RV Frogging

Froggy dearest.

Some of my past and current frog friends.

I have no idea what this means, but I have a clue. For 8 years I've had a froggy traveling with me. No matter where I am camping a little green frog appears inside or outside my RV. I've asked around and other RVers don't seem to have this froggy luck.

Creatures are attracted to me.

I don't feed them, I don't touch them, but I do have a great deal of respect for nature. Somehow frogs and many other creatures find there way to me.

What do you say to a hitchhiking frog?

HOP IN!

 Let me in!

Let me in!

 I'm in!

A drunk is sitting at a bar, and says, "Bartender! Another drink."

The bartender shakes his head and says, "No you've had enough."

"Well," the drunk says. "How about if I show you something really cool? Then will you give me a drink?"

"Sure," the bartender says. "But it's gotta be pretty cool."

The drunk takes a tiny piano and a frog out of his pockets and sets them on the bar. The frog starts tickling the ivories, playing a beautiful song.
The bartender gives him a drink. The drunk downs it, and orders another.

"No way," the bartender says. "Now you've really had enough."

"If you give me a drink, I'll show you something even cooler," says the drunk.
The bartender agrees.

The drunk pulls out a rat, and sets it next to the piano. The frog starts playing again, and the rat starts singing to the music.
The bartender is amazed, and gives him another drink.

A man who had been watching all this comes up to the drunk and says, "You've got a million dollar act there. I'll give you $500,000 for them right now."

"Not for sale," the drunk croaks.

"Ok, $500,000 just for the frog."

"Not for sale."

"Ok, $500,000 just for the rat."

The drunk agrees, and the man pays him and leaves.

The bartender says to the drunk, "What did you do that for? You broke up a million dollar act!"

"Nah," the drunk says. "The frog's a ventriloquist."

There once was a little frog who wanted to take out a home improvement loan to fix up his pad. His name was Kermick Jagger.

He hopped over to his local bank, went up to the teller and said, "Hi, I'd like to take out a loan to fix up my pad."

The teller replied, "You need to see our loan officer. Her name is "Patty Black."

So the frog hops over to the loan officer's desk and sits down. When Patty arrives she ask, "What can I do for you?"

The frog says, "I'd like to take out a loan to fix up my pad."

Patricia asked, "What do you have for collateral?"

After thinking for a couple of moments about what he could offer the frog reaches into his little froggy pocket and pulls out a small white elephant.

"This is a very unusual form of collateral." said Patty. "I'll have to check with our bank president to see if it's ok."

Patricia goes to the president and says, "There's a frog named Kermick Jagger  who want's a home loan and this white elephant is what he has for collateral. What should I do?"

The bank president takes the small white elephant and after carefully examining it hands it back to Patty and says,

"It's a nick-knack Patty Black give the frog a loan. His old man's a Rolling Stone."

Froggy Gone Camping

Another stowaway!

Frogs like to find me and stow away with me for the ride. This has happened for years. I have started collecting pictures of froggy whenever he/she turns up. Now I just need to tag and find them all. But here are a few for starters.

Sometimes by the time I go grab the camera, froggy is hiding again. I find froggy inside and outside.

TO make matters a bit more complex is that someone near and dear to me who is now deceased, had a froggy collection. Every time I see a forggy traveling with me, I think of her and wonder if she had come back as a froggy to ride around with me. She always had a yin for travel but never got to go near the places she wanted to. She was taken from earth way too soon and that is just how it goes sometimes.

She explained (before her death) that she never was interested in collecting frogs. Her froggy collection was a big accident. She really wasn't the collecting type at all. But she was a gracious lady, very generous in her community and the type to never ever want to offend or hurt a friend, even when they gave her a porcelain frog. I should say she just wasn't the bric-a-brac type.

But one day someone gave her a porcelain frog that could sit on the edge of something. She thanked them for the gift and sat him on a window ledge above her kitchen sink. She could look out the window while washing dishes or look at the silly porcelain frog. It should be noted her dining table was adjacent to her kitchen and that is where she most often visited with her friends. They had a clear view of her kitchen and the kitchen window.

She was always feeding her company or offering them icy cold drinks or steamy hot coffee. Yepper, a southern gal transplanted from Connecticut around age 7 she embraced the south and the penchant southerners have to feed and drink anyone that darkens their door. If you visit a southerner and refuse their drink or food you might come close to darn well insulting them!

Friends saw her lonely froggy sitting on the window sill. Over the next few years, people began giving her frog gifts! From coffee mugs to figurines to hand towels. They all came with a froggy.

More frogs beget more frog gifts and suddenly she had this massive froggy collection yet she never spent one penny on one frog.

Well, here's toast to my dear departed loved one "Beware of the crazy frog lady!"

Even though she was an accidentally collector, this frog mug would have made her laugh!

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Another Hitchhiker

Incredible.

I have not been able to post for two reasons.

One being I have had a high fever and not moving very fast.

Two, the computer refused to start. Like I needed one more broken thing to deal with. My repair list is so long, I am on page 3. After two days of occasionally trying to jump-start the computer and alternately scratching my sweaty head,  I wiggled the hard drive.  It started.

