Tuesday, May 1, 2018 - Monday, May 7, 2018

Tuesday, May 1, 2018 - Eye Appointment; Lunch with Friends; Laundry

I had my annual eye appointment with my optometrist this morning.  I gave him an update of my eye history and changes over the past year.  After his exam he told me the pressure in my left eye is a little higher than they would like to see.  Fortunately it is much lower than it was in July last year, and has not changed since December so it's holding just barely over the range they prefer, so I'm thankful for that.  My right eye pressure is good.  He told me I have a cataract forming on my left eye.  He said it would probably be a couple of years or more before surgery is needed.  My right eye is doing fine.  They will make some changes in my lenses that should help improve my sight for both close up and distance.  You might remember I've mentioned having a hard time reading with my glasses on.  Sometimes after reading I find it difficult to adjust from reading to watching TV or distances if we go outside.  It typically adjusts after a short while which is an improvement, but I can tell some correction is needed.

Once I returned home I straightened things up in Bentley before Peggy picked me up at 11:30.  Friends Peggy and Linda, and I are heading to Parsons to have lunch.  The three of us served on the Chamber of Commerce here in Oswego many years ago and have remained good friends, later being involved in our Community Foundation where we were all founding members.  All three of us are retired now and we enjoy getting together a few times a year for lunch and just a good visit.  As usual, we had a wonderful lunch (ordered from Upscale Country) that we enjoyed at Parsons' Forest Park.   We had a great visit during our ride to and from Parsons.  On the way home we took a slow drive through the countryside which I always enjoy.


Wednesday, May 2, 2018
We walked 2.06 miles this morning.  It was nice to be back in our city park and fairground area.  We have such a lovely view from our overlook and we often see the "resident" fox when we are there.  I love listening to the birds that early in the morning - it's a beautiful sound.

Dean scheduled an oil and fuel filter change and having the tires on the truck rotated at the Chevy dealer in nearby Columbus, KS.  The appointment was at 9:30.  I decided I would ride along with him - thinking it would take about an hour.  Imagine my surprise when we did not leave Columbus until after noon!!  It was almost 12:30 when we returned home.  

Once we returned, Dean went out to do something and realized they had rotated his tires, putting the chrome side to the inside, rather than leaving it out.  He called them and took it back so they could fix it.  

Prior to leaving for Texas, we set up a date for him to have a colonoscopy when we returned and tomorrow is the day.  He hasn't had any solid foods since lat night and he's awful hungry.  I made some chicken broth for him, and picked up a few things at the grocery store that will hopefully help curb his appetite a little.  

At 3 he started taking the drink they prescribed for him, followed by 20 oz. of water.  At 7 he took the second drink.  Bless his heart it's not a fun thing to have to drink - but at least he  was able to use Sprite and Gateorade to help with the taste!   Drinking this stuff is by far worse than the test itself.


Thursday, May 3, 2018
We were up really early this morning, a little before 4.  We have to be in Galena at 6am and it's about a 45 minute drive.   Since we woke up to rain, we left a little earlier than planned.  Fortunately, we missed most of the rain on the way over.  When they took him back, they had me sit in a small waiting area, a short distance from his cubicle while they got him ready.  In about 5 minutes or so one of the nurses came to get me, and take me to his room, but when I walked into the cubicle I told her this isn't my husband.  I thought she called "Cheri" and she said "Sharon".  Sharon didn't hear "Sharon" called either!!  I seem to have a problem having similar names to others waiting when in hospitals, as this is the second time something like this has happened.

A short time later, the same nurse came back to get me and made sure my husband was Dean this time!  How funny.  The doctor stopped in before the procedure and visited with Dean, asking him a few questions, etc. and before I knew it the nurse was taking him back.  He was gone barely 30 minutes and here they came wheeling him back.  The doctor showed up a short time later to say all was good.  Within 30-40 minutes later, they had Dean up, dressed and were wheeling him down (with me following) to the Kitchen Pass Restaurant located in the hospital.  Wow, what a breakfast they serve!  We both had our routine eggs, meat, potatoes and toast.  Since neither of us had eaten breakfast it was a welcome treat for us both.

Afterwards we made stops at Walmart and Sam's before heading home.  Dean spent the day resting and I did a few things around the  RV, mostly finishing up the laundry I started yesterday.  For dinner, we had the chicken and noodles I made yesterday.  Since Dean couldn't have anything except a little broth yesterday, he was ready to dig in to them tonight.  We spent the rest of the evening watching some TV and maybe looking at the backside of our eyelids until it was time to go to bed.  We were worn out!


Friday, May 4, 2018
Our walk in the park this morning was 2.02 miles.  

Tomorrow we are having a "Cinco de Mayo" evening at my daughter Misti's.  She has graciously agreed to do this at her house since our rig isn't big enough but I plan to do most of the cooking.  

This morning I chopped lettuce and tomatoes, and browned four pounds of hamburger for taco meat.  I had hoped to have homemade tamales but the place I planned to get them from didn't work out.  

This afternoon I filled out medical forms for more appointments next week.  They ask so many questions and I had to do some digging to get everything answered.  It's amazing how long it takes to do this, but guess it's necessary.  You can bet I made copies of all of it for our files.

