Sunday, May 30, 2010

When It Rains, It Pours and then things break

Crash! Thunder! Bang boom! The heavens opened up.  The rains poured down and down and down.

I was gone on business, the puppy dog was at the baby sitters, the motorhome was all alone with her awning out for shade.

I came home, and the awning which normally drains itself of rain, was holding a lake, I was debating what to do when suddenly KER-BOOM and the awful sound of twisted metal rang through my ears as the frame buckled up and crashed to the sodden ground.

I stood there is disbelief. I was ready for a STRONG drink, but alas, all I had on hand was a glass of wine I was saving for my babysitter (who surely needed it after a day with the four-legged baby!)

I went inside and changed out of my pretty dress to something more suitable for wrecking. I called the babysitter to tell her, I was coming to fetch my pooch and she volunteered to come get him.

When she arrived, I gave her the wine and a sack of fresh Georgia peaches I had bought at a roadside stand for her. We commiserated about the awning frame being all mashed up. Her husband dropped by a few minutes later, and we commiserated some more.

After they left, I tried to improve upon the mess and succeeded in making a wreck out of me.

Pictures coming soon. I have to run drop off the baby, clean up the motorhome (company coming later) get dressed for business and I have 25 minutes to do all this in!

Do I sound drop-dead tired?  Cause I am!




Friday, May 28, 2010

The perfect age is somewhere between old enough to know better and too young to care.




The perfect age is somewhere between old enough to know better and too young to care.


Not sure who said that or it's exact meaning. Perhaps I am not awake enough yet.


I was working on a long funny article yesterday with a program that was supposed to be automatically backing it up for me, but alas, it ate it instead,  for breakfast.


So I lost my groove. I just wasn't up to rewriting it all at that point. I growled, as I often do, when things go awry. Then I talk the puppy dog for a super long walk, looking for a possible play date for him while I have to be gone doing business for several hours. I can't take him with me and his training isn't far enough along for me to trust him alone that long.


If I had a proper dog crate, he would have stayed in that while I am gone, but I have a soft sided cat carrier. It's big enough for him, and I could put it by the window, but I could imagine him howling and crying in protest and disturbing the neighbors in this campground park.


I guess I am in a park rather than a campground. There are many seemingly year round trailers and motorhomes here. Also there is some sort of pipeline going in somewhere in the area, and loads of welders and pipefitters are living in the park. Nearly everyone asks me if I am working for the pipeline or if my husband is. 


It seems the younger generation asks if its me working for the pipeline and the older generation asks if its my husband working there. Interesting...


Well, no husband at all, and not me working there. I am fighting to get well, and it's a steady uphill battle. Today my eyes are swollen nearly shut and that's not good at all.   


I am plenty sad about my friend, Ed Morgan, of Tortola, BVI passing away.  Also, I may have touched something on the puppy then without thinking touched my eye area and now have an allergy action going on. I just don't know. I look ridiculous!





Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Lake Placid

On the road again, just can't wait to get on the road again...


We're off to Lake Placid.


New York? Florida? Texas? Queensland, Australia? The horror film?   Lots of Lake Placid's to choose from!


Here is a picture in the motorhome on the baby's very first trip in his baby car seat. That's a cat bed I bought him (he was way too tiny for a dog bed, so cat bed it is!) I strapped in the cat bed with the seatbelt, then I put on his teeny harness, then I hooked his leash to his harness, then tied that in a clove hitch with a few extra half hitches for good measure.  He had enough leash to move around his bedding and look out the window, but not enough to leave the seat and get under my brake peddle.


That's his favorite toy, his "bo-bo".  So I let him pick one toy for the long ride and bo-bo it was.


At a Walmart Superstore, I stopped to check out their groceries and load up for the week. We parked the motorhome at the end of the lot, next to some trees. It was super hot and humid. I don't think my cutie would be welcome in the grocery store, so I released him from his "car seat", fired up my generator, put the roof top air conditioning on full blast, told my beloved to be a "good boy" and took off shopping while the pooch had the motorhome all to himself.


Is he spoiled or what?  Generator... air-conditioning... my gosh!


Fifty minutes later, I was headed back to the motorhome, and I couldn't hear any barking at all (good sign or else he is busy chewing up the throw rugs...)  but amazingly, when I opened the door, I was greeted with Arctic cold air and one very happy puppy dog. Nothing was destroyed and he had merrily scattered his toys all over the place.


He was thrilled to see all the groceries and thinks I must be the world's greatest hunter, to have killed and bagged all that prey so quickly.


I threw it all in the refrigerator, made sure the door was locked for driving, then after giving baby Harley, a quick walk under the trees, I strapped him back in his car seat and we took off again.


