Merry Christmas!!!

DeBary, FL

57 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = Sunshine and clouds mixed. High 83F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph.


Hope all of you have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!!

Not much has been happening around here lately, except getting ready for Christmas. Of course, that means getting presents, wrapping them and getting the ones for out of town shipped off.  Well, all of that has happened and now we're just waiting for the big day!! ;-)

Laura and Ashley came over one day and helped put up the Christmas tree and other decorations, so now the tree is decorated and there's presents under it, just waiting to be opened.

While they were here, Laura found a piece of wrapping ribbon and tied it around my neck. Don't I look festive???

Tomorrow, Christmas morning, Laura, Lindsey, Ashley, Chris and Anna will be coming over here to open presents. There will also be a breakfast, so Linda is putting out some goodies and Laura and the girls will also be bringing something to contribute.

It should be a fun day!!!

Both Jim and Linda are doing fine and I hope all of you are well also. Please be careful if traveling during the holidays.

Did you know that the world's tallest Xmas tree at 221ft high was erected in a Washington shopping mall in 1950?

Woof!!!

A Great Thanksgiving

DeBary, FL.

73 deg. mostly cloudy, NE wind @ 9 mph.

Forecast = This afternoon = Mainly cloudy. Lows overnight in the mid 50s.


I hope all of you had a happy Thanksgiving, I know Jim and Linda did. :-) Thursday morning they headed over to Marv and Inez's, (Lindsey's Parents),  house up in DeLand. It's only about 20 to 30 minutes to get there, (depending on traffic), so they left here about 10:30.

As usual, Inez had a great dinner with all the "fixin's". That means turkey, dressing, vegetables, cranberries, mashed potatoes, gravy, and lots of deserts. And, Laura's husband, Lindsey brought a big ham to supplement the turkey!!!!

Of Course Marv and Inez were there, Laura and Lindsey, Ashley and Cris, Anna, and 2 of Lindsey's brothers and their families. Again, it was a full house, but everyone had plenty to eat and a very good time, visiting. Laura had to work at the hospital Thanksgiving night, so she left soon after the meal to get some sleep before going to work and Jim and Linda stayed until around 2:30.  

Both Jim and Linda were still "stuffed" when they returned here to the house, so they just had ham sandwiches for their evening meal, (thanks to Inez for sending some of the leftover ham home with them), and then just watched TV for the rest of the evening.

I've said this before, but I want to say it again. Jim and Linda really appreciate Marv and Inez including them with their family celebration. It really means a lot and they both want to thank Marv and Inez for their generous hospitality.

Don't really have much else to report. Mostly just day to day living.

Again, I hope all of you had a very nice Thanksgiving.

Did you know that Abraham Lincoln issued a  "Thanksgiving Proclamation" on third October 1863 and officially set aside the last Thursday of November as the national day for Thanksgiving? Whereas earlier the presidents used to make an annual proclamation to specify the day when Thanksgiving was to be held.


Woof!!!

Another Good Doctor's Report and Getting Ready For Thanksgiving

DeBary, FL.

46 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = Sunny. High 67F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph.

Last Tuesday, both Jim and Linda had appointments with Dr. Saferali , their Chemo Dr, and both of them had good reports. In fact the Dr. was very pleased with Jim's Pet Scan results and both Jim and Linda's blood tests. :-)  She wants to see Jim again in February and then, both Jim and Linda again in April.

Not much else has been happening around here since I last posted. Jim and Linda have gone shopping for Christmas presents and groceries and, they've also gone to Lowe's and purchased some new flooring for the kitchen and dinning area of the house. The flooring that we have now is real cheap peel and stick vinyl tile and it's starting to break up in places. Now, as soon as Kevin, (the handyman that Jim and Linda use), has some time, he'll install it.

For Thanksgiving, Jim and Linda are invited to Marv and Inez's for dinner again. Laura and Lindsey will be there as well as most of Lindsey's brothers. It should be a full house again. :-)

The weather has been great here in Florida with highs in the upper 70's and lows in the 50's and 60's. A cold front came though last night though and today the temps are only going to get up to the mid-sixty's and down into the upper 30s tonight. But, then it's supposed to warm up again with high temperatures in the upper 70's forecasted for Thanksgiving day.

Don't know if I'll be posting again before Thanksgiving, so Jim, Linda and I want to wish all of you a very happy and safe holiday.

Did you know that the first Thanksgiving celebration lasted three days?

