Saturday, July 7, 2018 - New Chair for Dean, Slower Day,

Saturday, July 7, 2018 - New Chair for Dean, Slower Day, 

After the long day yesterday, Dean decided maybe he was overdoing it a bit with the increase in our morning walks.  He walked with me this morning, but he stopped at about 1.5 miles and I continued on to reach the 3 mile mark.  I decided to stay in Phase II where our rig is located, so I wanted to share a screenshot of the route we/I walked.  

I think Phase 2 is one of the largest of the 4 phases in the park and it offers a good selection of "walking trails".  Notice there was still a good elevation gain in this phase.  I brought my earphones along and enjoyed listening to some good country music I found on Amazon Music.  I can't believe how quick the time passed for the last 1.5 mile.  It's easy for me to get lost in music.

Dean has not been happy with the chairs he has chosen for himself.  When we were at the Coleman outdoor sale the other day we saw a few chairs that he liked the looks of.  Since it's just a short distance from Treasure Lake, we drove over and he tried a couple out.  He liked one and I really liked it too, since it has some lower back support to it.  The arms are really nice and comfortable too.  He decided to buy one.  I hope this one works out better than the others we have purchased.  We have two "reclining chairs" we are going to get rid of.  We have two folding chairs that take up very little space that we carry with us in case we have visitors to our site while traveling or attending rallies.

I stopped at the "Made in the USA Store" and bought another set of dishrags and towels to match them.  

After lunch I cut up the watermelon and cantaloupe we bought yesterday.  I was very disappointed with the watermelon.  This is the 4th one we've had and not one of them has been that good.  They are edible and that's about it.  The cantaloupe isn't too bad, one was  a little better than the other.  

I helped Dean get most of our "outside stuff" put up in preparation of moving Bentley from Phase 2 to Phase 3 in the morning.  We're hoping to move early since we want to be in Springfield around noon.  We'll take time to hookup all of the "utilities" so we can finish getting ready for our excursion tomorrow, but I won't get in a hurry about doing much else until we get back. 

I don't think I mentioned I also bought 2 rotisserie chickens at Sam's yesterday.  I cut those up last night.  I was able to get 8, 2 cup packages of meat from those two birds.  7 packages went in the freezer for future meals and we'll have taco chicken salad tonight for dinner.  It will make enough that we can have a second salad in the next day or so.

After dinner, Joyce stopped by for awhile.  We had a great visit with her and look forward to more time together this week and when we return later this month.  

We also took a quick ride through Phase 3 and Phase 1 to see what sites are available, since we must move to one of them tomorrow.  We saw three sites in Phase 3 we think might work for us, and there were several available in Phase 1.  We prefer Phase 3 but we'll take what we can get since it's only for four nights.

Friday, July 6, 2018 - We Did It!, Trip to Springfield,

Friday, July 6, 2018 - We Did It!, Trip to Springfield, 

It felt a little cooler this morning when we started our walk and we enjoyed it while we could. 

Here are some of the cabins Treasure Lake has installed.  They also have a couple of yurts and a few RV's for rent.  They are only rented to owners and their guests.  Notice there is a car, or cars at each unit.  They have been in high demand this summer.

Not too long into our walk we had a brief conversation with a gentlemen who commented on the storm we had last night.  He told us they had been out in the boat, and had stopped at a dock.  He was standing on the deck, holding his boat before they left.  he had his hand on a metal post when lightening hit very close to them.  He immediately felt a shock up his arm.  He said there were three other men on the dock a short distance from him and they all felt it too.  How frightening that must have been, and how blessed they must have felt to still be here to tell about it.  It's been awhile since I've seen and heard lightening like we had last night; and so much of it in such a short time.

Well, we did it!  We made it over 3 miles this morning, barely over, but we did!  

Notice the elevation gain - as you know, it's hilly in Branson and that includes here in the park.  We really get a good workout besides just the distance we walk.  

Today is the monthly luncheon for our Escapees RV Club.  They meet at the Golden Corral in Springfield on the first Friday of each month at 12:30.  We've been to a couple of them, but typically it's a 2 hour drive for us (when we are in Oswego) to and from so we don't attend often.  However, since we are less than an hour away we are going today.  We also have a few errands to run while we are there.  

