Tuesday


Well, no wireless access today, and the aircard software cd I have is not compatible with Vista. Hmmmm. But finally at 9:30, we got access.

I never was able to put together anything from the computerless period...sigh...BUT I promise to get picassa uploaded tomorrow while at work, and download the pictures we have and it may just jog my memories. Pictures tell a thousand words...so they say!

This is pretty much how I feel today...nothing went right and I was getting a bit overwhelmed. Well, I guess I am putting off til tomorrow what I should have accomplished today....

til tomorrow...

dee

Monday...
Well, I am back from the land of no computer access. It was the worstest 11 days I have spent since I quit smoking...

Zack sent me his laptop. Now I have to send him $600...he lusted after a MAC notebook and got his wish. He will use the money I send him for this one to pay the new one...he also got a great little perk...a Ipod worth about $300 which he intends to sell. He wanted me to buy it but I have absolutely no reason to get one...it is a music and video player and a palm pilot...like I need a palm pilot...to keep track of what? My work hours. LOL! It is also a Gateway but is only a year old...heck mine is only 2.5 years old and the difference is amazing. This is a much larger screen, and it has a number pad that I didn't have on mine. Update on the old computer is that Best Buy sent it off to Gateway or a new optical (DVD/CD) rom drive. I told the Geek gal that I want a NEW drive...not the same one fixed. You can't fix what ails the darn thing! So it will be off in Gateway service for two to four weeks.

I guess I will write up the last 10 days or so on Word and then paste it here...have some photos you may enjoy.

Had a great weekend watching the Cubbies kick White Sox butt...I dare not call my sister Kathy...she will certainly have ugly words for us "stupid loser Cub fans". Well, we sure own the Sox!

Paul is working and is late getting off...he seems to be preoccupied with sweeping rocks off the pavement. We had one heck of a storm last night, with thunderboomers and then hail. Luckily our car is parked under a large tree...protected from much of the harsh weather, but certainly the favorite target of the birds and their lovely and copious droppings.

I will start work on my update later and will try to post later today. I am off until Wednesday, but have to "do" bathrooms on Wed. I will try to get Paulie to help me this week...have done them all by myself which is OK since I take a lot of breaks, but it takes me alone about an hour longer than if he and I do them together.

Later
dennise

Wednesday...

Quick update...no computer, no phone call...no used laptop computers available to buy so once again I am paying for using the net at an Internet cafe...nice guy...5 bucks for a half hour. Hmmmmm.

Not much else to report except yesterday we went to Rockaway Beach for lunch. Prince had won a $20 gift card which we used to dine on catfish (Paul, not me, ugh) and Walleye. Very tasty. Went to the Hughes brothers show last night. Great music...brothers again, with families in tow...the older brother had 10 kids and Mom was in the hospital giving birth to number 11. Wow!

Time running out...will post more soon.
hugs,
Dennise

Tuesday

Whew...I finally found a place to get on the computer....for a price that is! My laptop is still out there circling Jupiter via BestBuy. Nobody in town has laptops for rent or even some cheapie used one I can use til the other one gets fixed. Grrrr.

We have been busy since I last posted on Thursday...on Friday I cleaned the rig while the Prince was working his two measly hours. Then I made the apple dumpling recipe I found on line using a can of crescent rolls and sliced granny smith's. Very easy. I am going to make another batch just for me since I didn't get to taste them at the potluck. We had been invited to the potluck for the RV Dreams Rally. So I will do a step by step and the recipe for ya'll (Ozark speak there with a twist of Texas...) We arrived at the potluck and had a great time. The food was excellent and then we did Karoke. Of course I had to participate. Prince took pictures and videos that I can upload when the 'puter is back.

Saturday we both had to work in the a.m. and then I had to do bathrooms, my favorite part of the week. This time, just like last time Paul was too busy up front to help me. Ick, I hate doing them myself. We then went back to ABC for the entrainment, an Ozark Hillbilly quintet that did music, jokes and such. They also had a Hillbilly contest with folks from the rally all dressed up. Of course the guy dressed as the gal won...typical.

Sunday, we had to work again, in the afternoon. We had late laundry "do'ers" so we had to keep the laundry room open. We had steak and salad for dinner watching the US open. We were supposed to go to a wine tasting party with the other camphosts, but because I am a nice person and let the folks do laundry, I couldn't leave. Sigh.

Monday Paulie had to work and then we went to the new WalMart. What is wrong with Walmart these days...they are reworking the store and you can't find anything...the availability of stuff is way down and nothing in an aisle is remotely related to the previous aisle. They are turning me off...limiting types of goods for sale is stupid marketing...they didn't even have a bread pan! Oh well, I have the outlets here. Better prices anyway.

So, I will try to get back here in a day or so to update...cannot promise anything at this time tho. Gosh, I miss that darn laptop....convinces me that we do need another for Paulie to use and use as a backup if mine goes stupid again.

hugs
dennise

Thursday...

It's about 7 a.m. and I am getting ready to head down to the office. We don't open 'til 8, so I have some time to get the old body moving, which it really resists in the morning. I also like to read my email and have some breakfast.

After work today, we are heading into Springfield, MO to meet with the American Legion Veterans Advocate. We have received notification that more information is required for the VA to begin processing Paul's claim. We can trust this guy as he is the advocate for the state of MO and has helped thousands with their claims, especially Viet Nam Vets.

While in Springfield, I need to go to Best Buy and argue with the Geeks there. My DVD drive just refuses to work. I had taken it in and sent it off to Gateway several times and the darn thing still refused to appear on My Computer...Now it won't even open up....and it won't recognize anything I put in the drive. Another headache...but this time, I won't have a backup to use if they send it off. I guess I will just go no mail until I get it back...and won't be able to update my blog at all for however long it takes...*Sigh*...it's always something...

