Wednesday November 22

Heh, heh, heh...you guys fell for my bs again. I haven't updated since Oct! Well, the old saying, the best laid plans....

For weeks the debate here in the Ziaja realm has been ...."when are we gonna leave? What are Zack's plans? Are Jan and the girls coming in? blah blah blah." We finally make a decision to leave Thanksgiving day. Not MY choice. Grandpa has had his clothes in the motorhome since October. Every now and then I see him sneak out to get some clean underwear...he wears the same pants and shirt everyday. Paul has to steal his clothes in the middle of the night so they don't walk away. Just Kidding yanno.

It is 8:30 pm and Paulie is still outside loading the rig, mostly the stuff in the storage bins. My thoughts are this should have been done WEEKS ago yanno? Last minute Paulie, flyby the seat of his pants. Some things never change I guess. I don't get it. We have talked up this trip for freaking MONTHS. The bad thing about being part-timers is that we have to share the stuff in the rig with the house...like pots and pans. Toothpaste and shampoo. Can't keep it in the rig as it melts in the summer and freezes in the winter. Same with clothes. Gotta wear seasonal clothes, can't leave them in the rig either. But stuff in the bins? PIA.

Add to this, we all had to pack for the cruise. Summer clothes for the cruise, warm clothes cause we don't know what the weather is where we are going stateside, light jackets, a heavier jacket, and who knows what kind of clothes for the Rio Grand Valley. Gee what a terrible dilemma!

Well, I am totally exhausted at this moment. I will have to take something strong tonight. All I have to take into the rig tomorrow is my cruise suitcase(if anyone can lift the sucker) and my meds and toiletries.

We probably will get on the road around 11. Our first stop is Lebannon MO to visit Auntie Averil and get there some time in the afternoon. She lives about 150 miles from St. Louis so with the 90 to SL, we have about a 4 to 5 hour trip. Not too bad.

I will update when we get on the road tomorrow.

Boy, time sure flies when your having fun. Since my last update over two months ago, I had my surgery, recovered, dislocated my new hip twice and after several ambulance trips to the er and visitis back to the doc, a revision is only option. Crap. Had revision on Sept 27. Doc said there was fluid in the joint which made it unstable. He lengthened my leg, inserted a new socket that has a lip to keep the ball in place and then put in a larger ball. I did ok after surgery. My ass hurts where all the soft tissue damage was done. Can't describe it any other way...I have pain in my right ass cheek. Hmmmm. Back to square one...a simple (for most folks anyways)surgery, becomes a 16 week ordeal for me. Typical.

We are getting ready for the great get-away. Hopefully we will get outta Rochester before Thanksgiving. Time will tell.

I am going to try to update daily from this point on, keeping everyone abreast of what is happening here.

later
dennise

Oh goodness. It's Monday night and I have only one more day to wait til I get this freakin' hip fixed. I have so much stuff to do tomorrow it is just ridiculous...I hired a cleaning lady today...$15 an hour...oh well, it's only money right? I just can't deal with a dirty house and Paulie just can't keep up. I suppose it will be about 4 hours worth of work for this woman, and I promised her that I'd have the place at least picked up so she doesn't have to clean around clutter. We picked out the lino for the bathroom redo today...its a light grey background with speckled spots...just like the stuff from the 50's. I am going to draw something up for the wallboard guy to look at...I want beadboard and chair rail along with new baseboards. Shouldn't be too expensive. Can't wait to see it done. One more step to selling the house. I am making lists of stuff we have to do. Get rid of sh*t is number one. Getting rid of furniture is next. Gosh, its gonna take months to get this stuff done. I worry about video tapes of Zack when he was growing up....pictures, knick knacks and stuff I really love is gonna be tough. If we do buy a mfg home, I can keep some stuff. Kitchen stuff. I have great kitchen appliances such as my Kitchen aid mixer. Ain't giving that puppy up...how about my pizzeli (sp) maker...no...how about my professional cookie sheets, hell no! China, silverware and serving dishes are also hands off. I gotta have some stuff to make a new home a real home.

I will prolly not post until after I get home. Don't be offended if I am a bit grumpy or surly...it is gonna hurt like hell and I am not gonna be a happy person by any stretch of the imagination...

hugs

dee

My girlfriend Karen told me on the phone that my blog was coming up blank. Yikes! It was...the edit page was there, but when I also tried to view the blog, all I got was a blank page...hmmm. Thus the test test test post. Sorry. It seems to be ok now. Pffft. Technology. Can't live with it, can't live without it.

I am sitting in my recliner, another day down, 7 more to go. This is only the second time I have actually WANTED to have surgery. This pain in my hip sucks the big one. Sorry, that's not nice, but heck, I am NOT feeling "nice" right now.

I visited with Terry Stephens at Dr. Stegeman's office today...preop physical. What a pia. She did take my disability paperwork to be completed and signed by Dr. S. Disability paperwork is a necessary evil I guess...I recall getting complaints from folks when I took calls at the Franklin for disability. We did waive the paperwork after the individual was deemed permanently disabled and had no hope of recovery in order to go back to work. That's me I guess. I hope they agree to waive my forms soon for pete's sake.

We are trying to figure out which chair I am going to use after I have surgery next week. The chair I am using now is not appropriate as my hips lie lower than my knees. Can't have that. So, I guess it's either stuff pillows under my butt to level my hind end out, or use the other chair. The nasty disgusting chair Paulie uses is an oldie moldy from the farm house...and has spent the last several years in Zack's dirty pit, er bedroom.

Well, that's about all for today...I need to go to Walgreens for some meds I need to start prior to surgery.

later

dee

Testing....testing....testing....hey, where did my blog go?

Monday

Well, we secured the rig, loaded up the furkids and some of grandpa's stuff and hit I74 for the 2 hour ride to Rochester.