Woof!!!

    

A Nice Labor Day Weekend and Gatting Ready For Company

Rantoul, IL.

74 deg. clear, SW wind @ 7 mph.

Forecast = Sunshine and a few afternoon clouds. High 93F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. Tonight, partly cloudy this evening. Scattered thunderstorms developing after midnight. Low around 75F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 40%.

As many of you may know, Labor Day is one of my favorite holidays because after it, the kids are back in school, many RVers put their RVs in storage for the winter and most people have taken their vacations and settled down somewhere for the winter. That means fewer cars and RVs on the road and less crowded campgrounds for the most part. :-)

Also, the weather will start cooling down and if you plan your travels right, there's a very good chance that you'll have some beautiful fall travel weather.

The CG here at Rantoul wasn't completely full for the Holiday this year, but most of the good sites were taken. Also, it seemed like there weren't as many kids here this year. Either that, or they just weren't as noisy as in years past. Can't really say that about the dogs that the RVers brought along though. They were very annoying at times. :-(

Louise and Paul, (the CG hosts), had a cookout Saturday afternoon. They furnished the brats, baked beans and potato salad and everyone else brought food to share. By the time everyone brought something, (about 30 people came to the cookout), there were 2 picnic tables full of food. If anyone went away hungry, it was their own fault!! ;-)   

Jim and Linda went grocery shopping yesterday. There weren't too many people shopping the day after Labor Day, so it wasn't crowded at all. Again, they bought too many groceries and had trouble getting everything into the refrigerator and cabinets.

Tomorrow, Dave, (I don't know if Dee Dee will be coming tomorrow or not), will be coming here to Prairie Pines. He'll probably be getting here somewhere around noon. I hope the weather co-operates and the rain holds off so he can get his trailer set up without getting soaked.

Friday morning, Dave has a dental appointment to get a broken tooth taken care of. Jim will be taking him to his appointment because Dee Dee will be busy and he needs someone to drive him back here as he will receive a sedative for the procedure.

The weather for the Labor Day weekend was really nice, but is has been quite hot the last few days. This weekend, it's supposed to cool off again though, and we should have decent weather for the last half of the weekend and into the first part of next week.

Today and tomorrow morning, Jim and Linda will be getting ready for Dave and Dee Dee's arrival and for Jeff and Heather's arrival on Monday. I'm getting all excited about all that company coming and can hardly wait to see them!!!! :-)

Did you  know that on this date in 1930 - The cartoon "Blondie" made its first appearance in the comic strips?

Woof!!!!

 

More Doctors, Jim Has A Problem and Plans For Christmas Eve

DeBary, Fl.

73 deg., 93% humidity, overcast, no wind.

Forecast = Mostly cloudy. High around 85F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph.

The weather around here has been very strange this year. We've had temperatures way above normal and the weather guesser are saying that we may set a new record high on Christmas day!!


I have some news on the health front. Friday, Jim and Linda went to see Dr. Saferali, the oncologist. She checked Jim over and looked at the blood test that Jim received a week or so ago. Most everything looked good on it. Then she suggested a PET Scan to get a better view of the "small mass" that the x-rays and CAT scan had found.

Jim now has an appointment for the scan on the 29th of December with a follow up visit with Dr. Saferali on the morning of the 31st.

Saturday, Jim started having some breathing problems and on Sunday they were much worse. Any time he would try to do anything but sit or lie down, he was very short of breath. Jim suspected that the inhaler medication that Dr. Mathura had given him, on Monday, was causing the problem, so he quit using it and just used the emergency inhaler that the doctor had originally prescribed for him on Jim's first appointment.

Monday, Jim called the doctor's office and an appointment was made for yesterday morning. By yesterday morning, Jim was doing a little better and he and Linda headed over to the office.

It appears as though Jim was right as Dr. Mathura changed the type of inhaler and now this morning, Jim seems to be doing quite a bit better, after just a single use of the inhaler, yesterday.

On Sunday, Lindsey's parents, (Marv and Inez) had their Christmas dinner, but being that Jim was having the breathing problem and feeling so crummy, he and Linda didn't go. :-(

So,  ,  ,  ,  unless things change, the plan right now is for Laura, Lindsey, Ashley, Chris and Anna to come over here to the house on Christmas Eve to exchange presents. Linda has been gathering a bunch of  "snack food"  for everyone to enjoy. It should be a fun evening with family. :-)

Christmas day, I really don't know what's going on yet. I'm sure I'll find out sometime today.

