Busy Life

Well, it has been a busy couple of days. I got the elevenfootrv and the Big Red Truck all ready to move. It is amazing how much stuff you can cram into a small space. Now all I have to do is wait for Friday.

The rest of the week has been pretty uneventful. Just another day at work. Some are good ones and some are not so good but there are blessings in every one.

I will leave you with another couple sneak peeks at the twentysevenfoot.





That's it for today.

Thanks Loyal Fans

Well, first off let me say thank you to all my loyal readers and fans out there who sent me comments and emails yesterday. I even received a couple phone calls. I really appreciate all your support. More pictures will be coming soon. I promise I will show you every nook and cranny. Now at least I will have something to write about besides the weather.

One of the emails I received yesterday read like this:

nice blog grandma, me and my sister are in your blog. THANKS gram!!! you are doin good keep up the good work!!- kimberlei( your grand kid)

Now, let me tell you that warmed my little heart.

And the next email I opened read like this:


WHAT IS A GRANDPARENT?(taken from papers written by a class of 8-year-olds)



Grandparents are a lady and a man who have no little children
of her own They like other people's.


A grandfather is a man & a grandmother is a lady!



Grandparents don't have to do anything except be there when we come to see them.



They are so old they shouldn't play hard or run.



It is good if they drive us to the shops and give us money.



When they take us for walks, they slow down past
things like pretty leaves and caterpillars.



They show us and talk to us about the colors of the
flowers and also why we shouldn't step on 'cracks.'



They don't say, 'Hurry up..'



Usually grandmothers are fat but not too fat to tie your shoes.



They wear glasses and funny underwear.



They can take their teeth and gums out.



Grandparents don't have to be smart.They have to answer questions like
'Why isn't God married?' and 'How come dogs chase cats?'



When they read to us, they don't skip.


They don't mind if we ask for the same
story over again.



Everybody should try to have a grandmother,
especially ifyou don't have television because
they are the only grownups who like to spend
time with us.



They know we should have snack time before
bedtime and they say prayers with us and kiss
us even when we've acted bad.



It's funny when they bend over, you hear gas leaks
and they blame their dog.'



GRANDPA IS THE SMARTEST MAN
ON EARTH! HE TEACHES ME GOOD
THINGS BUT I DON'T GET TO SEE
HIM ENOUGH TO GET AS SMART
AS HIM!



A 6 YEAR OLD WAS ASKED WHERE HIS
GRANDMA LIVED.''OH,'' HE SAID, '
'SHE LIVES AT THE AIRPORT AND
WHEN WE WANT HER WE JUST GO
GET HER. THEN WHEN WE'RE DONE
HAVING HER VISIT, WE TAKE HER BACK
TO THE AIRPORT.''

I love getting emails like that.

Being a grandparent is the greatest --- If I had known grandkids were so much fun I would have had them first. Here is a photo of their tomato crop this year.



In the words of my father, That's it for today.

New To Me

Well, This is it!! My House on Wheels - My fulltiming RV - Watch out world here I come.

I am so excited I can't stand it. Now if the price of gas would just go down so I can afford to drive it.

And in the words of my Father, "That's It for today".

A long day and Look Out For Beetles

Todays post will cover both Friday and Saturday.

Friday was a really long day - the last day of the work week.

I started counting the hours til quitting time at 5:05 AM.

Oh Boy!! ONLY 8 hours and 25 minutes until quitting time at 1:30 PM.

It was two hours until break (15 minutes) then two hours til lunch (30 minutes) two hours til break (15 minutes) and then two hours til Go Home Time.

The day went on forever. Combine that with the lady who calls and wants 14 cents credit on her bill. (someone must be hacking into her phone line) and she can't afford the bill. Or the gentleman who can't figure out why he has $785.00 bill for international long distance. He never calls out of the country but his daughter was in Italy on a school trip and her mother had to keep in contact with her. Therefore the school should be responsible for his bill. It was a very stressful day to say the least.

Off work, and on to the week end. Friday was pretty uneventful. Ate dinner - don't even remember what it was- a little chat and beddy bye...

Saturday was a gorgeous day outside. I cleaned a little and kinda lazed around until late afternoon. Went to the bank and stopped for Chinese take out. That took care of dinner. Got into the chat room where I found an interesting conversation.