We got home and as expected, the house was dirty...I expected this, Paulie is pissed. I don't know why he thought the house would be clean. It is after all, still standing. There were no holes in the wall, no burnt food in the oven, no dirty dishes all over and all the furniture was still in one piece. Dirt is something a 20 year old boy doesn't see. Doesn't he get this? Disappointed my tushie...as I said, it was almost cleaner that I thought it would be. Nothing is broken, everything is still in place and the plants are even still alive. Paul needs to chill. And then the weather is so great...99 in the shade! The house is starting to cool down...but the outside flowers are pretty well goners, I have yet to see the tomatoes. Where I had planted annuals, the weeds have taken over the plants everywhere. Oh well, it'll just have to stay that way...no way in hell is anyone gonna pick weeds in this weather. And since I can barely walk, weeds can do whatever they please.

We will head back to kickapoo on Wednesday evening....I am planning on getting together with my cousin Nancy who lives near there. After the Cenois FMCA meeting is over on Saturday morning, Paulie and I will head home in the rig. Gee...since grandpa won't be with us, I will actually be able to sit in the FRONT seat instead of the frickn' recliner in the back. Wow, I am soooo excited.

later

dee

Sunday July 16th.

We had a nice breakfest of fresh fruit, bagels and scones. One by one, the out of towners got ready and had to pack up to leave. We finally got on the road around noon. It was hard to leave Michigan...we enjoyed our time here. We took a red road (red on the map) which was a strait shot down to Lafayette from Michigan City. We will stay at Kickapoo Sunday night, leave the rig and then bring grandpa back to Rochester on Monday. I have to see the doc on Tuesday morning and Paulie is doing some driving for the special needs folks.

Once we made it to Kickapoo, we set up the rig and then had a run to Tilfton or some such place for dinner. We went to Monical's pizza and it was truly bad. Oh well, we will know next time.

hugs

dee

Saturday July 15

We broke camp (or should I say Paulie broke camp?) and headed over to the Williams.
Steph and Matt arrived soon followed by Ricky and Linny. We had some snacks at the house then headed to Grand Haven for dinner. The place could only seat us outside. Half the table was in the shade and the other half of us sat in the sun. It was almost unbearable out there. Finally another table in the shade left and Amy and I went and sat in the shade by ourselves. After dinner the group headed for a walk but Sue and I went across to the coffee shop and I got a frozen coffee. The group had stopped for some ice cream and then we headed back to the house. We sat around and talked for a while. Since Matt had to umpire some games back home he and Steph had to leave about 9. We planned to have coffee and bagels in the morning.

Friday July 14

I crawled out of the air mattress about 8 a.m. I just couldn’t take it anymore, I felt like I was suffocating. Why Paulie was able to sleep is beyond me. It is another overcast day, the expected high to be around 90 degrees which is unheard of here in this part of the world. I am really hurting today. I just am counting the days until I get this freaking hip fixed. I hate to continually complain around the old farts so I just bitch about it here!

I guess I will go to B&N to post this. While I am out I will have to get another air mattress. I haven’t taken any pictures lately…so there isn’t too much to post in that area, but what I have, I will get up. We have to break camp here tomorrow as the campground is full up on Saturday. We had originally planned to head home tomorrow, but our plans changed when cousin Ricky could only make it here this weekend. So, we will probably park the rig at Wally world overnight. Sunday is still up in the air. We are going to avoid the I90/I80 crap and head south into Indiana. We will drop the rig off at Kickapoo State park near Danville and then just load up the car and head home to Rochester. The Cenois group is meeting in Kickapoo next weekend and it is cheaper to pay the daily fee at the park than drive the rig home and then back 150 or so miles with the cost of fuel. Hank and Elizabeth Kerr are arriving on Tuesday so they will be early arrivals and will undoubtedly keep an eye out on the rig for us, not that anything would happen. We will return on Wednesday or Thursday and stay until after the club meeting on Saturday. We have a wedding and a retirement party Saturday night.

Well, I am off to get dressed and then maybe Paulie and I will go to the mall and get the mattress.

Later

Dee

Friday continued…

Well, they say the best laid plains…

We wound up sticking around here. Paulie started to clear up the outside and put stuff away in anticipation of breaking camp tomorrow. He had a terrible time getting the awning in. I just don’t understand. I watch a ton of folks set up camp and then take it down again. NOBODY has the problems Paulie does. I don’t know if its just fate or he is doing things his own way and not bothering to do things the right way. As if I would even know the right way from the wrong way. For example, the clip thing on one end of the awning was jammed. Nothing could un-jam the thing. He finally had to get on a ladder and unlock the thing with pliers. Geesh. I watch folks putting out and pulling in awnings and I have never seen anyone have any difficulty…at all. I did pretty much of nothing…so what else is new? I did have to lie down for a while. Paulie also cleaned all the windows on the front of the rig.

We are supposed to go to a margarita party tonight. I am not in any mood to be pleasant. Just am not in a very good mood. Don’t know why. Maybe I am depressed ‘because we have to go home. I shouldn’t be…we’ve had a great time. And I do want to get this hip thing over and done with. Maybe I am just tired from the bad sleep I had last night and the nap didn’t really help. I am going nuts from about 25 mosquito bites I got sitting out at the beach with the campground folks last night. How can a bite still make you itch like crazy a day after you’ve been bitten? That’s just not right. I am scratching the skin off in places! I didn’t get a very refreshing nap either. Nope. Nothing promising so far about this evening!

We are having hot dogs, corn on the cob and potato chip fragments for dinner. I don’t know who is eating all these chips, I haven’t had any. I haven’t had any in months…ugh. When I think of all the chips I ate when I had my binge/cravings I get sick all over again. Finally the sun is out…it’s now 6:30 p.m. and the sun decides to show up. It is supposed to be really hot and humid tomorrow, very rare for this area. Looking forward to seeing Steph, Lindsey and Unca’ Rick.