So, I may not be posting for awhile, or then again, perhaps they can put in a new DVD within a day or two, maybe even today! My computer is still under warranty...you know that Best Buy ad campaign for the extended warranty? Something like, "I want a NEW one!"...yeah right, been there, done that too. Although to their credit, when they couldn't fix my Digital Camera, they did give me a credit and I used that to purchase my video camera...which I don't use as much as I would like. Heck, I always forget the camera too, so pictures are spotty at best, LOL! It would be really great to get a new laptop...this one has had some hard knocks as it travels along with us! The lid is cracked, the silver top looks like a tiger used it as a scratching post, and I can't get the screen clean no matter what I use, including special wipes I paid a small fortune for.

Well, hopefully, we will only be off line for a short time. I will post as soon as I get my unit back.

hugs

Dennise

Wednesday...
I am up early, The Prince wants to see the Doug Gabriel show which is at 10 am. I am not trilled with the idea, however the guy does have a good voice, and since the Prince has gone to my suggestions, I guess I can reciprocate, at least once.

We worked on Monday, it was a dreadful day and rained continually. I was worthless as new storms were moving in to the area, and the barometer was playing games all afternoon. I pretty much went to bed until dinnertime. Prince made a pizza, a plain frozen four cheese dealy and then added fresh tomatoes, onions, Italian sausage and I think green onions on his part. I don't care for the peppers cause they don't cook through when it is put on the top of a pizza.

The little snafu here at the park seems to have worked out. I won't go into detail but there were some differing of opinions about certain upkeep procedures and with all the rain, the work really hasn't been done as the owner wants, but has been done as the workampers have been trained and with the terrible weather, have been able to accomplish. Like Gilda Radner use to say..."Its always something."

On Tuesday, Paul and I slept in, him mostly, then around noon we ventured out to get a rare lunch out and see if the new super WalMart had opened. We ate at a popluar place here called Shorty Smalls. Unique decor of various eras and themes cluttered the beams above and it was hopping for lunch. We ordered a pulled pork bbq sandwich and a bbq brisket sandwich that we would share. Neither of us could eat the other half so now we had dinner in a box to warm up for the evening. We went to the new WalMart, but the grand opening is set for today the 11th. We headed back to the other Wally world, but the Prince let me stop at the Grand Palace shops where there were two huge Christmas stores. I wandered around there for a while, oggling all the fabulous decorations. It was actually overwhelming after awhile seeing all these trees and twinkling lights and bling flashing all over. Made me dizzy if you can believe that...! I visited a few other shops before I ran outta gas and my neck, shoulder and back pain from fibro became unbearable. We finished the afternoon over at Wallyworld and rambled back to the rig. I took not one but two pain pills and immediately went to sleep. Paulie woke me up about 6 and said the "happy hour" was underway. I had a gin and squirt, mostly squirt and we spend the next three hours talking and shooting the breeze with our work-mates.

We finally said our goodbyes, and went to the rig to make some "dinner". We warmed up the leftover sandwiches and had a few chips to round out our meal...love those 2 for 1 kinda days! We watched the end of the Cubbies game, and they beat the Braves 10 to 5 if I remember right.

I was too tired to blog, so I apologize for not being around for a couple of days. Sometimes I just am too tired to write, other times I have so much to say I go on and on. Never a happy middle I guess.

Well, it's now 9 am and the Prince is still sawing logs, so I better wake him up, and make some breakfast. Can't go to a morning show on an empty stomach and popcorn is unappealing this early!
hugs
dennise

Sunday

We are off today, and decided to go the Landing and Paul could fish for trout and I could ride around the shops. It is a very warm and windy kinda day...I wasn't much interested in shopping, if you can believe that...and the Prince had taken some Benedyrl since he found a lovely patch of poison ivy yesterday while weeding. He has a terrible allergy to poison ivy and this could be the beginning of a bad flair up. While on the Landing, I stopped and picked up some lunch. It was from the Chicago Pizza Company. Unless you have actually lived in Chicago, one would think all Chicago Pizza was real crap. This stuff was. When I arrived at the pier where the Prince was fishing, all he had caught all afternoon was a pair of boxer shorts, no kidding.



We ate lunch and then headed over to ABC Campground where RV-Dreams is holding a rally. We know a couple of folks who are attending so we thought we'd drive over and check it out. We spent the entire afternoon meeting new folks and matching email names and blogs with faces. We had a wonderful time. Around 5 we said our goodbyes and headed home.

We stopped at the Colonel's for some extra crispy to have for dinner. Back at the campground we sat and talked to Linda and Al for a while. We finally said our goodbyes and had a late dinner. Something is brewing between the workers and the owner's husband. He went off on Paul yesterday for some reason and Paul, incredibly kept his cool. However, there is a letter in the office that the guys must sign. It has something to do with the weeding...well, it has rained 5 outta 7 days in any week and weeds are popping out all over the place, plus the equipment the guys have to work with is really worthless. A weed eater is not the right tool to get weeds outta gravel...you use weed killer in a sprayer. The sprayer is broken, and the weedkiller is from the dollar store. Geez. The guys are all supposed to read then sign this letter. This is just not gonna happen with Paul...we may be packed up and gone by tomorrow afternoon. I will fill in more info tomorrow.



Later

dee

Frightening Friday...

