And the people speak ---

Slow Sunday

A slow Sunday.  We went for breakfast at Perkins, ordered waffles, eggs and bacon.  When our meals came all was cool to cold.  The waffle had collapsed in on itself - like it had been made awhile before hand.  I asked for a new breakfast, Don just opped to have his microwaved.  The server, Jennifer was most accommodating.  The second breakfast was fine.  When Jennifer brought us our bill she also brought two of their large muffins.  The moral of the story "can't fool us Perkins".

Are my grandsons contemplating the pending government closing?  More than likely Josh is thinking about the homecoming dance and Zach is looking for something "interesting" to do.

Rainy

A cold and rainy day, guess we need a little rain.  I heard reports of about 1/4 inch.

Wish I was here:  (have been there a least twice and want to go back - now)

Akaka Falls, Big Island of Hawaii

Home is where you park it

Top 25 signs that you live in a RV! 

You might live in an RV if…
1) Your GPS is your best friend!
2) You NEVER know where items are in the grocery store. 
3) You dump your own sewage and it is no big deal.
4) Your family has to ask you where you are when they call.
5) You keep both winter and summer wardrobes because you don’t know where you will end up.
6) You know what snowbirds are and have seen them in their natural habitat.
7) Your HOME has wheels.
 You blog so that YOU will remember where you have been!
9) You look in your pantry and see that you have cereal from New Jersey, pasta from Texas, canned goods from Alabama and crackers from California.
10) You are always the new guy in town
11) You know where to find the best, most reliable internet.
12) You own very little and are proud of that!
13) You follow the warm weather.
14) You hang pictures and decoration on the wall with velcro.
15) You don’t own any figurines or other cutesy stuff that sits on countertops.
16) You have slept in a Wal-Mart parking lot.
17) You meet up with a family in Virginia that you met in California!
18) You remember friends by what state you met them in!
19) You grocery shop every three days because your refrigerator is so small.
20) You have been to more museums, aquariums, national parks, monuments and zoos than you can remember.
21) You have often “pulled chocks”.
22) You look confused when someone asks you “where are you from?”
23) You get your mail 2-3 weeks late regularly from your mail forwarding service. 24) You have witnessed your toilet “burping” at you.
25) You crave adventure and can not wait to see what is around the next corner!

Mall of America

We went to the Mall of America today, had been several years since we had been there.  There were a lot of changes - new stores, new floors, remodeling, etc.  There were not many people when we arrived around 10 AM but many more when we left about 1 PM.

As we were walking into the mall I wondered how the mall security was in light of the Kenya Mall takeover.  First thing I saw was a camera looking at the entrance.  We saw a lot of security people and dogs.  One business told Don that drills were being carried out 2-3 nights a week with fully suited SWAT teams, police, helicopters, etc.  Used to be once a month.

I made one purchase, a shirt at Sears.  It was $40 marked down to 9.99, when I paid it had been marked down further to 7.99 and I somehow had a 1.25 credit - what a deal!

We ate lunch at the Rainforest Cafe, always an event.  They have good food at about double the price one would pay elsewhere.  Guess you pay for the ambiance.

Lago Land 

Amusement ride area

One of several aquariums at Rainforest Cafe

Some of the trees and vines at Rainforest Cafe

Camp fire

We had a campfire, something us full time campers rarely do!  It was a beautiful evening and we had some wood we wanted to burn.

Looking better

We got badly needed haircuts this morning, looking better.  A slow but beautiful fall day!

Friday is just around the corner!

Fall begun today

Everyone says "where has the summer gone?"  So I will second that.  Fall in Minnesota has some of the nicest days and I'm looking forward to that.

Daughter Brenda and Granddaughter Rebecca came over this afternoon for a visit.  They brought fresh homemade dinner rolls which we had for dinner.  They were delicious!

Grandson and football

My grandson playing football (one looking at the camera)

RV Show and Fridays on Friday

In the morning we went to a RV show here near the casino parking lot and near the campground.  There were a number of RVs and of all sizes and types.  We looked at a few.  The type we had never seen is a travel trailer that lowers down to the ground or ICE - for ice fishing.  I would think that would be popular in Minnesota!

In the evening we went to dinner at TGI Fridays and had a very good meal of steak and shrimp.

Dinner

We had dinner at the Dennis' (daughter and family).  Had wonderful spaghetti, I was so hungry for spaghetti.  They are one busy family!  Their puppy is so cute, growing too fast.

This was the highlight of our day!  It was a slow day, did stuff around the motorhome.  It started out cool and rainy and didn't get much better until late.

Wish I was here:

Buffalo roundup in Custer State Park, South Dakota

Anymore

As it sit at my computer in the motorhome I can see the casino flags at half staff in memory of the dead at the Washington DC Navy Yard.  It seems like flags are in that position a lot anymore.  It makes me wonder what is wrong with our civilization where gunmen (yes they are always men) take it upon themselves to kill innocent people.  We are not safe anywhere - not in our schools, places of work, places of entertainment, anywhere.  I retired from working in the principals office of a high school, it seemed like a safe place until Columbine came along and we scrambled to make new policies to protect the students.  I would not call the principals office a safe place anymore.  My husband retired from a public job where he occasionally had to fire someone, what are the chances anymore that that person would come back with a gun.  Safety is truly something to think about.

If a man wants to do away with himself why does he feel he has to take as many as possible other people with him, is it the "blaze of glory" effect.  People say we need to identify these people before they act.  OK, then what do we do with them?  Lock them up somewhere?  No not in the USA where we have more laws protecting the criminals (or potential criminals) than we have protecting the victims (or potential victims).  We would have to prove "beyond a reasonable doubt" that these men were going to kill.  Mental health is not an exact science so proof would be impossible.

