The Eagle Has Landed

Hi,
Yes we did make it home, albeit -2 and I don't know what the windchill was. It was about 11pm, long, long day. By the time the camper was put away as well as the car it was towing my fingers and toes were frozen and causing me pain. One of our garage doors was screwed up and decided to come to life about 6am in the morning by setting off our security alarm and then continuing to open and close irratically, sometimes halfway, sometimes all the way, until I slapped around the remote. I guess the button was stuck, and finally decided to protest about it at 6 am. Go figure.... New form of an alarm clock I guess.

What a nice welcome back from the house...I guess it missed us.

Buschhhh...

Yesterday we just spent time at home with my folks and kids, then went on down to the pool where Keegan(grandson)learned a lot about putting his face in the water. Lyle (his Dad) was blowing bubbles in the water and Kee just couldn't stand it, he had to give it a try. We were all very proud of his progress in learning not to be afraid of the water as they live on a lake and it is important. But he had a pretty good time. Got some nice photos.

Today we met up with the kids, my folks watched the dogs, and went out to Busch Gardens. Not real impressed with that place, it was okay. We all liked the experience at Sea World much better. However, I did get some nice photos there of some wild life. Keegan was mostly fascinated with rocks. Even rocks that were only spots in the floor or ground (that were really rocks at all). He would try and pick them up and couldn't, it was kind of funny to watch.

We got back home and had some dinner with my folks. Blew (one of my hounds) seemed pretty happy to see us. After dinner the kids went on back to their hotel to pack up and get some rest before flying out tomorrow, back home. We took a lot of stuff of their's back to the camper, then went back over and hung out with my folks a little bit more, before we packed up the dogs and took off. We will be leaving tomorrow morning early. The kids will be by at about 6:30 am to bring another item for us to carry home for them. We should leave for the long drive back home not too long after that. Should take us a couple of days. I guess the visit went pretty well. I enjoy being around my parents and having my kids and grandkiddo there, all together. Nice. Keegan seemed to really take to my folks, it was a very cute scene seeing him walk along holding their fingers.
I guess the only dissappointing thing is that my Mom said they wouldn't be coming in July any more. That made me extremely sad. They do drive and I think it would be easier if they would just fly, but I don't think my Mom will do that. I am not exactly sure if we can do the driving thing each year in Feb. It was tough and expensive putting the kitties in the kennel at their age, then towing the car and bring the motor home with the dogs through such rough weather. Not something we enjoyed at all. I still feel like I really didn't get a vacation. With the camper it was one issue after another, which I still haven't written down. Eventually I will go back and talk about that.
Well I suppose I should give it up here and get to bed so I can get up early enough to get things packed away properly and clean things so we can take off.

Life's a Beach

Yesterday we packed the entire family into our RV and took off for a beach on the Gulf of Mexico (FL). Weather was beautiful. In order to do so we had to unhook everything, take the dog's fences off, secure the stuff on the inside and slide in the slides. Not awful. Took off to pick everyone up at my folks house. Got the car seat in for the little guy. Deck of cards for my folks....all loaded there, off we went. Not exactly sure where we were going, kind of...sort of...maybe. Stopped along the way at a fastfood to have folks grab a bite. Then off again towards a beach that we never got to set foot upon. There was just no parking for us, and then there was then 'no one in water - alligator activity' sign that seemed to impress no one but us. Looked like other folks like swimming with 'gators', those Floridians are fearless folk. :)

We took off again in search of another beach with parking and less alligator activity. Ended up on Bayou Road which was not meant for RV's with our brave 'captive' captain (he had no choice....) at the helm down we went on this tiny road wiggling passed park cars and people mouthing WTF!!! When they saw us... well we are kind of big and scared a lot of people including some of the riders, like uh - the navigator (no relation to alligator). Yeah, that's me, it was kind of me that got us there in the first place, but hey, let's not start pointing fingers now!

