Human Patient Is Better, Emmi Goes To The Vet

When I walked out into the living area this morning and said, “how does my husband feel this morning?” and heard, “good, really good!” it was music to my ears.  He slept better and although he still sounds really stuffy he is much better. 

Emmi on the other hand—well, we made a trip to a new vet today.  Yesterday she began shaking her head and scratching her right ear.  She was very touchy—didn’t want you touching that right ear.  There is a vet just out the gate of the RV resort but they were closed today and tomorrow.  I found the park manager on her golf cart this morning and as Clara has four dogs—I asked her for a recommendation.  She uses a group of country vets in the little community of Taft about 10 miles from here.  Reminded us of our vet clinic at home—friendly, unassuming little spot.  Emmi has an infection in her ear, we got two kinds of medicine and were on our way even before the actual time of our appointment and the price was good too!

We received the title for the Cadillac in the mail a couple days ago but the young couple from whom we purchased the car had neglected to sign the back of the title where the odometer statement is located.  Thus, I couldn’t send the title to Montana yet.  Luke and Selina live in a RV park near Alice, TX and as they had a very sick little boy, we drove over there to get their signatures—it’s about a hour from here. 

On the way back we came in through Ingleside which is where Michael works—the cranes out at the work site looked eerie in the foggy, damp weather today.

The previous two New Year Eve’s we’ve spent in Louisiana with Gina, Rollie, Dana and Rickie.  Tonight we enjoyed a wonderful evening and meal with Gina and Rollie—filets and shrimp on the grill, Pioneer Woman Crash Hot Potatoes, broccoli and fresh bread—yum, yum!!

For dessert we had two special cakes—you see, today would have been Gina and Rollie’s son Rollie’s 26th birthday.  We are glad we could spend this evening with Rollie and Gina and help in some small way on this day that has to be hard for the entire family. 

Michael and I want to wish all of you a Happy New Year.  We hope 2013 brings you happiness, prosperity and good health.  HAPPY NEW YEAR

A Quilting Day and A Patient Update

First the patient update—he is impatient—he was still running a temp this afternoon late but this evening feels as if he is turning the corner.  He has done little but go from couch to bed, bed to couch.  About 6:30 tonight he did get out and take a stroll with Emmi and me.

It was a quilting day and I can spill the beans now.  Remember all the days before Christmas when I would talk about the Christmas project I was working on?  Rollie asked me to make Gina a quilt in honor of their 30th wedding anniversary—after seeing photos of their bedroom in Louisiana I elected to make my first ever wholecloth quilt and my first ever bed runner—a narrow quilt which is draped across the foot of the bed.

Rollie and Gina were thrilled with the outcome, Gina was totally surprised and I could not have been more pleased with the results.

I used a pale gold colored silk fabric for the front and a cream color for the back.

The back with the label in the left corner

I was so pleased with the way it turned out, I want to make some more wholecloth quilts!

I spent most of the day working on my little steering wheel table topper and am now hand sewing the binding down.  We watched a movie late this afternoon—from the Thurston Blockbuster collection—Hope Springs with Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones.  Let’s just say this movie wasn’t one of Meryl Streep’s best—it had funny parts but sure didn’t hold my interest!

Tomorrow is New Year’s Eve, 2012 is about to be history and we have sure changed lifestyles in 2012!  It will be exciting to see what 2013 brings!

Another Short Blog

In spite of spending the day in bed resting about 3pm Michael started running a temp.  Off to the little local ER we went—three and a half hours later we were released.  Diagnosis—strep throat.  ER’s are NOT the place to be on a Saturday evening!  Down right scary places!! 

I got in some quilting time today—working on a steering wheel table topper—almost got all the borders on before we left for the ER.

Gina made some delicious chocolate muffins today and they came with a beautiful cross stitched bread basket cloth—such a sweet friend! 

I am exhausted and off to bed—let’s hope my dear husband feels better tomorrow!

And yes LeAnn, my hair is till tinged with gray—heavily tinged I might add but I really like the color—and so does Michael.

What Did I Do Today

Nothing, a big fat nothing!  Load of laundry, basketball with the dog and a tiny bit of quilting—that’s it.  Michael didn’t go to work this morning he felt so bad.  I fixed a batch of chicken noodle soup which Michael said made him feel better and baked two loaves of artisan bread. 

Blogger dropped the ball today allowing some nasty goon to post a long, long rant as a comment on last night’s blog.  My sister-in-law Vicky sent a text telling me it was there. 

Talked to LoraLee today—lots of snow at home and very cold with a nasty wind.  Our weather here in Texas started out gloomy and finally this afternoon the sun came out.

I’ll try to do better tomorrow—maybe my brain will work better in the writing department. 

