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.

Happy Valentines Day and Curtains

DeBary, FL.

62 deg. cloudy, no wind.

Forecast = Mostly cloudy with scattered showers. Highs around 68°F. North northeast wind to 9 MPH. Chance of precipitation near 45%. Precipitation amounts up to one quarter inch possible.


Happy Valentines Day!!!! 

Be sure to give that loved one in your life a big hug today!!!

Jim and Linda went over to the house yesterday morning and got the curtains up up in the living room. Of course, this wasn't just a simple matter of putting them up on the existing rods. Some of the rods were in bad shape and had to be replaced, and all of them had to be re positioned to accommodate the the new curtains, so it took quite awhile.

After the curtains were up, the furniture was put back where it belonged.

By this time, both Jim and Linda were worn out, so they relaxed for awhile in their new living room before coming back here. ; )

Linda says that she's very pleased with the way the house is looking inside and says that she knows she'll be very comfortable there. Jim also really likes the home and is looking forward to getting back to doing some small "woodworking" projects out in the shed during the winter months.

On the way back here, they stopped at Winn Dixie and picked up a few groceries. Then, for dinner, Linda made some tacos.

I don't have any idea what's happening today. I suppose Jim and Linda will take some more "stuff" over to the house and I know that Linda wants to get going on making those bedroom curtains.

Oh well, whatever they do, it probably won't effect me much. I'll just stay here and watch all the people coming and going. : )

Did you know that California produces 60 percent of American roses, but the vast number sold on Valentine's Day in the United States are imported, mostly from South America?

Searching and More Photos

DeBary, FL.

39 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = Mostly sunny. Highs around 70°F. North northeast wind to 6 MPH.


Happy Groundhog Day!!!

If you remember, a couple days ago, I talked about what might happen to this blog when Jim and Linda trade me for a smaller RV. Well, it's been suggested that CLT (Cute Little Truck), might be persuaded to take over the blog.

Well, as of right now, he says that he's not interested at all!!! And, he says that after being drug around behind an RV and breathing all of the exhaust fumes that we RVs give off, he probably wouldn't be able to write a blog post, even if he wanted to!!

So,  ,  ,  ,  the search continues! : (

Here's some more photos of the furniture that Jim and Linda have bought for the house.

The first one is of the table and chairs that they bought for the sewing/craft room. The table and chairs are metal but the table has a nice hardwood top and the chairs have some comfy upholstery on the seats. Linda won't need all 4 chairs, but I'm sure she'll find a good use for them. : ) 

This photo is of one of the dressers for the bedroom. It's made of hardwood and is in very good condition, except for some minor damage on the lower left. (Jim says that he thinks he should be able to touch it up so it doesn't show so much.)

This is the matching dresser that goes with the above dresser. They're the same color but the lighting makes them look different.

This is the night stand that matches the dressers. The 2 lamps in the photos were also purchased at the same time.

And, this is another small cabinet that Linda really liked, so Jim purchased it for her. (Kind of unique) ; )

About the only furniture still left to buy is a bed and a TV. They'll be purchasing the bed sometime during the next month, but may not purchase a TV until they return this fall.

Not a whole lot else happening. Jim and Linda were only over at the house for a short time yesterday, and then in the evening, they went to a Perkins Restaurant for dinner.

Today, they need to get some groceries and pick up a few items at Walgreen's, but I don't know of anything else they're planning.

Oh, CLT says that he needs a drink of 87 octane really bad!!!!

Did you know that Punxsutawney Phil weighs about 20 pounds and is 22 inches long, while the average groundhog weighs 12-15 pounds and is 20 inches long?

A Little Business and Some Photos

DeBary, FL.

36 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = Mostly sunny with patchy frost. Highs around 66°F. North northwest wind to 13 MPH.


Jim called Nancy, (the community manager over at Highland Country Estates), yesterday morning to find out what would be the best time for he and Linda to come over and take care of some business. She told him that she wouldn't be in the office for some of the afternoon, so around 11:00 would be the best time.

