The Decision Is Made and Tomorrow's The Big Day

DeBary, FL.

67 deg. cloudy, WSW wind @ 16 mph.

Forecast = Today: Mostly sunny. Highs around 64°F. West northwest wind to 21 MPH, gusting to 29 MPH.
Tonight: Clear. Lows around 41°F. Wind chill around 34°F. West northwest wind 7 to 16 MPH, gusting to 23 MPH.

Jim and Linda have been busy trying to figure out what to take to the house and what to keep in me to transfer to their new (to them), Motorhome. They've probably taken more to the house than they should have, but until they actually get the Motorhome, they really won't know just how much will fit into the smaller cabinet space and storage compartments.

The other day, (I think it was Monday), Laura brought Anna to the house to see it. If you remember, Anna lives up in Jacksonville and was down here to visit.

Anyway, both Jim and Linda said that it seems like Anna really liked the house and she and Laura even helped Linda make some changes to the curtains in the Florida Room which runs across the front of the house.

Thanks Anna!!! : )

OK, it's time to announce who's going to take over this blog.

After much persuading, Blaine, (Jim and Linda's pet), has agreed to give it a try. He's really hesitant, but I've assured him that all of my followers have been very understanding when I made mistakes and that I was sure that you would be tolerant with him too.  

So,  ,  ,  ,  why Blaine??? Well to be honest, he probably knows more about Jim and Linda than most anyone else. He's been with them since before they went full-timing, he's traveled to all the places that they have gone during the last 12+ years, and he will be in the RV when they're traveling and in the house when they're not.

He could even ride along when Jim and Linda take CLT (Cute Little Truck), someplace! ; )

I don't know just yet how we'll make the transfer, but in the next couple days, he and I will get it figured out. I've helped him start a new main page, so there will be a new URL. There's no post on it yet, but I'm sure he'll post in the next few days. As soon as he gets the page set up and makes his first post, there will be a link to it here.

Tomorrow is the big day!!!! Jim and Linda will take me to the dealer in the morning and then, after the inspection of the new MH and the papers are signed, the new MH and myself will be taken to a CG in the area where Jim and Linda will transfer the rest of their belongings.

After that, Jim and Linda will bring the new MH back here to Highbanks and someone from the dealership will come an take me to the dealer's lot.

A little about my time with Jim and Linda.

I've had a great time, and it's been fun taking them to the places they wanted to go. I'm really sorry that I'm just too big to go to some of the parks that they want to go to though. Jim says that he really likes how I handle the Interstates, and both of them seemed to have really enjoyed my spacious interior, but they both like to get "off the beaten path" when they travel, and, as Jim found out, I'm really too large to do that comfortably. (At least for him).

I also understand that since they've decided to buy the house that I'm just too big for their needs. There's really no sense putting a 45' MH in storage for at leas 1/2 of the year and in fact, it would be very hard on me.

So, hopefully I'll find someone who wants to travel long distances and stay in larger RV parks. I'm sure I will. I'm really in pretty good shape for my age.

All in all, I've had a great time and have enjoyed writing this blog. I'll miss Jim and Linda, their family and all of their friends that I've met, but things change and I'm used to that. After all, I am a house that has wheels, and I never know where I'll be on any given day.

Who knows, buy this time next year, I could be on my way to Alaska!!! ; )

Did you know that today is "Oreo Cookie Day"?

Just one last thing.

I would like to thank all of you who have followed this blog. It has really meant a lot to know that so many of you were interested in my ramblings. Thank You!!! Thank You!!! Thank You!!!!!

Please follow Blaine's Blog when he starts posting.

Moving Linda's Chair and First Guests

DeBary, FL.

36 deg. clear, NW wind @ 9 mph.

Forecast today - Mostly sunny. Highs around 57°F. West northwest wind 11 to 17 MPH, gusting to 24 MPH.

Tonight: Clear with patchy frost. Lows around 37°F. Wind chill around 29°F. West wind 8 to 15 MPH, gusting to 21 MPH.


It felt really cold here yesterday. I don't think the temperatures ever got out of the 50's and there was a 25 to 30 mph wind blowing most of the day. That didn't stop Jim, Lindsey and Denny from moving Linda's recliner over to the house though.

Denny came over around 10:00 and Lindsey and Laura came just a short while later. Within a few minutes, the guys had the legs off of the chair and were very carefully maneuvering the chair down my steps and through my door. With the 3 of them, it went pretty well and soon the chair was in the back of CLT and on its way to the house.

Getting the chair into the house was much easier because of the wider doors and steps, and soon it was sitting in the living room with it's legs back on. : )

By a little after 11:00 Jim and Denny were back here and Laura and Lindsey were back home.

Thanks everyone!!!!!! : )

Denny had seen a little of the house when he helped to take the chair over there, but Bev and not, so  about noon, Jim, Linda, Denny and Bev headed over there.