We always look forward to seeing our RVing family so we are looking forward to the luncheon.  We did not think we would make it to any of our casual campouts this summer since we planned to head to New York on June 4th.  I thought we would be able to visit a few days for this month's campout since it will be in hearby Hollister, MO, but we are leaving on Thursday to spend a few days at our son Brett's and then we will head back to Oswego for a few days.  We will return here on the 22nd for Dean's follow up Dr. appointments on July 23 and 31.  Hopefully, the doctors both agree we are free to head east on August 1.  

We have used Skype on our laptops for several years to visit with Matt, Megan and their family but we recently learned about a new app called Duo.  It is a Google app.  It works so much better than Skype has for us and works on both Android and I-phones. We have Androids and Matt/Megan have I-phones.  The picture isn't as big as when we use the laptop, but the connection is much, much better.  We love being able to see the kids and most importantly they can see and talk to us.  Sarah was only 1 last year when we saw her and she didn't really know us.  I'm hoping our visits with her on the phone will make a difference this year.  She sure wants to get in the picture a lot to tell us something on the phone!  We love it!

Our luncheon was great.  There were 22 people attending.  We were able to see several folks we haven't seen for awhile and enjoyed our visit with them all.

Once we left Golden Corral, we stopped at Bass Pro to see if we could find a big, long, yellow fish for Jaxson's birthday on Sunday.  It wasn't all yellow, but we found one with quite a bit of yellow on it - however, it isn't real - it's a big stuffed fish pillow.  I think he'll like it though.  We are looking forward to seeing him and spending time with his family for lunch on Sunday. 

Our next stop was at Sam's.  I buy Dean's cereal here.  I can get a lot more for the money in their large (double bag) boxes than I can at Wal-mart.  I bought a watermelon, 2 cantaloupe, Hellman's mayo (2 bottles for $6.88 - they had a special of $2 off today), which was a great price as the jars are also over-sized compared to what you would regularly buy in the store, and a large container of assorted nuts.  We eat nuts several times a week for an evening snack.  I bought some small containers to put them in so we can control our serving size.  The price of a large container per serving size compared to a small container in the grocery store is worth storing them in the RV.  I have a smaller container to keep in the pantry that we refill every week to 10 days.  The cabinets over our couch are so high and fairly good sized, so that is where I stash things we don't use all the time and it works great for storing food items like I've mentioned.

Dean was about worn out by the time we headed home.   I was shocked when I saw it was already 4:30 and it's Friday night.  I dreaded getting on Hwy 65 and driving back to Branson.  I knew it would be terribly busy and people just drive a little crazier than I care for.  I made a quick stop at Casey's (across the road from Sam's) to use their facilities and get us something to drink.  When I came out Dean told me I could turn left out of Casey's and go around to a stop light that would allow me to take Highway 13 south in order to stay off of Hwy 65.  It took us a little longer to get home but the traffic was much better.  Fortunately I managed to get through most of the stoplights without stopping...we pretty much stayed in sync with the green lights!  It was a slower drive but much more enjoyable.

Since we had a big lunch I made sandwiches tonight.  Once I had cleaned things up after dinner we were both pretty much done for the night.  Dean watched TV and I think I just watched the backs of my eyelids - again!!!!   

Thursday, July 5, 2018 - Kitchen Store, Laundry, Baking, Visit from Friends, Dick's 5 & 10, Taking a Drive, and a Surprise Rain Shower

Thursday, July 5, 2018 - Kitchen Store, Laundry, Baking, Visit from Friends, Dick's 5 & 10, Taking a Drive, and a Surprise Rain Shower

We only managed to increase our morning walk mileage from 2.75 to 2.77 today.  We typically take a bottle of water with us to share, but we forgot it this morning.   We returned to the RV to get one, but by the time we walked back out to the road it was just getting too warm, so we came back to Bentley.  We just need to get started earlier!  Once the sun is out it warms up so quick.

There was already enough dark clothes to do another load of laundry this morning, so I started a load after breakfast.

We still have the zucchini my sister gave me Tuesday, so this morning I decided I was going to make some zucchini bread, and possibly some muffins.  However, I do not have a grater, so off to the Kitchen Store we went....again!  Fortunately it's pretty close and most items are reasonably priced.  I found just what I needed for about $5, and we headed back to the park.

