Puppy Love

I love my boy!

I wish he didn't have to go home.

Yeah, Tucker, me too!

Christmas.... It's All About the Gift

We landed in Florida, home of Mr. Dreamy's family, and began the last minute scramble to acquire appropriate gifts for all. It's the way of the family. It just makes me stressed and unhappy and squashes any Christmas spirit that remains after driving across the country listening to every version of every Christmas carol ever produced.

Christmas - 1988

 I hope that you, and your families,  enjoy the gift of the season.

"It came without ribbons. It came without tags.

It came without packages, boxes or bags.

And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore.

Then the Grinch thought of something he hand't before.

'What if Christmas,' he thought, 'doesn't come from a store?'

What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more?"

- Dr. Seuss

I hope you discover and enjoy that little bit more!

With love from Dreaming,

who is feeling just a wee bit 'Grinchy'!

Here and There

We are here,

We are going there.

The last leg of the first part of our trip.

Confused?!

Christmas Past

My parents didn't usually do photo Christmas cards. However, one year my dad befriended an engineer who worked for Kodak. Alex became a family friend and since he was always experimenting with new film for the company, he began using our family as photo fodder.

This was the result of one rather arduous (as I remember it) photo session with Alex. Awwww, don't we look like the typical family from the '60's?! We are our own "Leave it to Beaver" family!

In case you were wondering, I am front and center, wearing a cute, embroidered sweater my grandmother gave me... and I still remember how itchy it was!

Scene Along the Road: Holy Cow... er... Cross

Along Highway 83, near the town of Ballinger, Texas, one can see this huge cross from miles away.

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A bit of research using my best friend, Mr. Internet, told me more about the cross and gave me a link to a better picture than the one I took! 

The cross was erected in 1993. It is located southeast of the town. The cross is 100 feet tall and the arm measures 70 feet.

There are shrines and a chapel on the grounds and it is open to visitors. The cross was constructed by Jim and Doris Studer family as a thank you to God and the blessings he bestowed upon them. 

Doing the Tengo Tango

Ahhh, the joys of being back on the road and being subjected to Tengo Internet service. Many of the campgrounds use this service - I guess there aren't many companies out there that offer secure connections with individual logins. Some campgrounds provide it for free, others charge anywhere from $1.00 to $4.95.... a day! Talk about highway campground robbery!  In my mind.... it's not worth it at any cost. At least, not with this computer. For whatever reason, my computer HATES Tengo. It constantly loses the connection... then starts looking for Networks... then I'm on... then I'm looking for networks again. It drives me crazy!

This isn't a smooth, beautiful dance,

it is a Tengo tangle!

Source

So, if I happen to reply to a comment on your blog.... 18 times... it is because I was never sure if I was online or not when I hit the "submit" button.

Where Cotton is King

The diversity in Texas always amazes me.... but then again, when one is traveling through a state that is... well... the size of Texas, it shouldn’t be a surprise!

As we drove south from Amarillo we came into a region where cotton is king. There were extensive cotton fields on either side of the road, looking very much like the snowy prairie we had so recently left behind. 

Most of the fields had already been picked, and some were dotted with huge bales of cotton, topped with humongous tarps. 

This photo shows the bales at the top, an area of the field that has been picked in the middle, and cotton still waiting to be picked.

It turns out I was wrong (again)... and learned something new (again)! What looked like 'bales' of cotton is, in actuality called a "module". A module holds 13-15 bales, each of which weighs about 500 pounds. The modules are transported to the gin yard in trucks that slide the entire module into the bed.

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This truck is backing up in order to slide the module on board. Rollers on the bottom of the truck slide under the module and help load. 

Texas is the leading cotton producing state, and the US is third in production, behind India and China. 

This information, and other interesting facts about cotton, can be found at the National Cotton Council's Web site. 

What's Good for the Goose....

No! No!  It's not good. You are sitting ducks... or flying ducks... or something like that!

Our stop in Dalhart, Texas was heralded by watching flock gaggle skein* after V-shaped skein of honking geese fly overhead. I have never seen so many geese in one day, let alone in just the 30 minutes we had before dark. It seems we aren't the only snowbirds flying south!

This part of the Texas Panhandle is a huge winter playground for Canada Geese, Snow Geese, Sandhill Cranes, other water fowl, quail and pheasant. It is estimated that 250,000 - 500,000 birds winter here. Wow! That's a lot of foul fowl! 

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Rita Blanco Lake and large tracts of farm land provide perfect wintering grounds for the birds with plenty of food, water and shelter. Unfortunately for them, the huge population of birds attracts an equally large number of hunters. This area is known to be the 'finest goose hunting in the Texas Panhandle.

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I am not a hunter, and would not enjoy killing birds. But, a tasty goose might be interesting to try.