So, about 10:45 they headed over there.

Then, they went to the house and removed all the masking tape from the areas that were painted. After removing the tape and moving some of the furniture back to the walls, Jim got out his camera and took some pictures.

The light was coming in the window, so it made kind of a glare, but I think you can see the furniture that they bought OK. This first photo is of the couch, end tables, lamps and ottoman that they bought. (Can you tell the walls are painted light blue? )

This is Jim's leather Barcalounger and the love seat that matches the couch

This is the chair that came with the couch and love seat. It matches the ottoman that's in front of the couch. This chair is currently in the small bedroom that Linda will use for a sewing/craft room.

This is the chest of drawers that they purchased to put the TV on and it will also give them more storage. This chest appears to be fairly old and is made completely of solid wood, (no particle board).

This photo is of the Secretary that Linda fell in love with the first time that they went into the store. In fact it was purchased before Jim and Linda took possession of the house. This item also appears to be quite old and is very well made.

I have photos of more of the furniture that they've purchased, but I'll save them for another day.

Jim and Linda were back here at Highbanks by about 1:00. After relaxing for a while, both of them took naps. ; )  The rest of the day was spent watching TV, relaxing and resting their muscles that were still sore from all the painting.

Oh, Jim got an e-mail from Denny and Bev!! (part of the Illinois bunch), They're going to be able to spend a couple nights here at Highbanks around the 1st of March!!! That means that they'll be able to come and see me and also see Jim and Linda's new, (to them), double wide!!

Did you know that An early American reference to Groundhog Day can be found in a diary entry, dated February 4, 1841, of Berks County, Pennsylvania, storekeeper James Morris?

A Little Job and A Barcalounger For Jim

DeBary, FL.

63 deg. overcast, no wind.

Forecast = Partly cloudy with patchy fog. Highs around 82°F. South southeast wind 5 to 13 MPH. Chance of precipitation near 20%.


When Jim and Linda went over to the house yesterday morning, Jim took some tools along because he had a little job he wanted to do.

You see, the refrigerator doors opened from the left side of the refrigerator and that made it very unhandy to put food in and out as all the cabinets/ stove/sink are on the right side. So,  ,  ,  ,  ,  he took the doors off, reversed the hinges and handles and now the doors open from the right side.

Much handier.

After that little job, he patched some more nail holes in the walls while Linda put some things away that they had brought from inside of me. After finishing those tasks, they decided to head over to the used furniture store to see if they had any lamps that they could use, both in the living room and in the bedroom.

Well, they found some very nice lamps that they purchased, but while they were looking around Linda spotted a large recliner in between a bunch of other chairs and brought it to Jim's attention. It turned out to be a very nice leather Barcalounger that was actually very comfortable for Jim. You see, Jim is 6'4" tall and most of the recliners are too short for him.The biggest problem he has with most recliners is that the footrest catches him right in the middle of his calf's and causes his lower legs and feet to "fall asleep".

They also found a very nice chest of drawers that they purchased to be used for storage and to set the TV on. (When they get a TV).  ; )

Both of these large items will be delivered either Wednesday evening or sometime Thursday, after the living room is painted.

Again all of the items they purchased from the used furniture store were very reasonably priced. In fact because it is the end of the month, they are giving an additional 25% off of most items in the store.

Because they were both tired by this time, Jim and Linda stopped at the Lotus Garden Chinese Restaurant and picked up some food to bring back here to the park. Neither of them had eaten food from this restaurant before, but they both thought the food was quite good and will more than likely return in the future.

After eating, the rest of the evening was spent watching TV, napping, reading and just relaxing.

Did you know that Barcalounger has been producing recliners in America since the 1940's?

A Little Shopping Trip And A Big Shopping Trip

DeBary, FL.

41 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = Mostly sunny. Highs around 73°F. West northwest wind 5 to 11 MPH.


Jim took CLT yesterday morning and went shopping for some supplies that will be needed at the house. You know, things like a broom, dust pan, light bulbs and plastic garbage bags. He also bought one of those water pitchers with the filter in it so that they could have some drinking water at the house that didn't taste like chlorine.

