It's about time.

Many of you can relate to Working long hours at your career. Raising your families. Buying a home and paying all the bills related to being homeowners and parents. We're now retired and don't need all that work and expense. Now "It's about time" and what we do to follow our dreams.

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Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Accomplishments, Good News And Frustrations.


Our Location today is McGregor, Ontario, Canada.

After all the running around we had to do yesterday and the fresh air that was wafting in our open windows last night neither Kathy or myself had any problems sleeping. The truth was we had a hard time waking up. I did have most of my morning reading completed by the time I heard Kathy stirring about in the bedroom. After enjoying a leisurely breakfast, we discussed what we wanted to accomplish with our day.
I spent the remainder of my morning cleaning up the small branches that had fallen from the trees on our site. Amassing quite a pile of them in the firepit which will make a good fire starter if the wind ever slows down long enough to enjoy one. With all the massive fires that we have read that were started by a stray ember carried by high winds we wait for calmer conditions to enjoy that form of enjoyment.

Kathy had been busy cooking up a wonderful Tuna/Macaroni salad that made for a tasty but not overfilling lunch.

Back outside I took the time to cut the grass with our Black & Decker Mower/Trimmer and had a couple more of our neighbours comment how unique it was as well as how well it cut the grass. When that was finished I then watered our trees, plants and newly seeded grass. Spring has been strangely different for this time of year in our area. When we were getting all the cold weather we also got a lot of rain. Now we are getting July temperatures and very little rain.

When those chores were completed I modified a Dollar Store solar light to fit into Kathy’s outdoor butterfly. The original light stopped working and the price was right on the solar light.

Everyone knows how difficult it is to get the mildew stains out of their awnings. Last year I tried a product that said it was meant to remove mold and mildew from showers to clean the awning. The end result was the vinyl on the awning closest to the trailer wall developed cracks and you could see sunlight shining through from under the awning. Trying to get a bit more use from this awning cover I used a product called Flex Seal wherever the cracks showed on the vinyl. I chose to use the clear colour rather than white because it would have probably shown a different shade of white than the awning. After applying two coats from underneath and one from on top the rubber like feel should keep us dry if it rains but we can still see the light where the cracks were.

Just as I got off the roof the phone was ringing so Kathy answered. It was J & B Auto Recyclers saying they already had the window I ordered for the truck in. Less than twenty-four hours is a lot better than seventy-two hours. That’s good service. We’ll add picking up the window to our list of things to do tomorrow.
For supper Kathy made a great Spinach and Beet salad to go with the Hamburgers I grilled on our Weber Q. Even though the temperatures were feeling like 90 F (32 C) we never used our AC today. While we were watching the 6 o’clock News there was a cold wind that started blowing and by the end of the program the temperature had cooled to below 70 F (21 C). The forecast shows that we’re going back to below seasonal temperatures for the next week.
Kathy asked me to add The Weather Network shortcut to her laptop this evening. The only difference between our laptops is Kathy’s has an AMD processor while mine has Intel. No matter what I did with it the program just refused to upload. After I spent nearly an hour trying to add that program I remembered having the same problem with my laptop. The internet search engine (EDGE) for Windows 10 does not allow you to add certain programs. Looks like we’ll be getting this one changed back to Internet Explorer like mine then it will work the way we want. Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment. Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time. 

Krackers

Ask a silly question 

What is the difference between a 'fat chance' and a 'slim chance'?

Monday, May 30, 2016

What A Day!


Our Location today is McGregor, Ontario, Canada.