Gloomy Day

Not quite as chilly as yesterday but still damp and gloomy.  I was in need of a haircut and when you’ve been going to the same hairdresser for 10+ years—it’s hard to find someone when on the road.  I’m bad picky about my hair—over the holidays I heard repeated ads for an Aveda salon in Corpus Christi so I called them this morning and was able to get an appointment for 11:30.  The young woman who does my hair in Billings originally worked in an Aveda salon so I was at least familiar with the concept. 

Ms. Gina was kind enough to accompany me and off we went leaving Ms. Emmi home alone—oh, no!  If first impressions were the rule I would have run from the salon—the young woman who came to fetch me had vivid red/orange hair and multiple visible tattoos—uh, oh!  She did a great job with my hair following my wishes to a “T.” 

Next up was lunch—we headed to Small Planet Deli recommended by the folks in the salon—it was delicious!  Gina and I split a piece of lemon pie that was to die for—we did eat salad and sandwich before the pie though!  The deli was located in an area of shops which we browsed after lunch finding nothing which appealed.  But then Ms. Gina uses her iPhone to locate her favorite lingerie shop—there just happened to be one in the mall in Corpus Christi—Soma Intimates.  Bad Gina!  I’ve never heard of Soma Intimates—where have I been—Montana that’s where!  I need to get out more! 

Power is back on to my family in Arkansas, late last evening.  Their weather report doesn’t look so great for the next couple of days though!  Here’s a photo my sister-in-law Vicky took:

Michael is still feeling puny—we are dosing him with lots of vitamin C—orange juice, grapefruit—and he is drinking huge amounts of water.  Hopefully he will feel better soon.

Had an electrical problem today—all of a sudden I had no power to any of the outlets in the rig—the electric heater shutting off was my first clue, then I attempted printing directions to the hair salon—no power to the printer.  I tried everything—breakers, turning off the power to the coach outside, turning it back on—nothing.  I finally just texted Michael and left for Corpus Christi.

He got out the manuals when he got home—seems there is a GFI outlet down along the floor in our bedroom—hard to see, hard to find, in fact we neither one even knew it was there until the other night.  Michael thinks when the sprinklers come on outside the water gets the cords and their connections going to the Christmas lights wet tripping that particular breaker and our GFI inside the coach—makes ALL the outlets stop working!!!  Lesson—unplug the Christmas lights BEFORE the sprinklers come on!

Back In The Swing

Hey, who turned off the heat???  The wind was howling when we got home yesterday and continued to rock and roll us all night long bringing a cold front.  The high temp today was around 44 degrees—nippy!  I even turned on the Webasto heat this morning—that’s how cold it was in here!

Emmi and I took a quick walk—36 degrees and wind isn’t very nice walking weather!  I then proceeded to clean and put away stuff.  The inside of the jeep even got a cleaning! 

A trip to Wal Mart for groceries this afternoon—I was surprised at how few people were there.  Emmi got a present—a basketball—we drove over to the school yard and played basketball until she was panting.  When we got home it wasn’t long before Mike and Rollie drove up. 

Tonight we enjoyed taco soup which Rollie had made and exchanged Christmas presents with them.  Michael has a cold he probably caught in Arkansas and isn’t feeling well—hope it’s a short lived cold. 

More family photos—Leah, G*** and my nephew Clayton. 

And that’s about it for our day here in Texas.

Merry Christmas—Lots of Photos

We had a wonderful Christmas Eve with our Arkansas family—we participated in a progressive dinner going from house to house.  In my family that isn’t far to travel.  Mom and Chuck live in the house I grew up in, my sister lives right across the road, my brother lives less than 1/2 mile down the road and Niki and Eric are only about a mile away. 

We started at Niki and Eric’s with appetizers.  Their house was beautifully decorated--

Even the ducks got in the act! 

My sister Ann (isn’t she beautiful), aka Granny and G***.

Next stop was Mom and Chuck’s for salads.  At each house we enjoyed opening gifts—we exchange simple gifts, often homemade—nothing expensive.  Some of the gifts Mom and Chuck gave drew lots of laughs.  Mom cut a slit in large liter coke bottles and inserted dollar bills and candy.  Her grandsons, Trenton and Clayton were a little puzzled at first as to how to get that money out! 

Mom and Chuck also thought it just wasn’t right for Michael to be walking on the beach in boots so his gift of flip flops and a snorkel had us all laughing.

Trenton on the left, his Mom, Vicky, my brother Ross and Leah.  

Danny and Ann gave us a perfect gift—a Tin Tee Pee ornament!  Isn’t it cute!  The main course was served at Danny and Ann’s—ham with cheesy potatoes. 

Last stop was Ross and Vicky’s for desserts—because we were so stuffed Vicky directed us all in opening presents first then Danny read the Christmas story from the Bible—notice where the Bible is located—on his iPhone—technology has sure come a long way since scrolls and inks!  The hat on top of the tree belonged to our Dad and has a special place atop their tree every year.