The washer was just finishing when we returned.  Once the clothes are done, I take them out, shake them and stack them on the end of the island closest to the pantry where the washer is located.  Once they are all laid out, I fold each item and then return them all to the washer, nicely stacked on top of each other.  Then I switch the setting from the washer to the dryer and dry the clothes for 20 minutes.  When they are done, I hang all of them on hangars - including shorts, slacks, etc.   Then I hang them outside on my clothesline stand to dry.  It takes about 15-25 minutes for them to dry outside, depending on how warm it is.  Today it did not take long at all.  I am still in love with my washer/dryer!

Today was my first time to use the convection oven in the new microwave and it worked great, although the steps were slightly different than the last one. I made two loaves of bread and 12 muffins and used about 2/3 of the zucchinni.  I gave one loaf to our friends Frank and Joyce.  I'll freeze the muffins.  They will make a great snack or quick breakfast once we start traveling again.

I stopped long enough to fix us some lunch, finished up with the muffins - all while we watched Space Cowboys.  I don't think I've ever watched the show from beginning to end.  It was a good movie, and I'm glad it happened to come on during my kitchen duties.

Joyce and Frank stopped by around 2.  Joyce had some canned goods, spices, etc. she was going to get rid of and wanted to know if I might be interested in any of them.  I was able to use several items.  She picked up the items I couldn't use, and I gave her a loaf of zucchinni bread while she was here.

A short time later Dean and I decided to head to Dick's 5 & 10 in downtown Branson.  Our grandson, Jaxson's birthday is Sunday.  Marc and Jen are bringing him and Kamron to Springfield to visit the new Wildlife Museum at Bass Pro.  We are going to meet up with them for lunch.  I asked Jaxson what he wanted for his birthday.  He told me a yellow fish.  I asked if he wanted a real one and he said YES, a long yellow fish.  Well, I don't know about a real, long yellow fish, but I thought we'd see if we could find anything similar that we could give him - or anything else I thought he might enjoy.  Unfortunately, the store was so packed it was hard to move around in.  I should know that from previous visits there, but it's always fun to look around in that store.  

When we left we decided to take a drive around Branson.  We drove through some areas near downtown and then we headed north, then turned and traveled east a ways.  We just drove up and down the roadways looking at the homes.  We found some that had great views of Lake Taneycomo. 

You can just see the lake peeking though the trees.

This house had a really nice view from the road - but from upstairs, I imagine it is really great.

We took the Highroad Bypass back to Treasure Lake.  I am just amazed at how beautiful the trees are in the hills here this year.  I have not seen a dead or diseased tree in the hills surrounding Branson.  The colors are just such a variety of greens - they are just gorgeous this year.  Of course, there are always beautiful vistas with the hills and valleys, and the rock that has been cut in order to expand the highways makes a beautiful picture with all of the beautiful greens nearby.

On our way back to the park, I took a few pictures here in the park to share with you.

This picture is before we reached the park, coming down 76 from the west.  If you enlarge this you can see the ferris wheel that is a few miles away.

Waiting to get in the gate at Treasure Island.  Rarely is there a line like there was today.

The Clubhouse - there are events held here almost daily.  We haven't been to any since Dean had his surgery but we might try and attend some next week.

Part of the miniature golf course.

Walking trail that we walk every morning.

Storage area for folks who want to leave their RV's when they head home.

We returned to Bentley about 6pm.  Not long after returning I made "super" sandwiches for us.  We bought some of the round bread for our hamburgers the other day and I had two rounds left.  I added mayo on both sides of the bread, then added 2 slices of oven roasted turkey, muenster cheese, 2 slices of bacon, 2 tomatoes, and I added gouda cheese to mine too.  Oh my, they were delicious.  We'll have a slice of zucchini bread in a little while.

Our waste tanks needed to be emptied, so Dean went out about 7:30 to take care of that chore.  All of a sudden, the sky darkened a little, it started to rain lightly, and then the electric went out.  

The clouds were starting to form, and just a few light drops were falling.

Just a light rain falling when I snapped this picture.

Now you can see the big drops that started.  That's when we gathered things up and headed inside.

I decided I would go out side and sit with him while I worked on this blog post.  I no sooner got out there and it started to rain - it was only a light rain, and then a few minutes later the lightening started and the heavy rains began.  It was the worst lightening storm I've heard or been in or near, in quite awhile.  We were quickly gathering chairs up and stowing them to get inside.  Evidently the storms formed north of us and just kept coming our way.  It rained for over an hour, and pretty hard at times.  It has pretty much stopped now at 9:15.

