Wednesday… Just me? Appointments mess up a day!

 Wednesday… Just me? Appointments mess up a day!

Picture if the day.

Speaking of all the snow lately up there! This is our parking lot on Arlington BLVD near D.C. many years ago.  We returned from NC and could not get in. Hundreds of cars were parked as we did on Arlington BLVD, we all got tickets, and we all threw them away!

Now for today’s Stuff:

WE all have APPOINTMENTS! Doctors, taxes, dentist, parties, etc. But over the years I have noticed if an appointment is after 9AM, it ruins an entire day. I will not start a task, or go anywhere, I seem to just wait/plan for the appointment. I have noticed that lately, more than before.

I do not know if it is the military training or what, but I must be at any appointment at least 15 minutes before the scheduled time.

Platoon 17, 1956 This is Mine and Dallas's Parris Island grad Platoon. Great memories???  LOL Dallas 4 from left and me 8 from the left first row (I think for what ever it means we all look alike.  LOL

I remember in the USMC, when we were first allowed to leave the base on ‘liberty’; Sgt Bell said when heading back to the base: You had better fit in time to change a flat tire, because I do not buy having a blowout or flat as a reason to miss muster.

After about 70 years, I still remind Dallas of the times I just knew he would not make it back from Pennsylvania, on time. He went to PA to see that pretty Marian, every weekend when he did not have the duty.

Back then he didn’t have a car and he hitch hiked from NC to PA every time. The dude was NEVER late for muster. I knew Sgt Bell (Dal called him Ding Dong) would not buy “I couldn’t get a ride!” if Dallas was late.

But, back to appointments, we all have them, do they tend to mess up your whole day?

Nite Shipslog

PS: Now Good night ;-) Today we will see MORE Florida sunshine!

Tuesday… Just me, I would like to blame it on age.

 Picture if the day.

Nah, it wasn't even close to this cold. thank goodness!

Now for today’s Stuff:

Before our FREEZE here in central Florida, I disconnected our water. Water to an RV is mostly fed by a water hose. So I did the simple thing, I just took the hose loose and dropped it below the faucet until it warmed up.

I made the mistake of thinking, no pressure, no problem. But the hose on the ground froze and ruined about $20 of brass fittings. I have never allowed that to happen to me in cold country. I made an ASSumption. Most of my adult life I have known the true statement, when you ASSUME you make an ass of U and Me. Now I are paying a small price (could have been worse) for assuming.

WE have not been ‘hurt’ or even ‘put out’ much by it, because in the RV we are actually self sufficient. So I am licking my silly wounds and at least telling myself, “YOU at least LEARNED something.”

                    I did not know they have heated water hoses!

And of course I did, freezing is freezing and no matter where, it can cause problems if it is not ‘respected for its potentials’.

I hope you are not inconvenienced where you are. And yes as someone said, Spring is on it’s way, even if there is a delay.

Take care and stay warm..

Nite Shipslog

PS: Now Good night ;-) Today we will see Florida sunshine

Monday.... What has surprised you?

 Picture if the day.

Now for today’s Stuff:

Besides realizing 87 years have past so fast, I am not surprised by a lot. However, this super storm that is delivering 10 or more inches of snow on our home base in NC, has now forced me to disconnect the water from this RV here in central Florida to keep it from freezing up. We will drop to the mid 20 degrees F (about 4.444 celcius) tonight. That is an ouch, to a Southerner.

Yeah I know, it ain’t nothing to you guys up YONDER!

I am smiling, we have learned to take life as it comes. It doesn’t always suit our fancy, but LIFE is real. That is, until like one song says, “you are covered up with flowers in the back of a black limousine!”

I just read on Valdese  history that the owner Mr. O'Quin, hated the name Rat Hole the kids called it, but after a year fell in line and smiled at the name.. He had a sweet daughter that worked behind the counter, about my age, Anna, who was a sweetee.

AS I try to compose this entry I am having a chocolate nut sundae! I had my first one in Valdese, NC at the ‘Rat Hole’. Yep, that was the best little cafe’ in town (maybe the only one). The Sundae was 35 cents and mmmmm delicious. They always used black walnuts; this one tonight has black walnuts, cracked and picked out by Sherry and me.

