Windy & Wet Halloween.

Our Location today is Tecumseh, Ontario.

Even though we could have slept better both Kathy and I woke at a fairly reasonable time this morning. That was a good thing because that meant we would be able to calmly have breakfast while the Weather Channel got to show how we’d be having rain all day and that it could reach near tropical storm status by this evening as the wind would be picking up through the course of the day and through the night. That will definitely put a damper on a lot of Trick or Treating plans. 

We had time get our morning computer reading in before leaving early for my appointment. That turned out to be wise choice because there was a mix of the Overly Cautious and the Accidents Waiting To Happen drivers on the road making it difficult for anyone with a combination of driving etiquette and safe driving skills to get to their destinations. 

The surgeon confirmed that an Ultra Sound is probably the most useless way of finding a hernia but did confirm there was a small tear but not enough to worry about at this time. When Kathy said we were going to Florida until Easter he said he’d see me after we came back. That sounded good to us. 

We walked through the city market and I spoke with Al whom I used to work with before the company closed the plant. He has a booth set up dealing with collectable sports memorabilia as a hobby and a small income on the side. From there we stopped at Shoppers Drug Mart where Kathy picked up a few more things on our list of toiletries to put in the trailer before we head south. 

It truly was a blessing that Kathy bought that new light winter jacket yesterday as it is waterproof because it has not stopped raining all day. Heading in the direction of the Devonshire Mall we didn’t really want fast food so we stopped at the Back Road Café. The entire staff waitresses, cooks and servers we all dressed in costumes to celebrate Halloween. The food is always great with a mom and pops feel that welcomes everyone from truckers, business men and women and anyone that loves the at home feel of the place. 

Leaving there we finally made it to the mall where we went to Sears where Kathy wanted to look for some new jeans and a light scarf. Today was our lucky day as they were in the process of filling their racks and Kathy managed to find exactly what she wanted. Since the weather was not a day to be outside we continued walking around the mall to limber our legs and to wear off our lunches. 

It was nearly 4:00 by the time we got back home and the wind was making the rain feel like you were being hit by a power washer when it stung your face. Sitting at the computers to read some early afternoon postings we noticed that John and Judy will be starting their southern travels in the morning. We wish you a safe trip and we might even see you in Florida this winter. 

We just hunkered down for the night and finished the last of the Cabbage Roll Casserole for supper. We are sure there will be a lot of disappointed kids that won’t be going out Trick or Treating in this weather tonight. Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment. Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time.        

Krackers

Office Jokes, Quotes, and Anecdotes

I have a hard enough time finding the dots much less connecting them.

Duck and Cover

Feeling Good Enough for Errands and Visiting

Our Location today is Tecumseh, Ontario.

After trying a number of over the counter remedies to deal with a cold before I went to bed last night it gave me some but not total relief. It did allow me when I woke up through the night to turn over and go back to sleep. When I woke this morning it was at a more reasonable time (8:00) I didn’t have the hard congestion but did feel like I was looking through a heavy fog for close to an hour. 

We did sit at the computers for a short while before heading out for our haircut appointments at Fantastic Sam’s. We get a seniors discount off the regular price and for every seven haircuts or styles you get you get a free haircut. This allows for us to accumulate stamps much quicker and it only cost $9.42 for the both of us today because we got one free. 

Since we still had errands to run as well and it was nearing noon we stopped at Wendy’s where we were both ordered a full sized Baja Salad with drinks, an extra chili to add to the salads and a small Frosty for desert for less than twenty dollars by using coupons. When we left to do the rest of our errands we were far from hungry. 

We stopped at Benson’s tire to check out the prices on the tires we had installed on the trailer. Larry informed me that we pay the same per tire whether we bought one tire or a set of four but because we bought for the truck and trailer at the same time he deducted $200.00 off the top. 

The next stop was at VitalAire to pay the balance off on my new CPAP machine. Our healthcare provider pays nearly the entire cost except dispensing fees. My cost for a fifteen hundred dollar machine worked out to $92.10 which is not bad. 

We did stop at Walmart for some new seat cushions and place mats for our dining room table and chairs and a light weigh winter coat that Kathy will be able to wear to Florida on those cold winter nights. Driving to the next driveway we went to Staples to get some office supplies that we are lacking when we travel in the trailer. 

Back at the apartment we were only there long enough to enjoy some homemade Chicken Wraps for supper before leaving to go to Amherstburg.  This is Wednesday evening and we make our weekly visit with Kevin and Melissa. Cameron and Matthew are looking forward to going Trick or Treating tomorrow night and even though the forecast is calling for rain we can only hope that they can get out for a short while and stay dry. The rest of the visit was filled with laughter and discussion leaving all the adults in a happy mood by the end of the night. 

