Home in name only.....

Well, I'm back home....at the house, that is. I won't bore everyone with the details but had some electrical issues with the RV, go them resolved and still seem to have one more left. At least I know a lot more now than I did when I left.

The Lily Pad is now plugged into the house and I have spent the last several hours starting to sort through all the new items I bought, finding a home for them, reorganizing my totes & storage, and re-evaluating my clothing choices (dark is good...think muddy puppy paws ).

Still no final word on the house closing, we're hoping for the first or second Friday in October but it's all predicated upon the third buyer down the chain (and could be further down but that's all I am aware of). Keeping my fingers crossed!

BoBo did really well last week. As I said, he loved all the other animals and got to play quite a bit with several other little dogs (and us owners got to play untangle the leashes for our exercise). Speaking of exercise...I did so much walking last week that even with a couple of food splurges I lost 2.5#. Wow! Now to keep the momentum up....maybe won't be walking quite as much but I did notice that I wasn't as short of breath when walking BoBo up the hill by the house.

I am still trying to find the best, for me, motorcycle trailer. There are so many options and so little time. I like the idea of the swivel trailers that track with the tow vehicle....makes backing up easy. I like the idea of all the storage offered by enclosed trailers. I like the lighter weight of the all aluminum trailers. I like the trailers that are low to the ground without the steep ramp angle. I like.....well, you get the idea.

As much as I would love to go the carrier/lift route, my RV won't handle that. One thing I did at the Escapade was get my motorhome weighed by the RVSEF folks. They weigh each axle individually as well as each side. I was well under my overall weight limit but my rear axle was within a couple of hundred pounds. That said, I did have a full gas tank and half full grey & black water tanks (had no time to dump beforehand even though they recommended that). My front axle had lots of room to spare so I will be seeing what I can move forward in the storage bays. My rear was well balanced side to side with the front a little light on the driver side (I have three cabinets still empty on that side ). I will get it weighed again sometime after I start full-timing.

So, I will continue plodding along....sorting, tossing, packing, selling, donating as much as possible in preparation for that final trip out of the driveway. The office is the worst part and I am leaving that till last...yeah, I know, I'm the queen of procrastinators! LOL!

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

Escapade Tuesday Check-In

Made it to Goshen, IN with one issue...my coach batteries died overnight when I went to leave the Flying J. After finally getting my step to come back in...after it VERY slowly went out and then came halfway in, I got back on the road. Made the check-in deadline with room to spare, got parked and set up and plugged into shore power so my frig would get working again (not enough power to fire the propane for the frig).

At that point all I wanted to do was rest....LOL! But had to do the rest of the setup, met two solo guys who THOUGHT they were going to sit and relax and got them to help me with water filter hookup. Nice guys....have met a lot more of the SOLOs folks and am definitely having a good time as well as learning a lot.

I did get the solar power battery guy to check my batteries and they aren't charging. We're not sure why so have an appointment on Friday with the loacl RV Tech (they have a vendor booth and have been booking appointments...they were booked until Friday when I talked to them Monday early afternoon. Wow!!!

Anyway, wanted to let everyone know all is well and we're having fun (and BoBo loves all the new dogs he's meeting).

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

Flying J's

Just a quick update....I made it almost to Indianapolis today...about 340 miles (according to Streets & Trips). I didn't get on the road until 11am but at least I didn't hit rain until after 4pm. I stopped to grab a bite to eat, stopped three times to re-adjust the mirrors (gotta love the rough highways I was on), and the last stop was a Flying J for gas. It was pouring, I needed to move things around a bit inside the RV - including making up the bed. Got a little more settled, walked BoBo, grabbed some coffee & apple pie ala mode and paid for a one day Flying J Wi-Fi pass so I could check in.

Generator is running fine but for some reason I don't get anything from the coach batteries even though they show as charged. And that seems to not allow the refrigerator to switch to propane. Will talk to some folks at the Escapade tomorrow to find out what I'm doing wrong (I'm sure it's me....LOL!). Anyway, the frig will do fine overnight so will turn off the generator when I head to bed (which will be very soon).

I have less than 200 miles to make it to Goshen and the Escapade. Can you say EXCITED!!!!

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

On the road again.....

Well, I am two days later getting onto the road than I originally planned. I am about 90% loaded (few minor totes & the refrig left to do) although not organized. I may sleep on the sofa tonight...LOL! I hope to make it just south of Indianapolis today which will allow me to reach Goshen tomorrow during regular check-in/parking time.

I am amazed by how much is still in the house....my daughter is going to kill me when she sees all the totes and there will be at least 4-5 more when I get home. Heck, I haven't touched the office yet!

High chance of rain as I head northerly, hoping that doesn't slow me too much. I probably won't have access tonight but hopefully will tomorrow (even if borrowed access, carrying my laptop). I will check in when I can, otherwise I won't be home before the 18th.

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

Do you know what day it is?

What a week it's been....I can't believe it's Friday, let's hope I survive the next two days. As mentioned earlier, the SERVICE ENGINE SOON light came on during my trip back from FL. I had no idea where to take it after discovering that Camping World doesn't do engine work and my local Ford dealers don't have service areas large enough to accommodate an RV, even one as small as mine. Fortunately a retired truck driving friend of mine called with a local truck repair shop.

So I called and explained my situation and arranged to take it there on Wednesday. They reset the sensor and all appears okay. Keeping my fingers crossed!

In the meantime I have run myself to a frazzle working on packing up my storage stuff so that my youngest daughter and her hubby can pick it up when then arrive to get my living & master bedroom furniture. Wouldn't be so much of an issues except that I won't be here! LOL!! I got four jumbo totes and three large totes packed for storage as well as three medium totes with stuff to give my daughter & her family.

After picking up the RV late this afternoon, I came back and started filling the outside storage bays. I am at about 80-85% done. I'll finish in the morning and then concentrate on moving stuff inside. My hope is to be on the road by 1 pm, heading for Goshen IN and the Fall Escapade. Here's hoping!

Right now I am exhausted, my arthritis is killing me (back, knees, ankles, hands) from all the standing while my thighs are incredibly sore from so much walking (that's a good thing but won't feel like it until they stop hurting). The exercise is good, the pain...not so much. LOL!

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

Home for now...

I slept well last night, my final night in the Chattanooga Camping World campground. After walking BoBo, I headed up to the store to talk to the service folks about getting some work done. Long story short, they were booked until next week which wasn't going to work for me. In addition, they don't do any engine work, I would have to see a Ford dealer. Okay, no problem...I'll get the work done in Elkhart, IN while I'm there and I proceeded to get the phone number for my local Ford dealer.

Oh-oh, they don't work on motorhomes of any size. Their bays just aren't large enough. So I proceeded to call an retired trucker friend of mine. He told me he ran into that as well with a friend's Class C. (He called me later with the name of someone close to home that might be able to take a look at it for me. I'll call them tomorrow.)

The ride home was uneventful. The motorhome did very well through the mountains outside Chattanooga....thanks to the Banks system on the Triton V-10 engine. Not a blip.... As I rolled into Sparta I pulled into our local Wal-Mart to do some shopping. I needed a few groceries and had a few things I wanted to pick up (more throw rugs, floor mats for the front of the truck, a sunshade for the windshield, etc). Found an out of the way parking spot, fired up the generator and headed off shopping. Found everything I needed and then some (the usual story ).

From there I headed home, taking it slow on the tight curves that lead to my house. Before I left I asked my neighbor if he would trim the branches hanging over my driveway. He had done so, thank goodness, and I had no problem pulling up the drive to my garage. I found a spot that didn't require leveling (still having issues figuring out the "combination" to getting that perfected), got out and stood back in awe. This was my new home now sitting in the driveway of my soon to be old home.

Let the adventure begin!