Then after he returned, he and Linda headed over to one of the used furniture stores that they had found a couple weeks ago. It's called "All In One Resale" and because they're well known in the area, they have a large turn-over of furniture. So, what they have in stock today may be completely different from what they had 2 weeks ago.

This was the case when Jim and Linda went there yesterday. They had just received a very nice living room set that consisted of a sofa, love seat, chair, ottoman and 2 end tables.

After looking through more of the inventory, Jim and Linda also found 2  nice dressers and night stand for the bedroom and a nice table and chairs for Linda to use as a sewing/craft table in the small bedroom. The table and chairs are metal but the table top is hardwood and the chairs have nice padded seats.

After doing some "dealing" with the owners, Jim and Linda decided to purchase all of the above and have it delivered to the house. The store owners said that they could deliver it yesterday evening, so from the resale shop, they headed right over to the house.

I can't remember if I mentioned it or not, but Jim and Linda had purchased a "secretary" when they were there and the store was holding it for them until they could move it into the house, so they would deliver that also.

Oh, and also a table lamp that the store owners threw in for free!. : )

About 5:45, the resale shop truck pulled up in front of the house and the owners brought all of the items inside and into the proper rooms. Normally there is a delivery charge but being that Jim bought so much from them, they delivered everything for free.

You might think that all of the furniture that Jim and Linda bought cost a lot of money. Well, it didn't. So far, for all the furniture mentioned above, they are still well under $1,000. They still need to buy a bed, TV and something to put the TV onto, but other than that, the house is almost completely furnished.

As you can imagine, all of this furniture is not in perfect condition, but that's OK with Jim and Linda. You see, their attitude about "stuff" has changed a lot over the last 12 years. It is no longer so important to have many of the things that they had when they owned their previous stix and brix house, and everything doesn't have to be in perfect condition.

I'm hoping that Jim will take some photos of the furniture one of these days so I can show it to you. : )

Did you know that on this date in 1964 - CBS-TV acquired the rights to televise the National Football League’s 1964-1965 regular season? The move cost CBS $14.1 million a year.

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?

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 Few Pictures and Fireworks

Rantoul, IL.

70 deg.partly cloudy, no wind.

Forecast = Mostly sunny with a 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 80s. Light northeast winds.

Nothing much new around here. Jim did finally take a few pictures of the new furniture so I'm posting a couple here today. The desk is actually a little darker in color that the pictures show, but the lighting situation inside of me wasn't real good.

This first one is a view looking towards the front of me.

And, this is from the front, looking back.

Linda is really enjoying the chair and the desk. She says that the chair is really comfortable and it's the first time she has had a place to keep her files and desk supplies since they went full-timing.

Yesterday was kind of a kick-back day for Jim. It was really hot outside, (my thermometer showed 96 deg. at one point), his back and legs were hurting from working on the desk and file cabinet the day before, so he just did a few things inside of me. He did go and pick up the mail at the post office in the morning, stop at the grocery store for a few items and then went over and talked to Paul and Louise for awhile.

Today he's going to try to get some of the totes and boxes out of the storage area and bring them over here so he and Linda can get the items in them put away.

Oh, they had the fireworks display here in Rantoul last night. From what I could see and hear, they were really pretty and really loud!! : ) I think everyone enjoyed them.

(I still think they should have waited until tonight or tomorrow night though).

Did you know that the US imports an estimated $128 million in fireworks from China each year?

Still Organizing and Campground Filling Up

Rantoul, IL.

74 deg. scattered clouds, S. wind @ 7 mph.

Forecast = Hot and humid. Mostly sunny. A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highs in the mid 90s. Southwest winds 5 to 10 mph. Heat index readings 97 to 102.

It didn't get as hot here yesterday as was fore-casted. There were some clouds and I guess that kept the temperature down a little. Today though, it's starting out mostly sunny, and I think the temps will get quite high.