Later

dee

Thursday July 13

We had some errands to run this morning so we took grandpa to Toast and Jams. Well, I ordered the eggs benedict; Paulie the French toast and grandpa got a pecan roll. My eggs were delish, but I could only eat one egg. Paulie could only eat one slice of toast, and grandpa didn’t like his pecan roll…it had caramel sauce all over and pooled on the plate. Not his kinda pecan roll. A real bust actually.

We proceeded to Sam’s Club to check out ribeye steaks. We wanted to buy the fixings for dinner on Saturday when Rick and the girls get here. The whole ribeyes were outrageously priced. Twice the price as at home. By the time we would buy the meat, side dishes etc, we could eat out without the hassle and the messy clean up.

We then went to Walmart for RV black water tank stuff and to get grandpa’s favorite nut rolls. We had talked to Sue and made plans to go to meet at the Old World Buffet for dinner around 6:30. The sun was out, and the humidity was rising. When we got back to the rig, we changed and went down to the beach. It was very hot. We only stayed by the water for about an hour and a half. The sun was just so intense, I had to cover up about ten minutes after we got there. Back at the rig, I needed to nap, so I shut myself up in the bedroom while Paulie and grandpa watched a poker tournament on TV. I was hurting and really didn’t nap but it was nice and quiet in the bedroom plus I had pulled down the shades. We had turned on the air conditioning before we left in the morning in anticipation of the heat and humidity so the rig was nice and comfortable.

We left the rig to meet the William’s about 6:10. While on our way, Sue called and said they would be on their way shortly. When we got to the buffet, it was pretty busy. We looked around the deli checking out the imported foods. Just as we decided to go sit and have a iced tea while waiting, a huge group of about 20 people came in…and they had teenage boys. By the time Sue and Casey had arrived…the buffet had been decimated. Teenage boys. What more does one need to say?

The sausage, cabbage rolls and the sauerkraut dishes were all superb. Why else would we have returned? Those rotten teenagers ate the entire dish of potato pancakes. The nice lady at the buffet said she would get me some and about two minutes later three hot, sizzling pancakes were sitting in front of me. Pure heaven. Why don’t my potato pancakes taste like these?
I gotta learn how to cook better polish, its soooooo good. There is a dish called Bogi or something like that which is a sauerkraut stew made with meat. Oh, my goodness. It is very good. Gotta get that recipe off the net.

After dinner, Paulie and I went up to watch the sunset again, and were joined again by some of the folks from the campground. It was a beautiful sunset once again. We watched a bit of TV and then it was dreamland. We were hoping the air would stay in the mattress where it belonged, however I again woke up about 3 a.m. and the air was half gone. How uncomfortable that is…sleeping on a half filled air mattress that is on top of the most unbearable sleep sofa mattress ever created. It was sticky and hot ‘cause I kept sinking into the plastic of the mattress. Gosh. Then I wonder why I hurt when I get up. The air mattress really had been a godsend for my fibro…I sleep well on it and it is not hard like my other mattresses at all. Actually I was thinking of replacing our mattress with the sleep number but then changed my mind when I saw the price tag!

Wednesday July 12


OK, I am now starting to get pissy. Rain again. Overcast skies. Déjà vu all over again as Yogi would say. We started out this trip with continuous rain and now it’s haunting us again. Sometimes I wonder if its just us, or there really is something to this luck thing. If we have been gone six weeks, probably three have been rain, overcast and just plain yucky. I give up.

Don’t know what our plans are for today. Paulie has volunteered to help the Elks Lodge here serve a veteran’s steak dinner. I don’t know the details as of yet. Maybe I will go to WalMart in the town north of here. The Muskegon super WalMart is not scheduled to open until July 19th. Just walking around WalMart is better than sitting here watching the idiot box.

BTW, after I was kicked out of Barnes and Noble at 9:45 last night, I tried to call the mad shopper Paulie. Obviously no signal in the Meijers Superstore. I wait and I wait and I WAIT. Finally at 10:15 I get a hold of him. He pulls up and is all innocent like. I ask him if he just does this stuff to piss me off. Again, Mr. Innocence tells me I told him B&N closes at ten…well, my dear that’s HALF of what I told you. I remind him I also told him that they shag everyone out 15 minutes before closing and I would be out in front at about 9:45 or 9:50. Conveniently, that part of our conversation has been forgotten. Ya think he does this on purpose just to honk me off? Or to make me even pissier, he half listens…and forgets most of the details. He’s trying to get me committed. I just know it. Can I prove this…yeah right…every crazy person claims to be sane. That’s the gig.

I did talk to Maureen briefly yesterday. Nothing new on that front. Also talked to Jan for a minute. She has to buy a new mower. Again. This is like three in two years. I’d give up. Find some neighborhood kid with a mower and pay him ten bucks and be done with it.

Well, since it’s gonna be another crappy day, I suppose I should pull out Zack’s sweater and start knitting. Problem is today is supposed to be a bit on the hot and humid side and that thing weighs a ton! Hmmm. Maybe I’ll work on my new purple top that I am making out of microspun. This sucker will take forever…size 5 needles for a tunic with long sleeves. I must be a glutton for punishment as Daddy would say. OK, I’ll stop my endless complaining here and get productive. Maybe I’ll just go back to bed!

Hugs

Dee

Wednesday continued…

Well, the sun did eventually show its face this afternoon, so the three of us went down to sit on the beach. We stayed about two hours as the clouds kept the hot part of the sun at bay. Lots of kids playing in the sand and water.

Paul went and bought a rotisserie chicken from Meijers for dinner. It was very good and he had purchased some side dishes; fried apples and candied yams. Pretty good slap it together dinner.

