Showing posts with label holidays. Show all posts
Showing posts with label holidays. Show all posts

Friday, July 04, 2008

Happy Birthday America!


Just a few of the flags flying across from my site at the 2008 Gillette WY Escapade

While you enjoy this special day please take time to remember those who serve, have served and have given life and limb to protect us and make sure we will continue to enjoy Independence Day.

Till next time - keep on rollin',
Froggi/Donna

Monday, May 26, 2008

Heroes Gone But Not Forgotten



by Jill Eisnaugle

Heroes gone but not forgotten
Each one resting in a field
Where the daffodils of summer
Bow their heads, sadness to yield
Soldiers gone, but not our freedom
Sacrifices dually made
In the name of peace and progress
Bravery rests beneath the shade.

On this day, we must remember
All the troops from all the wars
With thanks for their selfless service
Miles away on barren shores
Each battled boldly for the cause
Calm and harmony their goals
Therefore with Taps in mind, we pause
Honoring these valiant souls.

Heroes gone, but kept in memories
Every time Old Glory waves
Patriots for independence
Resting in eternal graves
‘neath the vast and sprawling wonder
Of the brilliant skies in May
We’ll pay everlasting homage
To them, on Memorial Day.

Friday, May 23, 2008

Just hopping on through....

This has been a lazy week for me, a much needed lazy week. I've done a little sightseeing, a little visiting with the locals, a lot of reading and even more not much of anything. LOL! Thus no blogging till today....when it is pouring off and on.

Okay, I arrived on Monday and checked into the great little campground, Rancho Verde RV Park, here in Camp Verde. I would come back here anytime...the owners are wonderful, they work very hard to keep the grounds in tip-top condition. Always checking to see if anything is needed...I've seen them hand delivering mail rather than having folks come to the office. Nice!

Tuesday I pulled out and headed over to HEFR (Hansen Enterprises Fleet Repair - and yes, they DO pronounce it 'heifer' and have cow stuff scattered around the office). I met with the owner, John, we got the information from the motorhome and headed back inside. In a very short time John introduced me to Dave, the service tech who would be caring for my rig. He sat patiently listening to my tale of woe, asking questions and then went to bring in my rig.

While he was inspecting & evaluating, I talked with John about getting some new mirrors for the RV. Mine are manual, which is okay, except they keep vibrating to new and not so usable positions. That means stopping, adjusting and continuing. I'll never forgot coming into Tucson for the first time...my passenger side mirror was completely unusable. As I got off the exit I watched the light and kept saying, "Turn red, turn red, turn red.....". It did...I threw it into park, jumped out, ran around the front of the RV, adjusted the mirror, ran back, smiled and shrugged at the folks in the car beside me, jumped back in, shifted back into gear...all before the light changed. Phew! NOT something I like to do very often...

So, back to the mirrors. Several folks had recommended Velvac mirrors but I had never quite figured out what I needed when on their website. I told John what style I was looking for (built-in convex mirror on the bottom) and he set to work finding out what to get and where they might be available. Long story short....can't replace just the mirrors anymore. They've 'upgraded' their design and I would have to replace the arms as well. So my $500 mirrors would now be almost $1000. Guess I'll keep on jumping out and adjusting as needed.

The weather Wednesday was the best of the week. Monday & Tuesday saw temps in the low 100's. Yesterday and today it has rained off and on....just when you think the sun is out for good, it suddenly starts to rain again. I thought it would be a good day to do my laundry....seems like everyone else thought so, too. So I'll wait...LOL!

Today the park handyman came by to work on my storage bay...I heard him outside but I wasn't dressed yet (loving these sleep in till 8 mornings). After dressing I went outside and saw that it was open...and the lock didn't look new. Hmmmm.... Later I was on the phone and he knocked at the door and asked for my keys. He had managed to pop it and keep the lock! WHOO-HOO!!! I'll never jam the table in there again....LOL! Live and learn....

Okay....heading back to veg and read for a bit....enjoy the holiday weekend but remember the reason we have one. My heart goes out to those who have given their lives so we can remain free.

Till next time - keep on rollin',
Froggi/Donna

PS. The frog photo was taken at my house in TN...couldn't resist it!

Tuesday, January 01, 2008

Looking over my shoulder....

A peek into the past...I wrote this article January 1999 after our initial foray into full-time RVing. Enjoy - I think you'll recognize a few things!

My ReVolutions for the New Year


... did I hear you say it should be Resolutions? Another year is rushing towards us. This past year has been very exciting. Mike & I have learned a lot of new things about RVing, but I know there is always room for improvement. To that end, I have come up with a list of the top 10 things I need to change. I hope you'll have as much fun reading them as I did writing them.

I Resolve:

TO bite my tongue when I know we're lost.
The more people I talk to, the more I know that it's true - men really DO hate to ask for directions. But with an RV, I think it should be different. If you're going to be lost, relax and enjoy it. You may never pass this way again!

TO quit yelling "THE OTHER LEFT" when helping my partner backup.
I used to think I was the only person to have this problem, but now I know better. No matter which way you direct them, they will always go the other way. So, just steer them opposite of where they need to be!

TO use my time at the Laundromat for something better than reading a 5 year old "True Confessions".
Yes, I have been known to be that desperate. Since I'm a writer, this would be the perfect place to "people watch" and build new characters. So, remember that the next time you see a middle-aged woman with pen and pad in hand, staring at you with a crazed look on her face!