Getting off the road was then our main objective, forget the beach idea! However we did manage to get through it and the beach was again first and foremost on our minds. We finally did find a beach, meager as it was. I was kind of bummed, but the little guy had his first real romp in the sand and he had a blast. Water was too cold, and as the chief photographer, the rocks were killing my feet while trying to follow them into the water. I think I made a big enough scene as I was assisted to the sand again by to very hunky male types. My thanks to them both! :) (okay it was my Dad and my husband....). After little little guy (KeeMeister) shared his sand with the world and personally place sand in the hand of two very lucky women, we went back to the camper....which was illegally parked, air conditioner running, with two Greyhounds waiting inside (no ticket though - some good luck for a change) we traveled on back to point A with no problems.

Dropping people off Bruce and I went in search of fuel and then to the dumpstation before getting back to the campsite just about in time for our daughter, SIL and grandson to show up and take over the show. Keegan - grandson, pretty much takes the stage where ever he goes. My folks showed up and we Bergered for dinner over the campfire. When little dude wore out but could not sleep D, SIL and grandson took off, but my folks stuck around for a bit ... well until I made them start roasting marshmallows. My most favorite part of camping. We took a quick little night walk and the dogs did their dumping duties, but in the process we got to check out Orion and the Big Dipper. I notice Orion's Belt first, as the sky was so clear and the stars so bright, it was very easy to pick it all our. Once back to the camper the folks decided to take off. I went in and took my very first shower in the RV shower, where I learned that when you try to bend over, your butt hits one side of the shower and at the same time, you bump your head on the other side. A lesson well learned. Till later.

Sitting here.

This morning I wake up in a very peaceful park in Florida. Lake Griffin State Park. It was a tough few days to get here (again i will explain later, no time for going over it all again right now) but this is very nice, the exotic bird sounds on March 1st is highly unusual to my ears! Sun rising over palm trees...not in Minnesota any more Dorothy!
However, I have to sit here and finish my mid-term in Macroeconomics so there is a downside, but when I am done .... well that's the upside, just being done. So with the birds to serenade me and my dogs sleeping on the floor beside me I will get to the exam and be done with it!
Then it will be off to my parents house to visit with them and my Daughter's family (who arrived here yesterday via plane.) We will be celebrating my mother's birthday. She is 77. PARRRTYYY! More later!

I am back

Been a while since I have done any blogging. My oldest daughter is 'besting' me...by far, when it comes to this kind of thing. And I am sure that she will continue to be THHEEE best at blogging. I will try to keep it going, but won't promise much.

Right now I am sitting in an RV on my way to FL to visit my folks. My daugher and her husband And my little grandson are flying down on Friday to join everyone.

This is our first 'long distance' RV trip, we are towing our HHR. And this is also our first winter trip. It has been a bit of a crazy event so far and I will let the story unfold here, at some point.

I am back in school right now trying to get my BSIT degree, so I have already completed one mid-term at a truck stop using wifi... and as I ride along I am working on another mid-term. I am using one of our cell phones as a modem to get out on my computer while on the move. Most of the time is works okay, but slow. I am used to cable. I am not REAL computer savvy, but better than lots and open to learning, I enjoy learning more about it all.

Now this trip we are making to FL to visit my parents has been a long time coming and finally we are doing. Going from MN to Fla in Feb. is always a little bit tricky. when you are planning it months in advance you really don't know what you are getting yourself into. This is our first time and we were pretty much in for quite a trip, and it isn't even over yet. Not to mention having a return trip to still accomplish. In tow we also have two Retired Racing Greyhounds who obviously think we have gone crazy. We should be pulling into my folks house this evening and will park out front until our campsite at Lake Griffin State Park opens up for us tomorrow. Tried to get in a night early but it was full. But then that is just one of the complications that made life exciting in the last few days.

All right, off to work on my MacroEconomics Mid-term. More later.
RK

More Poopadom!

