Looking Back...Gazing Ahead

Here I sit on New Year's Eve, thinking about how quickly the last year has passed. It was a busy year and we kicked it off in January by closing on our new home here in Tennessee.  We quickly moved forward into February and March and a couple of cruises. We managed to squeeze in some improvements to our RV lot in Florida (now FOR SALE - please spread the word) before heading back to our new home in April.

We were only there for a couple of weeks, getting things sorted out and enjoying the spring blooms, when we took the RV and headed north to Maryland so I could get my cataract surgery done. Phew! All went well, here are a few posts I wrote about the experience

• Left Eye Surgery
  
• Left Eye One Day Post-op
  
• Left Eye One Week Post-op
  
• Right Eye Surgery
  
• Right Eye One Week Post-op
  

In July we traveled back to the house for the rest of the year. We then brought home a new addition! Cooper, an F1b Goldendoodle (Poodle mother and Goldendoodle father). He was 15 weeks old with scruffy coat and a shy personality. He didn't play for the first couple of days even though he was eating well.

August brought a little of this and a little of that. September rolled in and celebrated my 70th birthday. What a milestone! Near the end of the month, Stu headed off to Maryland for several firefighter events with his former coworkers plus a good visit with family.

That was when I went off my rocker and brought home Murphy as a playmate for Cooper. He was 12 weeks old and officially a Cadoodle (Rough Collie mom and Goldendoodle dad). It we thought Cooper's coat was a mess when we got it, Murphy had him beat by a mile. They hit it off immediately and have been best buds ever since.

Once Stu arrived home in October, things got a bit hectic. First he had to meet the pups, then met new friends who wanted to look at our property for sale. We did some local sightseeing with them and before they left, we closed the deal. We can't wait till they are here more of the year!

November was here before we knew it and with the sale of our Jamestown property, we made the decision to also put our RV lot in Florida up for sale. With only a few snowbirding years ahead of us, it makes sense and will allow us to travel to other areas for the next few winters. We also had friends come to visit and spend the night, that meant more sightseeing.

We both also decided to get wedding ring tattoos. I opted for a double heart that I had originally thought to get done on the inside of my wrist. Stu went with a more traditional Celtic open weave knotwork ring, similar to our gold bands. This was his first ever tattoo!

We took a weekend trip to see our friends, Earl & Pauline, and spent the day at Dollywood, their first visit. We had a blast and the weather actually warmed up nicely. Thanksgiving was spent quietly at home with a nice turkey breast cooked in our Instant pot we got a year ago.

Thanksgiving rolled into Christmas quickly and we did a little decorating, made a fun trip to Dollywood again, and, oh yeah, bought Jeremiah the Jeep (aka J.J.). Christmas was also spent quietly, getting to Facetime Chat with all our kids but my youngest daughter as well as some of the grandkids.

And now here we are at the cusp of a new year. So what do we have planned in 2018? Just a few things....

• Closing on our property in Jamestown
• Two weeks of cruising the end of January, doing a back-to-back (b2b) on the Carnival Miracle
• Getting set up with some local doctors/dentist as we slowly transition our care to this area
• Starting work on Stu's pole barn
• Continuing to work on little things around the house
• Hopefully getting the flooring replaced in the RV and some other cleanup done
• First ever Highland Games in Maryville, TN in May
• Disney in October with our youngest granddaughter
• Wedding of one of our granddaughters
• Christmas? Not sure where, but hope to be further south, maybe not central FL though

So yes, another busy year. I only have one book planned, which I truly hope to get published in late February. Will be tight, but my fingers are crossed! Then I plan to spend at least a few months READING!

Ciao for now!

Snowbirds? Not this year...

We've thought about it. We've talked about it. We thought some more. We talked some more. We made the decision...no Florida for us this year.

Many things come into play but one biggie is having two wild and wooly puppies that need a ton of exercise. We still have a lot of training to do and staying here will let us continue to work on both of them, both in classes and at home.

Yes, it will mean less motorcycle riding but when I lived in the area for three winters, I rode some every month. It also means we can visit Dollywood again. We bought season passes and haven't had time to use them yet!

Another bonus will be decorating (a little) for Christmas and attending some of the local functions. So much to do here locally.

It also lets us get an early start on yard items next spring. We need to do a lot of pruning as well as weed 'n feed the lawn. The dogs have destroyed the lily beds, so some of those bulbs will get moved to the front and side yard. They will be replaced with some type of shrub that they won't play in. LOL!

