It felt much colder when we walked this morning - at only 38 degrees; however, we managed to get our 2 miles in. As we headed back to the RV Park, I noticed the Dollar General store didn't have any customers. I dropped Dean off and went back so I could get a couple of birthday cards, plus I wanted to see if they had any toilet paper, paper towels and/or Dawn dish soap. I managed to get cards and Dawn, but there were no paper products at all on the shelves.
The packages we received yesterday included the protein powder for our morning shakes. I like chocolate but Dean prefers vanilla. I made his first vanilla cream shake this morning with strawberries. I took a sip to see how it tasted - and it was delicious.
This morning before Dean headed to the garage, he cut the file rails to put in our file drawer. The ones were had were at least 2, maybe 3" to short. In addition, one of them was cracked. The new ones are much sturdier.
My daughter stopped by to drop off a sign my son was going to get rid of. I can't remember if I mentioned this or not, Marc and his wife have sold their house north of Parsons, after buying a house in Altamont, approximately 15 minutes from us. Marc and Jen had an online sale of items they were getting rid of. This sign came up and I spoke up quickly that I wanted it - he didn't even charge his mom for it!
![]() |
My plan was to put it in the garage for safe keeping. It is leaning against the end of the coffee counter a perfect fit. I may leave it there - securing it if I do. |
I made out the last of the birthday cards this morning. Dean dropped them off at the post office on his way to the garage. I noticed the dehumidifier had shut off and was full, so I emptied it.
It seems like laundry seems to be an issue here lately. I did two more loads today, and will have another one tomorrow. With Dean working at the garage every day, often spending part of the day burning brush, his clothes need to be washed right away to get rid of the smoke smell. In a small area smells like that can take over quickly.
After lunch, Dean headed back to the garage. He spent most of his time cutting more brush and stumps today.
Between washing, drying and folding clothes I grabbed the Endust and my dusting rag and moved through Bentley getting rid of the dust that seems to accumulate much faster than I think it should. Lol! After resting a few minutes I pulled out the vacuum and took care of the floors. We are good for another week, or so!
The evening went fast after doing the dishes, then showering. By the time I was done drying my hair, I had a hard time staying awake until 10.
Thursday, April 16, 2020 - Shopping Trip; Jaxson Comes to Visit; Fun at the Lot; Surprise Finding; Quiet Evening
I was up at 5 to turn the coffeepot on, before getting ready to leave by 6. When the coffee was done Dean and I enjoyed a cup of coffee, before heading to Joplin. What a gorgeous sunrise we got to enjoy on our drive this morning.
We arrived at Sam's within minutes of 7am. There were several cars but it was not crowded. We quickly gathered all of the items on my list, scanned the items in on the Sam's app I have on my phone, paid on my phone, showed the QR code on my app to the attendant, she scanned one item and we walked out the door. No contact with anyone. We buy bulk nuts here every couple of months (almonds and peanuts), almond bars (Dean loves these for snacks - one box will go to the garage frig), and I was able to get two fresh rotisserie chickens while we were there. No toilet paper, but I did buy a package of paper towels. We prefer using 1 ply toilet paper for RV. We found some at Walgreen's in New Mexico. Maybe we need to revisit a Walgreen's somewhere.
We also made a quick stop at Walmart to pickup a call in order. Again, they had no toilet paper. The young man brought the grocery bags out and put them in the back of the car. No contact with anyone. We enjoyed a slow drive on a back road through the country on our way home. It was very relaxing.
We were about 20 minutes from home, when Marc called. He was running some errands and wanted to know if Jaxson could stay with us for awhile. I had a moment of hesitation, but said yes we would. It would have been a long day for him in the car with dad. I had the groceries already taken care of before they arrived.
We took him to our property so he could see Papa's garage and all of the work he has done at the lot. We had a great time outside looking at the trees, and all of the work Papa has done. He loved the flowers. He found a maple seed and had a great time throwing it in the air and letting it fly down. He had to explore the garage and see what there was to do. We were blessed with a beautiful spring day!
When we left the lot, we drove through the park. I was afraid Jaxson would want to play on the park equipment, but when I explained why he couldn't he knew what I was talking about and didn't argue or even sound too disappointed. He loves the lookout, but someone was on it, so Papa suggested we go down to the river instead. He was excited about going across the bridge and down to the dam. It was especially fun because we got to watch a guy on the other side of the river catch a fish. He really enjoyed that.
When we returned to Bentley we opened the door and windows to let fresh air and the sunshine in. (We still have two small windows open and it's almost 9:30pm.)
Jaxson can be a picky eater, so I asked him what he'd like to have. He likes chicken strips, but I didn't have any. I asked him if he liked pancakes, he said - yes he did, so as I supervised he mixed the pancake batter. I got the footstool for him to stand on, then he scooped three small amounts of pancake mixture in the pan. When they were ready, I helped him turn them. I cut the pancakes up for him, then he put on the syrup. It was a fun time for us both. He enjoys helping out.
![]() |
Clowning around! |
We played "Go Fish", he colored some pictures, and then wanted me to draw him a picture of a Jumbo 747. He amazes me at the things he is interested in. I drew it and then he "fixed" it for me - his drawing was far better than mine! He's very patient with me if I don't draw things correctly, showing me how it really should be. He really has an eye for detail. I was surprised to see he was using his left hand to write/draw with. I don't remember ever noticing that before. My dad was a leftie, and so was Misti & Marc's dad.
We ended up taking Jaxson back to Parsons, as Marc didn't have time to get back in time to pick him up before he and Jaxson had a meeting on Zoom with one of his teachers. They were getting it set up, so I just ran in and back out, but I was able to see Kamron for just a bit.
When we returned to Oswego we drove to the garage because I remembered something else I wanted to look for. Last year I bought a hummingbird feeder that attaches to the window with suction cups. Since we will be parked here for awhile, I wanted to get it up and see if we could attract a few. I checked the migration map, and there are already hummers showing up near us. While at the garage, Dean commented he still had not found the thermometer he had hanging in the garage, and the one we had outside at our previous home. I have some really nice wind chimes I received as a gift from the city when I retired. We have them stored in a special container. I asked Dean if he might have put the thermometer in there, since the outdoor thermometer and the wind chimes were near each other. Bingo - we found them!
For dinner tonight, I boiled some macaroni then added the remaining spaghetti sauce I made the other night. Later we enjoyed chocolate pudding. I worked on the blog until late. At 11:30 we were both still awake, wondering why - when I realized what the reason was. We stopped at McDonald's in Parsons on our way home and both ordered iced tea. While we do drink caffeinated coffee in the morning, it is only 2 cups. If we drink tea at home it is always decaffeinated. We've done this a few times and every time we drink caffeinated pop or coffee after lunch we have a hard time going to sleep in the evening. We've got to stop doing that!
I checked the forecast through the end of April. It's supposed to be cooler tomorrow (Friday) with an overnight low of 31. However, after that the forecast is mid to upper 60's, then in to the 70's through the end of April. Overnight temps in the low 40's, then jumping to mid-50's. We are sure looking forward to those temps - even if it does rain occasionally during that time.
Sounds like a good couple of days, Cheri. Nice to get shopping out of the way. We like Sam's and IF we ever get back down will get more info on the phone app from you. We have Costco's here so might check and see if they have it as well. One day we'll make the hour drive to the closest one.
ReplyDeleteHow nice for you to have Jaxon for a visit and nicer still that you could be outside for some fun.
Stay well you two!!
It was so fun having him here. Just made our day. You two as well!
DeleteLet me know when you want to try out the Sam's app. I love not having to wait in line to check out.