Rich, Val and Justin visit

Sunday morning here now. Honey has had her bike run, Buster has had his walk. Yesterday Rich began his day playing with Juneau in the pool. Jason just called and Lori is fixing a Texas brunch so I will head there soon. THEY will go to the Celtics,/Heat game in Miami tonight-of interest to me on TV but not in person. Amazing Jason scored some great tickets for them.

I took the Casperites to Butterfly World Saturday. Many more pictures to post. We got a bonus: The A Cappela Singers gave a concert at Butterfly World. Amazing voices. There was a basso profundo from Egypt who went so far in the basement I got goosebumps. And two sopranos who hit the stars. Then they encircled the audience and sang. Finished up with "God Bless America." They sold CD's, I bought.

At dinner on Friday night the kids and Rich's group encountered Adam Sandler who was kind and spoke-he was walking around calming his baby. Justin spotted Jamie Fox and his retinue at Butterfly World and went chasing after him. Wide eyed celebrity watch. He was busy with his phone camera.

Also on Saturday we went to Delray where I made good my birthday promise to Val and Rich to buy them dinner at Enigma. We all went and enjoyed the great food. It took Rich to point out the building had been a gas station at one time. I found confirming evidence after he brought it up. They were impressed with the food and ate with gusto. We started with two pitchers of "Fall off the Porch Sangria"and shared three Flans for dessert. In between it was chaos.

Today, after Lori's treat of a breakfast (Texas Breakfast Casserole) we gabbed a bit. Justin wanted to do the beach so Jason loaned a snorkel and the three Wyomingites went to the beach. Lori and Jason needed a nap. I went to CompUSA and spent some money and, killing time for good naps, tried to find the A-1-A highway from Lighthouse Point. That is a nice little community but you can't get to the A-1-A from there. Rich called and had a table at the Patio Bar and Grille on the beach. We met there. We listened to a Karaoke Crooner and had late lunch while we watched the eye candy on the beach promenade. I got tickled: a voluptuous sunbather got her bikini string "lodged" and worked to set it free without really going "there." She would tug at the top and make things bad down low and vice versa. Justin had a stinging brush with a jellyfish but his appetite was unimpaired. It was rolling up on 3:30 when we got back to the house. They all needed to head for Miami by 4:30 so I made my gooodbyes and headed for my cozy abode. I am bushed. I am glad they are all younger. Jason's birthday is on the 4th when the festivities start and include a visit from my son, Jason's brother, Matt. I hope I am rested up by then. Great visits but too much fun in a row! Spring chickenhood is not even in sight in my rearview mirror.

"Houston, we have ignition!"

I stayed in the park today getting ready to wine and dine Nicole and Andre. Good thing. While Val and Rich were revisiting their turkey sandwiches on a fishing trip (woof) on the rough seas of the ocean, Mike the Coastal RV repair guy showed up. I have propane! Hot water, refrigeration, and all it entails. Wonderful! He also installed the electric element for my coach refrigerator. Fortuitously, the undersink water filter chose this time to spring its annual leak. Mike was here. Yay! He says he can easily install an electrical element for the hot water heater. That would provide redundancy and really cut down on propane use. That is on the list. The jack repair is also on the list. Middle of next week. uhuh. But the cost was reasonable and I am a happy camper. It is all coming together.

Dinner was tasty but somewhat perfunctory. It is chillee -for Florida and so it was short and sweet but the vittles was et and didn't go to waste. Greg called while I was pedalling my bike to Andre's.(Is there a law against biking and cellphone use yet?) He was catching up on my blog and was my right hand partner in crime last season in refilling the holes Honey dug in my lawn. He saw the pictures of the complete devastation and it made him laugh. They will show in a week or ten days and I will enjoy seeing them. They will, be down on Lantana so there will be a little refuge away from here and quite close. They can visit me too.

I was not as unconscious as I thought and the Lumix camera made it home. Here are a few Thanksgiving pictures. Click on the slide show for bigger pix.

Great Thanksgiving!