That computer rides in the comfort of my clothing drawer, well padded on all sides. How on earth the hard drive came loose, I have no idea.

I found a frog in my motorhome.  Did he do it?

Riding on the inside entrance door window, pretty as you please was a frog.  That window like 99% of the RV entrance doors,  does not even open.  He had to hop aboard sometime with me exiting or entering the RV because the window is not made to open.  My other windows have screens.

I was washing dishes past dark-thirty when I saw something move at my locked door.  I thought someone was outside, even though Harley didn't think so.  When I went to the door to investigate the movement, there was the frog, sitting on the window frame, waiting for me to find and fumble the camera to get a blurry picture before his gentle eviction.

Why does the wildlife keep trying to move inside with me?  Can't it just stay outdoors?

I don't feed, molest or hunt wildlife, yet it seems to always be finding me. It walks through my campsite or tries to hitchhike or become a stowaway.  The dog doesn't bring this stuff home.  I have issued no invitations.  It's mind boggling.

Just because I let a certain little goofy puppy dog move aboard, doesn't mean I am opening an orphan home for critters.

Travels With Harley

Another beautiful day in paw-adise...

Mirror reflections in a small pond mesmerize my canine soul.

Space is at a premium in our little old wheel estate  but during the holidays the human let me doodle on the windows with Liquid Chalk Markers by Frog Chalk. 


I paws-itively love hamburger! I guess the human isn't very hungry. She made her burger very small.

I'm in the basket, ready to ride... and nothing is happening.

Is there a secret to make this Day 6 bicycle roll through the park? I want to feel the wind in my fur. It makes my ears stand up!

Look at me! I can stand on one paw! Looky looky!

Nap time is more fun with my new buddy ducky from Secret Supa Santa.

While I am napping...

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Park Your Derriere A Spell

RV folks refer to their car as a TOAD.  I just assumed because their car was being towed... that is how toad came to be the acronym. But I may be wrong. 


Me?  Wrong?


I read that a TOAD is supposed to be short for  "Towed On A Dolly" and those that tow their cars with 4 wheels down are really towing a FROG which is "Four Rolling On Ground".  


Well, I don't tow either. I have no plans for a car in my future. It's part of my "living efficiently" budget to skip car ownership entirely. It may be un-American not to own a car and at least spend 20% of my life driving it, but I am trying to be part of the solution, not part of the problem.  I had thought when I set out in my RV that if I needed  a car, I could occasionally rent one and that overall this would be far cheaper than a TOAD or a FROG behind my wheel estate. 


So far, in 2 years, I've never rented a car once. I learned to drive my beasty in thick traffic, parking in double spots if end to end or three-four spots if parking perpendicular. This translates to more walking, as I typically park at the end of the parking lot where no one else wants to park because they don't want to do all that walking. Hint:  Walking briskly and often, lowers medical costs drastically. 


Sometimes I end up parking in the wrong lot. Like recently, I overshot Fergusons Automotive and Marine parking lot entrance, and ended up in the next block at the Toys R Us parking lot. I couldn't tell if they were closed or just doing very little business, but I parked far away, so as not to be in the way and prayed that no one would chase me off. I figured I could always go in their store and look for puppy stuff. 


Is it wrong to shamelessly use your puppy to gain favors?


Recently I took Harley into two different stores.  One was Tractor Supply. Oh my gosh, that was a dangerous store to go in. They have tons of useful equipment and tools for the RV crowd. They also sell pet supplies. Harley is such an enthusiastic friendly puppy dog, that when we entered the store, three sales clerks dropped what they were doing to come flirt with the puppy with a "By the way, can I help you with something?" as an after thought. 


I wanted to look at hitch mounted cargo carriers. They had three to choose from plus all sorts of towing carriers. But they didn't have the offset hitch mount which would raise my hitch 5 more inches. 


While workamping, I've been piling up the spare change to save up for enlarging my motorhome. 


What???


Actually, I have been saving up to repair/replace the crank out awning on the side of the RV and I've been seriously contemplating a cargo carrier for my  tow hitch. My basement area, (the underneath storage in an RV) is woefully small.  The access doors which are way too small, are very difficult to navigate when something tiny but significant is lost in the bowels. I find myself using all sorts of exotic methods to reach something that has entered the no-man's land of the center of the storage area which is underneath my bed, spans the entire width of the wheel estate but has access doors suitable for a midget with stunted growth who happens to have six-foot arms. Trying to squeeze my body into the teeny tiny access door, is like trying to put toothpaste back into the tube. It ain't happening without a lot of tears and pain.


Perhaps a rear cargo trunk, attached to the tow hitch I never use for towing, could make my RV have the storage space of the contemporary models, without the hassle of buying a newer pricier RV. 


Ditto for repairing the 17 year old side awning that has seen far too many storms in the past two years.