After taking a tour of the house, everyone sat and talked for awhile. This is Bev relaxing on the love seat,

and Denny and Linda relaxing on the couch.

Both Jim and Linda said that Denny and Bev seemed to really like the house and gave it some very nice compliments.  While they were talking, Jim made the observation that Denny and Bev were the first people to visit the house that weren't family. Later, he said that he's glad that the first guests at the house were Denny, (probably his oldest friend) and Bev. : )

After visiting for awhile, everyone came back here to the CG. Denny and Bev went to their RV, Jim was tired, so he took a little nap, Linda watched some TV. Later in the afternoon, Linda put together a ham casserole and baked some brownies. Then around 6:00 they headed over to Denny and Bev's where they all enjoyed a very nice meal of casserole, corn, warm bread and brownies.

Around 8:00 Jim and Linda came back here and then watched TV until bedtime.

Another very good day with family and friends.

Thanks everyone, for all your help.

Today, Denny and Bev will be leaving. : (   They have reservations at a campground on the coast North of Daytona. They'll stay there for a few days before heading up to S. Carolina to see Denny's sister and then heading back to Illinois.

Did you know that March is "Adopt A Rescued Guinea Pig month"?

Oh!!!! And thanks everyone for the great comments and congratulations that you left on yesterday's Blog!! They are very much appreciated.

Shopping, Moving and Company Coming

DeBary, FL.

47 deg. clear, NW wind @ 7 mph.

Forecast = Mostly sunny. Highs around 73°F. Northwest wind 9 to 15 MPH, gusting to 21 MPH.


Tuesday ended up being a grocery shopping day. That is, after the rain and storms finally cleared the area. We didn't have any storms here in DeBary, but it did rain quite hard for awhile.

While it was raining, Jim and Linda were going through drawers, cabinets and other storage places inside of me to further try to decide what stuff they still need to take to the house.

This has been one of the hardest parts of moving and downsizing RVs. If they leave too much inside of me, and there's not enough storage in a smaller RV that they purchase, then what do they do with those items? On the other hand, they need to be sure that they have enough along to be able to live comfortably for the next 2 or 3 weeks, or however long it takes to find an RV.

Yesterday, they took a whole bunch of stuff over to the house and put it away. Jim also loaded up his bike and took it over there so he wouldn't have it in the back of CLT. Then, after they returned and were resting/napping, Laura called and wanted to know it they'd like to meet over a Steak N Shake around 5:30 for dinner?

Well, again, that was a "no brainer", so around 5:15 they headed over there and had a nice visit with Laura and Lindsey while enjoying a sandwich. : )

Oh, do you remember that around the 1st of February I mentioned that Denny and Bev, (part of the Illinois Bunch), were going to stop by for a few nights? Well, tomorrow they'll be arriving here at Highbanks and will be staying for 2 nights!! They'll be coming in their Winnebago Brave but as of today, there's no sites empty real near me, so I may not be able to see him.  : (

I'm sure Jim and Linda will have a good time visiting with Denny and Bev though and they've already planned a Pizza dinner for tomorrow night. : )

It should be a fun time!!! : )

 Did you know that today is "National Tooth Fairy Day"?

More Moving And Re Arranging

DeBary, FL.

64 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = Mostly cloudy with isolated showers. Highs around 81°F. East wind to 10 MPH. Chance of precipitation near 45%.


Not much new happening around here. Each day, Jim and Linda have been taking more stuff over to the house. Some days, (like Saturday), they also did things like put up a different shower rod in the bathroom, do  some cleaning and, reorganizing some of the stuff that they've already taken over there.

One of the main things that they reorganized was the kitchen cabinets. Linda wasn't satisfied with where the pots and pans were and so they ended up moving them to a more convenient place, and then while they were at it, re-arranged many of the other cabinets.

Linda decided that she wanted to move her desk, file cabinet and chair over to the house, so Saturday, after working at the house, Jim and Linda stopped at a used furniture store, (a different one that they had stopped at when they first started looking at used furniture), and purchased a used, smaller desk, desk a couple of small chairs, plus couple floor lamps for the house.

Being that those items were going to be delivered around noon yesterday, (Yes on Sunday), Linda called Lindsey and he came over around 9:00 and helped Jim move the desk and stuff to the house. Then about 1:00, the furniture guy came and brought the desk and chairs they they had bought, inside of me.

Thanks again, Lindsey. : )

Before we leave here on the 7th of March, Linda's recliner will also be moved over to the house. That will be a big job because it just barely fits through my door. In fact, besides Lindsey, they may need additional help getting it out of me.

So, the move continues. Jim has still been researching floor plans of various Class C RVs and has found a few that he and Linda may like. They'll need to go and actually see them and spend some time inside of them to see if any of them will meet their needs though.

Oh, in case you're wondering, I still don't know what's going to happen to this blog when Jim and Linda trade me on a different RV. Neither Jim, Linda or CLT seem interested, but I haven't given up, I'll continue to try to find a solution.