I started early slicing and dicing, chopping and blending. I had two contributions to make: Cranberry relish and Creamed onions. I was working with less than optimal equipment. Because of no propane because of Coastal RV repair, I was using a 900 watt hot plate. I remembered how long it takes water to boil on this so the onions went first. My blender, bought last season was more a drink blender and it was not doing a good job on cranberries, nor oranges. Out came the hand chopper. Not very efficient but eventually it all came together with minutes to spare before departure. Guests were Trish who celebrated her 30th anniversary of emigrating to the U.S. from Great Britain. I was glad to see her again. Brother Rich, Val and Justin, Lori and Jason, and the dogs. Trish brought starters: Champagne laced with creme de cassis and Swiss tarts she made. Hosts Jason and Lori provided cheese and olives and crackers. The drinks were subtle but powerful. Jason was the master chef and worked his fanny off. I have food pictures: in two cameras both in Deerfield. (Crap!) Trust me when I say it was a fabulous traditional spread.

The new dining room was inaugurated and performed as designed. We ate and lingered and visited and played games until it was time for a sunset cruise. We took David's twin diesel cabin cruiser. It was a great ride on the Intracoastal to Lighthouse Point and the open sea. We got stuck while the bridge keeper at the Camino Real drawbridge had a nap or something. The bridge is supposed to open every 20 minutes. We idled for nearly an hour but the only complaint was we didn't bring enough wine! It was wonderful being on the water in the evening. I was astounded at Jason's ability to parallel park a cabin cruiser. Amazing tour de force. Justin broke the ice and we ate leftover dinner (again) before tucking into apple and pumpkin pies with homemade whipped cream. Then Trish's after dinner liqueur stoked another round of word games and gabbing around the dining table. Great fun. The doggies were good while we were gone and made out like bandits while we were there.

The kids have been busy getting the house assembled and the decorator was in town from Michigan. They turned their former large bedroom into a kind of private quarters living room. The centerpiece of that is a kind of cocooning couch/daybed inspired by Juneau. It has two upholstered sides like a couch and a full size mattress so Jason, Lori and Juneau can snuggle, watch TV, hang out. Juneau took no time figuring out what this was all about. The master bedroom is now where Jason's former office is. They found they gravitated to the smaller bedrooms so made themselves a small one. Many other improvements. I'll take pictures. It is coming together very nicely.

We got a break from the heat. In fact it is a little chilly tonight. I'll cook for Andre and Nicole tomorrow (before the groceries go bad). Saturday we will all do Butterfly World and dine at Enigma. Sunday?? Casperites go home Monday a.m.

20 percent chance of showers

A serious thunderstorm this morning. Buster is in shock, Honey is pouting because she didn't get her bike run, and I am pouting too because Mike didn't get his butt over here to do his repair work and now it will probably be after Thanksgiving before he ambles around to do it. I decided this year to put my screenhouse front wall at an angle-more room inside that way. Then I decided to put up rain/shade flies to go over the mesh/ Concept is good, I have found. Dollar Tree shower curtains are not the right material. So far I have $4.oo tied up in this project and the test results are mixed.

I did a drive-by on two houses in the "wholesale market" right here in Lake Worth. The Internet prices were low enough that I could swing them in my own right. The kid's idea is they are buying investment properties and even if the O.F. lives in one he will eventually be moving on and the price differential betwen rock bottom and then will be their profit. On the web they looked great. One with an efficiency apartment that could be rented for income was a nice looking home (part omitted by realtor- "smack dab in the middle of the ghetto!"). Of an evening, it is easy to tell because folks are all outside on the street leaning on their funky or defunct cars. The second, on Washington, was in a mixed but more expensive neighborhood. (President Streets are usually not a good sign). Another nice looking house with a vacant lot on one side, a nice backyard with high fence, a commercial garage on the corner with junkie standing beside the gate. I asked him about the neighborhood. "Not good-drugs." He bummed a cigarette as did somebody in the first neighborhood. ( part omitted by realtor: crack house conveniently located across street.") Driving away I spied a huge man lying mostly naked on the pavement in front of his apartment-very like the walruses I saw in Oregon.

