Family Stuff

Audrey and her little friend Sidney look at Christmas lights in historic Jacksonville. Best friends. And adorable in a Grampie's eyes.

Richard called tonight and he sounded breathless. Said they were gathering foliage on state lands to have Foresters make Christmas decorations for the preservation fund. "Where are you?" I asked, not placing any such thing on Casper Mountain. "Hawaii," was the reply. They are visiting Melissa, Val's daughter and having a family get-together. (her side). He claims he told me but the nearest thing I recollect was some discussion about one of the daughters who couldn't go for a medical reason. Anyway, it was 2:40 in the afternoon there and 7:40 in the evening here. He was very impressed with the trails and the vistas and glad to be helping out. "Send pictures!"

I started my day by helping "Gilles" re-orient his RV. He figured out if he parked it catywampus they would have a better chance of entering and exiting. I think he was an engineer-just a guess. Each move involved putting down four blocks for the jacks and two ramps for the downhill side tires. I was OK for the first two moves but by the time the 3rd and 4th moves came around I was rueing the day. Pretty cool to sit in the coach and have some ungainly doofus from Wyoming crawling around under your RV. But he was finally happy and very appreciative. "You are one of a kind!" (so true, so true, and what a clever remark. It now belongs me. ) I gave him a banana from the huge bunch Jason sent home with me. They are starting to ripen and are so much better than shipped and store-bought. A little later Gilles brought me a couple of handfuls of candy bars. His wife works for Hershey Canada. I have a nice little treasure trove and a valuable connection.

I had a nice little rump roast that needed to be cooked. It was for the Sunday dinner I gave up on. So I roasted it and it was just right. I love the toaster-oven I bought last season. The dogs thought I was a god. Honey is turning into an effective beggar: first the kiss on the elbow to tell me she is there. Then the head on the leg and the soulful eyes. Not a peep. All this not lost on Buster whose closest approximation to begging has been a very intense observation for drops. He is starting to line up. He is so funny. He has always hated a leash. But Honey gets walked with a leash (I figure even I can catch a dog with a gimpy leg and a heart condition) so I put the leash on him and he just puffs up. Shows what a good dog is supposed to do. Bless him.

The cooling unit of the RV fridge got a good pounding with my rubber mallet. That is supposed to clear clogs. It is performing a little better which is good because Mike did not show or call.