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

Chattanooga, Camping World - Day Two

Another campground night survived....they do have cable TV but I haven't bothered to try to find the cable cord I THINK is in one of the bays. I get several channels off the antenna and that has been fine.

The Comfort Inn behind the campground has great wireless but requires you to log in so still no Internet access. I know everyone is probably wondering how I am doing....LOL!!

Had some good news last evening....I may have a contract on my house! My UPS man and his wife have wanted to buy my house since last year when it was first on the market but they needed to sell their house first. They found a buyer for their house but the buyer needed to sell theirs. Well the chain seems to have been completed....they have a buyer and should be signing the contract Tuesday or Wednesday. Once that is done, then my buyer will write up our contract. From there it will be a race to see how we can coordinate the closing dates and possession. I think I will have a busy couple of weeks ahead of me!

Back to the campground....more firsts today. I decided to try out the awnings. The window awning over the sofa was easy....you pull it down and hook the strap. No problems. It was the main awning that I was worried about...remember I mentioned all those steps. I should have gotten the book out first...I ended up getting it started but did one thing way out of sequence and had to get two folks walking by later to help me out. Phew! At least I didn't damage it!

I headed back up to Camping World to see about scheduling a service appointment for new shocks. Strike one....they are booked until late Wednesday. Strike two....they don't have my shocks in stock. Strike three....the earliest they could get them in would be Thursday's delivery. Before I develop an alternate plan I will talk to the Service Manager in the morning and may opt to set an appointment for Thursday afternoon and then head directly to Goshen, IN from there. That gives me two days to load up the RV....oh my! Not going to be spending much time online for a while. LOL!

Then factor in the SERVICE ENGINE SOON light and finding out I have to see the Ford Dealer for that....let's hope it's something simple like an oil change reminder light that needs to be reset.

I forgot to mention what a beautiful sight I saw this morning as I took BoBo out for his first walk. The sun was just over the horizon and as we walked towards the lake I heard a raucous cry. In swooped a gorgeous and huge blue heron (at least that is what I think it was). Before we got to the other end of the small lake, another raucous cry heralded a second heron who settled in the trees. Now THIS is what camping is all about....

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

I Survived.....

Just a little recap of all the occurred today. I unhooked, trying to remember all the steps and left the campground before the other three motorhomes were even stirring...and it was almost 9 am. What a life!

Cloudy with rain in the forecast, I got back onto I-75 and headed north. Traffic was light which helped in the various construction zones. The morning got a little more interesting when my SERVICE ENGINE SOON light came on. Since I had to get gas I got off at the next Flying J to take a phone break, get something to eat and get gas. Called my son and talked to him about the engine. He felt the same was as I did, since it said "SOON" and not "NOW", and all my gauges were reading fine, the engine and transmission were running fine, no strange sounds were heard, it should be okay to continue my trek homeward just keeping an eye on things.

So after successfully getting gas again (yes, this is a big deal for me ), I got back on the road. The rain moved in and out all day. One thing I bought at Flying J was some RainX wipes for the outside mirrors. Once they were water spotted, it was really hard to see what was close to me. Needless to say, it never rained hard again the rest of the day.

I pulled over at a couple of rest stops along the way both to stretch and take BoBo for his potty break. At the second one it was getting hot enough to start the air conditioning so I decided to fire up the generator. Generator started without a hitch....but nothing in the RV was working. No lights, no A/C, nothing. Now I was stymied....I flipped to battery kill switch (for the coach batteries)....OOPS! That killed the generator...okay, store that in the memory bank.

Turned them back on and headed to the rest rooms...on the way back it suddenly hit me. I had never plugged the power cord into the inside plug, thus I had an open power circuit. Not going to work...unlocked the bay, plugged in the cord, refired the generator and voila! Power....it felt good to solve one problem myself.

Before I knew it I was coming into Atlanta and the traffic, while better than during the week and much better than if a game had been going on, was fairly heavy. I found my mantra was "Let them flow around me...", keeping my eyes on the road ahead and concentrating on maintaining my lane. I got too nervous trying to watch all three mirrors, the traffic ahead and be sure I was in the right lane to avoid an accidental exit or routing onto the wrong highway. Of course when I needed to change lanes I used the mirrors and the backup monitor.

The backup monitor has been a life saver. I has two level settings, one higher than the other. I initially moved it to the higher setting that gave me a broader view of the lanes behind me. After dealing with 6-8 lanes of traffic all going in one direction (most doing the speed limit thanks to the higher police presence on a holiday weekend), I experimented a little once I got north of town. I discovered that if I used the lower setting it gave me a quick visual of my lane change zone. If a car was in my view then they were in my blind spot and I couldn't move over. If not, then the side mirrors showed me the rest of the story. Now I have to decide if I want to move the top setting down to this level which will put the lower setting closer to the hitch (where the previous owner had it). Another learning experience....

I arrived at Camping World Chattanooga around 4 pm and they were open till 5 pm. The gave me the code for the campground and I did a little shopping (okay, maybe a bit more than a little ). The first thing I got was a stove top cover to both quiet the stove when traveling as well as expanding the non-existent counter space. I also got a sink cover (there are twin sinks) and that lets me put my coffee maker in the corner, just under the plug. Got jack pads, my extra water hose, a mini-dish drainer (sits right beside the coffee maker just like it was meant for that spot), a neat little expandable broom and dust pan (much needed with hardwood floors and all the sand being tracked in), a little rug for the top of the steps so the old one can be outside under the steps, and a few other little things.

Took the RV around to the campground entrance and wound my way around the sites until I found one open that appeared to be fairly level. Now came another new experience....using the levelers for the first time. First thing, one jack couldn't come down. Using my foot (since I had no tools, no little shovel, etc. with me), I finally managed to scrape it low enough that it could come down. Okay, next step. One jack had several inches between it and the ground so I used two of the 4 jack pads underneath. None of the others had enough clearance (note to self, hit the Dollar Store for 4 of those cheaper cutting boards). Back inside to go to the next step....had the instructions right beside me. Still confusing....but after about 30 minutes total time and many (way too many) trips in and out, I managed to get it leveled side to side. It's still a bit down in the front but the refrigerator is level enough to run well and that's the most important thing. (The new thermometer showed me it was running fine, will check the freezer tomorrow.)

Okay, enough fun for one day....time to walk BoBo and then clean up. Talk about hot & sweaty! Met some of the neighbors, they had two Harleys out there so had to chat. Looked at their trailer and really liked it. It was a Haulmark Low Hauler which made it really nice to pull up into. But the last two feet are totally wasted space since it's sloped down. I've seen open trailers set up the same way and I have to decide if I want to pull two extra feet in length just to lower the ramp. I am seriously considering an enclosed trailer now....good place to store my gear as well as extra clothes, books, etc. since I can get one for two bikes and only store one. Decisions.....

Tomorrow the saga continues....

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

A Day of Firsts

Well, I survived my first night in The Lily Pad....all snug and tucked into a corner of the dealer's lot. Quiet location, for the most part, we settled in and headed to bed at 11 pm. I slept pretty well, did dream about what I wanted to do to settle my stuff in my new home.

About 6 am I awoke to a major storm blowing through....heavy downpours, high winds, thunder and lightning. I considered getting up and bringing down my TV antenna but knew that would awake BoBo and there was no way were were going outside in that downpour. It lasted over an hour but finally pushed through the area, headed on to new territory.

The dealer has no service staff on weekends but two of the sales staff showed a little after 9 am. About 10 am, BoBo and I wandered around the front building to wait for the owner to show. Another customer was there and we chatted for a while. Eventually the owner appeared, having slept in a bit being a weekend. He thought I was pretty much set to go, then he found out we still had some things to cover including dumping the tanks.

My firsts today....

