May 31, 2014--Michelle’s in Loveland, Colorado

Today was a busy day for all of us.  The first thing Michelle and I did was walk a couple of blocks to a garage sale.  She spent a dime for a Bronco glass and I spent fifty cents for a vase for Meredith.  We took the long way home.  Michelle wanted to show me the landscaping of a house along the way.

Meredith came at 10:00.  She and Michelle have a friend who is an excellent gardner and raises most of their food.  While we went to see Sarah, Bill and the boys stayed home and worked on the front yard.

Sarah, her husband, and four girls live in an older house near old downtown Loveland.  If I were writing an English novel, I might call it a cottage.  The front yard and both side yards are planted in very neat rows with a variety of plants.  Their backyard is large, with room for a greenhouse, several rabbit hutches, and a chicken coop.

While Meredith and Michelle talked in depth about gardens, Sarah’s daughter, Bella, gave me a private tour of their yard.  She is a delightful little girl.  We had a good time talking about all sorts of things, from shark’s teeth to seashells to Beatrix Potter.

Before going back to Michelle’s house, we went to a nursery and Home Depot.  By then, we were getting hungry, so we ate at the parking lot vendor at Home Depot.

While the rest of the family worked on the yard, I rested.  We ended the afternoon sitting in the backyard playing with the dogs.  Dark clouds began to build in the south, moved our way, and rained, probably at least four dozen drops.

May 30, 2014--Michelle’s in Loveland, Colorado

Lori called this morning to try to help me with my “lost file.”  We tried several things, but nothing worked.  She is having lunch with JP today and she will tell him his LOL (Little Old Lady) made a mess of things.

Rain started to fall at 10:00 this morning and continued for most of the day.  It never was a hard rain, which was OK.  East of here, in the Greeley area, they were under a flood watch.  That is something we really don’t need.

Yesterday, I determined that cooking wasn’t my idea of a good time anymore.  Today, I added cleaning the bathroom to the list, also.  We have a very small bathroom is the motorhome, but it took a long time.  I must admit I did a very thorough job of it.

After lunch, I lay down to rest.  It turned into a long nap.  When I woke up, I was able to see the last part of NASCAR qualifying from Dover, Delaware.

Meredith invited us for dinner.  We had “make your own burritos.”  It is one of my favorite meals...custom made burritos!  Yum, yum!  When we got home, I asked Michelle what they had for dinner.  Guess what?  Burritos!  It must be a twin thing!

May 29, 2014--Michelle’s in Loveland, Colorado

This morning, while Bill and Joshua were working on the front yard, and Michelle was working in her office, I made lasagna...for dinner tonight and two pans for the freezer.

I had forgotten how tiring it is to cook.  “Toast is a hot meal” has been my battle cry for 16 years.  And it is even more so after today.  It took me so long to gather all the ingredients, pans, measuring spoons, etc.

I couldn’t get over how slow I was.  Ugh!  That may quite well be my last effort at domesticity!  I was exhausted when the ordeal was over, but I think the results were good.  Nobody jumped up from the dinner table and collapsed on the floor, choking and gagging!  That’s encouraging!

It was warm again today...low 90s, I think.  I spent the afternoon in the motorhome sitting in front of a fan.  In the evening things cooled down quite nicely.  Dark clouds formed, but didn’t cause any disturbances.

I had spent several hours today writing a document, and I lost it.  I spent over an hour searching files, etc.  I hope that tomorrow either Lori or JP will have some words of wisdom on retrievala.

May 28, 2014--Michelle’s in Loveland, Colorado

I had a 10:45 appointment with my dermatologist.  There were several pre cancer places needing to be frozen.  Dr. Bair is small and young.  She is adorable.  I told her nurse I didn’t see how someone so little and sweet could turn “mean” in an instant.  The nurse agreed.  All she has to do is pick up that freezing apparatus and the sweet little thing changes.  And that freezing thing really hurts.  Actually, I feel very lucky to have found her for my skin specialist.

We went to Dollar Tree before going back home.  We had hoped to hunt for a few caches, but the temperature was in the 90s so we sat in front of fans instead of traipsing around in the heat.

Michelle needed to take Max to the veterinarian's office to be weighed.  She wanted to get him a higher dose of flea and tick medicine.  It didn’t involve seeing the vet, which was good, but Max had his tail down between his legs when we went back to the car.  So much for hoping he wouldn’t be afraid of the vet’s office.

Bill and I went to Walmart for groceries.  We are in charge of dinner tomorrow night.  Lasagna is on the menu.  We wanted to have all the ingredients on hand.  I’ll let you know how it turns out.