As I was walking towards Walmart, I decided to turn around and take a picture of the motorhome.  Since the head injury, I keep forgetting where I park cars. So taking a picture, can be handy for finding the car again. I don't have a car anymore. But I kept losing my friend's car in the parking lots. Some days I spent 20-40 minutes hunting down the "lost" car. Well, I really didn't need this picture, cause when I got back, I realized, the motorhome, being 11 feet tall, was EASY to spot in the parking lot, especially since I had the trees to remember it by. DUH...





MORE LINKS...
Caribbean Hurricane Network
Tuesday in Tortola
Caribbean Hurricane Network
Another very calm night with winds shifting about but no sustained breeze. Did have a nice shower about 5PM then really bright ...

Monday, May 24, 2010

Another trip to Petsmart...

Another trip to Petsmart... (where pets are welcome to shop with you)

My new baby is learning the word "NO" and he has it down pat now. So my shoes are safe now, as are my throw rugs. 

However, the four-legged brute managed to BREAK his new 100% genuine imitation leather harness. I promise, you, I was not dragging him or anything weird.  We went for a walk and stopped at the neighbor's house and I noticed his harness looked funny.  Upon close inspection, I see that it is busted!  I think it suffered from dry rot. I just bought it 2 days ago, with a matching leash. But the thought that my baby could have panicked and escaped his harness while out around traffic really scared me.  

Poor wittle doggy. His play buddies had gone to the veterinarian, so he was confused, and searched all over their  house and yard for them. 

We asked to borrow the car, (what great friends to say yes, and  let me use it!)  So I loaded up the baby in my old cat carrier and off to Petsmart we went to return the broken harness. This borrowed car has no air conditioning, and it's sweltering hot here in Orlando today, so my little brute had to ride in the cat carrier. He is learning so many new things so quickly.  I talked sweetly to him while I was driving and he whined off and on briefly, then decided he could suffer in silence.  The cat carrier is really quite roomy, considering he is so tiny.

Which, the new baby is named Harley Davidson. I call him Harley for short. He has wittle black boots on his wittle paws, so he's ready to saddle up and go for a spin.  People seem to laugh, as if Harley is reserved only for the big rough and tough doggies. I thought about naming him Brutus or Brute, and that was before he busted out of his new harness.

I used to ride a Triumph motorcycle, back in the dark ages. Let's see, it was a 1977 Triumph Bonneville.  My gosh, showing my years here.

Harley rode in the shopping buggie at the store, since he had no harness to wear at the end of his leash. He loved that buggie ride!  Even more he ate up all the attention other people were giving him, and every time he saw another doggy, he wanted to hop out and play, play, play.

Another lady in the store, was telling me about the puppy dog she just rescued and all the things one must buy when one rescues a dog (don't I know that!) but she had left her new one home with hubby who was distraught that she wanted to take the puppy shopping with her (funny how quick we grow attached!)

We had to get a toy just like the neighbor's toy that my baby  tried to steal (pirate in him too!) It's a big stuffed thing that is almost as big as he is. Then we had to get tennis balls, because at the neighbor's he learned how to play fetch and loves it. Silly me didn't buy any tennis balls Saturday, yet I know in the back of my injured head, that all dogs and boys and men etc. LOVE to play ball and this little fellow is no exception. Mind you, I did buy 3 toys off the discounted rack on Saturday.  So now we have four toys and 7 tennis balls (save some back for those he might inevitably lose).  Plus I am going to make him some toys.  Petsmart had some tennis balls that were smaller than the typical ones, so we got those.

I decided to go with a basic black nylon harness and leash this time. We hope THAT doesn't rot out in 2 days. Petsmart took back the other offending harness and the leash. As I explained, we wanted the leash to match the harness (picky ain't we?) and the busted harness we were returning, was no good anyhow, which makes one wonder about the leash quality...since they were both made out of the same genuine imitation leather. The leash showed no wear, but I sure didn't want it anymore after the harness from the identical material broke so readily.

Last but not least, we took a look at the puppy beds. He has my bed, so he hardly needs a bed of his own. But he needs  a small rug or bed, that he can be trained to "Go to Your Place" so that when we are traveling and so on, and I need him to stay put, I can tell him "Go to your place" and he knows to go sit in his special bed, no matter where I have put it. Also, when we are sitting outside under the awning, he will have his own wittle place to sit or sleep or snooze.

I once had a dog trained to her special rug, as she weighed about 100 pounds. So if I needed her to hop in her crate or stay somewhere new and unfamiliar, all I had to do was bring her rug and tell her to stay on it. She then understood this was her temporary place to be.  That particular dog, in my distant past, went sailing with me on assorted boats, as well as camping in tents and cabins.  She visited lots of people and her rug went everywhere with her and she was plenty happy about that. Sometimes she had to stay with a dog sitter when I went away, but the rug made it easier on her to understand "temporary" homes when we were only going to be somewhere for the weekend and so on.