Did you know that on this date in 1836 - Samuel Colt received a patent for a "revolving gun"?

A Rough Day and Laura And Lindsey Come Through Again

DeBary, FL.

69 deg. mostly cloudy, SW wind @ 8 mph.

Forecast = Mostly cloudy with isolated showers. Highs around 82°F. South southwest wind 13 to 19 MPH, gusting to 28 MPH. Chance of precipitation near 50%. Precipitation amounts less than one tenth of an inch possible.


Yesterday was kind of a rough day for Jim. It started out with he and Linda going to Winn Dixie to rent a "Rug Doctor" machine and taking it over to the house. Not too long after they got there, Laura and Lindsey arrived to help.

Again, Laura and Lindsey saved the day!! They were great!! Lindsey helped Jim move the furniture and Laura did most of the rug cleaning!! Even with all that help, Jim's back was bothering him quite a bit by the time they were done cleaning the carpet. : (

By about 1:00 or so, all the carpets were cleaned and Laura and Lindsey headed back home. Jim and Linda stuck around for awhile while a couple floor fans and 3 ceiling fans dried the carpet. Once they were mostly dry, Jim and Linda took the rug machine back to Winn Dixie and then headed back here to rest.

After returning here, Jim sat and relaxed for awhile and then took a nap. He must have been really tired because he slept for almost 2 hours!!!! : O

After his nap, his back seemed to be feeling quite a bit better. : )

For dinner Linda made a delicious ham casserole and heated up some rolls that they had brought home from the restaurant. Then, they both watched TV, read and fooled around with the computers until bedtime. 

Today, the plan is to head back to the house and work on putting up some of those curtains that Linda bought. Once that's done, most of the furniture can be moved back to where it belongs.

Both Jim and Linda again want Laura and Lindsey to know how much they appreciate all the help. Without them, all of this would have been much more difficult.

Thanks!!!!!

A Point to Ponder : Even when you have pains, you don't have to be one.

A Call, Wally World, The Texas Roadhouse and Carpets

DeBary, FL.

63 deg. clear, S. breeze @ 3 mph.

Forecast = Partly cloudy with areas of fog. Highs around 81°F. South southwest wind 5 to 11 MPH, gusting to 16 MPH.


Haven't posted the last few days because there really hasn't been much to post about, but yesterday, a few things happened.

First of all, yesterday morning, Jim called Roland. (He had called the afternoon before, but Jim and Linda had missed the call.) If you remember, Roland and Louise have recently bought a double wind down in Frosproof, (about a year or 2 ago). He hadn't been following this blog, and had just found out that Jim and Linda had bought the house here in Debary, and was wanting to hear all about it.

They talked for about 1/2 an hour and got pretty much caught up on what's been happening. : )

Unlike Saturday and Sunday when Jim and Linda just took more totes and boxes full of stuff to the house, yesterday, not only did they take some boxes and totes of stuff to the house but CLT also took them to Wally world where Linda bought some curtains for the living room and some material to make curtains for the bedroom.

As they were leaving Wally World, Laura called and asked Linda if she would like to see Ashley's new house. Ashley and one of her girl friends are renting a house up in DeLand had just moved into it. Anyway, Linda said that she'd like to, so Laura met them over at the house and picked Linda up.

Then, last night, Jim and Linda met Laura, Lindsey and Ashley over at the Texas Roadhouse Restaurant in Orange City for dinner.

You see, Jim had told Laura and Lindsey that for helping them with the house, he would buy them a dinner at a restaurant of their choice, so they chose this one. Everyone said that the food was excellent, the service was great and they would definitely go back there again sometime in the future.  : )

Today, is rug cleaning day at the house. Jim and Linda will rent one of those "Rug Doctor" machines and then  around 10:00 Laura is going to meet them over there and help clean all the carpets.

It would have been nice if they could have cleaned the carpets before all the furniture was in the house, but it just didn't work out that way, so now, they'll have to move the furniture around. : (

Did you know that on this date in 1892,  President Lincoln's birthday was declared to be a national holiday?

Painting and Thanks Laura And Lindsey

DeBary, FL.

56 deg. showers, W wind @ 7 mph.

Forecast = Mostly sunny. Highs around 63°F. North northwest wind 8 to 17 MPH, gusting to 24 MPH.


Jim and Linda headed over to the house yesterday morning to start getting things ready for painting the living room and hallway. About an hour after they arrived, Laura and Lindsey came and soon after, everyone was either masking or painting.

Jim did all of the masking, Lindsey and Linda painted the larger areas with rollers, Laura painted areas where the rollers couldn't reach with a brush, and then when Jim was done with the masking, he helped Laura.

By early afternoon, the living room and the hallway were painted and the clean-up process was begun.

Soon all the plastic protective floor covers were picked up, the old bed sheets used to cover the furniture were folded up, the tools and brushes cleaned and Laura and Lindsey were on their way back home.