Kathy was so concerned about not hearing the alarm going off this morning that she was up getting herself dressed before it went off. With us being Retired you don’t read about us having to set an alarm very often compared to during our working days but this was one of those exceptional days. Kathy had an appointment two weeks ago to see her family doctor that she had made long before last Christmas. We were just settling into our Fulltime Lifestyle when she received a call rescheduling her appointment for today at 9:00 in the morning. (Something about her doctor going on a vacation for a couple of weeks. That’s Just Ridiculous!) Being this was our first drive into Windsor from the county at that time of day we allowed extra traveling time which was a good thing. From 8:00 to 9:00 on a weekday morning you play stop and go with the school buses and the everyday commuters that zig-zag from one lane to another just to get to work a few seconds earlier.
This picture was taken around Crystal River Florida but
we had the same kind of clouds here today until late this afternoon.
We made it to the doctor’s office with fifteen minutes to spare. Normally we go in to the waiting room together but not today. Today she went in by herself while I walked a quarter mile up the road to Performance Ford where we had purchased our truck. Since I didn’t have the VIN number of the truck when I went to Rose City Ford last week they couldn’t get me the information on what it would cost to repair our sliding rear window. The big surprise is they don’t sell parts for it. You need to buy an entirely new rear window at a cost that had me choking. He suggested trying the local aftermarket distributors or Auto Glass companies.

I was sitting with Kathy in the waiting room before the nurse called her in to see the doctor. Kathy had seen her doctor and had her blood tests completed by 9:45 and we were out of there. We were both feeling hungry because when Kathy fasts I fast as well but on the way to A&W we stopped at Vehicle Venture who happens to be the largest aftermarket distributor for truck parts in the city. Their prices were even higher than the Ford Dealer. They recommended an Auto Glass company.

It was 10:00 when we finally got to A&W where we enjoyed a full breakfast of bacon, eggs, sausage, hash browns, toast and juice at a reasonable price. We discussed the other errands we needed to do before setting off to accomplish them.

We stopped at Home Depot looking for materials we’ll need to winterize our trees before we go south this coming fall. They told us to come back in August when they’d have their stock in. Instead we went to Canadian Tire where they had more than enough of those materials in stock.

In our search for a local Auto Glass company we drove all the way down Tecumseh Road to the Credit Union so we stopped to do some banking. One of the tellers that knew we were going Fulltime was asking how we were doing. Next we drove to Guardian Storage where finding we had no Mail we went to our Climate Controlled Storage Unit. Since we had stockpiled a number of things that were put in storage that is where we go shopping at first. At this rate we might see some empty spaces in there by next year.

Leaving the storage yard, we were still looking for an Auto Glass company but it was nearly four hours since having our late breakfast and we were both starting with headaches. Wendy’s half salads hit the spot topped with a small frosty and both our headaches seemed to be disappearing. With Kathy’s Diabetes and my Hypoglycemia, we have to eat at fairly regular intervals and driving back and forth to Home base to eat would cost more in fuel and make no sense.

Leaving Wendy’s with clearer heads, we came across Speedy Auto Glass. They were surprised everyone kept recommending them for replacing a window frame when they only do auto glass replacement. They did suggest an Auto Recycler that they had used to replace damaged window frames in the past.

It was only a ten-minute drive to J & B Auto Recyclers. When I asked if they had any windows in stock I was told no but they could have one in a few days and the price was extremely reasonable. I’ll have the new to us window on Thursday. What really bummed me out about this was they were located one block from Kathy’s doctor’s office. We then drove back to Performance Ford where I purchased a fresh roll of Buell so I’ll have no leaks when I install the window.

We stopped at Home to get some drinking water, check phone messages and take care of some personal needs before continuing to Amherstburg. Kathy has an allergy to the sun and even though she doesn’t sunbathe just the sun on her clothes gives her a severe rash so we were off to Pharma Care drug store. We are already enjoying the service of this small company that is more Customer Driven compared to the Profit Driven Attitude that our past pharmacy Shoppers Drug Mart is becoming.

We pick up Kathy’s prescription in only minutes and were not only getting tired from the busy day but hungry again. A quick stop at Subway where we shared a Pulled Pork Sandwich for our supper. We are now looking forward to eating at home tomorrow.