                Above is Sherry's Sundae much smaller than mine ;-)

Valdese is a small town in the edge of the South Mountains founded by the Waldensian people from Italy. It was a Hosiery Mill town with a giant Waldensian Bakery. When we moved into the town the first thing I noticed was the whole town smelled good, the fresh smell of honey buns baking.

I think I did the 7,8 & 9^th grades there. It is a wonderful small town, great people.

Nite Shipslog

PS: Now Good night ;-)

Sunday... What to say? The right words!

 Picture or the day:

Now for today’s stuff:

Last night after getting my next day's blog entry ready, Chatty made a comment and then said, ‘Good night’. I was just getting ready to close out and head for bed. Funny thing also, Sherry just woke up on the couch and walked by, ‘Saying good night!’ It sorta felt nice to read, ‘Good night; then just a minute later hear it again.’

You never know how special your words are. My sister Katherine, Kat, and her husband Dick traveled in their motor home with us for a few years. WE had a great time, even traveling to Alaska together. WE camped many times in the wilds of Alaska, sitting and talking around a campfire.

After Dick passed, Kat still wanted to travel. Sherry drove her 36’ motor home following behind me in ours, between parks. We had a good time.

Once when camped at a county park on the East coast of Florida we decided to go out to eat at a buffet for dinner. That day for some reason, Kat was down. You know, there are times when your life seems low; low enough that others can tell it.

We had filled our plates and sat down, about to bow and ask His Blessings when an odd thing happened. A very nicely dressed lady with a sweet voice stepped up beside Kat. She leaned over and asked, “What’s wrong honey?”

"My husband just passed away a few days ago!” Kat replied sadly.

"Oh but Sweetheart, YOU WILL SEE HIM IN THE MORNING!”

From that instant Kat’s attitude changed, she smiled saying something like, “I will, won’t I?”

If you grew up singing this old gospel song you will know what lifted Kat’s spirits: first verse..

I will meet you in the morning by the bright riverside
When all sorrows have drifted away
I'll be standin' at the portals when the gates open wide
At the close of life's long weary day ……...

After the lady walked off we never saw her again. Kat asked, said, ‘Was she an Angel?’

Dick and Kat at the Sign Forest in Watson Lake, Yukon. Most of the folks who travel the Alcan leave a sign here. 77,000 signs now. 

My answer to that question is YES! Whether a spiritual one or just a very insightful person, either way she was an angel to my sister.

Words at the right time can make all the difference!

Nite Shipslog

PS: Note: There are times you will never know how your words have affected others, so use them well.   Love you all, say warm.

Saturday.. Throw away society,

 Picture if the day.

                    Even in India, there are scrappers

Now for today’s Stuff:

When we go back to our home-base in NC we need to buy a Range, washer and dryer. Son Mark who was once a licensed builder, now on Social security, is a Scrapper. (Yes, Sherry’s sons, who kept saying: ‘Dad there will be no SS when we get to our 60s) Yep, both our sons are now on Social Security. Really we are not that old, we were married at 14 yrs old, or was it 17?

But to let you know I do know stuff, I told them SS would be around when they reached 60.

See, I am a prophet.

Mark bought our place here in Leesburg. We pay his utilities to let us stay here when we cannot get reservations. So our coach is now parked in Mark’s side yard.

That is our long-haired Mark in Key West with our Beagle.

He is hooked on Scrapping. While we have been here he has brought in washers, dryers, and Refrigerators. He tests new looking ones out before selling them for scrap. If they test good he sells them with a money back guarantee.

He has given us a dryer that looks new, it works, I will figure a way to take it home when we head North.

Scrapping to Mark, is sort of an Easter Egg Hunt. Who knows what he will bring back next. Florida is a great place for scrapping, this is a throw away society especially around here.

This is our Scrapper now, or a couple yrs ago.

I am just about run down. LOL Thanks for coming by.

Nite Shipslog

PS: Now you know; I Just might be a prophet. At the least, I am old enough to be one. ;-)

Friday.. Thieves always, Or just discovered.

 PIC OF THE DAY

Now for today’s Stuff:

2025: Self-checkout theft has doubled in recent years, with 27% OF Americans admitting they have stolen at least one item  while using self-service kiosks, according to new research from LendingTree.

Do you realize that is every 4^th person? WHAT??? 