On to the Boynton Beach Wal-Mart. I have gotten a few interesting looks with my long socks ("interesting", as opposed to "interested"). Today, I am trying my usual loose top diabetic socks seeing how long the benefit of the compression socks holds. When you are getting second glances at Dollar Tree and Wal-mart...well, it is not ego enhancing. I will opt for comfort every time. It was a zoo at Wally World. Prices very similar to Wyoming and the location of things a lot alike. Prices very much better than Publix. Worth the hassle for a "big shop." Stuck to my extensive list and did well. Bought some pecans for my cranberry relish and noticed the saran wrap had a hole so I asked the checker to put it in a little bag by itself. Then I didn't see them come across. I was looking for them. The checker asked what? "I can't see my nuts." Then I heard what I said. She missed her big chance to say"Go on a diet."
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Toosday,too hot, too much to do, too tired

Busy, busy, busy in the 80 degree plus heat with humidity to match. I cratered last night. Went to bed with the just the screen door closed and awoke this morning to dogs barking. A coon came to steal my loaf of bread and Honey decided that screen door didn't mean very much in an emergency. She shot out there and Buster followed. With her adrenaline flowing she thought some poor woman in a fluffy bathrobe and turban looked menacing (in fact she did look menacing) and tried to corral her.

Things are moving ahead. My campsite is taking shape. I spent some time Sunday scouting houses. Jason sends web listings and I drive by. One in Delray beach said it had five bedrooms but that was a misprint and it was next to the World Famous Delray Tennis Center (Venus and Serena). I got jungle fever scouting that one out. Ebenezer Baptist, and Apostolic Evangelical churches in the 'hood. I see the fun of the search but I still don't have a clue what I want to do. The short-sell bargains are now.

Rich has discovered Skype so we have been having video phone calls which are kind of fun and FREE.

Everytime I go out, I am subjected to the poverty surtax in South Florida: Publix asks at checkout if I want to donate to Cancer research, or the food pantry, Dollar Tree wants to know if I want to donate a toy to a needy kid. I run a gauntlet of panhandlers at stoplights on Maleleuca and Lake Worth Avenue. There is no doubt that the need is there and these are desperate times for many people. I don't like it because there is a limit and I give some then feel bad about turning people down instead of feeling good about giving some.

Obama is starting to make noises like he is hearing the howls of pain from ordinary citizens-way too late. The banks are continuing to put a voracious squeeze on their customers after receiving taxpayer bailouts. They just don't get it or don't care. Somebody needs to take a literal or figurative two-by-four to some of those knotheads until it sinks in.

Mike from Coastal RV has not returned to complete repairs. Surprise, surprise. My icemaker is bodacious. Love, it love it, love it.

Family Pictures

Matt, Audrey and the pumpkin that volunteered. It just grew from a last year's seed. It got turned into a Jack-o-lab.

Audrey in bed with her dog and kitty. The kitty volunteered. I asked its name some time ago but it was unnamed because it could have been temporary. Now it is permanent (more or less) and I am still ignorant of its name.

The cat found a soft place to land. Good on the kitty. Good on the family that gets to enjoy her.

In sunny, HOT, Florida, I was productive. I even broke down and donned shorts for the first time in many years. I employ OTC support socks to keep onlookers from gagging. Long black socks with shorts, was once fashionable in the dark ages of my youth but is now an oft mentioned fashion faux pas to which I say "kiss my ass." Works for me-not your business.

Pumped up the bike tires and Honey was delighted to go for a run. She is good and she loves it. After a turn around the park we stopped to see Nicole and Andre. They pressed a vodka, OJ, and soda, on me. Honey accepted treats from them-social progress. We had a nice little visit. Nicole's brother and his wife are not coming to Florida for the first time in 30 years. Partly health but largely money. They lost big in the downturn. Nicole gave them $10,000.00 last year but that can't go on forever-we are all in reduced circumstances and know not what the future holds. Nicole and Andre live nicely but carefully. They take very good care of what they have.

I decided not to invite them to Deerfield for Thanksgiving because two more would have forced us into a two table situation. Lori and Jason are generously inaugurating their "new dining room" with the family. Brecko-the designer helped them pick out a fabulous table-a solid plank of wood and swiveling easy chairs for meals that go long into the evening. I'm game! I'll be praying niece Pam's pre-shcool prayer: "No spillers today, dear Lord."

Moving Along

If you are getting sick of adorable dog pictures, I have kitty pictures to post tomorrow. Audrey got adopted by a cat. It seems to have found a a place to its liking.

Below is the row I was in at the campground last year. Worse than hurricane damage. (and I was feeling guilty about Honey digging holes in the lawn-LOL!) I sent some similar pix to my friends and Mrs. Latour had a conniption. She called the manager and he answered the phone himself, other help having quit due to camper irateness. Then she spent 40 minutes on the phone to me and I went around taking pictures of their reserved campsites and she was mollified. Their sites are great! Mine is a hole in the ground.

