This is the day we remember family and friends that have passed. We also remember the service men and women that have died defending the USA. On Memorial Day when I was a kid we would go to Hulett, WY where family members were buried and put flowers and plants on their graves. Then we would have a family reunion picnic at an Aunt's house. The kids that were old enough would find someone to drive them to the near-by Devils Tower (National Monument) or when some cousins got old enough we would drive ourselves. We then would spend the afternoon walking around the Tower as well as climbing on rocks, etc.
It seemed only right somehow that we tackle cleaning the house. It never gets too dirty but plenty of "stuff" to put away. Finally after almost three weeks our lawn is being mowed, it has gone to seed, small dogs could be lost. I don't know what the problem was but ABOUT TIME, we are after all paying for the service. Just sorry they have to work on a holiday.
Our daughter Sheila and family had us over for dinner. Ken's parents were also there, we always enjoy visiting with them. The food was great, we had a good time.
We decided to give Perkins another try for breakfast, after all it has been at least 6 months since our last time. Then the service was so poor we practically had to serve ourselves. Today we had good service but the pancakes were like rubber. The prices are a couple dollars higher than other places for about the same thing. The near by Perking needs redecorating badly, looks the same as it has for years and is getting very tired and dirty looking.
After that we went to "Sunday Services" at Menards Home Store. They even had our parking spot ready for us. Like always we bought more than we thought we would. Don got a new circular saw he badly need, for what he needs it he couldn't explain. That's OK I don't "need" all the stuff I by at Kohl's!
We spent the rest of the morning reading the Sunday papers and afternoon doing stuff around the house. The weather appears to finally have cleared so we can grill our salmon.
A dark and damp day. It is a good day to stay home and get stuff done. Read the paper and watched some TV.
I decided it was a good day to sign on to Amazon Prime then I put in an order. It said it would be delivered Monday but Monday being Memorial Day Holiday, I doubt if I will get it then. I'm in no big hurry.
We got hamburgers at Five Guys, always good. Watched some more of House of Cards on Netflix. I signed on to Amazon so we have lots more options series and movies to watch.
Leave your crabby face at home. You know the parking lot is packed, so the new store will be packed. If you can't tolerate crowds, don't come. Simple as that. Give it a week or two, crowds will be gone and you won't have to be nasty. Otherwise bring your patience, be nice to other costumers and the employees. Don't leave your cart unattended when you look for something in the next aisle and most of all don't think you own the store and take the middle of the aisle (it's like driving in the middle of a two lane road).
We did finally get to Fresh Thyme, found a parking spot near the door - important as it was raining out. Their fresh fruit and vegetables were great. They have bulk items for when you need just a little something. I will look forward to going again when the store is less packed.
Then we went to Cubs to top off our shopping experience.
In the afternoon I continued my cleaning of office files and finally got it done. There are always questionable things that I end up keeping and then next year's clean-out I will wonder why I kept them.
We went for dinner at TGI Fridays, they had a $12 deal for entree and drink including alcohol drinks. When we got the bill it was for $14 each, seems we had ordered sides which had an up-charge. I was not a big deal but think our server could have mentioned the extra charge. I always feel I am swindled when I get the bill to find there is an up-charge. Anyway the bacon crusted ribs and long island tea were good.
Again today we tried to go to the new grocery store Fresh Thyme, the parking lot was packed. We will hold off until it gets less popular. I went to Kohl's and bought two new sets of towels. I had a $10 coupon from the papers and a $10 coupon I earned from last weeks trip. The towels were on sale so two sets; large towel, hand towel and wash cloth, came to little over $20.
Then we went to Target for soda pop which is on sale. I forgot how big the Burnsville Target is with the grocery store part on one side. Then CVS and Kwik Trip. Busy shopping day.
We stayed home for dinner, I fixed a ham, rice dish.
Glad Bill and Lisa had a great vacation, but I wouldn't get that close to an iguana!
We were going to the grand opening of a new nearby grocery store and be one of the first 250 people and get free groceries. We got there about 15 minutes early and people were lined up for a block. We left, got breakfast at McDonald's.
Later we went to Walmart for groceries and I stopped to pick up my new, replacement contact. We had other stops to make but decided to do the rest tomorrow as it is raining on and off today.
We went for dinner at Panda Express, what a busy place! Food is always good and not too expensive.
We went to check the motorhome (which is in storage) today. It was fine, batteries in good shape. We ran the generator for awhile just to top off the batteries and it needs to be ran once a month. I found my old contacts there so it is good to not have to wear my glasses. The other item I was looking for would entail moving the MH out of it's narrow slot to get the back slide out in order to get into the bedroom drawers so I decided I could do without.
Then we went to an auto parts place and bought a locking gas cap for the motorhome, with 80 gallons of gas sitting there best it is protected. Especially with the rising gas prices, glad we bought it on the low side!
In the afternoon I made rhubarb crunch with the rhubarb daughter Brenda got for me. I texted her a picture and soon she and granddaughter Rebecca showed up for a sample and a visit.