After dinner we went up to the beach to watch the sunset. We never get tired of watching a sunset. This evening, it was very different…the sun dropped out of a cloud just before it went down. Quite different than any we’ve seen thus far. We sat and talked with some folks from a fifth wheel rig across the way. They are from Midland, and are hopeful that they will get a permanent site next year. They have a huge basset hound that stinks really bad (to me anyways). He is huge, about 80 pounds at least, all really close to the ground. The appeal of that dog escapes me. Ugh. He kept nudging me to pet him…I did very reluctantly and paid the price…stinky doggie smellie hands until I got back to the rig.

We got back to the rig about 10:15…grandpa was sitting outside waiting for us. He had been waiting for about 45 minutes…he told us he just figured we were “having sex on the beach” that made us late. Oh yeah, me and Paulie have been wanting to do that for so long…riiiiiiight. We sat outside for a couple of hours before going to bed.

About three am, I woke up and both Paulie and I had rolled into the center of the air mattress…like two hotdogs in a bun. The mattress was leaking. Well, when we got up, we realized that Paulie hadn’t affixed the cap on the intake valve properly. Hopefully, that’s all it is and we won’t have to get a new air mattress.

Well, Paulie dropped me off and then went to Meijers. What is it about that place he won't let me in? Grr.

Well, they just made the announcement that B&N is closing in 20 minutes. This is worse than Springpatch...closing at 10 pm...what's up with that? No true coffee addicts here in Must-be gon? Ooops...Sue told me that name for Muskegon and now it has stuck in my brain. Oh well. Here's hoping tomorrow is a nicer day. One can always hope right?

I will sit here on the wifi until they TELL me to leave...besides...my ride isn't here yet.

enjoying my mocha...

hugs

dee

Tuesday

We woke up to a really overcast and icky day. Not a total bummer, but since my day at the beach was lost yesterday, I was planning on vegging on the beach today. Oh well. We may go take in a matinee at the movies. There are a bunch of movies I want to see and grandpa has mentioned that he would like to see one of the Meryl Streep movies that are out.

Yesterday we just bummed around. We had a late lunch so dinner was a mix of lunch leftovers and celery, cheese and crackers. We had a campfire tonight…the air was really cool, even when the sun was out. I actually had a sweatshirt jacket on and then had a blanket around my legs. It was nice to just sit and talk.

Not much going on around here. I am fighting the urge/need to sleep with this weather change. Ugh.

Pepe fell out of bed last night. Poor dog. He must think he’s living a nightmare. First he is thrown in the big lake and then he falls out of bed. He seems no worse for wear. Maybe he was asleep when he fell and didn’t tense up when he hit the floor.

Well, not much else to say. Will post later when I have something to talk about.

Hugs

Dee

Tuesday continued…

We decided to go to see The Prairie Home Companion with Meryl Streep. The cinema had 17 theaters. It was like an arcade in the entry and it even had a carousel. Yep. A really pretty one. The popcorn was just like at home…refills are free. The movie started out strange (but it is a Robert Altman film) but picked up. The characters which drive all Altman films were quirky and unique and totally entertaining.

By the time we got out by 2:30, it was raining. Of course, I was fighting fatigue and ear fullness most of the day (actually had to lay down for a while last night) so by the time we got back to the rig I was not only extremely exhausted, but my blood sugar was dropping rapidly. I had a hard time getting out of the car and an even more difficult time checking my sugar. I actually had to stick myself three times to get enough to do the test. Nothing irks me more than not getting enough to test on one stick! Ouch.

I slept until about 5…gee, Mom called and I missed it again! We had one of those Hormel premade meatloafs with mashed potatoes and gravy. It was surprisingly good! Add to that some salad, a viola! Cheapo dinner just like you’d get at the diner, LOL!

The all star game is on tonight. Gee. Another blockbuster TV viewing night. Too bad its still raining…going down to the beach would have been nice. I think I will take the car and go over to B & N. I would prefer to sit and surf the net than watch this mindless crap on TV.

Well, that’s all that’s happening in this part of the world. A bleak and rainy day but I suppose the gardener’s around here are happy. Here’s hoping for a sunny day tomorrow. That darn beach is still calling me and I’d like one more day to enjoy it. By Friday, the permanent site people invite all the relatives and it gets busy down there. But, it is a lot of fun watching the kids play in the sand and the waves. The big lake is fairly shallow for quite a ways out, but then it drops off fairly quickly. The sand bars at this point create the rip tides. They are similar to the undertows in the ocean. Since we have been here, about 6 people have been caught in the rip tides. I think three have drowned. The newspaper had a big pull out section just before the holiday, warning people about them and explaining where they occur. They gave some good information on how to get out of one when caught. Then they did several side stories on folks who had survived and then on some who didn’t. Very sad stories and all of the swimmers were just that…good swimmers who were familiar with the big lake’s rip tides.

I’ll pick up later at B & N.

Monday afternoon...

I was just dropped off at B&N so I could dump the blog. Had to have a cup of coffee to satisfy my need for quality coffee. I have been using FOLGERs for goodness sake in the rig. Ugh. Bitter. Uncouth. Disgusting. Grandpa loves it. *Sigh*.

We perused the mall this morning. Looking to go to the Airport restaurant for lunch...Paulie has that 25% off road construction discount stuck in his head. Then I need to see Lar about 3:30 for my aide recalibrations. No beach for me this afternoon. I want to stop at the grocery and get some hotdogs and buns. Eating late lunches makes for no hunger at dinner but starvation around nine p.m. or so.

I plunked down 50 cents to weigh myself. After 5 plus weeks of eating junk and drinking high calorie booze, I have LOST 5 lbs. Imagine how much I would have lost IF I had been a good girl? I won't go there. Again, my freaking hip is killing me. I can't get this surgery quick enough. I woke up twice in agony last night...seems my hip joint "slips" outta the socket. Jeez, nothing like dislocation pain to interrupt my dreams.