May 27, 2014--Michelle’s in Loveland, Colorado

Today, I finished my list.  It certainly took me long enough.  Now I will make a new list, because not all of my work is done.  I’m a “list” person and always have been.  It keeps me on track, somewhat.

At noon, Michelle and I went to Office Depot and Ace Hardware.  We were both hungry so, since McDonald’s is the only fast food in the area, that’s where we went.  Michelle went back to work as soon as we got home.

When she was finished for the day, we went to Panda Express to fetch dinner.  It is a favorite of all of us here, so it was a good choice.

Bill continued with his weeding project today.  There were more flowers to be planted, but it will have to wait until tomorrow.  Bill ran out of steam.

Michelle had started knitting a blanket.  Max took the yarn out into the yard to play with it.  Oh, boy!  A new toy!  He didn’t win any popularity contests today!  Michelle didn’t take time to access the damage.  We’ll see if any of the yarn is worth keeping.  She may have to start completely over, with new yarn.  Puppies can be so much fun!

We had quite a bit of lightening to the east of us, but no rain!

May 26, 2014--Michelle’s in Loveland, Colorado

Today was a “draggy” day for me.  I had almost no energy.  But in spite of that, I was able to get our check book reconciled.  That was a big load off my mind.

Bill has spent a lot of time pulling weeds in Michelle’s various flower beds.  Nearing the age of 80, it can be a difficult task, even with the soil softened by the recent rains.  He has come up with a “Gauge for 80 Year Olds.”  In the morning, he is 30/60, meaning he can work for 30 minutes before needing to rest for 60 minutes.  In the afternoon, he is 15/60.  Translate that for yourself!  In the evening, he’s 0/60.  I’ll translate that for you.  He’s absolutely worthless!

Mr. Worthless says now you will know how mean I am to him.  Don’t you believe it!

Most of the guys went to a movie this afternoon.  For those left at home, Michelle grilled hamburgers and made tater tots.  I would rather be home for hamburgers, except perhaps for the popcorn.  I love movie popcorn!

May 25, 2014--Michelle’s in Loveland, Colorado

Blue sky day today.  Bill continued to pull weeds in Michelle’s front tulip bed.  The rain has made the job easier.  Michelle and the boys worked on the flower beds by the front porch.

Ron located all the sprinkler heads in the front yard.  He and the boys took the front sidewalk out.  While Ron was cutting the sod out of the yard so he can level and seed it, Joshua and Connor were loading the pieces of concrete onto a rental truck.  Those two boys are really strong.

Meanwhile, Bill and Michelle were planting climbing flowers along the back fence.  Bill reports that Max was an “enormous” help.  Each time something was dropped, Max was off and running with it.  Big time help, eh?

We had dinner at Meredith and Dwaine’s house.  She fixed ribs, potatoes, rice, baked beans, and salad.  Everyone was really hungry after a day of hard work.  Dessert was fresh fruit, ice cream, and brownies.  Happy tummies all around the table!

Today, we watched parts of the Indy 500 and parts of the NASCAR 600 mile race from Charlotte.  With all the work going on, people didn’t have time to sit and watch much TV.

May 24, 2014--Michelle’s in Loveland, Colorado

Today, Michelle and I went running around.  Actually, we drove around.  I can’t literally run around anymore!

We drove north on I-25 to one of last Ft. Collins exits.  After eating lunch at McDonald’s, we went to a feed and seed store to get grass seed for Michelle and Ron’s front yard.  The grass in their backyard is very green and thick.  They have the same thing planned for their front yard.

Next, we went to a nursery that Meredith and Dwaine had taken me to yesterday.  There were several things I wanted to show her.  That was to be the extent of our “running” around, but as usual, by then we had added several more stops to our list.

Our trip back to Loveland was on I-25.  We stopped at Kohl’s.  Lori had given me a gift card.  I needed a white summer weight cardigan sweater and a knit shirt.  I was glad Michelle was my shopping coordinator because she took me right to the department I needed.

We went to the community center where we were able to sign up for a class.  We will be making a fused glass bowl.  I have done some glass fusing before, but it has been a long time ago.  It will be interesting to see what we make in the class.

Our next stop was to get pizza for dinner tonight.  Hopefully, we’re giving Michelle a break from cooking on this holiday weekend.  Pizza is always a hit around her dining room table.

Hobby Lobby was our last stop for the day.  Not long after returning home, Meredith, Dwaine, and the pups came for a visit.  Both dogs are really well behaved when they are in the motor 

home.

The weather today was very nice, but by tonight, we were having rain and lightening.  This is about the fourth day in a row for “noisy” rain.

May 23, 2014--Michelle’s in Loveland, Colorado

Meredith, Dwaine, and the pups came this morning to take me to garage sales, among other places.  

