A Different Life II

[Lily&Me]

And you, Evelyn....plus all the other folks coming up this summer who I only know thru names here.


Maggie

[Lily&Me]

So...my very first day using the Interstate as a daily driver, I couldn't get properly into a parking spot at the hospice center, and scraped a fender and another car trying to get out.

That's the abbreviated version. Police were called, two hours later I'm out of there...no tickets or citations issued.

Doug was clucking and wagging his finger at me from his perch in the afterlife.


Maggie

[Hittenstiehl]

Oh Maggie, so sorry for you. Not a big deal but sorry it happened on the first day of your experiment. Guess the rest of the time will be scraped free.

[Lily&Me]

It's a test, and my track record thus far for handling bad days is 100%.


Maggie

[ColoradoLady]

Maggie, I hate hearing that! Bless your heart, as usual, you rise above the occasion. I understand your difficulty in trying to park with your big beauty. My magnificent beast gives me no margin for error. When I attempt to park in a lot, even though there may be ample room, from sitting up high, allowing extra room for wideness and extra long length....I am very intimidated. I will only park in 2 spaces long, to allow pull through in and out. I hope your damage was not bad.

[Lily&Me]

I should have known better, and will be more careful in the future.


Maggie

[Lily&Me]

Interstate is pulled out front and plugged in, items to go are being gathered together and the last pre-trip deed for today will be to fill the fresh water tank after awhile.

Cookie dough will soon be in the frig, to be baked up in the morning.

Got my accident report filled out, photos I took have been sent to State Farm and I'm going to stop at Cooks Autobody on my way out tomorrow to see what a new fender will cost.

Someone had backed into this one last year, leaving a crack, and the additional scrape from yesterday is more than I can bear to look at. Sigh.

Picked up some country style ribs at Meier yesterday, marinated those babies and put them on the grill today. I am grilling more these days. Doug would be proud.

Can take those with me for the long weekend, keeping cooking to a minimum and visiting to a maximum.

Lily is watching " go" preparations carefully.


Maggie

[Lily&Me]

Ohhh....my 23andMe results show a small bit of Native American in me.

Also the maternal grandmother black hole, I feel certain.. from West Virginia, where mixed race pockets were and still are common.

She married a surgeon after WWI and they moved to racially charged Mississippi. A good reason for that to have been a family secret.

There's not a thing I've discovered that I'm not proud of.

My son calls us "mutts".

Maggie

[BeachHouse]

Oh Maggie, My 80 year old uncle recently remarked that he NEVER parks in a place where he would need to back out --I'm beginning to follow his lead -its amazing how you can find "pull thru" parking spaces in parking lots more often than you think!!
--Mark

[rmkrum]

We call it "combat parking". It's easier and quicker to pull out straight ahead, easier to see people coming, etc. Our family does that with all our cars as well, unless the parking lot is posted 'head in only'.

Note: The term came home from a family member's deployment to an overseas combat area. It's faster to pull out straight forward if the bad guys are coming your way. Backing out and turning around can slow you down and get you killed...


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[Al and Missy]

Maggie,

Sorry to hear that. It's a learning experience. I backed my trailer into a hose bracket near the garage door. Two years ago when leaving for Canopener I hooked my bumper on a concrete post at the end of a stemwall in my driveway. On the way to trade the 25 I jacknifed it trying to exit out of a gas pump. I made the mistake of letting a stranger (who had partially blocked me in and chose not to move his vehicle) guide me out. $2K to the trailer and $1K to the truck. I hope I'm through learning.

With the truck alone I always look for parking places I can pull through but don't always find one.

Al

[Lily&Me]

Arrived at Moraine View 1pm'ish, and there were 3-4 trailers here already.

I am set up and Lily has had a good walk. We are in my favorite, shady spot near the lake, that has a nice breeze all the time....good thing, as it's going to be hot this weekend.

Record breaking heat for these dates in June. Yippee.

Cook's tells me it is better to repair this fender than replace it, so have that scheduled, going to also get the new tires before I head to KY & TN in two weeks. Twil be busy, getting ready for the big trip West!


Maggie

[ColoradoLady]

Maggie, my Dad used to tell us we were "mutts" when asked about our heritage. Mom would always give us die react answers...Dad was of Dutch/German, Mom of Scotch/Irish....then, she would say,"like your Dad said..."Mutts" but, strong bred mutts!"

Have a great time at your rally. For me, I'm getting ready for my trip with Ray and company. Leaving Sunday early. As it ends up, I will not have travel companions, (both had to cancel), but, that 's OK. After my 4 way trip to Ft Worth, Texas, I'm feeling confident.

[Lily&Me]

You will be fine, Evelyn...and you will love Ray and Nancy.

Give them each a hug for me.

The crew has gone into town for dinner, I have had leftover ribs and am in a reclining position.

My back and right hip are seriously aching from packing and whatever today...too much heavy something or other.

I feel a bit sorry for myself, doing it all, then remember my alternative is to stay home.

I was up at 4, had the house cleaned and cookies baked by the time the bug guy came for his quarterly spray...a nice young man, sent him on with oatmeal cookies for his breakfast.

I would feed him cookies every time, he has done such an excellent job of eliminating ants.

I will not be up late tonight.


Maggie

[ColoradoLady]

Take it easy on yourself, Maggie. I know what you mean...after today's chores and errands, I am experiencing a bit of the same. But, as you said, we either stay home....or "Buck up and do what needs to be done." I prefer the latter....I'm gonna go....till I can't...then, I'll still try! That's just what we do!

[Lily&Me]

I felt much better this morning, after being off my feet a good 12 hours.

Have had my walking shoes on with the orthotic inserts all day, too. I may be getting to the point where I need to have them on any time I am upright.

Lots of sitting around and visiting today, catching up....men in one group, women in another.

Several of we women here do needlework of some sort, too, which of course lends itself well to sitting and gabbing.

Not all sitting, tho....Lily has had 3 walks.

I finished this hat this afternoon...a Sun Hat. I thought the pattern was cute, and have been working on it for awhile.

It is...ummm....a bit large ...and I didn't put in as many rows as it called for.

It looks a bit like a multi-colored version of The Sorting Hat in the Harry Potter series....


Maggie

[rmkrum]

Perhaps a gentle wash in warm water could shrink the hat a bit?

The ladies in my house both crochet, but only daughter will wear hats.


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[Lily&Me]

I haven't put it on in front of a mirror, yet, but the ladies all laughed when I tried it on, so I think it looks pretty ridiculous.


Maggie

[Lily&Me]

We had a grand and leisurely day yesterday, most of it spent sitting around under the shade trees and visiting.

I am in water conservation mode, so filled my solar shower from the pump yesterday and set it in the sun to warm it up....going to use it for a shampoo after awhile, my biggest consumer of potable water.

If you've never been to Moraine View, it is one of those places that teaches you the difference between potable and palatable water. My 30 gallons of fresh water will be stretched to get thru 5 days.

Several of us went into the restaurant on the lake for lunch...one of those places that does breakfast and lunch only, everything cooked to order by the older couple that run it.

They have homemade, breaded pork tenderloin sandwiches. Yum

We sat to eat on an outside deck overlooking the lake, which had a good breeze and lovely view.

We were at 23 rigs as of last evening, with several newbies attending for the first time.

A friendly, convivial, welcoming group.

Nice to be here.


Maggie

[Hittenstiehl]

That hat is lovely and bright and...a bit pointy

I'm voting for your purple Sun hat!