DeBary Fl.
39 deg. clear, N wind @ 12 mph.
Forecast = Sunny, High 62F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph.
Bright and early yesterday morning Jim took Big RED up to the Dodge Ram dealer in DeLand. It was about 7:25 when they left here so that they'd be in plenty of time for Big RED's 8:00 AM appointment. By about 8:10 the mechanic was taking him back to a stall in the shop to do the Air Bag recall procedure of replacing the inflator housings.
Well, come to find out, the only inflator housing that needed to be replaced was the one on the driver's side. I guess it depends on serial numbers or something to determine what actually needs to be done. So, instead of it taking 3 hours, it took just over an hour and by about 9:30, Jim was backing Big RED back into the carport. :-)
During the recall procedure, the dealership disconnected the batteries, (Big RED has 2 batteries for his diesel engine), to change the air bag parts and while they were disconnected, they did a load test on them. The service writer told Jim that one of the batteries was getting weak and that he should probably replace the batteries pretty soon. He asked Jim if he wanted a price on new batteries, but Jim told him that he's take care of it.
So, if the batteries are getting weak, (and who knows how long they've been in there or if they've been properly taken care of), that will mean that at least before our summer travels, Jim will need to purchase a couple batteries. He did a quick look-up on-line and it looks like batteries with enough CCA, (Cold Cranking Amps), for the diesel will be right around $125 to $150 each. :-(
Nothing much else to report. Jim hasn't felt very good the past few days, but seems to be feeling better now. The weather has been pretty chilly and windy, (by Florida standards), so not much has been done outside. Linda did do 3 loads of laundry the other day. That's the first time in over a year that she's been able to go out to the shed, where the washer and drier are, that many times one day to do that.
She still has days when she's "light headed", but those days are getting to be less and less all the time. :-)
Did you know that it was on this date in 1986, that the U.S. space shuttle Challenger exploded just after takeoff? All seven of its crewmembers were killed.
Woof!!!
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Friday, January 23, 2015
Shopping For Clothes, More Furniture, Big RED Gets Recalled and A Neat Web Site
DeBary, FL.
62 deg. overcast, SE wind @ 7 mph.
Forecast = Considerable cloudiness. Occasional rain showers this afternoon. High 81F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
Wow!!!! I can't believe that it''s been 10 days since I've last posted!!!!! But, as they say, "No news is good news". ;-)
There's been the normal things going on, like grocery shopping, going to Walgreen's and going out to eat once in awhile at places like Arby's and Gram's Kitchen.
Tuesday, Jim took Big RED to a local mechanic, (Bob Gorman's Alignment and Brake Center) and had his oil and filter's changed. They also checked him over real well and declared that he was "good to go"! :-)
Then, Tuesday afternoon, Jim and Linda too Big RED and headed over to the Used Furniture Store and purchased a nice end table and Lamp to put in the Florida Room next to the Glider.
I think I like it. It makes the Florida Room look more like a room, rather than a porch.
Yesterday morning, Laura picked up Linda and they headed over to the Mall in Sanford where they bought Linda a whole bunch of new clothes. You see, it all started when Linda was undergoing the Chemo and Radiation treatments. She didn't have much of an appetite, so she didn't eat much. Well, she lost quite a bit of weight and since then, she has been very careful about what she eats and has lost even more. So, , , , most of her clothes no longer fit!
I guess that was one of the good things that came her from being sick!!
While Linda and Laura were shopping, Jim took Big RED and headed over to the CG to check on Nora. She's doing fine over there at Paradise Lakes. From there he went to an ACE Hardware Store and bought a few things and then headed to Bob Evans for breakfast at lunchtime. (Laura and Linda ate at Cracker Barrel). From Bob Evans, Jim went to Home Depot where he bought a board for a project that he has in mind and then headed up to the Dodge Ram dealer in DeLand.
