RV Blog--Life in a Box. This just ain't 'camping' any more....

Wednesday, December 20, 2006:

Dinah // Wednesday, December 20, 2006
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Friday, December 08, 2006:

Okay, I've gotten bored with this blog and started a new one--trying to catch up with my daughter, who got me started on this in the first place! SHE has at least 3, none of which has been posted to in ages! :)

Having to turn the furnace off and on all day, through this current cold snap has pretty much soured me on writing much about RV living--at least doing it in THIS brand of RV!

If you're interested, not to mention being somewhat befuddled at the idea of a furnace without a thermostat, I'll remind you of a previous rant in which I explained that, in the interest of saving a buck, our manufacturer left out the wall mounted thermostat for the furnace, and it is supposedly controlled by the thermostat in the AC/heat pump unit--on the ROOF! So, the furnace runs and runs and runs in really cold weather, until enough heat migrates through the unit to register 63 degrees (which is all the lower we can set it). By this time--it's HOT in here! At nite, we have been running an electric heater on the floor directly under the AC unit, which helps get the thermostat heated up. Sunday's project is to install a wall thermostat!!! Of course, you may remember that the manufacturer doesn't CARE about this aggrivation, since, buried deep in the owners manual is a sentence telling us that our 4 season RV is not intended for use in temperatures below 32 degrees.... ARRRRRRRGGGG! Ergo, it's a "4 season" unit if you live in CENTRAL FLORIDA!

Anyhow, here's the link:

The New Dog Blog

I don't guarantee that it'll be a bit more exciting than this blog, but it's there! :)

Dinah // Friday, December 08, 2006
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Tuesday, December 05, 2006:

We made the 'move' on Sunday, to Free Spirit Campground! Thll some Christmas dog collars... If you have friends with pampered pooches, please send them heree weather had, of course, turned COLD on us, but it was a short trip so nothing had time to freeze up in our 'home'. And it's still cold! You'd think it was WINTER or something! I spent the day yesterday working on a web page to (hopefully) sell a few dog collars for Christmas. If you have friends with pampered pooches, please send them here! So far, the online craft store I set up has netted me one lonely sale.... So much for making money! lol Today I have to walk 3 dogs (am I nuts???), rake leaves, unearth my Christmas decorations, string some lights (we're having a heat wave today--might get up in the 40s!), and, oh yes! Pay the rent! Once more, we are suffering from a bad case of "anti-Monoco". When the furnace runs in our house, it isn't controlled by a wall thermostat the way every other furnace in the world is. Oh, no! That little installation might have cost Monoco a buck or two on each unit. So, they assumed that the thermostat in the overhead AC/Heat pump unit would do. Uh, huh. Thermostat in that unit is located just under the roof shroud, and heat has to travel clear through the AC unit, up to the roof! Works okay when there is sun shining on the roof, but when that sun goes down, the furnace can't make enough heat to counter-act the cold coming from the outdoors. So it runs and runs and the house gets hotter and hotter. "Turn down the thermostat, you say?" Uh, huh. That would be remote controlled and set to go no lower than 63 degrees. WHAT A FARCE! So, come Sunday, Hubby gets to crawl back into the guts of the RV and connect thermostat wires and run them into the house and install a wall thermostat! By the time we've lived in this RV for 5 years, we won't dare trade it off because all the stupid stuff will finally be found and fixed! Arrrrrrggggggg! And that's my Rant for the day! Happy Tuesday!

Dinah // Tuesday, December 05, 2006
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Friday, December 01, 2006:

Moving back to Indiana! Only this time, we're going South! Bound to be warmer, right? At least I'll have time to get a few Christmas decorations up before New Years! I found a nice campground, http://www.freespiritcamp.com that looks pretty good, thanks to our old friends, Jack & Sue, who live near there. It's about 25 miles from the jobsite--but it's an easy drive. Well, okay, the middle part of the trip is through the Hoosier National Forest, with hills and hollers and curves.... Poor thing... So, my big Holiday dog collar & leash sets haven't been filling my inbox with orders, and the Craft store gets lots of 'lookers', but no buyers. Probably going to shut it down in a week or two. Meanwhile, we get to pack up the place tomorrow and then go hear Whisper Down perform tomorrow nite! :) This week, the new puppy is being called "Trouble", by me. Hubby is calling him "Willie"--as in willie poop here, willie poop there, where willie poop next? Ah, the joy of puppies..... House training should get easier, once we're settled in a real campground, taking regular walks and hanging out in a pen when the weather is nice. This little guy has very little experience with the great out-of-doors. Raised on concrete, I'm guessing... Now I need to go stow my craft supplies for the move....

Dinah // Friday, December 01, 2006
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Sunday, November 26, 2006:

Well, we managed a Thanksgiving with the kids! That was nice. :) The grand finale was the exploding Corelle bowl on the kitchen floor, tho! NOT nice. And now, on to the boring things like making money to pay the bills! My craft sales site is a bust--no surprise. Lots of hits, but since I'm not giving away those tiny, hand-pieced quilts, no one is buying! At the moment, I'm working on Christmas dog collars and leashes on a Rescue site... As for a REAL job...we're hoping tomorrow will be the day. There is some work south of Indy, if Hubby can wrangle one! Work in the SE has been at a standstill, just like here--too much rain! This just hasn't been the year for dirt work! I'm looking forward to getting my 'stuff' OUT of boxes so I don't feel like I'm living in a storage unit! It'd be nice to be able to drag out a few Christmas baubles! And the puppy (who remains "nameless") is hoping for a fenced yard of his very own... Plenty of yard here, but it's full of big dogs and has no fence! Time to go package some more of this winter's 'goat' meat.... Happy Holiday Season!

