SOMEONE WATCHING OUT FOR US

We are back from our BIG adventure and there was a little more excitement than we anticipated. I will give you the short version, well as short as I can make it.

We left Whidbey Island for Coeur d' Alene on Thursday evening on the 6pm ferry.

Around Bellevue the needle on the temperature gauge in the RV, hit the red mark, and lucky for us, we were right near an off ramp and a nearby "park & drive" which we pulled into.

MrC put on his "mechanic" hat and took a look under the hood to see what kind of problem we had. After lying on the hard asphalt with antifreeze dripping on him (and a few cuss words later) he found that the radiator had a small split on the lower left corner. I can tell you for a fact, I am always so impressed at how my honey can fix almost anything.

After MrC used a piece of heavy duty bungee cord, a strip of metal plumber's tape and a sheet metal screw to patch the split, we limped our way along the freeway making the return journey back home. When we arrived home, I threw all of MrC's wet antifreeze covered clothes into the washing machine, fixed us some food to eat, for when we resumed our journey, and MrC went to work on pulling the radiator out of the RV and making repairs. I told you he is good at repair work, as we managed to get back on the road and catch the last ferry off the island at 12:30.

Of course, we were both very tired by now, but we had an Eddy Brown Memorial Metal Match to shoot in Coeur d' Alene on Saturday at the Fernan range, and we wanted to arrive on Friday, get set up in our camping spot, and put in a little practice before the event on Saturday. We drove until 3:30am and finally pulled into a rest area at Vantage, slept for about three hours before continuing our journey in the morning, into Moses Lake where we enjoyed a hearty breakfast.

We arrived at the range just outside Coeur d' Alene around 12:30 and found a shady spot for the RV out of the heat. Dang it was hot, and I was not looking forward to a day of shooting in that kind of heat on Saturday.

Shooting my favorite stage called Zig Zag

I spite of the heat, Saturday turned out to be an exciting, fun filled day for both of us. We both shot well in the Eddy Brown Memorial Metal Match with MrC winning 1st place in the .22LR Division, and I was hot on his heels with 2nd place. Whooohoo!!


After all the awards were given out, we hit the road once again for Missoula MT, where we were to stay at a friend's place over night before the drive to Deer Creek range, for Sunday's Montana Shooting Sports Association's Celebrity Bowling Pin Shoot
We pulled into our friend Gary M's place around 11:30pm and collapsed into bed for a few hours sleep.
We arrived at Deer Creek range in time for the shooter's meeting, before the days event started, We forgot we were in a different time zone, and were nearly late but just before we left Gary's he did remind us about the difference in times between WA and MT

Once again both MrC and I came home with certificates of Award. I have one each for, Second Place .22 pistol, High Lady, and most Supportive Spouse. MrC has one each for, First Place Single-action Revolver, First Place 9mm Auto, First Place .22 pistol, and Fast Run of the day. another big Whoohoo!

Sooooo, after the match in Missoula we went to Mackenzie River Pizza to have something to eat and enjoy the company of our friend Gary and his son Ty before starting on our journey back home.
On the return journey we once again, spent a few hours at a rest stop at Vantage, then next morning we enjoyed a tasty breakfast at Ellensburg. After breakfast, feeling tired but happy to be returning home, we pointed the nose of the RV towards Whidbey Island and zoomed our way along the freeway, until just as we came up on North Bend, there was an awful bang and loud crunching sound from under the hood and the temperature needle shot up onto the DANGER red mark. MrC and I glanced at each other with an OH S--T what now? look, and once again we were lucky to be right at an off ramp which we limped/coasted down into the parking lot of a gas/convenience store, where one more time, MrC put on his "mechanic hat" and looked under the hood.


This time it appeared the bearing in the water pump had exploded, but we think "The big man upstairs" was looking out for us (perhaps he drives an old rig like ours) as there was a Schucks two blocks away where they had just one water pump on the shelf which fit our RV. AND both times we had mechanical troubles, there just happened to be an off ramp we could use and we were not on the top of a mountain pass or some such place.
My VERY TALENTED sweetheart, changed out the broken water pump, for the nice new shiny one, and had us back on the road in under two hours, and all this included walking to Schucks twice for parts. Ladies, never question why your guy seems to carry what we may think unnecessary junk in his toolbox, because believe me, they can fix almost anything when they have the right tools and "bits & pieces"

So there it is, our BIG ADVENTURE is over, and now I am going to have a nice long shower before enjoying at least 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep.