Mom & Chuck                                                 Niki, Eric, Elizabeth and Leah

We are back in Aransas Pass having left this morning around 6:30.  We snacked our way home enjoying the goodies everyone gave us last night!  It’s a good thing we got an early start.  My family is sitting with no electricity in the midst of an ice storm.

Merry Christmas to all our friends and family!!

It Was A Busy Sunday

Yesterday morning we enjoyed another great breakfast before heading off to church.  My brother-in-law pastors the church I grew up in and the choir was performing their Christmas cantata.  It was good to see all the folks I grew up with—people I’ve known all my life, and we certainly enjoyed the music. 

Back home to Danny and Ann’s where guess what—we ate again!  Then it was back to church for a special kind of celebration.  When I was growing up my Uncle Frank Lee was a large part of life at home and at church.  He loved the young people, drove the bus, took us to church camp and different activities.  His wife, Valeta, of 63 years recently died and Uncle Frank Lee will celebrate his 85th birthday December 31.  His daughter and friends at the church decided to plan a surprise birthday celebration for him yesterday.  I’m glad they celebrated a week early so we could be there.  The party was a complete surprise to Uncle Frank Lee--

Uncle Frank Lee and his family—next to him is his daughter Mary Ellen, then grandchildren Jamie and Talmadge with great-grandchild Lottie Beth. 

We had time for a good walk when we got home after the party—Ann took us out through the pine forest making Elizabeth and me think we should be dropping bread crumbs! 

Remember I said it was a busy day—after the walk we were back to church again—the children were performing!  They were precious—G*** really enjoyed participating in the Little Drummer Boy song, stopping his foot for the chorus. 

Early to bed for this girl—it was one busy day!  This morning my sister Ann was hard at work in the kitchen making peanut brittle when I got up.  Michael and Danny are off to Little Rock this morning to purchase a gift I forgot—don’t I have a good husband!!  Annie is cooking and I’m visiting Mom and Chuck.  Thank goodness for Chuck and his wifi!! 

Leah and EmmiTrenton and G***

Eric and Elizabeth

Today was my Dad’s birthday, he would have been 84 years old today—happy birthday Daddy.  Tonight we are having a family progressive dinner—more eating!

A Day On Barnes Hill

I’ve been gone from home a long, long time but it sure is good to come back!  I love being with my family, listening to all the chatter, eating all the good food.  Things get noisy and hectic at times but it is still a pleasant time.

We were slow getting started this morning, Ann made us bacon, scrambled eggs and biscuits for breakfast.  Niki stopped by and dropped off two kids, the other niece had a basketball game.  Leah and G*** were having a great game of checkers—he had a little accident playing in the sink—thus no shirt.

  After breakfast we took a nice walk over onto the property Danny and Ann recently purchased.  G*** got to ride in the wagon and Princess Leah had to walk—a sad state of affairs according to her!  It is a beautiful day here, sunny and after a chilly morning—it’s been a warmer afternoon. 

Gabe must have felt sorry for Leah.

The drive up to Arkansas was good—the new car was so comfortable and drove beautifully.  And fast—we made great time!

Ann’s chicken coop.

I’ve been busy transferring all my contacts from the old phone to the new.  What a pain but that’s the price you pay when using Straight Talk instead of Verizon.  If someone comes up with an easier way I may cry!  And yes, I probably could have transferred the contacts list via SIM card if my old phone had a SIM card!

A sweet gum tree and a pine tree growing grafted together—odd.

Tonight we are gathering at Danny and Ann’s again for a steak dinner—YUM.  And my mother made this new candy recipe that is to die for!  May have to get that recipe!

Traveling

628 miles in 10 hours. Dinner with family poor internet, more tomorrow.

Turtles Or Millionaires

When I was a child my Dad would buy Mom a box candy for occasions—Millionaires as they were called then.  These days the candy is called turtles and my friend Gina makes a very close copy of those candies—delicious!  I’ve never tried making the candy and Gina was to have helped me before she had to go take care of grandbabies. So, I winged it yesterday and today—mine turned out pretty good for a first try—at least Michael and Rollie thought they were good.  Brenda has also made these candies and took a lot of teasing for the size of her original experiment—I’ve heard them referred to as “saucers sized.”  Well the ones on the right are Brenda sized—I got a little carried away.

This morning I was up shortly after Michael left, finished the candies, walked all the dogs, showered and was at the clubhouse by 9am for quilting group.  I finished up some Christmas presents then headed for home and my long to do list.

The car is mostly packed and I will finish the rest while Michael heads to work in the morning.  Rumor has it—it will be a short work day!

Rollie came for dinner tonight and we had absolutely delicious chicken fajitas with sautéed and caramelized onions and peppers.  For dessert we enjoyed some of those millionaires/turtles. 