It was so good of Laura and Lindsey to come over and help with the painting. It would have taken Jim and Linda a very long time to get this job done. Thank you so much!!!!!

After they left, Linda called the used furniture place and inquired about the delivery time of Jim's Barcalounger and the chest of drawers. The lady told her that they would be there a little after 5:00 so Jim and Linda decided to head over to Gram's Kitchen to get a bite to eat before they came.

As promised, the furniture arrived on time, and soon Jim and Linda were back on there way back here to the park. It was a long hard day for someone who is not used to working but it was very productive, (with the help of Laura and Lindsey), and Jim and Linda are really glad that the job is done.

Today, they will go back over there to remove the masking tape, stop in at the office to sign some papers and pay the lot rent for February. Hopefully, Jim will take some photos so I can post them here for all to see.  ; )

Did you know that on this date in 1893 - The trademark "Coca-Cola" was first registered in the United States Patent Office?

Prepping For Paint and Moving Some Stuff

DeBary, FL.

60 deg. partly cloudy, E. wind @ 6 mph.

Forecast =  Partly cloudy with isolated showers. Highs around 81°F. East southeast wind 6 to 13 MPH.


Not a lot to report today. Jim and Linda have been going over to the house and prepping the walls that are to be painted. Emily had a lot of things hung on the walls so there were a lot of nails and screws to remove. Then of course when they are removed, there's little holes all over that have to be patched.

Also, every time that they go over there, they take a box or 2 of stuff. So far, it's been mostly tote boxes out of my basement compartments. Once they get the boxes over there, they either find a place to put the tote boxes or empty the boxes onto shelves or cabinets, thus leaving the tote boxes available for packing other things that are in my cabinets or drawers.

Today, Jim will be going back over to the house again, there's still a little more patching to do. Then tomorrow, Laura is planning on coming over to help with some of the painting.

Like I said, not a lot to report.

Did you know that today is "National Kazoo Day" ?

Insurance, Dinner and Buying Paint

DeBary, FL.

46 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = Mostly sunny. Highs around 75°F. West northwest wind 5 to 9 MPH.


Jim and Linda met Laura and Lindsey over at the house yesterday morning. Laura wanted to see the furniture that Jim and Linda had bought and Lindsey helped Jim measure the rooms that Linda is considering painting.

It was about noon when Jim and Linda came back here to the park. When they got back, Linda called the insurance agent to see what was happening with the insurance on the house. Well, the news wasn't good. The agent told her that he had contacted the company and they had told him that it would be at least another week before they would even look at the application!!! : (

When Linda told Jim what the agent had said, Jim said, "Enough is enough, we're going with the back-up plan". !!!!!!!

Linda told the agent what they wanted to do and he said to come on over to the office and he'd get it set up.

So,  ,  ,  ,  after Linda grabbed a bite to eat, they headed over there and purchased a policy that gives them very good liability insurance but no insurance at all on the house or anything in it.

Now I know that to some of you this may seem crazy, but being that Jim and Linda didn't pay much at all for the house, (they could buy 4 or 5 of these houses for what it would cost to replace me), and they're planning on having almost all used furniture inside of it, the risk of losing a lot of money in case of a total loss is minimal. As far as personal "things", Jim and Linda don't have too much of that, and have no intention of collecting a lot of "stuff" in the future.

Also, because just the liability insurance is much less expensive than home insurance, they will be able to save some money to put in the bank in case they need or want to buy another house in the future.

This is not an ideal situation but it seems like one of the only options available for a manufactured home this old. (Built in 1976).  I can't stress too much to anyone who is considering buying property or a home in FL. Make absolutely sure that you can get insurance on anything you buy, before you sign anything!!!!!!  Insurancewise, (I don't think that's a real word), there are some crazy thing happening down here in FL and the rules are changing from day to day. It's not like buying insurance in any other state!!!!!!

For dinner, Jim and Linda met Laura and Lindsey over at the Arby's restaurant in Orange City and then went to Home Depot to pick out and buy paint and supplies for the house. Laura is very good with colors and decorating and Linda really wanted her opinion.

After purchasing (just the right color paint),  Laura and Lindsey headed home and Jim and Linda came back here.

So, ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  Jim and Lind have made the insurance decision and they have decided that they're not going to "look back".  If something happens, Jim and Linda will still be all right. They have enough resources right now that they could go out and buy another house like this one. And, they're still planning on having a medium sized RV for the foreseeable future, so they'll also have that option.

Today, Jim and Linda will be going over to the house and will start the "prep" work for the painting. Then when there's time, Laura will come over and help with the painting.

Did you know that on this date in 1950 - The American Associated Insurance Companies, of St. Louis, MO, issued the first baby sitter’s insurance policy?

A Call To Laura and A Call From Denny

DeBary, FL.

50 deg. overcast, light mist, no wind.

Forecast = Mostly sunny. Highs around 75°F. Northeast wind 3 to 7 MPH.