Last week my friends, Ellie and Jim, had gone to visit the McFalls where Jim had a brief encounter with a green garden snake. Well, he told our other friend, Speedy about it. Speedy, the teller of tall tales, and not wanting to be outdone by a itty bitty snake had to report about the time when a GIANT beetle took up residence in his pants. Now, if you know Speedy, by the time the story was finished the Beetle was so big it could have eaten Birmingham. Jim searched for a picture of Speedy and found a picture but no sign of the pants or the Beetle. At the time of this writing, Speedy is hoping the Beetle will bring his pants home Somewhere In Time.

Here is the photo of the day.
And in the words of my Father, "That's it for Today".

Boondocking at Marblemount

Well, its Thursday - one more day til we get to Friday!!

Not much going on around here - a little rain - a little sun - I thought I would share with you a few pictures from a previous camping trip a few years ago.

A few years ago we used to do a lot of camping at Beauty Bay. The camp hosts there were workcampers and would come to Idaho in the summer and Arizona in the winter and camp host there. We got to be really good friends. One summer they decided to camp host at Marblemount in Western Washington. Some friends and I decided if they weren't going to come to us - we would go to them. So we rented a small U Haul trailer for our camping equipment and towed it behind the van. Off to Marble Creek Campground we went.

Marble Creek Campground in in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest and is located on the Cascade River approximately 8 miles from the main highway (Highway 20) thru the Cascades. It is a wonderful campground with huge trees, campsites with fire rings, picnic tables, concrete pads, vault toilets, and has 23 sites for tents and trailers.


We had a wonderful river site where the marble river flows in to the Cascade River. It was the Primo spot!! Here are the photos.

That's one huge tree!

Can't you smell breakfast cooking?

Kickin' Back!
Tumbling water thru the Cascades

And A Glacier too!!
Now that's a big rock for three people.
Here is John, our camp host Russ, myself and Rich.
John debating with himself on whether or not to build another fire.

It was a great four days off! A good time was had by all!!

In the words of my father "That's it For Today".

Charlie's Turn

Well, remember I said it had been hot - well it was hot. Tuesday we woke up to cloudy skies and it looked like it might rain at any moment. The rain held off all day until late afternoon when it poured for awhile. Wednesday morning it was very foggy . It gets darker every morning. The days are gtting shorter as we move toward fall equinox. And after fall comes winter and that dreaded s**w.

This week has seemed two weeks long and we are only in the middle of it. I worked today and came home and Buddy and I just had to have our nap. He is so cute. He loves to come greet me when I get home. He knows that some time we will take a nap so he will lay on the floor in front of the couch until Imove toward the couch and then he jumps up on the couch and starts his meowing until I lay down . Then he quits meowing and cuddles up and goes to sleep.

Charlie was upset today because Buddy has been getting all the attention on here so he thinks he should have his picture on the blog too. I tried to get a pic of him today but he was having no part of it. These cats belong to the Grand Girls but they live with Grandma. The cats are twins and were born one minute apart. The Grand Girls think that is neat because they were also born one minute apart.

Here is a picture of Charlie.

And one of Buddy.


and one of them together.

And That's it for Today.

The Weekend

Well, the weekend was just that - the weekend.

Just a typical weekend - Grocery shopping, a little cleaning, a little bill paying - let me rephrase that a lotta bill paying, a little drive, a little visiting and that was about it. Oh and I forgot abuot the napping. Had to throw in a couple of those too. I really didn't think I needed a nap but Buddy (the cat) thought I did.

And here it is Monday. The week is looking like it is going to be a busy one. The weather is in the 90's each day which makes for those hot lazy afternoons. Would love to be lyinig in the grass and staring at the patterns of clouds in the sky. However, that is not to be so off to work I go.

Pictures today are from the weekend.

Will the vine overtake the telephone pole by fall??

Bird on a log.
Grandkids Flower Garden

Price of gas in Spokane
Catnap

That' it For Today.

Front Porch Settin'

Some friends of mine triggered this thought in my mind and so I thought I would share a few memories of my experiences with "Front Porch Settin'".

First off, let me tell you how proud I am to have grown up in an era where neighbors helped neighbors, you never saw a stranger (unless they were a reven-noor). If a car came up the road with an out of county or out of state plate you knew exactly who they were and where they were going.

Back in the hills of Tennessee when I grew up my parents and grandparents were hard scrabble farmers. We made a living on the land. Almost everything we ate came from our own hard work. We had corn and tobacco crops for cash and raised a big garden for food, We also had chickens and a couple of pigs.