You see, Big RED has been recalled. Yep. he's been recalled for that air bag thing and they're going to have to replace some of the air bag parts. So now, he has an appointment next Tuesday at 8:00 AM to have the work done. The service manager told Jim that it would take about 3 hours to preform the work, so that'll take up most of the morning. :-(
Nothing much planned for today or this weekend. The weather guessers on TV are saying that it will start raining here this afternoon and continue until tomorrow, around noon. After that, it's supposed to be quite a bit cooler but sunny, so maybe Jim can get going on that project he's thinking about.
Oh, I wanted to share a web site with you that I found the other day. It's called Weatherbase and it gives you all the weather data for almost every city in the United States as well as many cities in other countries.
Here's the link to the site. Weatherbase
Jim says that it should be real handy when planning a trip to different parts of the country, so check it out and be sure to check the links for "features" also as there's some good info there too.
Did you know that today is "National Pie Day"?
Woof!!!!
62 deg. overcast, SE wind @ 7 mph.
Forecast = Considerable cloudiness. Occasional rain showers this afternoon. High 81F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
Wow!!!! I can't believe that it''s been 10 days since I've last posted!!!!! But, as they say, "No news is good news". ;-)
There's been the normal things going on, like grocery shopping, going to Walgreen's and going out to eat once in awhile at places like Arby's and Gram's Kitchen.
Tuesday, Jim took Big RED to a local mechanic, (Bob Gorman's Alignment and Brake Center) and had his oil and filter's changed. They also checked him over real well and declared that he was "good to go"! :-)
Then, Tuesday afternoon, Jim and Linda too Big RED and headed over to the Used Furniture Store and purchased a nice end table and Lamp to put in the Florida Room next to the Glider.
Yesterday morning, Laura picked up Linda and they headed over to the Mall in Sanford where they bought Linda a whole bunch of new clothes. You see, it all started when Linda was undergoing the Chemo and Radiation treatments. She didn't have much of an appetite, so she didn't eat much. Well, she lost quite a bit of weight and since then, she has been very careful about what she eats and has lost even more. So, , , , most of her clothes no longer fit!
I guess that was one of the good things that came her from being sick!!
While Linda and Laura were shopping, Jim took Big RED and headed over to the CG to check on Nora. She's doing fine over there at Paradise Lakes. From there he went to an ACE Hardware Store and bought a few things and then headed to Bob Evans for breakfast at lunchtime. (Laura and Linda ate at Cracker Barrel). From Bob Evans, Jim went to Home Depot where he bought a board for a project that he has in mind and then headed up to the Dodge Ram dealer in DeLand.
You see, Big RED has been recalled. Yep. he's been recalled for that air bag thing and they're going to have to replace some of the air bag parts. So now, he has an appointment next Tuesday at 8:00 AM to have the work done. The service manager told Jim that it would take about 3 hours to preform the work, so that'll take up most of the morning. :-(
Nothing much planned for today or this weekend. The weather guessers on TV are saying that it will start raining here this afternoon and continue until tomorrow, around noon. After that, it's supposed to be quite a bit cooler but sunny, so maybe Jim can get going on that project he's thinking about.
Oh, I wanted to share a web site with you that I found the other day. It's called Weatherbase and it gives you all the weather data for almost every city in the United States as well as many cities in other countries.
Here's the link to the site. Weatherbase
Jim says that it should be real handy when planning a trip to different parts of the country, so check it out and be sure to check the links for "features" also as there's some good info there too.
Did you know that today is "National Pie Day"?
Woof!!!!
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
Good News and A Delivery
DeBary, FL.
60 deg. overcast, no wind.
Forecast = A mix of clouds and sun this morning followed by mostly cloudy skies and a few showers this afternoon. Thunder possible. High 76F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%.
Had some good news yesterday. Linda had an appointment with Dr. Barnard, (her retina specialist, down here in FL). She was dreading going because she was sure that he would be giving her another one of those eye injections. Well, after checking and doing an eye scan, he determined that the last injection had taken care of the problem and her eyes were "stable". :-)
So, another appointment was made for the 23rd of February, when he will preform another scan to see if the eyes are "still stable".
Needless to say, Linda was thrilled!!!
