Disaster Averted
The campground called the house yesterday, and the minute that I saw the name on the caller I.D., I knew something bad happened. Marc and Lovia don't make a habit of calling off-season to chat. Marc was calling to tell us that one of the huge pine trees that separate our campsite from the road had split in half, with one half laying in the road, and the other about ready to land on our camper or Rodneys boat. Shit on both counts. While the boat is paid for, the camper isn't even a year old to us and we prize both of them.
The point of this post is that by the time that Rodney and Ryan and one of Ryan's friends dressed and drove to the campground, Marc had been at our site and was preparing to move our camper. He offered to help us, even though it really wasn't his problem. So little these days, do people care enough about other people that they are willing to "go the extra mile". I can't tell you just how lucky that we are to have the owners that we have and they are both willing to help out their seasonals however they can. It could be something as minor as stocking something at the store that you would like, or filling a propane tank that's empty and bringing it back to the camper for wimpy women like myself.
Anyway, disaster is averted, the camper is moved to the safety of the field, and the boat is out of harm's way as well. It just gives us more work to do this spring with having to level everything all over again, but it's better that than the other possibility.

Hard to believe, but today we had our first snow of the season. It was only big, fat wet flakes, but the did end up accumulating on the ground for a little while.Way too soon for that stuff to be showing up.
I started my winter project a couple of days ago, an afghan for my camper, and spent almost as much time pulling out the crap I messed up, as I have making progress. Things decided to go my way with it most of the day today, but when I started screwing up big time, it was time to call it quits. The pattern isn't difficult, but I do need to pay attention, so tv has to be relegated to the background.
The search is on for land and a home to put on it. Saturday we spent all day looking at modulars and double wides, I couldn't keep them straight. We pretty much narrowed it down to two. The plan is to wait until spring, but I am getting pretty excited now. We have been in this house for almost 20 yrs. and it
is time for a change. Can hardly wait.

While sitting at the computer this morning early, my mind started to wander and think about totally ridiculous things...like my absolute fear of spiders. Now, anyone that knows me, knows that my fear is HUGE!!!! In my mind, there is no
such thing as a "small" spider.....if you can see the damn thing, it's freakin' huge!
For years now, my family has teased me about this, deriving great pleasure in relating spider stories about me and my husband has even gone so far as to make me think that I had one of the things on me. I have always said that if I ever got one of those sneaky bastards in my hair, it would be all over....rubber room, here I come. Let's face it, I couldn't touch the thing to get it out.......eeeeeeeeeeeeewwwwwwwwwwww!
It seems that no matter where I go, if there is a spider, it will search me out and stalk me. On Randy's boat last summer, after I pleaded with him to make sure that it was "spider-free" (yeah, right) and if you have been around the water at all, there are mutant spiders down there, the side of dinner plates. Sure enough, one came crawling out of it's hiding place, right towards me. A scream of untold proportions came out of my mouth as well as a new land speed record recorded on that boat, and I was in the front of that boat in milliseconds. Rodney knew instantly what was going on...... and always looks at the thing and says "aw, that's just a little one" (I can't put my thoughts here, I'm sure you know why)
Then there was the year that those things were especially bad and insisted on building a web in the basement door going out into the driveway on a daily basis. So every morning before going out to my truck, I would have to open said door slowly, and armed with a broom, swat the bastards so I could go out the door. One morning I was running late for work and forgot about the things and flew out the door and forgot to lock it. Turned around to reach inside to turn the lock and one came down to look me right in the eye. I damn near died!!
That night I told Rodney about my harrowing experience and sure enough, the next time we were leaving, he made sure that he was walking behind me and as I was walking thru the doorway, reached up and tapped me on the top of the head, making me think I had one in my hair. I screamed and ran and he stood there laughing his fucking ass off. AND, had to tell damn near everyone he knew, so they could laugh too. It's no wonder I drink......

It has been a quiet week, partly because of the lousy weather and partly because I haven't felt the best. Just more of the usual crap that I have been dealing with for the past couple of years.
Anyway, after chatting with my friend Sheri, I have realized just how dumb I am when it comes to computers. Ryan seems to know what he is talking about and has built his own desktop unit, much to my surprise. She is working on jazzing up my blogspot, and I can use all the help that I can get!
Rodney has finished putting the new motor in the truck that he is going to buy, and says that it runs great. He is great with anything mechanical and I don't know what we would do without that knowledge. There have been times when I have had to take one of our vehicles to a new garage, and have had the mechanics there try to take advantage of me and get me to pay for unneeded repairs. It really does pay to have someone who you know on a personal basis and one you can trust. I guess it is like that with damn near anything, but we women (at least most of us) don't know about much under the hood of whatever we drive, so we are easily taken advantage of, and the guys know it.
Rodney's dad, Roland is in Florida visiting his last remaining brother for as long as he isn't bored, so I look forward to hearing about his trip. I'm sure he will be ready to come back before long, as he isn't one for the sunshine state. I will have to take him some of our leftovers and invite him for dinner like we have been doing since Dot passed away. He is always so happy to have something new to eat and it's good to be appreciated.

Today I have to write and tell about my mom. She applied for a moose permit this year, and was one of the lucky ones to get one. She sets off with Dale, a friend of hers, and Fred, Dale's son-in-law on Monday. Tuesday, they headed out again and just as it was becoming daylight, they spotted a bull walking down an old logging road. Dale and mom shot, with Dale's shot going high and hitting the moose in his antler, crazy, huh? Needless to say that moose took off and they searched for it for about 6 hours and were unable to find it. They again went back to the same place and low and behold, that SAME moose was walking right towards them! No shit! Anyway, mom again fired at the moose, and this time she hit her mark, and down he went. Now thankfully, Fred is a logger and had a crane to pick up that moose and put it in the back of Dale's truck. When they went to tag the moose, they found out that it weighed in at around 800 lbs! She said that she was shaking all over for most of the day, I guess that I would have been too! After the moose is processed, I'm sure that she will end up with between 500-600 lbs of meat. Plenty to fill a couple of freezers...she had to go and buy one, just for the occasion.
Anyway, I'm pretty proud of my mom and she has a great story to tell around the campfire, if she ever has the occasion to be at one. Girls rule.

Okay, after getting "talked to" by my campground neighbor Sheri, I will dedicate this post to her...here ya go girl!
After being away at camp for the most of the summer, my two babies, my kitties Tigger and Milo have gotten the fine art of the cold shoulder down to a science. I always look forward to seeing them when I have been away, and at first, that sentiment is not returned by them without much begging and pleading to be paid attention to by me. My cat, Tigger is a beautiful gray tiger cat and has more than his share of "cattitude". He is of the belief that he is in control of this house and makes sure that we are reminded of that daily. Milo, who is a yellow tiger is Rodney's cat and is very lovable and pleasantly plump ( fits in with the rest of the family). Milo tends to be very skittish, while Tigger is the cat that coined the phrase "curiosity killed the cat". He had our neighbors buying him cat treats last winter and feels that it is his duty to patrol the neighborhood and make sure all is well. I would love to have a couple more cats, but the man has said no more, although he loves them just as much as I do and is usually the first one that sees a new cat around the house and thinks it's stray and wants to feed it.
It's also rather a sad day today with having to clean out the camper and move most everything home. Winter won't be over soon enough for me. I so look forward to each weekend down there to reconnect with the great friends we have made over the last couple of years, and we all plan to keep in touch over the winter months, if we didn't I would miss them all too much.