In the spring summer and fall months a lot of our time was spent on the front porch. Early in the morning we would go to the garden and pick whatever there was ready to pick. The basic preparing was done by the whole famiy while settin' on the porch. If it was peas we would be shellin', if it was beans we would be stringing' and breakin', if it was corn you might catch us "shuckin'" or apples we'd be a peelin'. You might find us shelling corn to take to mill to have it ground into cornmeal.

A lot of visiting was also done on the front porch. One of the neighbors might be walking or driving by and come up on the porch to "set a spell". My aunt and uncle would come every week to visit and have supper with us. Other relatives might stop in for a visit especially on Sunday afternoons. Sometimes we would have a great big family dinner when lots of folks stopped by.

In the cool of the evening you would find us settin' there just resting. A gentle breeze would be blowing and the smells of the honeysuckle and other flowers would waft across the porch. Around dusk the lightning bugs would begin to appear. The kids would all be off to catch them in a jar. Or we might be playing a game of Whoopee Hide. One person was IT and had to hide his eyes and count to a specific number. The rest of us would hide in the shadows. When IT got to the designated number he would try to find us before we got safely back to the porch. The person who was caught or the last person on the porch was IT for the next game.

On Saturday night after our "weekly baths" (yes it was in the wash tub). The water in the tub was used to wash the porch so it also would be clean for Sunday Morning.

The picture below (circa 1952) is one of my great memories. It was a Sunday afternoon and my cousin Ruth from Bristol TN had come to visit and brought her new husband (pictured) to introduce him to us. From left to right standing is my Aunt Bonnie, Virgil Booher, my cousins husband, My mother, my sister Faye, and sitting on the porch around my grandmother is myself (with the barette) my cousin Gene, my grandmother Alice Swift, my sister Ann and my sister Mae (twin to Faye).

Reflections of simpler times and happy memories filled my thoughts today.

And in the words of my Father, "That's it for today".

Great Day!!

Well, Its Finally Friday---it has been a long week. I looked forward to Friday and here it is and it has been a great Friday.

Went to work, did my job, met all the goals set for this week - as a matter of fact was more than two times over goal. That made me proud. Always makes you feel good when you get a pat on the back.

Got home from work, settled in with a cold beverage and the phone rang. It was the "Grand Girls" letting me know they had arrived home from camp safely. They had a really good time. I had worried about them getting homesick - but that was ot the case. If the truth were known they probably didn't even think about home all week.

Got on the internet read some blogs and emails. I have never been much for emails - I love to get them but have trouble answering them. I am trying to improve. On one of the blogs I read was a cute story and I thought I would share it with you.

BBQ Rules

We are about to enter the summer and BBQ season.

Therefore it is important to refresh your memory on the etiquette of this sublime outdoor cooking activity, as it's the only type of cooking a 'real' man will do, probably because there is an element of danger involved.

When a man volunteers to do the BBQ the following chain of events are put into motion:

Routine...

(1) The woman buys the food.

(2) The woman makes the salad, prepares the vegetables, and makes dessert.

(3) The woman prepares the meat for cooking, places it on a tray along with the necessary cooking utensils and sauces, and takes it to the man who is lounging beside the grill.

Here comes the important part:

(4) THE MAN PLACES THE MEAT ON THE GRILL.

More routine....

(5) The woman goes inside to organize the plates and cutlery.

(6) The woman comes out to tell the man that the meat is burning. He thanks her and asks if she will bring another beer while he deals with the situation.

Important again:

(7) THE MAN TAKES THE MEAT OFF THE GRILL AND HANDS IT TO THE WOMAN.

More routine....

(8) The woman prepares the plates, salad, bread, utensils, napkins, sauces, and brings them to the table.

(9) After eating, the woman clears the table and does the dishes.

And most important of all:

(10) Everyone PRAISES and THANKS HIM for his cooking efforts.

(11) The man asks the woman how she enjoyed 'her night off.'

And, upon seeing her annoyed reaction, concludes that there's just no pleasing some women....

I thought it was cute.

I am still tweaking my blog - I have music on my post from yesterday so if you go back to yesterday you can see the new pics I put on there and listen to the music. My fellow chatters and RV friends (from Branson) will know why I picked it.

And folks, In the words of my Father, "That's it For Today".

41 = 4 Down 1 To Go

Well, it is Thursday the fourth day of the work week - only one more day to go. The great thing is tomorrow is a PayDay Friday. I just can't wait until I don't have to look forward to PayDay Friday anymore.