Afterwards I worked on our budget for April.  I had not updated it for over two weeks and I was anxious to see how we did for the month.  We were both pleased with the outcome.  While we still did not do well on the "Dining Out" line item, we did pretty well in several others that have been high in the past three months, and we came out really good overall.  Rallies have an impact on the Dining line item and so do doctor visits when they are in other towns on a regular basis.  We'll still have a few of those this month, but I do plan on doing more cooking at home when we can.


Saturday, May 5 (Cinco de Mayo), 2018
Today is Oswego's City Wide Garage Sale.  Misti called me last night to see if I wanted to go to a few of them with her this morning, and I agreed.  She picked me up a few minutes before 7 and we headed straight to Kansas Street to one she was interested in, but it did not appear anyone was there.  We stopped at one across the street and looked and as we started to leave there we could see the one she originally wanted to visit was behind the house.  We took a look but left without buying anything.  We did drive around to a couple more and stopped at one where they had the cutest outdoor bench seating and folding chairs to match.  Misti loved it and I took a couple of pictures since they were made of pallet boards.  Another project for Dean, maybe?

After she dropped me off at Bentley, I got myself ready for the day and wrote out a little timeline to be sure everything would be ready by 5:30-6:00 for our Cinco de Mayo dinner.  I had to make another stop at the grocery store for a few things, ran by my sister Cindy's to have her look at a couple of frames I picked out for glasses, and then headed back home.  I printed a few recipes - refried beans, guacamole, and queso - all new to me for today.  

I gathered up all of my ingredients, pans, paper products, cups and food items and headed to Misti's at 1:00.  We spent the afternoon getting everything ready.  Besides the three of us, her son Logan, and two of my sisters and their husbands (Crystal land Lonie; Cindy and Elmer) will be here.  Jody and her husband could not attend due to a family event, and my son Marc and family was not able to attend - he is really busy with his side business now, especially going into Mother's Day weekend.  We invited our pastor and his wife but they were unable to attend.  At the last minute Lonie could not come due to a problem that came up right as they were getting ready to head over to Misti's.  Talk about bad timing - but in the long run it was probably good he was there to get the mesage, but we worry sorry all of the others could not make it.

We had tacos on homemade corn and flour tortillas that I brought from Texas (they've been in my freezer since March); tostada shells, authentic refried beans, taco meat, two kinds of salsa (one spicy and one mild); queso dip, and of course all of the topppings (lettuce, tomato, cheese, and sour cream).  My sisters brought dessert - Cindy a sopapilla cake, and Crystal her famous four layer dessert.  Oh my goodness, we were all stuffed.  We had a great time afterwards sitting and visiting and I thought - we need to do this more often.  There were lots of laughs among us, and a very enjoyable evening.  Afterwards I helped Misti clean up before we headed home.  I was really tired tonight but it was so worth it to spend time with family.


Sunday, May 6, 2018
We walked 2.12 miles this morning.  As we left the park, and headed west down the hill, a mother fox and her two kits ran across the road in front of us.  I wish I'd had my camera ready.  

After breakfast we got ready for church, stopping to pick up Misti on our way.  Roger had a good sermon, as usual.  We dropped Misti at her house so she could study.  She has several tests she must have completed by Wednesday before she takes her finals for this year.  She will complete her two year basic classes at LCC this year, and she has since been accepted into their Physical Therapy Assistant Program.  I'm so proud of her.  I don't know how she does it all and keeps up with everything.  She is active in church and school activities, especially project Prom - which entails many meetings and fund raising events throughout the year, she makes time to keep up an exercise regime and still makes time for her kids, other family and her friends.  

After lunch of tacos (I think we'll be eating this stuff for awhile - Lol!), I took time to straighten things up before resting for a short time.  This afternoon we are headed to Columbus to attend their High School Band Concert.  Dacy plays the clarinet and Tucker plays the tuba in their band.  We enjoyed visiting with Renae while waiting for the concert to start.  I love listening to their band and was very surprised to find out they only have 6 seniors.  

It was 5 or so when we got home.  I made taco (are you surprised?) salad for dinner.  It was very good and is one of our favorite salads to make.  No shell, just the lettuce, tomato, avocado, a few chips (tortillas, doritoes, fritoes - whatever we have on hand), taco meat and our favorite dressing for our taco salads - Dorothy Lynch Homestyle Dressing.  Wow, it hit the spot!

Once we finished eating, I did the dishes and we settled in to watch American Idol.  I hated to see anyone go, but we were quite happy with the final five that were selected to move on.  It will be really hard to see anyone leave from this point on, although I do have a couple of favorites I'm pulling for.


Monday, May 7, 2018
This morning it was my turn for a procedure at Galena.  Dr. Broce wanted me to have an EGD after the episodes of dry heaves, and since I have a couple of other sypmtoms - a sharp pain that I get a few times a month just below the middle of my rib cage that will not go away until I drink a fair amount of water, along with the heartburn I started having several months ago.  

Dean and I had the same doctor so everyone was surprised to see us back again.  They had me ready to go shortly before 8 when I was scheduled, however, Dr. Weston had an emergency at the hospital first thing this morning so he was running a little late.  It was about 8:45 before they took me back.  Everything looked good although I had some bile. With the other symptoms he said the next thing to look at is the gall bladder.  Lovely!  At least we know there is no ulcer or anything of that type which was the concern.  Several years ago I had some pains in my side.  The doctor  thought the cause might be my gallbadder but I've had very few of those pains since I've retired.  