So, with the rain behind us and this post finished, I'll bid you all goodnight.

Wednesday, July 4, 2018 - Getting back to daily posts

Wednesday, July 4, 2018 - Getting back to daily posts

We had our first cup of coffee and at 6:30 Dean was ready to walk.  It was a little cooler this morning than when we've left the last few days.  We managed 2.75 miles today.  Tomorrow we might make it to 3!  That's the goal.

Our days are so routine anymore I don't have much to post, but after breakfast and the normal cleaning up routine each morning - washing dishes, making the bed, etc., I washed a load of clothes.  

I spent most of the morning bringing the blog up to date.  My plan is to get back to daily posts beginning with this one.  

We had the leftover hamburgers from a couple of days ago for lunch.  They were just as good as the first time around.  

When we were at Cindy and Elmer's yesterday they gave us some fresh tomatoes, a fairly good sized zucchini, and some fresh green beans.  I ran across this recipe for the Instapot.  I'll include a link if you want to check it out.  This is what I'm making for dinner tonight.  I bought 6 chicken legs at Harter House on Monday and I have one russet potato on hand so hopefully this will work well with the green beans they gave me.  Of course, I'll slice a couple of tomatoes to go with it as well.

Since this was on Facebook there was not really a link to the recipe, so I copied the entire recipe from this lady's Facebook page, as I want to be sure and give her the credit.

Kaylin Moore Thompson

June 30 at 5:36 PM · 

Complete meal made in the instant pot!

About 35 minutes total time.

-Layered cubed red potatoes, 1 cup chicken broth, salt, pepper and 1/2 stick butter on the bottom. (I would have added some garlic but we were out)

-Then layer on chicken legs, fresh green beans, salt, pepper and the rest of the stick of butter.

- cook on “poultry” setting (15 mins high pressure) I think 10 would actually be enough. And quick release when done.

- remove chicken, place in baking dish, cover with BBQ sauce and broil 5 min (to caramelize sauce)

Delicious, quick, easy clean up and the oven didn’t heat up the kitchen! 

I used a russet potato because that is all I had.  I think if I had cooked it the 10 minutes it would have been a little better - as well as using red potatoes.  I cooked it 13 and it was still  too long.  I did add the garlic.  Dean grilled the chicken for about 8 minutes or so, but did not add BBQ sauce.  Next time I'll have him add it for me, he doesn't care for it.  I also might add a little seasoning salt, and maybe just a dash of rosemary and thyme in the broth to bring out a little more flavor.  Overall the meal was wonderful and I will use it again.

----

Tomorrow I'm going to make something with the zucchini - either bread or a cake.  I haven't had either one in a very long time and right now they both sound good.  It probably will depend on how much zucchini I end up with.

This afternoon we had to make a quick Walmart run for a couple of items and I decided to return the turquoise/brown washcloths I bought at the Kitchen Store.  On our way to the Kitchen Store, we noticed the Coleman store was having an outdoor tent sale, so we stopped to take a look.  We bought a small cooler that we will use for packing our lunch when we are traveling.  We had one but it's at least 15+ years old and has started leaking.  This one has a hard container that sits down inside of it and I think it will serve us well for quite awhile.

It's after 8:00 and I'm ready to begin winding down, so I will close here.

If anyone has commented and not received a response from me I would like to know.  You can email me at cpeine9@gmail.com.  Thank you.

Friday, June 29, 2018 - Monday, July 2, 2018

Friday, June 29, 2018 - Monday, July 2, 2018

Friday, June 29, 2018

I charged my new fitness band yesterday so I was anxious to see how it would work out for me.  I managed to get 8,025 steps today, which according to the details on the app is equal to 3.60 miles.  We walked about 1.75 miles this morning on the park's walking trails.  It has really been hot here and today is supposed to be even worse.  (Before the day was over it hit 100 degrees).

After breakfast, and getting things picked up, I started laundry.  I did 5 loads throughout the day.  It was a great day to have the clothes hanging outside on my clothesline stand - each load was dry by the time the next load of washing was ready to be hung out.  It helped keep the RV from getting any warmer - and it was already warm enough.  We had taken the reflectix out of a couple of windows to let light in, but yesterday we had to put it back.  It was so warm outside it was after 9 last night before we got the RV cooled down - it wasn't unbearable, but we would have appreciated a little more coolness earlier in the day.  