Dinah // Sunday, November 26, 2006
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Wednesday, November 08, 2006:

That would be "Life in a Very Small Box" these days....remember the scene in the Star Wars movie where they're in the garbage hold and it's shrinking? Or any other movie where the stars are in small rooms where the walls are slowly coming in on them? We're there. The dogs are frantically trying to keep from being touched by the puppy (they haven't made their peace with his existence, yet)... We have to move a basket of clothes off the toilet so it can be used as needed... The microwave is sitting on a board over the second sink. The car is packed to the roof, and the lid of the trunk. And the list goes on.... It doesn't help that somebody has misplaced the other dog leash.

If we are very, very lucky--this job will be done this week, and we'll find out that there's a new one starting up nearby in a few days so we can go bring our house back over here. OR, we'll be heading down to GA. At this point, whatever gets us out of this matchbox and back into our HUGE, 400 sq ft. RV is almost all good!

Page 2: If you do any online shopping, surf on over to http://www.bigcrumbs.com and check it out. If you decide to sign up, please put "NomadChick" down as the one who referred you....

We got to see the sunshine this afternoon! It got up to nearly 60 degrees! Now we'll see how long this lasts.... :) Opened the windows and aired out the "Box"!
"Lost" is nearly over, and bedtime beckons... Gotta be up at 5:30!

Dinah // Wednesday, November 08, 2006
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Monday, November 06, 2006:

Have you ever taken a tiny, bouncy black puppy out into the grass, in the dark? Said puppy (now known as Harpo), is determined to flit back and forth between the 2 big dogs--or just plain run around in circles, jump and play. Have you seen the toddler shoes with the blinky red lights on the heels? Well, I have this bright little red flashlight, about the size of my thumbnail--which I clipped to Harpo's collar tonite. We laughed and laughed!!! All we could see was the little red light, bouncing all over the yard. Sometimes he was chasing the other dogs and sometimes, I swear, he was chasing the red light dangling from his collar! What a hoot!

Meanwhile, here we (the dogs and I) in the familiar campground, in the 'incredible shrinking pickup camper' while Hubby goes off to fight the Bulldozer Wars--building a parking lot. Now, it was supposed to rain today, and the way the whole summer went, it would have! We were planning to make a run to IL and fetch our 'house'. But--no rain! It's now due in here tonite. But, even if it does...the job is supposedly going to be done this week. Which means, of course, that it isn't economically feasible (feasable?) to go get the 'house' tomorrow, in the rain. We'll be sitting here, waiting for the jobsite to dry, (not unlike watching paint dry), so they can finish the job and we can maybe go back to our house. Oh! I forgot to mention that we're sitting here with a change of clothes each! Period. What an adventure!

Dinah // Monday, November 06, 2006
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Sunday, November 05, 2006:

I saw something yesterday that I don't ever want to see again! It was a black computer screen telling me that the clock had stopped. Mind you, I had no idea of the significance of that statement--but I knew it wasn't good!

Leading up to this moment was a short, slow-motion sequence of events which I also never want to see again! First came the travel mug half full of coffee, tilting and dumping it's contents ONTO the laptop. Then things began to flash and beep and scream (that was me) and belch and barf, while I frantically disconnected the electricity and yanked the battery and turned the whole thing upside down while simultaneously grabbing a towel and sopping coffee. Suddenly, I knew how the folks on the Jerico show felt, right after they saw the mushroom clouds!

Then I tilted the laptop onto it's side and watched coffee drain out, and set it down in front of the electric heater. Next, I dug in the cabinet for the new bag of dark chocolate M & Ms, took a Xanax, and sat down--and began to breathe (good air in--bad air out).

Some time later, I attempted to reboot...and eventually the black screen appeared. Being a resourceful person, I grabbed my cellphone and called my son-in-law, who understands all things computer. And he sadly told me that, sure enough, it was most likely dead. The good news was that the hard drive might be resurrected to live in another computer. So, I packed the computer away in it's bag upside down and went back to my chocolate and called a friend and played a game of "Can you top THIS?"

Much later, being an optimistic person by nature, and having decided that going around knocking on the neighbors' doors (most of them are construction workers) in search of a bottle of something soothing was probably not going to improve my quality of life or fix my link to the outside world--I dug out the laptop and began to re-assemble it. And it began to boot! It told me to press F12, it told me to do a couple of other things, and then it took me back to the World Wide Web! Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!

Eventually, hubby came home from the new job--clutching papers to fill out and telling me that they told him to come back on Monday! Little Harpo continued to 'do his business' whenever he went out into the grass! Life is good. Or, it will be when we get this dinky box-on-wheels taken back to IL and bring my home-on-wheels back here and open it out! Word is that this job is only supposed to last a couple more weeks, but there is no way I can foresee myself living in this phone booth for 2 more weeks!

Later!