Our first stop was at Hobby Lobby.  Dwaine needed a special kind of glue and this craft store has a wide variety in stock.  After he found a kind for plastic, we went to the bead department where I got a stone for a necklace.

It has been quite awhile since I have worked on a beading project.  I don’t even have that on my list.  As soon as things are marked off my current list, beading will go at the top of the next list.

We went to several garage sales, but none of them were great.  It is, however, always fun to go to any of them.  There weren’t too many today, maybe because of the weather we have been having this past week, or because it is a holiday weekend.  So many people are traveling for Memorial Day.

After eating lunch at our favorite drive-in, we went back to Michelle’s house.  She, along with Bill and Joshua, were doing yard work.  Meredith stayed to help.  There are lots of weeds to be pulled and planting to be done.

Soon after dinner another storm hit the Loveland area.  We had heavy rain, with flash flood warnings.  The lightening and thunder that accompanied it made for a very loud light show.  The storm had moved on east by 10:30.

May 22, 2014--Michelle’s in Loveland, Colorado

Not long after we finished a nice breakfast, prepared by the residence fry cook, Meredith came by to see if we wanted to go out to lunch.  Bill chose not to go, but, of course, I readily accepted the invitation.

She and Dwaine came back for me at 12:30.  Meredith chose to go to Arby’s.  Afterwards, we went out to I-25 and turned north.  There was a special nursery Meredith wanted me to see.  It had a great assortment of indoor and outdoor plants.

While we spent time looking around, Dwaine took a nap in a rocking chair.  After we made our purchases, we drove west into Fort Collins.  Dwaine showed me a specific area we would like to do geocaches in.  And it was on our way, kind of, to a yogurt place.  Yum, yum!

I went home with them so I could spend some time with Hapa and Joey.  All five of us needed naps.  Joey started his nap on the sofa with me, but after about 30 minutes, he found a spot on the floor to finish his snooze.

While Meredith fixed dinner...salmon, asparagus, and rice...Dwaine took the pups for a walk.  Just about the time we were finishing dinner, a storm hit.  Rain, lightening, thunder, hail, and wind.  Hapa is terribly frightened of thunder so she sat beside me on the sofa for safety and comfort.

By the time Dwayne and Hapa took me home, the storm had just about passed.  He pulled up close to the steps of the MH so I wouldn’t get too wet going in the door.  I don’t know why I should worry.  I don’t shrink when I get wet!  Drats!

May 21, 2014--Michelle’s in Loveland, Colorado

While Bill worked on the generator, I worked on my list.  The generator works well, but it has a small leak that he can’t find.  He has to occasionally add coolant.  This isn’t the first time he has tried to find the leak.  I’d guess he will just have to keep on keeping on with the coolant fix.

I spent most of the morning trying to mark things off my list.  And I am making progress.  My stack of papers on my desk isn’t as high as it was.  Fun things like balancing the checkbook just fill my days with excitement.

After lunch, Bill took me to Hobby Lobby.  There was a police car in front of the store, and two policemen were standing just inside the door.  I was looking for several things and had to go to various parts of the store.  A man, apparently in the back storage area of the store, was apprehended and taken out in handcuffs.  Don’t worry, Michelle, the “collar” had nothing to do with me, but when I went to check out, the employees were all abuzz!  

We went to Dollar Tree, but nothing interesting happened there.  Before going back to the MH, we made a quick stop at Sam’s Club for vitamins, etc.

We both rested after returning home.  I didn’t sleep, but spent my time reading.  The book is a mystery, set in Maryland at an Elderhostel.  This is a new series for me and I’m enjoying it.

When Michelle finished work, she and I went to Walmart.  It was a quick trip.  When  we came out of the store, rain had started to fall.  It continued off and on until bedtime.  Denver had tornados and hail today, so I think we got of lightly.

May 20, 2014--Michelle’s in Loveland, Colorado

Bill brought pancakes from McDonald’s for our breakfast.  They were yummy!  I had a rough day yesterday and he wanted to pep me up.  This morning I read the side effects of the UTI medication I started yesterday.  No wonder I had a rough day.  I’m glad I only have to take it five days.

I got a task or two marked off my list before Michelle went on a quick errand run at noon.  We made a circle, starting at the library to return books and to the city offices to pay a bill.  As we circled back north we stopped at Taco Bell for lunch, before continuing on to US Bank, our last stop on our way back home.

I spent part of the afternoon working on some geocache things.  Hopefully, as weather allows, we will continue to do a few “hunts” now and then.  There is a lot of geocaching activity in this area.  Each time we go our on a “mission,” we try to find a few hidden things.