• Backing up my first motorhome
• Driving my first motorhome
• Hooking up power and water
• Starting the generator
• Putting down the awning (that sucker is HUGE, covers the entire side of the rig)
• Putting up the awning (wondering how I will ever remember all the steps)
• Dumping the tanks (glad the black was almost empty because the hose blew off )
• Driving 225 miles on the interstate in my first motorhome
• Pulling into my first rest area (truck side) with my first motorhome
• Getting gas in my first motorhome (lined up just perfect...filler is in the middle of the back....too far to reach with the short hose so had to pull forward & back several times before I could reach it)
• Spending the night in my first campground in my first motorhome
• Doing my own hookups in my first campground in my first motorhome

Gee, can you tell I'm excited? Tomorrow I get to try to remember everything I need to do (got to build a checklist), head out and try to make Chattanooga where I will stay at Camping World's campground. I'm hoping they will be open Labor Day so I can get some shopping done.

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

First Impressions

What a week....Tuesday I sold my car back to the Toyota dealership where I bought it. Wednesday I picked up the check, converted it to a cashiers check at their bank and deposited that in my bank. Thursday I loaded up what I thought I might need for 3-5 days in the motorhome and after stopping at the bank to pick up the cashiers check for the RV, BoBo and I headed out. While we did hit some bad weather, overall it was a good trip and I drove straight through, just under 600 miles.

Friday morning I headed to the local Hertz where I would plead my case for them to take me to the dealer's, 15 miles away (but more like 30-40 minutes depending on traffic) when their limit as 15 minutes. Luck was with me...the manager was in, had an extra driver and agreed to transport me.

Fast forward to Friday night where I am camping (sans Internet access) for the night. I have water & electric, brought enough food (although I've had three offers of a trip to the grocery store if needed as well as the loan of a car), get antenna reception of several stations and am quite comfortable.

Everyone here has been wonderful, making a stressful situation fairly painless. I videotaped my walk through, both inside and out. The motorhome is so much more than I anticipated....it is in great shape (not that there aren't some minor issues, after all, it is used) and has obviously been well cared for.

It has a Fan-tastic fan over the driver cab...something that everyone raves about (automatically controlled fan with rain cover). The bathroom exhaust fan and the bedroom vent both have rain covers as well. The thermostatically controlled ducted heat & air conditioning is a really nice add. The generator has a brand new carburetor, added this morning. The old one was gummed and and rather than hand over a rig with a poorly running generator, they repaired it.

The Pergo flooring is gorgeous and will be easier to clean now that I have BoBo in the house. Area rugs & runners will take the brunt of the foot wear. Many things have changed in the years between our old Allegro and this RV....all of them make things much easier for me as a non-mechanical solo RVer.

The mattress will eventually be replaced, it's an old inner-spring model, with a solid foam one which will be more comfortable as well as lighter. If I can't sleep on it tonight, there is the brand new jack-knife sofa bed to sleep on (already took an hour nap this afternoon on it).

During my first walk-through I really started to wonder where I was going to put everything I initially planned to bring. After sitting in it for several hours, I started to remember all those little hidden spots that can be utilized. Also, using organizer boxes and totes (underneath) help as well. Yes, I will be bringing less than originally planned...remember, I was looking at a 30' Class A. It also means more to sell or store.

The biggest change will be office stuff...no longer can I consider keeping my color laser printer. It will be sold along with several other office items. By the time I have a place for another color laser, they'll be even cheaper. The little color inkjet that is also a copier/scanner will work just fine. Takes up very little room, lightweight and multi-purpose.

There is a little pull-out bed over the driver's cab (under the entertainment center) where I plan to store the mattress (for resale) and use the area for storage as well. Might see if my DVDs will fit in there. If not, since it is long, then it might store my Swiffer, broom, etc. as well as other miscellaneous stuff. Either way that makes more sense that leaving the mattress in it.

There are also two large storage cabinets on either side of the 19" TV. One already holds the the antenna/cable switch box as well as a VCR (got to replace that with a DVD player since I no longer have any VHS tapes). Not sure if mine with fit but since it was a cheapie, it can be replaced easily (players are cheap).

The one thing that is really noticeable...I am short...TOO short. LOL! I can barely reach the overhead light switches and can't reach the bedroom fan or TV antenna without standing on the bed/sofa. I can't reach the Fan-tastic fan at all - will need a step stool for that. Fortunately I have my nice folding two-step stool that I hope will work.

So, my work is cut out for me. I need to get home and get a lot done in a few days so I can attend the Escapade in Goshen, IN with most of my new home set up. I want to get the RV weighed while I am there and this will be my shake-down cruise. While I will have water & electric, it will still be the first time out with my stuff loaded. I'll better be able to see what is working and what isn't, then come home and make any changes as needed.

It will be September by the time I get this posted, hard to believe that fall is approaching. I guess we're all ready though after the high temperatures many of us have experienced this summer.

More to follow as I move stuff into The Lily Pad....getting even more excited now!

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

One step closer.....

Photo courtesy Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village

It's almost a reality! Soon The Lily Pad will be in my driveway. Can you believe it? 18 longs months of preparation, delays, research, delays, investigation, delays, planning, delays....LOL!

Yesterday morning I stopped in at the Toyota dealer where I bought my Rav4 (last January). My salesman took me over to the used car manager and introduced me. They discussed my car and my situation. They looked it over, amazed at how clean it still was (what's to be amazed about - it's less than 9 months old). Even the mileage of 12k didn't bother then. They did the usual paperwork scramble, made some phone calls, asked me to come back in a couple of hours, called me less than 10 minutes later and asked me to come back at my earliest convenience.....well, they bought the car at a price I could live with (what I was willing to sell it for outright). They took me to Hertz and I picked up a rental car that will get dropped in FL.

Today I picked up the check, took it to their bank to convert it to a cashier's check and then deposited that in my bank. Tomorrow morning I pick up the cashier's check for the dealer and head south. I'm scheduled to take delivery on Friday morning.

So this afternoon I will start packing up the minimum I need to live in the RV for 5 days...started making my list this morning. I think this will help me pare things down in the long term...seeing how little I really DO need.

Once I get back (assuming all goes well), I will start moving things into the RV in preparation of living in it permanently. Not everything will get done next week...I have to be in Goshen, IN for the Fall Escapade on Saturday the 8th. That is going to be an awesome learning experience for me...I will have RVing friends all around me that can help me with the gazillion questions I know I will have.

There are still a lot of things that need to be done in preparation of moving into full-timing. I need to change to electronic statements for all my credit cards and bank accounts. I need to start changing addresses, especially those that can be done now online rather than waiting for a paper statement. I need to try to find a trailer for the BMW!! That is a biggie....I don't need the trailer until October so at least I have a little time to look around.

I still haven't managed to get doctor, dentist and eye doctor appointments squeezed in....I think those may be delayed a little. There is the utilities to take care of, mail forwarding to arrange. I've been advised to not use the USPS mail forwarding, it encourages spam mail (I did just register to opt-out of direct mail programs). My plan is to move everything to my new SD address, have my neighbors check my mailbox from time to time and leave them envelopes to forward first class mail to SD for me. Then I will get the mail forwarding service to send my mail every couple of weeks.

Well, enough rambling for one day....just wanted to keep everyone in the loop. Until after Labor Day my Internet access may be limited till I get home.

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

Backing up is hard to do.....

No, not an RV....your blog! Today I was googling around and ran into a topic that I hadn't thought about. What happens if your blog provider LOSES your blog? Do you have a backup? I sure don't...I used to host the blog on my domain, then I had backup. Now that it's under Blogger's upgraded plan, they host the blog but display it under my name.

So, found what looks to be a possible solution (actually two) for those of us that blog and don't want to lose our content (words are precious....).

The first is easy but is only good as long as 1) it exists and 2) it's priced right. Presently it exists and being free, the price is right. It only backs up text so be sure to save any photos to your hard drive where you can easily find them.

