Monday March 20

[chalet05]

BJ, the young man who jump started the car told me about the old battery issues. With all the computer stuff, I apparently need to drive the car more often according to the dealer service department!

Karen, I like the attitude about going first class! I'm onboard with that! Shirl, I would love apartment maintenance like that. You are the only one I have ever heard that from. Sheila, I'm seriously considering a river cruise next - possibly the Mississippi as that's something I've always wanted to do. I think my niece moving back from Hawaii and I will be planning a cruise. Even though she'll be in San Diego, neither of us wants to go to Mexico.

Guess I'll see if I can salvage some of this day!
'

[JudyJB]

About 25 years ago, I worked for a company that had just moved into a really fancy new office. It was located in a woods, and had a parking lot directly across from the entrance, and the parking lot was surrounded by trees. Think thick hardwood forest in Michigan--really pretty area but with lots of leaves in the fall.

Well, one day after we had all arrived and started work, the fire trucks came because one of the cars had parked on a pile of leaves and the catalytic converter caught the leaves on fire. This, of course, caught the whole car on fire, which went up in huge flames. We were not allowed to run out and move our cars because the firemen were afraid that car or others might blow up, it was a very exciting hour or so. Luckily they put the fire out right away, but it was a good reminder to NEVER park on top of leaves, which I think a lot of us do when we go camping.

Also, Martha, I also have a similar Ford truck. Under the front dashboard, under the steering wheel, there is a fuse box. (It is inside the truck, not under the hood, although there may be a second one under the hood.) It is about 1" thick by 2" wide, by about 5" long. (Look it up in your vehicle manual.) You should be able to pull it out and open the top. The outside lights on my vehicle were in Fuse #22, but yours may be different. If your manual does not identify the fuse, you might be able to tell by looking at them or pulling them out one at a time, which one is burned out.

If the new fuse only works for an hour or so, it may mean you have a short or a broken or bare wire somewhere, but you will need someone who can crawl under the vehicle and trace the wires to see which one is broken, but at least you should be able to replace the fuse by yourself.

[Bethers]

Irmi, I respect your decision. We all have to follow our personal comfort levels and what we've seen. That said, in all my years managing motels we were always on the fire department lists to call if someone needed emergency help. I learned that most home fires were electrical. And in these areas propane or wood fire places were the most popular for heat. Any of them are as good as the care they're given. And, unfortunately, in these days I don't trust installers and maintenance. And people rarely know how to care for their own stuff anymore. I wish I felt differently about folks, but I just don't anymore. Even me in some cases. Now, Maybe I would be comfortable at Shirl's apartment as I'm so very impressed with what they do there. And I've become jaded by all the people when they hear an RV is involved who automatically blame the fridge. But I won't go any further there lol

Judy, funny that your fuses aren't where mine are, also the Ford truck. They move them all the time, it seems. And, yes, the manual will tell.

Anita, I've always had a Mississippi cruise on my bucket list. One day, I'll do it, hopefully. I hope you get to it this coming year and share the experience. So many sections to possibly do. Logistically speaking it's one of the harder trips for me to try to plan.

Sue, every winter for years I'm reading about RV fires from electric heaters. With the really cold winters happening and people plugging two or even three of them in, it's scary. One of the winter rving FB pages keep having people with burned outlets. They simply don't understand they're overloading things and are lucky, in most cases, that it trips the breaker, etc.

[BarbaraRose]

Good evening gals!

Got up this morning for my PT appointment. The therapist I had today told me that I walk pigeon-toed (which I knew) and that is probably contributing to both my sciatica and knee issues. He had me practice walking with my feet straight ahead. I will have to work on that. Been pigeon-toed since I first started walking so will be a tough habit to break! My shoulder and knee both hurt today. Probably from lifting and moving my plastic bins from my across-the-street neighbor's shed back to my place. She is leaving for home soon so I needed to get those back here. I did use a cart to wheel them across the street but still had to lift them and carry them up the steps into my porch. So I need to baby my shoulder and my knee for a bit.

After PT, I stopped at a few places to return a couple things and pick up a couple things. Went to Home Depot and got some zip ties to put the lattice up with. Also got a strawberry plant which hopefully, I can keep alive for awhile. Then brought an Amazon item to Kohls for a return. Then stopped at Target just because I haven't been there in forever. Now I know why I haven't been there. I don't care for their merchandise or their prices. Their grocery area is severely lacking in lots of things. All I got was a pot to put my strawberry plant it for $5 in the "bargain" area. Another stop at WM for a few things and then back home.

I went to put up the lattice but the zip ties were too short. I ended up putting 2 together to attach them. But I ran out of zip ties so I need to go back and get some more (longer ones this time). I have the lattice on good enough for now to keep the spraying kitties off the deck tonight. The fluffy black kitty keeps coming around to visit (he meows to let us know he is here) with Romeow. They have a bromance going on! I don't know why they spray but I think he is the culprit lately. I have to remove the screen door and wash it off since that is where the spraying is happening.

Was sunny and warm today, pushing 80*. I think Mother Nature is vacationing here right now and leaving the rest of you out in the cold! Once the sun set, it cooled off quickly and got really windy. Probably a front coming thru since there is another storm system moving in for tonight and tomorrow. I doubt we will get any rain here tho. Just more rain and snow for the coast and mountains.