Connor’s choice for dinner tonight was chicken fried steak.  It was really good, with red potatoes and broccoli to accompany it.  It is one of his favorite menu items, and one that Michelle likes to fix.

Bill and I watched the finale of Dancing With The Stars.  It has been a very good season.  Several couples deserved the mirror ball trophy.  It was an interesting “end of the season” show.

Our area of Colorado was under a severe weather alert, starting at 9:00.  We had thunderstorms and even some hail.  By the time I was ready for bed, the storm had passed.  More may be on the way tomorrow! 

May 19, 2014--Michelle’s in Loveland, Colorado

We went on errands this morning, ending at Walmart.  Bill was in charge of dinner tonight, and he needed to buy some groceries.  He was making the family’s favorite...meatloaf.  We all know that his meatloaf is the best.  We also had scalloped potatoes and salad.  Meredith and Dwaine ate with us, too.

While at Walmart, I had to have a prescription filled.  It seems as if I have another UTI.  Maybe that is why I have been feeling draggy lately.

I didn’t accomplish very much today.  I only marked one thing off my “to do” list.  It is a very long list and at the rate I’m going, I won’t have everything marked off until sometime in October.

It was a beautiful spring day today.  However, the weather person is calling for a thunderstorm on Wednesday.  I only hope this is one of the many times the prediction is wrong.  We have really been enjoying this nice weather.

May 18, 2014--Michelle’s in Loveland, Colorado

Michelle and Ron prepared a really good Sunday morning breakfast today...sausage, eggs, potatoes, toast, and fruit juice.  It was enough to sustain me while Michelle and I went on some errands.

While she went into Best Buy and Lowe’s, I stayed in the car so she could make better time.  When we got to Walmart, I went to the pharmacy area while Michelle went to the grocery part.  We met in the middle.  

All of the cashiers were busy so we both went to the self checkout place.  I usually make such a mess of it that someone has to finish for me.  Not today!  I did it all without any mistakes.  So did Michelle.  We were bragging to each other as we left the store until I realized I had left my cane by my checkout place.  Michelle went back for it.

My grandmother always said that “pride goeth before a fall.”  I think today was a perfect example of it.

Meredith came for me to spend some time at her house this afternoon.  It was a beautiful day.  We sat on their deck and looked out at the lake.  Lots of boats were enjoying the nice weather.  We watched the white pelicans flying along the shoreline.  

Hapa and Joey spent their time guarding the backyard from squirrels and other interlopers that might be lurking in the trees.  They did an excellent job!  

Yesterday, I bought a flowerpot for one of my plants needing a bigger home.  Meredith repotted if for me.  Dwaine built her a great place beside the house to do her nursery-like work.  It is set up with a workbench, a big container for potting soil, and a place for her tools, etc.  My only job was to watch!

Meredith grilled steak for dinner.  She also had baked potatoes and salad.  Some of us sat at the dining room table while others ate out on the deck.

When I am at Brent’s house,  I usually get a Willie Wound when he jumps up on me.  It is kind of a badge of honor for me.  This time, when leaving Brandon, I didn’t have any wounds.  Today, Max took care of what we are now calling “Max Marks.”  He decorated my left arm quite nicely!  The fun just never ends!

May 17, 2014--Michelle’s in Loveland, Colorado

This morning we pushed garage sales to the bottom of the list.  Instead, we focused on plants and things for the Michelle’s backyard.  We went to the Habitat Thrift Store to look for big flower pots to put some of Michelle’s larger plants in.  We didn’t have any luck.

Our next stop was at a large nursery in the south part of Loveland.  The girls bought an assortment of plants for the planter boxes they made last summer.

I bought a flower pot for a plant of mine that has outgrown its present pot.  It is a beautiful ceramic pot and I hope it will work.

After eating lunch at a hamburger place on the road to Estes Park, we went to a farm and ranch store on the east side of I-25. It was a very big, and very busy store.  While everyone was looking around various parts of the store, I was looking through a sale rack.  I found a Western shirt to wear when we are in Lone Pine for the Film Festival.  And for $7.00.  Bill said he hopes I will be able to find it when I need it.  I do tend to forget where I put things.

After dinner tonight, the three boys and I cleaned the kitchen.  The only thing that didn’t get done was emptying the dishwasher, and it was still running.

It took us quite awhile to get everything in shape.  Afterwards, the four of us went to Sonic for half priced milkshakes.  We sat for a long time, enjoying the treats, and talking about all sorts of things...places we would like to travel to, where we would like to live, etc.  I enjoy being with these three boys.  It is always interesting!

May 16, 2014--Michelle’s in Loveland, Colorado

Michelle’s next door neighbors were having a garage sale.  What a great way to start the day!  I only had to get out of the motorhome and walk about 20 feet and up their driveway.