Well, I guess I better shut this down. I really miss not being able to log on whenever I want to. I guess I am never satisfied!

We are losing our camping spot Saturday night. So far, no cancellations at the Lodge. Darn. Hate to break camp and boondock for just one night then reset up for two days. Looks like we will pull out of here on Monday. I have a doc appointment early on Tuesday. One more week. Then I guess we start planning our winter road trip. We have Arizona and Texas on the mind plus some boondocking in Quartzite. Grandpa was talking to a guy at the campground who does winters near where he and grandma did around Mercedes, Texas and supposedly there is a new construction of pads for mfg homes with pads for RVs. Sounds just like what we are looking for.

will write more later

hugs
dee

Sunday

This is my second attempt to write today. I had about six paragraphs written when the stupid computer just up and died from the battery running out of juice. It never gave me any kind of warning so I could just plug in the power cord…oh, no…just cut me off. Paul is making fried shrimp on the grill. Don’t ask…I have learned NOT to ask.

Paulie and I got up today about ninish…our usual time…in order to go do laundry. Imagine four loads. What the heck did we do this week where we had four loads of laundry? We filled up the washers, added the soap and other stuff then went off in search of breakfast. We went to a neat place called Toast and Jams. Really cool place, retro décor with Route 66 themes. I had eggs and bacon, Paulie the omelet (that thing with the veggies). We finished up and then headed back to the laundry to dry the stuff. About 45 minutes later we are back at the rig, putting stuff away. Grandpa who was not feeling well when he got up, was now making keiska in the galley. He had it in a frying pan with butter and was stirring it wildly with a spatula. That stuff was flying all over the galley. There was keiska all over the stove I had just cleaned yesterday; on the floor, on the front of the oven. It was burning but I didn’t say anything….Paulie stepped in to save the day, and the rig, from a keiska fire.

After reading the paper, the clouds started rolling in. I was hoping to hit the beach again today. I had such a great time yesterday. Oh well, we have all week to hit the beach and it will pretty much be deserted after the weekend. By noon, I couldn’t keep my head up, so off to the bedroom I haul my butt. I woke up about 3:30 and no one was here…those two old farts snuck off to the grocery store. They don’t let me go, ever…the putz’s. I wanted to look for a better beach chair. Oh well, I will just have to go after dinner. I went back to bed and didn’t get up until 5:30. What’s up with this? How can I sleep nine hours at night and then 5 hours in the afternoon? My poor brain must be like mush.

Well, I think I will go down to the beach with a bottle of pre-made bloody mary’s and enjoy the sunset; after I fell asleep, Paul told me the sun came out again and the rain clouds disappeared. I guess I just needed the sleep.

I told Paulie about my posting of Pepe’s letter last night. He said that I am crazy and that Pepe was just pulling my chain. He also said he is certain that Pepe does NOT call me Beautiful Blond woman, and Paul the big human with the beard. I told him he needed to have a serious talk with Pepe and he would be enlightened. I also didn’t want to hurt his feelings and tell him that Pepe calls him The Big Asshole with the Beard, but I just didn’t have the heart.

Oh well…it’s our last 8 days or so of vacation, this great trip we have been on. We have had such a great time. I love being on the road. It’s hard to believe we have been gone since May 30! Paulie is harping bankruptcy but I am just as happy as a clam; the only thing I miss is Zack, and he is never more than a phone call away, just like he is at school. Don’t miss my house, don’t miss my stuff, and don’t miss much. I enjoy this life. I hope this next year works out and we can get the heck outta Rochester and someplace warm and NOT humid or rainy.

Well, Paulie is calling me to dinner…more later.

Hugs
Dee

Sunday evening continued…

Paulie made shrimp…French fried shrimp on the bbq. Don’t ask.

After dinner we watched America’s Funniest Home Videos, one of my all time favorite shows. I remember Zack and I laughing so hard we couldn’t breathe when we used to watch this while Paulie was at work. We had such a great time laughing at the sheer stupidity of people.

At about nine, Paulie and I decided to go up to the deck and watch the sunset. The clouds had rolled in so we were not sure what we would be able to see. It was really incredible. I hate to use that word so much, but I just cannot get over how beautiful each sunset is…always different in some aspect. That’s why it is so much fun to go see the sunset everyday.

After watching the storm clouds move in and the increasing whitecaps on the big lake, we decided to go to Whippi Dip. It’s like the DQ but a local place known for its BBQ pork sandwiches. I have wanted to go for the last five years and finally talked Paulie into taking me. Of course, I got the canned speech about how I can’t eat ice cream, custard, soft serve, etc., etc. I told him I would not get sick (yeah, right). So we stopped by the rig, picked up grandpa and headed out to the Whippi Dip. I got a snickers flurry and grandpa got a custard cone. Paulie didn’t get anything, but he shared my flurry. This was the first concrete/flurry/blizzard that I have ever had that had too much snickers candy in it! Can’t believe I said that but Paulie said the same thing. I didn’t actually barf until we were home. But then grandpa was watching the Cardinals/Astros game and I am sure it was being forced to watch the Cardinals that made me barf, not the ice cream.

We finally hit the sack and I was so sick with dumping on the sugar I fell into a sugar coma. So much for Whippi Dip. At least I tried.

Later

Dee

Monday

We really slept late this am. I got up and after making coffee and the sofa bed (this is becoming a REAL pain every day) I took a shower. I want to go to the mall and see what bargains I can find. Not that I need anything you understand, I haven’t bought anything, I swear, on this trip. I don’t need anything but it’s always nice to look. Plus I want to dump the blog and then get over to Larry’s to have my hearing aide adjusted. I am getting feed back when I am in of all places, the bathroom in the rig! I guess because the walls are so close together. Whatever.