Nothing too exciting happened yesterday. After lunch, Jim and Linda took CLT (Cute Little Truck), and headed to Walgreen's to pick up some much needed items and then went to Win Dixie and bought a few groceries that they were out of.

Oh, Linda called Laura and asked her if she would help do some painting and decorating over at the house. It probably would have been better to get that stuff done before getting the furniture, but sometimes you just can't make everything happen in just the right order.

Anyway, Laura said that she'd be glad to help and in fact, I think that today, she may come over and "survey the situation" to see what paint and supplies will be needed.

Later in the day, Denny, (one of the Illinois Bunch), called. He and Bev are at Denny's sister's house in Lakeland right now and are on their way to Thonotosassa for the month of February. They were fooling around with a computer and Denny was wanting to know the address of the house so that they could look up the location.

The way things stand right now, we won't be able to get down to Thonotosassa while they're there, so they are trying to figure out a way that they could stop by here for a day or so when they leave there and start their return trip back to Illinois.

That would be great!!! I hope they can work it out!!! : )

Jim called the Insurance Agent yesterday and he told them that he still hadn't heard back from the insurance company. So,  ,  ,  ,  ,  still more waiting on that issue.  : (

Did you know that on this date in 1949, the first Emmys were presented at the Hollywood Athletic Club?

Waiting

DeBary, FL.

54 deg. clear, N. wind @ 8 mph.

Forecast = Partly cloudy. Highs around 68°F. North northeast wind 11 to 15 MPH.


It's been awhile since my last post so I thought I'd bring you up to date on what's been happening.

WAITING!!!!!!

Yep. waiting on inspectors, insurance agents and insurance companies. Right now, the ball is in the insurance companies court and by Wednesday or Thursday, Jim and Linda should know for sure what they're going to do. Their agent seems pretty confident that everything will go through, but if it doesn't, Jim and Linda now have developed a back-up plan. (Just in case.)

Sunday, Laura, Lindsey and Ashley met Jim and Linda over at the house. CLT, (Cute Little Truck), says that  from what he heard, it sounded like they really liked it. They spent an hour or so looking at things and Laura had some good suggestions as to how to arrange furniture etc., when they do finally buy some.

Jim and Linda have also started moving a few things out of me and into the house. Yesterday, Jim took a few totes out of my basement and CLT says that he took some stuff out of the back of him and put it into the storage shed.

One other thing they have done is to start making lists of items they need to purchase, such as cleaning supplies, light bulbs and paper products. (Especially TP)  ; )  They also started a list of a few food and drink items they want to take over there so that they can have a snack and a drink.

I'm sure there will be more lists and items on them, but this is a start. : )

Today, I expect that they will take a few more items over to the house. Linda's getting real "itchy" to go looking at furniture so they may do some of that too.

Did you know that on this date in 1947 - KTLA, Channel 5, in Hollywood, CA, began operation as the first commercial television station west of the Mississippi River?

A Big Change For Jim and Linda Part 6 My Future

DeBary, FL.

60 deg. light fog, no wind.

Forecast = Partly cloudy. Fog early. High of 81F. Winds from the SE at 5 to 10 mph.

I know that many of you have more questions about this big change for Jim and Linda. Today, I'm going to try to address a question that I know many of you are asking. This question concerns my future.  

So,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  What does this big change mean for me?  Well, I’ve known for at least a year that Jim has not been happy with the choice that he and Linda made to purchase a 45 foot Motorhome.  Oh, don’t get me wrong, Jim really likes the way I cruise down the Interstate highways and how well I handle the crosswinds and rough roads. And, he and Linda really enjoy all the room inside of me and the solidness of my construction.  But soon after he and Linda purchased me, they realized that they had sized themselves out of many of the national parks, state parks, county, city parks and COE parks that they really enjoy.

They also can’t get me into a few of the commercial RV Parks that they really like, including a few of the Escapees Club parks. 

Jim and Linda are figuring that at this time, (and this may change in future years), they will be spending 6 or 7 months out of the year at the house down here in Florida, and travel the other 5 or 6 months. They still have family and friends up North that they will want to see as well as doctors, their financial advisor, and they definitely will still want to see Mike and his family in NC and Joe and his family in VA each year. And, they also want to be able to go back out to Portland to see Jeff and Heather again in a couple years.

There's also the problem of where to store me when they're living in the house. There's a storage lot at Highland Country Estates where the house is, but there's not enough room for an RV my size. All of this means that they will be selling or trading me off on a smaller RV. Right now, they’re thinking a Class C or B+ motor home, but a small Class A is not out of the question. 

As of right now, the plan is to keep me at least until Jim and Linda take possession of the double wide. The reason being that once they take possession, they can move a lot of what I, Myrddin before me and Mariah before that, have been carrying around for the past 12 years. 