When I had a functioning  awning, it was  like almost doubling the livability of the wheel estate.  The awning provides the roof, the patio mat serves as the flooring or decking.   I have a card table and assorted chairs for furnishings. Suddenly I have room to spread out. While I'm rambling along here, I find it best NOT to own matching chairs. Crazy as this sounds, I travel with 4-5 chairs at a time. I like to meet friends, but if you have no where for them to sit, then they aren't likely to stop by  and visit much. Of course we can visit inside and often do, but my outdoor patio area, when set up, quickly becomes the den, dining and office with far more room than the inside living area.


About the assorted chairs...


Having different types of chairs adds to comfort and use. For instance I have a sturdy directors chair, that is perfect for outdoor office work such as typing on the computer. 

Director's Chairs are very comfy, yet angled nicely for sitting up straight to type , write or dine. 

Then I have a camping chair that folds up to about the size of a fat umbrella. It comes with a slender carrying case and shoulder strap. It's very relaxing to sit in it for reading or visiting or limin' by the campfire.    (Limin' is a Caribbean word for lazing about or going out on the town). 

This typical camping chair is also useful for carrying to an event where you need to provide your own chair, because it's very lightweight and you can sling it over your shoulder in its slender bag. 


Next I have the folding adjustable chair that is so comfy, I took a nap in it within an hour of its arrival by UPS. This thing was bought heavily discounted on sale, and boy was I ever lucky. It's a high backed chair that reclines to three different position, perfect for siestas. It even came with a little table underneath the seat, that slides out for holding a drink, ashtray, book, small dog etc. It also has an adjustable pillow type head rest. It folds up for storage, but it's kind of clunky, nothing you would want to hike with for a day by the river in the woods. 

This chair (my favorite!) reclines and is great for napping. The high back is wonderful when I am uber tired and  need the neck and head support.  See complete details and ordering info. 

Next I have the ubiquitous lawn chair; aluminum frame with webbed seating. Very comfy for dining or limin' or typing. It's lightweight, easy to store and soft on the big behind. 

My friend was giving away a shower chair for the handicapped. I took it. Yep, I'm a certified dumpster diver. Your trash is my treasure. 

The main reason I took the handicapped shower chair is that it is perfect for my larger friends, as it holds 350 pounds.  It's great for siting up straight for dining or typing. The legs are adjustable from very low to very high.  It is so super sturdy, especially with its thick  rubber tipped legs.  It doubles as a sturdy step stool for outdoor chores around the RV, like washing the windows or the exterior. It doesn't fold up, but that's OK. It rides in my shower stall when I am traveling. I've even sat in it while showering, but mostly I put it outside after I set up camp. 


I acquired these chairs one at a time,  over the past two years because I patiently wait  for deals, bargains and discounts. I have this revolving wish list with no urgency in mind. I shop for bargains, often finding none at all. But I keep wishing and waiting, saving up the pennies, into dollars. Then one day when I stumble into a never-before-seen bargain on an item that is on my wish list, I hopefully have the cash to close the deal. 


Living and budgeting efficiently takes phenomenal patience, but the end result is well worth it. I now have assorted chairs for creature comforts. 


So stop on by and sit a spell, I'm bound to have something you will find comfortable to park your derriere in. :)

They Missed Me!

I sure showed them. They missed me after all!

Tomorrow is $5 coupon day at Dollar General. Spend $25, get $5 off. If you need food and general household supplies, enjoy this 20%  break. In my opinion it's one of the best deals around. Dollar General are small stores cram packed with useful goodies. Typically the cashier line is swift moving, fast in, fast out.

Even in my RV, I can usually find parking on the side of their buiding where they get truck deliveries. I can go back there, turn around and park heading out again  in spots most folks don't want because they are too far from the door. It seems everyone wants up front parking, heaven forbid they should walk. Save that for the air conditioned gym!

Sometimes I am in bicycling distance. It's an old funny joke to me and the dog. Many Dollar General stores are out in the country where there is no other shopping. Typically I will pass one on my way to a far flung campground. This is super handy because you can pick up whatever you need in food and supplies. They even carry camping supplies.

When I am lost and see a Dollar General, I say "Well the campground must be nearby cause there is a Dollar General in the middle of nowhere!" And usually we find it. The campground that is.

Sometimes I have 2 coupons, one digital one and one paper one. in that case, I can give one away if someone wants to go shopping with me and save themselves $5.

Well, a few months ago, Dollar General stopped offering these $5 coupons. I used to think, they are going to miss me so badly! yes, there prices are good otherwise, cheaper than Walmart and certainly a lot less hassle getting in and out in a hurry. But still, I always waited until $5 day to go to Dollar General, trying to be super friendly to my shrinking budget.

So in a nutshell, I have darkened their door in quite awhile since they stopped the $5 coupons.

Well *ahem* I guess they do miss me! Recently they started up the $5 coupons again. See?  A little boycotting goes a long way...

(Yeah, little old me, here to save the world!)

Sometimes you get the coupon at the bottom of the receipt, like last week I used a $5 coupon and the receipt had another one for 2 weeks later. Otherwise you techno spiffy folks can go to their website with your phone and get the coupons.

At checkout, you enter your phone number and your coupons kick in.

Of course, Amazon, my favorite mail order site also has coupons! Click here to see their coupons you can use online for ordering the things you need or want.