I bought four Denver Bronco t-shirts, two Bronco stocking caps, and Bronco house shoes.  I also bought a black and white shirt, a couple of turtle necks, and another sweater or two.

Getting up earlier for the sale, and making several trips home to carry my loot made me really tired.  Bill was “inspecting the insides of his eyelids” when I made my final trip back to the MH, so I decided to rest for a bit, too.  In two hours, I woke up!  Yikes!  I knew garage sales can be a lot of work, but that was a bit much, don’t you think?

When I got up, Bill was ready to eat lunch.  I knew he had something in mind.  And he did...Spam!  He had seen a can in the pantry and just couldn’t stop thinking about it.  He fried it for sandwiches.

We know several people who like Spam as much or more than we do...Dwaine, our son-in-law, and our good friend from Mississippi, Paul.  Also, when JP and Natalia traveled with us in the summers and brought along a list of things they wanted to eat during our travels, Spam was always on the list.  We thought about calling everyone to come for lunch, but decided it probably wouldn’t work.

We had a little rain this afternoon, but only enough to close the next door garage sale early.  The Weather Channel predicts warmer weather on its way so I guess we don’t have to worry about snow in the near future.

May 15, 2014--Michelle’s in Loveland, Colorado

Today was a very busy day.  Several times during the day there was a threat of rain.  It didn’t amount to much and it certainly didn’t slow us down.

After a very good breakfast prepared by Chef Bill, we went car shopping.  Now don’t get excited, all of you out there who know how much we love our Honda CRV.  Brent is looking to replace his Ford Explorer.  He has just about decided on a Subaru and I wanted to see the one he is zeroing in on.

I sat in the copilot seat and in the back seat.  I even checked out Willie’s place.  The only place I didn’t bother to try out was the driver’s seat.  That is where Brent always sits.  And since I probably scare the bejesus out if him when I drive, I doubt that I will ever have an occasion to sit behind the wheel.

From car shopping we went caching.  We found five before I played out.  Every one of them required walking across pastures and places like that.  It was the most I have walked in a long time!

I rested this afternoon and then worked on some paperwork that has been waiting for me.  We had spaghetti for dinner.  Michelle says it is one of her easy meals.  Tonight was a good time for something easy, because Matthew had his Spring band concert at 7:00.  Loveland High School has some very talented students (including Matthew) and it was a good performance...long, but good.

May 14, 2014--Michelle’s in Loveland, Colorado

We made a quick trip to Costco this morning.  When we got back to Loveland, we made stops at JoAnn Fabrics and Walmart, before getting lunch at Arby’s and going home to eat it.  

While the sleepy guy took a nap, I went back to Walmart for a manicure.  I didn’t take time to do any shopping while there because I was afraid I might mess up the polish.

Matthew and Max accompanied us on our walk this afternoon.  Max is such a happy puppy.  His tail wagged the entire time we were walking.

Soon after 5:00, Bill and I went out caching.  It was a DNF, but we found a very charming little park.  Perhaps someday we will look for the hidden container again.

We gave up the hunt just as it was time to go to Meredith and Dwaine’s for supper.  She fixed a new chicken dish she had found in her new cookbook.  It was delicious, as was everything she served...stuffed peppers and salad, with ice cream for dessert.

Joey was playful, but little Hapa was drowsy.  She had to have some major dental work today and they anesthetized her.  She was at the vet’s all day.  Meredith ask if they would give her treats when she woke up.  She hadn’t had anything to eat since last night.  They did as requested and she hid the treats in her blanket.  I think Joey enjoyed being the only dog for the day.

May 13, 2014--Michelle’s in Loveland, Colorado

I spent the morning and part of the afternoon making phone calls, setting up doctor’s appointments, sending for our mail from South Dakota, and paying bills.  It wasn’t a whole lot of fun, but it’s all part of life on the road, or anywhere else, for that matter.

Bill and I went for a walk this afternoon.  It was sunny, but a cold wind was blowing.  That made it not so pleasant.  We have hopes of warmer weather and less wind.  There are lots of caches in the area we want to try to find.

On our way to Meredith and Dwaine’s, we made a second try to find a cache at a small park.  Today we were successful.  We took the two of them to a geocaching meeting at a really good barbecue restaurant.  We had a good time, but the place was very noisy.  We were only able to talk to the person right next to us, but even then it was hard to hear.

May 12, 2014--Michelle’s in Loveland, Colorado

The sky was only partly cloudy this morning, but it was cold and a brisk wind was blowing.

I asked Bill to get my prescription from Walmart, but I failed to tell him which store he needed to go to.  We had several errands to go on this morning so we set off again.

I have been having some problems with my iPhone when I am trying to use the Geocaching app.  They were able to get everything in working order again.