I hope to also get down to the beach again today…it should be empty, the campground is pretty quiet.

Later

Dee

This is a letter fat Pepe asked me to post to you all...dee

Dear Everyone...

Well, last night was the last straw with that old man who owns me. Do you want to know how he treats me, a poor defenseless little Taco dog? He bribes me to go walking with him. He promises me some left over steak. Then, after walking what seemed to be miles and miles we come to this huge freakin' staircase. The old man picks me up and carries me down all these stairs. I hear this terrible roaring sound in my ears. Gosh, what could it be? OH! OH! OH! IT'S WATER...LOTS AND LOTS OF ROARING WATER! In all my 8 years I have never seen such a huge thing of water! Its making a roaring sound. OH GOD! HE'S WALKING UP TO THE EDGE AND ...OH NO! THE SOB THROWS ME IN! Water fills my little mouth, my little ears and oh my god I can't feel my feet! I keep pumping my legs but there's nothing my feet can make contact with. Then, all of a sudden, the old man yanks my leash and under the water again I go! He's dragging me!!! OH, I am gonna drown, I just know it. After an eternity, he stops dragging me. Finally, I can feel mushy sand under my toes and I open my eyes. I can see the old man laughing. Laugh you SOB. Go ahead and laugh.

I finally get out of the water and this darn sand is so soft I am sinking! I gotta get away, I gotta get away! I see the stairs. I strain at the leash and try to get thru this gosh-awful sand that is in my eyes and in my nose. I start to sneeze. He laughs again. I get to the stairs. Oh, if only I could pull hard enough on my leash to make the old man fall on his ass. I finally get up the first few stairs. I can hear the old man laughing. Grrrr. I keep going even though I feel my heart beating so hard it's gonna jump outta my chest. Finally, at the top of the landing I see the other two humans...the big man with the funny beard and the beautiful blond woman that I love to kiss and sit on her lap. I am saved. The beautiful blond woman will save me, YES! She picks me up and wraps me in a nice cozy blanket and holds me in her lap. I am so scared and cold I cannot stop shaking. The old man is telling them about throwing me in the water. The big man with the funny beard laughs too. Ass. My heroine hugs me closely and says she won't let the old man do that again. Oh, what a terrible night this has been.

I am looking for a new human to take care of me. The old man is always teasing me and holding me like a baby. I just HATE that. Maybe the beautiful blond woman will let me live on her side of the house. Well, I can always HOPE. I know the beautiful blond woman will be having surgery soon....maybe the old man will let me stay with her and sit on her lap all day to keep her company..Now, if only I can get rid of that damm cat, my life would be complete. She just irks the crap outta me...jumping up and down like some kind of..of...of feline! She horns in everytime my beautiful blond sits down to pet me. I hate her, I really do. Plus, it just isn't right that she can lift her legs way over her head to lick herself. I tell you, its just not right! Stuck up thing. And she never shuts up...when I bark I get yelled at...she caterwauls and nobody says a stinking word to HER...oh no, not the freakin' princess of the manor. That goof with the beard just dotes on her..its sickening. *Sigh*. Its hard being a fat little dog who can't do much of anything. Well, maybe I can write again soon. I have lots of stuff to tell you all...

Signed
Pepe
the mistreated poor little doggie

Saturday Nite at B & N

I am sitting here sucking down a venti mocha frappacino. Bad Dennise, Bad.

I just uploaded some pictures and updated the blog.

hugs

Dennise who is bemoaning the fact we only have 8 more days here....

Thursday continued…

After our visit to the cyber-café, we loaded up the car (we didn’t buy anything, just loaded our butts in there!) and headed towards Grand Haven State Park. There is a campground right on the beach. I think you must have to make reservations years in advance. It only has electric, but imagine going to sleep with the sound of the waves lulling you into oblivion. I am going to try to get reservations for next year there.

We parked at the day use beach and pulled out our camp chairs. We sat on the sandy beach soaking up the sun and people watching for quite a while. The sun was warm but the breeze off the lake made it just perfect. My tummy started to growl so we decided to go get some lunch. We stopped at Butch’s Beach Burritos a Grand Haven icon. Really good burritos and they hit the spot. I was starving and I almost ate the whole super burrito! After filling out tanks, we drove to Spring Lake to visit another RV park that Paulie and grandpa had found on an earlier excursion. It is right on the canal…it leads from an inland lake to the big lake. The only problem is they don’t allow pets. Hmmm. That can be arranged. We drove a little into the town trying to find the pie shop Gay Leezer had told us about. We didn’t find it, but since we needed coffee, we stopped at a local mart called the Orchard market. Such a nice little store! We didn’t grab a cart and by the time we had picked up not only the coffee, but some cheese and crackers, blueberries, cherries, paper plates and of course some lovely donuts for breakfast! Went in for coffee…spent $32. Oh well, we probably won’t have dinner since we had such a late lunch so this stuff would be “dinner”.

Back at the rig, grandpa hit the couch, I hit the bed and Paulie watched some TV. After a short nap, we had some cheese and crackers and of course, our cocktail of the month, a bloody mary. About 8, grandpa decided to take Pepi the fat taco dog to the beach. We gave them a head start, then followed in the car. By the time we had gotten there, grandpa had already thrown the terrified fatty into the lake. Poor dog. He only got back to shore when he was caught in the next big wave. His legs are so short and his body so fat, he can’t swim! We sat and watched the sun go down. Each sunset seems to be different, different cloud formations, and colors of the sky. I took some more photos so go to the yahoo photos page and look under the album “another sunset over the big lake”.