I am off today, but the Prince in on duty as Buckie is working. We just had a scare with one of our new guests. Paul and the "main" camper guy decided that he should have a pull through spot...the 5th Wheel toy hauler he was pulling was HUGE. There are maybe three families traveling together...dad and mom, son and daughter-in-law and daughter and son-in-law, along with numerous rug rats running around. The other workamper, Al, came out to help with the guy pulling in. As they began to set-up I just happen to look out the window and I see one of the ladies running around in a total panic, hands on her head...she is running in circles, obviously screaming from the look on her face...then she starts grabbing kids and herding others toward the back of the campsite. Al comes running up, as I had by this time stepped out of the rig, telephone in hand and he yells "call 911, a guy is pinned between the rig and the truck!". I dial 911 and get a fast answer, unfortunately, my cell connected to the wrong county, and the gal transferred me to the correct 911. I am at this point trying not to wet my pants. The 911 guy answers, asking me where the emergency is...I scream into the phone, Shenanigan's RV Park, um Branson Shenanigans RV Park...then scream the address...The 911 guy asks, "is the victim breathing?" I yell at Al, who is now grey colored and I thought "...crap, Al's having a freaking heart attack!" Al answers yes. The guy says "Is he conscious?" I yell again at Al..."yes", he replies. THEN the guy asks "is the victim bleeding", which I then yell at Al and he gives me this look..."YES HE IS BLEEDING...Where are the EMT's ?" I am trying to calm down although my heart is almost bursting outta my chest. I tell the 911 guy that I am looking at the fire station at the corner, where are these people? He asks for my telephone number...wait, I can't remember...I am so flustered by what is going on! He asks again and I snap something like wait a minute, I don't usually call myself or something equally stupid, then it comes to me and I tell the guy. He tells me to stay on the phone...he starts asking me all kinda questions like where is the guy stuck? I ask Al, and he gives me another look and yells that it is the guy's hand. At this point, Al is walking towards the entrance and FINALLY, I hear sirens...in pops a police car. I didn't call the stupid police, I need an EMT for heaven's sake! Close behind the cop, is a pick-up with Emergency Responder or something like on the side...OK we got someone here to help. Then two more vehicles pull in, one an ambulance, the other another Emergency Responder type truck. Phew...!


As it turns out, the guy could have lost his hand. I am guessing here that, impatient to get set up, the son-in-law (who is prolly not a camper except on trips with the in-laws) tried to unhitch the 5th wheel but the rig's wheels had not been chocked. The rig rolled forward on to the bed of the tow vehicle where he had placed his other hand. The weight of the rig actually dented the pickup's bed and quite possibly save the guy's hand from being cut-off. Ick.


The EMT's got the situation under control quickly...soon they left and the family drove to the hospital. Whew. We don't need excitement like this! This kid kinda has the look on his face that I think I may have had....


Well, I am off to pick up some prescriptions...and may wander around the outlet mall. I think the Prince may have to take a nap after all this excitement.

hugs...

dennise

Thursday....

Sorry about missing a posting yesterday. I am still having a few problems with my computer. So what else is new? The wifi here at the park has become quite a headache. Since the campground is heavily covered in trees, slopes down into a valley, and everyone tries to connect from inside their tin can rv's, service is less than acceptable for most! Well, somethings gotta give and it certainly isn't gonna be the wifi system! Most campgrounds that offer wifi (that I have stayed in, anyways) the systems are poorly designed, or are the cheapest equipment which is self-defeating. This park does have several signal repeaters, but I think we are doomed. It has become the bane of my existence while I am on duty and again when I am off. I can't connect and I am facing the repeater from the coach windshield about 200 feet away or less...I get all the complaints from the guests. The best line...."I only chose this park because of the free wifi." Nah, that is pure baloney...all the parks here have free wifi except KOA ...they charge. Oh well, I am off tomorrow so I can get a break. Actually one of our guests was helpful in suggestions about my laptop. The same problem keeps repeating itself...the DVD drive is not recognized...the driver disappears, yet the device driver tells me it is working fine. Grrrrrr. He taught computer repair at a jr college so I trust him and he seems to be a really nice guy. He suggested that I remove the drive and reinsert. Easy enough...so I did and Viola! It now works and when I click on my computer the DVD drive is there! Wow.

I received some sad news a few days ago. One of our friends from our FMCA Chapter,The Cenois Prairielanders.... Marge Walter passed away. She was the sweetest little gal...always a smile, the best pies ever at the rally pot lucks, always a wonderfully funny comment during a discussion around the campfire. We will miss her greatly...

Rest in Peace dear Marge...

Marge Walter

November 3, 1926 - June 1, 2008

This is for you Marge.....Maybe with you in heaven along with Harry, the Cubbies will win it all this year!

Hugs to you all...

dennise

Tuesday...our day off...
We decided to get up early, around 8 and go have the breakfast buffet at Dockers just down the yellow road from the campground. Eh. It was so-so. I have to keep reminding myself that we should avoid buffets like the plague...we can't eat enough to justify the price. It was so-so and now we know we won't go back unless we go for free...LOL!