We went to Sam’s Club for some paper plates.  When there are eight, nine, or more sitting around the dinner table, the dishes can overload a dishwasher really quickly.  Bill didn’t look very spry as we were checking out, so we went back home.

I left him to take a nap while I went for my Rx at the other Walmart.  After doing just a little more shopping, I went to Hobby Lobby.  I didn’t find the things I was looking for, but I enjoyed wandering around.

I had a lot of computer work to do when I got back home, but I was really tired and sleepy.  I put everything on hold while I rested and read my mystery book.  I didn’t go to sleep, but reclined for an hour.

I was at the computer when Meredith called to say she and the pups were walking over to see us.  When they arrived, Joey and Hapa were ready for a nap.  When it came time for them to leave, Bill provided them with a ride home.  He does a lot of chauffeur duties these days.

After a great dinner that Michelle fixed, we sat around the table and talked for about 30 minutes.  It was a relaxing end to the day.

May 11, 2014--Michelle’s in Loveland, Colorado

Today was my birthday.  And it was Mother’s Day, too.

I talked to all of my children today.  That makes it a very special day.  

It was warm in California where Lori lives and it was humid where Brent is.  And here in Colorado with Meredith and Michelle,  it snowed all day.  The high was 35°.  Of all the years we lived in Colorado and Wyoming, I can’t remember weather like this on my birthday.

This morning I stayed in my nice warm bed and read an “Aunt Dimity” mystery.  I also spent a lot of the morning watching the snowflakes fall.  It was peaceful!  Connor treated me to a fruit smoothie this morning.  He really knows how to make them!

Meredith, Michelle, and I went for pedicures.  It was fun being with them.  Neither one of them have a problem with someone touching their feet, but I do.  I can’t hold my feet still so sometime the manicurist ends up with more polish than I do.  I can’t help it.  Brent is worse than I am, but I don’t think he’s ever challenged a manicurist.

We went to Meredith and Dwaine’s for a late lunch...salad, and cheese fondue.  It was good and a treat for me.  I don’t have a fondue pot in the MH.

When I got back to the motorhome, I took a long nap.  Since it was so cold today, I turned on a heating pad to “high,” and wrapped up in a blanket.

Tonight, Ron grilled hamburgers.  That was my choice for dinner.  He does a really good job on them.  He might just give In-N-Out a run for their money.  Connor, with Michelle’s guidance, made apple crisp for dessert.

It was a wonderful day!!!

May 10, 2014--Michelle’s in Loveland, Colorado

This was a busy day for us.  Bill transported Matthew to a JROTC community service project.  That left Michelle, Meredith, and me free to go to garage sales.  We went to a couple of good ones.  The number of sales today was low, perhaps because of the uncertainty of the weather.

We had some rain, but it didn’t amount to much.  They are calling for snow for a couple of days, but we hope that’s a false rumor.  The late snows are usually heavy and hard on new plants that are just coming out.  Michelle has beautiful tulips, but a heavy snow would probably do them in.

We went to lunch at a 80s type hamburger place.  Meredith and Michelle enjoyed the music being played.  When we got home, the girls and three young men took the three dogs to a neighborhood park.

With the pups really tired after all that play time, Meredith and Michelle went grocery shopping, while the furry beasts took naps.  I spent the time on the computer.  I got some geocaching chores caught up.

Bill and I went to Meredith and Dwaine’s for dinner.  As usual, the meal was wonderful...pork chops, baked potatoes, cauliflower casserole, ice cream and fresh berries.  We spent a lot of time just talking after dinner.  Dwaine also showed us a web site he has developed for one of his college classes.  It was very impressive.

When we got back home, Bill and I watched the NASCAR race from Kansas.  Jeff Gordon won!  Yippy, Skippy!

May 9, 2014--Michelle’s in Loveland, Colorado

32° and foggy this morning.  Yikes!  I had to drag a couple of winter things out.  Br-r-r-r!  It was cold.

Bill did some chores around the motorhome while I worked on the computer.  I don’t ever seem to catch up.  When I feel like I’m making progress, something new comes along.

Michelle and I had a couple of errands to run today.  But first, we went to Panda Express for lunch.  With happy tummies, we went to the library.  Each of us checked out two books.  Loveland has a fantastic library.  Recent remodeling just about doubled the space.

Since Bill was running the taxi service for the boys at school, Michelle and I decided it would be a good time to go to JoAnn Fabrics.  She wanted to get some fleece for a project and some yarn.  I know you may not believe it, but I didn’t buy a thing.  Not a bead or wire, or anything.

Michelle went to Connor’s last track meet for the year.  She made a stop at Costco on her way into the Denver area.