TO keep my eyes open when we drive through areas of road construction.
Don't panic, I'm not the driver. But I do have a bad habit of holding my breath and closing my eyes when the going gets "tight". I guess if I'm ever going to learn how to drive this rig (and that is an emergency must), the first step is getting used to those tight spots!

TO make the bed more than once a week (whether I think it needs it or not).
I know, laid back lifestyle & all - once a week should be fine. It sure is with me, but Mike thinks tripping on the covers once a day is much more preferable to tripping every time he walks into the bedroom!

TO learn to cook in my convection oven.
Okay, maybe this is a stretch - cook, that is. I'll just commit to learning how to use it!

TO stop being embarrassed when I can't remember the name of the folks I just met.
I know I should work harder on remembering, but that's a lost cause. Anyway, I think it will make me a more memorable character this way. They'll always describe me as that "crazy-looking, middle-aged lady who could never remember our names". At my age, it's much more fun to be interesting rather than proper!

TO file our bills and other papers more often.
Mike says that making "piles" on the far end of the couch doesn't qualify as filing (which is something I only do when I don't have room for my feet anymore). I have to admit it will make it easier to find that Sam's Club receipt we need - when we need it!

TO make my brother happy by calling the catalog folks and getting off their mailing lists.
He keeps telling us we get more mail in one week than they do in an entire month. This will be a tough one - I think they need to start a "Catalog Shopper Anonymous". I know I'm addicted!

TO "Enjoy Life. This is NOT a Dress Rehearsal!"
Need I say more? Happy New Year to everyone, everywhere!


Things have obviously changed quite a bit...technology for one thing, having a GPS helps with directions and two-way family radios as well as back-up monitors help with backing (although I'll bet folks still holler about the OTHER left).

I did sign up with an Opt-Out service to start getting rid of the gazillion catalogs that still manage to find me, even after many moves and I now use a mail forwarding service rather than abusing family. LOL!

My current rig doesn't have a convection oven but since I'm only cooking (and I use that term VERY loosely) for one, that's fine. In fact, the real oven will probably get taken out to make room for batteries and an inverter.

I do make my bed every day...maybe not quite as nicely as at home, but that was a quirk Mike had and was one thing I started doing regularly after he died. (I know that gives him a smile.)

I still don't remember folks names...so if you have met me before and see me again, PLEASE remind me who you are. I ran into a couple in Livingston and the lady very obviously remembered me and I was too embarrassed to tell I that I hadn't a clue as to who she was. If she is reading this, I apologize!

My filing still stinks....that is something that will be addressed this winter...sometime. Honest!

As to driving, well, that became a necessity but not the 36' (or 38' - still can't remember) Class A we had...but my little 26' Class C. That was challenge enough for a while.

I am still a true believer in the "Enjoy Life! This is not a dress rehearsal" philosophy. Life is for the living and that is what I intend to do!

Till next time - keep on rollin',
Froggi/Donna

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Sing a song of sixpence

Sing a song of sixpence,
A pocket full of rye;
Four and twenty blackbirds
Baked in a pie.
When the pie was opened,
They all began to sing.
Now, wasn't that a dainty dish
To set before the King?


And boy, do they make a racket when they're all perched in the tree outside your door!



While they can be entertaining, they can also be annoying. Fortunately they don't stay very long before departing.




The day was a quiet one...talked to my three kids, watched Christmas movies and made played on the computer, working on some routing for next month and tried to not eat too much junk food . The weather was good enough to ride but I got involved watching a movie I had recorded but not seen....next thing I knew it was almost 4:00. Of course they're talking about rain tomorrow and cooler temps once again.

I've enjoyed reading various RVing blogs to see how everyone celebrated their holidays. They ranged from being with family, being with other RVing friends in campgrounds to being on their own in the middle of nowhere. No matter how they spent the day, their spirit shone!

Seems like there was something else I wanted to blog about but nothing comes to mind...maybe tomorrow. LOL!

Till next time - keep on rollin',
Froggi/Donna

Monday, December 24, 2007

Twas the night before Christmas....

Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the park
Not a creature was stirring, not even a lark....

I'll spare you the rest...LOL! Well, it's Christmas eve and I hope everyone is doing well. I'm all bundled into the Lily Pad, space heaters firing. It was 31 at 8 am this morning but only supposed to dip to the upper 30's tonight.

I got my mail forwarding package today....thank you to all who sent cards and a BIG thank you to my mystery Santa who sent me an adorable little pillow. They enclosed a note but didn't sign it...so I'm stumped! But I do love the pillow, now decorating one end of my sofa.
I just ate lasagna for dinner, that's what I would have been having if I'd made it to my youngest daughter's house in Georgia. I'm settled in watching The Santa Clause and The Santa Clause II movies. I've managed to record a bunch of holiday movies and plan on enjoying them!

I also played a little with making a video with my laptop's on-board webcam and then putting that into a little movie. Hope you enjoy (if I get it to work...if not click HERE)!



Till next time - keep on rollin',
Froggi/Donna

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Happy Thanksgiving From the Road


Happy Thanksgiving from the road to all my family and friends! I am headed the last 70 miles south to the Escapees park in Hollister, MO where I will have a nice Thanksgiving dinner with other campers. I have a huge apple and a slightly smaller pumpkin pie in my car, waiting to be enjoyed (my contribution).

I have much to be thankful for....
  • Loving family
  • Supportive friends
  • Good health
  • Ability to live this wonderful RV lifestyle
  • ...and much more
Enjoy this day and remember the blessings you do have in your life.....

Till next time - keep on rollin',
Froggi/Donna