Kathy is already feeling some relief with her new cream and we are expecting clear weather for the next couple of days. Since I hadn’t taken the license plates off the truck we didn’t go to the License Bureau today. We’ll do that when we go to pick up the truck’s new window this week. 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 

Your honeymoon cruise was on a bass boat.

Sunday, May 29, 2016

We’re Not Party Animals But Visiting Again.


Our Location today is McGregor, Ontario, Canada.

After staying at the Happy New Year Party at the park clubhouse until 11:00 last night and just squeezing the last part of the post out by the stroke of midnight it didn’t take long for us to fall asleep. The problem was staying asleep. After our meal had been served last evening we were each given a cup of coffee. Kathy only needed a sip to know that it was not decaffeinated so she passed it on to me which meant I had two cups of caffeinated coffee after 8:00 in the evening. At one point in my life you always saw me with a cup of coffee in my hand and if I was having trouble sleeping I’d have a coffee and fall right to sleep. By 2:00 this morning I was tossing and turning and unable to fall back to sleep. After taking an extra-strength Tylenol and reading on the computer I was finally able to get back to bed by 5:00 this morning. Is it any wonder that we slept until 9:00 ?
We were able to shut the AC before going to bed last night and felt quite comfortable leaving the windows shut for the night. The first thing we did was to open the windows when we got up and there was a pleasant cross breeze to keep us cool. We made a list of things we’ll be needing to do tomorrow before having lunch. After eating the temperature was starting to get warm when I went outside to dump our waste tanks and water the flowers and grass that we planted but the wind still kept it comfortable.

We had a dinner engagement this afternoon and having seen the radar screen on The Weather Network showing a possible shower heading our way before leaving we closed all the sliding windows in the trailer and slightly lowered the flip-outs.
We arrived at Gerry and Sandy’s home in Amherstburg for 3:00 where we sat in the coolness of their Air Conditioned home catching up from where we left off two weeks ago when we last met. We were telling Gerry of what we learned from the retired MTO officer at the party last night about not having to get our vehicles Safety Checked every year. Even his truck has a commercial license plate on it so they are in the same boat as we are. If we can get the standard private vehicle plates for our trucks, we would also be able to get a two-year license tag which we can’t at this time.

Around 5:00 Gerry looked outside and the clear blue sky was filled with big black clouds. Since he had invited us for a barbecue he made a dash to get things started on his grill. In the short time he took to start cooking the hotdogs and hamburgers he was slightly damp before he got back inside. The rain would come and go for the next half hour but it was never more than what a spring rain should be like. The barbecue turned into an indoor picnic with salads and garnishes. Everything tasted wonderful and the conversation never stopped as it never does amongst good friends.
The last time we were together I had reminded them about adding time to and upgrading their TracFones. After calling to have his phone mailed to a Michigan address Gerry remember I didn’t have a US address to have our phone sent to. He then offered to pick it up the next time he went to Michigan So I had our TracFone mailed to the same address. This past week he picked up his and our TracFones which will save Kathy and I a lot of problems the next time we head south in the fall. I’m sure that I’ll find a way to repay him. Thanks Gerry and Sandy for the wonderful meal and the favour.

By the time we headed for Home the skies had cleared and the sun was shining. We had to turn on the AC because it was warmer in the trailer then when we left this afternoon. Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment. Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time.

Krackers

The World's Great Proverbs 

Lend your money and lose your friend.

Saturday, May 28, 2016

More Weird Dreams, Hot Temps, Talking To Friends & Family, Resolving The Census Issue And Celebrating A New Year


Our Location today is McGregor, Ontario, Canada.