Good Morning! Or hopefully it will be. Got one paper done yesterday and need to do a 7 page paper by the end of today. Not to mention the other endless things that must get done.

OH .... HAPPY HALLOWEEN! Yes and it will be a cold one. Too bad for all the little goblins that will be prowling around in the dark. I'm ready for them though...all 9 of them. That is the average number and it seems to drop a little more every year.

Family is coming over for dinner and to hang for Halloween. I really do like that, though I don't like the dinner part. Not because I hate making it, it is more because we just never know what to have. I have no idea...maybe 'skeddy'.

The most exciting news of the week is that a new dog buddy is joining the pack. Saturday we will be going to get him. Another greyhound, no big surprise there eh? I hope he will fit in well here and get along well with blue dog and tripod boy. He is having some problems with his foot (ankle area I think), so I will be making an appointment for him at the vet right away.

Okay the paper must be done, no more avoiding it SO onward!

A Gift of Time!

Got up this morning and realized it was earlier than I first thought. Yippee! An extra hour has entered my life! This is great.

Went to a Halloween party last night dressed as a clothes basket of dirty clothes. Costume completed with a singing dog that wore a bandana on his head singing 'Born To Be Wild' sitting in the dirty clothes.
Yes, I am just a puzzle waiting to be solved...with a piece missing!

It was a nice party, but it was good to get home and out of the basket. The doggies were good while we were gone, glad for that as I was too tired to have to clean up any messes after taking a shower to get the gook out of my hair and the smeared on black eye make up off my face and hands. They are good boys most all of the time, unless some one knocks on the door when I am gone, or there is a storm going on.

For some reason the blue greyhound decides to pee...or poop, on the floor to keep the 'would-be' unwanted visitors at bay. Or so we (blue dog and I) would like to think. I am sure others think him such a coward and that he is really just getting the excrement scared out of him, but blue dog and I know better!

Speaking of storms...this is another area where blue dog rocks. He will let you know if there is one within 100 miles of the place by suffering a nearly complete mind loss which seem to be partially restored by putting on his 'storm defender' cape. With his storm defended cape (complete with his name embroider on it) he can take on almost any storm! I do think the three-legged dog is quite jealous of 'Super Blew' during storm season!

BTW, three-legged dog is doing very well. He went in to get his final stitches out and a white cell blood panel done. Everything went swimmingly. Later I received a call from the vet telling me that the tests came back fine, except for one little area that was down just a bit, but nothing to be concerned about. So they faxed the result to the three-legged dog's oncologist and I guess if there is a problem, the oncologist will call.

We are thinking of adding a third greyhound to our family here. Since we are used to having eight of them and are down to two, one with only three legs and the blue dog getting older and unable to be alone without 'compiling' his anxiety on the tile in the kitchen....it seems the way to go. Three is a good number. I like three...it is one of my favorite numbers, like 9 or 13. Ummmmm...better stick with three.

Let's see what Sunday brings.

My Drooling Friend

Been trying to type something but have been having an on-going hand battle with my gray tabby over the keyboard. He really seems to have a thing for laying on the keyboard and hugging my hands. So a compromise has been established and he is now fast asleep with one paw over my left hand, his head over the tab area of my keyboard. He doesn't seem to mind much when my finger needs to move over to do a 'shift' to get the capitol letter to begin a new sentence. At least he isn't drooling, oh yes, he is a drooler, otherwise a perfect kitty. He sits on the back of the couch and lays head on my head, sometimes giving me a little scalp massage first. What a guy eh? :) This is all fine and well until he feels so relaxed that he 'forgets to swallow'. About the time I feel a little drip of drool running down my forehead he is relieved of his position on my head. I feel bad for the guy, because I know it isn't his fault. BUT not so badly that I can stand having his drool run down my face!

I consider him very Spacial.

Monday - Fun Day.

Today was a slow day for around here. Cold, dreary, and not real motivating. Got a lot done over the weekend though. The three legged dog is still doing quite well. The last stitches will come out this coming Friday and also a white blood cell test will be done. However, for some reason, the appetite was off today as well as last night so I hope that doesn't mean anything.

