Last Saturday in August

[Colliemom]

Good MorniNg from the cool, damp 45th. Bit of a misty rain this morning, temp is 57. That time of year, as we are heading toward cooler days and nights of fall.

Finally got my camping trip off the ground after a two day delay. You might remember my tire issue that kept me home to start with. Took the trailer to a tire dealer here in town and it was discovered a piece of metal, looks like a spike type nail was embedded in the edge of the sidewall. Not repairable and they didn’t have a tire to replace it. My spare is the original one and a different load range size from my new tires, and I don’t want to use it except for an emergency. So, after checking with the dealer in Houghton Lake, where I purchased my new Goodyears, found out that Goodyear, due to Covid issues like everybody else, has not been manufacturing new tires As much and no trailer tires available till Sept. However, they had a tire of another brand there, same size and load range. Made in China of course. Better than none at the moment, so I now have it on my trailer and was able to head north. Just got home 2 days ago after spending a week at two different state parks, Meeting up with friends, going to waterfalls, up the Keweenaw Peninsula along the Lake Superior shoreline and ending up in Copper Harbor which is a far north as you can go and back to campground, two nights of campfires, couple of beautiful sunny days, 2 nights of heavy thunderstorms, and memories of fun times. Murphy finally took off, but not after causing one more issue, this time with my fresh water tank. The underside of my frailer got bumped on something along the way, and the drain valve got pushed up, cracking the seal, so couldn’t water in the rank. So first night out, was living with water jugs. Took it to dealer up tbere, lo g story short, not repairable, need new tank. Two weeks at earliest. Decided to deal with it when I came home rather rhan have to go back up there. Park has bathrooms, showers etc. Meantime friends who live up there said to drop by their used car dealership as he wanted to see what was going on. Had his mechanic/handyman look at it, said he thought he could fix it. Took out the valve, flattened the area back down and sealed it, one large rubber washer followed by a metal one over the valve, some epoxy glue and back in business. Said I probably won’t need to replace the tank Holding water beautifully. I’m going to get some epoxy putty and add a bit more insurance to it before I head out again. So all’s well in my world right now And as soon as new Goodyear tires are available, will be replacing that temporary one.

Been reading but not posting, as I was trying to save data while I was gone. Looks like everybody is doing OK. Sorry those of you in northern California are putting up with so much smoke from those fires though. Annie, if it were me, I would be heading ot of your area. Smoke is one thing, ash is another. Big health issue for sure not to mention paint damage on vehicles. We haven’t had any of the smoke here, probably because the winds haven’t been right. At least not that I’m aware of.

Shirl, enjoy reading your posts. You always have such a fun outlook on the day to day, same old as you call it. Give me a chuckle when I read your goings on. Stuff we can all relate too. Peggy, so nice to see you post more often too. Beth, hope things are winding down for you. And Martha, hope all is okay at home for you.

Time to get moving here. Farmers Market this morning, couple other stops and off to see Roscommon friends. They just got a new to them used 5th wheel and want me to come see it. I’m also busy paying couple bills and property taxes, , bit of shopping, washing some stuff from the trailer and getting ready to head out again. Just home for a short bit.

Hope you all have a nice day, stay safe out there. .

[Irmi]

Good morning Sue and all who check in!

Sue, I'm so glad you were able to get out in your trailer and happy for you that you don't need a new fresh water tank. I know you enjoy the cooler weather and perhaps you'll be able to get out a time or two before winterizing for the winter.

I, too, enjoy Shirl's posts and Martha's, also. They both crack me up. It's so good seeing Peg post more often. Beth will be moving on to another area of the country, Tina will be in her new rig, Barbie has new a/c and am looking forward to her trip to Oregon and back, Anne & Velda keeping us up to date on the fires in CA, the cute picture of Emma to go with Karen's posts, BJ and all the others, too.

We have made reservations with an auto hauler to have Steve's pickup taken to FL and we're looking forward to having two vehicles in FL. It's hard to believe that we'll be heading south in about ten days. Today we're meeting an old high school friend of Steve's for lunch. It's been about 45 years since Steve has seen her, so they'll have lots of catching up to do. Unfortunately, the remnants of Laura is passing through, so I hope the restaurant we're going to has a large tent to cover the outside seating.