We’re both hoping that we feel even better tomorrow from these colds especially since I’ve got and appointment with the surgeon. Hopefully he’ll have some good news for me. Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment. Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time.        

Krackers

You Might Be a Redneck If

You and your wife wear matching outfits to church.

Busy Recovery and Shopping Day.

Our Location today is Tecumseh, Ontario.

When you feel like we did yesterday and suspect that you’re coming down with a cold chances are you are right. Of course that means that you will toss and turn half the night and be awake for the other half. Just as you are about to fall into a deep sleep you mistakenly look at the clock only to jump out of bed because it is nearly 9:00 in the morning. The reasoning behind getting up even though you feel like a wrung out dish rag is you hope to struggle through the day in hopes that tonight you might actually sleep. 

Slowly waking while we ate breakfast and watching the Weather Channel we felt very lucky as to where we live geographically because everywhere around us and all over the world the weather has been brutal and in many cases deadly. By the time we were totally awake we made it to the computers to do our reading and getting ready to push ourselves through the day almost like we are human beings and not the Zombies that have been spotted around many neighborhoods in this week leading to Halloween. 

My first call was to General RV and as soon as I mentioned my name I was given an apology for not getting a return call yesterday and I was immediately put through to Ed the Service Manager. He explained in detail what was happening with our trailer and what has been delaying its progress. It could be as late as the end of November before it’s back home. 

My next call was to the phone company about the flashing light and message on our phone indicating we have a message that does not exist. No matter how often they reset it the same error kept occurring until they said it was a problem with the phone itself. Wrong! I had already tried the phone on our DSL line and it did not have the error. 

Kathy couldn’t help it when she needed a Snap before we went out to do some grocery shopping. First we stopped at Kentucky Fried Chicken for their Tuesday Special because the experts always say not to go grocery shopping on an empty stomach. We took out time enjoying just being out of the apartment. When we finally got to Zehr’s Grocery store we only picked up what was on our list. The difference is we had a list for what we need at the apartment, a list for things we’ll need in the trailer and a list for Easter. Yes Easter. Kathy and I always supply the meat for the big occasions that the family gets together for and since we won’t be back from Florida until two days before Easter it is easier to buy it now. 

After putting the rest of the groceries away we brought the Spiral Sliced Ham over to Karen and Greg’s house because that is where we’ll be having Easter next year. We also got a chance to see the whole family for a change. Tyler had just finished his homework, Kylla had just finished eating supper with a girlfriend that was over and Ashley was just arriving from her day in University to have supper. 

Tonight we’re going to try all kinds of tricks so we’ll sleep better and maybe even shake these colds. Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment. Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time.        

Krackers

Did you know about the wild men of Borneo who have no tongues?

No Tongues? How can they talk?

They can't! That's what drives them wild.

Recovery and Question Day.

Our Location today is Tecumseh, Ontario.

With the weekend now behind us Kathy and I need to relax. Not only were the last two days very busy but being among so many people at this time of year is not always a good thing. Since neither Kathy nor I are big sports fans this is something new to us following Tyler’s hockey games so much. The cold air at the arena is difficult for us to take and it takes hours for us to recover from it. It feels like we are both coming down with something and we are hoping it is only a cold. We both had difficulty staying asleep throughout the night but then we both slept late this morning. 

When your head feels stuffy and your energy is sapped we chose to stick close to home. The Weather Channel predicted clear sunny skies for today but temperatures struggling to reach 50 F (10 C) today. Being the week before Halloween it makes it easy to relax because there are a number of networks that are playing strictly movies related to the occasion for this week. 

After lunch I was just about to call General RV to find out the progress on the trailer but the phone rang. It was from State Farm Insurance saying they had not received an estimate from them yet. Taking down all the information that we had already passed on at the time we brought the trailer in I then made my call. 

The person I spoke to was Sid and it took a while to explain what was happening with the insurance not being sent a quote from them. I then continued talking about things that were to be covered under our extended warranty coverage and that everyone seemed confused as to who was going to cover those issues. That is when Sid said he was in charge of processing the paperwork for the extended warranty coverage and has not seen any of the paperwork on our trailer. With more discussion Sid said he’d be talking to the service manager who is more familiar with the trailer’s progress and he would call me back. 

John returned the call from General RV saying they had just sent in the estimates to the insurance company right before he called me. When I asked about the extended warranty work if the paperwork had been sent to Sid for processing yet he said he’d have to get back to me. I think I heard him swallow hard when I told him to do it before he goes home today.  Well he must have gotten tied up because I’m still waiting for his call so I’ll wait until around 10:00 before I call back tomorrow morning. 

Tonight Kathy and I had another serving of the Cabbage Roll Casserole and it’s still as good as when Kathy made it. Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment. Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time.          