Kathy once again woke herself while having a follow up conversation on her dream phone last night. Even with the increased summer like temperatures we’ve received in our area we were fortunate enough to not having to run the Air Conditioning up to this point. It was comfortable enough that when we went to bed we simply slept with most of the windows open. By the time we got up at 8:00 the temperature was 75 F (24 C) but feeling warmer. 
Returning Park Residents here to celebrate a New Year.
Since we were expecting to go out this evening we planned on simply doing a few things here at Home. I hadn’t even finished making the bed when Neal another of my longtime friends and coworkers returned my call from the other day. He had been away dealing with his own father’s health issues but for 93 years young he’s doing very well. We talked about what a number of coworkers were doing before he finally had to return to fixing his pool filter. Everyone’s dream is different and like Neal and his wife Donna they feel the need to hold on to the home they have lived in for the last 38 years. 
More people waiting for the party to begin.
For a late lunch we simply had a hotdog grilled on the Weber which also helped to keep the heat down inside the trailer. When that was finished I had the unpleasant task of calling my aunt Anna and uncle Bob to give them the news about Ross. They were both shocked to hear that Ross was gone so young as they had also met Kathie and Ross back in 1976 and had become good friends. In later years Anna and Bob moved to less polluted areas of the province but knowing how close I was to them they always asked about him. I’ll be extending their condolences along with everyone’s for the blog. 
Celebrating a Happy New Year again.
We were having an issue adding minutes to our Speak-Out cell phone. It is a simple process but each time we tried we always received the message that the number was invalid. Finally getting through to a human contact in Ottawa she tried entering the code several times only to get the same message. When she finally checked the expiration date it showed it had already updated only minutes before. The joys of modern technology. 
Crystal and Ryan
Since the election of our new Federal Government last fall they have reenacted the Canadian Census and we received notice that if we didn’t fill one out we could be charged for failing to do so. Contacting the Bureau and explaining that we never received any forms they asked our address. Given our mailing address they would not accept it. Finally telling them where we are parked they said we simply had to go to the office and they would have the forms.  
Since it was too hot outside for Kathy I walked to the front office to inquire about the Census Forms. I was told that the information on our lease agreement with the park was used and a form in our name had already been sent to the Census Bureau. It was a good day for a walk. 
Everyone strutting their stuff.
Just after 5:00 we headed to the Park Clubhouse for a very special celebration. We were celebrating a Happy New Year here at Wildwood Golf and RV Park. It’s the park’s way of welcoming back their seasonal RVers and even though we paid a slight fee to attend the meal alone was worth double what we paid and it was catered by the 19th Hole Restaurant. We were the Newbies to the park at our table and got to meeting a lot of new faces. We also found out from a retired MTO officer that we’ve been getting the shaft from our government since the day we owned our first Super Duty pickup. We’ll be fixing that on Monday. 
The train dance. Kathy's in front of the window Light coloured Top
Then to top off the meal after pulling the 50/50 tickets and door prizes we were entertained by Crystal and Ryan who have been doing this party for a number of years and when the Snowbirds head south so do they and perform in the Lakeland, Florida area at the different RV resorts. They played Western, Gospel, Rock & Roll and Hip Hop. Everyone in the building was on the dance floor at least a few times through the night sharing a tender moment or Shaking what your mama gave you. We celebrated the start of the New Year at 9:00 and kept that party going until 11:00. 
These people are doing the Wabble.
I think after posting this blog we’ll be sleeping soundly until the morning. 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're over four years late returning a U-Haul trailer.

Friday, May 27, 2016

Tall Tale and Organizing Ideas


Our Location today is McGregor, Ontario, Canada.