We had to make a run to Walmart this morning for a few things.  It gave us another opportunity to do a little walking.   

Beautiful views all over Branson - we see these each time we visit Walmart.

When we returned my Uncle called and wanted to know if we could take some pictures of his RV that is stored here at Treasure Lake.  We were thrilled to do it for him, not only to help him out, but gave us another reason to get out for awhile.  Fortunately, it was before noon so it wasn't too bad outside yet.

This afternoon we decided we'd visit a new store called Jiggles, that my friend Joyce told me about.  Most of their stock is summer shoes, crocs and other similar type shoes, along with some a small amount of clothing.  I found a few things I liked but we did not make any purchases.  

Later this evening I had a nice visit on the phone with my friend Janie after we played a little phone tag from an accidental phone call.  Glad I accidentally hit her number because I really enjoyed our visit.

Tomorrow night Treasure Lake will shoot off their fireworks.  The park is absolutely packed with RV's.  

Just a few pictures of all the RV's just in our area of the park.

We have seen a few sites that are still empty - but the only ones left are 30 amp sites.  You need a small unit to keep it cool on a 30 amp service in this heat.  

By the end of the day, we were both feeling a little miserable.  Being in the RV sitting so much has our bums hurting but with the heat it's just hard to get out and do much.  I try to move around within the RV as much as possible....doing laundry and going in and out to hang it up helps but not enough.

It was a pretty quiet day overall.


Saturday, June 30, 2018

Dean didn't feel up to walking this morning so we had our breakfast and then we drove into Branson to pick up our mail.  We finally received our reimbursement check from our warranty insurance for the work we had done to the rig in January, while we were in Texas.  We wanted to walk a bit but it was just too hot outside, so we stopped at Bass Pro at the Branson Landing and walked around inside for awhile.  So much nicer than the high 90+ degree temps outside.  We've been looking for a full size blow-up mattress to replace the one we had for our couch in the RV.  We found one that looks like it will work, so we purchased it.  We hope it holds up a little better than the previous one did.  Once we returned to the park, I spent an hour or two doing some cleaning inside.  Felt good to get that done.

Dean and I had some lunch and rested a bit.  I think I dozed off a few times.  Later Dean suggested we go for a ride.  We just get really tired sitting inside, especially with the windows blocked and not seeing any sunlight.  He said he was really wanting some peach cobbler with ice cream, so we headed to Cakes-N-Creams on Hwy 76.  It's probably our favorite place to visit in Branson, but we haven't stopped here for several years, mostly because we never get anything but sweets!  I decided to pass on the ice cream and just had a piece of blackberry cobbler.  We sure enjoyed these special treats.   

Dean enjoying his peach cobbler with ice cream!

Love "Cakes & Cream" where we can listen to our favorite 50's & 60's songs from our booth.  My blackberry cobbler was delicious!

After enjoying our "desserts", we drove downtown Branson and I took a few shots of Lake Taneycomo.  There were a lot of neat houses along the water - all on very high stilts.  I guess the water must get pretty high here.

Along Lake Taneycomo in a residential area.

Beautiful park on the other side of the residential area with a very nice disc golf course.

Later after returning to Bentley, I made some pork chops in the Instapot for our dinner tonight.  It it easy and the Instapot helps to keep it cool inside.  This is another Pinterest recipe that has become a favorite.

While walking the past few days we noticed the park had put up fencing in preparation of the fireworks they will shoot off tonight.  This is our first time in the park for the 4th of July Fireworks here.  Chairs have been dropped off and set up right behind the fencing in all areas of the park, as well as many open areas in Phase II where we are located.  We've watched the seating grow from about 5-6 chairs in one area to hundreds all over the park area now.  There is a fair amount of open area where you should be able to get a good look at the display.  We talked about going out to watch it but decided against it.  We were tired and it was still really hot at 9:00.



Sunday, July 1, 2018

We walked about 2 miles this morning.  We are gradually building our distance up and hope to be at 3 miles before long.  

I told Dean I wanted to get around early this morning and go to Walmart.  I've got a really long list for groceries so I'd like to get there and back home before it gets really busy.  We decided to have breakfast at Cracker Barrel before we went.  We arrived a little after 7 so there was no wait.  We enjoyed our breakfast, even though we didn't feel like it was quite as good as usual.

