Sad days in the RVing world...

So much heartache in the wonderful RV community right now............ 

My heart goes out to Mr. George on the death of his son - I cannot imagine what he is going through and hope that he knows that he is in the prayers of many, many people.    He is trying to take care of his son's estate and deal with his grief, and I feel privileged that he is sharing his struggles with his readers through his blog.  I pray that he finds peace and solace in his life again. 

Another favorite blogger - Bob - has a brother who had a terrible motorcycle accident and faces a very long, difficult recovery.  Bob is trying to take care of things for his brother, plus visiting with him, handling all the details involved, advocating for him, and keeping everyone updated.   Sounds like a wonderful brother to me. 

Over at a site which I visit often, there has been upheaval about the site owner's decision to request donations... I read many forums and blogs, and quite a few of them have a donation button or request readers to click on ads or make purchases at a "store"...  Helping to offset costs of keeping up a site from which we benefit seems entirely reasonable to me. 

This forum/website is one of the best I've visited, with both the moderators and most of the members acting in a friendly, helpful, accepting way, perhaps disagreeing on certain subjects, but doing so with grace and dignity.  In the past few days, some of the contributions have been somewhat hostile, and I just hope that the basic dynamics of the site do not change, because I truly enjoy visiting there and have learned SO much from the owners and other members.  I am grateful to H & L for all the hard work they've done to maintain their site. 

WHY is it that so many people allow the relative anonymity of the Internet to obscure their judgement?   *Some* people would be hateful, spiteful, and mean no matter what, but I believe that most of the aggressive posts I've read at various times would NEVER  be stated in such a way if it were a face-to-face situation.    We would all do well to remember that although you don't see them, there are PEOPLE involved in these communications.   We do NOT have the right to correct their grammar or spelling, to insist that they do things as we would, nor to be vindictive when we do not agree with their point-of-view. 

The owners of these websites and blogs have a right to express themselves in any way they wish, post any pictures they wish, discuss whatever happens to interest them, and moderate comments posted on their sites.  If you don't like what someone has to say...  GO AWAY!!!  I've read blogs where I found something offensive and I just didn't go back - but I certainly didn't write to them and flame them for their choices, pretending to be the Internet Police.   I exercised MY choice to not revisit their sites! 

Life is precious and we should spend our time in positive pursuits.   Tell the people you love how you feel.  If someone has helped you in some way, say thank you.  Do what you can to help someone who needs it.   Let each person you meet along the way know that they matter because they are a human being.   My favorite quote is "Yesterday is History.  Tomorrow is a Mystery.  But Today is a Gift.  That is why it is called the Present."    Let's not waste it....

One down....

... and ??? to go!  I had my first "Downsizing So That I Will Have  Only What I Need When I Go Fulltiming" yard sale today!  Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!  And I am SOOOOOOOOOO  tiward, as my Little One used to say!  The bed is already calling my name and it isn't even 8 o'clock yet!  Been a long time since 5 am though, so I doubt I will resist much longer!

I know it is a teeny-tiny-baby step, but all day long, each time something left my yard, I couldn't wipe the big ole smile off my face....  "Baby steps first, baby steps first" (to quote Bob in "What About Bob?")  If you haven't seen it and you like Bill Murray at his funniest, watch it.  Love it!

Anywaaaay....  I'm excited and hoping this is the first in a long line of steps toward freedom!!!! 

And now I'm going to bed.  :-)

I'm sore, but moving - I have no choice!

There is too much to do!  No yard sale for me this weekend.....  The Big One has been sick... basically all month!  He has allergies year round that are at their worst in the fall.   The allergies lead to a sinus infection, which has now become bronchitis.   He has been really sick!  Now, the Little One is sick, too - stuffy head, sore throat, low-grade fever...  Ahhh... nothing like both children being sick at once, is there?