After being asleep for a couple of hours last night I was awakened by Kathy talking in her sleep saying “Hello this thing is not working”. That is the first time that has happened in the sixteen years that we’ve been together and I didn’t think she was dreaming. By the time I got around to her side of the bed thinking her CPAP machine had stopped working, she had woken herself up and realized she’d been talking out loud. With an apology we lay back down and slept until morning. At breakfast she explained the dream was that she had been talking to someone on the phone when the line suddenly went dead. That was when she started talking out loud. We both had a good laugh.
Every day there seems to be a different shape to our plants.
It turned into another day of errands which started shortly after receiving a call from the Amherstburg Home Hardware Building Center that the last of our food storage containers were in. It didn’t take long to head out with that being the first intended destination but I was so relaxed as we were talking I’d driven over a mile past my turn before realizing it. I simply took the next turn and headed to Walmart as our first stop. We had a few grocery items that we needed. Once we arrived at the Home Hardware Building Center we had to return some self-adhesive letters (that didn’t stick). We then got letters that we knew would stick to the picnic table and the proper Food Storage Containers we’d ordered. If you recall, we had ordered them before by the volume size not knowing that the manufacturer made square and rectangular containers for each of the six sizes they produced. The rectangular containers would not fit the depth of our pantry but the square ones do.
We were Home for lunch but when Kathy went to get hotdogs from the freezer there were none. I suggested hamburgers and Kathy was again shocked not to find any of those either. Luckily we had some ready-made Pork Kabobs that grilled nicely to go with the Caesars Salad that Kathy had made for lunch. Needless to say picking up hotdogs and hamburgers went on our shopping list.

We were headed to Windsor before 1:00 where we had a number of stops to make. It was nearly 6:00 by the time we grabbed a quick bite out before stopping for a short visit with our daughter Karen in Tecumseh. We only stayed a very short time before heading off to the grocery store to finally get the hotdogs and hamburgers.
Twenty stackable rectangular containers
In a comment Donna asked about the food storage containers we were using and why. All shelves whether in homes, apartments or RVs generally have square corners and if you use round or cylindrical containers you waste a lot of corner space. RV manufacturers are notorious at wasting space so by using square or rectangular containers there is very little wasted corner spaces making better use of the shelf space.
Even the blue lid cereal containers are Rubbermaid.
They still keep things fresh with no bugs.
The containers we prefer to use are stackable and made by Rubbermaid. We have used other lower quality containers in the past only they easily spill and one time we found ants had gotten into them. Those containers along with their contents went immediately in the trash. The Rubbermaid brand containers have tight leak/air/bug proof sealable lids. In our cupboard where most of our bulk food stocks are kept we used stackable containers that all have the same footprint the only difference was the height. In our search for these containers we have only been able to find them in the Home Hardware Stores. All the other big name brand stores carry some Rubbermaid products but they do not have the same space saving quality that these do.
Another beautiful sunset
Tomorrow appears that we’ll be turning on the AC with the Humidex getting close to the Century Mark. Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment. Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time.

Krackers

 Joke of the Day 

When a clock is hungry, it goes back for seconds.

Thursday, May 26, 2016

Tying Up Loose Ends.


Our Location today is McGregor, Ontario, Canada.

Even after having an Enjoyable close to our day yesterday helping Kevin and Melissa to celebrate their 20th Wedding Anniversary we still seemed to be in a state of loss over Ross’s passing this morning. It felt like history repeating itself as we have both walked in Kathie’s shoes in the past. The loss of a friend as dear as they are will never be as great as the loss of a spouse that you have shared your dreams with for so many years. Looking at the comments from the blog this morning we can only say Thank You and we will pass those condolences on to the family.
We chose to stay close to Home in an attempt to finish the small little chores that we have had to set aside in order to accomplish our larger challenges. One of those chores included calling two of our friends who knew about our Fulltiming but held back until we got settled in.
We worked together to make lunch, Kathy pulling out the ingredients while I was busy finely chopping the vegetables and meat that would become Chicken Salad.

Once the dishes were washed and put away I recounted our medications and vitamins that we have on hand. Since being shortchanged by the Pharmacy one time I now count every container we get and then log it on the computer as a way of keeping track.

When I finally got to opening the shop manual that we purchased for the truck yesterday I was very disappointed. I’d hoped that it would give me the information needed to repair the rear window. Instead it showed how to mechanically fix the engine, transmission, brakes, lights and simple body repair but not the rear window. It did give the wiring diagrams for everything in the truck including the rear window but not how to mechanically repair it.