Stay safe.

[PeggyinCT]

Good morning Sue and Irmi and all you readers, from a rainy CT. We are getting much needed rain and so far today none of the wind from Laura. Let’s hope it stays that way.

Irmi, I can’t believe its time for you and Steve to go back to Florida. It seems like I just met you there for lunch. Enjoy your new park.

Sue, the pandemic has slowed down manufacturing all over the country. I had to wait for a new refrigerator because the Whirlpool plant Oklahoma had shut down.

Since I’m home bound for the duration, I had my son install Apple TV on my set and I watched Hamilton last night. What a fabulous Broadway show. It was filmed over the course of three nights and the results are like having front row seats. I enjoyed everything about the show, but the dancers were phenomenal. Enjoy today. Peggy

[Shirlv]

Afternoon All, I cleared the balcony again in case Laura stopped by. Plants and bistro set are scattered around the apartment. Latest prediction is that we will have severe thunderstorm. My challenge for today that I have put off for weeks, is a pedicure. My body no longer bends in directions that makes it comfortable. I did accomplish that this morning and will be smiling the rest of the day. As soon as I opened my eyes this morning I thought I didn’t pay the internet bill. Have no idea where that thought came from, it was true but where did it come from. I pay all my bills once a month all at once except the internet bill.
They refuse to change my due date even though I have requested several times. They said it has to coincide with the date service was started. Monday I will call them and threaten to discontinue service so I can pick a due date. My new mantra is “can’t fix stupid” I seem to mutter that a lot lately. Martha still in my thoughts. Barbie not worried about you, your cool. Be Safe

[BirdbyBird]

After putting the sewing machine in time out for three day, I returned to it. I fiddled with a few knobs and carefully rethreaded the threads and voila! It worked. I finished all but the last two curtains before I ran out of the "tracking tape" I needed. SO much for the power of my quess-ta-mation skills. So I started to make a quilted cover for my dog show grooming box. Without a pattern only measurements. Made good headway but was reminding myself that there were reasons that I didn't take up sewing as a hobby and not to let a few small accomplishments hide greater truths. Also, Nan, Pat and a few of you other known talented seamstresses are asked to please not look at any seems, etc on said RV curtains. Please consider that the others were 19 years old and rotting on their tracks. I am just making a statement: I am into functional at the moment and these will block out the light at needed moments. The end.

Be safe. Use your head. Follow you heart. Find some activity, person or thing that encourages you to laugh and not just that hysterical, I can't take this any more, laughter. I think I need a campfire, the hot tub, a few friends and a glass of wine.........Not finding any of those things handy Lark will take me out for a walk. Off on a Lark......there is a reason she asked for that name!

[BarbaraRose]

Good morning ladies!

I never did get my nap in yesterday so I slept about 10 hours last night! Still need to get used to how to adjust the AC unit to make it comfy in here. There are a lot of different settings like fan speed, vent angle, temp, etc.

Looks like I will be back to work on Monday, working full-time hours until my trip. My manager can't work very many hours because she has two kids to teach at home and her MIL had a stroke and she is helping take care of her. So I told Candiss, that we can rent a truck and I will fly back from Oregon so I won't be gone as long. Not thrilled about being on an airplane right now tho. The fires are getting more under control now and hopefully, no new ones will pop up in the next couple weeks so our drive will be less smoky and stressful.

Need to get my haircut stuff together this weekend and make sure I have everything I need to go back and clippers are charged up. I think I got my AC fixed just in time. It would have been more complicated to deal with if I was working full time or on my trip. Now that is one less thing to worry about/deal with.

I forgot that I was running out of my anti-depressant meds and took the last one last night. I am hoping to get the prescription filled by Sunday. For some reason now, the pharmacy can't renew it without getting the OK from my doctor every month now. Used to be able to get a 3 month supply and then renew automatically every 3 months for a year before needing to contact the doctor. So I might be a little crabby for a couple days without it!

Have a good day!

