Jim's Eye Scan, A New Chair and Cooler Weather

Rantoul, IL.

51 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast =Mostly cloudy in the morning, then clear. High of 79F. Winds less than 5 mph.


It's been real slow here at Prairie Pines. Just a few RVs coming in and then leaving right away the next morning. Normally on Fridays there would be a bunch of RVs coming in for the weekend, but yesterday only a couple came in.

I guess that's normal for this time of the year though.

Early yesterday morning, Jim and Linda took CLT and headed down to Champaign, IL. Jim's eye doctor wanted him to get a scan done of his eyes to compare to how they were doing a year ago, so yesterday was the day to get that accomplished.  The place where he had the scan done, (actually Linda's retinologist), will send the results to Jim's doctor.

Hopefully the results are the same or maybe even improved.

Being that they didn't even have to dilate Jim's eyes for the scan, when he was done, he and Linda headed over to Ashley Furniture to check out chairs to use at my desk. You see, the chair that they were using was a dining room chair that they had bought in Sioux Falls, SD when we were there last year, and it just wasn't working out. So, they decided that they'd look for something different.

Well, they found a regular "desk chair" that they liked, and, because the only one they had in stock was the floor model, Jim and Linda were able to purchase it at a reduced price!!! : )

This thing is pretty spiffy!!!! It swivels, goes up and down, and even leans back!!!! Even at the reduced price, it was kind of expensive, but as much as that chair will get used, I think it was worth it. ; )

Now, after Jim and Linda came back here and got the new chair inside of me, (not an easy task), : O  the question came up, what do they do with the old chair? It's still good and is very nice looking, so it would be a shame to just throw it away, but as you RVers know, there just isn't room inside of an RV for an extra chair!!! : (

Well, Jim went over and talked to Paul and he said that he may know someone who could use it, so Jim carried it over to the office area and put it into the storage shed for now.

Hopefully Paul or Louise will be able to find a new home for the chair.

Oh!! Thanks for reminding me, CLT..

After they went to Ashley's, Jim and Linda stopped by the Urbana Gardens Restaurant in Urbana to get something to eat. Being that it was after 10:00 by that time, they had breakfast for "brunch". : )  Both Jim and Linda said that the food and service was very good as usual.

The weather here is much cooler than it has been. A cold front came through the area Thursday night and dropped the temperature down about 15 to 20 degrees. It's supposed to stay cool for the next day or so before the temperatures start climbing up again. Then, they're forecasting another cold front coming through Monday night which is supposed to bring the overnight lows down into the lower 40's!!!!!

A Point to Ponder : If you work too hard to be clever, you won't have enough energy to be smart.

Wait!!! Don't go yet, there's more!!!  I just found out that Louise decided to use the old chair in the office!!

Good, I'm glad the chair found a home so soon. I got kind of attached to it after carrying it around with me for over a year. : ) 

They're Gone and Jim's Appointment

Rantoul, IL.

59 deg. clear, SE wind @ 3 mph.

Forecast = Sunny. Highs in the lower 90s. South winds 5 to 10 mph.

They're Gone!!!! : (  Yep, the "Illinois Bunch" packed up and left yesterday morning. : (

Denny came over and talked to Jim for awhile yesterday morning. Then, went back over to his site and started packing up for the return trip home. Dave was also packing up and before long, was ready to head back to his house.

Jim and Linda went over there and talked to Denny and Bev and Dave and Dee Dee for awhile, but soon it was time for h and h. (hugs and handshakes) 

It sure was good to see them again, but this visit seemed  way too short!! I sure hope I'll get to see them again when we're down in Florida this winter.

By the time they left, it was about lunch time, so Jim and Linda came back here and ate a little. After eating, Jim laid down and tried to take a nap, but couldn't go to sleep. (He was probably thinking about his eye doctor appointment that he had for later in the afternoon).

So, after getting ready, he and Linda took CLT and headed down to Savoy, (which is just a little South of Champaign), and to his eye doctor.

Jim has Glaucoma and this was his first visit back to the eye doctor since it was discovered last year. He's been putting drops in his eyes every day, but really didn't know if they were helping or not, so he was kind of nervous about going back.

Well, everything seems to be OK. ; )  He needs to have one more test done before we leave here, but his doctor said that the pressure in the eyes is down and the medication seems to be working.  In fact unless this retina scan thing that he still needs to have done shows some abnormality, he's good to go for another year!!! : )

Of course he'll still need to continue to use the drops every day.

By the time he was done at the eye doctor, it was dinner time, so CLT took them to an Applebee's Restaurant which is near the doctors office.

After they returned here to the park, Jim took a little nap and then he and Linda watched TV until bedtime.


