh water......
New Hampshire is a state that doesn't not charge sales tax like Oregon, only on take out food. We decided to finish our shopping here so we didn't have to carry everything from Oregon. We started at Costco at 10 a.m. and checked out at 2:00 p.m. We loaded the car and realized we needed something else so back in we went. Chet had to leave me and the big mirror we have in the Jeep at Costco, go down the hill to Home Depot's lot and unload before he could come back for me. Does that give you a clue??? He stayed at the motor home and I went to Linens 'n Things for many pillowcases which grew into some rugs for the kitchen and 2 more battery operated candles. Then I hit Michael's which was an excellent find and checked out Bed, Bath and Beyond. I didn't have the energy to go to Target. We moved on to a Super Wal Mart to finish up and spend the night; #2 in New Hampshire about 13 miles apart. One more quick buy this morning and then we tooled off to buy diesel. It was low at $4.38 a gallon and only cost $537.00. BIG OUCH. We have been trying to buy more often so it doesn't hurt as much. We also got enough water for a shower!!! Yeah.
When we pulled off the freeway 2 nights ago, we put the address in our Magellan and it died on the spot. Poor Muffin (its name) has taken a fast second chair to the new Garmin GPS that is named Carmen. Chet loves it.
We are trying for a town right at the border today but if we rattle as much as we did a few days ago I have my doubts. I was about to jump out of my skin due to terrible roads. Ooops, I dozed off and we are now in Maine. It feels like we have been riding for hours but we have only gone 80 miles. I was up late watching American Idol twice, no less. Tonight tells us who the last 2 contestants are. There is one young 17 year old with the most impeccable voice. It is astounding. A 17 year old won last year but she was already a model and had a lot of stage presence. Little David Archuletta is like a deer in the headlights.
It is a beeeeutiful day and I feel T'gate getting closer. I can't imagine what the border crossing will be like tomorrow. Hmmmmmmmmmm.........I am sure you will hear all about it.
New Hampshire is a funny place....the people very nice but at the rest areas were the liquor stores. The buildings saying "Safety Rest Area" and next door "State Liquor". What a great combination. You don't have to wear a seatbelt after 18 years old either.
It almost looks like we are driving into winter weather as a lot of the trees haven't bloomed out yet. We did see lots of gorgeous lilac trees in NH and New York. We're having a second spring!
Maybe more later.
It's later now! I drove about 90 miles. It just happened to be one of those perfect situations I needed to feel comfortable. I was very proud of myself!! Also, American Idol ended up exactly like I wanted it too and we made to the border.
May 12, 2008
We rattled and rattled and listened to Samuel Adams for hours and hours yesterday to make it to N. Hampshire. I have a huge headache and my vision was crossed for a while from knitting for so many hours. The road signs were double. We stopped and were all set to watch American Idol and we both realized at the same time that it was Monday! AAAHHHHHHH RETIREMENT!
That's all folks....have to be quiet for a while.
May 11, 2008
OMG it is sooooooooo beautiful outside as we are driving through the Shenandoah Valley in Va. It is waaaay too early for me to be up, seeing I played Literati last night for the first time in a long while, which means I go to bed waaaaaaay too late. Chet did say we are on no one's schedule but our own once again. I take most things VERY literally and think I have no bed time. You can just ask WC who says in his wonderful Oklahoma and Texas drawl "but it's just so easy" and my son Jon about how they relish "getting" me as I look at them wide eyed and quizzically while saying "really?". Oh how they relish in that and my sweet Chet saw their fun and has gleefully joined in. I first remember my friend Phil asking me if I believed EVERYTHING that was said to me. He also used to ask me how I could trip over absolutely nothing.
Speaking of Chet..........those of you who know me well know the trouble I have with typing. I must admit it is getting better, as long as I watch carefully where I place my fingers and can slow my brain down to about 10 wpm. Wow, that has gone up from 3 wpm. Well, maybe, it's really 7 since I have had to correct almost everything I have typed since saying that!!! lol. Oh, where was I going with this???? Chet helps me a lot with typing, computer...ing working with high tech things as I am digitally challenged. He will post, edit and design the colored letters and sizes of my muzes but never puts in his words as they are my stream of consciousness writings. I have asked him if he would like to add things but he has refused saying they are mine. I guess his official title is editor in chief and designer. Often he will answer an email for me as I dictate so we can get them answered in a reasonable amount of time. Reasonable means he can type between 50 and 75 wpm. His fingers fascinate me as they scurry across the keyboard while his eyes are actually watching the screen. I think I was getting to the point that these are called Gaze Muzings and not Chetz Muzings. Sometimes I ask if he would like to add something but he respectfully declines and lets me do my thing. I have THE best husband!!!!!!