We finished up breakfast, and stopped at Walgreen's to pick up the rest of my prescription...they only gave me 5 days worth instead of 30. I stood in line for at least 20 minutes while two little old ladies had this discussion with the pharmacist about a certain med that made one of them have such terrible death type symptoms...the poor pharmacist couldn't get away, then they asked her all kinds of questions about, get this...wrinkle cream! Um, I am sorry but I think it just might be a little bit late for wrinkle cream when you are older than dirt! OK, I am not fidgeting anymore, the show we are going to see at 10 a.m. is still 20 minutes until showtime. Finally, they finish and THEN TAKE OUT CHECK BOOKS TO WRITE CHECKS...NEITHER OF THEM HAS A PEN! ARRRRGH! Finally, I get up to the register and gee, they don't have my script. Well, apparently they forgot they told me to come back, or they goofed up and didn't put it in the computer. Lucky for me I saved the bag and there is a handwritten note that I can pick up the rest of my script after 4 p.m. on Monday. Guess who is gonna bring that back when I go back tomorrow when they have promised to have it ready. I go out back to the car, totally irritated. We zip down 76 to see the 10 a.m. show of Doug Gabriel. No show. Schedule is wrong. Hmmmm...so we head towards the Legends Theater to see the Brett Family show. Excellent show. We loved it. Again I have to say not one show we have seen has disappointed us...we have had a great time at each venue. I really am enjoying our stay here.

We met our fellow park hosts for our happy hour and several of our guests from the park joined us. We had a lot of fun learning about them and also laughed our tushies off at the antics of the various puppies playing together.

Well, I am off to bed. The Prince has to work two hours tomorrow. Thinking we might head to Springfield to meet with a fellow Vietnam Vet group advocate if we can get ahold of him...I leave you with a great photo taken of my fav Cubbie pitcher...this was last week at Wrigley...what a face!

hugs,

dee

Monday, Monday...
The Prince had to work two hours this morning. I was off, so what else, I slept in! I had taken an nap yesterday afternoon which turned into a marathon nap, so I was still awake at 11 p.m. I decided that since it was June 1 I would do a cleanup of the laptop. I did a registry cleanup, a CCleaner(crap cleaner for short, LOL!) and spybot. Well, when I got up this morning...nothing worked...I wasn't able to even see the park's wifi...nor would my AT&T card connect. Grrr. So I fiddled and I fiddled and finally got the aircard to work. I never could get the park connection...it finally recognized the access availability, but wouldn't connect...with four strong bars. Well, I continue to use the aircard, 'cause I continue to pay for the darn thing. I like the wifi as it is a bit faster. My mail loads quite slowly from the aircard sometimes...and I have five bars sometimes. That always puzzles me...hmmm.

All the workampers were invited to Lynn and Bill's for dinner (the campground owners). They have a beautiful house that they bought 6 months ago and have been so busy, they haven't had time to arrange furniture and put up drapes, etc. The house sits on a hill (what else is IN Branson?) and looks over Lake Taneycomo. It is really a lovely home...and her mom, our beloved office manager, Buckie (nickname for JOANN...don't ask me, I have no clue) lives in a great lower level. Buckie is known for her "Buckie Notes" which are little notes here and there in the office, telling us workampers what we did wrong, or how we should do this or that...we love 'em and laugh our tushies off. We compare the notes made especially for us. Buckie is 86 years young and swears if Lynn her daughter ever puts in a computerized reservation system, she quits!!!

Bakc to the house...Both levels have wonderful views from each and every window...I just can't imagine it in autumn...it must be spectacular. We had a wonderful dinner of grilled brats, Buckie's famous potato casserole, fresh fruit and Kahlua cake with chocolate chip ice cream. The only thing I left on my plate was the strawberry leaf. Oh and part of the bun...why overfill on a bun when Kahlua cake is waiting?

We are both off tomorrow so we thought we'd go to brunch and then hit one of the great 10 am shows...Doug Gabriel performed at the American Red Cross fundraiser we went to last week...he was great, so we hope to get to see him.

Well, I am off to bed...finally got my prescriptions straightened out...I think. We shall see I guess.

hugs to everyone...
dee

Six...

Sorry about not posting yesterday. I had to work and then we did laundry. By the time we joined our fellow workampers for our "happy hour" it was almost time to go get changed for a VIP show we were all going to later in the evening. The VIP show was a "thank you" from the show for all that the ticket sellers, campground employees, resort and hotel employees and other locals do to help promote their show, called "SIX". We have recommended them based on word of mouth from our guests here at the park. They don't have a band; they don't use pre-recorded music; they sing aCapella and at least two of the brothers do vocals that mimic drums, violin, piano and all kinds of instruments. They are truly amazing. They are the performing six of 10 brothers. Can you imagine raising 10 boys? I can't even fathom it, much less do it. They dedicated the last few songs of the show to their Mom, who passed away at the young age of 52 from cancer. They had a touching video of the family through the years and of each of the brother's families. Great show, great entertainment, great bunch of guys who are talented, funny and very family oriented. This is only their second season in Branson, but have become one of the top acts mainly by word-of-mouth and repeat guests.

They had over $6 thousand in raffle gifts. I missed winning a flat screen TV by ONE number...I had 964880 and 964879 was called. Grrrrr. I couldn't win a cold with my luck.

After the show, we stopped and split a fresh blackberry cobbler with ice cream at a place that each time we have tried to stop has been closed. It was delightful. We got home and had to make the bed...did laundry earlier and didn't really have time to eat before the show much less make the bed. I hit the bed and was asleep in about 5 minutes. I could tell we were going to get hit by one heck of a storm as my ears were killing me. At 4 a.m. we were startled awake by a huge hail storm. Lightening struck the lot just across the street...it made my fillings hurt it was so close to us! The rain continued throughout the night, occasionally waking me from my sound sleep. As I sit here writing this, it is thunderbooming and still raining. We weren't planning on anything today anyways. I guess we will watch the streaking Cubbies and watch NASCAR during the commercials. I have to get to Walgreens...several prescriptions are overdue filling...just haven't gone in to refill as I had a snag with my new health plan. Too long and irritating a story to tell, but I was actually without any insurance coverage or script coverage for almost two months. Thank goodness I had enough meds to get me through til June 1. But is was very, very close and I actually had to take only one Elmiron instead of the three daily like I am supposed to. Bad Dennise, I know. You do whatcha' gotta do...goodness gracious I didn't even tell the Prince. I don't need anymore lectures, plus he was against me switching to this insurance plan. HOWEVER....we are saving $550 a month on just ME, a supplemental plan really!!! CIGNA is the worst insurance company to deal with and they never covered anything anyways...as I said, was supplemental and only had to pick up 20% of what Medicare didn't...grrrr. OK enough of insurance woes, everybody has problems with something.