We left the hospital about 9:45-10:00.  I needed to make another Walmart and Sam's Club run.  I just needed a few items at both places so it didn't take us long.  Afterwards we stopped at Golden Corral for lunch.  We were both starving since we did not have any breakfast this morning.  We were home by 12:30 and we've done nothing but rest since then.  I woke up at 3 this morning and couldn't go back to sleep so I've cat napped off and on, both on the way home and since we returned to Bentley.  I'm feeling pretty good now.

While we were at lunch we received the first picture of our new grandson, Samuel Peine.  He was born at 11:50 a.m. EST (they live in New York),  weighed 7 lbs 10 ozs, and was 20.5 inches long.  

Daddy Matt, Samuel and Mama Megan

Master Samuel Peine!

Also today our oldest grandson, Logan joined the Navy and was sworn in.  He also selected his school following boot camp and chose medical corpsman.  He will do 19 weeks of training in San Antonio for that.  He is scheduled to leave for bootcamp in October, but it might be sooner.  We are really proud of him.  During our Cinco de Mayo party on Saturday we learned that two or three other boys from his graduating class, and two from the class ahead of him are joining or have joined one of the service branches, and another friend is in the process of joining.  

A pretty exciting day in the life of the Peine's - wouldn't you say?




AND since this will post on Tuesday, May 8 we want to say "Happy birthday to our grandson, Gideon Michael Peine."  He is 9 years old today.  They live in the Wichita area.  The morning of his birth, his dad Heath called to let us know they were headed to the hospital.  Dean wanted to leave Oswego as soon as possible so we could try and make it before Gideon made his way into this world.  The night before was a Council meeting and there were some things I needed to take care of before we left town so I went in early that morning to get them done as soon as possible - and of course we had a storm move in that caused the electricity to go out.  In the meantime, Brett, the next oldest son called to say his wife, Renae and the kids were in an accident on their way to Pittsburg that morning.  There was either a really heavy wind or a small tornado that blew a small building across the highway and it hit their car, driving a post into the passenger side front window.  Fortunately no one was sitting there - both kids were in the backseat.  Finally, the electricity came on, I got the things done I had to do and we left for Wichita.  I think we made it to the hospital right before or right after Gideon was born so it all worked out but what a hectic morning that was!  I love the stories surrounding a special moment though and now we can laugh at how hectic it was at the time and how we are able to celebrate it today.


Do you see a theme with the Peine/Blair family? -  Busy, Hectic, Crazy, Wild, but we wouldn't change it!

How appropriate this particular scripture came up today with all the talk about our grandchildren!

April 22 through April 30, 2018

Sunday, April 22 through Monday, April 30, 2018

Sunday, April 22, 2018
Today was a pretty routine day - we went to church this morning, then headed home for a quick lunch.  Immediately afterwards I headed to my sister Jody's house for our Sunday afternoon Sisterfest from 1-3.  We got caught up with each other and all that is going on with our families.  

While I was at Jody's, Dean went to the storage shed to get our battery charger so he could put it on Logan's old car (that is now being passed on to granddaughter Haleigh) to see if the battery is still good or not.  After I returned we went to Misti's to see if the car would start and sure enough it did.  The brake lights and turn signals in the back were not working but Dean worked on them a bit and they were working by the time he finished up.  Hopefully she'll be driving it to and from school this coming week.

Once back at Bentley I worked on the blog until it was time to stop and fix dinner.  We watched last week's episodes of American Idol to catch up before it came on tonight.  I'm glad Dean enjoys watching this as much as I do.  
   

Monday, April 23, 2018
Our goal was to begin walking again this week and we finally followed through!  We walked 1.21 mile at an average pace of 17:16 min.  It wasn't that far but the pace was great for not having walked in such a long time.  It felt good and we look forward to getting back in this routine.

When we returned to the RV Park, our neighbors, who are in a motorhome, were outside.  They are from South Dakota and are getting ready to head north today.  They gave me their card and I told them the name of our blog so they could check it out.  

We got started a little late this morning.  We have dentist appointments in Pittsburg at 10:00, so we were rushing a little to get everything done before we needed to leave.  I have an appointment with my lung doctor this afternoon, so we drove two vehicles to Pittsburg.

After our appointments we drove the van to the north side of Pittsburg so we could pick up our mail while we were in town and then stopped at Rib Crib for lunch.  They brought an enormous amount of food.  We were able to take enough leftovers home for our dinner tonight.  I ordered a baked potato; Dean ordered a sandwich--it was huge!

I dropped Dean off at the dentist's office where we left the truck and I headed to Joplin.  When I got to the intersection south of Pittsburg (KS400/MO171) I saw our neighbors from the RV Park getting fuel at the convenience store.  About that time my phone rings and my daughter said, where are you going?  I'm thinking - Does she have a drone watching me?  LOL!  Come to find out, she was sitting at the convenience store waiting on the shuttle to pick my grandson, Logan, up so he could go to KC to take his physical for the Navy.   

I had a few stops to make before my appointment at 1:40.   I didn't find anything worth buying and before I knew it I realized I was pushing my appointment time but I made it with about 5 minutes to spare so all was good.  

My doctor told me he had not received the results from my most recent pulmonary function test yet so he was going to have his nurse call the hospital to see if they could fax it.  He will call me once he sees it and confirm some reductions in the prednisone I'm taking.    