All the dog beds were way too big for my tiny baby. Even the smallest bed looked ridiculous.  He isn't much bigger than a rat.  So over to the cat beds we went to look and found him a nice washable cozy comfy bed, a place all his own.  I put it in the shopping trolley and he climbed right in, let out a big sigh and curled up in it.  Then he opened his eyes, dragged his toys into it, then laid back down. It was so hilarious.

We made it through the check out, he was in his bed, with all his toys, wearing his new harness.  At first he was dismayed that I was taking all his toys and bed away, so the cashier could ring them up and bag them.

In the parking lot, they have a nice grassy area for dogs, so we went for a short walk, then I loaded him and one toy, into the cat carrier and we made it home. He never whimpered or fussed. Just rode nice and quiet this time.

We returned the car and made another trip through the grass, and he seems to like the new harness and he is getting used to this leash business somewhat. I have to call him by his new name often, to coax him to walk with the leash.  Sometimes he just rolls over and plays dead and waits for me to pick him up and carry him. *sigh*  Who is training who here?

Back at the motorhome, I laid out his bed and toys, tossed the tennis balls around and he was ecstatic to see that all his nifty things had come home with him. Then he collapsed in the floor, under a chair and promptly went to sleep.

I've got a million things to do today to repair the motorhome and hit the road tomorrow. I am exhausted too, but it's time to put on my repair hat and get busy.

Picture of the New Baby Boy on Adoption Day

Here is my new baby boy, just minutes after adopting him. He was born Christmas Eve 2009 and is now 5 months old. We were in the borrowed car already and my friend was holding him, to comfort him for the long ride back to his new home, while I was driving. He is malnourished, and underweight, his fur is thin and dull. I hope to nurse him into great health.  I bet a month from now, he will be gorgeous and normal weight. I haven't got an exact weight, he seems to be about 3-4 pounds at this point, will try to weigh him soon.

The former keepers showered love on him, but fed him Doritos and Corn Chips! That is junk food that even I won't eat and it's a horrible diet for a puppy dog.  No wonder the poor little fellow has no meat on his bones and his fur is lifeless.

The first day home he wouldn't eat at all, he just wanted to be held and consoled constantly so my friends and I took turns babying him all day long and at night he slept in my bed, all curled up in a tight ball.  I am sure he was waiting for his junky food of Doritos and Corn Chips, but I was hoping hunger would overtake at some point and he would learn to settle for puppy chow.

Sometime during the night, he snuck out of bed and ate some proper puppy kibble.  He can take a long running start, then fly up on the bed and land in the middle, rather smitten with himself. 

I am visiting friends who have two small dogs, who seem like giants next to this itty bitty boy. Yesterday, on day two of his life with me, I gave him a new name, since he is going to have a new life and now that he had seen the big doggies a few times, I put him in the floor to see if he would play with them, as they were eager to sniff him over.

A repairman came to see about my old motorhome and my friends said "Leave the baby here and we will babysit."  Well my poochie was not happy when I left.

An hour later, the repairman ad I had sussed things out (we needed more parts!) and he being a dog lover, he wanted to meet my rescue, so we walked over to my friend's house to get the puppy.

I opened the door and was absolutely astonished!  An hour earlier, I had left this trembling, whimpering tiny puppy in their care and now all three dogs came racing for the door, which of course included my new baby.  He was so excited to see me and was dancing and showing me how he played fetch with the other dogs' toys.  Even though they outweighed him by 20 pounds, he was playing rough and tough with the big boys having the time of his life.

I put his harness back on him and took him outside on his leash and we went for a short walk while he watered the grass here and there to let the neighborhood know he had arrived.

Back at the motorhome, I tried to coax him to walk up the steps on his own four paws (he prefers to be carried all the time) but I want him trained to do both, as sometimes my hands might be full (of dog food and stuff) and I might need him to walk in, rather than wait to be carried inside.

Once inside, he collapsed into a very long nap of several hours, I guess the other two dogs had just wore him out completely.

This morning I put his harness and leash back on to take him for a walk but he wanted to lead me to the neighbors and go play some more. We couldn't because it was early and I suspect the neighbors were still sleeping. He was most unhappy, and refused to go for a long walk. 

So many things to teach him!  I finally had to carry him back home, as he was sitting there stubbornly, refusing to walk. The tiny harness is miles too big for him, I hope he grows into it soon.  At the motorhome, I put him down about 10 feet from the door and finally coaxed him to walk to the door and up the steps on his own power.

Back inside, he wanted to chew up my flip-plops and I told him a stern "NO!" and he dropped it.  I got his toys and played with him some. Then he chewed on the rug and again I said "NO!" and he stopped and looked really pathetic.  So we played with his toys some more. He ate only a tiny bit of food, still holding out for that junk that isn't forthcoming.
Playtime wore him out and he is curled up next to me on the settee, snoozing away. 