Well, off we go in the rain to Walgreens.

dennise

Dixie repercussions...



The Prince got sick about an hour after we got home. He said it seemed as if he had something "stuck" so I guess his surgery is still working fine. We had those itty bitty chickens, that were roasted to perfection...juciy, moist and tender. The pork tenderloin slice was dry, so I only had a taste. I think since he ate most of his (he loves roast pork), this was the culprit. He couldn't sleep, but yet couldn't get the offender up out of his little tummy. He sat and watched TV all night...til about 4 a.m. I heard him in the bathroom...poor guy! It is truly hard to listen to somebody you love having such a terrible vomiting episode. I guess I can now understand how hard it is on the Prince and Prince Zack when I have those horrible vertigo attacks accompanied by days of vomiting and being flat on my back from the Meniere's.



From this point, the Prince's day just got worse. He tried to sleep but was unable to. He had to go work a short two hour shift this morning and he was really not doing well. I tried to tell him to call Al or Dave to step in for him...it was only two hours for goodness sakes. Prince would do that for either of them without hesitation, and I am sure they would do the same for him. Nope. The Prince pooh-poohed the idea and looked at me as if I had grown bunny ears. OK, be a martyr, why should I worry?



About an hour later, I see him trudging up the hill. I see the golf cart...it is up against a tree. Oopsie. I guess he had a little problem going up the hill...it is tricky in the old clunker of a golf cart we have here, you have to ease the brake while giving it the accelerator cause the hills here are quite steep. Well, the rest is um, history. Damages were relatively minor, a twisted tire rim and flat. However the real damage was someone's ego being bruised. At noon, after the owner came by to take the tire into Springfield to get fixed, Prince returned to the rig, walked into the bedroom, closed the door and went to bed. Poor guy.



I spend my day writing out article outlines; doing a bit of research for article content, and more importantly, competetive research of other RV cooking sites. The good news is that there are only "pages" on other RV sites that deal with cooking. However, some savy old babe has bought up a lot of .com's that deal with RV cooking, RV kitchens, etc, but they all lead back to her site which is basically a recipe site for any type of cooking. Tons of advertising and little content for us. Nothing RV specific, but she owns the darn sites. Bummer! The only competetion is a site called The RV Cooking show and she does do rv cooking but via you tube type videos. They don't load well on typical RV computer setups like mine...via aircard or cell phone connectivity. Thus, it is difficult to watch as it keeps stopping and reloading the video. Quite irritating. I wonder if the gal thought of this while developing her site. Wifi is spotty at best for most fulltimes and part-timers, and most RV'ers don't have the ability to stream video into their rigs and then save to a laptop and run it back to get the recipe. So, I think my idea for the photo step by step is a valid one, and then have a recipe actually printed so the RV'er can just cut and paste the recipe into their files, accessible or printable at anytime, anywhere.



Well, that's pretty much in a nutshell what we were up to today. Somedays are better than others whether you live in a stix and brix house or one on wheels...



hugs,

dennise

Update: The Dixie Stampede

We were unable to get into the 5 p.m. dinner show, so we went ahead and purchased tickets for the 8 p.m. show. We stopped at Dunkin' Doughnuts to see how much the ground coffee was. It is cheaper for a pound at Dunkin' than it is for 12 oz. at Wally World. Guess where I'll be buying my coffee?

We took a detour, well we were killing time, and went down to Branson Landing. It was dinner time and kinda quiet. The Prince needed some B12 liquid, which we can only find at GotNuthin'Cheap aka GNC. He walked down to the store while I indulged in a Cafe Americano with three SF vanilla shots. Three is way too sweet even for a Grande'. Ok, so I know Gloria Jeans shots of SF vanilla are real shots, not wimpy half pumps like at Starbucks!

Paul came back with his B12 and we caught the Trolley back to the parking lot. We stopped for gas...13 gallons and it was over $50. When is this insanity going to stop?

Arriving at the Dixie place, we are ushered into the Carriage Room, a place where a pre-show will take place. They sell drinks and popcorn at outrageous prices...what a stroke of marketing genius...$40 plus per ticket for the dinner show and $10 bucks for two Cokes and a tiny cup of popcorn. Just like the movies!!!

The pre-show was a juggling act...I really dislike juggling acts. Talented people do this, it just does nothing for me personally. I would rather have wandered around in the gift shop. Anyway, what I did allow myself to watch was quite good (juggling 20 flashing hoops makes me really dizzy, so most of the time I watched a little boy pick his nose). The juggler was a very funny guy and his jokes were really good. He kept teasing the kids in the front row with the fire rings and the bowling pins he was tossing around. We had a chance to talk to him after the show as we were in the back of the room and the last to leave. I told him I normally don't enjoy jugglers but he was outstanding. He was very appreciative. I wonder how much the Dixie Stampede folks pay a juggler who does a pre-show for 30 minutes? Hmmmm. Gotta be worth it for this fella, he does three shows a day...noontime, 4ish and 7ish when we got there.

