COLD, COLD WEDNESDAY!

[Nasoosie]

GOOD MORNING TO US ALL!

Our temp is about 9 degrees here, and Orlando is about 30 degrees! Those poor fruit and veggie farmers down there must be going crazy trying to protect their crops. My son, friends Pete, Kevin, Liz, Kath, and a bunch of you RVwomen are either there or headed down there in the usually sunny spots, wrapping up in long undies, heating tape, space heaters, and winter clothes, if they even have any with them! Liz's GTG is up to about 12 or more now, coming from all over, due to arrive tomorrow in a park near Liz. I sure do hope you all bring warm clothes and lots of firewood!

Saturday is expected to be our coldest day, with predicted temps around -20 or colder. I'll have to get up early and make sure a good wood fire is going before I head for the Ford dealer and regular servicing for my truck. With all new tires on my trailer, I am now looking to upgrade my tires on my truck, unless I find a sweet deal on a newer one with payments no more than what I am now paying.

I took today off from my school job to renew my driver's license this morning. I need to fill out all the paper work I have here with me, and be sure I have all the important documents I will need to get the enhanced license in lieu of a passport, which I will never need. I am proud of myself that I found my legal birth certificate and my SS card!

I spoke to someone at school yesterday, the head of our contract committee, about the school board giving me some credit (money) for my accumulated sick days, (if I opt to retire) even though the contract requires I have 15 years at my current position rather than the 13 or 14 that I will have at the end of this year. I told them that if I was to not be rewarded for being present and NOT taking sick days over my years, I was about to begin to use them, and they would be forced to pay for both me and a sub for me, thus having to spend more money. Someone was meeting with the superintendent yesterday afternoon to decide how they could bargain for me. We shall see.

Coffee is hot and feels really good-----I have no wood fire going yet, but, as I will have all afternoon to bring in more firewood, I'll start one before I leave to keep Molly warm until I get home. Stop by and tell us about your coldness, everyone! You can pull up a chair next to the wood stove and warm your fingers and toes!

Happy Wednesday!

[dayspring39]

Good Morning... yes it is cold here was 23 when I got up... the tent campers behind me must have some sort of lp gas as about 7 every morning the air is permeated with the smell... I will call the office and see if they have a detctor to test the area...
Today will be laundry and vacuuming... tomorrow is the first day of the GTG now it is a big GTG not a small gtg wow we should have a great time... Liz has gotten us a cabin for Sat night so we will have a warm place to have our pot luck and Sun breakfast... now that is awesome... sure will be nice to meet other rv'ers...
Have a good day everyone... coffee is hot here...
Smile often...
Kathleen

[carold]

BRRR, Soos. I'm shivering me timbers just thinking of you. Good luck on getting paid for your sick leave and working out an acceptable retirement package. When I retired that was a nice little bundle to take home-not large-but nice just the same. Not sure if FL is still doing that with new employees. I'm off to get my annual mammogram and 2-year bone scan. My cholesterol jumped again this year-it bounces around and I know my Dr. is going to want to put me on some med-I've been extremely hesitant in the past to do so, but we'll see. Still don't know if I'll be able to swing getting to the FL GTG. It's 150 miles from where I am which would make a very long day and I have lots of commitments this week. Anyways, I'm leaving some coffee and, for my cholesterol, oatmeal with brown sugar and blueberries. For those who don't need to watch theirs, or maybe just don't care I've left some bacon, eggs and coffee cake. carold

[Cedar518]

... tomorrow is the first day of the GTG now it is a big GTG not a small gtg wow we should have a great time...Kathleen

Good morning everyone,....

18° when I came out to leave for work. Not bad conisidering all of you in FL are getting temps almost as chilly!

I know everyone is looking forward to the GTG,.... how far is that campground away from the campground you are in now Kath? I'm so glad for you all that the cabin was available,... will make it more pleasant for you all. Even those of us who are used to cooler temps wouldn't enjoy sitting around a campfire at 25°!