I haven't posted lately because there really hasn't been anything to post about. Just everyday living.
One day, Jim and Linda went to Walgreen's, another day, Jim went grocery shopping at Winn Dixie, Saturday evening, they went to Gram's Kitchen for dinner and yesterday, after Linda's appointment with Dr. Barnard, they went to the 4 B's Restaurant where they both had nice meals off of the special's board. (Jim had flounder and Linda had Swiss steak).
Here at home, Linda has been working on her Family Tree program and catching up on paperwork and filing, some that was from a year ago that didn't get done while she was going through the cancer treatments. Jim has been helping when he could and going through some boxes and drawers that hadn't been sorted since we moved into the house.
Oh, and Saturday, the UPS delivery man brought a big box to the door!!! It was pretty heavy and when Jim met him at the door, he helped Jim set the box inside of the Florida room, which runs across the front of the house.
Soon after the UPS man left, Jim opened the box and I found out that it was a glider that he and Linda had ordered online.
Awhile back, Linda had said that she was wondering if anyone still made gliders because she thought it would be nice to have one out in the Florida room to sit on. Jim did a little research and found some. So, , , , they picked out the one they liked and ordered it. :-)
It's kind of like a swing, but instead of hanging from the ceiling, it has a platform that sits on the floor and it glides back and forth on it.
It came partially disassembled but it wasn't too hard to put it together, and soon Jim and Linda were gliding back and forth. :-) Both of them said that they liked it and have been enjoying it ever since.
Did you know that in the southern United States, porch gliders were referred to as divans? Especially popular was the "basket weave" pattern in the hot non- air conditioned South of the 1950s and 1960s.
Woof!!!
60 deg. overcast, no wind.
Forecast = A mix of clouds and sun this morning followed by mostly cloudy skies and a few showers this afternoon. Thunder possible. High 76F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%.
Had some good news yesterday. Linda had an appointment with Dr. Barnard, (her retina specialist, down here in FL). She was dreading going because she was sure that he would be giving her another one of those eye injections. Well, after checking and doing an eye scan, he determined that the last injection had taken care of the problem and her eyes were "stable". :-)
So, another appointment was made for the 23rd of February, when he will preform another scan to see if the eyes are "still stable".
Needless to say, Linda was thrilled!!!
I haven't posted lately because there really hasn't been anything to post about. Just everyday living.
One day, Jim and Linda went to Walgreen's, another day, Jim went grocery shopping at Winn Dixie, Saturday evening, they went to Gram's Kitchen for dinner and yesterday, after Linda's appointment with Dr. Barnard, they went to the 4 B's Restaurant where they both had nice meals off of the special's board. (Jim had flounder and Linda had Swiss steak).
Here at home, Linda has been working on her Family Tree program and catching up on paperwork and filing, some that was from a year ago that didn't get done while she was going through the cancer treatments. Jim has been helping when he could and going through some boxes and drawers that hadn't been sorted since we moved into the house.
Oh, and Saturday, the UPS delivery man brought a big box to the door!!! It was pretty heavy and when Jim met him at the door, he helped Jim set the box inside of the Florida room, which runs across the front of the house.
Soon after the UPS man left, Jim opened the box and I found out that it was a glider that he and Linda had ordered online.
Awhile back, Linda had said that she was wondering if anyone still made gliders because she thought it would be nice to have one out in the Florida room to sit on. Jim did a little research and found some. So, , , , they picked out the one they liked and ordered it. :-)
It's kind of like a swing, but instead of hanging from the ceiling, it has a platform that sits on the floor and it glides back and forth on it.
It came partially disassembled but it wasn't too hard to put it together, and soon Jim and Linda were gliding back and forth. :-) Both of them said that they liked it and have been enjoying it ever since.
Did you know that in the southern United States, porch gliders were referred to as divans? Especially popular was the "basket weave" pattern in the hot non- air conditioned South of the 1950s and 1960s.
Woof!!!
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
This And That and A Little Change
DeBary, FL.