What happens to our RV lot? Easy, we get it added to the rental pool at Bee's RV Resort. If anyone might be interested in renting it for the season, let us know and we will get back to you with the details.

We still have two weeks of cruising in late Jan-early Feb and we plan to go. We will compare prices and either drive or fly to Tampa. The pups will get boarded (together) and will be fine. We will miss them, but they will have playmates and won't give us a second thought. LOL!

This doesn't mean the end of our RVing, we're just slowing down a bit and trying to savor each and every day as it comes....

Ciao for now!

7/28/2017: Celebrate the Small Things

It's Friday and time to post my Celebrate the Small Things on this blog.

If you'd like to join in the fun or check out some other participating blogs, click the image to the right or the link at the bottom of the page.

My small things for this past week, some not so small, but all great!

First is a successful baking of blueberry banana nut bread. I took two recipes and adapted...a little moist but oh my, DELICIOUS!

Second is the addition of a puppy to our household...yes, I am seriously nuts. But what a joy he has been. What work he has been! Housebreaking is going okay - as long as we are paying attention. He has his own Instagram account and his own Facebook page, Mighty Mini-Cooper!

He had his first vet visit on Wednesday and all was generally good. He could stand to gain weight so we increased his food. A little irritation in his ears, very common on the Doodles (Poodles, Golden Retrievers, Labs, etc) so we have some natural stuff to hopefully clear that up. He got shots updated and goes back in three weeks for the rest and to recheck his ears.

He has made himself right at home...ya think? LOL!

Third is finally getting back to working on Paradise Dead, the second in my trilogy of novellas in the Lei Crime Kindle World. I hope to make my August 1st deadline to get it out to my beta readers and typo hunters. Phew!

I hope you've had a spectacular week and have some small things to celebrate!

Click to see the other blogs participating in the Celebrate the Small Things blog hop.

Ciao for now!

Bugged!

Our new house has a lot of blooming plants and shrubs....

...including roses.

And roses mean Japanese Beetles. I remember these growing up in Massachusetts. I think my mother spread some kind of powder to fight them. Now it's even easier with these amazing traps. We now have three out and they are filling fast. Of course, some damage has already been done to the bushes but hopefully they will be okay.

Stu tried to get the traps at our local Tractor Supply but they were sold out and backordered. He found one at our local co-op and as soon as he saw how effective it was, we ordered two more from Amazon.

Ciao for now!

Keys...Precautions...

We have keys....LOTS of keys. Keys to three vehicles. Keys to the RV entry doors. Keys to the RV outside storage bays. Keys to the toolbox on the pickup. Keys to the shed on our property. Keys to the shed on our house. Keys to the deadbolts on the house. Keys to the storm door on the house. Keys to doorknob on the door between the utility room and garage. Keys to Stu's Craftsmen toolboxes. Keys to....well, you get the idea.

This means multiple key rings. I have one set up for the RV, when in Florida or traveling and I have one for the house. Both have keys to the pickup, the only vehicle I drive. Stu has one set for everything but the motorcycle and one for the motorcycle.

Last week he was out riding with our friend, Earl, and they wanted to stop at the house. Stu realized he had the garage door opener but no house key. I had left to do some shopping and was 30 miles away.

So we bought a couple of things to aid our failing memories (and yes, he did add a house key to his motorcycle key ring) and also help if we need to ask someone to access the house when we are away.

First was adding a Universal Garage Door Wireless Opener from LiftMaster. My late husband and I had one and I loved it. (And if I close the garage door while Stu is working in the shed and the side door is locked, oh, and his keys are in the house - VOILA! He can enter). You can read more on the Liftmaster site.

LiftMaster Universal 387LM Keyless Entry

Next was adding a combination Key Safe or LockBox inside the garage. We did this for two reasons. We never lock the doorknob lock on the door between the garage and utility room. Since we already carry too many keys, that is one we don't bother with. But what if someone accidentally locked it?

The key safe is mounted inside the garage and we have stored a copy of the deadbolt key as well as the doorknob key. This way we will never be locked out. Plus, if we need someone to access the house and they don't have keys to it, we can get them inside without having to mail them keys.

Kidde KeySafe Push Button Combination Key Lock Box, 2-Key

Of course we now have number combinations to remember for our house security system, the house safe, the RV safe, the garage door opener and the key safe. LOL! Needless to say, these are written down and accessible via our smart phones thanks to DropBox and a shared folder between us.

Phew! I think we have all contingencies covered...well, for the most part. I'm sure something will come back to bite us in the butt. LOL!

Ciao for now!