I am recovering from "taking the fall" the other day.  Thank you to everyone who has sent me a comment or an email... I appreciate it more than you know!  I believe I bruised some ribs during my tumble - it hurts to take a very deep breath and certain ways I move.  I feel sure that nothing is broken, but it is pretty sore.  My right arm - shoulder to wrist - is still achy, too.  But my back?  The reason I went for the walk in the first place?  Feels great!  Guess I popped back in whatever was "popped out" and making it hurt.  Strange, but true! 

Well the Little One is asking for peach sherbet and I am about to make homemade chicken noodle soup - the cure-all for sniffles and scratchy throats, so I will close.

Thanks again for your concern and commiserations...  there's nothing like taking a tumble to bring you back down to earth (literally and figuratively) and remind you that you are human!  Here's hoping I'll be able to have that yard sale NEXT weekend - maybe everyone will be healthy and sniffle-free!!

Yep, it is *fall* for sure!

Yesterday, the Little One and I decided to go for a walk.  My lower back has been bothering me and I knew that a nice long walk would loosen it up.  The weather has turned cool - it barely made 70 yesterday.  Last Monday, it was 99!  So off we went around the neighborhood.

We always look at nature here in the 'burbs - watch for butterflies and birds, look at the trees and flowers.  We stopped to admire (again) a huge old Live Oak and were discussing how old it is and the things which were going on when it was a little sprout - spontaneous history and science lesson, you know. 

On the next block, there is a small but beautiful mulberry tree, very structural and already in its fall regalia.  As we were walking toward it, I told LO to be careful, because the sidewalks are not in the best of shape in that area - many cracked and broken places, with many seams that "buck up" and are just right to catch toes of the unaware.

Well... the words were no sooner out of my mouth than... BAM!  Caught the toe on my right foot and stumbled forward... as I was falling - you know this always happens in slow motion - I got my left foot under me, then stumbled forward on my right, thinking I could "catch" myself.... but no.  No such luck.  I FELL forward and - somehow - the old, old manuever that was drilled into us in volleyball and basketball practice in high school kicked in, and I rolled onto my shoulder and landed juuuust to the side of the walk, in the grass.  If I hadn't I would have landed face-first on the concrete. 

Little One was screaming and I was trying to calm her down while checking to see if anything was broken.  Took me a couple of minutes to get up - I am 5'10" and not a small girl, so I hit hard!  LO was crying and asking if I was going to die... she'd never seen her MOM fall before!  I was finally able to get up and limp the 4 blocks or so home.  As we were walking, I felt a pain in my left foot, near my toes, and discovered that somehow a stick had gone between my shoe and foot and jabbed an inch long wound into my foot - only about a 1/8 inch from a large vein in my toe. 

Got home, washed off, changed out of my dirty, grass-stained, been-rolling-around-on-the-ground clothes, doctored the foot, and chilled.   This morning, I feel as though I have been run over by a small bus, but thankfully I have no major injuries.  Except to my pride!

LO asked me if I thought anyone saw me fall, and I told her that I have no idea, but if they did, they sure didn't come out to check on me.  I would have run out had I seen someone take a tumble like that in front of our home, but that is just me.  I guess I will have to assume that no one saw me.  And I kind of like it that way!  Why is it that falling is so embarrassing to us, when it happens to us all at one time or another, and is in no way our fault? 

I plan to try to walk again today - got to get right back in the saddle!  But you can bet I'll be watching for that sinister sidewalk to jump up and take me down, and warning LO to do the same.  :-)

Happy Birthday E!

Happy Birthday to my "bouncing baby boy"!   I can't believe that it has been 22 years since my life changed forever...  what a blessing you have been.  When I think about that tiny, helpless baby that I held in my arms so many years ago, and then look at the 6'5" strong, capable young man you have become... I am completely amazed.   I am so honored that God chose me to be your mother. 

I hope that you have a wonderful day, and that you know just how much you are loved.

Happy Birthday, Son!