Nicole and Andre arrived. I was so glad to see them! They look great. I will see if they want to come to Thanksgiving at Deerfield. Mike from Coastal RV arrived bright and early, fixed a leak, diagnosed the refrigerator, thinks he can fix my jacks, and can install the auxiliary propane tank. Without my main refrigerator, shopping is at a standstill. Parts come in on Monday and we will hope for the best. The headliner? He suggested a staple gun. Made me cringe but he was right-the foam rubber backing is disintegrating. How do I know this? I tried headliner glue. Bought some staples for the gun at Home Depot. I am hating this solution but it may have to happen.

Meanwhile, I went to Target. They have food! Cheap good food. Didn't buy much-no place to put it. I had been hankering for a tabletop icemaker for at least two seasons and they had none last year. They had one on special this year so I snapped it up- $70.00 off and about half what Camping World was wanting for the same machine. When Mike fixed my refrigerator two years ago, he neglected to re-install my icemeaker. Once you have had one...but now that is taken care of. Progress is being made.

I went to the produce market on Military Trail. It is pretty amazing and there are some amazing people who shop there. I will take my camera next time. Ten limes for a buck, Eight oranges for a buck.

Rich, Val and Justin are coming for Thanksgiving. Plans are being made. Should be fun and a good sun break for Wyomingites.

Got the Droid. Everything was backed up on Google so it was ready to go out of the box. I think the camera is better on this one.

Birds and Beasties

I snapped the above bird at a turnpike rest stop. I parked under a tree and made Buster get out to stretch his legs so I had some time.

Bebo, Mango, and Kiki are the kid's birds. They are a hoot. Sometimes they hoot a little too much. Bebo wolf whistles. They are living on the patio when the weather is nice. Lori left the cage open and they flew the coop - for a little while. They know they have it good. A flock of parakeets comes to visit. They had a brood of 14 ducks this spring. Several are still swimming the canal for the entertainment of all.

Honey giving Juneau a kiss. They are almost a pair in color and size. Buster stirred his stumps for a night-long snuggle last night. I'll take what I can get of those.

Jason made a hammock out of a dish towel and all three birds pile in. Lori thinks they play doctor in there. She should know. She has to bathe them.

I was early to bed last night and early to rise. The days have been beautiful but my zone of comfort is from eyes open until 10:30. Then it is time to be under the air conditioning until about 4:00 p.m. But between outdoor and indoor chores, that works out just fine. No air conditioning tonight- a right nice rain storm, coach fans and screen door only. Rain on the roof. Nice.

I called Mike at Coastal RV Repair. For the second time in a row he has sounded like he has been drinking. I am looking for an alternative fixer. He will show tomorrow I think. He is better than nothing but not much better. He is very nice though. Maybe I'll give Richard Whitecloud a call.

I haven't done a stocking up grocery shop yet so I went to a Chinese buffet for dinner. Incredible variety and well-prepared. I am going to gird my loins for a major Wal-Mart expedition. I paid good attention to prices at home. Publix has good stuff but is so high. Wal Mart here is zooey- 7 or 8 people in a line is usual. I gave a lot of my canned goods to Lisa in April. They don't improve in hot weather and she supports her daughter and a grandchild. I'm not sure what her hubby does for a living.

My new Droid will arrive tomorrow. Sometimes righteous hissy fits do work. Won't be refurbished, either.

Finally Getting Settled In

Lighting at the kid's house was a godsend. A great transition. They sure take care of the old man. Jason cooked fresh mah-mahi fish one night, Lori made breaded pork chops last night lots of fresh organic veggies, sticky rice, and other go-withs. They are remodeling and have

a decorator who encourages them to take it slow and "live with the changes" and move on to the next. It is somewhatAsian-zen in flavor but not "themed." What he did with the yard is just amazing. They changed the sunroom into their shared office space. After pricing a piece of stone for a desktop, Jason made the desktop and it is great. He is pretty handy. The decorator wanted the screen below left raw to age into driftwood color. Jason, having paid the carpenter couldn't bear that and stained them.