 I don't know how or why a lucky froggy seems to be living with me all the time. It's always a different frog too. How does that work? I heard a thwap thwack thwap thwack and there outside, stuck to my window was a lucky froggy again.

That green thing is a pool noodle that I cut up to place on my ladder in back of the motorhome. I had a chair riding back there and didn't want it banging the ladder.

Life is goof!

Lost In America with the Birds

My blogs are written about places I have been, not always where I am at. This can lead to a great deal of confusion for me... and possibly for you too if you know me and you are trying to rendezvous with my crazy dog (or me, or us).

A few times I've had friends turn up at a place I was at 3-4-5-6-7-8 weeks ago, because I just now got around to writing about it.

Anyhow, if you want to know where I am or where I am going (if I even know!) then shoot me an email. There is an email link on the front page of the blog or an email link here.

I am trying to get back to writing and posting every day here, but honest to goodness, some days the internet refuses to allow me such luxury.

Yeah, I have to do the picture thing for  my email because otherwise I end up with a ton of spam from robots that read through my blog looking for my email address. Good grief. Life is so complicated.

My internet is super flaky because I am on a very cheap plan that if I ever cancel, I can not get back again.

More complications.

It works randomly, if it works at all. Occasionally I stay in a campground or RV park that has Wifi, but this is rare. Probably because of my economical budget, the camps I choose typically offer an abundance of nature and a scarcity of modern conveniences.

The past 3 winters I've spent time at a park in Florida that promises free Wifi, but it rarely ever works. I wonder why they bother providing it, why not just get rid of it and lower the rates for camping. What's the use of advertising you offer free Wifi if it never works?

Seems like in these complicated days and times businesses often offer erroneous information and blame it on the computer or the internet. I get very frustrated that many campgrounds and RV Parks refuse to update their rates to reflect the current rates. I was thinking that there used to be laws against false advertising or bait and switch techniques that seem so prevalent in today's life.

But...

I woke up alive!

I feel like the luckiest person around!

I plaster a smile on my face and try to remember to be super grateful for this miracle that started off my day. Grateful for angels, both living and spiritual. Grateful for my readers! Grateful for food in the pantry. Grateful for a little old home to call my own. So what's not to like about waking up alive? It's grand! Another day, another gift of life.

I know I belong in nature. A Cherokee soul forever. No matter where I camp, it seems two critters turn up right away. One is a red cardinal bird and the other is a green tree frog. This has been happening for years. Off and on I take pictures of them, maybe I should make it a goal to try to capture their pic in each place to see if it's the same bird and frog or different ones. I know the frogs come and go, because I have compared pictures. The cardinals are a little harder to photograph because I have a simple camera that works randomly. I end up with lots of pictures of trees and a blurry red spot or no blurry red spot because the bird left the scene faster than I could snap the picture.

Suffice it to say, I don't think it's the same cardinal bird that travels with me. But the little cardinal is always there.

Recently yet another nest was built on my motorhome. Why do birds think I am a great place to set up a nest? I don't think it was the cardinal. Whoever it was laid little tiny blue speckled eggs.

It's mind boggling.

I was heart broken to discover a nest with eggs built on my cargo carrier underneath an upside down bucket that was inside a coiled up water hose that was coiled up in an open milk crate type container strapped to the rear cargo carrier.

This was discovered the day I had to move the wheel estate to another campsite. I had been on the prior site for only 2 weeks. Amazing a bird could build a nest, lay eggs and set up home sweet home in under 2 weeks.

While I was looking for pics to show you, I had to remove not one but two daddy long legged spiders that were INSIDE my little old caravan. How does this happen? Why do so many creatures desire to live with me? Why do I have screens on all the windows if critters are just going to find a way to sneak inside anyhow?

Life is goof.

This is my rear cargo carrier. On the right is a milk crate type box I have strapped down. It's handy for keeping my water hoses inside it. I use my water hoses for connecting to city water when I am camping in places that offer up the luxury of city water. Well, it's not always city water, but that's what RV folks call that wet stuff that comes out of faucets at the camp site. Could be from a well and technically not city water. Could be country water or county water.

 On the back of my rig in the cargo carrier is this open air milk crate type box where I coil two water hoses. This bucket was sitting in the middle of the hose, but somehow became knocked crooked. Meanwhile a crafty wittle birdy built herself a magnificent nest underneath, then laid her eggs. I had no idea she was doing this!

 It looks like tree debris, but underneath is a nest and eggs. I can't seem to find that picture with the eggs that I was sure I took. I have a blurry mess where I ran outside with the camera and it fogged up, I guess from inside air conditioning to outside humidity. I thought I took some later after the camera  unfogged, but maybe not. Maybe my memory is because I meant to but did not. Good grief. Are you confused? I am bewildered.

But I had company and they got to see the precious little eggs. For 24 hours before we had to move, we debated and contemplated WHAT to do with the nest. Both of us are deep nature lovers so this problem dominated our conversations. Do we drive to the next site and hope mother bird follows us? Do we remove the nest and set it somewhere nearby hoping the bird will accept her nest and eggs in the new location even though human hands may have touched the outer edges of the nest? Will she even find the new location at all?