YouTube is Evil (It All Started in Ecuador)

Honest! YouTube is evil.... The story began in Ecuador where Stu discovered he could watch YouTube videos on our TV. In the states he always watched car shows. In Ecuador he discovered woodworking shows. LOTS of woodworking shows.

A year later, we are back in the states, we bought a house but the obsession didn't stop. Oh no, it got worse. The obsession has spread from watching YouTube woodworking videos to.....

THIS!


and THIS!


LOL! Seriously, he is having a blast turning the shed into his woodworking shop. He still needs to install an exhaust fan but for now he has moved on to organizing the garage.

Yes, YouTube can be evil, addicting and educational!

Ciao for now!

Storms in TN while we were in MD

When we are traveling, we always worry about how the house fares during a severe storm. There were several during the two months we were in Maryland. I got to the house first, Stu having stopped to get the RV/truck washed.

Everything appeared to be in good working order. I reset the outlet for the phone/internet, plugged in everything that had been unplugged and breathed a sigh of relief. Then I walked out on the deck...

OH NO! Wind storm damage!! I was stunned.... [giggle-snort]

Stu just HAD to post the photo and the following caption on Facebook:

We opened up the house. Everything was fine until we looked on the porch. Devastating storm damage. FEMA needs to be called. We need help. We will rebuild. WARNING graphic images! Donna, please be strong. We can survive!

The comments were hilarious....here are some of the best ones.

• Gail C: I think the cow did it.
   Reply from Janice C: I agree with Gail. The cow did it on the deck with the chair. Lol
   Reply from Gail to Janice: I mean look at her. She's watching to see what their reactions going to be. She's smirking to herself.
   Reply from Janice to Gail: It looks like she may have had help. The other cow is hiding her face! Lol
• Robert T: Nothing left to do now but burn it all down.
• Jessalyn B: The cows don't look impressed with your crisis 
• Rob H: The winds must have been horrific! Can you imagine what it took to toss that chair as though it was made of light aluminum and canvas??? I'm still picking up my jaw off the ground!!
• William M: That's not storm damage..... That is clearly earthquake damage.... See it all the time here in California!
• Kendall B: I've been there. You can rebuild!
• Scarlet B: Oh no!!! not the folding chair!!!!! I'll come on the next flight!

Seriously, the house is fine. We've moved in all the food and other necessities. More to come into the house but we have time, no deadlines. Life is good!

Ciao for now!

Photos & More

I took a little time and moved photos from my iPhone and iPad to my MacBook. Thought I should share a couple. If we are friends on Facebook, you may have seen them already. LOL!

Before we left Tennessee, we got a message from some good RVing/motorcycle friends (who we met at Sturgis a few years back) that they were in the area, did we have time to get together. We sure did! We made plans for Cracker Barrel and enjoyed a nice lunch with great conversation while catching up.

While there, as always, I browsed the store. Looks like PINEAPPLES are the latest in decor. Who knew?

A later trip to Lowe's and guess what we found in the light section! Yup...

Oh, the tattoo? Our Scottish singer friend, Kevin Philip, who we met on our Royal Caribbean cruise, had a great joke about thistles and pineapples - had to snap this photo for him.

In our last few days at the house, we tried to eat up as much food as possible. Usually we end up tossing over-ripe bananas. Not this time! A working oven, all the necessary ingredients and VOILA! Banana nut bread. Yes, it was as delicious as it looks.

Final photo shows my shelf sitter frogs sitting on my as yet unused canisters. Don't you just love them? I do. Oh my cute little frog trivet set has been around for since the late 1990's.



Ciao for now!

A few more photos....

Stu has been busy with chores and while I was supposed to be busy writing, I ended up getting sick for 4-5 days. Sigh...not going to make my deadline of May first for Paradise Dead. Will work on it again when I feel better.

Anyway, here are some photos I've taken since my last post. I hope you enjoy!

View from our kitchen window...


Our pond, overfull from the recent rains...


Nellie Moser Clematis by our front door...


Pink and red roses at the front of the house...


Stu putting up new motion sensor outdoor lights on both the front porch and the garage...


Rainy day project, new blinds in the office to help block the afternoon sun...


Changing the oil in one of several vehicles that needed done...


Taking a well deserved nap...


While I watch silly SyFy disaster movies (photo courtesy of our security system camera)...


We've shown our original property once and have several others interested, time will tell. Any other showings will have to wait until we get back in July. Friday we head north to Maryland for 6-8 weeks. Never a dull moment!

Ciao for now!