Jim and Linda spent most of the day yesterday organizing things inside of me. Linda's got all the desk stuff in the desk, Jim put catches on all of the desk drawers so they wouldn't come open while we were traveling, and both of them went through more boxes of stuff and either found places for it, or threw it away.

Lots of RVs came into the campground yesterday. It's not full yet, but Jim says that there'll be more coming this morning, and by the end of the day it will be.

Linda is really enjoying the new recliner. For a couple weeks now, she has either had to sit up in front in the passenger's seat, on a kitchen chair, or on the couch where she's not very comfortable. Jim says that maybe the recliner is too comfortable for her because now every time she sits in it she falls asleep.  ; ) 

Don't know just what's happening today. I heard Linda say that she thought the 4th of July fireworks were going to be tonight already. I would think they would wait at least until tomorrow night or Monday night to have them, but no one asked for my opinion. I'm sure that Jim and Linda will find plenty to do, and if they can, they still want to get some of the boxes out of the storage room in the bathhouse. (Paul and Louise were way too busy yesterday to help). And, I know that there are still some cabinets and drawers that need to be organized inside of me.

Did you know that the record for the largest firework display consisted of 66,326 fireworks and was achieved by Macedo'S Pirotecnia Lda. in Funchal, Madeira, Portugal, on 31 December 2006?

Back To Rantoul

Rantoul, IL.

70 deg. cloudy, thunder in the distance, light SW wind.

Forecast = Hot and humid. Mostly sunny. Highs in the lower 90s. Southwest winds 5 to 10 mph. Afternoon heat index readings 96 to 101.

First of all I want to thank all of you that left comments yesterday. I too am really happy that my starter problem seems to be finally repaired. I know that the last days haven't been too interesting, (with me either in a repair shop or waiting to get into one), and I really appreciate all of my followers and readers hanging in there with me during these trying times.

We left the Tin Cup CG about 8:30 yesterday morning and headed over to R & S, (about 3/4 mile). There, after asking Steve where he wanted me, Jim pulled me into one of the empty bays. As soon as I was up to the door, I saw the new furniture setting there. When my entrance door was right next to it, Jim stopped me and after clearing some boxes away inside of me, Justin and another man proceed to bring it inside.

The little legs had to come off of the recliner, and they took the legs off of the desk to make it easier, but the move was successful and now I have furniture in the space where the original couch was removed.

In about an hour, all the furniture was loaded, and by about 9:35 we were on our way.

It was just 10 minutes after 10 when we pulled into the Prairie Pines CG here in Rantoul and it was sure good to see that site #5 was empty and waiting for me. After making sure that site #5 was where Louise wanted me, Jim drove me around and pulled me into the site.

I can sure understand why Jim and Linda like this park so much. After spending those nights in R & S's shop and the others at the Tin Cup, (with only about 8 feet of grass between you and the next RV), these very large sites with lots of grass and trees, are really nice. ;  ) 

Oh, and Paul even worked on my site, while I was gone, to try to get it more level than it was, because he knew that I had some problems getting level when we were here last time.

Are Paul and Louise great camp host, or what?

About noon, Jim and Linda took CLT and headed down to Champaign to a Menards store. There, they bought some brackets to secure the desk and file cabinet to my wall, a small fire safe to keep their important papers in, some coat hooks and a small towel bar to install in me to hang stuff up on.

The rest of the afternoon was spent securing the desk, and file cabinet to my wall, securing the desktop computer to the desk and then running all the wires to the monitor, keyboard, printer and surge suppressor.

Oh, and Jim did get the little towel bar installed for Linda too. ; )

Today, if they can, they want to try to get some of the boxes out of the storage room over at the bathhouse, (Paul and Louise will be very busy with this being the holiday weekend), bring them over here and start getting some of that stuff put away inside of me. Of course the main thing Jim and Linda want to get done is to get me ready to leave here next week to head up to the reunion.

Well, I'd better quit jabbering for now, this is getting pretty long. I'm sure that Jim will be taking some pictures of the new furniture soon, and I'll post them just a soon as he does.