This is the patio on the guest wing. It is becoming liveable. I love it over here. 'My bedroom" opens on to this area and the dogs and I can be out here when the hosts have turned in.

They babysat the dogs for me while I made the trip to Lake Worth to take the lay of the land and site the coach. I gave a pass on the waterfront site and opted for one I can stay on until December 24th or until my reserved site is "finished." You have no idea what a mess the park is now. I'll take a picture. But it might well be December 24th before I can move to my site. And since I store the coach, it is packed to the gills. In order to live in it the outdoor furniture and stuff needs to be outdoors. Moving is going to be a chore but Lisa said the grounds crew would help.

The coach started and ran fine right off the bat. I was disappointed to find that the extreme heat made two panels of headliners separate from the ceiling. If Coastal RV can fix it I will have them do it. If not, I will give it a try. Perhaps I will be investing in a solar fan. Covered storage would also be a solution. The kids are investing in property and look at some with me in mind-bless their sweet-hearts. I don't really know how I feel about it. I enjoy the camaraderie in the park but I can feel the strain about the RV life. It has crossed my mind a few times this year that the days of trekking and setting up are finite.

Buster is some improved-he is moving and taking an interest in things. I thought he was a goner one morning. Snuggled him all night last night and he was improved today. Honey met the raccoon that came right up to me when I parked the coach. So, she is fully employed and loving it. She and Juneau are such good buds. They play so well. The park is sparsely populated and peaceful. Doc Rosenberg gave me a ride to pick up my van when I brought the coach in. A few good friends are here.

Dragging my Droid in the dirt: The Droid fell out of my pocket and the screen shattered. I had it insured with Asurion. What an outfit! I got the runaround seven ways from breakfast and while on hold with Asurion for the 40th minute, I finally called Verizon and said I was going to quit them. I had two good phones going and Verizon could hear -then we conferenced and it turns out Asurion hasn't purchased any Droids. We will see what we will see. I ended up less hot but nothing like the warm fuzzy feeling a new Droid in my hand would give me.

Florida

Arrived at the kid's about one and we had lunch. Beautiful Florida day. Buster was not doing well at all but he seems some better now. Bless his heart.

The house remodel is very much "in progress"~ but some amazing changes are already evident. Pictures have been taken and when I get them on a computer I will share.

Southern Illinois tonight

Aside from a couple of naps, we drove and drove. The Nebraska scenery at night along I80 is as stunning as it is by day.

North Platte

Blogging from the Droid: I am not a wonderful thumb typist so this will likely be short.The weather hs been fair to partly crappy. Snow,hoarfrost,rain, wind and cloudy all day. But I skirted the bad stuff. Lots of memories driving Wyoming. Good times...mostly. We will push on after I have late breakfast for supper. I want to leave this storm system behind. Doggies have been good as gold.

Seeing if the Droid can make a normal blog entry.

Last of the Doctor's Visits

Buster needed his shots-rabies booster, and distemper, and I had called to have a sufficient supply of meds on hand to last us until May. We pulled into G bar G a little early. Honey wanted to go in so I took her and she was socially appropriate, greeting some kitties, and an old lab owned by the vet, looking around, sniffing. She went back in the van and then Buster put up a fight. Dogs who don't want to go can make themselves so heavy. He almost backed out of his harness and I ended up lifting him out of the van after which he was pretty good. I wanted his nails on his gimpy leg trimmed because he doesn't wear them off but the vet did all four paws- on the house, which I viewed as nice but also a little dividend on the $446.00 check I wrote. I asked the vet about the iron for the coughing and she was in the dark about it. She didn't think a supplement would hurt. She is nice and invited me to call from Florida if I had any questions. She has acquired a couple of Pitbulls which she adores and from all appearances are sweet dogs. I hope she does not rue the day. If you are traveling with Pitbulls, German Shepherds, Chows, or Dobies, you are not welcome due to liability insurance riders.

When we got home, I missed the Droid. I went around the house and the van dialing it from my other phone and found it had come out of my shirt pocket, though securely clipped, when I was tussling with Buster. I nearly voided over the Droid. After it was found, tried to install Google Voice which is like Skype-you can make calls over the Internet, very cheaply if not for free. I have to wait for it but it is coming. I finished merging all of of my contacts ( I think). I added a few bookmarks I depend on. Google sent me an email. I now have over 80 gigabytes of Google storage for my pictures, documents, etc. That was nice.