In an attempt to move ahead with this issue I spent almost two more hours online looking for a complete replacement with no luck. Visiting sites such as Ford, E-Bay, Amazon, a number of after-market shops as well as a couple of recycling sites all with no luck.
For supper while I was outside grilling a couple of pork chops Kathy was busy inside making a nice southwest flavoured salad, sautéing some mushrooms and making a Blackberry Yogurt dessert.

Sitting on the patio after watching the News our neighbours Rick and Charlotte came over for a short chat. We shared some travel plans for when we head south this coming fall as did they but their way of doing things just didn’t appeal to us. Like the saying goes everyone has a different way of doing things.
Tomorrow we’ll try enjoying our new lifestyle more thoroughly. 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

In Other Words, We're Klutzes

Office workers are often struck by objects, bump into objects themselves, or get caught in or between objects, and as a result are injured. 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Tragic News, Then A Celebration.


Our Location today is McGregor, Ontario, Canada.

We were fast asleep when Kathy woke just before 1:00 this morning. She was sensing that something just wasn’t right for someone close to us. That is not the first time she has had those kind of foreboding feelings. She was able after a few minutes to drift back to sleep. At 2:20 the phone rang waking us both from a sound sleep. Unlike the wrong numbers we have often received this unfortunately was meant for us to hear. It was our longtime friend Kathie telling us that Ross had passed away. I could only mumble my immediate condolences but I could hear the disbelief at the other end of the line. I didn’t say a word when I hung up but Kathy knew Ross was gone.

By then we were both wide awake and after removing our CPAP masks and needing to calm down we went back to the computers where I returned a call to Kathie. She explained that she had spoken to Ross three hours before receiving the shocking news when he relayed the message that he’d be coming home today. She didn’t get a chance to say good-bye.
Ross in a Family Photo.
I met Kathie and Ross back in 1976 and even attended their wedding in 1978. When our families were growing the children referred to us as aunt and uncle as ours did to them. Ross was always there to lend a helping hand whether it was helping to fix a vehicle, computer or a roof. He was actually my Bestman when Kathy and I got married in 2001. Their entire family became involved in the Canadian Cub Scouts for many years and Ross rose to the position of area director.

Years ago Ross started experiencing pains in his jaw not realizing he was actually having Heart Attacks. That was not considered your typical symptom at the time but medical professionals are still learning. Nearly ten years ago he was shipped from Windsor to the University of London Hospital where he underwent a lengthy rebuild of his heart. Not one to sit idle afterwards Ross became a Security Guard for the Ontario Insurance Board taking him to many places in southern Ontario. Almost two years ago Ross had a massive Heart Attack while on the job in Goderich. We drove his daughter Christine there to pick his car up nearly two weeks later. His medical issues continued to increase until he was sent back to London to stabilize his medication just recently. After being told he’d be returning to Windsor yesterday he had a fatal heart attack around 10:45 last evening. The medical team tried reviving him for nearly an hour before making the call.

It was nearly 5:00 this morning before Kathy and I were tired enough to go back to sleep. We slept until nearly 9:00 this morning and then only spent long enough at Home to have breakfast and checking our E-mails before heading out towards Windsor. We needed to make a few stops before finally arriving at Kathie’s apartment. Having been through this type of loss before both Kathy and I were able to give her some solace as to some of the things that would have to be taken care of and the emotional roller coaster ride she would be traveling through in the near future. Luckily her daughter Christine and grandson Liam were also visiting with her so we were able to have them start focusing on the happier and even funny memories they had spent with Ross.

On our return trip to Home we stopped at Guardian Storage to check on our Mail before going back to our Climate Controlled Storage Unit. Kathy had some papers that she needed to put in the file cabinet as well as picking additional supplies to bring back to the trailer.

Heading up Foster Avenue to Walker Road the traffic seemed to be crawling along slowly. It wasn’t until we got around the bend that we were faced with a three vehicle pileup in the middle of the intersection. Once we got through the congestion it was clear sailing going towards Home. We made a couple of stops first to get the car washed and then stopping at the Zehrs Super Store to pick up some groceries.