It's time for a nap but first I had to quiet my mind................head is not really quiet as here I am back already. I also want to say that Chet does ALL of the web page and does that very well. It's his baby but I do nudgy him a lot.....more, more, more.
It's now about 3 hours later and this will be the continuing muze for the day......We collect magnets from all of the states we have been in, which have been all of them, but sometimes all we can find is a very generic one from the truck stops. I have been replacing them as we travel. Sometimes I have to make them out of little souvenirs, like from S. Carolina. We finally found a N. Carolina one after leaving Charlotte yesterday. Sooooo I needed a W. Virginia one so we got off the freeway over an hour ago and drove all through the town, stopping several times at different places to no avail. We have been through parking lots and got blocked right in front of my favorite Edible Arrangements that I send out instead of flowers. Mitchell called yesterday and they wanted to send flowers but it's hard to do as we are heading down the highway. I was thinking how much I wanted an Edible Arrangement. Well, I figured if Mitch called while we were looking at Cracker Barrel for a magnet I would take an Edible Arrangement for Mother's Day. I know I could have called him but it just wouldn't have been the same. Jon called early to be the first and I haven't even heard from Brett yet. I think that is because of the 9:00 am restriction for calling. Being back east doesn't really count as it's already noon. We haven't even had breakfast yet. He makes up for it on the other end and calls at 1:00 am to say goodnight. I finally found my magnet which is a little outhouse with West Virginia on the top and Gotta Go on the bottom. It couldn't have been more apropos. We just passed into Maryland and are looking for a magnet here, too. I only have 3 southern states, Wyoming and a broken Montana magnet to replace now.
The Maryland magnet saga......we pulled into a large mall and tried to turn but a boulder was in our way in the flower bed. We got stuck and Chet started to unhitch the car when a very nice man came by and helped direct while I steered the car and we were able to back up. That was a nice thing and we were grateful. We just happened to be across the street from a Dollar Store so I went on a yarn search and then to the mall for a magnet search. Out of the whole mall I found a cute key ring I can put a magnet on the back of. Chet got to eat and take a nap. They're expecting HEAVY rain later so we are going to hightail it out of here..............
I"m starting a downward spiral which is not a surprise to me....I want my boys and my mommy.
May 11, 2008
HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU,
JACK WELDON FLYER!!!!!!!!!
We Love You,
Grandma & GrandChet
May 11, 2008
HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL YOU MOTHERS!!!!
May 10, 2008
When two rock hard bodies collide they smash into many bits and pieces. When two soft, mushy bodies collide they squish into each other and bounce away without leaving bits and pieces but they may only be melded for moments before separating again. Family is like that unless it is rock hard. We come together, sometimes all too infrequently, and our worlds touch and we make the best of trying to communicate and express ourselves. Sometimes too much time passes between visits and we have all grown in different directions. Inside there is the heartfelt love but lifetime experiences sometimes makes it hard to express.
We just left my brother and his family after 6 nights in their driveway. I needed to see him after his heart surgery, to hug him, to feel him, to see him. He is so tired and I don't think enjoying the recovery process all that much as he has always been a very involved person. He wants to keep on doing and Lynne has to see that he doesn't over do. It has been hard for their family.
Kimberly and Evanne are always a delight to see and we got to be part of watching Evanne get ready for her 8th grade dance last night and then go to an art opening at a group that Kimberly has joined, her medium being pastry design. She has gone back to school to be a pastry chef. It is very exciting and we got to sample her work first hand. She made Baklava and oh my, need I say more!!!!!!!!!
Chet and I were glad we made the extra 450 miles to stop at Craig and Lynne's and it is not pleasant to say goodbye. We did have 2 excellent meals at LA UNICA mmmmmm.
WE ARE ON OUR LAST LEG OF THE JOURNEY TO REACH T'GATE AND ARE WE EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! About 1, 000 miles and we will be in our home!
The moving company called and asked f we would mind if we put our pickup off until the 28th instead of the 18th. It just so happens a driver is bringing a load from NL to Tualitan, the edge of Portland, and could bring ours back to T"gate. Now how Providential is that!!!!!!!