I probably won't be posting until after Christmas, so Jim, Linda and I would like to wish all of you a very Marry Christmas. Hope all of you have a great day!!!!!


Did you know that  HANGING stockings out comes from the Dutch custom of leaving shoes packed with food for St Nicholas's donkeys. He would leave small gifts in return.

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!!!

Oh Oh A Leak!!, Fried Squirrel and Father's Day

Rantoul, IL.

70 deg. clear, S. wind @ 6 mph.

Forecast = Wind increasing. A mix of clouds and sun. A stray severe thunderstorm is possible. High near 90F. Winds SSW at 20 to 30 mph


First of all, I hope all of you fathers out there had a "Happy Father's Day"!!!!

I think if was Tuesday when Jim noticed a few drops of water on the kitchen floor. It was right under the Air Conditioner, so Jim thought that maybe, because it has been so humid here, the AC had frozen up some and it had defrosted its self during the night. He wiped up the spots with a paper towel and also wiped a few drops off of the AC. The next morning, after some rain overnight, there was more water on the floor, and he suspected that possibly, the seal under the AC was leaking.

After taking the inside cover off (held on by 7 screws), and checking, he determined that the 4 bolts/screws that hold the AC down to the roof were not very tight, so he tightened them, dried everything off and re-installed the cover. Well, that must have been the problem cause even though we've had more rain and have operated the AC under very humid conditions, there haven't been any more drips of water on the floor!!!

It's nice when a problem has a fairly simple fix!! ;-)

Saturday morning there was this big "POP" sound and all of the electricity went off!! I knew what it was, cause it's happened when we've been here in years past.

You see, there's an electrical distribution/sub station, right next to the CG where they have a bunch of transformers and other electrical equipment and every once in awhile something goes wrong over there and cuts off the power.

Well, this time it was one of those goofy squirrels who run around here at the CG, getting into things and dropping nuts onto RVs. This time, one of them got into the wires over there and Zappp!!! Fried Squirrel!!!!  :-O

I don't know what he was doing over there. There's no nuts or anything to eat, there's no leaves or twigs to make a nest. I guess he was just exploring, but he explored in the wrong place. Hope all the other squirrels in the area learned a lesson!!!

Jim had a very nice Father's Day yesterday. In the morning, Jeff called from Portland Oregon and they talked for about a half hour. Jeff seems to be doing well, and if everything works out, he and maybe Heather will be flying out to the East Coast this fall to see his brother, Mike, in N. Carolina and then connect up with us, either in NC or Florida.

Jim told Jeff that he'd send him money for air fare if he could work out the times and dates. :-)

After lunch, Mike called from NC. He and Jim talked for 20 minutes or so. Mike, Gina and the kids all seem to be doing well, They were getting ready to go out to eat at a restaurant near where they live.

Later in the afternoon, Laura called from Florida to wish Jim a Happy Father's Day. She couldn't talk for long as she was getting ready to head to work, but it was sure nice of her take the time to call.

Then, in the evening, Joe called. He and his family are in Myrtle Beach, SC for a little vacation and will be returning home to Virginia Beach next weekend. They also seem to be doing fine and are enjoying their trip. :-)

For dinner, Jim and Linda headed over to Monical's Pizza. They went a little early because they were concerned about a lot of folks having the same idea, and it's a good thing they did. By the time they finished eating, the place was almost full.

Today, Jim needs to get one of Nora's propane tanks filled. He'll probably do that this morning because the "weather guessers" are saying that it's supposed to be hot, humid and windy this afternoon.

Did you know that First local Father's Day was celebrated on June 19, 1910, in Spokane, Washington?  Sonora Louise Smart Dodd started the tradition of Father's Day in the honor of her dad, William Smart, a widowed Civil War veteran.

Woof!!!

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!!!

 

Happy New Year!!!

DeBary,, FL.

61 deg. overcast, N. wind @ 14 mph.
Forecast = Generally cloudy. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 69F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph.

I hope all of you have a Happy New Year. Please be careful if you're out and about. I don't want to hear of any of my followers having an accident or something.

Really don't have much to post about but wanted to touch bases with all my followers.

The weather around  here has been pretty good. We've had some rain and yesterday, it rained off and on all day. Never heavy, just light rain.