Dinah // Sunday, November 05, 2006
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Saturday, November 04, 2006:

So, we packed up the 5th wheel, dragged it back to our son's driveway, tossed a few things into the pickup camper and headed off to Louisville to see our friends and get our newest family member.... Then we went up to the campground to pick up the car and tow dolly and take them back to IL, ended up leaving them because there was a chance at a new job coming up in a week or so. Went to our daughter's to visit, pick up mail and do some laundry before we went back to IL for the weekend. Only, the "Hall" called and wanted him back in Indiana early this morning to fill in at another job, 5 miles from his last job. BUT, all his work clothes were, of course, in the 5th wheel in IL! So, we went there, threw a bunch of clothes and food into the truck and headed BACK to the campground in Indiana--where they'd already rented out our campsite, of course. Got to bed about midnite, the alarm battery died in the nite (I was unaware that the CELL PHONE can double as an alarm clock!) and now he is off to run a dozer and I'm sitting in the truck camper with 2 dogs and a new puppy! Aaaaahhhhhh...what a life!m Camper is a MESS.
Turns out the puppy was badly in need of a home. The shelter he was born in is so broke that, at 12 weeks, he still hadn't had anything but food--no vet, no worming, no de-fleaing.... and was on the 'gas' list because no one wanted to adopt a BLACK bichon! Their loss is our gain! He's already perked up, and turning into a little stinker--now that he's not crawling with bugs and every kind of worm.... He feels GOOD!

Okay, gotta go get organized.....

Dinah // Saturday, November 04, 2006
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Sunday, October 29, 2006:

Busy week ahead! Tomorrow we're supposed to go to Louisville and pick up our newest family member--a 10 week old bichon/poodle puppy! :) Just what we needed, right? Another dog. That should get these lazy 'girls' off the couch! Ah well.... We have to get this 'show' on the road before the rent is due on the first, come back over and get the tow dolly and the car, put things away in IL--and call the 'guy' about a job in GA. And then hopefully, go there! Meanwhile, I've opened a store and am watching my "Stuff" (mini quilts, mostly) on http://www.artsefest.com and hoping something will sell! Tell your friends to go look! :) My "store" is called "Color My World". Maybe they'll buy something! :) Time to heat up the waffle maker and get this day started.... It's going to get dark pretty early tonite!

Dinah // Sunday, October 29, 2006
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Saturday, October 28, 2006:

And yet, more rain! Sure are glad we're not trying to harvest corn in this mess! Of course, there's not much "dirt work" going on in the construction industry, either....

Dinah // Saturday, October 28, 2006
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Wednesday, October 04, 2006:

It's October. It's the Midwest. It's THE INVASION OF THE LADYBUGS!!!!

On the plus side...THE SEASON PREMIER OF LOSTis tonite!

Dinah // Wednesday, October 04, 2006
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Since your accomplishments are seldom noticed,
and you are rarely thought of, you are expendable.
That doesn't mean your job isn't important but if you
were in Star Trek you would be killed off in the first
episode you appeared in.

An Expendable Character (Redshirt)

Click here to take the Star Trek Personality Test
Who woulda thought? And here I thought I was so valuable.... Aside from that... It just keeps raining here at regular intervals. VERY regular. Just as soon as the jobsite gets almost dry enough for them to work, it rains again. Strangest thing I've ever seen! Hubby has applied for some welding jobs... Maybe he'll get on at Jeffboat and build barges for the winter! He sure needs to get outa the house and earn a buck!

So, we went home for the weekend and played with the grandkids, spent Sunday afternoon with our daughter, s-i-l, and their friends. That was amusing. :) I took along a bucket of persimmons (this is where the persimmon pic would appear, if I hadn't left said persimmon in her freezer so I couldn't take a picture of it!), and the chef in the group got to rub them thru and concoct a baked custard--which was VERY tasty! It really hadn't occurred to me that anyone would get off on squashing gooey fruit through a sieve, but then, I've done SO much of that, for years and years! In fact, I had to restrain myself while we were home, and NOT pick up gallons and gallons of them--for once in my life! Very strange. But I still have lots stashed away in 3 different freezers!

We packed our car and left our son's early Sunday morning, spent an hour at Mom's nursing home, drove on to our daughter's, left the car in the driveway with the windows down (and the dogs tied in the back yard) for 4 hours, then drove the rest of the way back, unpacked the car--and discovered A CAT UNDER THE DRIVER'S SEAT!!!! A LIVE CAT from the gang at the farm! He is now hanging out under our RV, missing his litter mates. Follows me and the dogs when we go for walks, being extremely vocal about his lot in life.

Speaking of 'walks'. It's way past time....

Dinah // Wednesday, October 04, 2006
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Thursday, September 28, 2006:

Frost? The last weather person I heard said it might frost tonite! Good thing the Hubby got done insulating our 'four season' RV! Which reminds me. All the bitching I did to the company and they were just sooooo sorry we were unhappy...but the dealership (Lazydays RV in Seffner, FL) was so sorry to hear about it that they are paying for the supplies we bought to do the insulating. :)

Meanwhile, it just keeps raining. Hubby got to work 19 hours this week, before it rained them out last nite. At this rate, we'll be headed South long before Turkey Day rolls around! :( Hope not. For once, we're planning on drowning a turkey in hot peanut oil at our daughter's house this year! It's been 3 years, I think, since she used that fryer.... I won't mention how long it sat on the back porch with peanut oil in it after that....