In a nutshell...the main show was good...Grey Vs Blue (yanno Civil war kinda blue and grey.) The Prince was sure the Blue would win, since the North won the war. Foolish man. We are in a show called Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede. She's from Pigeon Forge TN and therefore the South or grey guys and gals always win. He doubts me. Well. He thinks cause he is a Prince he has smarts. I let him think that all the time. I did enjoy myself and there was a lot of audience participation. The chicken scramble was really funny...two grey kids and two blue kids get to chase chickens down the arena. Poor grey kid, Zachary fell and his poor little face went right into that nasty stuff the horses roll around in...btw, there was no pooping antics by horses either. We all gave Zachary a nice round of applause and he got a be-ribboned medal and a Dolly Parton CD.

Well, they forbid pictures, so I can't post any...bummer.

Well, I guess I am ready to hit the sack. I was just thinking I hope I don't have lizard nightmares. Ick. I still catch my breath when I think of how close that little bugger came to crawling up my shorts!

hugs

dennise

Dixie Stampede Tonight!
Yep, we are going to the Dixie Stampede Show...the same as in Dollywood and some other place I can't remember.

I just read my post from last night. I must have been very tired...it made no sense to me at all. So far today the most exciting thing that happened, well there were two things. First, this morning I spilled a mug of hot tea all over me and the wing chair. Ouch. I just hate when that happens...

The second thing happened just a few minutes ago...we have these little creatures in the park...lizards of some hardy stock to survive here in Branson. They look like the little gieco guy on TV but I haven't had any meaningful conversation with any of them. Usually, I just go in the rig until they lose interest in me. Well, I was busy checking email and one of them little suckers climbed up my leg. Instant tachycardia. Once I could inhale I let out this blood curdling scream which brought out campers up and down our street. The Polish Prince thank goodness was at the office in the basement aka down under, looking for some scrap wood to make my steering wheel table...yanno the kind they sell a camping stores for $45, and are made of plastic? That'll be the day when either the Polish Prince or myself spends that outrageous amount when we can make one of our own. I took pictures and will be posting an article on how to when my new website is up and running. I am starting to get more and more ideas on stuff, I have to write them down right away or pffft! they are gone from my overloaded brain.

I did recover from my frightened state and ran in the rig...all these guests must think that dizzy blonde campground host is nutso. Oh well, nothing I can do about it now!

Well the Prince says we have to leave now so I will post more with pictures I hope of the Dixie Stampede...supposedly they have LONGHORN steer in the show now...gee, how much more excitement can I take today!

hugs
dennise

Benefit Show for Missouri flood and tornado victims...

We attended a wonderful show put on buy 50 or so Branson entertainers such as Moe Bandy, Pierce Arrow, Roy Rodgers Jr. and Penny Gilley among many others. It went on for four hours! Incredible talent all doing this charity show. At $20 a ticket it was a steal...the show was fabulous!

Just wanted to post a bit but I am really tired (had a busy afternoon in the office, lots of check in's...at least 7, phone ringing off the hook, and it was our day to scour the bathrooms. Will be taking some meds and will be hitting the sheets asap.

Take care and hugs,

dennise

Two Wolves

An old Indian Grandfather said to his grandson who came to him with anger at a friend who had done him an injustice.

"Let me tell you a story. I too, at times, have felt a great hate for those that have taken so much, with no sorrow for what they do. But hate wears you down, and does not hurt your enemy. It is like taking poison and wishing your enemy would die. I have struggled with these feelings many times."

He continued...

"It is as if there are two wolves inside me; One is good and does no harm. He lives in harmony with all around him and does not take offense when no offense was intended. He will only fight when it is right to do so, and in the right way. He saves all his energy for the right fight.

But the other wolf, ahhh!

He is full of anger. The littlest thing will set him into a fit of temper. He fights everyone, all the time, for no reason. He cannot think because his anger and hate are so great. It is helpless anger, for his anger will change nothing. Sometimes it is hard to live with these two wolves inside me, for both of them try to dominate my spirit."

The boy looked intently into his Grandfather's eyes and asked..."Which one wins, Grandfather?"

The Grandfather smiled and quietly said...

"The one I feed."

As posted by
Scarletwoman
May 27th, 2008
Democraticunderground.com

Memorial Day...



I belong to a number of blogs, and am a faithful reader to most. I will check them all for updates and now I know how my readers feel when I don't post for a while. I guess, unless you are a dedicated daily blogger, you just get involved in everyday stuff and then forget to post. Subject matter is never an issue with me...I have a lot of stuff to talk about. Anybody who knows me knows that I am a talker.


This morning I read a moving entry by a gentleman I greatly admire, a man who self-publishes a newspaper for RV'ers, and many, many books. He is wickedly funny, irreverent and opinionated. I sometimes agree, sometimes not. Today, being the day we honor those who have given their lives in service, he wrote a heartfelt, wonderful message reminding us that our freedom here in the USA has been earned by those willing to sacrifice their lives to keep our country safe. Well, I agree. This particular war in Iraq just nags and picks at me. Supposedly, we entered this war with the intent to get the terrorists that destroyed the Twin Towers right? The Bush administration made a compelling and emotional case preying upon our fears and our sorrows over this terrorist act, that these terrorists were tied to Iraq. Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, and they were soon to be aimed at us. Yes terrorism is frightening. Yes, we should be vigilant and ever watchful for those who would do us harm. Yes, terrorism is the one thing we seem to have a hard time wrapping our minds around. I know I do. Yet, in the Revolutionary War, were the colonist's terrorists? The British certainly thought we were. How 'bout them Calvary guys, like Custer. Didn't the US Calvary decimate hundreds upon hundreds of Indian villages, killing old people, women and children? I bet the Indians thought we were terrorists. The legendary pioneers settled in lands that since the beginning of history had belonged to Native Americans? Terrorists? Well, of course not...Americans are not terrorists. This is all history, right? Well, most people agree, Timothy McVeigh was a terrorist. Alrighty then, I will get off this tangent and say what I feel I need to say. It is simple perspective.