It does not take a devious mind, plain common sense tells me that self-checkout makes stealing easier. Does it make the thief in someone come out, or does it CREATE a thief? My mind wonders at that.

I just read where a School Principal and an assistant Principal were arrested for thefts of thousands of dollars at self-checkout.

A Doctor also was arrested for stealing $1000’s in merchandise at self-checkout.

That is scary my friends. Those principals were teachers of someone’s children at one time.

A Doctor? Has HE or SHE fudged on your bill? Have they over charged for services and tests they say were required?

With the salaries of educators (which is not great but above the minimum) and doctors, how much more would the lower-scale unemployed or homeless person be TEMPTED to cheat, maybe just a little.

That is a little scary. Liars, cheats and thieves are NOT good citizens. Many folks have told a ‘white-lie’ to keep from hurting someone’s feelings. I hear some men cheat on their score cards when golfing (I really don’t know, I am not a golfer).

I have visited bowling alleys with the NEW (to me) scoring system where it is made very hard or impossible to cheat. LOL

I have broken the law speeding many times. As a boy I did steal, I returned to a junk yard to pay for tires I stole, after His Salvation.

BUT, BUT I draw the line at thief, stealing is a sin and it is hurting someone or a business, not just my conscience. Breaking man's law or saving someone’s feelings is not necessarily a sin. (IMHO)

And YES, I do use self check-out when I have 1 to 3 items.

I have to smile at my sweet niece Vickie. She said she used the check-out at Walmart, nobody said anything, but when she got to her car she realized she didn’t have a receipt and had not paid. She went back and paid. ;-).

Nite Shipslog

PS: The above of course is my opinion...

Thursday.. And yes it is cool here.

 

Outside is where I cooked back then.  I was stationed in Biloxi, MS at Keesler AFB.  Yeah, I had hair and was a proud dad.  That is our first, a great kid, Jack Jr.

Now for today’s Stuff:

We are walking some and I am piddling with a 4 wheeler to help son Mark get it running. This one is a real challenge, but it keeps me out from under Sherry’s feet.

Today was my time to cook. They said I did good. I took 6 small thin pork shops, tried to get them tenderized with a fork and salt (at someone’s suggestion, cannot remember who.) I cut them into ¼” strips and put the many sticks in ½ stick melted butter, thinking I could brown them.

They did cook well but browned only a little. After they cooked for a few minutes med/hi stove top, I added chopped onion and mushrooms, then covered them lowering the heat some. Put some frozen veggies in the microwave for 2 minutes, just to thaw. Then added them to the covered pan with the other stuff.

I always use the right spices (Ms Dash ;-)), a little salt and a tablespoon of honey. I baked 3 SMALL potatoes, cut them and filled with butter. & tin-foiled them. I also made rice. Why? I guess I decided to use it for a bed for the stuff I was cooking. (Sherry says it is for an egg and rice breakfast in the morning. LOL)

Using 4 frozen HB Buns. Cut them up some so I could fill them with margarine. Heated them stacked them to hide the outsides of the buns ;-). Then a dip for the bread; ¼ stick butter, 5 shakes of garlic salt, 4 tble sp of Olive oil, Ms Dash and a big dollop of honey. I heated that, mmm, good.

I guess that is a southern stir-fry. Or something like that. Anyway that was my afternoon; 2 guests, Sherry & son Mark said it was good. They really liked the dip, LOL

This is all the left overs. I am eating them now...

Nite Shipslog

PS:  Now you know I ain’t right at the stove. But I am lucky every once in awhile, like today!

Wednesday… A copy of someone’s Blog

 

Now for today’s Stolen Stuff:

Some things are just amazing. WE have some grandchildren who are super talented also, but I wanted to point this out that Susan Kane, the ‘Crazy cat”, over at the contemplated cat put on. If you don’t want to listen to all, just give them a short listen, and you will be amazed.

thecontemplativecat: Evan Le', a Veitnamese piano prodigy

I am not very good atd this stuff you might click:

If nothing happens above.

 http://thecontemplativecat.blogspot.com/.

Thanks Susan, thinking of you, and you are in our prayers...

Nite Shipslog

PS: Temps down here in central Florida, but nothing like you tough dudes up yonder are getting..