Campfire

[carold]

Trying to catch up on posts. We finally have good wifi at our apartment in Barcelona. Welcome to all the newbies, happy birthday to all I've missed, "happy trails" to all travelers and good health to everyone. tGM has, I think, caught up on his blog and is content so far, all is going well. Haven't made up my mind about the cross Atlantic cruise versus flying. We will be here til Wednesday and then on to Florence and some day trips. Hope we have wifi so I can keep up with all that's going on. Adios and buenos noche, mi amigos.

[Bethers]

So good to hear from you Carol - and glad things are going well. Keep enjoying and sharing with us!

[avalen]

I oughta sleep good tonight
dinner was cheese and crackers and a couple glasses of wine
we sat outside and watched the little critters out on the reservation, biggest jackrabbit I ever saw (wishing I had a good camera) lives under
a shrub and I've seen him several times, lots of little gambles quail and little ground squirrels, but kinda far away to really tell if they are squirrels or maybe prairie dogs, the ground doesn't look like its prairie dog city but some day I'll venture out that way. I'll have to make
myself a little board bridge to cross the irrigation canal but it will happen.
Got lots done in the shed today, not so much inside but I can do that when its too hot outside. Did get a nice relaxing, leisurely bath and
I feel revitalized for monday morning go to work routine

[Bethers]

The only time I've been in sustained winds this bad for over 24 hours before was waiting for a hurricane in Texas. Crazy. And now they are saying they'll continue at least into tomorrow night and that it'll still be pretty windy Wednesday. I'm grateful only the first night had thunder and lightning and no tornados involved here. But taking Peaches out is so difficult. I remember during the pre-hurricane there'd be lulls and we'd all rush out with our dogs. No lulls in this at all.

Not complaining. I'm safe and cozy. Just amazed at this crazy weather. Getting to sleep is difficult, but once I do, I sleep fine. Guess it's time to try it.

[snowball]

Beth
have you made it to SD and your camping area or are you still traveling?
Sheila

[Bethers]

Beth
have you made it to SD and your camping area or are you still traveling?
Sheila

I'm in SD, arrived Saturday, but am 30 miles from my job. They weren't ready for me Saturday (I was due in Monday, but came early because of the weather). So I came by my mail service and haven't even wanted to drive that little distance yesterday or today. Tomorrow I'll get there!

[JudyJB]

After all my planning and campground reservations, I am going to have to modify my plans for May and possibly early June. I am in Detroit, headed to Ohio to visit my grandkids, but after that I need to head back down to northern Georgia to help/encourage/badger my elderly aunt and uncle to pack up their valuables so they can move to their condo in Florida where they can more easily get medical and personal help.

They have been living in this huge home in the Georgia mountains in a gated community for the past 15 years, but they are both 84 now and have no children, so I and one of my aunt's nieces are executors of their wills and going to be the responsible persons as they age. That doesn't mean we have to actually do the care, but we will have to arrange it. They have enough money to pay for whatever care is needed. My uncle is in pretty good health, but my aunt has the beginnings of dementia, and more importantly, gets terribly panicked at the thoughts of anything happening to him. She cannot drive, knows little about paying the bills, and really cannot stay overnight alone. Both are recovering from a bad bout of the flu and he is at the cardiologist today. They are miles and miles away from hospitals and doctors where they are--not good.

They have a fully-furnished condo in a senior village, with a private elevator, meals available, even nursing home available, etc. but they have never really lived in it in spite of owning it for 8 years. They home in the mountains is full of mementos and valuable art which has caused them to fear leaving it. So we will get things appraised, pack up stuff they want to take, pack other stuff for auction, and get them moved. Goal is to leave only stuff they do not care about, so house can be shown and left to be sold without worry. (She has more knickknacks and things on the walls than you can imagine!)

So I take my motorhome down there, stay in a campground, and get the stuff packed up that needs to be shipped to Florida. Other executor will drive them to Florida. Got to finish and get myself to Colorado by mid-June as my kids are meeting me there, but I think it is doable.