I’m excited to be heading to AR tomorrow!!  We should have good weather missing that storm which has pounded the midwest.

A Whirlwind Day

Neither of us slept well which resulted in Michael getting up very early and I followed close behind.  I had so much on my mind—a very long to do list.  We are going to Arkansas for Christmas—the time off decision was made so off we go sometime Friday.  With that decision made my to do list got even longer. 

Michael had an appointment over in Corpus Christi this afternoon—something to do with security clearance.  The owner of the car we are buying called about 11:30am and we arranged to meet at a bank near the county tax assessor office.  In order to get a temporary license plate, we needed a notarized bill of sale which the bank was kind enough to do for us.  The folks in the tax assessor office could not have been nicer.  In less than 15 minutes we had temporary license plates and were the proud owners of a 2009 Cadillac SRX.  Cool!!

Quickly dropped the jeep off at the motorhome and made for Corpus.  Michael’s appointment was almost a disaster—seems our VISA company didn’t like the fact I charged something in Montana yesterday morning and was now trying to charge the fee for this security clearance thing in Corpus Christi, TX.  We had this same issue while traveling from MT to TX and thought it was resolved—nope—VISA rejected the card.  We finally got a real person on the phone and the issue was resolved.

Back to Aransas Pass and dinner preparations—and a very disgruntled left home alone Emmi girl.  Spaghetti for dinner—very, very good dinner even if I do say so myself.  Rollie joined us and we had a very enjoyable evening.  Tomorrow’s to do list is even longer!

Will Wonders Never Cease!

My husband owns a smart phone—can you believe that???  A Straight Talk smart phone but a smart phone none the less!  And, he is figuring out how to operate it himself, so far he has entered contacts and made calls without turning the air blue!!  Now let’s see if he can text!

I spent the day on the phone doing car business.  The whole day!  But the deal may just work out!  Phone calls to our bank in Montana, phone calls to the bank in Arkansas where the current owners have the vehicle financed, calls to the DMV here in TX—my phone needs recharging!!! 

Emmi and I did go out to the bay and take a nice walk—it was another beautiful day, warm, low humidity and a breeze. 

Rollie and Michael arrived home just after 5pm.  We enjoyed a glass of wine while grilling burgers.  Life is good although we sure miss that Gina woman! 

Today I took all three dogs to the dog park—remember that breeze I mentioned above??  Well, if anyone was watching the “poop bag” circus they sure had a good laugh.  I had three “poop” bags with me, one in my pocket and two tied around Emmi’s leash.  The ones around the leash fell off and blew down the street—I was chasing the bags trying my best to step on them, catch them, anything cause I had all ready used the one I had in my pocket--all this while dragging three dogs along with me.  The bags finally blew completely away—oh, well!!  Quite the circus—my three dog circus!

Saw this on FB this morning and though it was totally appropriate for our Montana neck of the woods!

Here One Day, Gone The Next

Well, she was here two days, not just one but now Gina is gone again!!  What’s up with that??  I took her to the airport this afternoon and she flew off to help Nicole and Shane with those two new baby girls—seems the parents sent out a much needed SOS!

We ran a couple errands and looked at another SUV at a dealership.  Once again I was reminded of how much I dislike dealing with car dealerships.  Michael and I have had such good luck buying from individuals and after today’s experience I think we will stick to that practice!

Our mail came today—it took me a while to sort through three weeks worth of mail!  Lot’s of Christmas cards though which I enjoyed! 

Finished up our Christmas shopping today and mailed off the Christmas cards—that’s a good feeling.  I’m a little behind this year—hope everything gets there as it should!

The rest of the day was spent walking dogs and making dinner—nothing very exciting! 

Another Montana scene—I think they have been getting lots of that white stuff lately.

A Gathering Of Friends

I was an early bird this morning—the First United Methodist Church choir was performing their cantata at both services today—8am and 10:30am.  As we were having company this afternoon I elected to go to the early service—I was out the door and on the road by 7:30 this hot, muggy morning.  The service was outstanding—beautiful Christmas music. 

Just after noon Ralph and Angie arrived driving down from San Antonio for the afternoon.  We enjoyed introducing them to our friends here and we also enjoyed meeting one of Michael and Rollie’s coworkers—Mickey.  Rollie was kind enough to prepare baby back ribs, I made Brenda’s cheesy potatoes and we had various other dishes making up a great meal!  For dessert we had homemade vanilla ice cream and cookies.  We are all stuffed and waddling!  We whiled away the afternoon visiting—a very good day!

Congratulations are in order for Rollie and Gina—their daughter Nicole and her husband Shane celebrated the birth of their twin baby girls on Friday.  Rollie and Gina went from having no grandchildren to four in less than two years.  We have met Shane and Nicole and wish them all the best with these two precious little girls.

Life is good!