A couple of my fellow bloggers have decided to change or "tweak" their blogs so I thought I would get in the middle of the fun and be creative....so bear with me as I get creative. It may take me a little while - so keep checking back. Right now this is as creative as I can get.

Like I said keep checking back for more updates.

This is NOT it for today!!

Cat Nap

Well, it was a kinda slow day with not much going on. I got up went to work, came home and made dinner, surfed a little, took a nap, chatted a little, and went to bed. It made for an exciting day. As i get older it becomes increasingly harder to get up and go to work each day. Wonder why that is??

And naps - Naps are a very important part of my day and it is hard to let the day go by without one.. If I am late to chat the conversation goes something like this:

Chatter 1: Where's Jenny?
Chatter 2: Haven't seen her today.
Chatter 1: She always comes to chat.
Chatter 2: She is probably taking her nap.

and they are probably right I am taking my nap.

Here is a list of the 10 best things to day if you are caught napping at work.

10. "They told me at the blood bank this might happen."
9. "This is just a 15 minute power-nap like they raved about in that time management course you sent me to."
8. "Whew! Guess I left the top off the White-Out. You probably got here just in time!"
7. "I wasn't sleeping! I was meditating on the mission statement and envisioning a new paradigm."
6. "I was testing my keyboard for drool resistance."
5. "I was doing a highly specific Yoga exercise to relieve work-related stress. Are you discriminatory toward people who practice Yoga?"
4. "Why did you interrupt me? I had almost figured out a solution to our biggest problem."
3. "The coffee machine is broken..."
2. "Someone must've put decaf in the wrong pot..."
And the #1 best thing to say if you get caught sleeping at your desk...
1. " ... in Jesus' name. Amen."

And now if you will pardon me I think I will have another cat nap.



and in the words of my father, "That's it for today".

PS In between cat naps I did get the pictures from yesterday to upload so check yesterdays post for pictures.

Weekend Gone

Well, it was on Friday I was looking forward to two days off - now all of a sudden it is Monday morning - where did the time go? It seems the work week drags by so slow amd the weekends go by so fast.



On Saturday I was trying to rest up a bit from the busy week I had. I finally got all my suitcases unpacked (from the rally and Tennessee). I wish I could repack them and go somewhere else. But right now I don't see that happening. Also went shopping on Saturday came home- grilled some great steaks with baked potato and grilled vegetables...it was yummy!!



Sunday consisted of doing laundry, shopping at Walmart, going for a drive to Idaho, stopped to look at a couple RVs and also took some time to visit the "grand girls". They were leaving for Church Camp today for a week so I wanted to send them off with a new T Shirt and a bag full of snacks. I remember going to Church Camp and it seemed we never had enough snacks - so I wanted to make sure they did.



Photos today are the grandgirls with their new shirts. - Well I give up - can't get them uploaded tonight - no idea why!!!!!

Have a great time at camp girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!

and here is a picture of their Grandfather Dick. Dick celebrated his 62nd birthday last month. I wished him Happy Birthday but didn't get his picture on here. So Happy Birthday Dick - again.
I guess when you get to be as old as you are you can celebrate every day.





Roy says, "That's it for Today".

Fellowship Tours Comes To Town

Well, as of Saturday night the fire that started Thursday afternoon is about 60 percent contained. Almost 350 firefighters from across the state were called in to fight the blaze. From what the news media has said it started from a backyard pit that got out of control. There are at least seven other fires burning out of control in Washington State. The largest is the Badger Complex fire near Wenatchee. It has burned over 13,000 acres.

Other news from Spokane last week was the arrival of Fellowship Tours out of Gray, Tennessee. They were on a 16 day tour of the Pacific Northwest. Fellowship Tours is owned by Doug and Margaret and he is the driver and she is the tour guide on this particular trip. When I was in Tennessee I found out one of my friends and one of my relatives would be on the tour so I wanted to suprise them when they stopped in Spokane to spend the night.

After checking to find the time of their arrival I showed up at the hotel as a surprise. Unfortunately, when I got there they were ahead of schedule and had already arrived. I went in search of my friend and relative. They were really surprised to see me and we had a nice visit.

Doug and Margaret were also surprised to see me. I can't imagine why. They see me almost every year. My sister, June, travels with them a lot. She has taken this particular trip three times as well as trips to the Amish Country, Key West Florida, Niagra Falls, The Southwest, and a mystery trip this year where she went as far west as San Antonio Texas. She loves the guided tours. She and I took one to Nashville to the Grand Ole Opry. It was a lot of fun. We may take a trip together next year.

