Mike And Terri Stop By

Rantoul, IL.

66 deg. clear, NW wind @ 9 mph.

Forecast =  Abundant sunshine. High 87F. Winds WNW at 10 to 15 mph.


Mike and Terri Young arrived here at Prairie Pines Campground about the middle of the afternoon on Tuesday. Jim waked over to the office and said "Hi" to Mike before Louise led Mike to their site, across the street and down nearer the road that goes in front of the park. Mike and Terri wanted a site where they could access the CG wi-fi and the access is much better down there.

We can get on the CG wi-fi here in site #23 most time, but not always. And, the further down the street you are from here, the weaker the signal gets.

Anyway, Mike and Terri got their rig into their site, and as soon as they finished setting up, they came over and visited for a couple hours. :-) While they were here visiting, it was decided that going out to eat was a good idea and then decided that they'd head over to Fisher, Il. to the Blue Star Restaurant.

After about 1/2 an hour, Jim and Linda took Big RED and picked Mike and Terri up at their site and then headed to the Blue Star where they had very nice meals and great conversations.

Upon returning here to the CG, Big RED dropped Mike and Terri off at their site and then brought Jim and Linda back here to our site.

Yesterday, Mike and Terri had laundry to do and errands to run, so we didn't see too much of them during the day. It was decided though, that they would again go out to eat for dinner, and that they would go to Monical's Pizza.

So, about 5:30 Big RED again took Jim and Linda down to Mike and Terri's, picked them up and took them to Monical's here in Rantoul. I know where Monical's is and it isn't that far from here, but they were gone quite a while, so I expect that there was a lot of talking going on before and after their meals. ;-)

Jim snapped this photo of Terri and Mike at the Restaurant.

Mike and Terri will be leaving here today. They're heading up to Freeport, IL. to see family and friends. It sure was good of them to stop by and visit for awhile and I hope we'll get to meet up with them again in the near future.

Did you know that a dragonfly flaps its wings 20 to 40 times a second, bees and houseflies 200 times, some mosquitoes 600 times, and a tiny gnat 1,000 times?

Safe travels, Mike and Terri!!!

Woof!!!

2 Nice Surprises

Rantoul, IL.

70 deg. clear, lite fog, no wind.

Forecast = A mix of clouds and sun during the morning will give way to cloudy skies this afternoon. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High near 90F. Winds light and variable.


Yesterday morning, the phone rang and it was Mike Young. Jim and Linda met Mike and Terri years ago at an RV Dreams rally and have been friends with them ever since. They were at the RV-Dreams reunion rally this spring and at that time they said that they may be coming through this area sometime this summer.

Well, they are and they should be getting here to the Prairie Pines Campground sometime this afternoon!!! :-) I don't know how long they'll be staying, but Mike said that they'll be here for a few days.

It'll be great to see them again and be able to visit with them to catch up on what's been happening lately.

Then, about 11:00 yesterday morning, the phone rang again and this time it was Dave. Dave and Dee Dee are part of the "Illinois Bunch" that Jim and Linda meet up with whenever they can. Dave said that they were up in Kankakee, (which is North of here), and heading home, (they live South of here near Neoga, IL). and were wondering if it would be OK if they stopped by for a visit?

Jim told Dave that they'd be here and were looking forward to them stopping for a visit.

So,  ,  ,  ,  about 12:30 Dave and Dee Dee arrived. They were able to stay and visit for about an hour and a half. :-) It sure was good to see them again, and if everything works out, Dave and Dee Dee and Denny and Bev, (more of the "Illinois Bunch"), are planning on coming here to Prairie Pines sometime in September to camp for awhile! :-)

The weather guessers are saying that it's supposed to be quite hot and humid here today, so Jim and Linda are thinking that maybe Mike and Terri would like to go out to eat someplace instead of heating up one of the RVs to make a meal. They'll have to wait until Mike and Terri get here to see how they feel about the idea.

Did you know that on average, there area 333 squares of toilet paper on a roll?

Woof!!!

It Was A Very Good Day, Mike's Visit and Some Shopping

Rantoul, IL.

67 deg. clear, S. wind @ 5 mph.

Forecast = Partly cloudy early followed by scattered thunderstorms this afternoon. A few storms may be severe. High 88F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.


Wednesday was indeed a very good day, both for Linda and Jim.

It actually started Tuesday when Linda's cousin, Rick, called to wish her a Happy Birthday. Rick always calls the day before her birthday now because one time, he got the dates mixed up on his calendar, and called a couple days late. Now he always calls a day early, just to make sure he isn't late again. :-)

All through the day, Linda got calls from family and friends. Then in the afternoon, Mike, arrived and was able to stay until about 8:00 in the evening.

If you remember, Mike is Jim's son and he flew in from North Carolina to visit Linda and Jim and other family members and friends. (This photo of him was taken when we were in NC this spring.)

After Mike arrived, they visited for a short while and then Jim mentioned something about the airport here and the fact that they're going to close down the Aviation Museum over there. Mike said that he'd really like to see it, so he and Jim drove over there and spent about an hour going through it. (They could have spent more time, but by the time they got over there, the museum was only open for another hour before closing for the day).   Mike really enjoyed it because he works in the aircraft industry, and is very interested in learning about the older aircraft.