Here is what PC World had to say about this solution:

"If you have a blog and you aren't sure that your blog provider will always have a backup in case of a crash, head over to BlogBackupOnline pronto. The site is straightforward: Log in, enter information about your blog, and the site diligently backs it up every day (provided that you use one of the 11 supported blogging services--Blogger, Friendster, LiveJournal, Movable Type, Multiply, Serendipity, Terapad, TypePad, Vox, Windows Live Space, or WordPress). The site is also a great tool if you ever decide to move your blog from one platform to another. After you've backed up your blog, BlogBackupOnline can bring all of your old entries into the new service."

Yes, I've signed up and will give it a try. But in addition I am also using the other approach. It means creating a page with all your blog entries on it. Some folks said it doesn't work over 1000 posts but since I don't have that many, I created it today and dated it. In a week I will do it again...if it starts dropping them off the end, they will still be there in my older saved pages.

This page explains how to display the entries. Then just do a FILE SAVE AS, give the page a name you will remember and voila....a simple backup!

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

Special Days not always so special....

Today....August 27, 2007. A day like any other. The alarm goes off, I hit snooze...4 or 5 times, then I crawl out of bed and head to the bathroom. Splash some water on my face, brush my teeth and take my morning meds. Toss on some clothes and go get BoBo out of his crate and take him outdoors.

Every morning starts this way...then the variations start. Today's first variation was loading BoBo into the car. He needed to be dropped at the vet's office by 8:30 -- today was the appointment for his neutering. I chatted with the receptionist a bit, she printed out the papers I needed to sign and handed them to me. I looked it over, signed and asked her what the date was. "August 27th," she said, not realizing the significance to me. I wrote the date and quietly said, "My husband would have been 66 today."

How easily the days pass, rushing by like the waters in a stream. Then suddenly you find yourself free-falling down an unexpected waterfall. You hit bottom, shake your head, look back to see where you've been and then you see it.....the rainbow. You smile....they are watching over you.

I had many moments today, some sad, some nostalgic and some full of laughter. I bought groceries, got my driver's license renewed, mailed the paperwork to establish my new South Dakota residency, chatted with the bank about their new account and how it would work well for me, talked to my Toyota dealer about buying my car (didn't make it in to see them because of the amount of time it took to get my drivers license done), made several phone calls (something I tend to procrastinate), and watched an improv reality show that had my laughing so hard I was crying.

All in all, a special day for me.... Happy Birthday, Michael!

[left to right] Mike & his younger brother Dave in 1997

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

Froggi's NEW Lily Pad

tioga000
Originally uploaded by Froggi Donna

Yup, I put down a deposit on a motorhome today. I hope to be able to get it within the next week to 10 days. I'm so excited!!

It's a 1999 Fleetwood Tioga, 26', has the Ford V-10 Triton engine and is on the Ford F-450 chassis which gives me over 2800# of carry capacity and 5000# of tow capacity. It has new Pergo floors, new tires and batteries, hydraulic levelers, ducted air, generator, backup camera, two awnings, Banks exhaust system and about 57k miles on it.

Now I get to sell my car, call Enterprise and drive down to FL pick it up. I will spend a couple days in a neighboring campground and they will fix anything that comes up during that first outing.

If this link works, you should be able to see photos of it.

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

Comfort Food

Comfort food....everyone has something that they like to indulge in from time to time. Chicken noodle soup when you're sick, lasagna or meatloaf when you miss home or family, sweets when you're stressed. Different foods for different feelings and sometimes different foods for different times in your life.

Most people know I spend a lot of time in McDonalds and get a giggle out of that. Most of the staff are young enough to be my grandkids but they argue over who is going to wait on me and encourage the new workers to remember my "standard" orders.

I started coming here on a regular basis after Mike passed away. It was the only way I could force myself out of the house without a lot of social interaction. Remember, I was new to the town - we had moved here less than 2 months before he died. I'd head over most mornings for breakfast sometimes and coffee always, sitting there reading and enjoying free refills.

During my 2005 motorcycle trips, I continued to frequent McDonalds for all my mid-day stops, sometimes for breakfast, if the hotel didn't have a decent breakfast bar. I even tracked where I got the cheapest senior coffee (a price perk) as I traveled. When the trips were over, the morning visits resumed, changing to dinner breaks after I started working.

I sat there tonight, reading and enjoying my coffee, waiting for my salad to settle a bit before getting my nightly low-fat ice cream cone. I noticed a motorcycle pull in and thought about how hot he had to be, watching as he walked in slowly, obviously feeling the effects of the heat.

I was flooded with memories.....memories of learning to ride in Florida during the summer of 2002. Florida....home of hot and humid, being a late in life learning rider I went out as often as I could, trying to ride early mornings before it got too hot.

Weekends Mike and I would ride for hours, enjoying the sights while I continued to learn. To combat the heat we developed the habit of stopping mid-way at a McDonalds....for cofee and an ice cream cone.

Thus my comfort food....McDonalds Coffee and a low fact ice cream cone.

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

Monday, Monday....can't trust that day

in·er·tia
a property of matter by which it remains at rest

de·mo·ti·va·tion
reduction in somebody's enthusiasm

stalled
to remain at a standstill

fa·tigue
weariness or exhaustion from labor, exertion, or stress

ap·a·thy
lack of interest or concern

Until tomorrow - demain -mañana - domani - завтра - αύριο

*Thanks to The Mamas & Papas, Merriam-Webster & Bable Fish

Oops, I did it again.....

I got adopted this week by that little cuss you see in the photo (that was his application photo....who wouldn't want to be adopted by that face?).

Seriously, I saw this photo in a local trader ad and couldn't say no. He's about 8 months old, a Chihuahua-Schnauzer mix (Chi-zer? Schnau-hua?), housebroken, a real cuddler who is shy around everyone except for kids and other animals, and may have been abused by a male (he's gone to work with me all week and every time he hears a man's voice he growls.....).

We had our first vet visit today, passed all his blood tests, got his shots & meds and is scheduled for the BIG SNIP on the 27th.

His name is Bo but for the most part I call him BoBo.

You might notice that the blog page theme has changed. Hope everyone likes it...decided to lighten it up a little.

RV Search Update

Morning everyone....

Well, I went to look at the Holiday Rambler yesterday. After getting lost (Microsoft Streets & Trips missed a vital turn) and getting found (thank you Mr. Garmin), I finally arrived. Chatted with the owner for a bit, nice guy who races dirt bikes and now wants to move to a toy hauler.

Several things concerned me, some fixable (front A/C not cooling as well as it should), some offensive (really musty odor, might have to pull the carpet & recover windows/furniture), some uncomfortable (it was very close to the size of our old one which was comfortable for two without feeling crowded, realistically more than I need or want) and some potentially really bad (signs of possible delamination around a window with ceiling fabric sagging inside). So I'm going to pass on this....it just doesn't feel right.

I really think my starter home needs to be a Class C to help me through the learning process. The house will eventually sell and I can upgrade then. This means no solar and I won't add it until I have an RV I plan on keeping, the expense is WAY to much for that.

So I'm still looking but won't be today since I have three appointments - one at the veterinarian's, two to pick up furniture I'm selling.

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

Bittersweet Day...New Beginnings

Today was bittersweet....my Harley-Davidson Softail Deluxe went home with his new owner today. She is a lady rider friend and is already in love with him (although he may morph into a her, she says). I was fine until it came time for them to actually drive off....I had to turn away and walk into the house.

But this provides the money for the purchase of my starter RV. I have found one locally that I am quite interested in and have made an appointment to see it tomorrow after work. If I like what I see then it will go to a local outfit for a complete inspection (my expense - should run around $350, well worth it).