PAY BACK

Jennifer’s big formal wedding was fast approaching and she was delighted to hear that her Mom, Sheila, emerging from a nasty divorce, had finally found the perfect mother-of-the-bride dress.

Two days later, she was shocked to learn that her new young stepmother, Fawn, had purchased the same dress.

She asked her stepmother to buy another dress since her Mom had already altered her purchase. Fawn refused.

After two more weeks of frustrating shopping, Sheila found a dress that was not as nice as the first, but would serve.

When asked by a friend what she would do with her original dress, she grinned and replied, “I’m wearing it to the rehearsal dinner!”

I LOVE BEING SEMI-RETIRED

We are loading the RV and getting "outa town" once again. This time we are going to shoot a Steel challenge match at the Fernan Spokane Pistol Club near Coeur d lene on Saturday, then afterwards we will be driving to Missoula Montana to shoot in the annual bowling pin match to be held on Sunday.

This will the third year we have competed in the bowling pin match in Missoula, which has always been a lot of fun. The people are very friendly, even though the last two years the weather has been extremely hot, leading one to think, tempers would be a little frayed having to deal with temperatures above 100 degrees F. I know, last year, I was feeling irritable towards the end of the day as we do not experience temperatures in the 100'sF on Whidbey Island.

As I said, being semi-retired is wonderful. Being able to take time off work, to enjoy time away with my honey, is very important at our age. ( We are classed as seniors) You never know what tomorrow may bring, and it could be that we may not be able to enjoy such adventures together.

HERE KITTY KITTY

Anyone who has a cat will appreciate this one.

Click HERE

A WOMAN'S WEEK AT THE GYM

If you read this without laughing out loud, there is something wrong with you. This is dedicated to everyone who ever attempted to get into a regular workout routine.

Dear Diary,
For my birthday this year, my daughter (the dear) purchased a week of personal training at the local health club for me.
Although I am still in great shape since being a high school football cheerleader 43 years ago, I decided it would be a good idea to go ahead and give it a try.

I called the club and made my reservations with a personal trainer named Belinda, who identified herself as a 26-year-old aerobics instructor and model for athletic clothing and swim wear.

My daughter seemed pleased with my enthusiasm to get started! The club encouraged me to keep a diary to chart my progress.

________________________________
MONDAY:
Started my day at 6:00 a.m. Tough to get out of bed, but found it was well worth it when I arrived at the health club to find Belinda waiting for me. She is something of a Greek goddess - with blond hair, dancing eyes and a dazzling white smile.. Woo Hoo!!

Belinda gave me a tour and showed me the machines. I enjoyed watching the skillful way in which she conducted her aerobics class after my workout today. Very inspiring!

Belinda was encouraging as I did my sit-ups, although my gut was already aching from holding it in the whole time she was around. This is going to be a FANTASTIC week-!!

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TUESDAY:
I drank a whole pot of coffee, but I finally made it out the door. Belinda made me lie on my back and push a heavy iron bar into the air then she put weights on it! My legs were a little wobbly on the treadmill, but I made the full mile. Belinda's rewarding smile made it all worthwhile. I feel GREAT-!! It's a whole new life for me.

_______________________________
WEDNESDAY:
The only way I can brush my teeth is by laying the toothbrush on the counter and moving my mouth back and forth over it. I believe I have a hernia in both pectorals. Driving was OK as long as I didn't try to steer or stop. I parked on top of a GEO in the club parking lot.

Belinda was impatient with me, insisting that my screams bothered other club members. Her voice is a little too perky for that early in th e morning and when she scolds, she gets this nasally whine that is VERY annoying.

My chest hurt when I got on the treadmill, so Belinda put me on the stair monster. Why the hell would anyone invent a machine to simulate an activity rendered obsolete by elevators? Belinda told me it would help me get in shape and enjoy life. She said some other s**t too.