I made a quick stop at Walmart to pick up a few things and then Sam's.  

It was almost 6 when I finally made it home.  We warmed up our leftovers from lunch today and it tasted as good, if not better tonight.   After a long day, we enjoyed just sitting back and watching American Idol this evening.



Tuesday, April 24, 2018
We were not so rushed this morning in our walk.  We managed to get 2.02 mi/at an average pace of 18:02 min. per mile.  My left calf was hurting a little so we slowed a bit and stopped so we didn't make it worse.

Dr. Slocum, my lung doctor, called me this morning to confirm my pulmonary function test was great, so I can go reduce my prednisone 2.5 mg now and again in 2 months.  Great news!!

I spent the day cleaning and doing paperwork.  Dean played golf.  I have not heard anything from the Cherokee Clinic or Hospital about scheduling me for the EGD Dr. Broce wants me to have, so I followed up on that.  I hope to get a date scheduled sometime for the procedure this week.

We also have never received our reimbursement check for the gate valve repairs that were made while we were in Mission.  It's been almost three months.  While they received the information I sent them it apparently did not get to where it should be, so the proper person did not have it.  I emailed them a copy of what I sent them back in January.  Hopefully they cut us a check pretty quick.

I realized I had not forwarded a copy of my lab results to Dr. Broce after I went to the Cherokee Clinic so I worked on that - but didn't get anything resolved today.  I'll need to make another call tomorrow - evidently I need to sign a medical release (which would involve me making a trip to Vinita) or Dr. Broce can request it.  By the time I found that out, her office had closed.  

My health insurance is taking a BIG increase this year - about $95/mo, so I decided to look at Health.gov and see what is available.  I'm not sure I want to change as the policy is pretty good, but that is a hefty price increase.  I found out that I cannot even consider changing until November/December of this year due to minimum essential coverage.  So, I will continue with what I have and see what is available this fall/winter.  

By the time I did all of this it was time to fix dinner.  We grilled some hamburgers and they were great.  When I was at Walmart yesterday I noticed they had brioche buns - 4 in the package, so I bought some.  The burgers were great on the brioche buns.  We will definitely get more of these in the future.

Misti called later and asked if I wanted to walk with her.  She picked me up and we drove to Riverside Park and I logged another 1.79mi/17:00 min per mi.  It was nice to have the opportunity to visit with her, but talking that much while walking that fast and I was a little breathless - I'm definitely going to have to work back to the level we were at before in order to go at that pace while talking!  Lol!  What a difference of almost a month of not walking or biking has made. 

Back at home, I did some pre-prep for moving, as we will be taking Bentley to Eufaula, OK tomorrow for the Heartland Oklahoma Chapter Rally.  We are looking forward to seeing many of our Heartland friends during the next 5 days.  


Wednesday, April 25, 2018
We were not able to walk this morning because it was raining.  I'm glad Dean disconnected our water and sewer last night rather than waiting until this morning.  All we had to do was unplug the electric cord, pull in the slides and raise the jacks.  Fortunately we had a lag in the rain around noon and we pulled out of the park here in Oswego about 12:35.  

We drove in the rain all the way to Eufala.  Fortunately it was not real heavy and we made pretty decent time, arriving about 3:45.  

Since it rained we stayed in the rig for most of the afternoon/evening.  The rally starts tomorrow evening so we'll have time to visit with everyone tomorrow through the day.


Thursday, April 26, 2018
The rain quit sometime in the night, and while it was a little muddy we walked a little over 2 miles this morning.  The campground here is really nice - there are several sections, including one for folks traveling with horses.  They have individual corrals, stalls and a round corral area to walk them. 

We spent a good part of the day visiting with friends, and we made a run to Walmart for a few things.  We are having a Mexican potluck on Friday evening.  I am going to make a Mexican Chocolate Cake (sheet cake).  I found this recipe years ago (40+) in a magazine and I've made it many times in the past.  I have two smaller sheet cake pans so I will make one with nuts in the frosting and one with plain frosting.  

Tonight we had grilled hot dogs and chips, along with chili, and other toppings for the dogs as well as a few side dishes.  It was all very good.

Afterwards 15 of us played LCR (Left, Center, Right) at the clubhouse..  Even though I bought this game for us to play at home years ago we never did.  My sister Cindy told me how much fun it was so tonight I found out what she meant.  We had a great time.  Each person started with $1 worth of quarters.  The dice have black dots on them along with L's, C's and R's.  If you roll an R - you pass a quarter to the right, if you roll an L - you pass a quarter to the left.  If you roll a C - you put a quarter in a bucket we passed up and down the table as each person took their turn.  If you rolled and got all black dots - you got to retain the quarters you had and hoped it happened again on your next roll.  

These two ladies were rubbing shoulders for luck - they rolled all 3 dice to get the black dots several turns in a row.

The second game it came down to me and Stella with one quarter each - and I rolled a C.  I lost my quarter and Stella won $14, plus her original $1.  Win or lose, it was still a lot of fun for the evening.


Friday, April 27, 2018
Dean and I walked again this morning and managed to get in another 2 miles, before we went to the clubhouse around 8:00 for coffee and pastries.  Dean is going to play golf this morning with Dave and Lin.