I guess, now that it's getting cool, it's time to think about cutting out quilt pieces and sewing them back together--and posting to the quilt blog for a change! Altho, I haven't gotten any complaints from anyone who has been reading it!

Brrrrr. Time to go build a fire in the fireplace.... LOL!

Dinah // Thursday, September 28, 2006
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Friday, September 15, 2006:

If you're in the market for a used 5th wheel, DO NOT buy a 2004 McKenzie Medallion. I can't speak for any other models, but I'd guess they aren't any better. Here's the deal. The first time this unit experienced temps below 20, the fresh water froze off. Had to blow heat under the trailer all day to thaw it out. Today, hubby crawled under the trailer and took off the covering--and found the water tank, clear to the rear of the RV, with no insulation around it! Nor was there any heat duct outlet anywhere near it. In fact, there is no insulation on the bottom, all the way to the bathroom! A call to Monaco ensued--and we were told to read our owners manual because they don't guarantee any of their RVs below 32 degrees.

Lesson learned here? Insist on reading the owners manual (which they keep hidden until after you make your purchase) BEFORE making your final decision. WE now have to buy a heater for the water tank, insulation to cover the entire bottom of the trailer and hubby has days of working to get the RV fit to use in cold weather. Mind you, when we set out to buy a new RV, our first statement was "We want to buy a 4 season unit", and the salesmen took us to the row of Holiday Ramblers and McKenzies--all made by Monaco Coach Corp.

At the risk of getting sued, I can only speak for the unit we have bought, of course....

Hubby is 'resigned' and I am just plain pissed. I am SOOO going to trade this thing off for a Hitchhiker or a Newmar... I have already begun hunting thru the dealerships to see what I can find.

End of rant.

Meanwhile, we're still sitting here, enjoying the effects of El Nino, or whatever it is. Hubby got to work on Monday, and that was it for this week. :( It should dry out by Sunday, and the next front is due in here Sunday nite and Monday... But hey! We have a full pantry, the rent has been paid and the RV payment has been made for this month.... Life is good. It'd just be better if he could go to work.

Dinah // Friday, September 15, 2006
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Monday, August 28, 2006:

Ah, the 'small town experience'.... Went to the IGA/2 pump gas station/bank the other day to open a local checking account and got waited on by Ruth Ann(her real name). If you ever watched Northern Exposure then you've seen Ruth Ann. I swear to you--she is a dead ringer! And acts pretty much the same--and to find her in a grocery store....

Went afield yesterday and found the Walmart, Big K, and another used book store. Life is good.

We now have 4 bird feeders outside our living room window...dozens of finches and several hummingbirds. Those goldfinches are eating us out of thistle seed! The dog is going berserk--we can see the birds but they can't see us, and she sits and whines because she can't get them! Shopped around for one of those plant hanging things to put in the yard, but it's late in the season. So we have settled for a ladder, leaned against the back of the RV. It works.

Meanwhile, the rain keeps coming just often enough to keep hubby from getting in a full week of work. Came close last week--4 1/2 days! This week is not starting out well--no work today or tomorrow, and Wednesday is pretty "iffy". At this rate, they'll end up working thru Labor Day! (That would look nice on the paycheck!)

I finished up the first of my "authentic" Indian cell phone pouch... LOL. Okay, the beadwork is authentic.... Putting a strap on the second. Then I have necklaces to finish attaching to their rosettes...

Dinah // Monday, August 28, 2006
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Monday, August 14, 2006:

No more "little box"! We took the truck camper back to our son's and reclaimed our home. Then we raced around madly, storing the extra stuff and battening down the hatches for the first voyage since last December! (Ya really need to move these things once in a while or they start thinking they aren't 'vehicles' any more!) And now to resettle in our new chosen spot and pray that it will quit raining long enough for construction to continue and hubby to get a few REAL paychecks!

We're getting a slow start with the resettling. Made it to the new location just fine--only to find that the campground owner had a brain faid and forgot to tell the folks who'd been using our new spot to park their pickup that we were coming. So, they had taken off with friends and left the truck in the way. (sigh) We waited 3 hours for them, before figuring out a temporary spot for us to plug into for the nite. As luck would have it, the jobsite is still too muddy for digging today, so hubby has the day free to get this rig squeezed into it's new 'slot'. Then we have to run over to the other campground and collect our car, tow dolly and other goodies., before 2PM (checkout time).

I think we'll like this campground a whole lot better than "golf cart heaven"! Very small and rural and quiet--and only the landlady's golf cart on the place! And we can stay here until we're ready to go somewhere else--like South for the Winter (just like Snowbirds, only without the pensions and Social Security checks!)

Time to pack up again....

Dinah // Monday, August 14, 2006
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Sunday, August 06, 2006:

I swear to you that every 'season camper' in this park owns a golf cart and knows how to use it! Every evening they drag them out, fully charged, and drive up and down the streets, gawking at the transients! Last nite, we were treated to a 'light parade'--at least, that's what they call them at the Goldwing Rallies! Up and down the streets, showing off their chrome wheels, trick lights, and such. We had one decked out like a tropical hut--complete with tiki torches. One was tricked out to look like an off-road vehicle with chrome exhaust pipes and knobby tires! YIKES! These people are nuts! But, they seemed to be having a good time....