Here is his promised picture!

Sunday, May 23, 2010

The Angels Brought me a New Baby!

I had a dream of a ragamuffin dog that needed me. I woke up and thought about how I've missed having pets. Many of you know I wrote about the antics of my island cats many times.

They were the love of my life. Then when I began making arrangements to come  to America, after getting out of the hospital in Tortola, BVI, the airlines told me only one pet per person.  It was devastating to even think about leaving my beloved pets behind. Sadly, I chose one pet to fly with me and spent a great deal of time finding very good homes for the remaining two.

As they left with their new owners, I cried myself silly for days. I checked on their progress and cried some more. The remaining cat, was bewildered too. But in a few short days we flew on the big plane and sadly, I was sick, tired, and ready to drop dead when I made a stupid decision, that cost me my cat. He escaped 60 miles from our final destination, and has never been found.

I spent my tiny bits of monies on searching high and low for my missing cat.  I traveled back to look for him, though I could barely walk more than 20-30 feet at a time to search for him. I put up posters. I hired a phone agency that called 500 people within the area, with a recorded notice about my cat. I custom printed 1,000 postcards and sent them out to the area he was lost in. I tangled with a guy who claimed his hound could track down my cat for a huge price that kept changing.  He lead me on false hope, as when it came down to meeting and trading cash and a pillow with the cat's scent on it, he ran me in circles, insisting I send the money by Western Union, which I found suspicious. How would he find my cat if he didn't have things that smelled like my cat to track him with?  Meanwhile the tracker played games with me.  When I made arangements to drive to his hometown, with cash, and with the cat's bedding and so on, he refused. It was a game that ripped my heart to pieces, as I grieved mightily for my best friend of 9 years.

 Emotionally I was now a wreck and financially things were going down the tubes rapidly, while my health deteriorated.at an alarming rate.  Trusted friends in the islands, helped keep the daily Dear Miss Mermaid weather reports going. Everyone, including me, thought I would be back rather soon and in much improved health. But I was failing fast and it wasn't good.

Another crisis was going on in my life, a mega  problem, that I won't discuss here, to protect  privacy.   My whole life was coming to a rapid end, and I was ready to let it just finish with a quiet bang.

Kind hearted people tried to give me new cats and kittens to console my aching heart but I just couldn't do it. I wanted my Lil Bear Cat back and I didn't want a replacement. Days, weeks, months, and the fate of my Lil Bear was never known. I sunk into a deep sadness that left my heart ripped apart.

I tried on many days to pretend all was well.  I began searching out for medical help, a whole different story, that is not very promising. I started in earnest on alternative treatments, as those were the ones I could afford.

I was in America, and several businesses that owed me money from Tortola were refusing to pay, the awful pirates!  I should publish their names and put shame all over their face and businesses.

In a dream like state, I found a helluva deal on an old small motorhome and moved into it. I nearly froze, it was so c-c-c-cold. Friends invited me to visit in Florida, and I arrived, so weak, I had to rest in my bunk, over 24 hours before I could begin to visit with them.

The healing began in earnest and they had pets and I began to see daylight at the end of a very long dark lonely tunnel.

I began envisioning myself with a puppy dog. But alas, my motorhome is very small. It seemed like a silly vision.

I've had dogs before and I'm pretty good at training them too. Matter of fact, my cats were well trained. I've never had a small dog before, much less a toy breed, I've always owned robust 60-150 pound dogs. I mean that by weight, I always had big dogs. Well, back in the dark ages, I used to own a home with gardens and there was always room for a big dog or two.

Throughout my hardships I began praying for angels again. Angels appeared when I least expected it and my health and life overall began to improve.

Then I had a dream, night before last, and I could see the face of a little ragamuffin puppy dog that needed me. I woke up and wondered about that dream. I looked at Craigslist.org and all the unwanted pets there and it was sad and depressing.

I called and emailed several ads. I found out as the morning progressed, many were puppy mill ads, in disguise, people who wanted huge sums of money for their "unwanted" pets.  Craigslist doesn't allow puppy mill ads, but still the breeders find creative ways to appeal to your heart strings, then ask for a horrendous "rehoming" fee.

One advertisement had no picture, no phone number, just an email and an appeal for "a good home only". I sent a one sentence reply with my phone number "I can give your dog a great loving home."

A young man called and excitedly told me all about his tiny dog and why he was forced to surrender him. I could tell this young mutt was well loved. He was barely 5 months old, the runt of his litter, playful, housebroken and intelligent.

My cell phone doesn't do text or receive pictures, since I am on a budget plan. My dear friend loaned me her car and carrier to go see about this doggy in need. She even rode over with me, after I begged her, that the puppy might need consoling on the ride back, and how could I drive and console the poor little baby?

45 minutes later, I am standing on the porch of the stranger's house and he comes out with the little pooch. He was so ugly, he was cute as can be.