They will take all of the off season clothes, extra bedding, towels, and anything else that they’ll not need for the next few months and put it in the double wide. Then, when they’ve unloaded everything out of me that they can, they’ll start looking for a much smaller RV. 

Being that they’ll need an RV for their summer travels, (beginning on or about the 1st of May), they’ll need to either trade me off on a different RV, sell me and buy another RV, or keep me until they return to Florida in the fall.

It will all depend on what kind of a deal they can get.

A Point to Ponder : Why do grocery stores buy so many checkout line registers if they only keep 3 or 4 open?

Stuff

DeBary, FL.

60 deg. partly cloudy, no wind.

Forecast = Partly cloudy. High of 81F. Winds from the SE at 5 to 15 mph.



Jim and Linda knew that one day they would have to deal with this, but one of the little hurdles that they have encountered is replenishing some of the”Stuff” that they got rid of when they moved out of their stix and brix home and went full-timing.

You see, they didn’t keep anything that wouldn’t fit into their 35’ Winnebago Chieftain MH or the back of their little pick-up truck. Nothing in storage, (Can you imagine what the cost of storing all their stuff for 12 years would have been?), and only one set of dishes and a few books at Linda’s sister’s house.

Now, they have a double wide home with no furniture at all except a kitchen table and 4 chairs.  There’s no bed to sleep on, no chairs to sit on and no TV to watch.

The kitchen cabinets will be basically empty because the pots, pans, dishes and small appliances they have will be needed in their RV. There’s no silverware, glasses, cups or dishes to put into the cabinets.

Beside there not being a bed for the bedroom, there’s no dressers to put clothes in, no night stands to put a light or a clock on and not even a clock to put on a night stand if they had one.

In other words, they need almost everything!!!!  : O

It’s not possible, nor do they want to go out and buy all new furniture, so,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , what to do??????

Well, Jim has been searching the Internet and has found a few used furniture stores on the area, and Nancy, the Community Manager of the park, has given them a few suggestions, but to completely furnish this home will take quite awhile.

But, being that Jim and Linda don’t really expect to spend any time living in this house until they return this fall, they have some time to get “stuff” for the house, but they would like to have it “livable” by the time they leave this spring.

After some thought, Jim and Linda have started a list of “must have” items. During the month of February, they'll be looking for, (at a minimum),  a couple of  comfortable chairs, a TV, a few lamps, some curtains, (there are blinds on almost all the windows), a few kitchen appliances like a coffee pot, toaster, a microwave and a few pots and pans.

They’ll also need a bed and a couple dressers, but the dressers are not essential as they can manage if they can’t find anything they like right away.

I’m sure the list of things to buy will get longer, but that’s what is on it right now.

Anyway, being that Jim and Linda were out and about yesterday, they stopped by a couple of the used furniture stores, just to see what was available. They found that there’s some items that they’ll probably be able to buy at one of those stores, but some of the items they need will have to be bought new.

I can understand how many of you may think that this is a very stressful time for Jim and Linda, but really, it’s not. They both seem to be looking at purchasing the house and everything that goes with it as another adventure.  Except for getting those few essentials, there really isn’t any pressure.

And, if push comes to shove, they always have their RV to live in. ; )

Did you know that January is "National Polka Music Month"?

A Very Good Christmas Day

DeBary, FL.

65 deg. mostly cloudy, NE wind @ 3 mph.

Forecast = Mostly cloudy with a chance of a thunderstorm and rain showers. High of 79F. Breezy. Winds from the South at 20 to 25 mph with gusts to 30 mph shifting to the WSW in the afternoon. Chance of rain 60%.

Hope all of you had a great Christmas Day!!!! : )  Jim and Linda had a great day!!!

In the morning, Joe called from Virginia Beach to wish Jim and Linda a Merry Christmas. He and his family were in the middle of opening presents and had just opened the package that Jim and Linda had sent up there.

Then, Laura called and said that she, Lindsey and the girls were coming over for a little while. In about 20 minutes, they arrived and everyone sat and talked for about 1/2 an hour.

After they left, Linda called her brother, (Glenn), who lives up in River Falls, WI. and her sister, (Nancy), who lives in Plainfield, IL. Both of them seem to be doing well and were having good holidays.

After that, Jim called Jeff out in Portland OR. but got their answering machine, so he left a message. Then, he called Mike in Apex, NC and talked to him for while. He, Gina the girls and Dillon were having a great time opening presents and enjoying the day.

Later in the afternoon, Jeff returned Jim's call and they talked for about 1/2 hour. He and Heather also had a good Christmas and were having a quiet day at home, enjoying each others company.

For dinner, Linda cooked one of Jim's favorite meals of cube steak, boiled potatoes and gravy. That along with the left over rice/vegetable dish that Linda had made to take to Marv and Inez's made for a very nice meal.

The rest of the day was spent snoozing playing with the computers and watching TV.

A very good Christmas.day!    ; )

Did you know that in 1947, Toys for Tots started making the holidays a little happier for children by organizing its first Christmas toy drive for needy youngsters?