The Nascar crowd is beginning to thin out. I just scored a stack of cut up lumber that one pair had left behind when they pulled out... The early bird scores the goodies, ya know! Now, if it would just cool off enough to have a fire in the evenings....

Time to walk the dogs and get my feet soaked slogging through the heavy dew...

Dinah // Sunday, August 06, 2006
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Friday, August 04, 2006:

There we were, packing to head for a job in South Georgia this weekend...and the Union finally decided to send hubby out on a job on the north side of Indy. So Wednesday we rushed around and finished packing the truck camper, hooked up our "towed" behind us and went in search the job site and a place to live. Naturally, the job is out in the boonies and the nearest camping is 23 miles away....

He got rained out on his first day on the job. And we had to move to a different site in the campground to spend the weekend (It's the "Brickyard 400", don'tchaknow?") And, low and behold, we've landed in another Verizon-free zone!!! Our first campsite that fact went unnoticed because of the overcast weather, which lets us use our phone and air card. But when we were moved to the other end of the row--NO Service! This morning, we moved to the middle of the row, where the phone works if it wants to, and I can get online by sitting at the picnic table, under the courtesy light, next to the main power boxes for the campground--it's the site no one ever uses because of the light overhead. sigh. Sometimes life is just hard.

New job should last a while, if only it would quit raining.... They're digging a 10 acre lake, 60' deep! I'm just grateful it's not down there next to the Okeefenokee Swamp!!!

What are the odds that we'd end up in yet another crappy Verizon area????

Dinah // Friday, August 04, 2006
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Tuesday, July 04, 2006:

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!!!!

Dinah // Tuesday, July 04, 2006
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Friday, June 23, 2006:

Anyplace where corn flourishes is not a place that's fit for humans to live in! I'm not a fan of summer in the Midwest! I swear, the weather in Florida was better--well, except for the occasional hurricane....

Nothin' much happening here. We're scraping by, while Keith has spent a LOT of time under the one ton truck--trying to get a working transmission. Until he gets it--we are stuck right here in our son's driveway--he parked the truck in front of the 5th wheel, and then put it up on jacks and went to work on it!!! A case of failing to observe the 7 "p"s (proper prior planning prevents piss poor performance)...

We got a legit offer on 'Redneck Hill' and in the process of cleaning it up, decided that we just really weren't ready to sell it! So, we dragged the offending 70' mobile home off the lot and started planting trees instead. :) The offer was less than we were asking anyhow... So, since the power line to the water pump had burnt itself in two, underground, we have been hauling water to the trees for a week. Did I mention that we had the electricity turned on there, and then discovered that thieves had even taken a high-priced breaker and box off our power pole??? I just don't GET it.....

Anyhow, that's where and what for now.

Dinah // Friday, June 23, 2006
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Thursday, June 01, 2006:

And so, we set out again on Tuesday, with a new wheel hub or some such thing. Drove all the way into Missouri and stopped for fuel. Just as we pulled into the truck stop--same damned wheel flew off! So, we unloaded the car, unhitched the dolly from the truck and took ourselves to the KOA--conveniently located 1/2 mile away. :)
The next morning, my oh-so-clever hubby bought a hand full of washers and 'fixed' the problem (if you want details, email and he'll call you from someplace that has a cell phone signal!)...and it held all the way home! :) And here we are.

Yep, back in the land of no signal most of the time. :( Verizon doesn't seem to care if we can "hear them now" here. Too remote, with too few subscribers. Gee--if they'd put up another tower, they might have more customers! Duh.

Hubby is happily planting someone else's soybeans this week, while he waits for job to turn up. Union had a one-day job yesterday, but he missed it.... Sooner or later, it's going to dry up and they'll be building round the clock....

So, here we are, re-adjusting to the humidity and playing with the grandkids.... Hubby still says that anyplace where corn grows isn't fit to live in--and that's a fact!

Dinah // Thursday, June 01, 2006
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Monday, May 22, 2006:

On the road again..... :)

Left for our little Kadoka estate Sunday morning, in the truck/camper and towing the car on a dolly...and then spent the rest of the day mowing the 50 x 150 lot, covered with 18" tall grass and weeds--with a push mower!!! During 'breaks' in the mowing, we wandered around our 'mansion', assessing the damage and debating whether to fix it or bulldoze it. The vote is still 1 to 1. Then this morning, we headed East towards Cabellas. Can't leave the state without a stop at Cabellas!!!
So, we pulled off the Interstate, turned down the main street, drove a few blocks, turned again and drove several more blocks to the big tire shop where we knew they filled LP cylinders...and we needed some to keep the fridge running at its coldest to keep our ground buffalo frozen. We turned into the parking lot and heard a really bad noise behind us. One wheel of the dolly had apparently been on the verge of flying off for many miles and chose that moment to do it. Pure luck, I'd say. Things got hairy then, because this old homemade tow dolly was built with wheels and hubs from a 1960-something AMC Pacer! But, long story short, a hub was found in a junk yard and 3 hours later we were headed for Cabellas. And now we're settled for the night, in a campground among the trees....