And he was the spitting image of the dog in my dream the night before.

The angels had come and here was my chance. The young man just wanted him to have a loving home, there was no rehoming fees, and oddly, no dog accoutrements, no collar, no leash, no nothing.

I adopted the little boy, and he is MINE now. He weighs about 3-4 pounds and is sadly, malnourished with dull lifeless fur.  Later when the young man called to check on him (I bet he cried his eyes out when we left with his bundle of  love and joy) I heard a lady in the background yelling "Tell her how much he loves to eat Doritos and Corn Chips!"

Well, that explains the dull thin fur, the emaciated body. Puppies need proper care, not junk food.

My friend steered me to Petsmart, and the three of us went inside. I bought him healthy food, a teeny tiny harness and a matching leash. I was astonished at the price of dog toys, I've always made my own cat toys.  I wasn't sure there was much of anything in the motorhome to make dog toys with. Finally I found the discounted marked down toys, and managed to buy a few cheap ones for the bundle of love, who seemed to enjoy being at Petsmart and all the fussing people were pouring over him and his tiny body.

We made it home, and the new baby was passed around, he LOVES to be held. (I am staying in the garden of friends in my motorhome). He is a teeny tiny boy.  A Poohuahua!  He is half Toy Poodle and half Chihuahua. They are also called Chipoos and  Poochis, but I liked the Poohuahua, cause it sounds so funny!  There are no standardize traits for this mix, but this one seems very intelligent.

Though he came already named, I figured I had 24 hours to make up my mind to either keep the name or Christen a new one on him.

I woke up this morning with a new name on the tip of my tongue, for my new beloved and so I shall rename him, to give him good luck while I nourish him to good health.  Out with the old name and the old ways.

I need to walk and exercise more, and what better way than to walk my doggy several times a day.

Yesterday, was a bit rough on the baby, he was shaking off and on, scared of everything new happening around him. He met my friends' other pets and everyone took turns cuddling and comforting him and cooing over him. He is rather cute! 

I showed him around the small motorhome and that seemed to excite him, especially when the tiny water and feed bowls were set out for him, though he refused to eat.

As I dined with my friends in the evening, he sat in my lap and ate a tiny bit of meatball.  Later, I put his harness and leash on him, then took him outside. He rolled over and refused to move.

I gave him a bath (he smelled something rough!) and though he didn't much care for the bath, he loved the towel, and drying off and the playtime afterwards. The sink water was nearly black and I could see how malnourished he was, just a bony little dog with hardly any meat on him at all.

Last night, we climbed into my bed. I've never allowed any of my former dog pets to sleep with me, but this little bit of fluff, barely 3-4 pounds, needed comforting. We played awhile and he seemed happy for the first time all day. Then he astonished me by hopping off the bed and disappearing into the darkness.

I called him name and he ran back, tail wagging and looked up at me. I tapped the bed twice, to signal him to hop up. I figured there was no way  he could, and I would have to climb out of bed and fetch him again.

He ran off in the darkness of the motorhome, and apparently took a long running start as suddenly he came flying up on the bed!  I was giggling like a child and he was mighty pleased that he could hurl himself onto the bed.

I got all comfy, and he found his own spot, and curled up into a tight ball and slept soundly on the side of the bed. When we got up this morning, he wanted to play, play, play and I noticed that sometime during the night he had emptied his puppy chow bowl!

I put on his harness and leash and out we went.  He didn't understand how this harness and leash business worked, but he wandered around the yard uncertainly and finally watered some grass here and there. I begged him to let me at least brush my hair and have one cup of coffee, before we did some serious outside exploring, so back to the motorhome we went.

Last night, the former owner called to check on him, and told me he had never been on a leash, but was housebroken and used to going outside,  to do his potty thing. He also said he was a lap dog and used to being cuddled all the time. Well that, I had pretty much figured out by now.

I did my hair, downed a cup of coffee, while puppy sat at the screen door, looking outside. We played with his toys then, I put his teeny harness and leash back on and out we went. I talked encouragingly to him, as I tried to get him to walk around with the leash. He tugged on it, then he sat and refused to budge, then he rolled over and played dead.

It was hilarious!  It would have made such a great video.

However,  a squirrel, bigger than him, caught his eye and he wanted a closer look. We walked over and suddenly, he GOT IT and understood this leash business and next thing I know, we are doing loops around the neighborhood. 

I've been trying out his new name on him, and he he is already perking up to it! A new name, a new life.  We shall heal together and forge ahead.

As I write this, an exhausted puppy is napping by my side. Can you tell I am smitten?  I am in love?  The angels have saved me AGAIN!



Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Homesick and Selling my Books


Pardon the mess, I wrote this early this morning, then had cantankerous computer problems all day, so I wrote this off-line and when I transferred it, the formatting was all messed up. *sigh*  It's late, I'm tired, but I will post it anyhow.