At 10:00 the ladies toured the different rigs - several of our group have new Landmarks so it was fun to see the upgrades Heartland has made.  While they were beautiful, and several things would be nice to have in our rig, I don't think I would change the layout of my rig.  The fun thing about looking at other units - is seeing the things they have done to either make better use of storage, or find new ways of expanding storage.  For instance, Nancy had a wonderful spice/storage rack in her pantry.  It hangs on the back of her pantry door.  I will be getting one of those in the near future.  I currently have my spices in a drawer next to the stove.  While it is handy, I cannot stand them up, so they lay on their side.  As the RV moves down the road, and as I open and close the drawer, some of the spice spills out into the lid of the containers.  When I open it I lose some of the contents, so there is a fair amount of waste.  Having it upright - even if it is not right next to the stove - is more important to me.  I rarely use more than 2-4 spices at a time so I think it will be worth it to take a few extra steps.

Earlier today I was looking at our cabinets with the "glass/plastic" door fronts.  I really do not like how you can see some of the contents and how junky it looks.  I was wondering what I could do to cover these so others wouldn't see it when they are in our rig.  Nancy came to the rescue again.  She bought some paper (a little heavier posterboard) and cut it to fit inside each of her doors and then used double sided tape to hold it in place.  I will be trying that soon.  You would never know when looking at hers that they weren't made like that.

Notice you can see the shadows of things in the cupboards with the glass insets.  Even though it has a milky finish you can still see items inside.  

Later I was talking to Barbara V. about some things in her unit.  That led me to show her something in my rig.  While she was there I mentioned the areas of my cabinets where a drawer had opened in transit, making a light spot on a door or cabinet opposite it.  I mentioned I needed to find some way to try and cover those up.  She told me she had something she thought would work... Old English Scratch Cover for Dark Woods, and she let me borrow it so I could give it a try.  Wow, this worked perfectly and I will be buying a bottle of this soon - it will keep the entire RV looking much nicer.

I have learned a lot from other RVer's, while either talking to them or reading their blogs that have resulted in many space saving ideas, new products, etc.  

We had lunch on our own and I enjoyed a grilled cheese sandwich.  Dean made it back not too long before the Heartland Chapter meeting at 1:30.  We will be meeting back here in September of 2018 for our fall rally.  Everyone is enjoying the campground.

At 4:30 we caravaned to McAlester, OK to eat dinner at GiaComo's Italian Cuisine.  It was pretty good.  We really enjoyed our main meal - I had Chicken Parmesean and Dean had Chicken Alfredo.  Included with it was spaghetti and meatsauce, meatballs, ravioli, salad and breadsticks.  The meatballs were okay but they were hard to cut.  Dean almost had one fly off his plate as he was trying to cut it with his fork.  The ravioli was boiled and we prefer the fried or toasted ones.  The salad was quite good as was the bread so all in all we were happy with our meal, although it was pretty expensive for the two of us - over $50, but we were with great company and it's okay to splurge once in awhile.  

Once we returned to the campground both Dean and I went to the clubhouse to play LCR tonight but neither of us came out the big winner.  Again, it's more about the fun and time spent with friends than who wins.


Saturday, April 28
Rather than go to the clubhouse for coffee and pastries this morning I stayed home and made my Mexican Chocolate Cake for the potluck dinner tonight.  I had enough time to get everything picked up in the rig before I headed to the clubhouse for Crafts with Barbara W.  Barbara and her husband Orville are the Heartland Owners Club Chapter Leaders.  Barbara is very crafty and today she had 3 small crafts for us to do.  A stretchy bookmark, a paperclip bookmark and a magnet clothespin.  They were easy enough that even I was able to make them without any hassle.  That's saying a lot since I am not at all crafty!

Stretchy bookmark, paperclip bookmark, and the magnet clothespin.

Stretchy bookmark put to work!

I asked Barbara if she could use some help getting ready for tonight and agreed to come up and help her at 2.  Several went into town to check out the various shops (mostly flea markets and antique stores) but I chose to stay home and rest a little.  I didn't sleep good last night and I was tired.  At about 2 I headed up to the clubhouse.  I chopped onions and tomatoes and then we got everything set up so it would be ready to go when we returned a little before 5:30.  We had enough food leftover we'll have it again tomorrow night for dinner.

Dean and I decided not to play a game this evening.  I think they may have played Mexican Train, which we enjoy but we were both tired, so we decided to return to Bentley, watch a little TV and rest.



Sunday, April 29, 2018
This morning 8 couples drove into Eufala to have breakfast.  We originally planned to try out "I Smell Bacon" but it was small and they only had one table open when we arrived, so we moved next door to the "Anglers Cafe".  It turned out to be a great choice.  Our waitress handled our group wonderfully - getting us our drinks, returning to get our order and then following up with refilling of drinks before our meals arrived - almost in the order she took them.  The food was quite good and there was plenty of it.  Dean and I each had 2 eggs, bacon (me) sauage (him), hash browns (me) and cottage fries (him), along with a biscuit and sausage gravy.  The food was really good and our meals were $4.97 each.  The plates were huge and full of food.  We were very happy and we will return here in September when we attend our fall rally.  It was 10-10:30 when we returned to the campground.  

We rested and then visited some before we headed back to the clubhouse at 5:30 for leftovers from our Mexican potluck.  