Safe traveling all of you, ... and be sure to get those pics posted quickly.... for those of us wishing we were part of the group1

[dpf]

Good morning! Coffee is on...stop in and have a cup...but bring your jammies, toothbrush and a clean pair of grundies because we're in the beginning of another blizzard. I called into work and cancelled. Every school in a 60 mile radius is closed for the day and I doubt they'll be able to be open tomorrow. I know I could have made it into work this morning but getting home was going to be the problem. The wind is suppose to pick up and zero visiblity is predicted. I have no desire to be snowed in at the prison...there are emergency sleeping quarters for the officers, but non uniform staff is left to fend for themselves. Dang I hate using my annual leave aka camping time for snow days. It's suppose to be -30 Friday morning. The only reason I'm still in this God forsaken country is that my feet are frozen to the ground. I was thinking about the Florida GTG last night while I was watching the Orange Bowl and they said it was the coldest temps that the game had ever been played! Our friends nephew plays for the Iowa Hawkeyes and they were there...and it was an exciting game! Riley had a lot of playing time so that made it more interesting for us to watch. Nina has been pretty disappointed in the weather! But they're staying at the Fontainebleau...and she is very impressed with it! Looking forward to pictures from the GTG. Have fun and keep warm...the cabin sounds like a fantastic idea.

[Ladyhawk]

Good morning!

It's about 34 here in Denver, but expected to go much lower. Overnight lows below zero, daytime temps in the teens. I just called in to work after I wrenched my back getting ready for work. It's been threatening to go out for a few days, so I'm not surprised.

I have some awesome coffee brewing and green tea for those of you who are opting for something a bit more healthy.

Hope you all have a great day, however warm or cold you may be!

[asirimarco]

Good Morning All - or I guess I should say Buenos Dias - We are waiting today for a guy who might be able to hook us up with satellite TV that will work in MX, US and Canada - that would be nice. But I kind of doubt it - get a lot of "Oh yeses" that turn out to be "Guess nots."
I'm almost ashamed to say the weather here is beautiful - in fact yesterday we took a drive into the inland and it was 86 degrees there - glad to get back to the coast. I keep watching the weather in our home in Indiana and am glad we aren't there. Snow, snow and more snow and cold.
Soos be careful who you tell you are going to use your sick days up - I know the school district I used to work for would reprimand and up to terminate a person who used too many sick days. Even if they had earned them. Being full time I was lucky and they added them to my time served. Added six months!
Wish you all could pop down here and join us.

[BarbaraRose]

I'm sitting here at work with nothing to do. Waiting to be told I can go home for the day. Will have more work tomorrow tho. Meanwhile, I am looking on-line at RV's and sipping Amaretto Cappuccino. It is suppose to get all the way up to 15 degrees above zero today! Yay! Also suppose to get a couple inches of snow later on.
OK, I just got the go-ahead to leave, so on my way home now! I feel a nap coming on...(then laundry, dishes, etc)

Barbie

[AlmostThere]

Morning!
Just finishing up my cup of coffee and will get ready to go to Curves here soon. Got a call at 7AM from my youngest GD. She and her family were on the plane getting ready to take off for Disneyland for her 7th birthday. She was so excited. Both she and her sister got to bring one friend as an added treat.

Soos, I'm going to stick my nose in your business here, so feel free to tell me to back off if necessary. Why are you going to buy another truck? Perhaps I missed a post and you are having trouble with it? I am just curious as you have been paying down your loan on it and it sure would be prudent to get it paid off and be able to pocket that monthly expense instead of extending it. JMHO I do hope your talk with the 'powers that be' will work to your benefit. Good luck!

dpf - I do love being snowed in. Those were some of my best memories as a kid. The next day we'd have drifts over our heads to dig tunnels in or paths through. Our lane would drift over and we'd have to take down fences to bypass them to get the highway. I don't recall all the hoopla that we hear nowadays when everyone runs to the grocery store to stock up. Perhaps because we lived on a farm and were pretty self-sufficient.

Carol, thanks for the ray of warmth in your post. I remember everyone cursing the heat/humidity just a few months back.

Catch ya all later. I'm excited about the FL GTG, too!!

[Nasoosie]

Good afternoon!

First let me say that I don't EVER mind anybody questioning things I am thinking of doing, or contemplating, as I never know exactly what I am planning! I always welcome other's opinions on things------sometimes I have already thought of the alternatives, and sometimes not.