It's a beautiful day in Florida. I am truly homesick for the islands, after 22
years in the Caribbean, you can imagine how homesick and out of place I
feel these days. I will be back in the Caribbean soon, just no fixed
date.

Speaking of no fixed date, I also have no fixed address!  I did rent a box
to get mail at and eventually someone boxes it up and sends it to me at
my current address. 

In the interim, I bought an old used motorhome to live in, since the USA is
big, and I had no idea where I would end up. Sadly, my parents died while
I was living in the Caribbean, and though I
did return to their funerals, I've rarely visited the states in the
past 22 years, so I feel VERY out of place at times.  During
funerals, I was so stressed out, I didn't take notice of much of
anything in America. 

Apparently,  I missed out on a heck of a lot!  

However, living in the motorhome,  is working out fine, as I don't have
to live out of a seabag, but living in a mini-motorhome is not for the
faint of heart.  I don't need much and the beauty of living in
a motorhome is it comes fully furnished and in my case, the former
owners left behind kitchen gear, sheets, towels and some other useful
things.  They also left me a holding tank full of their poop,
but that's a whole 'nother story!  
tioga montara
Here is a drawing of my mini-motorhome. It's called a Class C, because it is
built on a van chassis.  I used this picture to make my
calling cards,  as obviously my phone and mail are different
while in the USA.

I'm working on a colorful business card for promoting my books,
but that will take more money to print, this one being black and white,
was economical to print. I put my info in bold type over the picture
and the cards just came back from the printer, and they look terrific.


They did raised print and a raised picture, so the card looks far
better than this picture depicts.  Even the printer loved my
idea!  If you have a motorhome and want a similar card, send
me a picture of your motorhome, so I can make a drawing out of it.
My email is Author AT DearMissMermaid.Com (remove the AT and
spaces and replace with @, this prevents those pesky bots from stealing
my email address to send me spam).
RV business card, tioga montara

Had I stayed in motels, I would have spent a fortune, and staying with friends is
certainly loads of fun, but they expect you to move along at some
point, not just move in. Also, I wanted to literally chase down some
medical care, both traditional and alternative.  So all in all, an old motorhome, made
sense to me, being that I've live aboard boats and yachts and things afloat that travel.

My book; Hurricanes and Hangovers is continuing to sell somewhat. If ANYONE out
there has any ideas on how to promote it better, give me a shout, I
need all the help I can get.   I am not selling enough each
month to make a living yet *giggle* but I am working on more books,
because the reviews from this one have been favorable. 

I just got up, after spending  about 18 hours in bed, battling
excruciating pain. I now feel remarkably better, even though I didn't
take any pain pills.  My long hair is  in dreadknots and man
oh man, have I got some serious work to get those knots out. 

By the way, if you want to promote my book on your blog or website, you can
actually make money doing so!  Every time someone clicks the
link to buy the book, you make between $0.64 and  $1.36 per
book, (fees based on volume) and you get a check the end of each month,
deposited to your bank account.  One busy Caribbean website is
selling a lot of my books and earning nice commissions this
way. 

For instance, the fees are based on volume, so if your website sells between 1-6
books per month, you earn 4% of the selling price, in this case $15.99
for the book, and 4% is $0.64

But once you've sold 7 or more books that month, the commission jumps
to 6% or  $0.96 per book.  The rest of the volume
structure through Amazon Associates works like this:
1-6 books, 4%
7-30 books, 6%
31-110 books, 6.5%
111-320 books, 7%
321-630 books, 7.5%
631-1570 books, 8%
1571-3130 books,  8.25%
3131 and up, 8.5%

Now the good news is,  if the person clicks through to buy my book and buys
others things, books or other stuff from Amazon, at the same time, you
get commissions on everything.  All you have to do is sign up at to become an Amazon Associate at this link.

If that is too much trouble for you, contact me directly at  Author at DearMissMermaid.com (remove the at and spaces, replace with @ to get my email correctly) this is so robots don't write me, only people...  gosh the
things we have to do to avoid unwanted spam emails.   I can
create a special account to track your sales and you will still get a
check the end of each. 

Here are some of my favorite webs links today:

 
Caribbean Hurricane Network


... from
Sunday & Monday seem to be decreasing and a bit.... a small
bit of sunshine is seen on both sides of the BIG cloud that appears to
be over Tortola. ...

Biking in the BVI…« Kite Dreams

By ktzefr 

In the blue distance the smoky-looking island is Tortola.
Near Road Town, a place called Trellis Bay once served as a base for
Black Sam Bellamy, the Prince of Pirates. It's written that he wore his
long black hair tied with a satin bow ...
Kite Dreams -
http://katiepickardfawcett.wordpress.com/

 
Flora, Fauna, Bees and Beer Caps in the BVI


Caribbean
Hurricane Network

By DearMissMermaid at aol.com the clips off one of the kitchen
screens... So today I put on my home repair hat and got that thing
fixed. ...