Afterwards, Donna asked all of the couples to line up across the room from each other.  She had one of those soft but spiky balls that stretch.  We took turns tossing them across the room to our partner until one of them missed and then they had to leave the game.  It came down to Stella and I and finally Stella missed.  I won - a bag of Hershey chocolates!!  Yummmm!

We set out at Mike & Peg's for awhile.  We didn't stay too long as we were both tired but we sure had a great week here at the rally.  Tomorrow morning we'll say our good byes.  Since we'll be headed to New York the first part of June, we do not expect to see this group again until September when we'll return back here to Little Turtle RV Park.



Monday, April 30, 2018
We got out and walked again this morning and managed to get in a little over 2 miles.  We've enjoyed these morning walks.  The air has been cool but not cold making it quite enjoyable to be outside.  Finally spring/summer is here.  It feels like spring in the morning and summer by afternoon!

When we returned, we worked on getting the rig ready to move and then made our rounds to say goodbye to those that were still here.  We pulled out of Little Turtle RV Park about 9:45. 

We are meeting my cousin Jim and his wife Wanda for lunch at JL's BBQ just south of Pryor, OK on our way home.  JL's has a large parking area where we can easily fit Bentley in while we have lunch.  Jim and Wanda were already there when we pulled in.  After going through the buffet line and choosing our food we spent the next hour and a half visiting.  We had a great time with Jim and Wanda, and I wonder why we don't make time to see them more than once or twice a year, as well as other family members that are not that far from us.  

Our next stop was in Vinita at the Cherokee Health Center so I could have some more blood drawn and to pick up a prescription.  Fortunately the entrance road is wide enough Dean can park Bentley to the side while I ran in to take care of these two things.  It took me less than 30 minutes and we were back on our way.

We arrived in Oswego around 3:30 or so.  We were soon set up and relaxing a bit when someone knocked on the door.  My cousin Barbara stopped by to visit for a little while.  She has been waiting to get a date set for a surgery she needs and it will finally happen the first part of June.  

Dean and I both had leftovers tonight.  I still had my leftovers from the Italian restaurant a few nights ago and he had his leftovers from lunch today.   We enjoyed them while we watched Dancing With the Stars, the Athletes.  






I apologize for the lack of posts lately.  I prefer to write more often than I have recently.  When we are at rallies it is often difficult to stay up to date.  It also seems we have been very busy since we've back in Oswego and right now I don't see that changing much since we are trying to spend as much time as we can with family during May, and trying to cram in all of our routine 6 month doctor appointments along with a few routine tests we need to do before we head east.  I'll write as often as I have something to share and I can.  Once we get back on the road, we'll have more adventures to share with you.

April 14 - April 21, 2018 - It's Been a Very Busy Last Eight Days

April 14 - April 21, 2018 - It's Been a Very Busy Last Eight Days

Saturday, April 14
We spent most of today catching up on some cleaning of Bentley, and going through cabinets, cubbies, closets, our underbed storage and other areas inside.  While we were in Texas we decided we took way too many things so now comes the paring down.  We managed to take two large tubs and two pretty good sized piles to the van that will go to storage once we return home next week.  In the evening, we went to our son Brett's house in Liberal, MO.  He grilled hamburgers and we had a great visit with him and grand-kids Dacy and Tucker.  On our way home we stopped at Walmart to pick up a few things we needed in anticipation of our upcoming campout.  

Sunday, April 15
Dean and I went to Sherman Country Church this morning, our home church when we are in Oswego.  We picked Misti up and after church the three of us went to our local Mexican Restaurant, Mi Pueblo for lunch.  Afterwards, we took Misti home as she had homework to do.  Our son Matt called to see if we wanted to Skype with them.  After a bit of technical issues we finally connected and had a great visit with him, Megan, Josh and Sarah.  Here are a few pictures I took of them while we were visiting.  

I love the picture of Megan, Josh & Matt - top left.  They are all great but that smile he's giving Mom and Dad is priceless!

After our phone conversation I did a few things in preparation for our trip to Carthage, MO tomorrow for a rally with our Escapees group - Chapter 17.  I made Chili, and cooked 2.5 pounds of sausage which I froze in 1/2# bags for future meals.  Later we took our bicycles to the storage shed and while we were there we picked our granddaughter Haleigh up from her dad's and brought her back to Oswego with us.  

Monday, April 16
Our Escapee rally begins tomorrow but most of our group has already arrived or will be arriving for the rally this afternoon.  We were loaded up and pulled out of the park here in Oswego by 9:30.  I told Dean I would drive today.  I am not interested in driving all the time or even regularly but I do want to drive enough that I feel comfortable if something happened and I needed to.  Hopefully we never have to face that, but it's good to be prepared.  I also like the idea of driving in different types of traffic and today I'm taking I-44 from Baxter Springs to Carthage  It's not far, but I need to get comfortable with merging into Interstate traffic.  No better place to practice than in an area I am familiar and somewhat comfortable with as opposed to somewhere I've never been.  We stopped at the Missouri Travel Center just west of Joplin for a restroom break, and about twenty miles later I pulled into Coachlight RV Park just south of Carthage, MO.  We really love this park.  It's nicely shaded and has a very nice rally hall.  It's very clean and the people working here are just great.  They seem to love their job and go out of their way to assist us in anyway they can.