* OK... I learn something new every day (and I forget so much, learning seems to happen more frequently)!  A group of geese, while on the ground, is called a gaggle. When they are airborne they may be called a skein... this, according to Wikipedia

Dreaming Drives

I have avoided driving the motorhome. I've driven it in our driveway, and I've parked it at a few campgrounds, but I've not driven it on a highway. The thing is just so big... there is very little road left when you take up so much room. But, today I drove... and it was fun!

(I'm looking a bit tense here!)

We were heading southeast through the upper corner of New Mexico and the top end of Texas. It was a nice day, with an improved road, and almost no traffic.

My knitting was buried someplace - I'm not sure where. I had played all of my friends on "Words With Friends" and they weren't responding. There were only 5 radio stations to select from, so scrolling up and down the air waves wasn't very exciting. I purposely didn't buy potato chips, so there was nothing to snack on. So.... what's a girl to do? 

Mr. Dreamy has often said that he wants me to drive so that I could take over if he wasn't feeling well. I knew that I could do it.... if I had to. But, he was right in suggesting that if I drove enough to be comfortable with it, then it wouldn't be a big deal. 

So... 

I suggested, 

he considered,

and at the next wide shoulder he pulled over.

The first few miles were a bit tense.

But once I got the hang of knowing 

where I was on the road,

it wasn't that bad...

At least not without traffic, and large trucks going by, and lane shifts at 65 mph, and traffic cones or worse, concrete barriers, and uneven road surfaces, and rain, or worse, snow.... 

I guess I stick with the empty road, nice weather and little traffic driving for a while!

On the Road Again

I just can't wait to get on the road again....

Making music with my friends

And I can't wait to be on the road again.

Sing it, Willie!

Or... perhaps I should sing:

All my bags are packed,

I'm ready to go

I'm standing here outside your door,

Naw, that one doesn't quite fit the situation.

After dozens of trips from house to coach,

arms laden with clothes, food, craft supplies,

presents, liquid libations...

We are almost ready to leave.

We have a few more last minute things to 

plant on the coach,

and we'll be on the road.

The dogs know something is up.

Gypsy went back to bed and curled up,

giving me a look that said,

"If this bed goes, I'm going!"

I have to clean the bathrooms and

swipe up the muddy prints on the

floor....

Time to shut down the computer and get to work.

I'll put up posts about our trip... as we go.

Tick*Tick*Tick*Tick

The clock is ticking.

Time is moving inexorably forward.

(Oh, I love that word!!)

Panic is beginning to set in.

Do you feel this way?

My first bit of panic is around our leaving home, and heading on the road for four months. I love life on the road, but I need to pack. I need warm weather clothes. I need cold weather clothes. I need to bring some cooking utensils, and spices, and food. I need everything for the dogs. I must remember to put in those Christmas gifts I have purchased, and wrapping paper for those I have yet to get. I need my medications... and the dog's Heartgard.
The house needs to be clean. We will have a 'sometimes' house sitter and I will be flying back in January and will have house guests.

I have errands to run. 

Things to pick up. 

Stuff to do.

And....

Christmas is getting closer, by the day! 

I have gifts to buy.

More to wrap.

Some to mail.

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Ei-yi-yi! 

Just a 'Skin'ny Minute

This "Universal" adhesive glues:

china

metal

rubber

leather

wood

paper

& 

plastics

*

*

*

and skin!

Hmmm, that doesn't appear to be in their list!

As soon as it turns cold I get nasty cracks near the edge of my fingernails. If you are squeamish... don't look! This isn't my finger, but it might as well be!

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They hurt. 

Anytime I touch anything, it hurts.

 Lying in bed at night, it hurts. 

And it seems like it takes forever for the crack to heal.

I tried any manner of ways to prevent the cracked skin, and to promote healing. I would rub all kinds of moisturizing potions on them.

lotions

oils

waxes

Even super duper skin moisturizers.... 

(Substitute "very expensive")

They didn't help.

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I used ointments
and
bandaids
but the cracks didn't heal any faster.

I told Mr. Dreamy I couldn't touch water.

He bought me gloves.

 I used the gloves.

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It didn't help.

I made sure to use gloves whenever I went outside.

I wore gloves when I worked with the horses.

I wore gloves when I worked in the garden.

I wore gloves when I drove...

You get the point!

Then, one day I happened to be making some greeting cards. 

I reached for the super glue....

and I looked at my finger...

and I looked back at the glue...

and I recalled the time our dog cut the pad of her foot.

She bled profusely.

The vet glued her pad together.

I checked out the finger again.

I shrugged my shoulders

and put just the smallest little smudge of glue

on the cracked skin.

I carefully pushed the crack together

(so as not to glue two fingers together)

and counted to 5.

The chasm of the crack was reduced to almost nothing.

The pain was reduced to almost nothing.

My finger healed....

perhaps not faster than it would have,

but since it didn't hurt, I didn't notice.

Today I had to go out and get a new bottle of glue.

The season has begun anew.

But, tonight I can type without cringing

every time my thumb hits the space bar.