So, it's beginning to look like I'll have an RV by the end of this month. Talk about exhilarating, scary, exciting, terrifying.....LOL! What intimidates me the most is driving it...I know if I need help with hookups, backing up, etc., there will be folks to help when I am in a campground. Until I get solar added (probably at Quartzite this January), I won't be boondocking as much as I plan to eventually. I will have a generator but that adds to my gas expense.

Oh, I digressed....intimidated by driving.....fortunately I have a neighbor and my real estate agent's husband who both drive motorhomes as well as three truck driver friends (2 retired, 1 still working). I just have to find a safe place to practice.

So things are on track for my being in Goshen, IN at the Fall Escapade held by the Escapees. Several days of education, information, vendors, friends and more!

Watch for another update tomorrow after I look at the motorhome!

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

A little motorcycle history.....

Not everyone knows the history of my riding so I thought I would post a little about it. First, I come from a riding family....both my paternal grandfather AND grandmother rode their own Harley-Davidson in the late 1920's, early 1930's (cheaper than a car back then). The story goes that my grandfather arrived home with two bikes, one with a sidecar and one without. My grandmother asked which one was hers...he pointed to the one with the sidecar (for my dad and uncle to ride in). She shook her head and pointed to the one without. Guess which one she rode.....LOL!

My dad rode an Indian after the war and in later years Honda and eventually got his Harley, a Sportster. Both his brothers rode Harleys after the war. Currently both my brothers and both their wives, one female cousin, her husband and their son, one male cousin and his son, a step-nephew and his son, one step-son-in-law (bought hubby's bike) and my son & his wife (she's learning) all ride....and they are all Harleys except for my son and his wife.

I learned to ride when I was almost 55. My husband had been diagnosed with cancer (spring of 2001) and I told him it was a bike or a boat....we were going to start enjoying life. He chose the bike. On our way home from his checkups after his surgery, we stopped by the closest Harley-Davidson dealer. They had a gorgeous, used Electra-Glide.....we bought it.

We had several good local rides including our first ever EVENT. Every year Zippo, headquartered in Bradford down the hill from us, sponsors a dice run to benefit Kids with Cancer. We participated and had a great time....our first group ride, our first dice run, our first long ride.

Eventually Mike headed to the Cleveland Clinic for his radiation treatments. He spent the entire six weeks convincing me that I needed to learn to ride my own motorcycle. The more I considered it, the more it made sense. Once again, a trip home for the weekend and we stopped in at our Harley dealer. There sat my dream bike, a 2002 White Pearl Sportster Hugger (remember, I'm one of those in-seam impaired folks ).

Before we left we had not only contracted for the Sportster, but traded Mike's Electra-Glide for a 2002 Heritage Classic Softail.

Things continued to move and change in our lives, we moved to Florida (job transfer for Mike), took the MSF course together and I started riding. I rode the Sportster for 3 months, about 750 miles and HATED it. LOL! Top heavy and quite torquey on the throttle. When we were in Atlanta for the 100th Anniversary Open Road Show, I sat on a 2003 Low Rider and was SOLD! We came home, talked to our salesman, and soon traded in the Sporty and picked my new 2003 Anniversary model Low Rider.

That is the bike that I rode during the Pony Express Relay for Breast Cancer. I ended up with 24k miles on it at 20 months. As I said in an earlier blog, it was sold when I ordered the 2005 Softail Deluxe which I have had just short of three years now.

So, 5 years of riding, 57k miles and now 4 bikes (3 Harleys and one BMW). Wonder what will be next?

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

Step by step, Closer and closer...

I'm inching forward....step by step, closer and closer to getting on the road. It looks like my Harley, Rex, will be leaving for his new home on Wednesday afternoon. It will be a bittersweet moment...I am very glad he's going to someone I know, a lady rider at that. But he will be tremendously missed.

So I spent the morning cleaning out all the bags on the bike, figuring out what stayed and what went with him. This meant I started looking at accessorizing Squirt, my new BMW. First thing I noticed was that where I am used to lots of metal and chrome, Squirt is plastic (often referred to as Tupperware ). This is one reason he's so lightweight as compared to the Harley.

My little wristband frog rattle fit on my handlebars just fine. I found that the sides of the license plate holder were metal so I got to put my two small ribbons (USA Troops & Breast Cancer) on either side. I put my little biker frog on the very back of my luggage rack and fastened him down with two tie-wraps (zip-ties as some call them). Then I took my frog riding bell that was a gift and found a spot on the BMW for it.

I realized that I am going to need some type of tank or tail bag to carry the little things like sunglasses, lip balm, registration/insurance, wipes, sun screen, etc. On the Harley I had a good sized pocket on my tank panel as well as a windshield bag. Both were very convenient and easy to get into while riding. I spent a little time online looking at bags....boy, cheap isn't in THAT vocabulary! LOL!

Anyway, now that the bike is selling I will make an appointment to see the 33' Holiday Rambler here in town. If I like it, then will get professional inspection done and go from there. It is a bit larger than I want so I will still look for a Class C in the 25-30' range...so far they have all been cheapies, only fit for a weekend trip for a bunch of guys on a binge (be it hunting, NASCAR or beer....LOL!)

So watch for more updates this week....things are moving quickly now! (OMG, I'm trying to NOT have a panic attack about everything that still needs to be done!).

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

POTGPOTT vs ATGATT

POTGPOTT vs ATGATT - alphabet soup? Not for riders in the know (well, at least the ATGATT, I made up the other one...).

ATGATT = All The Gear, All The Time
thus
POTGPOTT = Part Of The Gear, Part Of The Time

I started out riding five years ago as a POTGOTT rider. As a new rider in Florida, I wore full-finger gloves, jeans, over the ankle boots and a shorty helmet...all the time. Hmmm, guess that really made a POTGAOTT. In summer it was too hot to wear a jacket and what the heck, I got nicely tanned arms.

I'd been riding a year when I participated in the Pony Express Relay for Breast Cancer, sponsored by the Women's Motorcyclist Foundation (WMF). I decided to do the entire Eastern Trail which went from the opening ceremony in Orlando, FL to the closing ceremony in New York City....and we got there via Chicago (imagine a group of 100+ riders going through Chicago twice in one day!).

This experience was life changing in many ones, one of which was my introduction to first, the wonderful founders of the WMF, Gin & Sue, as well as all the staff riders and second, The Motorcycle Tourer's Forum. Both were wonderful sources of education and information about motorcycling safely.

This meant learning how to ride safely in a group, doing day after day of riding, discovering protective riding gear and why it should be worn. My gear on the ride and then my solo return home, typically consisted of my requisite jeans, shorty DOT helmet, full-finger gloves, over the ankle riding boots, combined with a lightweight mesh shirt (this was in August) and topped off with a Draggin' Jeans Kevlar shirt (my pre-ride concession to the "what ifs" of an accident). Once I returned home to FL, it was POTGPOTF, meaning the helmet might get shed at times. (Hey, accidents happen to OTHER people, right?)

Since then, four more years and 55,000 miles on the road have made me a bit wiser. Too many friends, friends of friends and relatives of friends have been in accidents...that hits close to home. When I toured the country in 2005 after my husband's death, I went ATTGATT (okay, we won't count that 1 mile jog from the hotel to the Harley dealer on a hot Arizona afternoon when I left the helmet in the room Joe Rocket Alter Ego. It was textile but panels zipped off to expose a mesh base....perfect for those hot temperatures. So that was added to the closet...and it worked out great. I bought it a size too large on purpose, that let me layer a good fleece jacket underneath.