Matthew had an JROTC presentation at school tonight, so after going to Meredith and Dwaine’s to eat burritos, we went to see Matthew get an advancement in rank.  Ron took him, and a few minutes later Bill, Meredith, and I followed.  We got there just as the colors were being presented.  It was a long program because JROTC is very active in this area.  Matthew looked very handsome in his uniform.  

May 8, 2014--North Platte, Nebraska to Michelle’s in Loveland, Colorado

Happy Birthday, Ron!

We left this morning at 6:10 with Bill driving and me asleep in back.  

At about 7:00 I heard a honk, honk!  I did my part from the bedroom.  

Bill soon pulled off the Interstate.  I assumed we were at a Rest Area, but the shades were down most of the way.  I could just make out a teepee as we went by.  I thought, “Oh, no!  The Lone Ranger is taking me home.”

When he pulled into a parking spot, I went to the front.  To my glee, it was snowing.  “Welcome to Colorado!”  Oscar (aka the Grouch) didn’t share my joy.  We sat there for awhile, debating whether to go on or stay.  I let Bill make those kinds of decisions (otherwise I’m in charge...insert smiley face) because he’s the one driving.  He chose to go.  (I do have veto power, but he’s usually right.)

After about 20 miles, the weather improved and by the time we got to the Sterling turnoff, the roads were beginning to dry.  It was cold and windy when we parked at Walmart.  After eating breakfast, I went in for a few groceries.  Bill stayed in the MH and rested.  

We took Colorado Highway 14 to Tinmath on I-25.  The Walmart there has a fuel stop with diesel.  And then it was on to Loveland to spend time with two daughters, two sons-in-laws, three grandkids, and three granddoggers!  Wow!  Fun times ahead.  And we’ll be looking forward to July when the rest of the clan gathers for a Team Frantic family get-together.

Michelle had a nice birthday dinner for Ron...lasagna, salad, French bread, cake, and ice cream.  Meredith joined in the festivities and Dwaine came after he got out of class. It was fun being with the group, but I have been cold ever since we got here.

May 7, 2014--Council Bluffs, Iowa to Walmart in North Platte, Nebraska

I “yahooed” when we crossed into Nebraska.  Bill couldn’t honk because we were in heavy Omaha traffic.  He had to wait until things cleared out a bit before he could celebrate.  

Omaha is really spread out.  It took us a long time to get through, not because of traffic, but because it is so spread out.  And there was a lot of traffic, but Super Driver handled it, as usual.

We drove on to North Platte, Nebraska, where we planned to stop for the night at Walmart.  We got there at 4:00, decided to stay, geocache, eat dinner somewhere and relax for the evening.  

Not long after sunset, we were hit by a very big storm...lightening and thunder, high winds, and really heavy rain.  It lasted for about an hour, moved out, and then moved back in again, this time with some hail involved.  It was quite a storm.

Travel totals...Today’s mileage, 284---Caches found, 4

May 6, 2014--Muscatine to Council Bluffs, Iowa

At 9:00 this morning, after dumping the holding tanks, and hooking  the Honda onto the back of the motorhome, we did our imitation of Willie Nelson. 

We drove west to Moscow where HWH is located.  That is the company that made the hydraulic system for the Country Coach.  There had been a leak for over a year and a half.  Bill had tried several times to fix it, but wasn’t able to figure out how to fix it.  He kept a towel wrapped around it to help keep the area clean.  Occasionally he would add fluid to it.  Not long after leaving Brent’s house, our leveling system started acting up.  In order to ride with any semblance of comfort, Bill had to level the airbags and pull a fuse for any stability.

Yesterday, he put a clean towel on the lines.  This morning, the leveling system seemed to work fine.  We had an appointment at HWH for 10:00 tomorrow, and went there today to park, in case they could get us in earlier.  They said they would try to work us in.  Just before 12:00, we recieved a call saying we could pull the coach in to Bay 4.  

Do you remember times when you would take a sick child to the doctor and the child would be OK?  Well, it happened with the coach this morning  The towel was dry  There was no sign of a leak.  Geez!  

We left HWH soon after 1:00 and headed on I-80 toward Des Moines. After leaving the river area, we were in rolling hills...still farmland, but not quite as easy to plow.  More fun, maybe, but also more of a challenge.  The trees are just getting their light green leaves.  Beautiful!

After 288 miles today, we parked for dinner and the night at Sam’s Club in Council Bluffs, Iowa, just across the state line from Omaha.

May 5, 2014--Muscatine, Iowa

We went caching at 9:00 this morning.  We stayed on the Iowa side of the Mississippi River.  The four that we found were all out in the country.