52 deg. partly cloudy, NW wind @ 6 mph.
Forecast = sunshine. High 78F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph.
It's been awhile since I've posted, but there hasn't been much happening around here lately. About the only thing I can think of is that Jim and Linda took all of the Christmas decorations down yesterday.
I don't know why, but it always seems like it's much more fun to put them up than to take them down. :-(
Linda's been working with her Family Tree Maker program and has been finding all kinds of "good stuff" on the Internet. Most of the things she's looking for are accurate dates and maiden names of some of the wives of her ancestors.
While she's been doing that, Jim has been out in the shed organizing some of the things out there. He's found a few items that he's been looking for since he and Linda bought this place. :-) He's also been organizing some of the things inside of the house. Mostly items that were just stashed someplace in closets and drawers when first brought into the house.
The weather has been really nice lately, but it sounds like we're in for a cold snap. I've been watching the weather up North and it looks like some of that really cold weather that they're having up there is heading this way. The weather guessers are saying that by Thursday, the highs will only be in the 50's, which is quite cool by Florida standards.
I've been kicking around a new idea for this blog lately. There are some things that really bug me and some other things that I think are worth thinking about. I'm going to try to stay completely out of politics as that subject can get really messy. Here's an example of the new section of the blog that I'll be calling "Bad Dog"!!
There's a national chain that sells chicken. You've all seen their adds on TV. They advertise a lot and on TV they show families around the table with a huge bucket of chicken set in the middle. Well, here's my "Beef" with their ad. They show the bucket over full with the chicken protruding above the rim of the bucket.
It sure looks nice on TV.
But, what does your bucket of chicken look like when you buy it? Well, it doesn't look like the ad on TV. The chicken is at least 2" down below the rim of the bucket and it sure doesn't look as appetizing as it does in the commercial!!! Now, I'm not saying that there's anything wrong with the chicken. I think it's very good, but to me, the commercial is very deceiving!!!
There's lots of things like this that bug me as well as some news items that I will comment on. I know it doesn't really make any difference what I think and in the whole scope of things they're really not important at all, but maybe some of you will find them interesting and maybe even a little thought provoking.
A Point to Ponder : A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.
Woof!!!
52 deg. partly cloudy, NW wind @ 6 mph.
Forecast = sunshine. High 78F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph.
It's been awhile since I've posted, but there hasn't been much happening around here lately. About the only thing I can think of is that Jim and Linda took all of the Christmas decorations down yesterday.
I don't know why, but it always seems like it's much more fun to put them up than to take them down. :-(
Linda's been working with her Family Tree Maker program and has been finding all kinds of "good stuff" on the Internet. Most of the things she's looking for are accurate dates and maiden names of some of the wives of her ancestors.
While she's been doing that, Jim has been out in the shed organizing some of the things out there. He's found a few items that he's been looking for since he and Linda bought this place. :-) He's also been organizing some of the things inside of the house. Mostly items that were just stashed someplace in closets and drawers when first brought into the house.
The weather has been really nice lately, but it sounds like we're in for a cold snap. I've been watching the weather up North and it looks like some of that really cold weather that they're having up there is heading this way. The weather guessers are saying that by Thursday, the highs will only be in the 50's, which is quite cool by Florida standards.
I've been kicking around a new idea for this blog lately. There are some things that really bug me and some other things that I think are worth thinking about. I'm going to try to stay completely out of politics as that subject can get really messy. Here's an example of the new section of the blog that I'll be calling "Bad Dog"!!
There's a national chain that sells chicken. You've all seen their adds on TV. They advertise a lot and on TV they show families around the table with a huge bucket of chicken set in the middle. Well, here's my "Beef" with their ad. They show the bucket over full with the chicken protruding above the rim of the bucket.
It sure looks nice on TV.
But, what does your bucket of chicken look like when you buy it? Well, it doesn't look like the ad on TV. The chicken is at least 2" down below the rim of the bucket and it sure doesn't look as appetizing as it does in the commercial!!! Now, I'm not saying that there's anything wrong with the chicken. I think it's very good, but to me, the commercial is very deceiving!!!