I have also graduated to a 3/4 helmet (which was a full helmet back in the 60's & 70's before full-faced helmets). I have trouble with helmets...I wear an XS and most dealers don't carry that in stock because of the limited demand. Imagine my surprise (and glee) at finding a gorgeous 3/4 helmet in my size at 50% off...at the Harley-Davidson dealer in Albuquerque. Normally I wouldn't have taken a second look, but in this case I had, just the day before, endured 3 hours in bone-chilling temperatures as I rode from Las Vegas, NM to Albuquerque where I had an appointment for my 1k service.

That helmet is now such a favorite that I ordered a replacement online way before I knew I would need it....in fact, once I bought that I never used the shorty on the trip again. I've found that even a black 3/4 helmet (this one has a flip face shield) is cooler than a white shorty helmet...except if you are in city stop and go traffic.

When I decided to go RVing last year, I sold off a lot of motorcycle gear I didn't use. That meant the Joe Rocket Alter Ego went on the block along with several other items. I added some new gear, most in pink to be more visible. I wasn't planning on longer rides but just in case I kept the black textile jacket & both the mesh and textile over-pants.

Now that I'm evaluating everything once again....I've sold off several jackets and ordered a NEW JR Alter Ego. This one is red & black (rather than the almost all black of the old one) and in my normal size. I know that once you go ATGATT you never go back.

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

First an apology for my OOPS.....

I know I need to simplify....how do I know? Because I keep doing dumb things....at home, at work, driving the car, working on the computer, paying bills (actually NOT paying bills), etc. Yesterday was a big OOPS at work (my apologies to the lady I talked into letting her house be shown in 45 minutes after our phone call - she wanted 24 hr notice - turns out it was the wrong house - OOPS).

Tonight my OOPS was emailing a update to all my family & friends and NOT sending it BCC (meaning everyone's address is shown - something I detest doing). Guess I was subconsciously showing why I need to move my updates here. So I'm extending my abject apology to the masses who got blasted tonight...OOPS!

Okay, now for the life in general update for everyone else who bothers to read my blathering here (I promise it will get more interesting soon....).

The house is still getting shown but no offers...have another showing tomorrow afternoon. Keeping fingers crossed that something happens soon but know it will sell when the right person sees it. I've sold several furniture items, a bunch of motorcycle gear and am slowly sorting through things for eBay, keeping, storing, donating & trashing.

I think the Harley is sold....the good news is that he will go to a lady rider friend of mine. She relocated from GA to eastern TN last year. I'll know more next week.

I'm still looking at RVs for sale....vacillating between Class C (probably too small for me but great for boondocking) and Class A (more room but less built for back roads & out of the way boondocking). There is a nice Class A for sale here locally. Good news is that it's in my price range, appears to be in good shape AND already has a motorcycle carrier on the back. Bad news is that it's 3' longer than the maximum I had set for myself. I'll be looking at it next week, unless it's sold first.

I plan on doing a lot of boondocking (hopefully) both to save money on campsites (gotta love fixed incomes) and to be able to see more out of the way places. The photos and stories on several blogs I follow have made me realize that THIS is one of the main reasons I want to be on the road. Sort of a female Charles Kuralt...well, in my mind anyway.

My final day at work will be 8/30...then the serious fun (?) begins. I will be attending the Escapade in Goshen, IN from about Sept 7-14th. I may be in an RV (mine or rented) or a hotel...looks like it will be last minute planning on that.

My to do list is huge...all the little details that still have to be done. It's really hard to pin down everything, some days I feel like I have accomplished a lot, other days I feel like I've added three items to the list and only crossed off one. Part of the problem is every time I think of something, I jot it down. I now have a PILE of jotted down items....time to compile one list and set priorities and deadlines (hopefully the last deadlines I'll have to worry about ).

I know it will all fall together...eventually. I am really looking forward to simplifying things, getting on the road and taking things slowly....one sunrise & sunset at a time.

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

P.S. if you currently use a blog reader, I hope you'll add this blog to your list. If you haven't started using a blog reader I highly recommend the Google Reader. It's free and it's the easiest one I've found to use. You can toggle the display from ALL blogs to UPDATED blogs. You can also set up folder and sort them that way. I currently have 46 blogs marked and most days only a few have updates, this way it's not overwhelming PLUS I don't miss an update on a friend's blog.

Naked Ladies & Unexpected Visitors

As many of you know, I have my house up for sale. Had an interesting afternoon. I got a call about 10:30 that an agent wanted to show the house between 12:30-1:30. Since I was trying to decide whether to read, surf or watch a movie, that made up my mind for me. Picked up a little around the house, got dressed and headed to my hang-out (McDonald's for coffee to enjoy while I read my latest book - Lisa Jackson for anyone who enjoys good mysteries with a minor dab of romance).

Came back home at 2 figuring that was plenty of time (and as always, prepared to turn around if they were still there). Started trying on more clothes, sorting out them out (keep, giveaway, consign). Was taking a break, sitting on the sofa watching a VH1 special on Freddy Mercury when I see a car drive in. Normally not a big deal but I had no shirt on...OOPS!

I rush into the bedroom, dig my t-shirt out from under the pile of clothes I was sorting, pull it on, grab my soda to put it away, jug a quick drink, manage to slosh it down the front of my shirt so I then rush to the kitchen to splash water on it (Cola stain) so I could then meet them at the door - wet shirt to the forefront. LOL!

Oh well, the joys of selling a house....

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

The future is written in JELL-O

Things are slowly moving....not as fast as I would like but moving. Nothing concrete, but that's okay since I now know the future is written in JELL-O anyway. So what have I accomplished since the last blog?

• Arranged for a good friend to handle all the eBay auctions for me for a percentage of the sales (WHOO-HOO!!! This is huge since she will handle everything including the shipping)
  
• Sorted out my motorcycle gear in preparation for selling the extras (forums first)
• Posted my Harley for sale in several motorcycle forums as well as a local online freebie trader
• Posted several larger pieces of furniture in the local online freebie trader
• Sorted through almost half my clothes, creating a pile for friends at work to go through and two bags for donation to Goodwill and discovering that NONE of my jeans fit
  
• Sold three pieces of the furniture listed in the trader (which left me with all the knick-knacks to go through deciding what goes with me, what gets stored and what gets sold)
• Bought anchors and fixed the closet organizer in the guest room....after it collapsed from the weight of all the motorcycle gear and extra jackets that I moved in there
• Continued researching RVs (another thing written in concrete - motorhome vs trailer)

On the house, there is currently a young couple looking at it, first-time home buyers. So far the wife, her brother, the husband and his parents have all looked at it and seem to like it. Now waiting for her parents to take a peek and then I am hoping for an offer (hopefully not a lowball one). She's also visiting their credit union tomorrow to discuss financing...hmmmmmm, keep those fingers crossed!

I am really getting excited about moving out onto the road. When I first posted the ad about my Harley for sale, I was really sad. Now I know it's just part of the path I need to take...simplification. It's starting to feel good....

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

WARNING: Dates on the calendar are closer than they appear!

Once again time flies....even when we're not having fun. It's been an eventful month. Here's a short recap since my last blog.

• June 19th I listed my house for sale
• July 4th my BMW was delivered (thank you to my agent's hubby who went to Houston and loaded the bike on his pick-up and brought him to TN)
• July 4th I took my first ride on the BMW, who is now renamed "Squirt", and knew he was going to work out just fine (and yes, I flat-foot him just fine)
• July 5th the house is scheduled for the second showing
• July 5th I get a full price offer on the house contingent upon closing within 3 weeks
• July 6th we make a slight contract change (deductible amount on the home warranty) and counter the offer, their agent insists that it will be no problem
• July 7th and we still don't have the signed counter offer back
• July 7th I spend the day in Chattanooga with a friend looking at RVs at Camping World (Shipp's RV)
  
• July 8th and the buyer's agent still hasn't gotten the buyer to call back
• July 9th and the buyer's agent finally hears from the buyer's boss (this is a corporate relocation) and finds out that they called him and no longer plan to move to TN (can you say culture shock?)