Jim went to Publix the other day. He and Linda usually don't shop at Publix because they think it's more expensive, but they do carry some items that they like, that are not available at Winn Dixie. Linda didn't go this time because the list was pretty long and since neither of them are real well acquainted with the store, they thought it may be too much for her.

On the way to the store, Jim bought Big RED a nice big drink of good old #2 diesel fuel. The prices continue to drop and even though diesel is still higher than gas, it still has made quite a difference on the cost of filling him up. :-)

Today, Jim wants to go over to Paradise Lakes and check on Nora. He wants to make sure those new batteries are charging properly and just check things to make sure everything is OK

There are no plans for tonight. In fact, they'll probably struggle to stay awake until midnight. If they can stay awake, they'll probably just watch the ball drop in NYC and then head for bed.

This last year has been a hard year, especially for Linda, but it's been a good year just the same. I really think that Linda's "ordeal" has brought Jim and Linda even closer together. Sometimes you forget just how great you have it and you don't realize how much you would miss someone if they weren't there with you or something life threatening happens.

It makes you stop and think!!

I hope all of you have a great 2015. I know I'm looking forward to it. :-)

Take Care!!!!

Did you know that New Year is the oldest of all holidays, as it was first observed in ancient Babylon as many as 4000 years ago?

Woof!!!

Christmas With Family and Presents

DeBary, FL.

64 deg. overcast, no wind.
Forecast = Partly cloudy. High 81F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.

I hope all of you had a very Merry Christmas!!! Nothing much happened during the day here, but in the evening, Laura, Lindsey, Ashley, Chris, (Ashley's friend), and Anna came over to open presents and spend time with us. They had a large meal earlier in the day over at Marv and Inez's house so Linda just put together a table full of finger food to nosh on. ;-)

Laura and Lindsey brought lots of presents. Some of them were from Joe, Nancy and family that had been shipped to their house. Jim and Linda received lots of good stuff and I think everyone enjoyed their gifts.

I know Jim and Linda did and they really enjoyed having everyone over here for the evening. :-)

I won't even try to remember what everyone received,  I'd just forget half of them anyway. ;-)

A few days before Christmas a package arrived at our doorstep. In it were the gifts that Jim and Linda were exchanging, so they went ahead and opened it cause they knew what was in it.

Linda had asked for a nice accurate scale, so Jim ordered this one from Amazon. It has good reviews and most importantly, is reported to be very accurate. It has an extra large surface so it's easy to stand on and still see the weight. Jim stood on it just before he snapped this photo, so you can see the large read-out better.

It's also very thin so it's easy to step up onto it.

So, what did Jim ask for? Well, his knees aren't what they used to be, so he asked for this tailgate ladder that he had read about. (As you can see, he has installed it already). ;-)

It fastens to the tailgate with screws. and then when you install the ladder with the 2 clips it folds down so it's easier to get up into the bed of the truck. For storage, you can either remove the 2 clips and store the ladder in the bed or,

fold it against the tailgate and fasten it with the included strap.

Jim has used the ladder a couple times already and says that it's a lot easier to get up into the bed of the truck than trying to crawl up on the tailgate.

Of course Linda has been using her scale every day. She lost a lot of weight while she was getting the chemo and radiation treatments and wants to be sure to keep if off and lose more if possible.

Yesterday, Big RED took Jim and Linda over to Walgreen's where they purchased some 50% off Christmas decorations and present wrapping supplies. They weren't about to go over to the mall or one of the big box stores where all the people were shopping for after Christmas deals and returning gifts, but Walgreen's wasn't bad at all.

Not much planned for the next few days and nothing planned for New Years Eve. Jim says that there's too many "crazies" out there so they usually just stay home and watch the ball drop on RV :-)

Did you know that in ancient Rome the new year began on March 1?

Woof!!!

Merry Christmas

DeBary, FL. (9:00 PM Christmas Eve)

70 deg. rain, S. wind @ 9 mph.
Forecast = Scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Cloudy skies after midnight. Low 58F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%.

Jim, Linda and I want to wish everyone a safe and merry Christmas!!! Please take a moment to remember the true meaning of the day.

Did you know that the long shopping spree before Christmas began in America when relatives of soldiers posted overseas in the Second World War were encouraged to mail gifts early?

Woof!!!

An Early Christmas Dinner, Batteries, A New Chinese Restaurant and Xmas Plans

DeBary, Fl.

70 deg. overcast, S. wind @ 7 mph.
Forecast = Mostly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 83F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph.