[MandysMom]

Whew Judy that's a big job and they are lucky to have you two. Good luck, happy travels, and prayers for your strength to get it all done.
Velda

[snowball]

what an undertaking Judy hope all goes well and quickly
sheila

[avalen]

sitting out on my patio under my umbrella watching all the little critters out there. Finally saw a whole family of Gambles quail. Must have
been a couple dozen babies all newly hatched just runnin to beat the band. and the little ground squirrels I've been watching, seems to
be prairie dogs cause they definately have a little prairie dog town but they certainly are small compared to what I grew up with in CO.
Still haven't identified a shrub outside my fence. Doing research on that cause if its a eucalyptus tree, its gonna get moved while its small.
Otherwise I'm thinking maybe Arizona willow, which also grows into a big tree that would need to be moved while its small. Its just too
close to the fence and that would destroy my fence. We finally hit a 100 today and right now its still pretty hot but soon as the sun goes
down it will cool off, well, maybe not but it won't be so hot Think my ac is gonna run until 10 or 11 tonight.

[BarbaraRose]

Ava, sounds like you are really enjoying your new spot there! I am sure your blood pressure has gone down some since you moved!

A campfire sounds really good about now! Am hungry for S'Mores!

[MelissaD]

Had my campfire tonight Cooked dinner over the fire. Found that the replacement Webber grill grate fits perfect on a truck rim that most places seem to use for fire pits. Later some camping friends that live in town stopped by and shared our fire for a few hours. Campfire is always best with friends

[Liz]

sitting out on my patio under my umbrella watching all the little critters out there. Finally saw a whole family of Gambles quail. Must have
been a couple dozen babies all newly hatched just runnin to beat the band.

Did you get pictures of the baby quail, Ava? Bet they are cute and fun to watch.

[JudyJB]

I love those quail, but they move so fast, I have almost never gotten even pictures of their tails heading away from me.

Today was a quiet day in a campground near my son's house in Ohio, other than visiting grandkids. I have been dealing daily with "emergencies" with my aunt and uncle in Georgia. My elderly aunt just completely panics when my uncle is sick and calls me in tears because she cannot interpret a thermometer and does not know what to do. For example, she told me he had a fever or 107 and was sleeping in his chair. I asked her what he had done that day, and she described him sorting through papers, etc. He had just taken Aleve so I told her to call me in an hour and retake his temp. It turned out she meant 100.7 and he was doing much better later. I think I need to find some sort of service where when he gets sick I can call in an RN to evaluate him because her slight dementia and stress-caused panic does not give me good information. They live way out in the middle of nowhere in Georgia, so services are not easy, but they can afford whatever it costs. Only about 10 days when I will be down there so I can start packing them up to move to Florida where they have a condo where they can get medical care much more easily.

Had one grandchild spend the night last night, but second one was throwing up today, so his night with me got postponed. I am really worn out from a week in Michigan with appointments and lots of visits with friends. I love seeing people, but there is much to be said for my regular boring old life on the road. Got to catch up on work, also, so got a birthday party tomorrow for one child, but staying home on Monday to get work done.

[JudyJB]

Campfire has almost gone out, so I am putting on another log.

Aunt and uncle are backing off packing slightly, but I told them I would come down anyway and help in any way I could. Don't want them delaying any more than necessary in case they get sick again. They say it will take them a couple of months to get ready to really pack--want to push them along a bit. What I will do, since they are both feeling better, is take a more leisurely trip back down to Georgia, stopping at Pipestem Resort State Park for a couple of days on the way.

Whew! Four-year-old girls are exhausting. I am giving child #3 a sleepover in my motorhome tonight. Mostly she just talks you to death in her tiny little voice. She is now in the overhead bunk and trying to get to sleep, which should be easy since it is past her bedtime by an hour or so. Child #2, who is six slept over on last Friday, and Child #2, a boy who is 7 is spending Saturday night. I am staying over tomorrow night while parents take an overnight trip. Actually, I am getting off easy because the other grandmother watched them all for a four-day weekend a couple of week's ago.

I need a vacation!!!!!!!