Right now I am sitting here with an old siamese buddy of mine....after dinner I have a sugar free pudding with a little whipped cream on top, and this kitty knows that part of that whipped cream is meant for the end of a kitty's nose. Funny how cats can sleep sitting straight up.

As you can see nothing very exciting going on around here right now. Woo-whooo...

Guess I am out of here as I need to work on a paper discussing the evidence that supports and/or refutes a biological foundation for homosexuality. Yipee Skippy!

Flying Ticks

How the ticks of the clock seem to just fly by. Can't believe it has been so long since I have said anything here.

Life has been more than full around here. Unfortunately not always full of good things, as I have lost even more of my doggy buddies in the last year than I care to even talk about. Also am dealing with one that has cancer...being too young to put down the offending leg was amputated and now chemo is in full swing. So hoping this one will be a suvivor! Amazing how dogs just don't seem to care about a missing limb, to them it is life as usual. The chemo has not caused any problems with bodily functions, which is good for the both of us. But then again, chemo usually doesn't cause many problems for dogs.

One very good thing is that there is a new little life coming into my world. This is a first time happening and my biggest hope is that I will be a good grandparent!

Classes are plugging along, not too much of a problem there. Except that it is really cutting into my gaming and reading time...far too much. :) I can't even begin to describe my backlog of books here. My to do list is so long that if I could read them continously until the day I die, I still probably wouldn't get through all of them.

The three-legged dog is now standing before me giving me that lean and hungry look. I guess if I am putting so much time and money into survival I should probably consider nutrition as well. Feeding time.

Later.

Shangri-la

I have been reading all about the Shangri-la diet and decided to have a stab at it. Think I will go the oil method. Used it already and didn't think it was too bad. So this morning is the beginning. We shall see if this will work for me or not.

Sitting here typing with the TV on a news station and have noticed (not just now, but this is actually something that has irritated me for some time) how badly the volume changes when some commercials come on. Comcast commercials are some of the worst, they can wake you out of a dead sleep. My television supposidly has a control for the sound that is supposed to keep everything at the same level, but obviously it doesn't do the job for some commercials. I have heard that some advertisers actually *pay* to have their commercials *blare* out much louder than the program you are watching. Don't know if that is true or not, I guess I will have to chalk this irritation up as one of my pet peeves.

The Code!

Raining and gray here today, cold too. Things are green and lilacs are in bloom. Birds flock to the feeder with lighter thoughts on their minds. Where is that blue sky and sunshine? Days like this make me so tired. I stall on doing so many tasks at first and then once I finally get motivated I really start moving on things....for a little while, until I stall again. I dare not sit down for I may fall into a deep slumber and not wake up until the dinner bell sounds. This maybe okay for me, but the dogs do not find it amusing. It is nice to be able to work at home, though not very motivating on some days. I do need to finish the book 'The DaVinci Code' before the movie comes out. I have been trying to read that for over a year and finally started about a month ago. I've not been able to get far in it because of my other work. This could be a great day to just immerse myself in it and not stop until I am done.

Losing Good Friends.

It has been nearly a month since I last made an entry. I spoke of a special dog buddy of mine that was ill. Sadly she has left me, about 3 weeks ago now. It was a very hard thing but she now runs free and whole at a place known as The Rainbow Bridge. I hope to be with her, and other wonderful animals I have loved and lost, once again when my life on earth is over. Unfortunately, I am about to lose another wonderful companion, another of my dogs who has Lymphoma at nearly age 14. I have been trying everything I can think of to get her to eat but it is not working. She is on special medication that could possibly help her, however it does not look like she is responding. I feel so very sad. Her trip to the Rainbow Bridge may not fall far behind her friend who left me so shortly ago. The heart breaks when we lose our special friends, but the wonderful memories remain. Thank goodness for the wonderful memories.