TODAY is Jack's 6th birthday party. Tomorrow is really the day but it wouldn't be the same on Mother's Day. How do you make a child understand that every ounce of your being is going to be there....just not the body! Oh my sweet boy.
What a great gift for Erin to celebrate Mother's Day on the same day as the birth of her firstborn. I can't think of anything sweeter........
May 6, 2008
Happy day after Cinco de Mayo. My niece took us all out to dinner last night for Mexican food and it was great!!!! I went out with Lynne to do a little shopping after dinner. I am trying to buy all of the yarn on the market. I am finding things at the $1.00 stores that are in Michael's for $7.00 a skien. We are overloaded and awash in color. Now how to transport it all
Today has been an emotional roller coaster for me. My brother bought himself a beautiful 1930 Model A Ford for an early birthday present and he had to pick up all of the spare parts from his neighbor who sold it to him and then have it moved to a storage place. He was so exhausted and worked too, too much. I was an emotional wreck as the family feelings came flooding over me like a tsunami. I saw my dad in my brother, his movements, his hands, his expressions. It tore me up as we have become our parents and it was just yesterday that I was standing in my garage in Miami with my mom and brother as he worked on his cars that he loved to work on so much. It was like we were all there together again.
Chet and I had to go pick up the sewn slide topper to be reinstalled tomorrow. We also had some errands to do and then get back to see American Idol.
Friday is our ETD for T'gate and are very excited. We're already invited to a party at our friend Bernie's and look forward to that. Our things will be picked up in Portland on the 19th and on their way to my dollhouse in T'gate. Just think, now we'll be able to unpack!!
I don't want to leave here but as with every family member or friend it doesn't matter if it is one day sooner or later it's still leaving and still sad but onward on our life adventure.
We will be helping my niece hang some light fixtures at her new home tomorrow. It's so great to see her. Oh my.....I do love and miss my family!
You have a wonderful day and I will too!
May 4, 2008
We arrived at my brother's house today and boy my eyes got wet. It was so great to see him even though he looks very tired. It is amazing to feel the feelings that I almost lost him. He told us about the heart attack and my eyes were full. All I can say is thank God. It is so good to see him and Lynne and my niece Kimberly and grand niece Evanne. We had a lovely barbeque and a great visit. Oh it feels good to be here.
We finally stopped the night before last after 13 hours of following the tornadoes. We had some huge rain and lightning where we stayed and we didn't get to sleep until 2:00 a.m. while we listened and watched. Yesterday we had a beautiful day driving through Tenn. We stopped at Costco in Nashville after driving around for almost an hour trying to find it. It was nice and very beautiful where we were.
Tomorrow we start the project of getting the slide topper fixed.
I WANT TO THANK MY SON JONATHAN FOR SAVING OUR LIVES BY CALLING AND ASKING US HOW WE WERE AS HE WAS WATCHING THE NEWS IN CALIF. ABOUT THE TORNADOES. We couldn't get online or get the tv to work due to the fact that their was so much turmoil in the atmosphere. We had no idea what was going on so THANK YOU, JON FOR CARING ABOUT YOUR MOMMA AND CHET.
May 2, 2008
Good morning from Arkansas. We are about 50 miles west of Little Rock and just got up to HUGE claps of thunder and lots of hard rain. We won't be driving for a while!
A few hours after we left Oklahoma City, we heard from WC and Leslie telling us we got out just in time, as they were watching a storm come in that was supposed to bring golf ball size hail, 60 mph wind, and possible tornadoes. I have no desire to meet a tornado! We called them last night and they said it went by south of them so we were glad to hear that. I remember being in Arkansas when Jon and Mitch were small and we were in our VW camper. It was pouring and there was so much lightning. I was watching out the window from the bed all wide-eyed as it reminded me of living in Miami. I don't think Lorin had ever seen so much lightning and he was not in the least bit enthralled with the whole experience.
We are planning on getting to my brother's house on Sunday; arriving to a barbeque and family good times. I am so glad I will be seeing him all back together again after his bypass surgery. We have an appointment to get the slide topper repaired in the beginning of the week so hoping...................gotta go!