The first one was at a grist mill built in 1850.  It has been beautifully restored and preserved and is now included in a State Park.  We were there at the same time as a 4th grade field trip.  We tried to stay out of their way.

Next, we went to an old stone church.  The container was very clever and we had never seen one quite like it before.  It was also an interesting place for a cache.  We probably wouldn’t have seen it if it wasn’t the site of a cache.

Well, we started our tick count today.  No, it wasn’t on me and it wasn’t Bill.  It was walking across the screen of his computer.  That’s a new one, isn’t it?

May 4, 2014--Muscatine, Iowa

It was cool and windy with a threat of rain this morning, but we went out on the caching trail, anyway.  Our choice of places to look for hidden things was on the Illinois side of the Mississippi River.  We drove into Muscatine, crossed over the bridge and honked and yahooed our way over into some really pretty farmland.

We didn’t get cold until we tried to find a cache hidden right down at the water’s edge.  With the wind coming off the river, we got very, very cold.  We looked for about 15 minutes, but didn’t find anything among the flood debris.  We listed it as a DNF and went back to the car.

While we were going to the next cache, we cranked the heat up as high as it would go and tried to thaw out.  We found 12 caches before deciding it was time for lunch.  It was very enjoyable driving past the green fields and farms.  Each farm had several barns and silos.

Back over the bridge celebrating, we went to a seafood place.  Bill loves shrimp.  Our only two other stops were at JoAnn Fabrics and Walmart.

When we got back to the campground, we watched the NASCAR race from “Dega.”  It didn’t end as we would of liked, but that’s life in the fast lane, eh?

We ended the day watching a barge going up the river.

May 3, 2014--Lincoln, Illinois to Muscatine, Iowa

I got “forty more winks” while Super Driver took off up the road.  The sound of the diesel engine helps me sleep.  As if I needed help these days.

We crossed over the Mississippi River into Iowa.  We did a really good job of honking and yelling.  In fact, we did it so well that a small fishing boat I could see from the bridge nearly tipped over from all the hoopla.  

We took Hwy. 22 soon after we crossed the river.  We didn’t go into Davenport, but went south along the Mississippi to a Corps of Engineers park on the river.  Shady Creek is a nice, well maintained campground.  We signed up for three nights and I got busy on geocaching maps for the area...both sides of the river.

We watched NASCAR qualifying from Talladega.

When night fell along the Mississippi River, it was very, very dark.  Some of the campers had outdoor lights strung around their areas, but they didn’t do much to lighten the place.  We just sat and enjoyed the dark while we watched John Wayne take on the South.

Miles traveled today, 155.

May 2, 2014--Sikeston to Lincoln, Illinois

“On the road again...” at 8:30 this morning.  Another clear day as we head toward St. Louis.

The terrain changed from flat farmland to rolling hills before we got to St. Louis.  The last time we were here it was 105° so we didn’t go to the Gateway Arch.  By the time we got to the area today, we had some heavy clouds, so we went by again.  This will have to stay on our “someday list” a while longer.

When we crossed the Mississippi once again, we were in Illinois (Honk, honk! Yahoo!).  And back in farming country...very flat.

We had planned to park for the night at the Walmart in Litchfield.  Our arrival was earlier than expected.  After parking, we rested for about 30 minutes, ate lunch, and then went geocaching.  It was overcast and windy, but we found five caches fairly easily.  It was cold, cloudy, and windy.  Not a nice day for caching, but we survived.  Since it was still early in the afternoon, we decided to weigh anchor and go on a little further day.

We stopped in Lincoln, Illinois for the night...good old Walmart!

Travel totals:  Mileage traveled, 275--Geocaches found, 5.

May 1, 2014--Batesville, Mississippi to Walmart in Sikeston, Missouri

As yet another May first rolls around, our May Baskets will have to be virtuals.  Our loved ones are far away, but still in our hearts!

Just like yesterday, we left under blue skies.  Perhaps today it will stay that way.  We were on the way at 9:30.

Other than the fact that this is a May Basket kind of day, it is also a three state line celebration kind of day.  We went into Tennessee (Honk, honk! Yahoo! softly because of traffic), drove a few miles through Memphis, and crossed the Mississippi River into Arkansas (Celebrate, celebrate!). 

Seventy-two miles on up the road, and after parking at Walmart in Blytheville to rest and have some ribs for lunch, we crossed into Missouri with little traffic and much honking and cheering!

We went to the Walmart in Sikeston and parked for the night.  And as luck would have it, this town is the location of the first Lambert’s, Home of the Throwed Rolls!  Yippy, Skippy!

Wow!  This has been a great day, with lots of honking, cheering, singing (with Willie Nelson), and eating!

Miles traveled today, 205--Geocaches, 4.