[Acadianmom]

I headed for home about 6:00 this morning. There is still water on the road in several places. I couldn't have made it in the car but I was in the truck. Hurricane Laura wasn't nearly as bad as they predicted for here. It looks like there was a little over a foot of water in the old house. Some mud on the floor but not 4" like for Rita. It will be a mess to clean up but I'll take my time. Some of the junk that didn't get picked up behind the old house is in the front yard. The power came back on at 8:20. I feel extremely lucky. The only damage besides some limbs are 2 sheets of metal that are loose on the barn.

I have gotten 2 pair of shoes wet already. I need my rubber boots but they are in the car in Maurice. I am headed back to Lafayette in a little while to get the dog. I wasn't going to stay if we didn't have power. Only two cats not accounted for, Nicky and MeMe. MeMe stays at the neighbors most of the time anyway. One of the vents in the bricks around the bottom of the house blew out and most of the cats were under the house. The neighbors had fed them yesterday when they came. Frosty heard me unlocking the door and had his nose in the crack. He was off like a rocket when I opened the door. His normal routine is to stay out all day and come in at dark to sleep in the house.

I hope I don't forget to stop at Walmart for ant poison. They are moving up on the hill.

Martha

[Bethers]

Martha, overall good news and that's welcome to hear.

Tina, a couple years before I started my full time RVing life I got a fantastic deal on a new sewing machine. I'm an idiot and took it. When I went full time that couple years later, someone else got an even better deal on the never used machine. So I'm very impressed that you are making anything. And it'll look fantastic to me.

Sue, I'm glad sunshine was able to fix the tank.

All other posters, I sure appreciate reading each and every post. And I agree, Irmi, that it seems just yesterday you headed north.

[JudyJB]

Got my bike fixed. Luckily, there was a hotel right next door to the bike shop, so I was able to park there. He added a washer and adjusted all the nuts and bolts on my bike, as well as added air to the tires.

Barbie, an electric bike is very heavy--about 52-56 pounds without the battery. The battery weighs another 7-8 pounds. You store the battery indoors, and someone like you could put it in a storage shed. However, I have to lift mine up onto the hitch attached bike rack, so it is about 18" above the ground. It is right at the edge of what I can lift--quite a struggle, but at least I can do it. Another problem with electric bikes is that because they are so heavy and because they can surprise you the way they take off, they take some getting used to. When my adult-sized teenaged grand kids tried my old one out in July, I told them to practice riding it like a regular bike before they tried it with the motor on.

I used to let all sorts of people try my bike out, but about a year ago, one lady fell and broke her wrist, so I am a lot more careful these days. And my new bike is nice and new, plus it was very expensive, so I doubt if i will let anyone try it for a long time.

Very hot here in Boise, ID, but heading up to Lake Cascade tomorrow and then to the town of Heyburn, both of which will be cooler. I'd like to do some organizing of my outside storage, but not in this heat!! And it was very hazy driving yesterday, which I assume was California smoke.

[JudyJB]

Oh, and Beth, I have an almost new sewing machine stored at my Ohio son's house. Paid a whopping $60 for it 15 years ago, and I think I have used it twice. I have gotten hooked on that tape you can use to glue things together with an iron. Anybody need a good deal on a sewing machine and can pick it up in Ohio???

[BarbaraRose]

I have been dragging my sewing machine with me back and forth across the country for years and the last time I used it was to make the curtains and cushion covers for the pop-up trailer.

Just got home from WM. I was able to pick up 3 pills of my meds to get me by for the weekend until my prescription is ready on Monday. I bought some things to make protein fruit smoothies in the mornings before work. Better for me than donuts!

I discovered this morning that none of my unemployment money was going into my checking account like I thought it was (I had applied for that instead of them putting it on the debit card). I was wondering why I was more broke than I thought I should be. I checked on-line for the debit card, and there it all was! All $1400 of it! Whew!! I stopped by the bank to transfer it to my checking account but they closed at 1pm today, so will have to wait til Monday to do that. That sure helps! I should get another deposit by the end of next week.