Krackers

You Might Be a Redneck If

Every boss you ever had was a relative.

Hockey and Getting Out.

Our Location today is Tecumseh, Ontario.

After posting the blog after midnight last night it was no wonder that we all slept past 8:00 this morning. Tyler even admitted to sleeping better than the last time he stayed over. With all the running around outside the kids did at the party last night I’m surprised that he even wanted to wake up this morning. 

Kathy and Tyler.

We only had a short time after breakfast was over to do our morning reading before heading out the door for the Tecumseh Arena. Every Sunday Tyler plays competitive hockey and takes it quite seriously. Today was no exception and he was responsible for three goals (Hat Trick) and two assists but even though the team is working better as a whole when they are playing against more mature teams it makes it difficult to win. The opposing team scored the winning goal thirty seconds before the end of the game. 

It also seems that Tyler’s hockey skills are becoming better known among family members and more are showing up on a weekly bases to cheer him on. This week both sets of grandparents along with his aunt and uncle showed up with their new grandson who is six months old and he seemed to be following the action on the ice like everyone else.

By the time we got back to the apartment it was lunch time and well deserving of a nice warm bowl of chicken noodle soup to take the chill out of the bones. We also relaxed back at the computers catching up on our reading before we headed out to do some mall walking. We headed to the Devonshire Mall where we went to an outlet called Lids. I tend to get a lot of head colds during the cooler weather so I wanted a slightly heavier baseball style cap with no venting but with the logo “It’s about time” embroidered on it. All my other caps are made for the warmer temperatures so they said it would be ready in twenty minutes.

Walking further into the mall we noted that a movie we were interested in seeing would be starting in an hour. With a quick decision we used a food coupon where we both ate an A&W Teen burger Combo for an early supper rather than paying astronomical prices to eat at the theater. We were not overstuffed but satisfied when we left the food court and headed back to Lids to pick up my cap and then on to the movies. 

We still had a gift card that we had received at some time so it didn’t cost us out of pocket at the theater. We have looked at the movie trailers and read quite a number of blogs that have seen the movie Captain Phillips starring Tom Hanks. This movie is based on an actual incident and now both Kathy and I agree that Tom Hanks should walk away with an Academy Award for his performance for the part he played and we both gave this movie two thumbs up. As Jill Thomas said in a comment on her post “What were those guys thinking?” I think they learned the hard way, “Don’t mess with the U.S.A.” 

Leg warmers for hats? Leave it to kids!

Back at the apartment we settled in at the computers and made plans for this coming week. Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment. Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time.          

Krackers

Office Jokes, Quotes, and Anecdotes

Hard work never killed anybody,

but why take the chance!

Edgar Bergen

Good Food and Party Time.

Our Location today is Tecumseh, Ontario.

After posting the blog last night we did something we haven’t done since our grandson Tyler stayed over before Thanksgiving. We went swimming just the two of us. It felt wonderful to let the heated water of the pool help ease some of our aches and pains. After our showers back at the apartment it didn’t take too long and we were in bed early. Combining that evening swim with the cold weather walk we had in the afternoon added up to a solid night’s sleep for the both of us.

It's a good thing we didn’t have any appointments this morning because we didn't wake up until after 8:30. It seems our internal clocks didn't work so well cutting back any extra time we might have had. As soon as breakfast was over the kitchen was transformed into a bake shop as we had four and a half dozen cupcakes to bake and decorate.

By noon we had finally managed to do our morning reading on the computers plus set all the cupcakes to cool. After eating lunch we were back at the icing them all up. I mixed the icing while Kathy started with the Lemon Cupcakes first before doing the Vanilla Coconut Snowball Cupcakes and finally the Chocolate Cupcakes. Since we no longer live in our home we are limited to our counter space so every chance I had I was packing them into a cake box so they could be transported.

Once the kitchen was completely cleaned and reorganized we started getting ready to leave. Just before 5:30  Karen and Greg’s dropped off our grandson Tyler who was coming with us to the Halloween party at our son’s home in Amherstburg.

Tyler got to play with his cousin Matthew and the other kids that were there. Kevin decorates the backyard and a clubhouse he built for Cameron and Matthew so the kids can play outside. He transforms his garage every year into a Party Pavilion and covers over the workbenches to serve as a buffet for all the food everyone brings. Although it did get a bit crowded when there was a brief shower outside and also when the kids came in to sample the food that was brought for everyone’s enjoyment. The adults mostly sat inside the garage keeping warm enjoying the food and exchanging stories. Some were amazed when they asked of our travels and others wanting to change places with us. 

We left shortly before 11:00 pm. heading for home because not only were we tired but so was Tyler who has an 11:00 am. hockey game in the morning. He will be spending the night and we’ll bring him to the arena and stay for the game. We are just lucky we live so close to him so we can be there to cheer him on. Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment. Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time.          