We were in line at a cash register the other day, a man in front of us was buying two boxes of bullets.  First I noticed the bullets and then I looked at the man.  He seemed to be anxious/nervous and he had shifty eyes.  I'm thinking about how I can take a picture of him on my cell phone and turn it over to the police.  Then I thought "what would the police do, probably laugh at me".  Who do you report, who do you not report.  I am far from a trained professional and yet we are told to report strange activity.

When will this stop?  Until it does, if ever, we need to hug our kids once more and tell our loved ones that we love them.  We never know if we will see them alive again.

Doctor and movie

I had my 2 week check-up following my hysterectomy.  All is well, I really avoided the "cancer bullet".

In the evening we watched Star Trek:  Into the Darkness.  We enjoyed it as we are Star Trek fans.  It was fast moving and action packed.  At one point we both were startled and jumped!

Rainy Sunday

It rained on and off all last night and again this morning.  We need the rain but perhaps it is too late to save some of the crops.  Hope it makes the grass green again.

We went out for breakfast at Cracker Barrel and back home.  In the afternoon the sun finally came out.

Support Paula Dean.  She made a mistake and has sincerely apologised.  How would you like your entire career to go down the drain for a mistake you made?

Don’t forget to sign up for my weekly Paula Deen newsletter. It’s always chock-full of my newest recipes! http://www.pauladeen.com/newsletter

9/13/13

Our two weeks at Lebanon Hills County park is up so we moved the motorhome back to Dakotah Meadows by Mystic Lake Casino.  This time we have a back-in site which is much better than the site we had last time.  The place is almost full - amazing for this time of  year.

The move went well, just a lot of work for such a short trip - put everything away inside and out and then put it back when we arrive.

We went to Cub Floods for a few groceries in the evening and picked up Taco Salads for diner.

Mt. Rushmore at night 

Last full day at Lebanon Hills Campground

We are going to miss this campground, it's nothing fancy but more state/national park like.  We went to Denny's for dinner which was good - too much food.  Don went to Walmart for milk and juice while I waited in the car, just not feeling 100% today.  Otherwise hung around the motorhome and read, watched some TV.

Menards

Don wanted to go to Menards and since that would by my only opportunity to do some walking, I went in as well.  One trip around the store and back to the car was enough for me!  We stopped for a Subway on the way home.  We picked up a Red Box DVD Hitchcock.  It was about part of the live of Hitchcock, interesting...  If the movie is correct his wife had as much to do with his shows as he did.  The movie Psycho was almost not made, the Hitchcocks had to finance it themselves.

First trip after surgery to eat at a restaurant

We had a hamburger at Culvers for lunch.  It actually seemed strange to be in a restaurant again.  Don has been bring home dinner and we grilled once.  Had leftover chicken for dinner.

Yesterday I had noticed that HBO on Satellite was free for a day and found the movie Under the Candelabra, the story of Liberace was showing in the middle of the night.  I recorded it and we watched it tonight.  Slow, somewhat interesting.  Funny to see Michael Douglas as Liberace and Matt Damon as his lover.  Debbie Reynolds played Liberace's mother.

When doing is overdoing

I didn't get out of the motorhome yesterday so today I went to the grocery store with Don.  It was 97 degrees and way too hot to sit in the car so I went inside.  Had to walk a distance to the store and then walked around the store.  At one point I realized I had done too much and was anxious to get back to the car.  I had some decent pains in the evening.

We rented the movie Now You See Me, another magic show but this one was good - actually had a good plot.

Another exciting day of healing

I can tell I am feeling a little better each day after Wednesday's surgery.  I stayed home all day, Don went out to Denny's and brought home breakfast and the Sunday newspaper.  Later Brenda and Rebecca came over, talked to Sheila in the evening.

Two days out

of surgery.  Feeling better today, still move slow and with pain.  When I am still I have no pain.  I slept good last night which always helps.  Thanks to friends and family for their concern and well wishes!  I hope to get out today just to ride in the car, hear it is hot and humid out there!

So what have I done

since I last posted on Monday.  One word "hysterectomy".  I had a da Vinci type surgery on Wednesday, was in the hospital overnight.  Home yesterday and recovering.  I am sore and move like an old snale.  I trust that each day I will feel better and be back to 100% soon.  I wish I could personally thank all the nurses, nurses' assistants, doctors and everyone at the hospital for the suburb treatment while I was in their care.

Labor Day

The weekend campers have moved out and left us dedicated camping folks.  The park was full and now less than half full.  So Quiet!  We did a little shopping this morning and the stores were far from quiet, at Menards and Cub Foods it was hard to find a parking place.  School starts tomorrow for our grandchildren, two will be going to new schools for them.  Zach starts high school and Rebecca starts her high school junior year at the School for Environmental Studies.  Josh will be a high school senior and Bri a middle school 8th grader.  It has cooled down considerably and the less humid air feels great.

Cooler Sunday

A weather front came through last night, some places got storms but we got a nice two hour rain.  The grass looks greener today as the rain was badly needed.  The rain shut down campfires in our park as it came a just the wrong time.

We went to Sheila's house this afternoon to take their puppy outside.  While we were there we used their big washer to do our electric blanket.  Brenda called to see if we were home, told her we were at Sheila's house so she and Rebecca came there.  We took turns playing with the puppy, Lexi and I think wore her out.  At one point she saw a duck family marching along and was very curious about them.

Lexi