I have my living room set to 80* and it feels pretty good! I think this will save me quite a bit of money on my electric bill. I had to really set it low before (72*) to get the living room even tolerable and that included a fan blowing on me too! That is why I spent a lot of time in my bedroom before, to stay cooler. There is a timer on both of these units so I can set the living room to be cooler during the day and warmer at night and the opposite for the bedroom. If it stays windy tonight, I might be able to open the windows in the bedroom since it is supposed to get into the mid 70's overnight. Cooler this week but heating back up by the weekend again.

I was just mainly curious about those electric bikes for future reference. My regular bike is fine for now. Keep my lower joints in shape!

Martha, sounds like you dodged a bullet! People closer to the gulf weren't so lucky. The videos look really bad. Hope you find the two missing cats. Sounds like the others found a safe place to hide.

[Acadianmom]

Nickie finally showed up. I went on the golf cart down the road to where MeMe likes to hang out and she was there. Everyone is accounted for.

I wish I had sprayed my house with soap before I left, most of it looks like it was pressure washed. lol

Sugar would hardly eat at my son's house but she finally ate her supper.

I sleep on a futon at my son's and I love the material the cover is made of. My sofa in my motorhome is peeling. When I get my motorhome back I am going to measure the sofa and see if a futon cover would fit it.

Martha

[snowball]

so glad that your home was ok Martha.... the wind has been really windy here today not comparable I am sure...
I was kinda grumbly in my mind toward my DD I didn't see her car so thought she went to play and didn't invite me (I've been wanting to go to Idaho Falls to get a new MIFI device but her plans were to clean and organize her room far be if for me to discourage that intent ) so when I saw her car was gone I assumed she thought of something much funner to do one should never assume... as she just came upstairs in her jammies cause all she has been doing is cleaning her room... guess it has been musical cars today .... what happens when one is off being repaired...
so I did get dishes done took forever just cause I stalled and procrastinated but they are done now to find a place for all the stuff I put on the table so I could do the dishes... I badly need to find a 3 step folding step stool that will hold me and my over indulgence so hopefully I can reach the cupboard above the fridge... needed something out of it so dd got it for me she left out other things as well so now I need to get the chair cleaned and climb on it to get stuff put away... I bought some fruit and tried to find something that I could use to organize my one shelve in the pantry so many bags of what raisins nuts ect that need to be better stored...
actually started the baby afghan I think I will be ok till I get to roughly the 10th row and that simply isn't making any sense that I can see.... hopefully by the time I get to it it will make sense
think I need to go home find something to eat... and do some more rows on that one or pull out the Swedish Weave I want to get the babies afghan done before I leave so think that I will put more time on it...
oh I even clean the bird water thingy (picture a chicken water thing that hangs) made from a mason jar... about decided that I will postpone the trip to Iowa as my sister in law is having a knee replacement less than a month before I would be there... so fairly certain she wouldn't be up to doing much and when I go out want to do something
you all have a good evening
sheila

[MandysMom]

I'm late to the party today, but it still is Saturday for another 1hr 15 min. Another warm low 90's day here with smoke coloring sky and can smell it sometimes. I have a fairly tight house and all 3 air returns have electrostatic filters in them plus a disposable micron filter next to the air handler. So inside stays smoke free but my car is a mess and even my trees have a coating of gritty ash, ESP noticeable on leaves of the normal shiny leafed citrus. My handy man will wash my car Monday or Tuesday hopefully. He cleaned up leaves and twigs from wind last week on Thursday.
Today's task was picking up everything from floor in my big master bath- trash can, litter box, step stool, etc and son helped by vacuuming entire floor including next to baseboards. Then he helped put everything back in place. So much better. That's about all my back and neck will take. Boy do I miss Curves! Tried doing the online and hurt my knee. Really hoping Governor hurries opening back up stuff that makes sense, ESP facilities that help us stay in shape!
Monday I have dentist and Bowen therapy, so will be driving 20 min east then back from dentist, then 20 min west to Bowen then home!
Sue, sounds like you had a fun trip. I'm a little envious. Beth, bet you look forward to doing something different. So glad you got your AC installed Barb. I take it your heat is seperate ? Martha , glad your place escaped the worst and your critters are all accounted for. Irmi and Steve, have a safe trip south.
Have a good Sunday everyone.
Velda