Krackers

You Might Be a Redneck If

There's no record of your birth anywhere.

Changing Weather Walk and Talk.

Our Location today is Tecumseh, Ontario.

After only waking a couple of times through the night I was quite surprised when I felt Kathy shaking my foot to wake me. It was now past 9:00 and time to have a light breakfast. For some reason I felt hung over and I haven’t had a drink since this summer after my surgery. The Weather Channel wasn’t giving us a very promising forecast for the next few days and when they showed video clips of Goderich and New Hamburg I know a couple of snowbird couples that are glad that they are now south of the border. 

We lazed about on the computers most of the morning until it was time to put our supper into the Crock Pot and for us to have lunch. As mentioned yesterday Kathy had made a Cabbage Roll Casserole that even after supper last night there was enough for our lunch today and there are still two more meals left. 

We needed to get some walking in but Kathy chose to walk around our neighborhood rather than going store or mall walking. Even dressing in layers the wind seemed to cut through us from behind walking down Tecumseh road and we were blocked from it by homes as we wound our way through the subdivision. When we finally turned facing the west the wind was again cutting into us and worst cutting Kathy’s breathe. Three quarters way through our trip we stopped at a Tim Horton’s for a coffee to help us to warm up. We sat and talked for a half hour while warming up. Kathy was happy how comfortable her foot was after Connie had worked on it yesterday. We laughed about some of the young couples we were seeing with their children remembering having gone through those same growing pains to finally get to where we are in our lives today. 

We finished the last part of the walk with the wind at our backs again but once inside the apartment looked out to see the sky turning very dark. The wind increased for a short while and it looked like we were about to get a blizzard. Finally the sky once again lightened in color and the temps returned to the below seasonal high of 43 F (6 C). Kathy was so winded she needed to have a Snap. 

For supper we enjoyed the slow cooked Spare Ribs along with Butternut Squash and a Salad for supper. Tomorrow will be a baking day getting ready for the Halloween Party we’ll be attending tomorrow night. Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment. Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time.          

Krackers

Jimmy: "Ma. Can I go out and play?"

Mother: "What, with those holes in your trousers?"

Jimmy: "No, with the kids next door."

Home Appointment, Shopping and Good Food.

Our Location today is Tecumseh, Ontario.

The other day the Weather Channel showed night time lows reaching near freezing with the wind chills being below that. Since Kathy was fighting flu like symptoms at the time she decided it was time to turn on the heat in our apartment on low so it would take the dampness out of the air. Yes it has helped so that we are not as cold at night but with the windows also closed we have become more restless during our night time sleeping hours without the fresh air in the room. 

We both felt tired when we woke before 8:00 this morning but with an 11:00 appointment at the apartment we knew we couldn’t doddle. Breakfast was simple but filling ending with the morning dishes being washed and put away immediately after. Once the rest of the apartment was cleaned and staged we finally got a chance to sit and do our morning reading. 

I went to check the mail moments before 11:00 thinking that I’d be there when Connie would arrive but after waiting for a bit and talking with some of the other neighbors Kathy appeared telling me she had just received a call that she was running behind schedule. Back in the apartment I had just settled back in at the computer when the phone rang and Connie had arrived. 

If you recall it has been stated a number of times that Kathy has Type II diabetes but it still has serious side effects. One of those is that she has a problem with her toe nails becoming infected and they need to be medically treated periodically. Connie is a qualified foot specialist from a company called Happy Heals that goes to the patient’s homes to perform the treatments. After filling in the paperwork Connie got to work on Kathy’s feet. She has this amazing tool cart on wheels with all her equipment in it and it’s all sterile. An hour later she was finally finished and Kathy was astounded by how good her feet felt and it was all covered by our health care benefits. 

We finally had our lunch around 1:00 and as soon as that was completed we started working together to create a Cabbage Roll Casserole that we’d later have for supper. Once it was out of the oven and cooling on the counter Kathy and I left to go do some store walking for exercise. 

Since we are slowly getting ready for when we leave for Florida after Christmas we are slowly gathering some staples that is actually cheaper here at home. Our first stop was the Zehr’s Super Store down the street from our old neighborhood. We were able to cross a few more articles off our list of things to bring without breaking the bank. 

We continued across the street to the Canadian Tire Store where we also picked up a small trellis for one of our household plants that has decided to grow like a bad weed (Pun Intended). Electronic Pest controllers so we don’t have to worry about uninvited guest in the trailer and some Diesel Fuel additive were also picked up. 

After unloading our purchases at the apartment we enjoyed our casserole and the best part is there is enough for a few more meals in coming days. Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment. Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time.          

Krackers

You Might Be a Redneck If

You've ever left a bingo game in handcuffs.