It was mind numbing and also very sad, because we realized that no matter what we did, we would never know the final outcome. We even discussed leaving behind the milk crate, the hose, the bucket, the nest and a big sign, asking humans to leave this pile of stuff alone until the birds hatched. But that idea was scrapped because I live on an efficient budget. I just couldn't afford to replace the items at this time, and I do at least need the water hoses and a place to haul the around when not in use. Besides, someone else might think this a pile of garbage and toss it out or the food chain may get the eggs anyhow.

We even joked that it was a shame the eggs were too small to fry. That sounds awful, but hey, most of you reading this probably eat chicken eggs.

In the end, we relocated the nest in a nearby tree, in hopes that mother bird might find it and adopt it again. If not then some lucky critter might make their own breakfast from the bounty.

I will finish this post with a goofy picture of Harley dog. It has nothing to do with anything else except Harley has amazing abilities to be comedy in motion. He certainly goes out of his way to earn his nickname MONKEY.

Always monkeying around...

Look closely at the picture. That is his sand covered leash tangled up in his fur. I don't know how he does this! He is forever mischievous. Turn away for a minute or two and turn back around and suddenly he has his leash covered in sand, wrapped around his body.

And he doesn't care.

But suffice it to say he is obeying the rules. "All dogs must be leashed."

He wears me out. I tried to give him away a few times, but within an hour folks bring him back. They can't take the nonstop chaos of life with Harley. Indeed I look at old photographs, of the vests and leashes he has accidentally destroyed or worn out from his ridiculous antics. That leash a few minutes before this picture was taken, was a brightly colored striped leash. Sure can't tell that now.

Thank you for stopping by. 

We woke up alive and life is goof!

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A Messy Life

If I skip a day posting, just assume I am back in the twilight zone, lost in cyberspace, unable to connect. Eventually something works like a phone or internet. Or maybe not. It seems not both at the same time, and certainly not if I need one or the other, if one or the other works at all. 

Confused?  

Me too. 

Plan B
I shall fly over the mirage find a castle in the air, penning my ruminations upon a cloud. 

Life is goof.

An earthling angel has appeared helping me finish some of my half done and undone projects.  In this case the hunk of metal around the gasoline fuel fill is getting a spray paint job to hide the rust. Bits of an old magazine are taped to the side of the wheel estate to prevent overspray. The five gallon bucket doubles as seat. Everything in my little old abode has to do double and triple duty. The board underneath the rear wheels is because the camping lot is at a slope. The motorhome needs to be level so the absorption type refrigerator is happy and cooling. Two old milk crates are stacked up with a garbage bag over them as a temporary table. 

Life is messy.

Another project on the other side of the RV makes more mess. My bicycle became an impromptu table with a cutting board atop it cluttered with doublestick tape, scissors, a box cutter, single edged blades, a rag and a tumbler of water stuck inside an insulator that reads "Living The Dream". 

Oh yeah.

Laundry has to be done. Some campgrounds don't allow hang drying outside, so I dry things indoors in the bedroom. Usually I do this overnight so I can put it all away in the morning.  Air drying clothes and towels, whether inside or outside is free. Electric or propane dryers cost money, if the park even has a laundry room at all. Some do not. I travel with a Haier compact washing machine that does a beautiful job of cleaning clothes, towels, sheets, and rags.

Doing more with less. Air is free.

Living large in a mini motorhome.

That's my shower doing double duty with more clothes hung up to dry. A few years ago I installed rods close to the ceiling and out of the way in the bedroom corner and shower stall. I hang wet laundry on clothes hangers, sometimes with the aid of wooden clothes pins. 

Hangers doing double duty as drying racks.

Life is messy.

Just ask a puppy dog who destroyed a "dog proof" tennis ball. I love that innocent look of "They just don't make dog toys sturdy..."

The padded cell. 

I thought I made up the bed nice and neatly, but this picture below says otherwise. With only 8 pillows for comfort (7 for me and 1 for the dog) I have put myself on a pillow diet. 8 is enough (but the dog often hogs 3 at a time.)  

Many RV's have a sofa that converts to a lumpy bed. I have a comfy bed that converts to a lumpy sofa with the aid of the bigger pillows.

Everything does double and triple duty in a tiny home.

Speaking of RV terms...
Some sofa conversions are called "jackknife" sofas. Back in the dark ages I slept on one for a few months and it sure felt like a jackknife sticking in my side. When I was shopping for a rolling home, every time I saw a camper with a jackknife sofa, I'd look at it and feel a twinge of pain. Life is strange. 

A basket case.

A kitchen in constant motion with dishes air drying all over the stove and tiny dish drainer plus a crockpot of dried beans simmering. Nine assorted baskets (I've been called a basket case more than once) aid in providing additional storage for spices, plates, napkins, condiments, cooking utensils, clips, notes, supplements, directions, instructions, recipes and the occasional frog. 

At least twice now I've had frogs plop aboard for a ride. No idea why they are attracted to me. I figure it's just a heavenly angel coming for a hop-a-long.

Even when the tough is going or life is messy or pain is making me crazy/crazier I try hard to remember to be super duper thankful and grateful. 