Cooked the last package of liver for the hounds.

Tomorrow is going to be hectic and the weather is not being cooperative. Do I want to pull out of town on Friday the 13th? Looking at the weather, I'd better go while the going is good. The midwest is in for some weather. After Alabama, the going looks good. I-80 is better than 70 so it looks like the trip will be pretty much a do-over.

Curiouser and Curiouser

I got a newspaper the other day because I wanted to read about the big bank robbery. The story was accompanied by a lengthy editorial about how important the old time print media was and after it ran a litany of (somebody was shot, somebody died, somebody was held hostage) immediate and rampant rumors, the Riverton Ranger got it right! Had four people covering it from the time the police scanner broke the story. What happened: A woman at United Bank was opening up at 8:30 A.M. a person with a mask and a hoodie approached her and said give me the money. She said she didn't have access to the cash. He pushed her and left in a tan Ford SUV with a bogus license plate. She reported the event. All Hell broke loose: The police, FBI, Reservation police, and Sheriff's office responded , called out the fire department. A cordon five blocks long and three blocks wide was established. A sniper was lifted above the bank on the ladder truck, elementary schools across the town were put on lockdown. Traffic was diverted until noon. Meanwhile, the horse having already left the barn was galloping away. Is still galloping empty-handed.

Today's headline avers the woman "freed herself" to make the report (FBI source). What is happening is law enforcement is backing and filling to justify panicking and being incompetent horse's patoots, or the Ranger didn't do such a rosy job of reporting after all. We'll never know. In a small town these things take on a life of their own.

Soon I will be in a place where they scrape 'em up, give 'em a paragraph, and carry on. One guy has robbed nine banks down there this year. He is very polite according to all reports.

I called Lisa at JPPark today. I asked where I was going to be if not in my selected spot. She gave me lakefront property! But she said now they were moving right along on the construction. It is very easy digging down there. So I will see what I will see when I get there. I would really prefer to settle in once. The campground internet is working like a champ. She also said my prescriptions had arrived. ( I get two points for crystal balling that one!)

Went to the bank and arranged some accounts for the winter.

Busy-ness

I was off to the races early today. Among other things, I got a fresh SD card to try to complete my picture frame project for Max and Susie. Max was entranced with Janet's so I decided to give it the old college try one more time. I found a security glitch in some pictures Janet's brother sent which were to be the centerpiece of Susie's frame. I overcame that obstacle but it was labor intensive. Then I had some other issues but I got about 400 pictures on the card, delivered the frame to Janet and that project is on hiatus for awhile.

I had a good playtime with Honey today. She has been neglected because it is getting downright cold-she loves it, I hate it. I got half of an iron pill down Buster yesterday and it really helped-no cure but less coughing. I will observe and re-dose him when it starts to go downhill again.

I was incompletely informed by a clerk so something I ordered won't be in until Friday-early so I am delaying departure by a day. I want to get gone before Saturday because we are looking at below zero that day.

The Droid Phone is consuming right now. I am frankly amazed. I was playing with the navigation today and switched it to satellite view and was cruising down the road with rivers, hills, sideroads, in realistic view. Barcode reader uses the camera and then goes to the web to find the product and where you can get it the cheapest! AND the iPhone store is not the only one that has a fart program! US Traffic gives almost real time traffic conditions and blockages in metropolitan areas. Google Sky Map figures out where you are, you hold the phone up to the night sky and the constellations are identified. Locale tracks where you are and if you need any service or wonder what to do, it gives a list of suggestions. Of course Youtube is available. Pandora streams music based on a song you pick- it plays similar songs. Way too cool a toy. I don't need the distraction right now.

Harvest Party/ Bon Voyage

The beans are on the trucks, the garden still holds a few surprises, a beef has been put in the freezer, and I am headed south. It is a testament to Guy and Janet that they spread their invitations around and I haven't found a stinker in the whole bunch. Janet's folks came-Susie made some old timey tomato aspic which my granny and mom used to make, The veggies came from the garden. It was a great afternoon.

(erratum: I wrote of Janet scaring up some moose by Lysite. It wasn't moose, it was elk and it was just over the hill on the open range between the rivers.)

