Work Weekend

This past weekend was supposed to be Work Weekend for our upcoming Beltain celebration in a few weeks. No one but us showed. So, we actually got a lot more done by ourselves than we probably would have! Here are some highlights:


Bill finally got that stump pulled where the new driveway is going to be. We also moved several iris bulbs, daffodils and lily of the valley out to the woods.


The lilacs are blooming!


Can you find the black and yellow butterfly?


Look what we found in the campground! I take this as a sign that the fairies like us. :)


Found along the new trail from the campground to the east fence.


Planted pansies this year around the four quarters. I couldn't find a single pansy last year but this year I found all four colors!


Took a little lunch break.

We also squared up the shower house which had leaned a bit over the winter. We split several loads of wood, hauled it and stacked it in the campground. I got my middle finger smashed in the log splitter - not bad but the nail is bruised and it's still a little sore.

We managed to clean up the last of the shelter that we lost over winter and haul it all up to the house for disposal. I planted a BUNCH of flowers and bulbs in the campground and along the road so next year we will have more spring color than this year.

We got sprinkled on a few times but not enough to actually go inside on Saturday. On Sunday we managed to finish up a few things before the rain came. The afternoon was pretty much a wash (no pun intended) as storms came through all afternoon and evening. Woke up this morning to a much greener and cleanly washed world!

Cell signal is wonky down here today - we can send and receive texts but no calls. Oh well, I'm working today anyway.

New Floors part 2

Ok, Here are the pictures of how we spent our weekend:


We started out late on Saturday so didn't get very far.


Sunday morning Erik came over to help


This was Aubri's contribution... hard work that!


I did tell her that she could write on the floor.


By lunch we were this far..


Austen then pitched in to help and it really started to rock!






The living room finished!

New floors!

I have needed to put down new floors for some time now but was waiting for funds. This year's tax refund is going to put new floors down in my kitchen, living room and loft. Weekend before this past we found just what I was looking for - with the help of some friends who have a Sam's Club card. :)


Aubri is also cleaning out her room to paint it so she has piled some of her stuff on and around the flooring.

So this past weekend, Bill pulled up the old carpet in the living room.



And the old linoleum in the kitchen.



Haven't seen these floors since we were building the place almost 16 years ago! We found that the kitchen floor was put down right over the top of the construction dirt - yes, we have 16 year old dirt ground into the sub floor. Don't you just love subcontractors and cheap builders!

We will be pulling the cabinets next week when we actually lay the new floor but in order to not have the kitchen closed all week he just cut around them for now. So - next weekend the new floor will be installed - stay tuned for more pictures!

Social Media... it's a trap!

I started out with Live Journal. A friend of mine was posting in LJ and I decided that it sounded like a cool idea. So I got an account. I posted to said account. I acquired friends.... and then they left.

Some went to Blogger. So I got a Blogger account. I posted to said account. I acquired friends..... and then they left.

Most went to Facebook. So I got a FB account. I posted to said account. I acquired friends..... and now they are all leaving AGAIN.

It's a trap!

Lots of Bull!

So Saturday afternoon the sun was out although it was not very warm but I decided to take a walk. I am training to walk a 5K in June. Bill says it is exactly 1 and a half miles from the mailbox to his front door so I figured a 5K is a little over 3 miles - perfect! I have walked a little more than 5K around my neighborhood block many times - it takes about an hour.

So off I go... the road from his house to the neighbors is pretty much a gentle slope up hill - thank fully that is at the beginning of the walk instead of the end! I walk past the neighbor's house where the guinees sound the alarm. I walk on past the sheep and goat pens where they all lay in the sun ignoring me. I walk on past the cows... who all start to follow me!

The cows I imagine were thinking I was going to feed them. They were all out in the pasture cropping the new grass and the calves were frolicking along when they saw me and started heading my way. As I walked they turned to follow. Then I noticed the bull. He was right up to the fence and snorting at me. I don't know if this fellow is friendly or not so I sort of ignore him for a while but he is following me right along the fence. 

So finally I stop and approach. He snorts and lifts his huge head over the fence for scritches! Oh Ho! I think - this fellow just wants to check me out. So I pet him and scritch his soft ears and go on my way.... and he follows me.

I walk on past the end of the pasture and start up the next part of the road between that neighbor and our property. It's a windy rocky road that has a slight incline. About this time my lungs have discovered that we are out and about in the cold air without our inhaler (I have asthma.) So I start to watch for a stump to sit on and take a short break. Of course there is none to be found on this stretch of road! 

Finally I come to a path back into the woods that I can see several stumps. So, having always wondered where it went, I head into the woods to find out! Before I finally find a stump that is not rotted out so badly that I would end up on the ground or that isn't surrounded by spring rain water I'm wheezing pretty badly. (Or very well depending on your take.)

I come to a cross road where I find my fallen log and sit. I can see the farmer across the road from our property's house on one end and cattle at the other end of this cross road. I sit and catch my breath and revell in the warm sun on my face for a good 15 mintues. Then I decide to head toward the cattle end of the road. I finally figure out that this cross road is the telephone pole road that comes out right at the big gate to the cow pasture of bills neighbors house and there standing waiting for me is the bull!

So I walk up to him again, this time a bit braver and give him pets and scritches and talk all cutsy to him. Meanwhile all the ladies and their calves have clustered at the fences to see who this odd stranger is that was walking up their road. I'm still not too sure about Mr Bull and how he would feel about me interacting with his lady friends so I don't try to pet any of the cows or their calves who are very curious until I get close enough to them that they run! Calves are so cute when they run!

But Mr Bull escorted me the entire length of the fence line as I walked back to Bill's house.

 

I didn't walk all the way to the mailbox but I will before June - I did walk about half way. I could have made it fine if I had my inhaler with me - lesson learned - take the inhaler, even if you don't think you'll need it!

Texas Trip

We started out last Thursday morning ( a little later than I had planned ) for Texas. We are going down to the Kileen/Belton area to see my oldest son Tom who is stationed at Ft. Hood. We stopped along the way in Texarkana at a rest area and were told that they had security so if we wanted to stay the night we could - we had a lot of miles to go yet though...



Every Camper must have a chandelier - right?



This was the view from our campsite:



Tom took us around to the biggest cowboy store in town...



Where we found belt buckles as big as your head!



We ate Texas BBQ at Rudys:



And Tom horsing around - notice no plates - just wax paper.



Saturday we went to the Sherwood Forest Ren Faire north of Austin. We got a nice fellow who was running the wagon rental to take our pic:

(Yes, that's Eva asleep on Tom's head!)

Then we went to Bucca de Beppo for dinner (our favorite Italian Restaraunt)



We even got dessert free since it took so long to get our food - yes, this plate is HUGE!!!



After we order the dessert plate, the table full of real Italians (there were about 12 of them all speaking Italian very loudly and waving their arms around) ordered one too!

We came back on Sunday and stayed the night in the Walmart parking lot in Jacksonville, AR. I had read on an RV site that not all Walmarts but most will let RVs park overnight. This lot even had a security guard on duty!

Traveling to Texas

I leave tonight after work to head down to Bill's house. Tomorrow morning we will hitch up the camper and head to Texas. I have reserved an RV site at WestCliff campgrounds on Belton Lake. So by tomorrow evening I'll be litting by a campfire in my shorts and sandals! Woo hoo!

Speaking of sandals - yesterday I was rocking my capris and sandals because it was 84 degrees in St. Louis. Today, I wore my winter coat to work because it's 34 - gotta love having 4 seasons in 18 hours!