Anyway, my truck is only half paid for, and the interest on it is high----5.9%----for another three years. It needs tires ($1,000 minimum) and a waranty extension (1500) for another 3 years supreme coverage) if I decide to keep it. Nothing is wrong with it at all....I LOVE it. But I have always felt that newer is better when it comes to trucks and cars! And Ford has made many improvements in my model truck over the past 3 years. It's just a possibility----I will never get my trailer or vehicle payments totally paid off, so those will always be a part of my budget expenses. I would like to opt for a 0% interest, some rebate money, and a 5-year loan rather than the 6 year one I currently have. Barring those offers, I will keep my truck and have to dip into my savings (almost nothing) to cover what it needs. For now, I am holding on with just what I have, including 1/2 worn tires---not dangerous yet----and regular waranty until May. If no real bargains come along, I will buy extended waranty and new tires and keep my truck. Bonus: I went to Ford this morning, talked about new trucks and expenses, and had my maintenance servicing done right while I was there instead of having to wait for my scheduled appointment on Saturday. Happy to get that done.

As for my sick days, our contract is binding, and I don't have to have a doctor's note if I take less than 3 days per week. I am thinking that taking the rest of Fridays and Mondays off would be good compensation----pay for me and no gasoline expenditure on those days! I suspect they will be glad to get rid of me to hire a new Teaching assistant at a much lower salary, and will come up with an offer! Time will tell.

Now, for my getting my enhanced driver's license------I HAD A TANTRUM AT THE DMV! (Surprise, surprise, eh?? ) I had EVERYTHING I believed I needed to prove anything they wanted to know. Birth certificate, SS number, utility bill with street address on it, NY State Driver's license with photo----I thought it was a shoo-in! I had to wrack my brain to find a utility bill with my STREET address on it, as I don't have a mailbox here, and have NOTHING else to prove where I live! The electric company has my NEW 911 street number on it, as they have to come and read my meter. Everything else, and I do mean EVERYTHING ELSE goes to my PO Box number! My homeowner's insurance has Wiley's name on it and my street address----that won't work! (Wrong name) To make a long, sad, angry story short, I need another 'proof of street address' to get the enhanced license! (Total of 2) I do not have another, never had even one until this year, and never WILL have one, as I have a PO BOX in order to avoid having to shovel out a mailbox every dang day. SO-----my ever going to Canada again is not an option any more. I had to just get a regular license renewal. I passed the eye test with flying colors, and that was the only happy thing! I asked what would be my home address if I were to live in an RV!! Total silence---nobdy had a clue about that! Now I remember why I have always hated the DMV and most govt. enterprises. GRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!

So here I am, porch shoveled off again as we got another 3-4 inches of white stuff while I was out, and about to build a wood fire. First I'll take Molly out to play in the plowed driveway with a ball.

Sigh-----it was a good idea to be able to go to Canada, I thought. ACK!!!!!

[AlmostThere]

Soos, would there be any description of the property location on you property tax bill or some such. Just throwing that out there.

[VickieP]

Soos, would the post office have your street address on file from when you opened/purchased your PO Box? If so, possibly having a copy made of that would suffice as they are Federal. Just another idea.

[Nasoosie]

We out here in the boonies never HAD a street address until this past year when the 911 thing came our way, and somebody had to assign us a number so the ambulance/fire dept. could locate us. So, the answer to all the above questions is NO------no street address number on anything I have at this point, other than that electric bill which they just added. The address on the envelope is my PO Box, so I can get it delivered, but inside there is a note about the street number so the meter reader can find it, I guess. In the old days, they just had to KNOW where to find me with no street address. UPS could find me in the old days with just the road name, no number, and I usually have stuff delivered to me at school in case I have to sign for it. You can't see my house from the road, and I have no rural-free-delivery mailbox here as the snow shoveling would be impossible every morning. I guess I can try to include both addresses on some bill and pray they still deliver it to the PO Box and not drop it in the street for the plow to cover it up! I suspect I will be socked with another "upgrade fee" if I try to upgrade my new license to the enhanced one. ACK! You can't win with the bureaucracy!

[Cedar518]

I suspect I will be socked with another "upgrade fee" if I try to upgrade my new license to the enhanced one.

Yes, there will probably be a fee, but not in excess of what you would have paid to begin with. ... hopefully. When you change your address on another bill there is usually two lines for specifics.... just put your P.O. box number in the primary one. Good luck! See you in Montreal!