You can access it here: http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/rocketmom1985/my_photos

After the sun set, it started to get cool. Back at the rig, we started a campfire and sat around it for a good long while. It was so beautiful…stars shinning and a half moon up in the sky. I couldn’t keep my eyes open much longer so we headed inside. It was a very nice day…

Later

Dee

Friday

We were up around 9…seems to be habit now. We are going on a sailboat on the big lake this afternoon with Sue. She had won this trip at a silent auction earlier this spring. I am hoping I won’t get sick…I am planning on taking my Meniere’s meds before and during the trip. This should be a great afternoon. I promise to take lots of pix if I can hold my head up.

later.
Dee

Friday continued…

We had a wonderful day on the sailboat. It was a 36 ft sloop, which is a type of sailboat I guess. We set out about 2:15 from the Muskegon Lake Harbor, and headed out to the big lake. Remember I told you that the big lake is Lake Michigan…but it’s not the Lake Michigan I remember as a kid in Chicago…this is entirely different on the western shore. The wind was just perfect, the sun was warm and I guess I remember Joel, our captain telling us the wind was at ten knots? I should pay more attention and it’s not like I can’t hear these tidbits…with my new hearing contraption, I can hear a lot! I felt queasy a couple of times however I kept my eyes on the horizon and it would pass. I took a bunch of valium before we got on and that really helped. We sailed about four miles out into the big lake. It was so quiet on the water in a sailboat; in a motorboat all you can hear is the engine. In this sloop, all we heard was the gentle lapping of the water on sides of the boat. I have never been on a sailboat and I just loved it. The cabin below was really beautiful. All that wonderful polished wood. The boat can actually sleep 8. The bedroom is in the front. There is a u shaped dining booth, and a small galley in the center of the boat. I am sorry I didn’t get pictures of it but I kinda felt funny asking to take photos of someone’s boat especially the private living area. Joel and Kay were wonderful and would have gladly let me, but one thing (in addition to being hesitant to ask) was that the steps to the living quarters were actually a ladder. I don’t do well with ladders. I was lucky that I was able to get my butt ON the boat much less down a ladder to see the interior. We had just the perfect day. I would do that again in a heart beat. I never realized how neat a big sailboat with living quarters can be. We finally headed to shore about 5 and we would be treated to a bratwurst supper. Once docked, I made a mad dash to the bathroom. I didn’t have any wobbly legs so I really was booking along that pier. Well, as fast I could book that is. Sue had called the girls and Larry to meet us to dine. Joel cooked the brats on a gas grill that attached to the back rail. It was really neat. Kay had made a delish coleslaw made with dill and truly wonderful potato salad. Of course, my eyes being bigger than my tummy thought I could eat a whole brat on a bun, and both salads. Then Kay brought out some frozen frango chocolate cups and lemon cups. I passed. I couldn’t eat another bite. Then Kay served a delicious coffee that was Gevalia cinnamon which hit the spot. We all raved and raved about our day and were sorry to see it end.

Saturday

I was so tired last night I just shut down the computer and didn’t even finish my thoughts.

We got up at the usual time, around nine and the first thing I did after making coffee and the sofa bed was pop that strawberry rhubarb pie I started yesterday into the oven. I had gotten the stuff at the farmers market the other day, and the strawberries were going bad. They are the last batch of the season for the home grown variety. I made the pie up and then wrapped it well and put it in the freezer yesterday morning as we didn’t have time for it to cook before we left for the sailboat. I only had one refrigerator pie crust left so I had to make the same crunch topping. I hope it will help the rhubarb as far as sweetness goes. We shall see.

I am not sure what the day holds for us. Our laundry basket is overflowing once again so I am sure we will need to make a run to the wash-a-teria.
I love that name, wash-a-teria. I don’t even know if it’s a real word or name or not, it just makes me giggle. I really need a pedicure and manicure but I don’t think I will be able to sneak that in without you-know-who-has-the-$ finding out. We have been invited to the annual Margarita Party next Saturday here at the campground. We need to purchase some supplies for this and also some margarita glasses, preferably plastic. They had a bunch of them at Younkers where we got our newest palm tree. They should be like 80% off by now!

The rig next to ours is getting a new roof today. Maybe Paulie can have one of those worker guys climb up atop our motorhome and look at the antenna area where the water came through during that nor’easter we survived out east.

Well, I am gonna go check on the pie. This little oven sure does heat up the rig…plus it sucks when it comes to baking anything. Next time I get the convection combo and where the oven is, get more storage space.

Later

Dee

Saturday Afternoon…

After the pie was done, I cleaned the galley and Paulie vacuumed the floors. We changed into our beach attire and packed a cooler with water bottles and ice. We then headed down to the beach. It was wonderful. I have a hard time walking in the sugar-type sand with my knees and of course my wonderful hip, but I made it down all 60 steps and down close to the water. The wind was cool off the water and was forming small whitecaps that lapped the sand. There were quite a few sun bathers, and swimmers already there when we arrived. There were several folks in kayaks and wind surfers about also. After about an hour, Paulie and grandpa decided to take a walk. I stayed firmly planted in my chair, lathered with sunscreen and hiding under a sunhat. After a while, perhaps an hour, I knew that my sickenly white skin had had enough sun, so I put on my shirt and covered my legs with a beach towel. As I was leaning over to cover up my tootsies (nothing is more miserable than sun burnt feet!) I suddenly toppled right over face first into the sand. My camp chair wasn’t firmly placed in the sand when I leaned forward. A sand sandwich is really gross. Five hours later I am still gritting the stuff outta my teeth. There was a kid making a sand castle right in front of me at the water’s edge and the little shit witnessed the whole thing…laughing so hard and pointing his wicked little pudgy finger at me in glee. Yep, witnessed by a pre-pubescent pudge muffin who will now tell all his other grubby friends about the goofy lady who fell face first into the sand at the beach. Aaarrrrgggghhhh…infamy.