_______________________________
THURSDAY:
Belinda was waiting for me with her vampire-like teeth exposed as her thin, cruel lips were pulled back in a full snarl. I couldn't help being a half an hour late - it took me that long to tie my shoes.

Belinda took me to work out with dumbbells. When she was not looking, I ran and hid in the restroom. She sent another skinny b***h to find me.

Then, as punishment, she put me on the rowing machine -- which I sank.
_______________________________
FRIDAY:
I hate that b***h Belinda more than any human being has ever hated any other human being in the history of the world. Stupid, skinny, anemic, anorexic little cheerleader. If there was a part of my body I could move without unbearable pain, I would beat her with it.

Belinda wanted me to work on my triceps. I don't have any triceps! And if you don't want dents in the floor, don't hand me the damn barbells or anything that weighs more than a sandwich.

The treadmill flung me off and I landed on a health and nutrition teacher. Why couldn't it have been someone softer, like the drama coach or the choir director?

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SATURDAY:
Belinda left a message on my answering machine in her grating, shrilly voice wondering why I did not show up today. Just hearing her voice made me want to smash the machine with my planner; however, I lacked the strength to even use the TV remote and ended up catching eleven straight hours of the Weather Channel.

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SUNDAY:
I'm having the Church van pick me up for services today so I can go and thank GOD that this week is over. I will also pray that next year my daughter (the little s**t) will choose a gift for me that is fun -- like a root canal or a hysterectomy. I still say if God had wanted me to bend over, he would have sprinkled the floor with diamonds!!!

WE ARE BACK TO THE DAILY GRIND

AND LOOKING FORWARD TO THE NEXT ADVENTURE, AWAY FROM THE "RANCH"

MrC and I had a very nice weekend away from the daily grind. On Friday evening, after we arrived at our friends home, and set up the RV etc. we rode with our friends in their car, to a Mexican restaurant for dinner. The food was excellent as was the conversation.

From where I sat I looked directly at a family of four. Mom, Dad and two little boys who were probably two and four years old. At first I was not really paying too much attention to the family, but something caught my eye, and that was all the food on the floor under the highchair of the youngest child. I don't mean a few crumbs, I mean, what looked like almost all of the food from this kid's plate, whole tortilla and all the fixin's. To say the least I was appalled that the parents were not paying close attention to their child, in fact as time went by it was plainly obvious they did not care about the mess, and as they got up to leave, shrugging their shoulders, brushed the rest of the food from their kids, onto the chairs and floor and left the restaurant stepping on some of the food as they went. I wondered what their home looked like.

Saturday morning, bright and early, John, MrC and I decided to eat breakfast at a 50's themed diner before spending a day at the range, shooting a Fun Steel match. It had been years since eating at a diner like this one, the food was delicious and the atmosphere took me back to memory lane, it was wonderful. John's wife Jeanette, is not a shooter, so stayed at home for some much needed R&R.

At the range we set up in our squads and proceeded to shoot the six stages. Now, I was not sure how I was going to perform as it had been several months since I had done any shooting at all, but I was pleasantly surprised and performed rather well. The placings have not yet been posted so I do not know where I ranked. It was extremely warm as we walked from bay to bay shooting the various stages and thank goodness we had an old umbrella in the RV which helped keep the sun off of me. I do not do well in the heat and was glad the day ended when it did as I was getting to feel very uncomfortable and irritable. We drove back to our friend's home for a nice cold drink then enjoyed a BBQ, under the shade of some lovely tall trees, which surround their home in the woods.

Yesterday, Monday, it was back to work for me. I was to work just four hours, then planned on returning home to work on my gardens But you know what they say about " the best laid plans" I received a call at my first clients home, asking if I would pick up an extra shift, to cover for a care giver who called in sick. Big hearted me . said yes I would do it, so ended up arriving home around 6pm.
As I climbed out of my car, I glanced at the vegetable garden, as is my usual habit, and thought I saw a row of peas moving. There wasn't any wind, so it could not be the wind moving my peas and as I looked closer I saw a tiny rabbit, up on his hind legs, happily munching on MY PEAS. Oh S--T, I said to myself and ran to the garden to grab hold of that little criminal by the ears, hold him up, and give him a lecture. Of course he was too quick for me and as I chased him he hopped very quickly towards the wire fence, we thought as rabbit proof, and wriggled his way through and out the other side, sheesh!!!!
The outcome of all this drama, was a quick trip to the hardware store for a couple of rolls of chicken wire, and with the much appreciated help from my honey, we now have 27 inches of chicken wire covering the " will not keep LITTLE bunnies out, wire " around my garden. I sure hope this works, if not then there will be another trip to the hardware store for enough chicken wire to make the fence higher.
Update: So far so good. I have seen the little rabbits sitting outside the fence looking in. *grin*