Here is a picture of June and me in Spokane last year when she was on the Pacific Northwest Tour.



They liked the sign I made for them. As Doug said, "You don't always get a Welcome Sign in every town you go to".

This is my friend Evelyn.
and this is my cousin, Margaret.
Evelyn and Margaret went to high school together and graduated together a few years ago. I thought it was neat that they were able to make the trip together.

Here is a picture of the five of us. Left to right ,Margaret, Margaret, Jenny, Evelyn and Doug.
If you ever want to take a tour I would highly reccomend fellowshiptourstn.com. It is based out of Gray, Tn. Just give them a call and don't forget to tell them "Jenny sent you".

As always, in the words of my father, "That's it For Today".

Valley Fire

Well, as much as I didn't like the snow and the cold last winter right now I wish we had some of it back. If you have watched CNN you have probably seen picture of the Valley fire here in the Spokane Valley. It started just a couple miles from where I live. The photos were taken shortly after it was started.

It started Thursday afternoon as a small brush fire and firefighters were dispactched. It was fanned by 20 to 24 miles per hour winds with gusts up to 50 mph and quickly grew to a great big fire. At the same time there were 3 other fires within the city. One was a three alarm blaze at the Ugly Duck Liquidators on the north side of the city. The Ugly Duck sells high end doors and countertops.

About 140 firefighters and 40 trucks were sent to fight the Valley Fire, Evacuations were started and boundaries changed as the wind shifted and the fire quickly began growing southward. Helicopters were dispatched but could not fly because of the high winds. At one point embers from the fire started several small fires and friends and neighbors formed a bucket brigade to keep those fires from spreading into neighborhoods.

The Emergency Operations Center which coordinates gathering of extra resources opened, an Emergency Alert System was activated and the American Red Cross opened an information center and a shelter at one of the local high schools.

At about 9 PM the Governor of Washington flew into Spokane and declared a State of Emergency for Spokane County. She had just come from Wenatchee where there were two forest fires burning, one of which was contained and the other which had been contained but had jumped its boundaries. Also at the same time, there was a wind storm in Stevens County (to the north of Spokane County) that swept through the entire county causing fires, power outages and downed trees. A state of emergency was declared for those places also.

Approximately 200 people spent the night in the shelter and by Friday Morning the fire had grown to 1200 acres and destroyed 13 homes. It was only 10 percent contained. The winds had died down and air support was scheduled. Firefighters from across the state are expected to help fight this fire.

Losses and the costs of firefighting are expected to be in the millions of dollars.

Here are some other photos I snapped from my yard of the fire.

Fourth of July

Well, It was a great Fourth of July, complete with a parade, picnic, spending time with my grandkids, and fireworks. Here are some pics of the parade.


Somehow I have lost all my pics of the parade - don't know where I have put them.....
Will add them later

Let Freedom Ring!!

Happy Fourth Of July !!!
Well, it's been a long time since our country was born - 232 years to be exact - since the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Here is a little bit of history for you.

Independence Day in the U.S., is an annual holiday commemorating the formal adoption by the Continental Congress of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, in Philadelphia. Although the signing of the Declaration was not completed until August, the Fourth of July holiday has been accepted as the official anniversary of U.S. independence and is celebrated in all states and territories of the U.S.

The holiday was first observed in Philadelphia on July 8, 1776, at which time the Declaration of Independence was read aloud, city bells rang, and bands played. It was not declared a legal holiday, however, until 1941. The Fourth is traditionally celebrated publicly with parades and pageants, patriotic speeches, and organized firing of guns and cannons and displays of fireworks; early in the 20th century public concern for a "safe and sane" holiday resulted in restrictions on general use of fireworks. Family picnics and outings are a feature of private Fourth of July celebrations.

I plan to spend my day in Coeur d'Alene watching the annual Fourth of July parade and a picnic with my grandchildren. Tonight we will go to Liberty Lake Washington to watch the fireworks.

Wherever I am my thoughts will be about this great country and what it means to live and travel in this great country of ours and be allowed the freedoms we have.

I will remember the great leaders of our country that built the framework of this country and fashioned guideposts through the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution for our future.

I will also remember those who watch our country to keep it safe from harm. We are able to celebrate because of those who serve and continue to sacrifice each day for our freedom.

Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he chose for his inheritance.” (Psalm 33:12)

Have a safe holiday and please say a prayer for our troops at home and abroad.

In the words of my father "That's it For Today".