Did you know that Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness in the world, according to the World Health Organization? And also, did you know that It is estimated that over 2.2 million Americans have glaucoma but only half of those know they have it?

All Of The "Illinois Bunch" Are Here and The Cook-out

Rantoul, IL.

57 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast =  Sunny. Highs in the mid 80s. Light south winds.


Denny came over for awhile yesterday morning and he and Jim sat outside under my awning and talked for awhile. They have known each other for years, and in fact, lived only about a block apart when they were growing up.

They always seem to find something to talk about. Being from the same small town, they both know a lot of the same people and Denny keeps Jim abreast of what's going on with them.

I think if was about 9:30 or 10:00 when I saw Gordy and Dorthy pull into the CG. They had driven down here for the day, and just brought their car instead of the Motor home. Once they were here, that meant that the whole "Illinois Bunch" was here. : )  After they were here for a little while, Dorthy came over and visited with Linda for awhile and Jim went over to Denny's RV, where everyone was gathering, and visited.

During the afternoon, Linda was busy getting food together for the Cook-out that was planned. She baked a cake, cut up some cantaloupe, made a cucumber and onion salad, "doctored up" the potato salad she had bought at the grocery store, and baked a green bean casserole.

Then, about 4:30, everything was packed up and taken over to Denny's site where Dave and Denny had built a campfire. (Denny and Dorthy helped Jim carry the food over there). After everyone was there with the food that they had prepared, they started cooking hot dogs and brats over the fire, and cooking a few burgers on a grill.

Jim and Linda had invited Paul and Louise to come to the cook-out so they came over and had something to eat also. They had to leave once when an RV came into the park, but once they got them registered and into a site, they came back over and visited for awhile longer.

Jim and Linda both said that they think everyone enjoyed the cook-out. There was more than enough food for everyone and everything really tasted good. : )

After visiting for awhile, Jim and Linda came back here. (Denny and Dorothy helped Jim and Linda carry some of the stuff back). While Linda was putting the left-overs away, Jim went back and visited for a little longer and then came back here for the evening.

Gordy and Dorthy went back home last night and today the rest of the "Illinois Bunch" will be leaving. : ( It's too bad that they couldn't stay longer, but they have to get back home. I'm hoping that I'll get to see them again this winter, down in Florida. 

This afternoon, Jim has to go see his eye doctor. He's not looking forward to going, but knows it's best to go and make shure everything is OK.

Did you know that Americans eat more than 16 billion hot dogs each year?

The "Eyes" Have It

Rantoul, IL.

55 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = Sunny. Highs in the upper 70s. Light southeast winds.


What do the "Eyes" have?  They have a good report!!!!!  : )

Jim and Linda took CLT, (Cute Little Truck), and headed down to Linda's retinologist a little after noon yesterday. Again, even though she hadn't noticed any problems, she was very anxious about going. Well, as it turned out, everything is fine and she won't have to be going back for another year. (Unless she notices some changes in her vision.)  

Great news!!!! : )

Of course to check her eyes, they had to dilate them. So, when she came back here to the CG, she was still wearing her "movie star" glasses. ; ) 

Not much else happen around here yesterday. Jim did go over and talk to Louise in the morning to make sure that there were sites available for the 2/3 of the "Illinois Bunch" that will be coming tomorrow. I don't know for sure which sites they'll have but hopefully they'll be pretty close to me.

Today, Jim and Linda need to go and pick up their mail at the Post Office and a few things at the grocery store. I also need a little cleaning inside of me so I'm presentable.

A Point to Ponder : Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity.

The Rains Cometh and The Illinois Bunch Too

Rantoul, IL.

55 deg., clear, W. wind @ 5 mph.

Forecast = Mostly sunny. Highs in the mid 70s. North winds 5 to 10 mph.


Wow!!!! That was some kind of storm!!!

Yesterday afternoon, we had strong winds, small hail, severe thunder and lightning and 1.8 inch of rain!!! The radar had all kinds of purdy colors in it, but we lucked out and didn't have any tornadoes in this area. (That I've heard about). 

We definitely needed the rain, but we didn't need all the other stuff that came with it. 

Yesterday morning, Jim spent quite a bit of time on the computer and then went out and secured everything outside as they were forecasting the storm and the radar for this area was starting to light up. The afternoon was spent watching the radar, TV and the weather out of my windows.

By late afternoon, the storms were over, so Jim and Linda took CLT and headed to Monical's Pizza where they had a very good pizza.

After they returned, Linda worked on her Family Tree program and then they both watched a pre-season football game on TV.

Oh, and with all the excitement of the storm, I almost forgot!!!! The "Illinois Bunch" are coming this Sunday!!!! : )  I didn't think that they would be coming until sometime in September!!!!!

What a great surprise!!!!!