Next project is to build a squirrel feeder so they will leave the bird seed alone. They have knocked two of my bird feeders to the ground resulting in broken feeders which cannot be repaired. The next feeders I buy will be the type the squirrels cannot get bird seed from.

That is about all for now, there are a few weeds in the garden needing to be pulled.

A LITTLE R&R FOR US

Another week almost at an end, and I have not written anything since Monday. I have no real excuses except to say, I am darn tired. My job is not only physically taxing, but also emotionally draining. When you work with the elderly, or folks who are infirm for one reason or the other, then dealing with their daily problems and woes, leaves me feeling exhausted at the end of the day. Sooooo, MrC and I are loading our RV and getting away for the weekend. We are taking the ferry from Keystone across to Port Townsend and driving to Silverdale where we are meeting with friends. Tonight we plan of enjoying their company at a Mexican restaurant for dinner, then tomorrow we are attending a Fun Steel match at at the Kitsap range, which should be a good way to release some of my built up tension, as I shoot at and hit , or not, the steel targets. One way or another, just the fact that I am getting away from the work environment will recharge my batteries.
So wish us a happy relaxing weekend, we both need this one.

CHUCKLE

A blonde walks into a bank in New York City and asks for the loan officer. She says she’s going to Europe on business for two weeks and needs to borrow $5,000. The bank officer says the bank will need some kind of security for the loan, so the blonde hands over the keys to a new Rolls Royce. The car is parked on the street in front of the bank, she has the Title, and everything checks out.

The bank agrees to accept the car as collateral for the loan. The bank’s president and its officers all enjoy a good laugh at the blonde for being so dumb as to use a $250,000 Rolls as collateral against a $5,000 loan. An employee of the bank then proceeds to drive the Rolls into the bank’s underground garage and parks it there.

Two weeks later, the blonde returns, repays the $5,000 and the interest, which comes to $15.41. The loan officer says, “Miss, we are very happy to have had your business, and this transaction has worked out very nicely, but we are a little puzzled. While you were away, we checked you out and found that you are a multimillionaire. What puzzles us is why would you bother to borrow $5,000?”

The blond replies, “Where else in New York City can I park my car for two weeks for only $15.41 and expect it to be there when I return?”

If you were wondering

Gosh, It looks as though I have grown too lazy to post on a regular basis, but believe me this is not true. Now the warm weather has finally arrived, I have been spending more time outdoors in my garden, along with working at my job.
My vegetable garden is coming along nicely, now the temperature had risen and we are getting more hours of sunshine. I have spread a layer of Llama beans over the garden beds which can be used directly in the garden without danger of burning plants. One of my clients I work with, has two llamas and her handyman bags all the llama manure and wood shaving from their stalls. I asked Mrs S. who used to be an avid gardener before her illness, about the llama manure and she told me about the benefits of it's use in the garden, and says I can take as many of these bags of llama beans as I want. Today, the trunk of my car will be filled with as many bags of llama doo as will fit and my flower gardens will benefit from an application tomorrow on my day off.

Yesterday I drove up the Island to
Oak harbor and while looking around
the garden department of KMart
I found a beautiful hanging begonia
called Bonfire begonia and it was
marked down to $5.99,
of course you know I had to buy one.

Evidently these plants had just arrived
in the store so they reduced the price
as it is late in the season.

I also bought two beautiful Heliotrope.
What first attracted me to this plant
was the vibrant purple color,
then I caught a whiff of the
light, almost vanilla like fragrance.


There is always room for an extra plant or two in my garden, or I will make room *grin*


I did arrive home this afternoon with five more bags of llama beans, which will be spread over the flower gardens.
So you see I really have been busy, and not sitting around eating bon bons and watching TV all day.