Please please don't think that I am not patriotic or a person who does not daily pray for those men and woman who serve, sacrificing each and every day, or that I don't pray for our President...I do, really I do. I just don't agree with this war.
That's it. I don't want to see any more kids killed...family men with kids, family women with kids, sons, brothers, fathers, mothers, nephews and nieces, grandsons and daughters...just bring them home. The tribes of the Middle East have fought for centuries over stupid things...Sunni Muslims vs Shi-ites. Will our presence change this. I think not...they hate us too...! OK. I am done. I love my country, but that doesn't mean I have to agree with all it's policies or actions.

Bless you all this holiday...and a heartfelt thank you for those who serve, who have served and whose have loved ones who have served and continue to serve.

hugs
dennise

The first test of my idea for my web cooking site for RV'ers.

Ever since I told everyone what my new website will feature, I thought I'd give you a preview of the type of content, such as instructions and pictures for making the recipes. I started with the most simple of recipes, beer bread. So here goes...please leave your comments, suggestions and any feedback you may have.

EZ Beer Bread

This is a great recipe if you are looking for something different to bring to a potluck or just make dynamite french toast or even regular toast for that matter. This recipe has been handed down over generations of campers. Well, I think it has, anyways..but if I just made that up, we can start handing it down to future campers, eh? It is great to take along the ingredients in a plastic baggie...just the flour and sugar ok?. Keep the beer warm. This recipe can be made in a rig kitchen oven, a counter top roaster, which is how I did mine today, or in a dutch oven over the coals with a few briquettes on the top to brown the bread top.

Assemble your ingredients. You will need:

3 cups of self-rising flour (yes make sure it says self-rising on the bag!)

2 to 3 tablespoons of sugar

12 oz. of any good lager beer.

Here is good place to experiment. Use seasonal specialities, unique imported beers, local microbrewy offerings. Be bold for goodness sakes. I brought this Blue Moon in Edwardsville, IL where the college kids imbibe great quantities of this served in glasses with slices of orange in them. It does have a slightly citrus note to it. I have also made this with MGD. I could fib and say that I send Paulie to the grocery store to buy beer just for bread, but you will all laugh at me and snicker to yourselves...Pffft! So I enjoy a cold one now and then!

Now, get a nice big bowl and a wooden spoon...I have only one large bowl in the rig so it is a multi-purpose mixing bowl, serving dish and punch bowl.

Measure three cups of the self-rising flour...dump into the bowl. Next add the sugar.

Now slowly pour in the beer. Reminder...only use warm or room temperature beer. And, no, do not warm up the beer in the microwave...just don't put it in the cooler or fridge. Again, you can use cans or bottles, it's your bread yanno.

Next just mix until the batter has incorporated all the beer and there are no dry ingredients in the bottom of the mixing bowl. The batter will be lumpy and sticky. Like this...

Then this...

A closer look...I need to mix just a bit more here...

Flop the sticky dough into a greased pan. I am using my old faithful silicone bread pan, only 'cause I didn't bring a regular bread pan for goodness sakes. I don't like the silicone cause it bulges in the center. I use Pam baking spray with flour in the silicone pans.

Smooth out the top...I like it lumpy...it seems more homemade or "rustic". All right, no comments on the brown edges on the pan...it is a well used staple in my kitchen and it was a cheap one to boot.

Now put the bread in your cooking appliance of choice. It should bake at 375 degrees for approximately 45 minutes. I am using my Nesco knockoff. I left in the rack, turned upside down just to keep the pan off the bottom of the roaster. I have also made this in my rig's oven . I have added a flat pizza stone, or you could slip some unglazed ceramic tile into the oven. I have found(after burning countless goodies in my oven) that you need something to absorb the heat and let it distribute evenly. Rig ovens can be tricky to use. Not the convection oven...I don't have one of those...yet. My old Pampered Chef cookie/pizza stone works well for me. The temperatures are very static in these propane devils.

OK, set your timer for 40 to 45 minutes. If you don't know how hot your rig oven cooks, keep a watchful eye on the bread...you don't want it to over-bake.

I lost track of time and I think I over-baked by about 5 minutes. I will note this on my personal recipe so when I use the Nesco knockoff, I will adjust baking time. I will add dutch over baking in a campfire at the end of this recipe. Note: use a serrated knife...it will make slicing easier.

I just had to try it so I slathered it in margarine (I hate margarine, which is all Paulie wants to use...I do have real butter in the freezer...) and blackberry jam. Ohhhh.....

It's great!

See, I have NO self-control. I just had to eat a big bite. Then I sat down and ate this with a french press brewed cup of coffee with cream. Oh my. So. Good. Paul came in and he whacked off a hunk. He only put that crappy fakey margarine on the bread and then had the nerve to say it was...."well, you know...bland" Ass. From now on I shall refer to him on this new site as "The Polish Prince". He doesn't deserve to be named.

Dutch Oven directions for a campfire...

The difference here is you are really camping...kinda like pioneer people...and good for you! One of these days, I think I will try it. If I can convince the old skin-flint Prince to let me buy a decent Lodge dutch oven...when pigs fly I guess. Anyways...if you are a Pioneer Camper, just grease your smallest dutch oven and plop the sticky dough in...Bake over hot coals about 1 hour. Place a few hot coals on lid so top of bread will brown.