Life is goofy. I want to stick around just to see what happens next.

Today I woke up alive. 

Living the dream.

Thank you THANK YOU thank you for stopping by (and visiting my messy world.) 

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2009 07 26 Sunday Torture 750am

Late last night, I dozed off finally after the brutal bright lights were extinguished. But, alas, the prison wardens (nighttime nurse regime) CAUGHT ME sleeping, so I was rudely roused, m feets and legs slapped, while a mask was strapped over my face, new IV's were plugged in and all my vital signs were recorded. I tried to doze back to sleep.

A few hours later, I was nice and comfy, I had managed to escape all the wires, plugs, tubes, electrodes, masks and temporary has full possession of my body. I had lowered my bed some and was all cozied up, almost mermaid like, having a good little snooze. It was semi dark, it was quiet and I had a blankie (previously commandeered from X-ray) it's cottony soft and ratty, but very comforting.

Suddenly it's 5am and the warden that seems to hate me the most, discovered me in total comfort! She began yelling my name, slapping my feet, pulling off my beloved blanket, slapping my arms, slapping my ribs, slapping my head, I tried my best to scream at the top of my lungs to startle her as badly as she startled me, but all I could manage was a pathetic mew, worse than the runt of a large litter of kittens. Doomed. I am doomed.

I try to sit up and she is doing my vital sounds and wants to strap me up to everything again and I said "NO, not until I visit the bathroom!" She growled at me and I growled right back, again sounding like a half dying frog.

She handed me water and pills. The water was way colder than I expected, and somehow I choked up the pills and the water across the floor. This made my keeper even madder. I fumbled for my plastic clogs, I forget what you call them, oh yeah, crocks, and slipped them on and stumbled in a confused sleep walk down the hallway to the bathroom.

There was a frightening woman in the bathroom, it really startled me, then I realized it was the mirror and the face was mine. I did my business and sleep walked back to my bed. I was incensed, somebody had come by and rearranged all my personal things and moved them into a cabinet. Haphazardly my clean things had been stuffed into a bag with my used sweaty filthy dirty stinky clothing and this angered me.

I began tossing my things back out of the cabinet and onto my bed, when the warden rushed up and began telling me I was a mess and had to keep my things nice and orderly and put away to her liking. I was grumbling that SOMEBODY had mashed up my nice clean undies with my stinky sweaty dirty filthy clothes... and this would not work, and besides, what was I to do with this smelly mess? Catch a cab to the laundry?

I apologized profusely for my housekeeping (Um, excuse me, I've been busy trying to hurry up and get well and get the hell out of here or at least die in dignity?)

DO I NEED someone at 5am yelling at me and stressing me out when I am trying to get focused on positive things like getting well?

I might as well sign up for boot camp and get paid to take this abuse, not the other way around...

tee hee hee, har har har

bring on the happy drugs, I need some!

excuse my spelling, someday I forget to ask the spell heckler to help me out

What the Heck?

What the heck it that?
Oh it's just my awning.
It's been through quite an ordeal lately.
The night before I ran from Irma, it was hit by a heavy tree branch.
The next day I had to roll it up during heavy rains. Then I left to run and hide.
I've patched, glued and cajoled it back into reluctant service.
Now it needs a serious cleaning (or a serious replacement.)

Wait a minute.
There is something else there.
What the heck?

 It's my froggy!

Ever since I have owned this RV there has been a froggy traveling with me. I've collected pictures over the years of froggy. I have no idea where he lives or how he has survived this long.

I suspect that once I round up all the pics and organize them, it may turn out to be multiple frogs.
In the past I have written about this froggy phenomenon and posted pics. 

But still the question.

Why my rig?

Someone near and dear to me, who is long departed from this world used to collect froggy stuff. Whenever I see my froggy, I think of them.

Are they riding along with me as an angel frog?

Life is goof.

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Made It

Well, I made it to Orlando.  The last 180 miles was pretty rough. Traffic was crazy, the Highway Patrol pulled me over, I was doing 68 on a 70mph interstate road. Tsk tsk tsk. The sign said the minimum was 40mph.

He never let me explain a thing. Why is is those government authority types are all mouth and no ears?

When all was said and done, he couldn't give me a legitimate ticket, but he sure had fun yelling at me.

Glad I made his day.

That was yesterday.

Today has been a disaster.  It was great to finally arrive in Orlando yesterday and be welcomed by loving friends. I warned them I felt awful. The night was worse and today, I've been in bed almost all day terribly ill. Tsk tsk tsk.

So I'm not writing much, but going to share some pictures with you.  

Cotton fields in South Carolina
I got lost, but enjoyed this country scene. 

Flowers fight for their place in the sand at Hunting Island Beach in South Carolina. 

This is like an ink blot or clouds. What do you see there?
Everyone sees something different.
I see a turtle head, a frog and a bear foot. 

Ahoy!
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Hurricane Sandy (3)

3:30am
Faver-Dykes State Park, Florida

Dry and nearly windless.  Dark.  A balmy 77F degrees.