From there we headed to Walmart.  It took us awhile, but mostly because I was taking some extra time to look around without so many customers there. 

When I was visiting with my friend, Joyce yesterday I mentioned something I had found on Pinterest.  She did not know about Pinterest, so she came over this morning and I helped her set up an account. I think she will enjoy it.  Many of the recipes I use now are ones I find on Pinterest.  It's a great place to get travel ideas and I'm using it more and more as we plan our trips.  I utilize it for all kinds of things, including Cleaning tips, RVing tips, etc.

Once we returned home and put things away it was time for lunch.  Dean spent a good part of the day watching a golf game on TV.  I received a phone call from my good friend Dede.  It was so great talking with her and catching up.  There isn't anything better than family and good friends!  I'm blessed with some wonderful ones!

Later, we were in the car ready to drive to Hollister to get a few groceries at Harter House, when I stopped the car and told Dean, it's crazy for us to drive there today, I have an appointment tomorrow right next door.  I'll just wait until then, so we turned around and came back. 

I asked Joyce if she'd take a look at a few hairstyles I was thinking of for my haircut tomorrow, so she walked over this afternoon.  The sun was hiding behind some clouds and it was actually comfortable being outside today.  I sure enjoyed her visit since I'm getting a little stir crazy.  I can't stand how shaggy my hair is right now, and since it is so hot, it seems like I am wearing a hot hat on my head. Since I've been taking prednisone my hair texture has changed quite a lot.  Marla cut quite a bit off before we came down here.  It feels like it has grown twice as fast as normal.  I asked Joyce for a recommendation of a salon to visit and I made an appointment at the one she goes to this morning.  I showed her several pictures I found on Pinterest of what I thought I might like.  We'll see how it goes.

Later this evening my sister Crystal called to visit.  I had the sound turned down on my phone, and I guess I was taking one of those "moments when you are checking out the back of your eyelids".  When I decided they were okay, and I "awoke", I realized she had tried to call.  I sent her a text to let her know she could call me if she was still up - by then it was a little after 9.  She did and we visited for 30-40 minutes.  It was great talking to her. 

That was about the extent of anything exciting here for today.  I only logged 8,600 steps today with my new fitness band, equal to 3.63 miles.


Monday, July 2, 2018

We walked about 2.25 miles this morning.  We keep telling each other we need to start walking earlier so it doesn't end up being so hot when we finish.  It's been between 6:45 to 7:15 when we leave and by the time we are done, the sun is up.  The last leg of our walk ends up being in the full sun which makes that last little bit pretty miserable.  

My hair appointment is at 10:30 so I left our site at 10:00.  I decided to go out the back gate here at Treasure Lake.  Wouldn't you know it - the gate (you have to use a card key to get in and out) was not working this morning, so I turned around and headed back through the park to the front entrance.  I had plenty of time though and arrived at the Salon about 10-15 minutes early.  Cherry was the person who cut my hair today.  Here's a picture of the old and new do - before and after!

Before!

After!

When I left the salon, I drove just a short distance to Harter House.  I love this grocery store here in Hollister.  It has a wonderful meat market and a great selection of produce.  I bought a watermelon, 2 cantaloupe, peaches, red grapes, celery, carrots and 3 pounds of 87% lean ground beef, along with a few other veggies.  When I got home I cut up the watermelon, and cantaloupe and Dean picked the grapes off the stems.  I made chicken salad with the grapes and celery; divided the ground beef in to 3 - 1# packages, and cut up the romaine lettuce I bought yesterday at Walmart, which will be used for salads.  Two pounds of the hamburger went in the freezer.  

I visited with my sister Cindy for awhile this morning.  It was good to talk to both her and Crystal (last night).  I did call my youngest sister Jody earlier this week (she's our insurance agent) to pay our vehicle insurance and visited with her for a few minutes then.  I need to catch her one evening so I can visit a little longer.