Dinah // Monday, May 22, 2006
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Saturday, May 20, 2006:

DAY 37: The subject is beginning to display various symptoms, which might be related to living in a 6 x 9 box for more than a month. Subject is irritable, irrational, suffering from bouts of depression, and just generally hard to get along with.
CONCLUSION: Subject has had all she can stand of living in a box in the middle of a construction zone.
TREATMENT: Pack up belongings and leave within 24 hours.

Dinah // Saturday, May 20, 2006
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Thursday, May 18, 2006:

Let's see... Daughter is okay--nothing life threatening and she doesn't need the drugs any more. Email server came back...intact! And hubby's cushy 7 to 5:30 job right across the road is no more. :( They decided they need him at the South job--50 miles away. So now he get's to leave at 5:50 AM and get home at 7:30 PM. Whadaya wanna bet we get to leave here a few days sooner?

My schedule today consists of walking the dogs, showering, getting a haircut, washing dishes, walking the dogs...etc. ad nauseum. I offered to pack the camper for the road today, but got voted down on that plan. :(

Off to dress and walk the dogs....

Dinah // Thursday, May 18, 2006
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Sunday, May 14, 2006:

and the next day, the web server crashed and all the sites on it vanished into cyberspace--including the mail server! So if I don't answer your email--maybe it vanished, too! Try my 'iwon' address....

Oh, and Happy Mother's Day to all you moms and soon-to-be moms!

This mom is busy being a bit concerned about her daughter who is abed, taking narcotics for pain and waiting for testing to commence to find out why she hurts. :( But, I must say, she was rather cheerful on the phone this afternoon (could it be the meds, ya think?)!

After several 'meetin's' on the subject, we're still not sure when we're heading East--other than SOON. After a week of rain, when hubby barely worked--we're due for a sunny, warm week. We hate to miss out on a 'good' paycheck by leaving this week! On the other hand, if we don't get out of here ahead of Memorial Day, we won't want to leave until that craziness is over. And so it goes....

Oh well, I bought some beads to make Daisy Chains...and got a bargain on an elk hide at the Pawn shop yesterday, so I can make 'stuff'! And I have been appointed to check in with the owner of the house next to ours (which is for sale) and check with a loan officer at the bank and see if they want to give us a little mortgage to buy it.... IF we want to buy it...

Meanwhile, I guess I should send out an email notice to all who don't read my blog....

Dinah // Sunday, May 14, 2006
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Tuesday, May 09, 2006:

Spring Break--Week 5????

Last week they nearly wore hubby out--58 hours! But, mid-week, they sent him up here to work on the crew right next to the campground. Big plus!

This week, he had Sunday off, got rained out Monday, got rained out mid-morning today... and tomorrow isn't looking very promising. Weather forecast is calling for some snow after midnite! Crimeny! It's May!

So yesterday after the rain let up, we took off for downtown...never got there. Ended up out at Ft. Meade, trying to get a part for his CPap, and then taking in the sights around the old fort. Then on the way back through Sturgis, we decided to see what was on a car dealer's lot and ended up taking 2 test drives in used Subarus, up Boulder Canyon Rd. :) Came home and decided we didn't really want another payment, even though we'd love to have one of those Outbacks....

Today's big excitement was a trip to the mall to see the sights. *yawn* But it was better than laying around in this box listening to the rain, and feeling the wind rocking us. And now we're all snug in our beds (except me, of course--one of the dogs has my spot, at the moment).

So, obviously I haven't become a blithering idiot from life in the "box" yet.... Or, maybe I have????

Dinah // Tuesday, May 09, 2006
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Thursday, May 04, 2006:

Now THIS is our idea of 'working close to home'! Hubby is working so close this week, that he could walk to and from work. Walked home yesterday... Now, if they would just decide to KEEP him up here, instead of sending him back South to the job 50 miles away....

As for me? I did a load of laundry, went to the grocery, walked the dogs, and had to let the dishes pile up because the water heater was dripping water out the bottom of the camper--so I shut off the water. Read a book, played around on the Internet for a while.... Cooked supper.

I'm thinking I might fire up the 5" tv today and catch up on the soaps......

Dinah // Thursday, May 04, 2006
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Friday, April 28, 2006:

Yessiree! We are CAMPING now!

And 48 hours later, they were out mowing the campsites!

Our CARE package arrived today, at long last. What a treat! I got my Birks! And the floppy drive (so I could share my pix!) and clothes, paperbacks from my daughter-in-laws private collection, and yarn for more socks (seems funny that instead of the yarn I requested, I got the camo yarn that was earmarked for our son for next Christmas...), plus a whole stack of bills! Ugh.

Living in this little box has proven more expensive than one would think....

Fortunately, much of our shopping took place at the Packrat's Palace. Hubby got a work shirt, I got sheets & pillowcases--that sort of thing. We needed a crockpot, a radio, lawn chairs, a water jug to carry to work, and more clothes!

I know it's possible to function on 3 changes of clothing, but not when you're building a road! He comes 'home' filthy every nite. With 'racoon eyes', thanks to the pair of motorcross goggles he bought to keep the dirt out of his eyes. In fact, I think his entire first paycheck was spent just getting stuff so we could live here!

The dogs have begun their evening barkfest, up in the cab of the truck, so it must be time for walking.....