We were soon set up, had some lunch and then we headed to Joplin.  Dean had a doctor's appointment at 3:30 but I wanted to run by Khol's first.  I'm still looking for a few tops and some capris for this summer.  I received a 30% off coupon in the mail so wanted to at least look to see what they had.  As it worked out, I did find a pair of capris' and 4 shirts for less than $45 so I was quite happy with that.  We made a couple of other stops before arriving at the doctor's office about 3:15.  It was close to 4:30 before we finally got called back.  We could see we were going to be too late to eat at 5:00with the group that was gathering back at the campground, so I sent a text letting them know to go on without us and we'd catch up with them later.  When we finally finished up at the doctor's office we headed to Texas Roadhouse in Joplin.  Dean chose a ribeye steak.  I don't remember what my meal was called but it included 3-3oz. tenderloins.  We both had baked potatoes and salads.  Mine also included a bowl of rice - which was delicious and I shared it with Dean.  It was a very good meal and since we had a gift card from Heath & Casey (Christmas present) the cost to us was just under $13.00.  Thanks again Heath Peine family for the gift.  We sure did enjoy it.

Back at the campground we finished getting a few things set up before we walked down to Alvin & Linda's camper where the campfire was for the evening.  Both Alvin & Linda and Phil & Janelle have Flame Genie's - neat little campfire containers that use wood pellets.  With the size of our group it was great to have two of these going since we had some chilly evenings.  It was a wonderful evening getting caught up with everyone.

Tuesday, April 17
We had an officer's meeting at 9 this morning,  I'm not an officer, but since I am the newsletter editor they invite me to attend the meetings.  Afterwards I returned to Bentley, where I made Dean and I some lunch.  We have a Welcome and Announcement meeting at 2 where we'll go over the schedule for the week.  

After the meeting, 4 of us ladies played hand and foot.  I really miss getting to play this card game so I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity, even if it was only one time during the campout.

Tonight we had our pot luck dinner.  Everyone brings a covered dish.  I made apple crisp, potato salad and since I had a few eggs left over I made some deviled eggs as well.   These ladies know how to cook and we had a wonderful meal.  However, the best part of the entire campout is catching up with our friends, many of which we have not seen since sometime during the past year.  

We enjoyed another evening around the campfire before calling it an evening.

Wednesday, April 18
At the Welcome meeting yesterday Dean volunteered to make the coffee and have it ready at the clubhouse by 8 each morning so he was out the door about 7:30 which gave me time to get my work done around Bentley.  At noon we had our pot luck leftovers from last night  for our lunch.  Everything was just as good - if not better the second time around.  

At 3:00 Dean and I were in charge of playing Bingo.  He called the numbers.  I play but when someone Bingo's I check their cards to be sure all of the numbers were actually called.  We had a lot of fun with this and almost everyone participated.  

Tonight was supper on your own and four (Phil & Janelle, Keith & Drena, Bill & Mary, Dean & I) couples went to the local El Charro in Carthage for dinner.  The food was great, as usual, and once we returned we all gathered around the campfire again.

Thursday, April 19
This morning we had our Chapter Business Meeting.  We elect officers every fall (September) and our President, Alvin let everyone know there would be several positions open including President, Vice-President and Newsletter Editor at our fall rally.  I've decided that I'm ready to pass the newsletter on to someone else.  It's my third year doing it and have found it doesn't always work well while on the road.  You might remember we had really poor Wi-Fi and Verizon connections at times while in South Texas.  Unfortunately it took a little longer for me to get the newsletter out in March.  It's hard to plan where to be, at the proper time, and it's time for someone else to give it their own twist.

Everyone had lunch on their own.  Dean and I chose to have some chili dogs at Bentley.  This afternoon at 3:00 we had our brown bag exchange.  This is always lots of fun.  We had some great gifts as usual and they were stolen early on.  Once they've been stolen twice - they belong to the last owner for the remainder of the game.  Dean ended up with a very large bag of Gardetto's and I won a bottle of Awesome, 2 little dip holders (they attach to your plate) and a little pop up fan - that about made me jump out of my seat when it popped out suddenly.  I wasn't prepared for that at all.  I was really disappointed that someone stole my ice cream toppings I stole; and then the 4 sampler set of BBQ sauces I picked from the remaining brown bags.  I know Dean will use the Awesome and the dip holders might be a handy thing to have, so I was satisfied.  However, Dean was very UNHAPPY someone took the popcorn he really wanted.  We learned later we can buy it at Sam's - so my next Sam's trip might include a purchase of that particular brand of popcorn.

Our friends David & Donna had asked us about going out to dinner tonight.  Two other couples, Phil & Janelle, and Don & Lynda joined us.  We drove to nearby Joplin, MO and ate at Red Onion Cafe.  Dean and I really like this place.  We wanted to share it and I think everyone really enjoyed their meal.  We had a great waiter who really did a great job of taking care of us.    It wasn't too late when we returned but it was pretty windy so there was no campfire tonight.