After they returned, Jim, Linda and Mike took Big RED and headed over to Fisher, IL, where they went to the Blue Star Restaurant, where they had nice meals and more conversation. Then, they came back here and visited some more.

All too soon, it was time for Mike to leave, but it was sure good to see him again. Linda was especially pleased that he was able to come on her birthday.

It made the day very special. :-)

After Mike left, Laura (Linda's daughter), called, from Florida to wish her a Happy Birthday, and that just topped the day off perfectly.

Thursday, Jim and Linda decided that they needed a few groceries, so instead of going here in town, they headed down to a Meijer Grocery store in Champaign. Normally, they would have gone to the local grocery store here in Rantoul, but lately, they've been out of or have stopped carrying some of the items that they want to purchase. They've noticed that they're many times out of sale items shortly after the sale begins and don't seem to restock those items until the sale is over.

So, even though Jim likes to buy as much as possible locally to help the local economy and the small store owners, they headed to Meijer's and found everything they wanted, and at a good price too.

After dinner, there was a knock on the door and it was Paul and Louise, (The CG hosts). Louise had a small Birthday cake and a card for Linda!!! That was really nice of them. They've really become good friends through the years. :-)

Thank you, Paul and Louise, Linda was thrilled with the cake and the card!!!

Yesterday morning, Jim took Big RED and headed over to Rural King to look for a few items. He found what he wanted then headed over to the Post Office to pick up a general delivery letter that had been sent there. Then to Walgreen's to pick up a prescription for Linda.

The afternoon was spent reading and fooling around with the computer. That is, until dinnertime when Jim fired up the grill and cooked a nice juicy steak that he and Linda had purchased at Meijer's.

It sure smelled good and by all accounts, it tasted really good too, but I wouldn't know, because I didn't get any!!! :-(

Did you know that the concept of a self-service grocery store was developed by entrepreneur Clarence Saunders and his Piggly Wiggly stores? His first store opened in 1916. Saunders was awarded a number of patents for the ideas he incorporated into his stores.

Woof!!!

A Long Time Since Last Post and Today Should Be A Very Good Day

Rantoul, IL.

63 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = A mix of clouds and sun. High 83F. Winds light and variable.


Wow!!!! Can't believe how long it's been since I last posted!!!! Sorry about that!!

There really hasn't been a whole lot to post about. Between the rain. that except for the last few days, that has been keeping everything quite wet, and the mosquitoes, that won't leave you alone when you're outside, both Jim and Linda haven't been out and about much.

We have had some more heavy rain, and it seems like the water leak we had seems to be stopped as a result of Jim's calking efforts. I sure hope so because I don't like getting my feet wet, not to mention any damage to the trailer that a leak can cause.

Linda went back to the eye doctor again yesterday and had another injection, this time in the other eye. Everything went well and now she has another appointment for the 11th of next month. :-(

I'm really looking forward to today!!!

Why?? You ask???

Well, today, Mike, Jim's son who lives in Apex, North Carolina, is flying into Midway airport in Chicago and is coming here for a visit this afternoon!!!! He'll be driving down here and should get here sometime after lunch. That, and the fact that today is Linda's birthday, should make today a very good day!!! :-)

The plan is that Linda, Jim and Mike will visit for awhile this afternoon and then go out to eat someplace before Mike has to leave this evening to head back up to near Chicago to spend some time with his mother and visit with friends.

Did you know that more people celebrate their birthdays in August than in any other month? The two other months in which birthday rates are high is July and September.

Happy Birthday, Linda!!!!

Woof!!!

Back To The Eye Doctor, A Little Shopping, A Leak and Mosquitoes

Rantoul, IL.

62 deg. clear, N. wind @ 5 mph.

 Forecast = Cloudy early with scattered thunderstorms developing this afternoon. A few storms may be severe. High 83F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.


Big RED took Lina and Jim back down to the doctor's office Tuesday morning and everything went well. She received the injection and will have to go back on the 21st to get the other eye treated. :-( 

Again, we've had lots of rain here in Rantoul. The reports were somewhere between 2 to 3 inches, although someone said it was closer to 4 inches of rain.

One day, Jim and Linda headed down to Champaign and to the Hancock fabric store down there where Linda gets many of her sewing and needlework supplies when were're in this area. This time she just needed some "floss" (colored thread), for a project she's working on. After going to the fabric store, they stopped at the Urbana Gardens Restaurant and had dinner before coming back here to the Campground. 

Oh, and on the way back, they also stopped at Walgreen's to pick up a few items they needed. 

The day that it was raining the hardest, we had a leak that showed up on the floor in the bedroom. Yesterday, Jim determined that there was a small hole in the mounting flange of the water heater, (which is under the nightstand on Nora), so he calked it up with some sealant and also added sealant in a few other places around the heater where there seemed to be little cracks in the original sealant. 