The ant bit area is getting better, thanks for asking! My finger and back of my hand are still a little swollen but I doesn't bother me all the time.
We cleaned the house and went on a search for some meds I was sure were in the house, possibly the motorhome. After searching for awhile (I had already looked the probable places) we found them in a kitchen cupboard. Now I have just two things I can't find but I am confident they are in the MH. I HATE looking for stuff.
It was good to have the windows open for awhile but then the humidity increased. There was a high chance of rain but we got none. Some places around the area got a lot of rain and some hail.
Last night I took half a dose of pain pill when I went to bed and slept until about 3 AM when I took the other half dose and then we actually over slept this morning. My ant bitten hand is still swollen but not so red or painful. The finger with the bite is however red, swollen and painful. I'm getting a bit tired of this!
We went to Cracker Barrow for breakfast and then across the Interstate highway to Fleet Farm. All we got there was some trail mix. Then it was Menards where we got a few things. Came home to read the Sunday paper and do some Sunday chores.
Brenda stopped by in the afternoon with some rhubarb she had gotten at a Farmer's Market.
We grilled steak and had corn-on-the-cob for dinner. First corn of the season, it was very good!
Another bad night nursing the ant bite. I hardly slept because of the burning/itching. I would wake up as soon as the ice pack would get warm and had to go get another. I finally got a couple hours from 4:30 to 6:30. My whole hand is swollen, hot and red. I hope this is the worst of it all.
I needed some kitchen things so we went to a couple Goodwill places as I have had luck finding dishes, etc. there. Nothing at the first one but I got four small Corell plates at the second for $1.
This afternoon I wrapped an ice pack around my hand and took a good nap.
We went to TGI Friday's for dinner, had a coupon for buy one meal and get one free. We had ribs and shrimp
I knew my ant bite was going to cause me problems during the night and it did. I woke up about 2 AM with it burning. I got up and ran cold water over it, put some ointment on it and took a Aleve. That helped and I went back to sleep. I work up again about 5 AM with the bite itching, I knew nothing was going to help but to ice so that is what I did. Problem being it itches/burns on both sides of my hand so had to did a gel type ice bag out of the freezer that I could wrap around my hand. I went back to sleep for about a hour when the coldness was gone. Today my two fingers are swollen and red and hot as are both sides of my hand.
On the positive side, I went to Kohl's to help numb the pain and got a couple things. I have a 30% off coupon so it really brings the price down! I also got a couple winter dress shirts that were marked down 80% and then again another 30% off. Don went to Menards during my Kohl's therapy and then we both went to Sam's Club.
We ate dinner at Smash Burger, had excellent hamburgers with provolone cheese and fried onions on top and sweet potato fries drizzled with oil and garlic.
After a kitchen and bathroom clean we went to Aldi's for some groceries. This is an interesting place where you put a quarter in the cart slot to unlock a cart and when you return the cart and lock it back in your quarter comes back out! Then it was off to CVS pharmacy for a couple sale items.
It is a beautiful day, didn't even need a sweater this morning!
Not a great day for me however. First I lost a contact lens, looked all over the house, not to be found. I wear "hard" Boston lens to correct my bad astigmatism so it in order to get a new one I have to order it ($100) and it takes about a week. That means a week of wearing my ugly and old glasses.
Then in the afternoon we decided to sit outside and read. I was outside for about 10 minutes when a ant was on my arm (I am a ant magnet), I brushed it off but it got between my fingers on my left hand and bit down HARD. The pain was unreal from my finger tips to my elbow. I quickly went inside and took off my rings as I knew my fingers were going to swell which they did. My hand turned red and a red line went down my are about 8 inches. I was thinking about going to Urgent Care but with ice the red and pain resided some.
Grocery shopping day and we did it up good. We bought No Name steaks and salmon on sale and loaded the freezer. Also got food for the week. Walmart had corn-on-the-cob (or ear corn as Don calls it) fresh and 33 cents a ear. Was a nice day to get out and the stores were not at all busy.
In the evening we went to Ruby Tuesday's for dinner, had steak and shrimp. They are one of the few places remaining that has a salad bar. Kind of funny to do all that grocery shopping and then go eat out!
My favorite TV show Survivor ended tonight, I feel they awarded the million dollars to the wrong person. Have to wait to fall for the new show.
We went plant shopping today. We got tomatoes - one regular size and one cherry tomato. Some herbs, cucumbers and peppers and a nice pot of flowers for the front poach. Had to get some pots and soil, etc. Hope we can produce vegetables but never enough for what we spent on plants, etc. Its been a long time since I have plant shopped and really enjoyed the time.
The car got a wash on the way home since it's suppose to be nice for a week. Lots of people in the car wash line!
Then in the afternoon we went about putting the plants in the dirt. Still need a couple things but that will happen later.
We went to Bakers Square for breakfast, they have a plan where you can choose four items so you get what you want. And we had a coupon! Then after a stop at Menards "for services" we came home and read the Sunday paper.
Sheila, Brenda and Becca came over in the afternoon for a good visit. We grilled steaks for dinner.