Monsoon?
Mini Hurricane? BVI weather be crazy mon



Caribbean
Hurricane Network

By DearMissMermaid at aol.com Monsoon??? Had a big
and hard rain last evening.... about 2 inches of rain water at midships
in the dink. ...






Another Great Day in Paradise

More from dat Wayward Sailor in the BVI



Caribbean Hurricane Network

... from Sunday & Monday seem to be decreasing and a bit.... a small bit of sunshine is seen on both sides of the BIG cloud that appears to be over Tortola. ...

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Orlando Florida and Olive Loaf French Bread

 woke up on Tuesday, grateful the sun came up, grateful to be alive when it did and in spite of the pain, I am convincing myself I just don't feel a thing. But oh, I want to slide back under the covers and close my eyes and will the pain away forever.


My laptop computer is limping along now and for that I am very thankful. I did all the recommended things to fix it and speed it up, most of them are from a webpage I wrote a while back for others having computer problems and where to get the nifty free programs that fix things for free. (See ReservationsBVI.com/Free)


I'm lonely as hell without my cats.  I try not to think about it too much, or I will simply cry and get even more depressed.


Lots of people encouraged me to come to America to get better medical care. Ha. That has not been the case at all. Since my med insurance was cancelled, doors close and windows don't open.  Doctors no longer CARE if you are dying on their doorstep, their efficient staff is ONLY concerned with WHO is your medical insurance with?  Oh you don't have any?  Well, you will have to pay cash up front before you can even get an appointment!


I've been told this so many times, it's frightening. So I give up!  I've spent all my cash and not at all impressed with the results. I feel very lost.


I'm back to alternative treatments and praying for angels, peddling my Hurricane and Hangover books and enjoying each and every day. 


People try to stress me out, but I'm not letting them. I'm slow, I'm late, I'm disorganized and confused, but by golly I am alive and having way too much fun.


Like for breakfast, I had these wonderful leftovers in spite of the fact my microwave simply quit working. *sigh*.  I lit the gas stove and heated them in a fry pan. I slowly got it all down, then ate the 2 pills I can't seem to live without, though soon their prescription expires and well, I don't know WHAT I am going to do then.


They require a doctor to refill and the doctors don't seem to want to LISTEN. So I dread the very idea of going to another one. So maybe I can live without the pills.  Time will tell!


Oh a fun note, I feel goofy and write a lot. That is, when the computer isn't being cantankerous. I also backup often to a big hard drive and pray every day, that nothing untoward happens to it.


My phone crashed and burned taking all the phone numbers with it. Fortuitously, after a few weeks of a very quiet phone, friends have been calling to see if I am alive, and phew, I am able to reprogram my phone, with their numbers,  bit by bit.


I thought I had all the numbers backed up, but I can't seem to find that file. Grrrrrrrr... 


I am thinking of tossing all the technology and just keeping the pencil and paper. You know, no matter how high tech we become, there is nothing that will ever replace pencil and paper. It just ain't gonna happen.


I like this little motorhome, though I need to get a grip on the repairs. The hot water puts out only 2 tablespoons of water instead of six, and the microwave comes on randomly and shuts down erratically.  The sink faucet is all wrong and whoever put it in, wasted their time mightily. It's like a boat, always something to fix. Most things I fix myself, but some things don't like my repairs *tee hee hee*.


Speaking of being thankful and grateful, I am thankful and grateful for all my wonderful readers!  You rock and keep me going each and every day. I will cheer up when the pain passes and I can think again. I am sitting here all alone now, grinning like an idiot, cause I am hoping if I keep smiling, the pain will go away.




Beautiful Oak trees with Spanish Moss in Orlando Florida

Olive Loaf

I baked this Olive Loaf of Bread at my friend's house while I was making dinner for them. It's actually a simple recipe, but the results are WOWIE!

It's bread stuffed with chopped olives, garlic, basil and parmesan.  Yummy!  I used a broken egg yolk, spread on the dough with my wittle fingers, to give it that beautiful golden color. I am sorry the picture isn't better (my antique digital has about had it).  I used chopped pitted Calamata Olives, because they are my all time favorite olives.

OK, here's the

RECIPE FOR OLIVE LOAF BREAD

1 refrigerated can of Pilsbury French Bread Dough
1 broken egg yolk
a few tablespoons each of chopped olives, chopped garlic, grated parmesan, dried basil

Put the French Bread dough in the freezer for about 20 minutes, to make the dough super cold.  Remove from freezer, open can, and lay dough on counter. Look carefully for the seam, this bread dough is actually one sheet of dough rolled up and stuffed in a can. Unroll as much of the dough as you can, so you have a flat piece of dough.