Quick update on my aunt for those of you who have emailed me and posted comments (which I appreciate more than you know, by the way!). She was able to begin her physical therapy again on Monday, and we were very excited to learn that she did not lose too much flexibility in her knee - certainly not as much as the therapist had feared she would. He is being very encouraging and feels she will "catch up" very quickly. Her gallbladder is "quiet" right now - no more nausea - so she is able to do her exercises and also eat well, to keep up her strength. We are very encouraged by her progress and are so grateful that the blood clots were detected and treated before doing major damage.

It continues to be horribly hot here in AL... I think the heat index is like 179 today :-)!! Cabin fever has officially begun, so we are thinking about visiting the splash pad tomorrow. Most of them around here close when school starts back, but we have one (the largest and also the only "free" one) that still operates daily. I am so ready to be able to enjoy being out-of-doors again when the weather cools off... should be about mid-November, I'm guessing. LOL

I am waiting for the weather to cool a little to have my 1st "Mega-Huge Move-It-Outta Here Cos I'm Leaving Town Garage Sale". It has to be less than 90 in the shade before I will even consider it! I will be SOOOO glad to get the garage cleaned out, and what little I am keeping organized. I'm at a stand-still right now... I've done all I can in the house, and working in the garage is just NOT an option! It is on the west end of the house and catches full afternoon sun... too hot for me! I know it will take more than one sale, but I am ready to "get going"!

Hope you have a great day, and that you "stay cool"! :-)

"We Don't Have To Go Back To School Today!" Day

Well today was our "We Don't Have To Go Back To School Today!" Day - 14th one in a row for me - different children of course, since my Little One is only 9! She got to choose what she wanted to do (I voted for Florida, but the budget vetoed THAT idea! :-). We went to breakfast, then to the Dollar Tree and a couple of thrift stores (love those!), then to Chuck E. Cheese's (quite possibly her favorite place in the world besides Disney World!), then to Sweet Pepper's Deli for a slice of their Chocolate Eruption cheesecake... mmmm. Good stuff! I'm exhausted! And full.... lol

Everywhere we went, she was asked why she wasn't in school today. It became a little amusing. I let her answer, and she does very well. People almost always comment on how mature she is and how well-spoken. I don't tell them that she has her moments! She IS 9 after all... :-) But she is very poised for her age.

We are still melting here in AL... the high was 99 today with 109 as the heat index. 82% humidity. Will summer EVER end?? I am so hoping that next year we will be in a cool spot for July... I wouldn't even mind needing a sweater!!

Usually in the summertime, she gets bored enough to want to complete some workbooks in her spare time. This year that hasn't happened. She is a busy bee, full of stories and drawings and ideas. We have read several books this summer. Sometimes she wants me to read aloud, other times she doesn't. We've been covering Geography in great detail as we plan our dream life and travels. When I read about an interesting place in one of the many blogs I follow, I will mention it to her and see if she wants to explore it a little - we Google it, look at maps, check the local libraries to see what interesting info we can locate. We have a REALLY long list of things to see now, and we add to it almost every day! Maybe I need to stop reading blogs for a while. Or just keep my mouth shut! :-)

As I lay awake in bed this morning, I thought about all the children in our area who were having to get up and get ready for school, many of them for the first time. I remembered how I hated for summer to end - I disliked school very, very much - and I dreaded the long months ahead. I cannot even imagine what it is like now, with all the competition and judgements that occur... I went to a small county school (K - 12), and we all had basically the same things as far as clothes were concerned, and no had "gadgets" to speak of! We had a "Pong" game (remember those?) which made me somewhat famous in the 3rd or 4th grade, but that was about it!! :-)

I looked at my Little One sleeping peacefully in her bed, totally unconcerned about anything except having fun today, and I was so very grateful. Grateful that I had the courage to make the decisions I have made. That I have had the strength to continue. That I have been blessed with my children, and that they are bright and happy and inquisitive, making being their mentor/facilitator/teacher such a complete delight. Thank You, God for all the Blessings which You have rained down on me. I am truly undeserving, but ever so grateful.

I hope that you all feel as blessed as I do right now... :-)