When the sun comes up, I am going to refill my water tank.  The water pressure at the campground varies, so yesterday I was using the aid of the water pump and tank to speed up my compact washing machine. In other words, I emptied out the water tank and forgot to refill it. Oops.

The park does provide a washer and dryer for the workampers but I still prefer my own little compact washer for my clothes because it uses a pulsator system rather than an agitator.  This gets the clothes just as clean with a lot less wear and tear.

I did stuff my big fluffy comforter into the park's agitator style washer but it wasn't dry as of bedtime. The sensor on the dryer never works right for bulky items like comforters. So I reset the dryer then came back to my wheel estate to go to beddy bye.

I am trying to wash everything because of my embarrassing problem with poison sumac or contact dermatitis. I slept much better last night, I wasn't up every hour slathering on lotions like most nights lately.

Internet is flaky, cutting out often. You may lose contact with me completely at some point.

From the looks of the grocery store yesterday, loads of folks wanted to make sure they had their favorite comfort foods on hand for the storm.  By the time I arrived, there were only 4 empty shopping carts available.  Some folks were shopping with their carts like they were on the interstate highway playing leap frog or at the state fair in bumper cars.  Throughout the store you could hear cart crashes.  It was comical!

More than once I dodged near collisions as people raced around as if the end of the world was coming soon.  I was frankly quite surprised at the pushiness of the shoppers. The store had a mountain of food with all shelves well stocked, so I wasn't quite clear on the concept as to why so many shoppers were so pushy.  More than once someone pushed my cart elsewhere while I was perusing a product. I turned around to drop something in my cart, only to find that someone else had pushed it 10 feet away. 

The deli was backed up with a throng of people waiting to place orders. All this on a Thursday afternoon that wasn't a major pay date.

I will give this particular Publix grocery store a 10+ for having plenty of cashiers on hand. Once I hit the check out, I was very surprised to not have to wait in spite of the chaos of the store in general.

Well, it's now 5:25am.  The winds kick up now and then, surprising since I am in a heavily wooded area. I am also in low lying lands, but hopefully no flooding.

I am a wimp!  I would much rather be on the road headed north westerly to an inland location far from the coast. I've been through plenty of hurricanes and would rather avoid this one.

If the forecasters are right, then we have nothing to worry about. Ha ha ha!  I know they are downplaying the storm, because this weekend is a huge weekend for Jacksonville due to a football game (Georgia-Florida)  that is wildly popular.

What Luck!

Harley is having a barking row tonight with the raccoon who is totally ignoring him. Besides I am telling Harley in a calm voice "It's OK" which is supposed *ahem* let me repeat for emphasis;  supposed to signal him to pipe down.  He is learning this very slowly. 


This raccoon is a very optimistic fellow. He shows up every night, walking through my campground to see if there is anything for him. He checks the garbage can daily, in hopes I've left the lid off for him. I don't feed him, but he comes by anyhow. Often I have left a watering dish out that Harley was using earlier in the day. Maybe the raccoon comes by to wash his hands. 

I am convinced Harley has a selective learning disorder. I was thrilled when he initially learned "NO!"  and "Ut Oh!"

When he has done something not nice,  I say "Ut Oh!"  That apparently signals him to look real sheepish and embarrassed, looking like the most pathetic dog you ever saw.  Sometimes he puts himself in the corner, occasionally stealing sidelong mournful glances at me. The not so nice things he sometimes does is shred a tissue or destroy a wooden clothes pin. Nothing serious, but things I wish he would not do. 


He readily enthusiastically responds to these words and phrases:
"Get the toy" or "Get the Ball" or "Get the"  with any of these words such as:
ball
bouncy ball
football
baseball
soccer ball
basket ball
tennis ball
teddy bear
frisbee
Bo-Bo 
blankie
squeaky toy


Yes, he has learned all that!
Of course he knows "Want to go for  a walk?"  


His response is to dance  double time rhythm while leaping around the motorhome furniture like a bouncy ball gone crazy.   


I assume this means "Yes" in doggy fashion. 


He has even learned "Stop!" He hears this so much when we are walking.  Usually I am trying to take a picture while he pretends to be a leap frog on a string.   This has resulted in many blurry pictures, as he unintentionally jerks the leash and my arm,  to and fro in his excitement.  At least now I can say "Stop!"  and he freezes in place, long enough for me to snap pics. 


He knows what "STAY!"  means but he doesn't want to always believe me. "Stay" is supposed to mean "You stay, I go, and you be quiet about it."


Sometimes I can point my finger at him and he will quiet down right away. This is because at one point, out of sheer frustration, I began gently zapping him with a water pistol when he was noisy if he failed to respond to my "Quiet" or "Shhhhhhh".   Well two zaps later, I no longer needed to even load the water pistol. Just picking it up, makes him quiet down and somehow that transformed to the pointed finger. 


Today we broke camp, to drive the motorhome for shopping for food and for an RV  repair estimate. I still had a few edible odds and ends I could have lived on, but Harley had managed to run completely out of his foods. Plus I haven't had coffee in a few days, and frankly I missed it. Plus my green tea and juice had run out, so like it or not, it was time to seek supplies. 