There's lots of things like this that bug me as well as some news items that I will comment on. I know it doesn't really make any difference what I think and in the whole scope of things they're really not important at all, but maybe some of you will find them interesting and maybe even a little thought provoking.
A Point to Ponder : A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.
Woof!!!
Thursday, January 1, 2015
Recap Of 2014 Travels and Plans For 2015
DeBary, FL.
59 deg. Partly cloudy. N. winds @ 9 mph.
Forecast = Partly cloudy skies this morning will become overcast during the afternoon. High near 75F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph.
Hope all of you had a good New Year's Eve and didn't celebrate too much. ;-)
Being that 2014 was a real mixed up travel year and we have a new RV and truck, I've decided to do a little research and see just what some of the figures were. To be honest, I couldn't even remember when we left DeBary to head North and exactly when we returned. I knew we were gone for quite awhile, but had no idea of just how long.
After checking Jim's calendar, I found that after Linda's last Dr. appointment, we left DeBary on the 14th of July. We headed up to Illinois by way of GA, AL, TN, KY and arrived in Rantoul on the 22nd of July.
We stayed at the Prairie Pines Campground for 76 days, with side trips to doctor's, friends, relatives, and other places while we were there. Friends stopped by while we were there and they really helped Linda get her mind off of her illness.
Thanks to all who came to visit!!!
After Linda's Cataract removal, we left Rantoul on the 6th of October and headed to Indiana to see Linda's cousin, Mike. He was ill at the time, so we didn't get to see him. :-( From there, we headed to Ohio, came down into Kentucky where we stopped to see Linda's other cousin, Rick.
From KY, we headed down into TN and then into NC where we stopped for a few days to visit Jim and Linda's very good friends, Roland and Louise. After spending a few days with them, we headed to Apex, NC to visit Jim and Lind's son, Mike and his family. We spent 11 days there before heading to Virginia Beach, VA to visit Linda's and Jim's son Joe and his family.
11 days later, we headed South for some R & R in Myrtle Beach. Then, we continued South, down into GA and finally into Florida, returning to DeBary on the 18th of November.
All in all, we were gone for 127 days.
The trip was very good for Linda as it helped her get her mind on different things. Also along the way she showed a lot of improvement from the side-effects of the Chemo and Radiation treatments.
In case you're interested, here's a few other figures from the trip.
We traveled 5149 miles.
For the whole trip, Big RED averaged 14.6 mpg. with the best mileage being 22.5 mph. (obviously not towing), and the worst at 11.7 mpg. (coming through the mountains in TN and NC).
It was a very good trip. There were no problems with Big RED or Nora and for the most part we had nice campgrounds and good roads. The weather co-operated for the most part and we only changed travel plans once or twice because of it.
All in all, a very good trip!!!!
So, what's in the planning stage for 2015?
Well, , , , , , If, (and there's that big "if" again), the results of the PET scan that Linda will have early in April are good, we will be leaving DeBary around the middle of the month. The plan is to head up to Virginia to see Joe and his family then go to North Carolina to see Mike and his family. From there, we'll go to the RV-Dreams Rally in Marion, NC, the end of May.
After the Rally, the plan is to work our way West, ending up in Portland Oregon sometime towards the end of June. We'll stay in Portland, visiting with Jeff and Heather for about 3 weeks before heading to Illinois, via a Northern route, stopping in Minnesota to see Linda's cousin, Bruce and Wisconsin to see Linda's Brother.
From there, we'll head South, arriving in Rantoul about the middle of August. As of now, the plan is to stay there until sometime in October before heading back down here to Florida, getting here sometime in early to the middle November.
Big plans???? Yep, but if Linda's illness taught Jim , Linda and myself anything, it was to NOT put off doing things that you want to do. You really don't know what the future holds.