Fast forward to today, no more showings so no offers....open house set for tomorrow afternoon. I'm slowly starting to sort through stuff, finally. My friend Diana, who went to Chattanooga with me, is going to start eBaying stuff for me. My newly imposed deadline is approaching.

What deadline? Oh, guess I skipped that part...... In the aftermath of the sale fiasco, I made the decision that whether the house has sold or not, I plan to hit the road by September first. It may be in the something older, it may be financed, it may be....who knows? But it will all work out. My new quote is:

"I refuse to sit around waiting for the perfect tomorrow, I'll continue to work on savoring my perfectly imperfect todays." ~ Froggi Donna

My September is already pretty well booked. The first week I plan to ride my last 6 states (New England) with my youngest brother, his wife and possibly my son. I will park the RV in NC near my niece's home. When I get back from the week of riding I will head over to Goshen, IN for the Fall Escapade. I'm hoping to make it in time to attend one of the pre-Rally sessions (like RV driving school). After that I will head to northern GA for two weeks....I'll be fine-tuning the RV (may stop in TN if needed) and will be baby-sitting grandkids the last weekend.

After September the world (well the USA) is wide open....no real plans yet, I have to get there first.

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

Did she or didn't she?

In my quest to return to RVing, whether part or full-time remains to be seen, I have been keeping an eye out for a motorcycle that might be better suited to that lifestyle. That meant lighter weight and better handling in dirt, grass and gravel.

Because I'm in-seam impaired (read SHORT) I was finding lots of bikes where I could flat-foot but all were cruisers like my current bike, Harley-Davidson® Softail® Deluxe. This meant that I might save a couple hundred pounds but not much improvement playing in the dirt.

Well, someone was watching over me....for some reason I did an eBay search on BMW motorcycles and noticed a 2006 F650GS listed. The price was decent, the bike was factory lowered, had ABS and heated grips as well as hard-bags. For some reason the seller's name looked familiar so I emailed the gal that knew the guy I suspected had the listing, even thought the listing was expired. I was right and I learned more about the bike. It was owned by a lady BMW rider who was spending most of her time on her big BMW and decided to sell.

Long story short....I got the bike (and for less than the eBay listed price). Now I have to make arrangements to get it from Houston to here in TN. Oh, and then I have to learn how to ride it and be sure I can be comfortable. I doubt I will flat-foot it but hope to be close enough that I can deal okay....it's almost 300# less than my Deluxe and the seat should be narrower. I can look at shaving the seat a bit and as a last resort, I can have lifts added to my boots.

The seating position will be more like my first two bikes since it has mid-controls. Not sure about the handlebars since I've never sat on this model, time will tell. Oh, and it will get 10-15 mpg more than the Deluxe....AND, if I keep it and sell the Deluxe I should be able to bank at least $8k difference.

So, keep your fingers crossed for me and I'll blog when I go get the bike, who I've already named "Junior" (at least until he tells me his full name).

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

The Perfect Pet

It all started out so innocently. I was setting up a client's new laptop. It came with Vista and already had the Google Desktop installed and she was running the sidebar.

"How annoying", I thought. Computer snob that I am, I hate to give up any desktop space to something I feel isn't necessary. But since it was HER computer, I left it there. Well, before the day was over, I found myself interested in checking it out for my office computer (large monitor with lots of room).

I downloaded the software...nice look, not as slick as on Vista but still very nice. The first thing I did was have the photos start to rotate through the folder I had with pictures from my 2005 motorcycle trips across the country. Nice!

The notepad turned out handy for those little things I was putting on Post-it notes and sticking all over my desk. The To Do list I found I could use alone or link to my Outlook tasks. Next came the calendar...several tries to find one I liked. Oh, and had to add the weather...

From time to time I would search for new gadgets, switch things around, try new ones, get rid of them and try another. I've added a great digital clock, a volume control bar and a system performance bar.

One day I was checking out the "fun" tools and found my perfect pet....a little tree frog. I got to personalize him with blue eyes and red feet (you get to leave him all green or choose various colors for eyes and feet) and I found the perfect background for him....lilypads (imagine that).

When I'm bored or need to break, he follows my cursor around his lilypad home. Cute! Well, last week he got better....he was upgraded and I can now feed him flies. As I click my cursor little green flies are released and he moves after them zaps them with his tongue. Really got a laugh out of that.

After a week or two I realized that I felt like I was feeding my pet and felt guilty if I hadn't given him some flies that day! Oh my....this is like having a pet. Then I realized that this was the best pet....I never have to clean up after him, he's easy to take care of, I can talk to him and if I ignore him he'll never die.

Finally...the perfect pet!

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

Ruts...digging in or climbing out

It's been nagging at me for over a month. I'm in a rut and seem to be settling into it way too easily. My weekdays are the same.....alarm goes off, hit snooze for half an hour, fall back asleep, get up with the second alarm goes off. Shower, head to work, work through a lunch at my desk, leave work and head home. Hit McDonald's for an Asian Salad with grilled chicken and Newman's Own Balsamic Vinegarette dressing and a senior cup of coffee (50 cent coffee). Get a coffee refill and a low-fat ice cream cone while I read for an hour. Head home again, check the mail, toss everything on the counter, settle onto the sofa, check caller ID and voicemail, turn on the laptop and TV. Next thing I know, it's after midnight and past my bedtime once more. The weekends aren't much different....I try to get a few things done around the house but for some reason have been having a really hard time motivating myself. I do the critical things and the rest waits. I'm in a rut and seem to be sinking deeper. While chatting with a new friend from Knoxville, the subject of RVing dreams came up again. I explained my whole history and why I wasn't full-timing. The talk seemed to have set some things in motion.... This past week I have spent a lot of time getting back into the RVing world - forums, magazines, books, etc. It is really calling to me, telling me to get out of this rut and do what I proclaim I have been doing (but for the last year haven't). Life is truly too short, so I've made a decision....whether I sell, rent or leave the house empty is still undecided. But come September when I start receiving my widow's Social Security in addition to Mike's small pension income, I will hit the road. It may be part-time while I work part-time or it may be full-time. It will most probably be in a vintage (OLD) motorhome and I will, for now, pull a small trailer with my Harley for local transportation. Down the road....only time will tell. But the decision has been made, the notebook for developing the plan has been started, the countdown is ticking! Before I know it, I will be ON THE ROAD AGAIN! Till next time - keep on rollin', Froggi/Donna

Why is it?

~ Why is it that.....
Guys never turn on the windshield wipers until they haven't been able to see anything for at least 15 minutes?

~ Why is it that.....
If people even bother to turn on their directionals they either turn them on after they have started turning or 1/2 mile before they need to turn?

~ Why is it that.....
Guys seem to prefer backing into a parking spot? Is it due to the fight or flight response and the need for a quick getaway?

~ Why is it that.....
Some people insist on stopping everyone behind them when they are in the wrong lane, waiting to get into the next lane over? Why not just go around the block?

~ Why is it that.....
The easier they try to make computers for others, the harder it is for me?

~ Why is it that.....
We used to stop for yellow lights and now we plow through on red?

~ Why is it that.....
The phone company can tell me I need or don't need to dial a one to reach a number but they can't just ADD or SUBTRACT that one and complete the darned call?

~ Why is it that.....
The best tasting foods have the most calories or are the worst for your health?

~ Why is it that.....
Some folks think they need to be the speed limit guardians by driving at or below the speed limit in the far left lane?

~ Why is it that.....
Babies are so cute with little or no hair or teeth?

~ Why is it that.....
I can't leave toilet paper unrolling from the wrong direction on the holder????

Just a little food for thought today....

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

Lost in the Fifties Tonight

I was chatting the other day via email with a new friend. I mentioned that the great weather this past weekend brought to mind the song, Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer. I didn't remember who sang it but the tune was stuck in my head. He wrote back that it was Nat King Cole who happened to be one of my mother's favorite singers.