Friday, April 20
We had another group meal this morning - breakfast and as with all of the other meals prepared by these wonderful campers, it was wonderful.  Biscuits & Gravy, Egg/meat casseroles, Sausage Links, Fruit, French Toast Bake and some pastries.  It was all delicious.  Afterwards Donna, Mary and I drove to Joplin to do a little shopping.  I still had my 30% off coupon for Khol's so we stopped there first.  We all used the coupon for our purchases.  We made a stop at Sear's where we enjoyed looking around.  By 12:30 or so we were beginning to get a little hungry, so I suggested we try out a restaurant that my nephew had given high reviews to awhile back, called "The Brunchenette".  Once we were inside and read the menu on the wall I was wondering what Rye had lead me to.  It was a very different menu, but we all braved up, ordered and were so glad we stayed.  The brunch choices we made were delicious.  Mary and I had one of their "Bennie's" (eggs benedict) with Bacon, Tomato, Avocado, Egg with Hollandaise sauce - WONDERFUL!  Donna had basically the same thing except it had pulled pork (no bacon, tomato or avocado), but she did ask for a couple of slices of tomato - which by the way, were very good!  

Donna's Eggs Benedict with Pulled pork

This is the Eggs Benedict that Mary & I had with Bacon, Tomato and Avocado.

Mary, Donna & Me

The three of us had a great time visiting, shopping and having lunch together.  We returned in plenty of time to enjoy a community cookout that took place at the clubhouse.  Alvin fired up the large charcoal grill outside and everyone brought their own choice of meat to cook.  Once it was done we went into the clubhouse to eat.  Dean and I cooked hot dogs again.  I brought up some chili that I had already warmed up, along with some cheese slices.  When Dean finally brought the hot dogs in they looked like shriveled up sausage links.  I'm not sure what he was doing out there but it evidently was not keeping an eye on our hot dogs!!; however, they were edible and with the cheese and chili they tasted pretty good.

Once things were cleaned up and our food/dishes back home, we all gathered one last time at Alvin and Linda's for our nightly campfire.  Phil and Janelle left earlier today, so Stan and Linda shared their Flame Genie to provide enough fire for all of our group.  I was having a hard time staying awake.  I think I dozed off more than once until everyone decided it was time to call it a night.  We had such a great time this week.  It was good to see everyone again after the winter months had passed - although it has not always felt like winter itself has passed.  We were fortunate the days were pretty nice but most evenings the ladies (and maybe a guy or two) were wrapped in blankets at the campfires.

Saturday, April 21
This morning almost everyone was readying their rigs to hitch up and head home.  Three rigs stayed for a day or more before they move to their next site.  We left the park about 10:30 and arrived back in Oswego at 11:40.  We have an event to attend later this evening.  Our other 16 year old granddaughter, Dacy is attending her first High School Jr/Sr Prom with a friend that attends Baxter Springs, KS HS.  (Remember, we did this just two weeks ago with our granddaughter Haleigh)  We are driving half-way back to Carthage to watch Dacy; but it's so worth it.  

After arriving in Oswego, getting the rig set up and eating lunch, I finished setting everything else up, then washed a couple of loads of clothes.  My daughter Misti, and grandson Logan stopped by for awhile and it was great to visit with them.  Logan is going to KC on Monday to take his physical with the intent of joining the Navy.  I'm really proud of him but it's hard for a grandma to not be concerned - and I'm sure Mom feels the same way.  This is where we have to continue to trust God that he will watch over him in everything he does, as we do for all the grand-kids.

It wasn't but a short time after Misti and Logan left that Dean and I was headed to Baxter Springs.  We met our son Brett and grandson Tucker at The Rice House, a Chinese restaurant in Baxter Springs, for dinner before going to the High School.  We had never eaten here before but the reviews on Google and Trip Advisor were great.  Weve been looking for a really good Chinese restaurant and we LOVED this place.  We will definitely return here in the future.  I had General Tso's Chicken, Dean had Cashew Chicken, Tucker had Sweet & Sour Chicken and Brett chose the Garlic Chicken.  We all really enjoyed our meals.  I was a little worried about my fortune cookie comment though - Something about soon being the center of attention - I was extra careful walking into the gym, setting down and leaving!!!  I managed to get in and out without drawing any attention to myself - or at least that I know of!  

By the way it started raining this morning before we left Carthage, then stopped before we left.  Shortly after we arrived in Oswego it began to sprinkle, and gradually increased in intensity, but it never turned into a downpour.  When we reached the high school we were glad to see the "Walk-in" was being held inside.  We are not sure if that is always the way it happens or it was due to the rain.  I didn't think to ask anyone about it.  Renae met us at the High School.  She had spent the entire day with Dacy starting with her makeup and hair appointments; changing into her dress; followed by pictures with her and her date in Columbus and Joplin.  We were fortunate to get some pretty decent seats and it's a good thing since I left my new camera in Bentley.  I was so disappointed I forgot it, but Renae was good enough to share some great pictures that I will include.

Dacy and her date.

Dacy & Brother Tucker - Love that Renae is in the picture, taking her own picture.

Mom Renae, Dacy, Dad Brett & Brother Tucker

Nana, Dacy  Papa 

My favorite picture of Dacy - by Renae.

Of course I think Renae and I enjoyed the Walk-in much more than the guys - but there is no doubt we all enjoyed watching Dacy and her date walk-in!  It was the other 40-50; or more couples they didn't get quite as excited about.  I enjoyed watching each of them - I guess it's a "girl" thing, huh?  

It was after 8 when we returned to Bentley.  Dean and I were both pretty tired.  I think we were in bed by 9:30 and I could barely keep my eyes open the hour or so before I finally said - "it's bedtime".  All of that camping just wore us out!

It's good to be back in Oswego.