Evenly sprinkle the condiments across the dough and roll it back up.  Separate the egg yolk from the egg white (I save the white to toss in scrambled eggs or something else).  Break the egg yolk with your fingers and spread across the top of the loaf (not the bottom).

Place on either a greased cookie sheet or on top of parchment paper and bake at 350F degrees for about 30 minutes until golden brown. Wrap in a clean towel or cloth napkin and serve.

Yummy!




http://www.google.com/url?sa=X&q=http://stormcarib.com/reports/current/report.php?id=1274099813_43951&ct=ga&cad=:s7:f2:v0:i0:li:e0:p0:t1274136494:&cd=XRKyhA8HfIM&usg=AFQjCNGMusSlUbEGrdvWNHk3XynLIuOT8g
Caribbean Hurricane Network
Drippy Mondaze in Paradise on Tortola
Caribbean Hurricane Network
By DearMissMermaid at aol.com Whew the bee's have been asked to move to a new location. Unbelievable yesterday afternoon in my kitchen. ...




http://www.google.com/url?sa=X&q=http://stormcarib.com/reports/current/report.php?id=1274021700_77006&ct=ga&cad=:s7:f2:v0:i0:li:e0:p0:t1274049983:&cd=kkxdWD4vUbs&usg=AFQjCNHJdc79Iut24z60TKp8pigKq_Ak3w
Caribbean Hurricane Network
The Bees Be With Me On Tortola & Mermaid in a Garden
Caribbean Hurricane Network
Now that she is more often on Tortola and helping LOTS with local weather reports while I am on walkabout, it's high time to give her a proper name; ...





Sunday, May 16, 2010

Orlando in a Mini-Motorhome






It's Sunday and I woke up alive, but in extreme pain.  I am trying to avoid all pain pills because they just do further damage to the kidneys and liver. Yuck. So my mind wanders around looking for a safe place to go to, where there is no pain, where life is good and all is happy. 

Hey, I'm ALIVE and that is exciting.  The whole day ahead of me.  What luck!  

I have many things to do, but many repairs I can't do. If I make a list, it's depressing.  Let's see, here's my list of repairs:

Get well, fix my body (that's major ongoing work, mostly at a standstill for now, while I attempt to amass more cash)
Hot water tank (6 gallons) only puts out 2 tablespoons of hot water, then it's 24 hours before another 2 tablespoons shows up
The laptop computer (ancient at 3 years old) refuses to shut down properly, and often won't restart for a day or more
The microwave died while reheating leftovers, flipping fuse switches doesn't seem to help, maybe there is a short somewhere, but it's built in, so not easy to get to
The sink faucet is still in the box because I can't reach underneath the sink to install the new one,I'm  thinking of cutting an access panel, but lack of tools prevents this for the time being (tools sold when moving from Tortola, far too heavy for a carryon bag)
The room darkening shade I hung over the bunk, doesn't go all the way up, so it blocks half the window,perhaps it needs shortening, I think it's 5 feet long for a 2 foot window, and maybe it's just too fat where it sits in the brackets and thus won't roll up
One back light (upper left) on the motorhome doesn't work and neither does one of the reverse lights
The outside light over the door died, probably needs a new bulb, but it also needs a ladder to reach it
The shade awning was repaired by me and my friend, but it's a temporary fix until I can replace it. Works fine, as long as there is very little wind. 

OK, there you have it, my complete WIHNE list.  *tee hee hee* of repairs. It seems so short, like I've left something (many somethings) out. 

Over the course of a few weeks, I managed to wash the outside of the motorhome and now it seems to be 3-4 different shades of white. It needs a paint job. A wax job might help it, but paint would do wonders. 

I'm trying to covert my book "Hurricanes and Hangovers" to a Kindle format. I am lost at this. If anyone has any clues, HELP!

Well, I am about done with my stay in Orlando Florida. I have to move along soon to  a real campground that has a sewer dump, as my holding tank is over half full now. I'm living in a mini-motorhome, but it's plenty big enough for a mermaid and a friend.  Right now I am alone, but I have a spare over-the-cab bunk, so I can have a fried along on a trip or a visit. 

When I woke up, it was 70 F degrees in Orlando, by 930am it was 80 degrees and climbing. Orlando folks tend to live hermetically sealed in either heat or air conditioning. I love the fresh outdoors and the fresh air, but I must admit, the humidity can be very oppressive at times. 

I took a trip to the east coast of Florida a few weeks back, to visit with an old sailing buddy from the Virgin Islands, and it was 10 degrees cooler on the coast

Here are some fun links!


Winds are up in BVI, Pass the Wine
Caribbean Hurricane Network
By 
DearMissMermaid at aol.com The guy's at the weather service were correct about the winds!!! They picked up all day and were really up last night! ...