When we arrived Home we had to open the rest of the windows in the trailer. The temperature had reached 82 F (28 C) but it felt closer to the century mark. There were wind gusts above 20 MPH that helped cool the trailer down fairly quick. Kathy was kept busy putting the food away as I brought it in from the car. Then I turned my attention on collecting the trash and recycle before taking it to the Park Trash and Recycle Center. I also used the time to park the truck in the Overflow Parking Area as we were expecting guest this evening.

Around 6:00 we headed to the 19th Hole Restaurant at the front of the park where we were joined by our son Kevin and Daughter-in-law Melissa for supper. This was a reversal of our weekly visit but there was an additional reason. They were celebrating their 20th Wedding Anniversary. The meal was great and the company exceptional as we always have fun visiting with them. They were shocked about the news of Ross’s passing.
Melissa and Kevin celebrating twenty years.
It was nearly 8:00 by the time we drove back to our site. The ladies each enjoyed an Alcohol-free Margarita while Kevin and I each enjoyed a cold Tallboy. Kathy brought out her Homemade Chocolate Pie that we all enjoyed. They really liked the way we set things up and the peacefulness of the park. They were amazed how Kathy had organized so many food stocks by using the square and rectangular containers in such a small space. I also had a chance to demonstrate to Melissa how to use The Weather Network on the computer for planning any future getaways they may have planned. It was nearly 9:30 when they left because we were all having such a good time.

We’ll sleep soundly tonight because of how little we slept last night. We did tell Kathie that if she needs to talk call any time so maybe we won’t sleep so soundly after all.

“Rest in Peace Ross!”

Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment. Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time.

Krackers

A fine line by Mark Twain: 

Familiarity breeds contempt - and children.

Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Responding to Comments, Chores And Surprises.


Our Location today is McGregor, Ontario, Canada.

This morning we were finally able to do something that we hadn’t for the first month of our Fulltiming Adventure. We had breakfast with the windows open giving us a chance to better hear the birds serenading the world. The wind was finally coming from the south bringing with it warmer temperatures unlike the cold north wind we’ve been experiencing.

Another reason that we’ve had to run the heaters so much recently is due to my having “Raynaud’s Disease”. It is not contagious but my extremities are cold most of the time so even when I’m wearing shorts and sweating from the heat I’m feeling cold. That was another good reason for being a Welder in Casting Plants through my career because I didn’t feel the heat like others did. The only time I felt the heat was when I got severely burnt.

In answer to a few comments that we have received about Googling how to repair the rear truck window. Most of the “How To” answers and videos we found only dealt with the F-150 and not the Super Duty Trucks. And the two that do talk about the Super Duty trucks only refer to the manual windows not the electric powered ones. That was why sometimes it is easier to invest in a repair manual and read “How To” fix the truck besides it will cover other important repairs that might be needed.
Giving our site "Curb Appeal".
Another comment was that we are spending a lot of money on our site. That might be true but once it is set up the way we want it will be finished something people do with homes. It’s called “Curb Appeal”. When we return from our winter travels next spring our site will be here waiting for us. If we travel during the summer, we will still have our site to return to after our trip.
Lastly we plan on staying close to where our children and grandchildren live when we are in Ontario. After all these years living in this area we are still finding new and exciting things to do in the immediate area that we didn’t know were here before. There are many different ways to live the Fulltime Lifestyle and this is one many RVers choose to do. We do plan on trips in Canada outside of our province but not this year.
Chicken Salad Sandwiches, Garlic Olives, Sandwich Pickles and Homemade Fruit Salad.
After our morning reading we got things ready for an afternoon filled with chores. Kathy is really trying to have us eating heathier but it’s not always possible. After a simple but filling lunch I was off to do the laundry at the Park Laundry Room. Because we were also changing to summer bedding there were extra loads that had to be done. Kathy spent her time tackling the last cabinet in the trailer that had to be rearranged. It was still set up for Snowbirding not Fulltiming.

