Camping!

Hello everyone.  We went camping for a couple of days for Dennis to just unwind and relax. This is our “little” trailer that we took out to a KOA in the mountains about 30 minutes from where we’re living in our “big” trailer. There was very little cell reception or Internet, so I missed reading some of your blogs, but I have tried to catch up. I apologize to any that I have still missed.

It was a lovely spot at a KOA up north. The nights were crisp and the days were warm. We did a lot of walking and reading. This is our spot.  Chloe seemed to enjoy it too. Please excuse my finger at the top of the picture. Apparently I still can’t take pictures!  We were virtually alone in this entire loop of the campground. I could hear coyotes during the night and I do believe a bear wandered around our campground, based on the paw prints we saw the next morning.

There is a little lake in the middle of the park.  I don’t know why it is so blurry. I do need to get a new phone. Mine is six years old and I hadn’t realized that until recently when it started acting up.

The trees were so pretty reflecting in the water.

Sunset was absolutely amazing. This picture does not do it justice. The sky was filled with pinks and lavenders and deep purples.

I haven’t even worked very much on my Pimpelliese Shawl. I do have it halfway completed and I’m starting the decreases now. I seem to have lost my knitting and crochet mojo recently. I am doing a lot of crosswords right now. Maybe that’s my way of dealing with stress.

I was sitting outside here at the RV park one evening last week while Dennis was gone and this bird caught my eye. That’s the top of our trailer and this tree was several spaces down the road. The bird was pretty high and sitting on the very tip of the top most branch. It sat there unmoving for almost half an hour. At first I thought it couldn’t be real and then my brain kicked in and I thought there was no way anybody could put anything up there either! It had to be real. And then it finally flew away. Look how blue the sky is. It has been gorgeous here lately.

Dennis‘s sister Karen is still holding on. Hospice did not think she would make it through the weekend, but when I talked to our nephew this morning, she is still here on this earth. Please continue to keep the family in your prayers. This is so difficult for the entire family. Her husband, her children, our kids, especially Mandy, and Dennis‘s mom. Dennis and his brother aren’t doing too well either. It’s very hard for them to see their baby sister like this.  We do realize that death is a part of life and it is inevitable for all of us, but it’s never easy for the people that are left behind.

Dennis had some wonderful conversations with Karen last week when he was there and we are forever grateful that he had that opportunity to spend time with her and his brother.

I’m wishing you all a good Monday. Where we camped last week we weren’t able to see any news so I had no idea what was going on with the hurricane. This morning I saw a news story for the first time and it looks like it has devastated the lives of so many people. I hope all of you down in the south are doing okay.

Many blessings, 

Betsy

National Dog Day

Since today was national doggy day I wanted to share one of my favorite photos of Chloe with you.

She is the best dog ever. Since we moved here to the RV park last week, she has made several friends at the dog park. She looks forward to every evening when it cools down when we meet up with a few of her doggy friends. She can run and play with these much younger dogs like she used to do years ago. We know that she will most likely be our last dog and I love her dearly.  I am so happy that she’s enjoying her time here too.

Dennis made it home today. He drove about 1200 miles yesterday from Omaha to Big Timber, Montana. He finished the drive today. It is so good to have him home, but it was a very emotionally draining trip for him. Not only was it a hard trip driving and sleeping in the truck, but emotionally it was devastating. He was able to spend quite a lot of time with Karen and they were able to say their goodbyes.

Thank you for all of the prayers and good thoughts. We appreciate it more than you would ever know.

And now, I’m off to bed. It’s been a long day.

And finally, to add some humor to your day, I saw this today online but I don’t remember where. I think it was Facebook . If it’s your picture I’m sorry I didn’t give you credit.

Blessings,

Betsy

Getting Settled

We are getting settled into our new home. It was so, so, so hot Monday and Tuesday. They were the hottest days of the year so far and those were the days that we moved. Go figure! But we survived and we are pretty much settled in. Dennis still has to do the semi-permanent sewer hook up when he returns from Nebraska, but we just ran out of time. He was off of work Monday and Tuesday and then went back Wednesday and Thursday. He was swamped and worked 14 hours each day. Then he got up at 5:00 this morning and left for the drive to Nebraska. He just called me and he’s going through Billings, Montana right now. He’s planning to sleep in the backseat of the truck tonight at a truck stop somewhere in South Dakota. If you would say a prayer for his safety I would greatly appreciate it.

I will share some pictures of the outside of our new spot with you. It’s not the view at the lake, but we have made it very comfortable and we met some very nice people already.  Neal and Jenny brought Panda Express for us for dinner last night.  It was almost like old times except we have to keep our distance.  have I said recently how sick and tired I am of COVID-19?

We brought our steps from the lake so Chloe could get in and out of the trailer easily. When it starts snowing they will be a lot easier than the metal trailer steps.  Dennis put the extended doorhandle on our trailer and Larry and Nita‘s trailer a few years ago. It makes a world of difference and makes getting in and out of the trailer much easier.

This was the bistro table we had on our back deck. We’ve had dinner out here twice since we moved in and really enjoy it. At the end of the day it’s very shady over here, even though it’s on the west side. The trailer next-door and the trees above give us plenty of shade.

We had the reclining chairs and table underneath the deck at the house.

You can see the little slide in the background. There’s a young couple with two little children that have been here for two months. They’re leaving at the end of August to head over to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho for two months. He works full-time while they travel around the United States. He does something with computers from their trailer.

I brought all of my flowers from the lake and the little statues that I had around the outside of the house.  We also have the fountain there by the front of the trailer and our grill.  All of the comforts of home are here!

My birdbath came along too, as well as the angel statue. The birds have already found the bird bath and are a joy to watch, especially in the mornings.  I also have two hummingbird feeder‘s mounted on two of the  big windows of the trailer so I can watch the hummingbirds drink.  I love that!

Mandy was going to order some of these ear keepers when I talked to her Wednesday night. I told her I had just been looking at a pattern for them that afternoon and I would make some and send them with her Dad for her,  Piper and anyone else that needed them. The problem was that my buttons are in the storage facility. Somewhere. When it cools off we plan to organize it better but right now I have no idea where they are. I had to go to the eye doctors yesterday morning. Eek!   First doctors visit I’ve had since all of this Covid business began. It wasn’t bad at all and I was driving right by Hobby Lobby so I put on my mask and went in and bought some buttons. This is what I came up with. There are three different sizes to fit different size heads!  They were super easy to make and it took longer to sew the buttons on than it did to crochet them.

Here is Piper getting ready for her first day at school on Tuesday.  First the traditional picture.

Then the COVID-19 picture.  Look at those long legs! She’s going to be a tall beautiful girl. Let me tell you, her Grandpa can’t wait to see her tomorrow. 

It does seem strange to be here without Dennis, especially being in a new place.  It will be a long five or six days, but I am so glad he’s able to go back and see everyone, especially Karen. His brother got there yesterday and they will have some time together, the three of them, before Doug leaves on Monday to go back to Florida.

I’m praying that you all have a wonderful weekend and that you feel God‘s blessings and mercy all around you. I’m also praying for health and safety for each one of you. 

Many Blessings ,

Betsy