Dinah // Friday, April 28, 2006
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Thursday, April 27, 2006:

So, the quilting has definately fallen by the wayside. :( Left all my goodies behind and only brought a sock-in-progress for our quickie trip to the Black Hills to pick up our truck and slide-in camper that we'd left out here. Never considering the possibility that there would be plenty of construction work going on here, while the Midwest was getting blasted by one spring storm after another so that nothing was happening there....we packed sparingly. 3 changes of clothes, my laptop, and a sock. That was nearly 3 weeks ago! Here I am, living in a 6 X 9 'box', idling away the days while hubby plays in the dirt with the giant Tonka toys. He only has until the end of May, and then he promised we'd go back.... I can stand anything for 4 more weeks, right? Even a non-quilting life? On the other hand, I know where there are 2 quilting stores nearby.... Just hate the idea of buying new tools....

Dinah // Thursday, April 27, 2006
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Wednesday, April 26, 2006:

News Flash! Money CAN buy happiness!!!! I am online and happy and all it took was $79 to buy a wireless PC card and a nominal (?) $59.99 a month--plus applicable taxes and fees, of course! LIFE IS GOOD.

In other news....

Sunday night’s rain was really 6” of really wet snow. Welcome to April in SD! It was pretty…. Of course, hubby spent yesterday and today lounging around inside the ‘box’, with his dogs. NOT pretty. My motto is beginning to be “GET ME THE HELL OUTA HERE!”

After the snow quit, we ventured out to the nearby Yamaha dealer to buy hubby a pair of dirt bike goggles to wear for work…keep the dust out. Then wandered around, shopping for a tiny freezer that would actually come thru the camper door when we eventually (Please, God!) head back to IL and a much bigger ‘box’. Didn’t find one to suit, so our orphan buffalo burger is still taking up space in Shirley’s freezer…. Just gonna have to eat it, I guess!

And Tuesday there was too much snow at the jobsite, so we did another day of laying around the camper--after we went to the Best Buy and acquired the wonderful PC card!

Today was spent on the phone with tech support. Ain't it always the way? Finally managed to keep my poor laptop from puking all over the table whenever I fired up the browser and now I'm under 'orders' to spend the day online and make sure the new software keeps working like it's supposed to. Like that will be a hardship? LOL.

I did take time off to stir up another strawberry/rhubarb pie. Still waiting to see if it melts all over the inside of my 'easy bake' oven, like the last one did. But the last one was tasty, so who cares?

Still waiting for a CARE package from home, and some forwarded mail (bills, of course). I suspect that the package hasn't even been 'packaged', yet.... The family members who urged us to stay here where the work is, for the time being, were supposed to send us the much needed things that we left at home--since we were only going to be gone for a week.... So far, we've survived 80+ degree weather and 2 blizzards and 24 degree weather with nothin' but the Spring duds we brought along....

And now...I must "surf on".....

Dinah // Wednesday, April 26, 2006
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Sunday, April 23, 2006:

12 hours a day and I only have 1 sock to finish and am in a land with no yarn shops! The neighbor kindly loaned me 3 romance novels to fill the time.... Arrrrrggg! I've long since reached my saturation point where Virile Vikings are concerned! I've taken pictures around about the campground...some with snow and some without--but can't download them because my floppy drive is still in IL, waiting to be added to the CARE package our daughter-in-law is going to send, as soon as she gets time.

But I've found a cure, of sorts. I think. Verizon sells a wireless card to get me online, anytime, and with a little bit of luck, it'll soon by plugged into the old Dell and I can surf all day! And IM my friends. Maybe I'll start a chat room for other idiot wives who agree to living in a padded cell with 2 dogs? Yeah, right. But hey--eBay awaits! With that card, I can be online at speeds averaging 60kbps--just like dial-up! WOW! No more 14.4 for me! LOL! Keeping my fingers crossed....

Dinah // Sunday, April 23, 2006
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Saturday, April 22, 2006:

Hi, ya'll! It's me again--at long last! And temporarily living in a much smaller box than when I last posted! Here's what happened. We were sitting there, in IL, in our son's driveway. Hubby was getting maybe 1 day of work a week, what with the lovely Spring tornadic weather and all. We decided to head out to SD and return with our old one ton pickup and slide-in camper, since we intend to spend most of this year in IL.

We made a "Plan". We hooked our little motorcycle camper on behind our resurrected car and headed West, with a backseat full of dogs and a week's worth of 'supplies'. Uh huh. Then we planned to rent a tow dolly, put the car on it (still with the little camper attached to the car) and bring the whole works back to IL. That was an interesting experience. The little camper hadn't been out on the road since 1999. BOTH door zippers were broken and we didn't have so much as a clothespin to hold the door shut...and tire disintegrated, thankfully AFTER we made it here!

BUT, then there was this road construction job out here. So-so pay, but working every day. Like any dutiful wife would, I said, "Sure, honey. We can live in the truckcamper for 6 weeks...". Only trouble is, Winter isn't quite over with here--involving a need for things like bib overalls, boots, coats, hats...not to mention a lunch bucket, plenty of food to pack said lunch bucket, extra clothes, and a sundry of other supplies! Did you forget the backseat full of dogs? With beds, leashes, food, toys.... Yup. Life in a really small box is a challenge! Try to imagine a 6 X 9 room that contains everything--refrigerator, stove, microwave, sink, closet, bed, bathroom, table & seating, furnace, floor heater, wastebasket, laundry, spare shoes, laptop, camera, dishes and food...then add 2 large people and a pair of dogs...... We're campin' now!