Sunday morning, Big RED took Jim and Linda over to Marv and Inez's for an early Christmas dinner. Because they have a large family, they have their Christmas celebration the Sunday before Christmas so as not to conflict with other dinners and celebrations on Christmas day. For the most part, this works very well and almost every year everyone is able to come.

Again, Inez prepared a very good meal that included ham, mashed potatoes, green beans, and all the other fixin's. Then, of course there were the many deserts that Inez always has.  :-)

Again, Jim and Linda want to thank Marv and Inez for including them in their holiday celebration.

Of course Laura and Lindsey were there and Ashley and Anna drove down from Jacksonville so Linda and Jim got to see them. :-)  Chris couldn't come because he had a very bad cold and didn't want to pass it on to everyone else. :-(

Hopefully, Chris will be able to make it when the girls come back down here when Laura has her Christmas party.

I didn't mention it in the last posts, but when Jim and Linda moved Nora to the Paradise Lakes RV Park the other day, Jim noticed that Nora's house battery seemed to be almost discharged, even though Nora had been plugged in at Highbanks. Well, after some checking, it was determined that the battery was going bad and would need replacement. Since replacement was necessary, Jim decided that he would buy 2 batteries and another battery box to increase Nora's battery capacity for times when we might be in CGs or other "boon-docking" situations where electric connections are't available. (A very good possibility if we can go out West next summer).

So, the other day, he purchased 2 batteries, a couple battery cables and another battery box and installed them. Everything went well and now Nora should have more than enough battery power to keep the all her electrical stuff working for a day or two. :-)

Yesterday evening, Big RED took Jim and Linda to Walgreen's to pick up a few items. Since they were "out and about" they decided to head over to the Chinese Restaurant next to the Winn Dixie Store that is right across the street from Walgreen's.

Last summer the restaurant changed ownership and when Jim and Linda picked up some carry-out and brought it back here, it wasn't too good. But, last night, they decided to give it another try, so they stopped by and went in.

It's now called the "China 90" Restaurant and both Jim and Linda were pleasantly surprised. They've completely remodeled the restaurant and the food was very good. :-) The waitress was friendly and all in all, it was a very pleasant dinning experience. I'm sure that Jim and Linda will go back again or order take-out if they want to eat here at the house.

Hope all of you are ready for Christmas. I don't know just when Laura will be having the gathering at her house. I'll all depend on her work schedule. She has Christmas day off, but she has to work at the hospital the 2 nights before that, so she may need to sleep most of Christmas day. I guess it really doesn't make much difference which day she has it on, Jim and Linda don't have any other plans anyway. ;-)

Did you know that the abbreviation Xmas isn't irreligious? The letter X is a Greek abbreviation for Christ.

Another Doctor Appointment, Decorations Up and Presents On Their Way.

DeBary, FL.

41 deg. clear, NW wind @ 4 mph.
Forecast = Sunny. High 68F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.

Yesterday, Linda had an appointment with the Surgeon who preformed the cancer surgery on her back in 2013. It was just a follow-up visit, but it was still nice to hear that, after an examination, everything appears to be fine. ;-)  The appointment was at 10:00, and by the time Linda had filled out another bunch of papers and the doctor had done his thing, it was after 11:00 by the time she and Jim  got out of there.

Since it was lunchtime by the time Big RED got them back to this area, they stopped at Bob Evans and had breakfast for lunch.

Nothing much else happened yesterday.  Linda was finally able to get back to working on her "Family Tree Maker" program. Between being sick and not being able to see well, because of the cataracts, she hadn't worked on it for over a year. It took her a little while to figure the program out again, but is now doing a lot of on-line research and getting more information to enter.

Oh, I don't think I told you. The other day, Laura stopped by and helped Jim and Linda decorate the Christmas tree. It sure looks pretty and if I can get Jim to take a photo of it, I'll post it here. Then, on  Thursday, Jim and Linda packaged up all the presents that needed to be sent to other states, took the boxes to the Post Office and got them sent off!!! That's always a big relief to get them on their way and not have to worry about family getting their presents on time. :-)

Today, Linda wants to head over to LabCorp and get a blood test. The results will be sent to Linda's doctor, back in Illinois. Then, if they still feel like it, she and Jim want to go to Winn Dixie to buy some groceries.

Sounds like a busy day to me.

Did you know that  US scientists have calculated that Santa would have to visit 822 homes a second to deliver all the world's presents on Christmas Eve, travelling at 650 miles a second?