High spots: Royce, 74 years young, spoke of his first job in a Ford Plant. He came as a raw youth from West Virginia and was in a plant that had 3500 workers. He was put to work among Black men "I was a piece of rice in a bowl of raisins." He had never been around Blacks and they took care of him.

Grannie talking of her husband Sylvester's death in St. Louis, away from home. Her sister came to help her. She was aware that a shock like this can cause health problems. She put on her glasses and started to look up something in the phone book and was sure she had gone blind. Then her sister came out of the bathroom and said "Why are you wearing my glasses?"Problem solved.

Some pix here: Food Pictures!

Harvest Party and Bon Voyage

Casper

Of course, I went, of course I enjoyed myself and the company of family, and of course I was a perfect gentleman. We partook of $5.00 steak night at the Elks Lodge. Pretty fair. I suggested it because Rich had told me about it and I wanted the experience. One dollar drinks-too. After, to Tom And Heather's: Tristan is a doll- an amalgam of mom and pop and a well-loved child. I do not envy these young adults today. The pressures of business are terrific. Their lifestyles have made the stakes too high. But it ain't easy for oldsters either. Cuz Jim was a multi-millionaire who went broke at the time of the last engineered bubble bust by the savings and loans and at age 73 is still trying to make it big-again. Bless his heart, I hope he makes it in time to enjoy it.

Droidy talk: A not very wonderful 5 megapixel camera comes in the Droid. These two pictures are examples. I couldn't be happier with the rest of it. WiFi and 3 G connectivity, an excellent browser. Good media center, Complete integration with all Google services from Gmail to cloud computing. I have been combining contacts from my cell phone, Gmail and Outlook Express because the Droid is a computer that fits in your pocket. I can call, text, send multimedia messages, pictures, and email (blog). Even when it is asleep, it says "Droid" when a new gmail message comes in. It checks for me. I am debating about putting my older computer based email on it because I get so much junk and it will eat up memory. Web based is best. When I drove to Casper-I do know the way by heart, I pitted the Droid/Google GPS service against my Garmin. Identical performance but Google has so many extras if you want to call on them AND I started the Droid by saying "Navigate to (my cousin's address.) That was it.

There was a planned electrical outage today so we went to town for hot coffee, a Denver omelet and a pancake. I visited with Ken and Seldom-seen Slattery for awhile. Characters. The doggies waited and then I took them to Arby's. That is a good solution because I don't particularly like Arby's and they do. I also wanted to see a local newspaper. Funny story which I will save for tomorrow. Buster did a reject on his iron pill this morning so I cooked liver tonight. Cuz Jim has the same cough Buster does for the same reason. I gave him some iron pills last night. I took one too on the way home and felt perkier. Iron can be a double edged sword in the nutrient arsenal. It will not become a daily dose for me.

Bumps

I was changing clothes to go to town when the phone rang. Nate from Verizon said he had my phone but he couldn't sell it until tomorrow. That is fine. I called John Prince campground to warn them that my prescriptions might arrive before I do in spite of my request to RightSource. Lisa told me the campground improvements are hopelessly behind schedule and I would likely not get my site at first and would have to move. Bummer. My RV is packed to the gills and not liveable that way. Setting up camp twice is not something I look forward to. My site will not be paved this year for sure. Not a biggie.

Jeanne called from Georgia and asked me to claim a package for them when I get there-their annual Christmas package from Marc's former employer Procter and Gamble. It will get there before they do.

Dinner was easy: grilled ham and cheese and soup for me, leftover liver for the hounds. Day old liver is profoundly different from fresh fried in my book. The dogs didn't seem to mind, though.

Tomorrow I will buy my phone, and trek to Casper for a dinner with cuzzes and Rich, then a baby viewing of Richard's grandson. I am taking plenty of pictures of my granddaughter whom none of them have acknowledged in any tangible or intangible way and will be loaded for bear. Why is their stuff so important when mine is not to them, apparently? They are happy enough to travel twice the distance to Florida for luxury vacations. This is not news to Richard. I have told him that the fact that I have not missed a Christmas present or graduation or wedding for his kids and my kids have received zip from him has worn a little thin. I am not a "counter" or it would not have taken 40 years to figure it out.