I'll probably die from poisoning by some 

obscure chemical in the glue.

But, at least I won't have sore fingers in the winter!

(I want to go on record

to disclaim any promise, implied or otherwise.

If you try my not-so-normal treatment,

you are on your own!)

Give a Woman the Tools....

Mr. Dreamy injured his foot. It's one of those mysterious things that just happens... and hurts. I forbade him to clear the snow. We only had about 5 inches, with only a bit of drifting, but the weather isn't supposed to warm up too much in the next week and we need to have the drive clear. I did allow him to start the snowblower for me! Check out his choice of footwear!

So after clearing part of the drive with a shovel, 

I wrestled with the snowblower. 

Piece. 

of. 

cake!

Oh, in addition to the snowblower...

I used the leaf blower!

I had to clear the snow off the gravel drive for the motorhome,

since we hope to get out next week.

I am woman.

I am strong.

I am invincible!

It was all so worth it.

Nothing beats this view!

Brrrrrrr.....

It's a great day to stay inside and work on projects around the house!

It will be below zero tonight.

Even the dogs don't want to be outside for long...

Gypsy, it's your turn to bark. 

Tell her how cold we are 

and we want to come in, 

.... now!

The New Car

We will be heading to the Honda dealer in just a bit to bring our new car home. One would think the Dreamers would be very excited. We are not! In fact, we are a bit angry and poor Mr. Dreamy is very tired of wrangling on the phone and dealing with minutiae with insurance folks, car salesmen, and venders for towing equipment. For Mr. Dreamy, this whole experience has been a pain in the neck....

Mr. Dreamy was on his way home just before Thanksgiving, yeah, only last week. The roads were clear. There were few cars out and it was a gorgeous day. A buck was out, enjoying the sunshine, too, and decided to stroll across the road. Mr. Dreamy slowed and stopped, waiting for the deer, when suddenly, WHAM! A young lady plowed into him, pushing him 20 feet uphill and crumpling the rear end of our car.

Oops!

(Although I am sure stronger words were thought, if not uttered.)

Mr. Dreamy was shaken and his neck hurt, but otherwise he was OK. The young lady was in similar shape. Given the conditions, all we can figure is that she wasn't paying attention, looked up and saw Mr. Dreamy stopped on the road and and at the last minute tried to steer clear. Her efforts obviously didn't work. 

For the next several days Mr. Dreamy had lots of conversations with the lady's insurance company.

We had lots of conversations and some hand wringing. What were we going to do? We were planning to leave in the motorhome in a week or two. This was our tow car. It didn't seem possible that the car could be fixed in that time. Our other car cannot be towed. Could the insurance company arrange for rental cars in the areas we were staying for more than a day or two? How could we get our car when the body shop completed the work? The body shop insisted that the car had to be picked up within 24 hours of completion. We'd be hard pressed to fly back to town to pick it up. There were so many unknowns putting lots of kinks in our plans. 

Recently the smoke began clearing in the crystal ball. The body shop totaled our car! Really?! OMG!

Mr. Dreamy had stopped at the body shop to pick up the garage door opener... which they found in the back seat, having been thrown there by the force of the impact. The adjuster suggested he clean everything out and take the license plates... she was quite sure that the amount of the damage would be too high. Apparently there was a lot more damage than what was visible. 

So, off we went to begin the process of buying another car... barely one year after we bought this one. We will have to get the hitches installed for towing it and for carrying our bicycle rack. We'll have to get the wiring installed for towing... we'll have to pay the difference between the value of our car and the new car... but then we will be ready to hit the road, only a bit delayed. 

Whew.... 

I think the stars and planets must be aligned in our favor!

Just one more thing to be thankful for this year.

The 100-Day Challenge

I recently followed a link on Facebook to a story about a woman who participated in a 100-day video challenge to learn how to walk again. From there, I watched video clips of other people who were practicing something for 100 days. I loved the premise of this challenge, after-all, practice makes perfect. But what goal, I wondered, did I want to pursue that I could log progress over a significant period of time? My first thought was that I could finally learn how to ride a unicycle!

That was a dream of mine for many years, but sadly, Santa never brought me a unicycle. However, I began to envision road rash on my knees, bruises in places that haven't seen black and blue for a long time, and trips to the ER with sprained wrists. I am thinking that perhaps learning to ride a unicycle at my age this point in time is inadvisable.

Then, as I responded to a comment on my recent post about my art lessons, I realized I had my challenge! I will adapt the 100-Day Challenge to become a 100-painting challenge, which may take considerably longer (especially with our travel schedule) than 100 days. So as not to subject everyone with my challenge, and have that take over this blog, I will record my progress on another blog I have created: 100 Day Challenge. (Wasn't I just saying something about blogging taking up too much time... and now I have another blog?!!) Yeah, I guess I am a bit whacko!

And, my next challenge? 

Figuring out what to do with 100 paintings!!