Well, actually 2/3 of them are coming. Jim talked to Dave and Linda talked to Bev and it looks like Denny and Bev and Dave and Dee Dee will be here, but Gordy and Dorthy won't be able to come. : (  Bev did say that Gordy and Dorthy may be able to drive down here for one day, but they won't be bringing their RV.

Jim hasn't been able to get in touch with Louise yet, but he's quite sure that it won't be a problem getting them sites here at the CG for 3 or 4 nights.

He'll go over and talk to her this morning.

Today, right after lunch, Linda has that appointment with her retinologist. He'll probably dilate her eyes so she won't be able to see much for awhile after her appointment. Then sometime, either today or tomorrow, Jim and Linda will need to go to the grocery store to pick up a few thing before the Illinois Bunch get here.  And, I need a little sprucing up inside.  ; )

A Point to Ponder:  Half the people you know are below average.

Another Test

Rantoul, IL.

66 deg. clear, SE wind @ 5 mph.

Forecast = Mostly cloudy with a chance of a thunderstorm and a chance of rain in the morning, then partly cloudy with thunderstorms and rain showers. High of 91F. Winds from the SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%.


Didn't post the last few days because there hasn't been anything newsworthy happening around here. : (  Yesterday, however, Lind had to go and get another blood test. It seems that there was a problem with one of the results on the previous test and her doctor wanted her to get another one, just to make sure everything was OK.

Linda really didn't want to get another test because in the past, there has been problems with the results of this particular test, and it has always proven to be OK. But, the doctor insisted, so she and Jim took CLT and headed down to Champaign and to a Quest Diagnostics Center to have the blood drawn and the test preformed.

Because Linda has to fast before having the test, she didn't have any breakfast, so they stopped at a Bob Evans Restaurant on the way back here. : )  After lunch, CLT took Jim over to the CVS Drugstore to pick up a few items and then to the County Market Grocery Store to pick up a few more things.

There's nothing scheduled for today, but tomorrow, Linda has to go see her retinologist for her annual eye check-up. She hasn't noticed any change in her vision, so she isn't expecting any problems.

A Point to Ponder:  The hardness of the butter is proportional to the softness of the bread.

Good To Go!!!

Rantoul, IL.

54 deg. overcast NE wind @ 7 mph.

Forecast = Mostly sunny. Highs around 70. Southeast winds 5 to 10 mph.

About 8:15 yesterday morning, Jim remembered that he had forgotten to get CLT and drink of 87 octane, so he took him and headed to the nearest station, which happens to be a Casey's. By the time they came back here, Linda was ready so they headed down to the little town of Savoy, (which is just South of  Champaign), to Jim's 9:30 eye doctor appointment.

CLT says that they got there with a little time to spare.

Again, they checked his vision and eye pressures and then put some drops in his eyes to dilate the pupils so the eye doctor could look in his eyes to see if there was anything wrong.

Well, she couldn't find anything seriously wrong, so she told Jim to keep on putting the drops in that she had prescribed and that he was "good to go" until next summer when we return to Illinois. : )

Good News!!!!!! : )

On the way back here to the CG, they stopped at the Urbana Gardens Restaurant and had breakfast for lunch. When they got back here, Jim took a nap as his eyes were still bothering him from being dilated. While Jim was sleeping, Linda worked with her family tree program and took a little nap herself. ; ) 

After Jim woke up, he went outside and checked my engine fluid levels, re-installed the tow bar on the front of CLT and checked my generator. While he was doing that, Linda washed a load of laundry and then worked on the computer some more.

Unless there's a glitch, we'll be leaving here Monday morning and start wandering our way towards the East Coast. : )

Oh, It doesn't sound like I'm going to get to meet Judy and her RV. : (  The place where they towed her MH to in Illinois, can't seem to fix it so now they're going to tow it back to Indiana!! She was in Indiana when all if this started, I'm wondering why they didn't tow it to a repair facility there in the first place?

You can click on this link to view her blog, Travels with Emma . If you have time, add a comment to her blog to let her know that we're all hoping she'll kick that "Murphy" guy in the "you know where", and get back on the road real soon. ; )

Did you know that light colored eyes dilate faster than dark colored eyes?

The New Computer and Jim's Appointment

Rantoul, IL.

48 deg. clear, NE wind @ 6 mph.

Forecast = Mostly cloudy. Highs in the mid 60s. East winds 5 to 10 mph.

It was about 10:30 by the time Greg arrived with Jim and Linda's new desktop computer. The setup went pretty smoothly but there was a couple little glitches. You see, the way the desk is set up, (being fastened to the wall), you have to run the cables around the end to get them up to the monitor. Well the cable wasn't long enough, so he had to get a longer one out of his car.