That got me to thinking about growing up in the 50's and being exposed to my parent's music - not necessarily what we were forced to listen to in the back seat of the car (groan), but those delicious slices of Americana from that era.

Our record player resided in our combination den, sewing room, reading room and downstairs sick room (all three kids slept upstairs). Since I was the oldest of three and the only girl, I often lost myself in reading and music and the den was my favorite indoors spot (outdoors was high up in a pine tree in the woods across the street).

A couple of songs stick in my mind to this day:

• Doris Day and Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)
• Tex Ritter and The Red Deck of Cards
• Patti Page and (How Much Is) That Doggie in the Window
• Tennessee Ernie Ford and Sixteen Tons
• Gale Storm and Ivory Tower
• Gogi Grant and The Wayward Wind

A special favorite of mine was The Old Philosopher by Eddie Lawrence. I'd play it over and over and over. Anyone who has ever heard that song will never forget it.

Hiya folks.
Ya say ya lost your job today?
Ya say its 4 A.M. and your kids ain't home from school yet?
Ya say your wife went out for a corned
beef sandwich last weekend - the corned beef sandwich came back but she didnt?
Ya say your furniture is out all over the sidewalk cause ya cant pay the rent and ya got chapped lips and paper cuts and your feets all
swollen up and blistered from pounding the pavement looking for work?
Is that whats troubling ya fellow?

REFRAIN

Well lift your head up high and take a walk in the sun with dignity and stick-to-it-ness and ya show the world, ya show the world where to get off.
You'll never give up, never give up, never give up...that ship!

Ah yes, lost in the fifties tonight - your turn!
Top Ten Songs of 1950-1969

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

Living Your Dream

While moving files to my new computer I came across this article I wrote 10 years ago for an RVing site. Thought I'd update it a bit and post it again. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Live Your Dream Sometimes easier said than done.... When I was little, my dream was to be a nurse like my mother. I could take care of people when they were sick and help them feel better. I practiced for hours on my pets, various rescued wild animals and of course, my brothers. As I bravely marched into my teenage years, my dream changed and I wanted to be a professional actress or maybe a dancer. I loved performing, it helped me forget my somewhat dull (I thought) life and made me feel more glamorous. Reality intruded, as it usually does, and I ended up being the proud mother of two by age twenty. I really wasn't thinking much in terms of dreams; every day was an adventure in itself. Working in a hospital brought back thoughts of nursing, but the idea passed quickly. I did get to travel some, growing up in Massachusetts - moving to New Hampshire in 9th grade - relocating to Florida in my senior year. The service claimed my husband as their own and I got to see Georgia and Delaware as well as revisiting New Hampshire and eventually settling back in Florida. The travel bug was planted, growing slowly but there nevertheless. The twenties flowed into the thirties - a new marriage, a third child and a new state to live in, Iowa. Dreams? Who had time for dreams? I had discovered computers and started a real career! Part-time college student, full-time programmer, over-time mother and wife. I guess I thought I was living my dream - for the time being anyway. One day I woke up and got the news that my mother had passed on at the young age of 61. I was stunned. She was so close to leaving her nursing career for her three R's - reading, relaxing and retirement. She had spent her entire life doing for others but never really found complete satisfaction. Had she lived her dream? I don't think so, she was forced to make so many decisions that took her down a different path. Sitting back, looking at my life, I realized I was following the same pattern. Content with mediocrity in so many areas of my life, I had stopped stretching. I had given up reaching for my dream. Was this what I really wanted? Was this what my mother would have wanted for me? I didn't think so. My oldest children were out on their own, leaving only the eight year old at home. It's amazing what can happen when you realize you have stopped dreaming and start again. My life turned around. I met my soul mate, my husband Michael. My career soared, and I reached a peak that I had never even dared dream about. I did all the things I had always wanted to do, but never quite could find time for. I tried out for community theatre and got several parts. I tried skiing for the first time and I proved myself wrong - not only could I ski, but I even enjoyed it! Moving stayed a part of our lives taking us from Florida to Virginia. From there we headed to Georgia, upstate New York, Colorado, Long Island NY and finally Atlanta, GA. We had good times and we had bad but there was one underlying dream that we continued to talk about - traveling in a motorhome when we retired. But why worry about that now? Retirement was years away and we had so much living to do - right? Catastrophic events have seemed to shape my life in many ways. We had our dream house. Our kids were all grown and on their own. We were both at the top of our careers in well paying jobs. Were we happy? Usually, at least when we got to spend some time together. It seemed like our jobs kept us apart more than together. It was in February of 1996 that my father suddenly passed away. On the long drive back home, I found myself looking at every motorhome that passed by. "Why haven't we done anything towards make our dream a reality?" I thought. We were in the prime of our life, we had everything we'd ever wished for, but were we living our dream? Obviously not ... it was time to do something proactive. The rest of the ride home headed us towards a new life. We both realized that we had a mutual dream that was languishing for lack of effort and if we truly wanted it to happen, we had better get busy. The elusive retirement was closer than either of us wanted to admit and yet we both knew we would want to continue working. Lots of research and reading, many trips to RV dealers & shows, questions - questions - more questions, but we did it. In September we bought our new (used) motorhome with plans to go full-time within 5 years. But before we knew it, our plans had turned into a reality. A perfect job opportunity was offered to us and we jumped at it. It would allow us to work together, travel and live in our motorhome full-time! We would finally make our dream a reality. Is this the end of the story? Absolutely not, this was just the beginning. We lived our dream for several years, loving the RVing lifestyle but once again, reality had to rear its head and intrude upon our lives. Mike was diagnosed with cancer, we relocated to Florida (job promotion) and we had almost 4 more wonderful years together. He passed in November 2004 after seeing me moved and settled in a small Tennessee town. As many know, a year ago I was working on moving back into the RV lifestyle. It didn't work....but who knows what the future will bring. The dreams continue and life is for the living! When will it be your turn to live your dream? Till next time - keep on rollin', Froggi/Donna

Dating, Health Care & Other Dilemmas

Dating has always been a traumatic event....at least for me. An awkward, homely geek in high school quickly became a young mother who turned into a divorced single mother who once again quickly became a wife again. Not much room in there for dating....just the usual ups and downs of marriages made in haste and for the wrong reasons.

But at least my 20's-40's found me healthy, confident and reasonable attractive to the opposite sex. As I approach an age that I equate with finally being a senior citizen, I find myself single and not so sure I want to be looking. I mean why should I? I do what I want, when I want. If I want popcorn and ice cream for dinner, that's fine. If I want to veg away the evening watching television or reading, no one will complain. Got the urge to take a road trip? No problem, tell the neighbors to watch the house and head off.

Of course it also means that there is no one to listen to my daily ups and downs, no one to share those dreaded household chores, no one cuddle with on a cold day, no one to let me know that I am loved...as a wife, lover and best friend. Maybe I had better rethink this dating thing....

I've got it all figured out....about my health insurance that is. Simple....just gonna marry someone with group insurance. Heck, we don't have to live together...we don't even have to like each other! I mean think about it....people get married to live in this country. So why not? Think it'll work? Probably not....but it's a thought! LOL!!!

I'm sure you all remember my house-selling drama, I was going to sell the house and go RVing full-time. Got a contract on the house, sold everything just to have the buyer back out two weeks before closing. No other offers were forthcoming and I decided that the house just wasn't meant to sell and took it off the market. Oh, and then I re-bought everything.

Today, out of the blue, my UPS man saw me in McDonald's and asked if I would still consider selling my house. He and his wife love mine but they had no contract on theirs so never placed on offer. Well, they now have a contract on theirs and are interested in mine again. What to do...got to give this some thought.

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