We got back to the rig about four and we had some cheese and crackers along with a nice refreshing cocktail. Paul started to make dinner while grandpa and I both fell asleep where we sat. That “sea” air takes it outta ya! We had steak, salad and corn on the cob which was delish. We shall have my strawberry rhubarb pie (sans calories of course…) later. I am thinking of asking Paulie to take me up to Barnes and Noble so I can get the blog downloaded. We didn’t do laundry today, so I guess we can do that in the morning. I am putting the sailboating pix and the beach pix up at yahoo.

Here’s the addy:
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/rocketmom1985/my_photos

Not too many good ones…I seem to be enjoying what is going on and forgetting to snap anything. And I refuse to give the camera to Paulie…he has such a talent for making me look really awful.

Later

Dee

Thursday....Grand Haven

One of my fav towns. I just love the quaint shops and bistros. I am sitting inside the Coffee Grounds sucking down a frozen mocha. OK, forget I said that, they are banned from my consumption list. This morning we went to the Muskegon farmer's market. What a great selection of stuff...all fresh and locally grown. I bought some of the last strawberries of the season and some rhubarb. You know what I'll be doing this afternoon when we get home. Grandpa and Paulie are sitting outside in the sunshine but I couldn't see the computer screen so I am inside the coffee shop. Gosh I love the smell of fresh coffee. I think we will just rest here for a while and then head back. I am itching to sit on the beach and get some sun, with sunscreen and a hat on of course. I am feeling better than yesterday, but I still have the remains of that freaking migrane. Enough malady talk.

The pooper guy, the honey wagon came this morning just in time. Paulie asked him if he had emptied our black water tank last week and he said no. I was right...no way can grandpa and I fill up the 40 gallon black water tank in less than a week...all interesting stuff for my readers I always say. Well, I guess I don't have a whole lot to say today. I will try to get some pictures...crap, forgot the camera. It figures. I am a bust when it comes to photos.

later
dee

Tuesday, Independence Day

After I got home from downloading at B & N, Paul and I sat outside for awhile. Grandpa was having a stomach problem so he was resting. The sun is warm, but the breeze is cool off the lake. The campground is still buzzing after the pancake breakfast. There were a few craft venders and some games for the kids. There are some competitive games being held over at the ball diamond. We just are planning to enjoy the view and the passing activity. Lots of cute kids. We finally get dressed and go over to the Williams’ to meet up for the ride to Larry’s folks house.

We had a great time at the BBQ. We meet Larry’s folks again and his brothers, one whom could be Larry’s twin. The food was great, the company warm and wonderful and we all had a great time. We did lots of laughing and grandpa, Paulie and Sue did some reminiscing when Tommy Ash, Sue’s brother called. Of course, my camera was in my bag the whole time, never once did I think of it until we were walking out the door. Another great photo op gone. One of these days I will hang it around my neck so I get some pictures of people.

We left about 9:15 and headed back to the rig. We passed tons of folks lining up to view the upcoming fireworks. I am not a fireworks fan (well, I am but my eyes/head/Meniere’s problems get quite intense watching them now, so I just avoid them altogether.). The campground was thinning out by the time we got back. It had turned quite cool and we just watched a bit of TV and then got ready for bed. We did watch Yankee Doodle Dandy, a 4th of July tradition for me anyways.

Wednesday

We slept late, 9 a.m. this morning. It was really cold last night and I woke up with my nose cold several times. I had my down comforter doubled over the two quilts I share with Paulie. Grandpa wants some keishka (how the heck do you spell that?) for breakfast. Ewww.

I need to call Maureen and Kathy this morning. I never heard back from Mo after I called yesterday, and I tried to call Kathy back on her cell but didn’t get an answer. Probably couldn’t hear the phone over the booming fireworks.
Well, we don’t really have any plans for today, and it looks to be a nice sunny day, with a high of about 77. Perfect for me anyways.

Later

Dee

Later…
About ten minutes after I finished writing the first part of the blog, I got a blinding headache. I talked to Maureen and she is on her second set of steroids for the poison ivy and is beginning to feel better. She said that the drugs are making her very cranky. I told her that Daddy used to get really cranky when he was recovering from all his bouts of pneumonia, and he too would be nasty when he was on steroids.

Kathy returned my call and apologized for not calling back, but she had left her phone at home in the charger and it was late when they got back. We talked for a bit about the kids and their schedules (very, very busy!). She is still searching for a better part-time position.

Then after I talked to Kath, I called Jan on a hunch she just might be home after working a gazillion hours over the holiday weekend. I lucked out and we talked about 20 minutes.

By now, my headache was progressing into migraine level so I lay down in the bedroom. Paulie and grandpa decided to go walk on the beach. I wanted to go in the worst way but there was just no way with a terrible headache and this damm hip. Then, in the middle of this wretched headache, I start to feel sorry for myself. I hate when this happens. I start to have my very own pity party about how lousy I am feeling, what I can’t do (like today, I hurt all over from the fibro and can’t walk on the beach) and all kinds of stupid things. Then I start to cry and feel like a pathetic invalid. I have these episodes of mental breakdown every so often. I finally overcome my vanity and get a hearing aide and now I am wallowing in self pity for all the other stuff. *Sigh*. I have to think that every now and then I have to get it out of my system or I will just explode. I slept until about three, got up and used the bathroom. I went back to bed and slept until 8:15. Another day lost. I decided to go with Paul to see the sunset no matter how bad I felt. I needed to get out in the fresh air and stop the pity party. Watching the sunset made me all weepy again. Poor Paulie. What he has to put up with sometimes. It was a beautiful sunset but the wind off the lake was quite cool.

We got back to the rig and watched a bit of TV. The crap on TV this summer is pathetic. We are planning on going to the farmer’s market in Muskegon tomorrow and then take a ride to Grand Haven. I really like GH…lots of little shops and my favorite bakery, The Great Bread Harvest or something like this.

I will post more tomorrow.

Hugs

Dee