It has been a nice day, getting a little warmer.
This is for all the people that line their kids up by a buffalo for a picture. They can turn on you in an instant.
The temperature got down to 32 degrees last night, we brought my one plant inside and were glad we hadn't purchased any more - yet. Hope the motorhome made it OK, it retains some heat and had been colder without problems.
Rain and more rain. It is cold and getting colder, might get to mid 30's tonight. We are somewhat worried about the motorhome as it isn't winterized. Who you think it would get this cold mid May? I made Chili for dinner.
Don had his annual physical exam to day, I stayed home to try to catch up on things. Really didn't want to get out in the rain! Everything checked out OK.
Case of the lost Thumb Drive:
A couple days ago Don asked me where to find his thumb drive. I had no idea, but I did remember asking him as we were packing up the motorhome to move to the house if he had his thumb drive and he said "yes". (He remembers this as well.) So we looked all the appropriate places and some inappropriate places - no thumb drive. So today he went to the motorhome after his doctor's appointment and checked where he keeps it and sure enough it was there. He has a lot of important information on it and it needs a back-up.
This is one of my favorite days (not) next to a mammogram - my annual doctor's appointment for a annual check-up. All is well, it's done and I hope to not see her until next year, not that she isn't a nice doctor. I couldn't eat or have coffee prior to the appointment so we went for a sausage egg McMuffin and coffee at McDonald's afterward. Then Don wanted to go to CVS pharmacy for M and M's on sale.
The sun actually shined this morning, got cloudy in the afternoon. Getting my phone set is taking all my extra time so I am getting behind on what I need to do.
We went out for breakfast and then to Walmart for groceries. We were going to Best Buy but it didn't open until 10 AM and it was only 9 AM. Went home and put the groceries away and decided to go back to Best Buy as it seemed like a good day to buy a new phone. The Apple Valley store didn't have what I wanted but sent me to the Burnsville store where I got a new Galixe 6s. They were able to not only transfer my contacts to the new phone but also my other data. Trouble is I had to re-sign in to everything and remembering my passwords was a huge problem. I had to reset on many.
The man came to clean out our cloths dryer vent, lots of lint - we have no idea how long it had been, if ever cleaned.
All this in more cold and rain. The rain was more like a heavy mist. We went to Red Lobster for dinner, I had a combo of shrimp, lobster Alfredo and crab cakes, very good.
We went to Lunch/Brunch with our family at Fire Lake in the Raddison Hotel at the Mall of America. We never knew the hotel existed much less this good and interesting restaurant. The food was a bit slow to arrive but that just gave us more time to visit! (and it was good when it did arrive)
My daughters gave me some nice, fun and useful gifts. It was a great Mother's Day.
Don went to Menards this afternoon, he said it was packed. A nice day for home projects! In the evening we went to Panera for dinner. Not much of an exciting day----
First a mammogram to start the day off. Then we did a little shopping. In the afternoon we sat on the deck and read. It was mid 80 degrees, a little wind but nice. Think I picked up some sun - my Florida tan was disappearing.
We went for dinner at Chili's and had steak and asparagus, really good. We had deep fried dill pickles for an appetizer!!!
We went to Menards and Kohls this morning. Some intense shopping! We have such a nice day going we need to be outside and enjoying. Our lawn is being mowed for the first time this spring and it needs a cut! With the rain of last week and the sun of this week things are growing!
At last we got the motorhome into storage. Don unhooked the batteries as there is such a drain on them even with the 12 volt system turned off. It is good to finally have that done. We plan to check on it now and again this summer.
Stopped at McDonald's for lunch on the way home and got Arby's Gyros for dinner.
It has been such a nice day, I am looking forward to getting some flowers for the front porch and deck.
BACK to the motorhome. This is getting tiring but just one more day. We did the last minute flush out and empty liquids thing, pulled in the slides and got it ready to go into storage tomorrow. Finally.
We were going to take it to one place for storage, made reservations, etc. When we called to confirm the reservations we found out they would be moving the motorhome around from time to time in order to get other RV's in and out. I really didn't like that idea - someone driving the MH and being inside. Today I mentioned by fears to Don and he agreed, he had been thinking the same. So he called another storage place where we park it and it isn't moved, they don't even want the keys. It will be inside a locked fence. It is more expensive but also closer and they had a spot for us. We checked it out in person and signed the papers.
Then we stopped at Culver's for a hamburger to give us energy to go to Walmart. Then ate dinner at home.
May Day! When I was a kid we would fix little baskets of candy to give to our friends. A nice tradition - gone.
We went to Denny's for breakfast, way too much food. Then to the motorhome for another load of basement stuff, I cleaned the refrigerator and shower. In the afternoon we went to the motorhome again this time to clean. Don cleaned the bugs off the front and I continued cleaning inside. Sheila stopped by to see our "new" motorhome and we took a look at her new car.
It was hard to find the strength to fix dinner we were so tired, I had defrosted salmon. I am feeling better today, some allergy problems but not nearly as bad as some people.