Talk about "Speedy Delivery"!!!!!!!

Woof!!!

Eye Doctor Appointment and Plans To Decorate

DeBary, FL.

54 deg. partly cloudy, NW wind @ 7 mph.
Forecast = Some clouds this morning will give way to generally sunny skies for the afternoon. High around 65F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph.

Thanks to all the folks who commented, called or e-mailed Linda to congratulate her on the scan results. It means so much to her to know that so many of you care. :-)

Yesterday, (after a couple more days of anxiety),  Linda had an appointment with a new eye doctor. Dr. Gandhi from Illinois had given Linda his name and suggested that she make an appointment with him to see if she needed any further treatments to her eyes.

The appointment was for 9:00 AM with instructions to come in a little early to fill out paperwork, so Jim and Linda left here about 8:30 and headed over to his office, which is only about 10 minutes from here. Once there and after filling out a whole bunch of forms, she finally got in to see Dr. Barnard.

The Dr. said that the right eye was doing fine, (the one that Dr. Gandhi was treating), but from the scan of Linda's eyes, he noticed some problems with her other eye, that he recommended being taken care of. So, Linda had an injection in that eye. :-(

This was not good news to Linda. Her left eye is her "good" eye, (the one with almost no diabetic damage), and she had not had any problems with that eye since way back in 2002. :-(

Anyway, the injection procedure went well, but she did have a lot of discomfort yesterday afternoon and evening. Hopefully after sleeping, it will feel better today and she'll be able to have a good day.

Speaking of today. I think that Laura is coming over today to help Jim and Linda decorate the Christmas tree and put up a few other decorations. (It's become kind of a tradition for her to come over to help). It shouldn't take too long as they don't put up a whole lot of stuff, but they usually have a good time doing it. :-)

Did you know that Christmas trees have been sold commercially in the United States since about 1850?

Woof!!!

A Great Thanksgiving

DeBary, FL.

46 deg. clear, N. wind @ 12 mph.
Forecast = Sunny to partly cloudy. High 61F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph.

Yesterday, (Thanksgiving Day) started off quite cool, but by noon the temps had risen to about 70 degrees and if you were in the sun and out of the wind, it was really nice.

About 11:30, Big RED took Jim and Linda up to DeLand and to Marv and Inez/s house. They were the fist ones there and that gave them a few minutes to have a nice visit with Marv and Inez. Soon, others started arriving and by about 1:30 or so, everyone was there and they all enjoyed yet another great Thanksgiving feast!! :-)

Again, Inez outdid herself. The meal was great with all the usual's like turkey, dressing, ham, green beans, mashed potatoes and gravey, sweet potatoes, salads, and about 1/2 dozen different kinds of deserts.

If anyone went away hungry, it sure wasn't Inez's fault!!!! ;-)

After eating, some of the people watched football on TV and others went outside and relaxed on the deck. By this time, it was nice enough outside that everyone out there was very comfortable without having to wear jackets or sweaters.

About 3:30, after h and h, (hugs and handshakes), and thanking Marv and Inez for the great meal, Big RED brought Jim and Linda back here to the house.

Thank You, Marv and Inez for including Jim and Linda in your Thanksgiving Day festivities, Jim and Linda really appreciate your hospitality!!!!

Not much planned for today. Linda now has almost all of the Christmas presents, so I'm sure that soon, she'll start wrapping them to get them ready to send out or to put under the tree.

Oh, and one of these days, I imagine that she and Jim will put up decorations here at the house too.

Hope all of you had a great Thanksgiving!!! Please stay safe during this holiday season. There's some real "crazies" out there, trying to get all their shopping done, so be careful.

Did you know that Black Friday is usually not the busiest shopping day of the year? Thanks to last-minute shopping, the last Saturday before Christmas is usually the busiest.

Woof!!!

Driveway Camping, Pretty Flowers and The Weather

Virginia Beach, VA.

deg. 54 deg. cloudy, no wind.

Forecast = Today, overcast with showers. Becoming windy for the afternoon. High 57F. Winds NNW at 25 to 35 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
                  Tonight, Showers early then continued cloudy and windy overnight. Low 44F. Winds NNW at 25 to 35 mph. Chance of rain 60%. Higher wind gusts possible.

As you can see by the forecast above, we're in for a stormy period here in Virginia Beach. Besides the 25 to 35 mph winds, they're forecasting gusts in the 40 to 45 mph range. This continues on through Sunday with even cooler temperatures!!!