Some days are better than others

Yesterday was good-productive in the morning and afternoon-sorting, pitching, deciding what to pack. I had half a valuepack of chicken breasts left so I had soup and fried chicken going concomitantly. Going to cook a good supper for us. I brought Honey in and she promptly heaved. She had blood on her face early in the day so I knew she had been in something dead. Then my conversation with Harlan came to mind. Thayne was pretty certain somebody had poisoned his dog- off its chow for a day, antibiotics the second day, dead on the third day. Honey was dispirited and off her chow. Passing up a chicken breast is new behavior for her. So the worrying set in. I was ready for an early morning Vet trip. But she was eating by 11:00 p.m. and she was fine this morning. Buster meanwhile was coughing almost constantly. Back to the Internet. There is such a thing as ACE cough which is caused by heart medicine. A study in Korea found that modest iron supplements curb this cough in humans. So the liver came out and the juices, and he is a lot better. Now I am looking for iron supplements for dogs and will talk with the vet. Liver is cheap if push comes to shove. I do love my doggies.

I needed cigarettes so I went to town and also stopped in at the Verizon Store. Droids are arriving tomorrow! I have searched the web for every scrap of information-positive and negative, on the darn thing and I get one tomorrow-in advance of the 11/6 release date. Hope it remains a Droid and doesn't become a rhoid. I have another upgrade due me if this one is a bust. I keep waiting for Verizon to get the iPhone but for my purposes this one will surpass that. Should be able to blog from the phone.

USPS

I re-trekked to the Post Office seeking Diane, the sole person who can do premium forwarding. She was at lunch. I went to WalMart killing time and found her there. People tell me things. I told her I was sorry for her loss, having been apprised that her Friday absence was for a funeral. She said her daughter-in law (divorced) died of Leukemia, unexpectedly and pretty quickly. Two small daughters who are now living their father who is living with her (Diane) and her husband and all their kids are collected in Shoshone. Kind of puts a perspective on things doesn't it?

I returned to the Post Office and waited in line. A handsome young man in front of me was fiddling with a small bolt in his ear lobe and a pin in his eyebrow. I asked him if it was hurting him. "Not really. I used to be able to put my pinky through my earlobe but when I went to prison they made me get rid of all my piercings." So there you have it. If you like your piercings, stay out of the joint. Kind of puts a perspective on things doesn't it?

On the way out there was a young Hispanic man tending tenderly to a baby while sitting in a barely driveable pickup truck. I was starting to get depressed. There is an incredible amount of pain out there and people are bravely putting one foot in front of the other. You have to respect them.

I got nicked for $321.00 for getting my mail forwarded. An increase over last year. But it is good to go.

Harlan was fixing the pasture gate and I followed Honey down there to keep her from eating him. The bulls had walked through the old one and gone up the road about a mile. The new gate looks good. Harlan recalled I had replaced one of the broken poles in the gate years ago. It is part of the new gate. I had forgotten. We visited a little and I gathered my dogs and headed for the house.

I have adjusted Buster's meds in several ways and the coughing persists. The Enalapril is recommended on the Internet for dogs at .25 mg per pound of dog once a day. The vet prescribed 10 mgs twice a day which is a lot more than the manufacturer recommends. It is distressing and perplexing.

Two owls in the yard tonight. I think young ones attracted to my fake owl but if I were a better Indian I would be on my knees right now. A visit from an owl is an omen of death. I think there are some bad spirits around. I have seen several Native Americans with ceremonial paint on them. One way of warding off evil.

A fairly moderate day-tomorrow is supposed to be even better.

Aww Shucks

The Doncos met a team that came to play football and got waxed. The Ravens could do no wrong. I didn't mind the loss as much as the complete meltdown. Wished I could have seen the Vikings-Green Bay game. There are different takes on it but I watch pretty closely and I believe the Wisconsin General Manager decided he was going to rein in his top talent when he arrived there several years ago. Then the retirements began. I kind of like Favre sticking his finger in the eye of Green Bay but those fans are emotionally twisted about it. This has been going on for for thousands of years. Alcibiades, an Athenian soldier of brilliance, was treated shabbily and went to the enemy, whipped up on the Athenians, but went on to fight for them later. Take care of the talent and shut up.

Beautiful fall day-about 60 degrees. I got some outdoor time but also ate like a pig today. I do not understand. I was starving and dozy both. Took some minerals and will hope for a sea change tomorrow. The end of Daylight Savings has my body clock annoyed.