Just a little time out! We had to leave the motorhome as the sirens were blaring and there was a tornado watch. We threw on some clothes and took off for WalMart to get inside. There were several people standing outside looking at the sky as the clouds moved by. It was very dark black, green and gray. We could see the ends or fingers of the clouds turning. Well, if you're ever in a WalMart parking lot and go to the store for shelter, DON'T. We were locked out! Never having been in weather like this we probably couldn't have been in a worse spot. It's like the earthquake in LALA Land when Jon and Mitch were small that they slept through. I stood between their rooms so I could be near not realizing I was directly under the forced air heating unit in the attic. It was about as smart as standing in front of Wal Mart's glass doors.
This all started about 5 hours ago and we finally started on the road and went just a short distance before we pulled into another Wal Mart as we are heading towards Little Rock and there is a lot of storm activity on I 40 right now east of Little Rock We are listening closely to the weather reports and they just said this is what they think to be the most severe weather this year. I am not liking this at all. I called WC and Leslie and did my whining and they told us more about tornadoes.....not to do any of what we did do. They had some pretty hard wind and some hail around midnight. WC said to try and find a ditch and lie flat but make sure it's one with no water.lol.....This is a bad dream. As usual the fear hits me most after the fact and my body reacts with pain and exhaustion and of course the tears. It was always like that when the kids got hurt; I would go into overdrive and then fall apart afterwards.
We are west of the storm cells and they should be past when we go through the areas they are in now. We should come upon two overturned tractor trailers on I 40. I am watching the map as we drive. So much for our 300 mile travel day.
I did get to go to yet another Dollar Tree and found yet more yarn. I am on a mission to deplete the yarn supply in as many as I can find. We actually passed one yesterday and I asked Chet to stop full well feeling he wouldn't. He started for the off ramp and I said I was only teasing. Who knew?????? I won't stop him the next time.
It was so strange as we stood in the parking lot. It was so silent that it was eerie. The cats were agitated and smelling the air at the windows. They must have sensed something. Some people got killed just north of where we were this morning from a tornado. The sky is getting darker again so I have to watch. At least we have warning and that is so much better than an earthquake!
We've been in stop and go traffic for about 30 minutes. We just passed the two trucks; one had been up righted and the one on the other side of the freeway is still on its' side. We're moving again. We passed the last town that was hit and watched ER vehicle after vehicle pass, fire trucks ambulances but don't know the extent of the damage. The town was closed off.
Hopefully we're through the worst of it now.
We finally got to Dickson, Tenn. at 10:00 pm. We have dodged the weather all day and there are still cells that will pass over tonight. Oh, I wish it would calm down here!!! We've tried to buy a weather radio a few times today but they're sold out.....imagine that........it would warn us if there was a tornado.
We went for a walk at the last rest stop and it started to rain and we go soaked thru and thru. It was pretty funny. We pulled in to this town and there were fireworks for our arrival. It was so nice. It took a while to find Wal Mart and they were still going off right in front of where we stopped. Actually it is "Old Timers Days".......well proven by the fact that after about 15 minutes there were more fireworks!!!!!!!!!! Maybe they forgot..lol
I'm exhausted...................
April 30, 2008
EEEEEyowch it is May tomorrow and already on the way to my next birthday.
We had a lovely Anniversary. We spent the afternoon with WC & Leslie at the Oklahoma City Memorial Museum. It has been 13 years since the federal building was blown up. They put a beautiful reflection pool in where the street was in front of the building. There are 168 chairs arranged in order of the floors that the people died on; larger ones for the adults and small ones for the children. They light up at night and it is supposed to be very pretty. Each one is inscribed. We saw some or the remaining wall and some rubble. We were in the museum for 2 1/2 hours. It was fascinating but very hard to be there. It made me cry to see the pictures of the children. We have seen where JFK was killed and MLK and the museums and the Holocaust museum in DC For some reason this one was the hardest to get out of my psyche.
Afterwards we had a great dinner at P.F. Chang's and always try to find one when we are together with WC & Leslie as we love it there. Yesterday we did some shopping and I hit another windfall at the Dollar store's yarn section. Coincidently I ended up with the exact same amount of skeins here as I did in Oregon. Chet, with WC's help did some repairs on the coach.
We were going to leave today but decided to stay because we have fun with our friends and the wind has been blowing steadily from the south and it's not fun being broadsided driving this coach. Hopefully it will quiet down tomorrow. It's been beautiful here and we have had a nice relaxing time.
We want to get this posted so we can go to bed.
'nighty night.......
April 28, 2008
Happy Anniversary to US!!!
Seven years today!!
|