This new computer also has a wi-fi card with an antenna attached to it. The cable going to the antenna is only about 3 feet long so it's too short to allow the antenna to be up in front of the window, where the reception should be much better.  Greg didn't have an extension for this cable, so as of right now, the antenna is sitting under the desk, until he brings one.

The computer seems to be working well. It's picking up the CG's wi-fi, Linda can use her Family Tree program, and in fact, has already started entering information that she got from Jim's cousin Adeline, when they visited her a few weeks ago. : )  Of course the new computer has Window's 7 installed on it and Jim is having a little trouble getting it to do what he wants, but I'm sure he'll get it figured out.

This morning, Jim has an appointment to go back to the eye doctor. I can tell he's not looking forward to going, but like some of my followers have said, "the eyes are nothing to fool around with". 

If everything goes well, he and Linda should be back here before noon.

Did you know that the first online version of an encyclopedia and the first one on CD was Grolier?

Eyes, Another New Plan and The CG Is Filling Up.

Rantoul, IL.

69 deg. clear, S. wind @ 4 mph.

Forecast = Hot. Sunny. Highs in the upper 90s. Southwest winds 5 to 10 mph.


I'll bet you thought I fell into a pothole or something, didn't you? Well, I didn't. I've been just waiting to find out what is going on with Jim's eyes.

If you remember, Jim went to the eye doctor on Tuesday and he found, by doing a scan of the back of the eye, what he thought may be some serious problems. An appointment was made with another eye doctor for yesterday, and so yesterday afternoon, Jim and Linda went to see her.

After an inspection of Jim's eyes and more tests, it was determined that there were no serious problems at this time and that what problems there were should be able to be taken care of my medication.

Whew!!!! : )

What the first doctor saw was, what looked like, damage from someone who has glaucoma, but Jim didn't have high eye pressures or any other signs of the disease. There is however, a type of glaucoma where the eye pressure does not raise significantly but the same damage occurs, only at a slower rate.

This is what the first doctor thought may be going on.

Anyway, if there is any glaucoma damage at all, it's very slight and by using medication, Jim should have good vision for many years to come. : )  Jim still has to go back for a follow-up appointment on the 16th of this month but the eye doctor said that she saw no reason why we wouldn't be able to head out of here right after that.

So, . . . . .the big eraser came out again and now, as plan "E" shows, we'll be leaving here on Monday, the 19th. A few days later than was originally planned, but still very do-able without too many changes.

What has been going on around here the last few days? Nothing!!! The temperatures have been in the upper 90's every day, there has been no activity here in the CG, and to be honest, Jim didn't feel like doing anything because he was quite worried about his eyes and what it could mean as far as his and Linda's future as far as full-timing.

Yesterday, quite a few RVs came into the CG and today there should be a lot more. Louise says that every site is booked for the Labor Day weekend. Tonight they are forecasting storms and then cooler temperatures after that. I don't like the idea of storms but I hope they're right about the cooler temps because the "Illinois Bunch" will be coming to see me next week and it would be good if the weather co-operated so everyone can enjoy being outdoors. : )

Did you know that the first big Labor Day in the United States was observed on September 5, 1882?

A Slow Morning and Eye Doctor Visits In The Afternoon

Rantoul, IL.

64 deg. mostly cloudy, SE wind @ 7 mph.

Forecast = Partly sunny with isolated showers in the morning...then mostly sunny in the afternoon. Highs around 90. South winds 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation 20 percent.


Not much going on around here yesterday, the CG is really quiet. Neither Jim or Linda seemed to have much ambition and I think part of the problem was that they knew they had to go to the eye doctor in the afternoon.

I don't know what it is about appointments in the afternoon, but it seems like you don't want to get started doing anything because you know you'll have to quit what you are doing to go to the appointment. If the appointment is in the morning, you can go, get it over with and do what you want to do without having to stop in the middle of something.

Well, anyway, about 2:00 Jim and Linda took CLT and headed down to Champaign to see the retinaologist.
CLT said that there was all kinds of construction on I-57 and he was almost late getting them there. Once there, it didn't take too long until they were being examined.

The examinations consisted of a scan of the retina and a complete check of the eyes. I'm happy to report that Linda's eyes are doing fine and she's good to go for another year. : )  Jim, however, has some problems. : (  In fact, the doctor wants him to see another eye doctor before we leave here and his receptionist even called the other eye doctor and set up an appointment for this Friday.

Needless to say, Jim is not a happy camper about this. Now, he's worried that we won't be able to leave here on the 15th of September like planned. He also isn't fond of going to doctors in general, so this is adding to his apprehension.

I don't think he's going to be in a very good mood the next few days. : (

Did you know that the eye can process 36,000 bits of information every hour?