Again, thanks for following along and sticking with me during these difficult times. You don't know how much it means.

Did you know that July 4th was not a federal legal holiday until 1941?

C. I. T. (Central Illinois Truck)

Mahomet, IL

62 deg. clear, no wind

Forecast = Sunny. Highs in the upper 80s. South winds 10 to 15 mph.

My engine started right up yesterday morning so that Jim could drive me over to Central Illinois Truck to have my starting problem checked out. It wasn't far over there, (just North of Champaign), so it only took us about 20 minutes to get there.

My appointment was for 10:00 and by about 10:15, Jim was driving me around to the rear of the building and pulling me into an empty bay. Once I was in the bay, my engine was shut off and would not start again.

C I T is a pretty big place with lots of big trucks setting around and being worked on. As you can see by the photos below, they work on all sizes of trucks and RVs.

Their main thing though, is to work on the big rigs.

In this photo, you can see me in the 3rd bay between a Fed X truck and a school bus.

My mechanic's name was Josh and he was quite good at troubleshooting electrical problems. After an initial test, he determined that a starter relay was not sending the proper current to the starter, so he proceeded to try to locate the relay. The relay was located way back in my engine compartment and once it was found, it was a fairly easy job to replace it.

The old relay had a connection that looked like it had gotten hot, and after Josh installed the new one, my engine started right up. . . . . . . . . . . For about 5 times and then it wouldn't start again!!! : (

So. . . . . Josh crawled back under me again and got way up beside my engine where he could check out some of the wiring. After about an hour, and after much searching, he found a place on a large wiring harness, (with about 20 wires in it), where it had rubbed on a bracket worn through the jacket and worn the insulation on 4 different wires!!

You see, at some time, someone had worked on me and neglected to fasten the wiring harness back to the bracket and so the harness was free to move around and rub on the bracket and wear the insulation off of the wires. In fact one of the wires itself, was worn almost all the way through!!

In the above photo, you can see the harness running along side of my engine. The harness was worn through at a point way at the other end of my engine. (A real tough place to get to).

Josh got the wires repaired, put a cover on the harness and secured it with wire ties so that this couldn't happen again.

And, I'm glad to announce that my engine has started every time since then!!!! ; )

Yahoo!!!!!!!!

Because Jim and Linda didn't know just where we would be and when, they had the new desk and recliner for me shipped to R & S yesterday. This morning we'll be heading over there and they will help bring the furniture inside of me. Then, if everything goes well, we'll head back to Rantoul and get settled in for the holiday weekend.

Did you know that June is "National Rose Month"?

Hopeful

Mahomet, IL.

63 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast today = Sunny. Highs in the lower 80s. Northwest winds 5 to 10 mph.

I'm hopeful that tomorrow when Jim takes me to a different repair shop, they'll find out what my starter problem is. The mechanic at R & S has pretty much given up on finding the problem,  so Steve, (the shop foreman) has made an appointment for me at a place called C I T. They are more familiar with Cummins engines and the mechanical part of my chassis than R & S.

Also, the desk, file cabinet and recliner are in at Ashley Furniture and will be delivered tomorrow to R & S, where they will stay until I'm done with my appointment at C I T. Then, we'll go over there and the guys at R & S will help Jim and Linda install them inside of me.

Man!! I sure hope this all works out. Jim and Linda are running out of time to get things done before we head up to Wisconsin for the reunion, right after the 4th.

Today I think Linda is going to do a load or two of laundry in my washer/dryer, and Jim says he wants to check the air pressure in all my tires and fill them up if necessary. Other than that, probably not too much will be happening around here.

Last night, Jim and Linda decided that they just wanted to "get away" for a little while, so they took CLT and went over to Champaign, IL to a Lone Star Steakhouse where they both had a very nice meal.

Did you know that New York Sun editor Charles Dana, tired of hearing Chicagoans boast of the world's Columbian Exposition, dubbed Chicago the "Windy City?"