I didn't have any suitable human foods to entice Harley with either other than tuna and peaches. He tried a tablespoon of tuna, but wouldn't try a second helping. Ditto for yogurt. He ate a tablespoon once, but won't try it again. He didn't care to even try the peach.   I did find a little piece of Parmesan cheese in the fridge, so I offered that to him for breakfast. He loves cheese, but had never tried Parmesan.  He gratefully chomped it down, then looked at me for more but there was nothing else to give him. I put some ice and water in his water bowl. He gave me a sad look of dismay.

I felt like a very bad pet parent. 


So I packed up the motorhome and off we went down the country roads, in search of foods. We decided to hit all my favorite bargain stores in search of discounts, manager's specials, nearly past-dated foods and so on. Being on a tiny budget while I fight to get well, is quite fun at times. Like I never know what's on the menu this week, until I see what bargains and reduced items I can find. I stay far away from the junky stuff.  The junk foods seem to be perpetually on sale, but I can't have all the chemicals, sugars and empty calories they provide, I need healthy stuff to get well.   


I parked the motorhome far out in the parking lot, to be out of the way of everyone else. I told Harley to stay and be quiet. Well, I walked about 50 feet and he let out a pathetic yapping noise. I turned around and pointed my finger at him. He shut up. 


I walked another 50 feet and heard him barking. I turned around and pointed again. He got quiet. 


A few hundred feet more and I heard him yapping, so I turned and pointed my finger again. By now I realized another couple parking their car, was quite amused by my antics. Apparently they didn't know I was pointing at my doggy in the RV at the end of the lot, but from their conversation I overheard, they thought me a mad lady!  


Oh well!  


Amazingly I found this wonderful small bag of dog food Harley loves that was severely marked down. What luck!   Also they  had Swiss cheese that was about to be out of date marked way down (Harley and I both love Swiss cheese, so we bought the last 3 discounted packages). I even found a jumbo dented can of coffee sharply discounted and some half price 100% juice. 


At the checkout, only one clerk was working and the line was backed up chaotically. I had seen an older woman who looked really tired, waiting around the corner, so I motioned her to go in front of me. She hesitated, but I said again "Go ahead, I'm not in a rush."  


I lied. 


Sure I was in a rush like everybody else, but it's always good to do small random acts of kindness. It's good for the soul.  


Very good. 


Not sure why, but it is. Maybe it just makes the karma Gods happy. I prayed that others behind me wouldn't yell at me for letting her in the line. 


She got in front of me, then turned around and said "You have no idea how much I appreciate this, I feel really rotten and I just want to go home." 


Even after she paid for her groceries, she turned around and thanked me again.   What a gracious lady!  I am sure I blushed.  For some reason, it really made my day.  I have no idea why. 


When I got outside, Harley raced to meet me at the RV's door, jumping around enthusiastically, trying to leap into my arms and give me doggy kisses while I was trying to shove the grocery bags inside. It made me giggle. I felt like the luckiest person in the whole wide world.  


I took him for a one minute walk to visit the only tree in the parking lot. Then we loaded up and made several more stops in the area at other stores that are known to have some bargains tucked away, if you know where to look. 


Suddenly I was exhausted.  It just hit me again. Like my internal batteries died. I wasn't sure I had the energy to drive back to the remote country park where I workamp.  I remembered to feed Harley who was  ever so grateful.  I  ate some cheese and a piece of reduced for quick sale garlic bread. I looked around the hot parking lot that had zero tolerance for landscaping. 


I pulled up a map on the laptop, found a county park about 2 miles away. We went in search of it and missed the turn. By the time we got back to the park, we had toured the historic section of town, but my camera was back where I couldn't reach it, so I missed out on some great shots while stuck in traffic. Finally we made it  back to the park entrance. 


We found a shady spot to park. Harley was wildly excited, as he thought we were setting up camp. I convinced him to take a rest with me. Then when I felt all better, we got up and went for a stroll. 


The park  was beautiful, complete  with a babbling brook and waterfall.  Harley and I went for a walk in all the shady areas. It was like stepping into the garden of Eden.  I actually felt much better and took lots of pics which I will share with you soon. 


Life is fantastic!  I must be the luckiest person in the whole wide world. I would never dream of walking alone in the park, so many what-ifs. But with  my enthusiastic puppy, it's so different. All the what-ifs go away and I feel confident and happy. 


Once we got back on the road again, we went to an old fashioned hardware store in another small town. I needed an odd part for an RV repair. Harley was thrilled to go in the hardware store with me.  He doesn't quite understand why the grocery stores won't let him shop with me. 


There is always a group of old men sitting around an unlit wood stove, whenever I have been in this relic. It seems to be the town hangout for them.  Harley of course had to enthusiastically greet them all. 


This time we didn't see the cat. Harley was glad for that. Last time we were in the hardware store,  the cat was curled up sleeping. She raised her head to hiss at Harley then resumed her nap. Harley seemed mortified. The old men had fun with the puppy and poking fun at his odd looks and wild enthusiasm. 


They even had the RV part I needed,  tucked away in a far corner. 

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