So, folks there you have it. My first attempt at my RV cooking website. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I will now be "photographing" my cooking adventures and saving them in files I can upload to the page. It may take a couple of weeks to get enough stuff to post with. I will not only be posting recipes, I will be sharing a lot of tips and tricks I have collected in my years of RVing. (And reading other tips and tricks, and yeah, picking fulltimer's brains...!)

Take care, and hugs to you all

dennise

I found this quiz on line and gacked it over here...

1.) If I were a doll, the accessories packaged with me would be:
diet pepsi, a cuddly puppy like a Morkie and books.
2.) I have an irrational fear of: being murdered, beheading and falling in a green pond, weird crap I know.
3.) What type of food did you eat at your grandparents house? I only had one great grandma and I can only recall fried chicken from the local chicken shack and small sausage sandwiches we bought on Belmont Avenue and were 5 for $1.00. Honest. Oh yeah, she liked to serve spoilt milk...ick.
4.) What weight were you when you were born? All of us McPhillips girls were porkers, um, er Campbell's soup kids...over 8 lbs to answer the question.
5.) What would you do if you were stranded on an island with the person you hate most? When they fell asleep I would bury them in sand....
6.) What would you do if you found out you had been cheated on? Find a good lawyer like Alan Shore on Boston Legal...
7.) Do you stalk anyone on myspace? Snort...why bother?
8.) I find the thought of childbirth: very scary and painful...why do you think I have just one?
9.) Next door to my house is: an empty campsite!
10.) My feet are: incredibly large and ugly...it's that long second toe yanno.
11.) My preferred style of jeans is: Boot cut, nicley stretchy, thinner material, they are much more forgiving and make my ass look less fat.
12.) Why is your 1 your 1? I married him and he's cute to me anyways.
13.) Know how to cook? Yes and rather good at cookies, candy and fruit cake.
14.) I am annoyed with: Ultra conservatives who think their way of thinking is the ONLY way of thinking and call those who disagree unpatriotic or communists....suuuurrrrre. I also get annoyed with all of the talking heads on Fox News...fair and impartial, my ass.
15.) What is the worst way you were dumped? via the telephone from Colorado...
16.) What child-related smell do you not like? Vomit or Poop....take your pick, I can't abide either without getting dry heaves.
17.) What sea creature scares you? Sharks and stingrays. Any biting creature...I NEVER go in the ocean...it's full of fish poop.
18.) What hair color do most of the people you are around have? Around me? Blonde in varying shades.
19.) What object have you broken most recently? Just a compression fracture in my back...oh yeah and I dropped a can of diet pepsi on the floor...horrible mess.
20.) Name one of the Spice Girls. Scary spice Mel B on dancing with the stars.
21.) What was the last thing to make you cry? I had a bad fibro day and was having a pity party.
22.) What are the stems on wine glasses for? You got me there....to swirl the wine in the glass?
23.) My favorite shoes are: My newish blue suede cowboy boots, followed closely by my new eel skin cowboy boots.
24.) Can you use chopsticks? Ummm, I can't use a fork well yet...
25.) Do you prefer beaches or forests? I like both, but I love beaches, because they're usually next to large bodies of water. However, I never enter the water, I just sit and watch it.
26.) What serial killer do you find most disturbing? Jeez, they are all disturbing, I try not to think about the suckers.
27.) Who knows a secret or two about you? Hmmm, any one of my sisters, which scares me.
28.) Have you ever burned yourself? Too many times to count.
29.) Who is probably talking a load of crap about you right now? Nobody...well I think nobody!
30.) Who is/are your hero[s]? Hillary Clinton, and anyone who has been to Iraq. Well, that does NOT include the current fool serving as president...so sorry, I think he's a putz.
31.) Do you believe in things that last forever? Nothing lasts forever. Well, except God.
32.) What are you listening to? Josh Groban.
33.) What do you smell like? Me, Smell? I use deodorant yanno.
34.) Are you married? Yep, going on 24 years...
35.) Does anyone regularly tell you they love you? Yep and on a daily basis.
36.) What's most confusing to you? The terrible stuff going on in politics right now...we are all Americans, yes?
37.) Do you have any bad habits? Oh no, I have no bad habits since I stopped biting my nails years ago. Well, maybe I like beer a little too much for my own good and weight?
38.) Have you ever wanted to be a teacher? Yeah, but I decided I didn't really like kids, way to hyper and once they learn how to talk they lose their charm... so I encouraged my son to become one.
39.) What is one thing you've learned about life? It ain't for sissies. And sometimes it hurts.
40.) What's your favorite color? Red
41.) Have you ever been stuck in an elevator? Yes...with a person who was doused in some gosh awful cheap perfume.
42.) What does/did your dad call you? Deedee is the only one I want to remember, LOL!
43.) Has anyone told you that they like you as more than a friend? Ah, yeah...many times, it started in kindergarten and just continued until I met Paulie.
44.) What are you looking forward to? Zack's graduation and the financial relief it will bring...sure...
45.) Who do you miss? Zack, my son, my Mom, my sisters...my dad who passed away a few years ago...my friends from my old work since I am retired. The Chicago Girlfriends, Karen, Eugenia, Roseann...my knitting friends in Springfield, my support group from Springfield, my good friends from our FMCA group, The Cenois Prairielanders, our SKP friends, the folks in Weslaco....I could go on and on but now I am depressed and glad this quiz is over....

Now you know a little more about me and it's crazy kinda stuff!

hugs,

dennise