Tomorrow will play putters if others show up at 10. Then probably just clean up around here. On Wednesday, my church is showing the moving "The Shack" in the afternoon for $5 (includes popcorn and a drink!). I have wanted to see that movie so I will go to that. I have the book but haven't ever read it.

I came across a ring I bought in Keystone, SD 6 years ago. It is a Black Hills Gold ring with a leafy design and a Cubic Zirconia in the middle. It is SO pretty. So I am back to wearing it again.

I am hoping as soon as I can get my house sold and hit the road, that I can see/do a lot of the places/things on my bucket list. I have driven back and forth across half the country 6 times now (between MN and the southwest/CA) but never had any time to actually stop and see things, other than the last trip, but that was cut short with my Jeep issues. Now I want to take my time to really see things and not have a time schedule to keep.

I would never use propane without a propane alarm. That is what alerted me to the leak in my tank here. I never smelled it when the alarm went off so I would never have known it was leaking and seeping into my house. Beth, do you have to insure those casitas yourself or are they insured by the park?

So that is about it here. Nothing on TV tonight so will get to bed a little earlier than I usually do. Have a good night and stay warm!

[snowball]

it's March the 20th isn't that the first day of spring??? it's been snowing off and on all day I think the temp got up to 34 maybe...we are having a chance of snow during the night early am then again tomorrow night/morning
guess we will see.
Accidents can happen with what every we use for heating or cooling.. it's really sad when they happen though
and makes one wonder what we can do or should do...
Anne did you find another place to sell your jewelry? I hope so I was telling my dd about them went to show her them and you were all ready gone from Etsy... (This was awhile back)
when I woke up saw it snowing thought I really don't want to do anything... by time breakfast was over and I had watered the plants and decided to run the dishwasher to clean it and back to lay on the bed to read scriptures... it was later than normal as I slept in again... missed the alarm again was lazying on the bed and thought I wonder what my oxygen is while using oxygen... so decided to check and it wasn't good not the 93 or so I was expecting... even went down to 82 so decided to check and see if I had oxygen coming in forgot to turn it on because it beeps loudly when unplugged and not turned off when I move it's location I turn it off then plug it in and turn it back on I got busy did all that and wondered why I was struggling a bit when I discovered that I'd not turned it on... really need to do better with that
finished reading scriptures when my sister in law in Iowa called we visited for just over an hour then I had to return a call to youngest dd finally pried myself off the bed after 5 we had soup for supper... dd decided to come tomorrow so guess we will have the meal I told her we would have tonight another time..
you all have a great day
sheila

[Cudedog]

Anne did you find another place to sell your jewelry? I hope so I was telling my dd about them went to show her them and you were all ready gone from Etsy... (This was awhile back)

Thanks for asking, Sheila!

I am actually still going strong on Etsy - there were a WHOLE lot of Etsy sellers that were very unhappy with Etsy's new requirement - so Etsy pretty much ditched the new requirement, and stayed with the previous one.

Although I know that this could change at any time, I am still on Etsy! There is a link to my Etsy "shop" below this post as my "signature".

Have made quite a few new items since the Holidays, and have a few more that I need to photograph so that I can get these new pendants listed in my shop as well. I plan to get this done tomorrow or Wednesday.

Thus far my current personal faves are "Sahara" and "Snowbound".

LOL, Sheila, I'm pretty sure you have absolutely had it with anything and everything to do with snow. . . but the natural stone in this piece (a green chalcedony) reminded me of a cabin in the snow. That is, if you cross your eyes and turn your head sideways a bit when you look at it!

I even wrote a short poem to go with the Snowbound piece (the poem is on the page with the description), but the poem still needs a bit of work!

Stay warm, Sheila and everyone. Winter will be over soon! At least we can all hope so!!

Thanks again for asking.

Anne

[Shirlv]

Anne, your work is truly beautiful. I admire your artistic talent.

[Irmi]

Anne, like Shirl, I also looked at your jewelry and it is all beautiful. Can we buy through you direct or do we have to go through Etsy?

[snowball]

I took a look as well glad to see that you are still there and love that cabin one you are right it does look like a cabin
you are very talented
sheila

[Bethers]

Ditto what everyone else said, Anne. Beautiful. I hadn't looked since you "closed". Glad you're still open and there's always a few I'd like. Good thing I no longer wear earrings or I'd want more.

[Cudedog]

Thank you Shirl, Irmi, Sheila and Beth on your kind comments on my jewelry. Very much appreciated.

I really enjoy making jewelry, it has definitely been "something to do" during these pandemic years - it keeps me busy and out of trouble.

I'm not very fast, all of the pieces are hand-made - my goal is to try to make one or two a week, but I don't always make my goal. Most weeks I am lucky if I can finish even just one.

And yes, for now, I will just be doing it through Etsy - unless Etsy changes the rules again, which will probably make me fly the coop! Etsy has a lot of marketing tools, which takes a lot of the work out of the marketing side of it. For example, one feature that Etsy has is that when someone "likes" my shop, whenever I post something new, or if I have a sale, Etsy will automatically send a notification to all of those "likers".

If anyone here sees an item of interest, PM me and I would be happy to send a discount coupon. And, later in the spring, when I have forty pieces or so in my "shop" I might also have a sale. Right now the item total stands at about 33.

Thanks again, everyone!

Anne



Anne