Brrrrrr!!!!!

Jim took a few photos of Nora and Big RED in Joe's driveway. Nora is hooked up to a 20 Amp electric circuit and city water.

Just outside of Nora's rear window is this very pretty Camellia bush.

It has some very pretty blossoms right now, but they'll not last much longer. :-(

As far as I could tell, there wasn't much Halloween activity in this area. There were a few kids trick or treating, but that's all.

No plans for today or tomorrow. I'm sure that Jim and Linda will spend some time in the house visiting. By Monday, the weather is supposed to get better, so maybe they'll be able to do something.

Oh!! Yesterday, Jim called a couple RV parks that he and Linda have decided to stay at on our way down the coast and made reservations. At one of the parks, he just wanted to make sure they had a site for us and at the park that we'll be staying at in Myrtle beach, he was able to get one of their best sites right next to the beach, so that should be neat. ;-)

Did you know that Tootsie Rolls were the first wrapped penny candy in America?

Woof!!!

Our Favorite Holiday, Another Dinner With Mike And Terri and More Tests

Rantoul, IL.

71 Deg. partly cloudy, SW wind @ 10 mph.
Forecast = Mostly cloudy with scattered storms. Highs around 84°F. Heat index around 89°F. South southwest wind to 15 MPH, gusting to 21 MPH. Chance of precipitation 60 percent.

Ahhhhhh!!!! Labor Day!!!!!  Our favorite holiday!!!!

Why is it our favorite holiday?  Well,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , there's quite a few reasons, but probably the ones that I like most are that from now on, until Memorial Day, it'll be much more quiet in almost every park or campground that we'll be going to. (Except down in Florida this winter). There'll be less people, RV sites available that you can't get without a reservation during the summer months, less traffic on the roads because "vacation time" is over for most folks and, if you want to head to a National Park or popular attraction, you'll be able to see the sites or attractions without the big crowds. ;-)

It's been quite a few years ago now, but I can still remember the time we went to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons in late September and almost had the place to ourselves! :-) The CG we stayed at was almost deserted and there were deer wandering around, throughout the park and CG.

Louise says that she has 2 groups coming into the park next weekend, but after that, there'll only be a few RVs that come in off of the highway now and then until the the CG pretty much closes at the end of October. (This CG is open all year, but there's only electric and sewer hookups during the winter months).

Mike and Terri returned from their trip up to Northern Illinois Thursday afternoon. Before they left here on Monday, plans were made to go out to eat when they returned, so about 5:00 Jim, Linda, Mike and Terri hopped into Big RED and went to the Urbana Gardens Restaurant down in, (where else?) Urbana.

The food was good but the company and conversation were even better. ;-)

Oh, and Jim and Linda did get that new Sleep Number mattress assembled Thursday. Jim had a little problem with one of the hoses, but got it worked out. Now, they're both sleeping better than they were on that poor excuse of a mattress that came with Nora. :-)

Linda got a call yesterday and found out that she'll have to get an EKG and a Urinalysis test before she can have Cataract surgery on the 8th.  So,  Tuesday, she'll have to get that taken care of. What a bummer!!!!!  She was hoping to have one week off from seeing doctors or having any medical procedure, but that's not going to happen!! :-(

Also, yesterday, Big RED took Jim and Linda to Walgreen's to pick up some prescriptions, (eye drops for Linda's cataract surgery), and then to the County Market Grocery Store, where Jim went in and purchased some much needed groceries.

Nothing much planned for this weekend. I'd say that the park is more than 1/2 full already and there'll be more RVs coming in today. The weather forecast for this weekend isn't very good though, so I'm wondering if all the campers who called and reserved a site will show up?


Did you know that Oregon was the first state to make Labor Day a holiday on February 21, 1887? By the time it became a federal holiday in 1894, thirty states officially celebrated Labor Day.

Woof!!!

Happy 4th of July

DeBary, FL.

74 deg. partly cloudy, no wind. Humidity 89%
Forecast =  Partly cloudy with isolated storms. Highs around 93°F. Heat index around 103°F. Southwest wind to 11 MPH. Chance of precipitation near 55%.

Happy 4th of July!!!!

Hope all of you have a great Holiday!!!! 

Did you know the Liberty Bell sounded from the tower of Independence Hall on July 8, 1776, summoning citizens to gather for the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence by Colonel John Nixon?

Woof!!!!