Now, as all of my regular followers know, all the above plans are written in pencil and Jim still has that big eraser, so all are subject to change. Hopefully everything will go well and Jim won't be wearing out the pages of his calendar with that eraser. ;-)
Did you know that noisemaking and fireworks on New Year's Eve is believed to have originated in ancient times, when noise and fire were thought to dispel evil spirits and bring good luck?
Woof!!!
59 deg. Partly cloudy. N. winds @ 9 mph.
Forecast = Partly cloudy skies this morning will become overcast during the afternoon. High near 75F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph.
Hope all of you had a good New Year's Eve and didn't celebrate too much. ;-)
Being that 2014 was a real mixed up travel year and we have a new RV and truck, I've decided to do a little research and see just what some of the figures were. To be honest, I couldn't even remember when we left DeBary to head North and exactly when we returned. I knew we were gone for quite awhile, but had no idea of just how long.
After checking Jim's calendar, I found that after Linda's last Dr. appointment, we left DeBary on the 14th of July. We headed up to Illinois by way of GA, AL, TN, KY and arrived in Rantoul on the 22nd of July.
We stayed at the Prairie Pines Campground for 76 days, with side trips to doctor's, friends, relatives, and other places while we were there. Friends stopped by while we were there and they really helped Linda get her mind off of her illness.
Thanks to all who came to visit!!!
After Linda's Cataract removal, we left Rantoul on the 6th of October and headed to Indiana to see Linda's cousin, Mike. He was ill at the time, so we didn't get to see him. :-( From there, we headed to Ohio, came down into Kentucky where we stopped to see Linda's other cousin, Rick.
From KY, we headed down into TN and then into NC where we stopped for a few days to visit Jim and Linda's very good friends, Roland and Louise. After spending a few days with them, we headed to Apex, NC to visit Jim and Lind's son, Mike and his family. We spent 11 days there before heading to Virginia Beach, VA to visit Linda's and Jim's son Joe and his family.
11 days later, we headed South for some R & R in Myrtle Beach. Then, we continued South, down into GA and finally into Florida, returning to DeBary on the 18th of November.
All in all, we were gone for 127 days.
The trip was very good for Linda as it helped her get her mind on different things. Also along the way she showed a lot of improvement from the side-effects of the Chemo and Radiation treatments.
In case you're interested, here's a few other figures from the trip.
We traveled 5149 miles.
For the whole trip, Big RED averaged 14.6 mpg. with the best mileage being 22.5 mph. (obviously not towing), and the worst at 11.7 mpg. (coming through the mountains in TN and NC).
It was a very good trip. There were no problems with Big RED or Nora and for the most part we had nice campgrounds and good roads. The weather co-operated for the most part and we only changed travel plans once or twice because of it.
All in all, a very good trip!!!!
So, what's in the planning stage for 2015?
Well, , , , , , If, (and there's that big "if" again), the results of the PET scan that Linda will have early in April are good, we will be leaving DeBary around the middle of the month. The plan is to head up to Virginia to see Joe and his family then go to North Carolina to see Mike and his family. From there, we'll go to the RV-Dreams Rally in Marion, NC, the end of May.
After the Rally, the plan is to work our way West, ending up in Portland Oregon sometime towards the end of June. We'll stay in Portland, visiting with Jeff and Heather for about 3 weeks before heading to Illinois, via a Northern route, stopping in Minnesota to see Linda's cousin, Bruce and Wisconsin to see Linda's Brother.
From there, we'll head South, arriving in Rantoul about the middle of August. As of now, the plan is to stay there until sometime in October before heading back down here to Florida, getting here sometime in early to the middle November.
Big plans???? Yep, but if Linda's illness taught Jim , Linda and myself anything, it was to NOT put off doing things that you want to do. You really don't know what the future holds.
Now, as all of my regular followers know, all the above plans are written in pencil and Jim still has that big eraser, so all are subject to change. Hopefully everything will go well and Jim won't be wearing out the pages of his calendar with that eraser. ;-)
Did you know that noisemaking and fireworks on New Year's Eve is believed to have originated in ancient times, when noise and fire were thought to dispel evil spirits and bring good luck?
Woof!!!
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