Hopefully that will cure the problem. I don't like getting my feet wet when I go into the bedroom to check things out. ;-) 

Nothing much else to report. Even when the weather is nice around here, the mosquitoes are getting so bad, (because of all the rain and water standing everywhere), that you really can't spend much time outside without getting all bitten up. Repellent helps, but those little suckers are hungry!!! :-O The only time you can go out much is when the wind is blowing.That seems to keep them away somewhat. 

 Did you know that in 1865 Illinois was the first state to ratify the 13th Amendment to the Constitution abolishing slavery?

Woof!!!

Linda's Eye Doctor Appointment, A New Regulation and The Holiday Weekend

Rantoul, IL.

63 deg. heavy fog, no wind.

Forecast = A mix of clouds and sun. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 88F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph.


Hope all of you had a great 4th of July holiday!!!

Friday morning, Big RED took Jim and Linda down to the South side of Champaign and to Dr. Gandhi's office. (Linda's retinaologist).  By using a machine to do a scan of the back of the eye, he determined that both of Linda's eyes needed attention, and she would need and injection in each eye!! :-(  Well, (and some of you that are on Medicare may have already run into this), because of a new regulation, our government has determined that you can not have the treatment on the same day that the diagnosis is made!! You have to make another appointment and come back at a later date!!!

Now, as far as I'm concerned, this is just plain stupid!!! You're already there and need the procedure, why can't you have it done?  Instead, you have to make another appointment and then spend another half day, going back again, not to mention the anxiety of having to wait for an unpleasant treatment. And, of course, you also have to figure the extra, (in Linda's case), 50 miles of fuel it takes to make another trip to and from the doctor's office!!!!  And, if you weren't retired and had a job, it would cost you at least a 1/2 day's work and pay!!!!

Like I said, STUPID!!!!!!!!!!!

OK, I'm done with my rant now!

Anyway, tomorrow morning, Linda will have to go back to the doctor's office to get an injection in one of her eyes, and then in about 2 weeks, (the 21st of July), she'll have to go back again to get the injection in the other eye. :-(

As far as the 4th of July holiday, we had a great weekend. Friday, there were a few sprinkles during the afternoon, but it cleared nicely for the fireworks that Rantoul had. Saturday, the weather was great with temps in the 70's and mostly sunny skies, and yesterday was great too, with temps getting up to around 80, with lots of sunshine.

The campground was full for the weekend. Many of the RV's left yesterday but some of them have stayed an extra day, Today, most of the rest of them will be leaving.

I don't think that there's anything special planned for today. I think Jim would like to get out of here for awhile, so they may go down to Champaign or somewhere and do a little shopping.

A Point to Ponder: Why do they call it the Department of Interior when they are in charge of everything outdoors?

Woof!!!

Happy 4th Of July

Rantoul, IL.

59 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = Mainly sunny to start, then a few afternoon clouds. High 84F. Winds light and variable.

Happy 4th of July!!! I hope all of you have a great holiday!!!

Here's a little narration, (This is not a song), by Johnny Cash that I found a few years ago. It's called "The Ragged Old Flag ".  Please take a few minutes to listen to it. It reminds you of just what our flag has been through to keep us free.

Did you know that In 1870, the U.S. Congress made Independence Day an unpaid holiday for federal employees?

In 1938, Congress changed Independence Day to a paid federal holiday.

Woof!!!

Catching Up and Getting Ready For The 4th

Rantoul, IL.

62 deg. overcast, no wind.

Forecast = Clouds and some sun this morning with more clouds for this afternoon. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 79F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph.

We've dried out some since my last post. We've still had some rain from time to time, but it's been smaller amounts and the ground has pretty much soaked it up without getting too soggy. There seems to still be a few areas here in the CG but hopefully we won't get too much more rain so that those spots dry out for the "sold out" 4th of July holiday weekend.

Not a whole lot has happened since I've last posted. Jim and Linda went out to eat one evening at the Blue Star Restaurant over in Fisher. They've done laundry, gone grocery shopping and went to Thomasboro to pick up their mail, but other than than, just normal everyday stuff.

Oh, and Jim has been "dumpster diving" again. ;-)  This time he retrieved a nice looking water hose that had lost one of it's fittings. So, he went to ACE, bought a new fitting for $3.79 and now he has a nice 25' hose to use either while camping or back at the double-wide in Florida. It's a blue colored hose that has a white lining inside that was made for drinking water, but he'll probably just use it for general hose use, unless he decides to run some bleach through it, and then it will be safe for drinking water.  

Friday morning, Linda has an appointment with her retinaologist. She's already starting to worry about what he will find. She really doesn't like getting those injections and is hoping that they won't be necessary this time.

Then, Friday evening, Rantoul is having their 4th of July fireworks display. It's over at the airport area, so we should be able to see most of it from right here in the park.  No plans for the rest of the weekend, but there'll be lots of folks and probably quite a few kids to "people watch" here in the CG. :-)

Did you know that Illinois set new rainfall records for June this year?

The old record for June was 8.27 inches set in 1902.
The current 9.37 inches beats the old record by 1.10 inches.
The current 9.37 inches is 5.17 inches above the June average of 4.20 inches.
The current 9.37 inches make this the second wettest month in Illinois history.
Only September 1926 was a wetter month at 9.62 inches.

Woof!!!