Winter. We had that on Wednesday & Thursday. Horizontal snow, 30 degrees, for 2 days straight. But, 50 miles south of here the guys worked in the DUST and wind! Not a bit of precip! Up in the Hills, on the other hand--54" of snow around Lead & Deadwood! I-90 was shut down from here to Wyoming!

Today we sat outdoors drinking beer in the shade....

Dinah // Saturday, April 22, 2006
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Thursday, March 16, 2006:

There is something worse than having to rely on a 19.2kbps internet connection--it's having NO SIGNAL much of the time and NO internet connection! I'll bet some of ya'll didn't even know there were places in this Country that were THAT remote!

Well, after months of NO INCOME (thanks mostly to hubby's previous employers being butts about unemployment), he got his Journeyman's card and got called to go to work yesterday! Which would have been great except that his pee test looked funny and they made a big toodoo about one of his meds. :( By the time that was all straightened out, the it was too late for orientation and the prospective employer had sent several of the guys away. But hey, they paid him for a whole 8 hour day! (He had to work 2 days for that much money in FL!)

Meanwhile, we had been packing to go West and take care of some paperwork and bring back our truck/camper rig. Then we did another check of the weather forecast out there and decided it was too danged cold and the odds of snow had increased...so we tabled that plan, for a week. If no job turns up--which is doubtful, considering that we had a LOT of rain last weekend, we'll try again next week. Nothing is easy!

Called our SD friends last nite--no work out there this week! 12" of snow, instead. Sure am glad we're not trying to camp our way out there! LOL!

So, here we sit. Playing with the grandkids, splitting firewood, and knitting socks! I'm planning to hit my daughter's sock-heel knitting class this afternoon. Just can't get those things to look good!

Our Recon Marine is finally home from nasty places, like Faluja (however that's spelled), and other scenic spots. He's happily settled in our son's basement bedroom, decompressing. Hopefully, he's done with the Marines, now. Altho, he signed up the second time around, after a few months on the "outside". We'll see. Meanwhile we don't have to worry about him for a change!

The kids' house is still bulging at the seams. Still got an extra mom and 2 little ones, plus the ex-Marine! We just sit here in our rolling home and watch--helping where we can and waiting for Spring!

Dinah // Thursday, March 16, 2006
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Saturday, February 04, 2006:

January was almost Spring-like. Now it's February and the northwind is howling and the temps are dropping.... It'll be interesting to see how our RV holds up in the cold. The one time it dropped into the low 20s in Dec., the freshwater line froze. Never had that happen before, in any of the old trailers we had! So, hubby has put up plywood around the base of the trailer to maybe keep some more heat in... So far, after nearly 2 years in this McKenzie, I am not very thrilled with Monoco Coach Company! This is supposed to be built identical to the Holiday Rambler units... We had an older HR and it was better than this--but it was made before Monoco bought out HR and started making them.

Mud. I'd forgotten how much MUD there is in the Midwest in the wintertime! The beige carpet went down for the 3rd time weeks ago. I refuse to shampoo it until we get outa here! We leave our shoes at the door, but the dogs are FAST, cause they don't like having their feet washed! And then, as dogs will do when allowed to run, they find something dead to roll in before they come in, occasionally. UGH. I miss having a house with a mudroom! Used to be able to divert most of it to the basement.

Hubby is working on getting into the Operators Union. Hope they start getting some work soon! Since we got cheated out of unemployment, things are a little bit tight here! The only way we figured we could manage to leave FL was by getting unemployment until he found a job up here--and they said he could get it. And then denied his application. After 5 years off the farm, I'm beginning to see how the rest of the world operates...everyone assumes that everyone is lying, because usually they ARE! You have to learn to tell some whoppers to get by! Sad, isn't it?

On the other hand, his buddy called up to tell him that they're starting to hire out West, already. He may be heading there in mid-Feb, weather permitting! That will be tricky--getting from FL to SD in February can be danged nigh impossible, especially towing a 40' trailer behind you! We'll see how that works for them, before we contemplate a move....

I've decided that the VA needs to be totally rework

Dinah // Saturday, February 04, 2006
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Sunday, January 08, 2006:

55 degrees in IL in January? We are sooooo going to pay for this later on..... But right now we're just grateful that we're making fewer trips to the propane dealer! Of course, it helps that we unearthed our 100# tanks to use instead of those puny little 30# ones!

Aside from trying to keep warm, we now have a functioning chain saw and have made inroads into the piles of potential firewood. Hubby even climbed a tree and dropped a huge maple limb that had been offending him. Of course, it took out the lights on the side of the bin, but I think it missed everything else!

For once, I listened to the financial experts when they told me to make weekly payments on our mortgage and we'd get ahead. Sure enough, I checked the other day and I'm 2 months ahead on our RV mortgage! :) So, I can make the insurance payments while he's on unemployment and not have to worry about the RV payments. It's all good.

I took the grandson to see Chronicles last nite. We were both amazed that it was 2 hours plus! I guess that is the sign of a pretty good movie, when it only feels like you just started watching but it's been a couple of hours....

I hope you're all well, and keeping warm....

Dinah // Sunday, January 08, 2006
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