Christmas Eve

DeBary, FL

52 deg.scattered clouds no wind.

Forecast = Partly cloudy. High of 79F. Winds from the SSE at 5 to 10 mph.

I hope all of you are having a Merry Christmas today. Be sure to take a little time to remember the true meaning of the day.

Yesterday, Linda spent some of the day getting things ready to take to Laura and Lindsey's. Then about 4:45, Jim took all of the food that Linda had prepared and put it in the back of CLT and they left.

Soon after they got there, they opened presents. While they were opening the presents, Marv and Inez stopped by and then after all the presents were opened, they all ate roast beef sandwiches, crackers and chips with cheese, sausage, dip or salsa sauce on them.

Of course there were cookies and candies to finish off the meal with. ; )

About 8:00 Marv and Inez left and soon after Jim and Linda came back here to the park.

After returning and getting the food put away, Jim and Linda watched some of the Christmas specials on TV before going to bed.

Yesterday was a great day. Jim and Linda were able to spend some time with family and they received some neat presents. Today I think Jim and Linda are just going to kick back and enjoy each others company. They'll probably watch some TV and fool around with the computers, but much of the time will be spent just being together.

I hope all of you have a great Christmas.

Did you know that St. Nicholas was bishop of the Turkish town of Myra in the early fourth century? It was the Dutch who first made him into a Christmas gift-giver, and Dutch settlers brought him to America where his name eventually became the familiar Santa Claus.

Dinner At Marv And Inez's

DeBary, FL.

48 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = Partly cloudy. High of 75F. Winds from the SSW at 5 to 15 mph.


Jim and Linda headed over to Marv and Inez's house about 10:30 yesterday morning. Again, the meal that Inez put together for her family was just fabulous. There was ham, mashed potatoes and gravy, a couple kinds of vegetables, and of course, deserts like pies, cookies and puddings.

Both Jim and Linda said that there was more food than even that large family could possibly consume!!! : )

After eating, Marv and Inez's family exchanged gifts. Jim and Linda even received some small jars of jam that Inez had made and a scented candle.

It's so nice of Marv and Inez to include Jim and Linda in their family celebration. Jim and Linda really appreciate it and are very grateful. Thanks!!!

About 5:00 today, Jim and Linda will be heading over to Laura and Lindsey's house to exchange presents with them. It should be a fun evening.

If for some reason, I shouldn't post tomorrow, Jim, Linda, CLT and I want to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas!!!! Have a great day!!!! : )

Did you know that the Christmas season begins at sundown on 24th December and lasts through sundown on 5th January? For that reason, this season is also known as the Twelve Days of Christmas.

Cookies and Christmas Plans

DeBary, FL.

31 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = Partly cloudy. High of 66F. Winds less than 5 mph.


Brrrrrr!!!!! 31 deg and it may go down another degree or so because as I write this, it's just starting to get light outside. At least they're forecasting warmer temperatures for today and tomorrow, so it should be nice for the Holiday.

Linda baked a whole bunch of cookies yesterday and then decorated them. She also put together a rice dish to take to Marv and Inez's today for a Christmas dinner. Some of the cookies are boxed up and ready to go and the rice dish will just have to heated up before Jim and Linda leave here around 10:30.

I imagine that Inez will have a big meal prepared again. She's a very good cook and is used to making large meals to feed Lindsey, his 3 brothers and their families. Inez's sister will probably be there too, so there'll be lots of people. Also, sometime, (either before or after the meal), Lindsey's family will exchange presents.

Then, because Laura has to work on Christmas Day, tomorrow evening, Jim, Linda, Marv and Inez will go to Laura and Lindsey's. That's when Jim and Linda will exchange gifts with Laura and Lindsey, Ashley and Anna.

Should be a fun couple of days!! : )

Did you know that Christmas trees are known to have been popular in Germany as far back as the sixteenth century. In England, they became popular after Queen Victoria's husband Albert, who came from Germany, made a tree part of the celebrations at Windsor Castle. In the United States, the earliest known mention of a Christmas tree is in the diary of a German who settled in Pennsylvania.

Weather, Shopping and Spaghetti

DeBary, FL.

52 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = Partly cloudy. Fog early. High of 81F. Breezy. Winds from the South at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 20%.


Yesterday was another beautiful day here in DeBary and today looks like it's going to be almost as nice. It's funny how you get used to nice warm days with temperatures in the 70's and 80's and then when the temperatures drop down into the 60's you think it's cold and not good weather anymore.

At the same time, if the folks up north had sunny weather with the temperatures in the 60's, (or even 50's), at this time of the year, they would be talking about how great the weather was.

Why am I writing about this?  Well, tonight there's going to be a cold front coming through this area and the forecast for tomorrow is for high temperatures in the lower 60's with lows getting down into the upper 30's or low 40's!!! The folks down here, (especially the ones who live down here all year), will be complaining  about how cold it is and will be wearing heavy coats, hats and gloves, where as the people up North would be thinking they're having a heat wave and be out and about in short sleeve shirts!!

