Updates

Not a lot has been happening since we got home.  You tend to very quickly settle into the routine that you had before you left for parts ‘unknown’.  Which, in my books, is just fine.  It’s still a little cool to be doing any real yard work such as planting.  Did some cleaning up but that’s it.  Jackson keeps looking at the pool with great longing.  Poor bugger.

The rig is now back on the storage lot.  We are very seriously looking into trading in the motorhome and buying a fifth wheel.  We are in negotiations right now so it depends on the price.  We are looking at the Jayco Pinnacle either the 35 LKTS or the 36 REGS.  Of course that means we have to purchase a truck to haul it.  Also looking at a 2009 vehicle.  We would like a GMC, diesel, double cab.  Must be a big double cab for Jackson.  We love our motorhome, but we also realize that a fifth wheel does have more room inside and also more storage room.  As our motorhome is gas it tends to not have as much ‘basement’ storage as a diesel tends to have and we feel that we really need more room.  We’re at capacity now when we go south for several months.  Inside it’s pretty good for storage, not great, but pretty good.  And after being stranded a couple years ago in Flagstaff while they did some mechanical repairs on the rig, at least if something like that happened again, they can take the truck and we’ll still have our home.  Also the gas motorhome doesn’t handle mountains well and we want to go back to the US southwest.  But we won’t take the motorhome, it really struggles on some of those mountains.  I know diesel doesn’t because I have seen them go flying by us on the hills!!!!  So we just have to sit tight and see what kind of prices they come up with.  It will be very hard to say goodbye to our ‘beast’.  She is really beautiful (at least we think so)  and she has sheltered us from major rain storms, snow, major wind storms, umpteen tornado warnings and watches, cold weather, very, very hot weather.  And she has handled them all well and kept us cozy.  I hope she is loved as much by any new owners she will have as we have lover her.

One of my good friends passed away almost a month ago.  Karen was just 55 and full of beans and life.  She developed lung cancer, fought it bravely for a few years, thought she’d won, but it came back and she was gone very quickly.  Her cancer was the kind caused by inhaling herbicides.  She, as a child, had been stationed at one of Canada’s military bases with her family and the government was doing some ‘testing’ with agent orange.  You can read about it here http://agentorangecanada.com/.  I didn’t have a clue about any of this as I also was stationed there during that time period with my ex husband.  Now we didn’t live on the base as she did, we lived in Fredericton which is several miles away.  She lived right on the base.  There are all sorts of actions going on now with that due to so many people getting sick and dying.   There was no funeral, just a grand celebration of life for her.  There had to be around 250 people there which spoke well about how people felt about her.  Much, much better than a morbid funeral, in my opinion.

Also my nephew, my sister’s son, who is 49 has been diagnosed with non Hodgkin's Lymphoma and has been given 2 months to live.  So sad, so terrible.  I don’t know what to say to my sister to comfort her.  It’s very difficult.  We just have to be there for her.  He never married and has no children so he’s going home with them to spend what time he has left.  We come to expect the order of things that our children are still here when we leave this earth.  This is not the order of things.  It’s something I hope that I never have to live through. 

On a brighter note, Ken and I have booked a 2 week bus tour to France in September.  We are going to be taking my 23 year old granddaughter, Danielle.  She has just finished college and I think this will be a wonderful trip for her.  We took a bus tour several years ago to Italy and it was the best vacation we have ever had.  So great to leave the driving, hotel bookings, luggage, tours and everything else to someone else.  We walked our buns off on that tour which was great because we ate like pigs and didn’t put on 1 ounce.  As Italian food is our favourite, you can just imagine the meals.  I fell in love with Italy and hope to go back, but there are just too many other wonderful places to see first.  I will probably say the same thing about France after we return!! We’re all looking forward to it.

Some friends that we know from Panama City Beach and who fulltime are slowly heading this way for the month of June.  Tom and Linda and their Yorkie Reggie will be staying in a campground just a few miles from here.  They have never been to Canada and have a list of things they want to see.  #1 on that list is Niagara Falls, I’m told.  It will be nice to see them again.

Well my brain seems to have dried up, I can’t think of anything else.  We’re patiently waiting for somewhat warmer weather so we can start our planting.  The yard looks forlorn and naked without flowers and blue sparkling water in the pool. 

Until later then…take care.