By the time I was ready to leave the laundry room half the Transient Camping Area was filled with the “RV Explorers Club” members who pulled in this afternoon for some kind of rally. I got an even bigger surprise when I got back Home. There was now a diesel pusher parked on the site to our roadside.

After putting our laundry away in the drawers, I needed to dump and flush our waste tanks. While I was tending that our new neighbour Rick introduced himself. We had a chance to have a short chat but he was still setting up so we’ll talk again another time.
Baby Spinach Salad with Sesame Seeds, Mandarin Oranges with Parmesan Cheese
and toasted buns with Colby Cheese.  
Kathy again created a wonderful salad as the heathy part of our supper while I grilled the rest of our meal on the Weber. The temperatures are finally where they should be for this time of year in our area so we are looking forward to enjoying more outdoor time and whatever comes with 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 

There are always shotgun casings on your deck.

Monday, May 23, 2016

Relaxed But Productive Day.


Our Location today is McGregor, Ontario, Canada.

Most people find dreams amusing to the point that they can chuckle or get ideas from them later on. For myself I find they rob me of the sleep that I need to feel refreshed because the dreams I do have are about working on a project. In real life I have never seen the job before but I am physically going through the motions of what I am dreaming. When we were having breakfast this morning if it hadn’t been for Kathy talking to me I’d probably have ended up face first in my cereal.
All the sites in this area were filled for the weekend.
Some of the units still here left shortly after, while others were just arriving.
After getting caught up on our morning reading we started getting some of our chores done. In the process we were watching out the door at an almost non-stop flow of the Weekend Warriors heading towards the park exit. At that point Kathy had already started cooking our supper in the slow cooker as well as getting the Hungarian Houlka readied for me to slow cook on our Weber.
Seeing our neighbors Bob and Sherri outside also watching the park exodus that was taking place we had a chance to go over and get to know them slightly better. We also had the chance to compare notes of what each of us was doing to dress up our lots. We also exchange ideas of places we’ve travelled to and future destinations we all want to visit. The conversation only slowed slightly while I walked back to our site to turn the Houlka on the grill. It was nearly 1:00 by the time we had our late lunch but the wait made it taste all the better.
Applying another coat of Stain.
Even though our lunch was not heavy after our Tandem Bike ride around the park yesterday we still felt the need to go for another ride to help burn off some of our lunch. When we got to the Transient section of the park it was practically empty and the only reason it wasn’t was there were new arrivals just coming in the park.
Kathy adding our park address to the table.
Back Home Kathy wasn’t happy with the organization of our cupboard where our china was located so she wanted to make it more efficient. My chore was to apply additional stain to our picnic table. After putting a plastic tarp under the table I was half completed the process when Kathy came outside having finished her chore to enjoy the sunshine. She commented that on certain areas of the table that within minutes of my staining it there was little visible effect left because the wood was just absorbing the stain like a sponge. Today’s temperature actually reached 75 F (24 C) but feeling warmer which really helped the table to dry quickly. After giving the table some drying time I positioned it so that Kathy could apply our site number on the table with stick on letters.
Large enough to see from the road.
Once that process was over I cleaned up outside while Kathy went in to start plating our supper. It was a healthy feast of Chicken with Asparagus, Tomatoes, baked Potato and Cranberry/Orange relish topped off with a small mixed fruit dish for dessert.
Healthy supper.
We had the dishes washed and put away by the time the 6 o’clock News started. Being that this was the last day of the Victoria Day Long Weekend it was a short broadcast. Being set up on the dining room table I listened to the news while filling our medicine Doucettes for the next few weeks that way we are not tied up every Saturday evening while I do this chore.
Kathy's cut Flowers nearly two weeks later.
As soon as the news was over we hopped on the Tandem Bike again but this time we rode up towards the front gate where we were able to mail a letter. Just the couple of hours since the earlier ride the temperature was noticeably cooler. Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment. Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time. 

Krackers

The World's Great Proverbs 

The sooner begun, the sooner done.