I find it interesting how folks in different parts of the country look at different weather conditions. I guess it's all what your used to.  ; )

Linda washed a load of laundry yesterday morning and then in the afternoon she and Jim took CLT (Cute Little Truck), and went to the Winn Dixie grocery store to buy groceries that will be needed over the Christmas holiday.

CLT said that the parking lot was almost completely full and he saw lots of people going in and out of the store while he was there.

After getting the groceries put away, both Jim and Linda took little naps and then took CLT again and headed over to Laura and Lindsey's for a great spaghetti  dinner.  Lindsey's parents, (Marv and Inez) were there too so after eating, everyone sat around and talked for awhile.

It was around 8:00 by the time Jim and Linda came back here. The rest of the evening was spent watching TV, reading and surfing the Internet.

I think that today, Linda is planning on doing some more baking. She bought stuff to make cookies and cranberry bread yesterday. I don't know if Jim has any plans except to possibly put away some of the stuff on the patio and roll up my awnings. They're forecasting possible t-storms with possible high gusts of winds for tonight when the cold front comes through.

Did you know that  Silent Night was written in 1818, by an Austrian priest Joseph Mohr?  He was told the day before Christmas that the church organ was broken and would not be prepared in time for Christmas Eve. He was saddened by this and could not think of Christmas without music, so he wanted to write a carol that could be sung by choir to guitar music. He sat down and wrote three stanzas. Later that night the people in the little Austrian Church sang "Stille Nacht" for the first time.

Decorations and Christmas Plans

DeBary, FL.

45 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = Clear. High of 77F. Winds less than 5 mph.


It's been pretty quiet around here lately. Oh, people have been out and about, doing things to get ready for the holidays but nothing much else happening. Jim's allergies have really been bothering him the last few days. He has to be very careful about what medications he takes for his allergies as many of the meds cause him some very undesirable side effects.  : (

He did go out one day and take some more photos of the decorations here in the park. These were taken just before it got dark, but they had already turned on the lights for the evening.

In this photo of me, you can see the little Christmas tree that is sitting on my dash.

The weather around here has been really nice for the most part. The temperatures have been in the 70's and even into the lower 80's a few days. Jim and Linda haven't been outside too much though because the mosquitoes have been really bad this year. If there isn't a pretty strong breeze blowing, it's almost impossible to sit outside without covering yourself with bug spray.

Plans are starting to come together for Christmas. As of now, it' looks like Jim and Linda will be going to Marv and Inez's (Lindsey's parents) house the Sunday before Christmas and then go to Laura and Lindsey's on Christmas Eve. As of right now, there are no plans for Christmas day. They're having a Christmas dinner here at the park. but neither Jim or Linda seem too interested in going to it.

Linda suggested that maybe they could go out to eat someplace, but they're finding out that most of the restaurants in the area will be closed.

Oh well, they can always stay here and eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  ; )

Did you know that the first president to decorate the white house Christmas tree in the United States was Franklin Pierce?

Checking In and Connecticut

DeBary, FL.

57 deg. fog, no wind.

Forecast = Partly cloudy with a chance of rain in the afternoon. High of 79F. Winds less than 5 mph. Chance of rain 20%.


Thought I'd check in so you wouldn't think I've forgotten about this blog. There's not a whole lot to tell you about. Laura and Lindsey have stopped by a couple times and then yesterday afternoon, Laura and Anna stopped by.  Anna's had Friday and the rest of the weekend off of work, so she came here, from Jacksonville, to see her mom, dad and sister.

Jim hasn't been feeling too well. The other day, he thought for sure that he was getting a bad cold, but the plugged up head, runny nose and sore throat only lasted for 1 day. Yesterday, the weather was kind of nasty, (by Florida standards), so Jim stayed pretty much inside.

Linda has been doing some reading and has been making TV mix and cranberry bread for the holidays.

Oh, I've got a little riddle for you.  How do you know that it's getting close to Christmas?

They are advertising the "Clapper" and the "Chia  Pet" on TV!!!!

OK, I just have to make a comment on the horrific situation up in Connecticut. It's on everyone's minds and it just can't be ignored.

I know that I'm not the smartest RV in the park so maybe that's why I can't figure something out about all of this. You see, on TV, they're saying that the young man that shot all the children and adults stole the guns from his mother.

Now, what I can't understand is what was the mother doing with those types of guns? Especially the assault rifle!!!! I could understand a hand gun for protection but not the others.

Hmmmmmm!!! Maybe I'm missing something?

Don't know what's going on here today. I heard Jim and Linda talking about maybe going out for breakfast so maybe they'll do that.

Please keep all the people up in Connecticut who are suffering through this terrible situation in your thoughts and prayers. It's got to be just horrible for the families and friends of the victims.