While making the chicken salad I asked Dean to open the two cans of white chicken meat I had.  He was complaining about how bad the can opener worked.  I've been complaining about it for quite awhile.  He mentioned he thought I needed a new one, and I jumped on that right away.  Guess what?  We had lunch and then headed to "Kitchen Collection" a store at Branson Meadows, a mall not too far from Treasure Lake.  I ended up buying an OXO smooth edge can opener, along with a few other things, including a 13" round pizza stone (I've been looking for this size so it will work in the oven, convection oven and on the grill), and an 8" square glass dish I can use in the convection oven and microwave, as well as for the combined cooking which requires glass.  Dean wanted to visit Tool Town USA, for a couple of nut drivers, and we left there with some double sided gorilla tape (the double sided tape I used to put the posterboard inside my cabinet doors is not holding on the larger doors); two silicone potholders to use when taking something out of the microwave/convection oven; and a silicone pan handle grip for Dean when we are using the cast iron skillet out on the grill.  While we were in "Kitchen Collection", they were advertising a store in the mall area called "Made in the USA", so we decided to walk down and see what they had.  What a neat store.  We ended up purchasing some dish clothes that are guaranteed to never sour.  According to the guy working there they sell hundreds of these in just a short time, so we'll see if they hold up to their name.  

A great day shopping!

I received a call from my dermatologists office at some point letting me know that the mole and keratosis they removed when I was in the office last week came back benign, so I was very happy to get that news.

As we were leaving I mentioned maybe we should grill some hamburgers for dinner.  I'd like to see if grilling hamburger versus frying will make a difference for me.  Frying seems to cause a flare up with possible gallbladder issues.  We stopped at CountryMart and I bought some buns and a couple of tomatoes.  

After getting things put away, I made the hamburger patties and Dean grilled them.  What a relief - no pain at all after eating them.  There isn't anything much better than a good hamburger so it makes me happy to know I can eat them once in awhile.  The meat was not dry at all, and did not taste greasy either.  It was really delicious with the tomato, dill pickle and muenster cheese.  

I logged 16,126 steps today, equal to 6.81 miles.  


Tuesday, July 3, 2018

After our walk this morning (2.54 miles) and doing my morning chores I visited on the phone with another good friend Pam.  We spent a lot of time with Pam and Dennis while we were in South Texas.  What a special couple they are.  We had such a nice visit and caught up on what was going on in our lives.  I look forward to seeing them again this winter when we return to Mission.

I spent some time paying some medical bills from the EGD procedure I had in May.  I wish all of the medical facilities allowed you to make online payments as it would be so much quicker than having to call and wait for someone to answer the phone, then go through the steps with you.  The one I was able to pay online took me about 2-3 minutes - I probably spent another 30 minutes paying the two other bills....mostly waiting to get a real person on the line.  

We stopped long enough to have lunch - the chicken salad I made yesterday.  Dean had his on sandwich bread, but I chose to have mine on top of a bed of lettuce.  It was very good.  

Once lunch was over, I tried to log on to the Social Security website to see details for my own social security options, as I plan to start drawing it later this fall.  Unfortunately after 3 tries of putting in my password I was told I must wait 24 hours before trying again.  Fortunately, I was able to study some details on their website of what I needed in order to apply.  Rot roh, I need my birth certificate.  It is in Oswego in our safety deposit box, so guess what we did?  Yes, since I need it to apply for SS benefits and I want to get it sent off on Thursday, we hopped in the car and headed to Oswego.  Dean drove today and did just fine.  We stopped at the bank long enough to pick up what I needed, and then we stopped by Cindy and Elmer's for a short visit.  At 5:00 we met Misti and Logan at Mi Pueblo for dinner.  We had a nice meal and time visiting with them.  We made a quick stop at Misti's to use her restroom before running by the grocery store to say a quick hello/goodbye to Haleigh before heading back to Branson.  Haleigh is working at G&W, our local grocery store.  You can imagine what it was like there on the eve of July 4th....it was busy, busy, busy so I grabbed a quick hug from her and left.

Dean said I could drive home because he was getting a little uncomfortable sitting.  Driving makes it worse since he can't move around much.  He took a couple of Tylenol which seemed to help quite a bit.  I had a few CD's in the player so we listened to some of my music on the way home - talk about eclectic - Creedence Clearwater Revival; Bob Seger; Zac Brown Band; Barry Manilow; George Strait; and Christian Praise Songs.  At least it helped pass the time.  Poor Dean though, he had to listen to me sing along.  😩

It was about 9:15 or so when we pulled into our site.  We were both pretty tired.  We set down for a little while, but soon headed to bed.

I had 13,738 steps (5.80 miles) today.