Awareness

We made it to Effingham IL. Our first full day here we decided to check out the sculptures located in the old town square. They were very interesting pieces of art. Then we took off to the cemetery.

This is our second day and because the weather is rainy we decided to stay put. I finished printing my pictures and I won’t say how many or how long it took to print.


"My Nose Is Growing Old"

Richard Brautigan

Yup.
A long lazy September look
in the mirror
says it's true:

I'm 31
and my nose is growing
old.

It starts about
an inch
below the bridge
and strolls geriatrically
down
for another inch or so:
stopping.

Fortunately, the rest
of the nose is comparatively
young.

I wonder if girls
will want me with an
old nose.

I can hear them now
the heartless bitches!

"He's cute
but his nose
is old."

Later

It is moving on day. We are heading to Effingham this morning. It is a stormy day and I am not looking forward to unhooking and hooking up in this type of weather but that is part of my life.

I think we will have internet service but I won’t swear on it. We will be there for 9 days and the reason for this long is because of the holiday weekend. Just want to find a place to hole up and hide. There are several places of interest to visit so it will be a lot of fun.

We went to Fin Inn in Grafton MO with Deanie yesterday. What a neat place. There are aquariums on every wall showing different types of fish. They had in a tank of its own a huge alligator snapping turtle. It was quite a conversation starter.

Fin Inn

Location:  Grafton Missouri

Until later.

Updates

The main goal of our trip to Edwardsville, besides seeing family is motor home and vehicle maintenance. Yes, we finally had the oil change in both vehicle. I also wanted to find someone who could repair the dent and my sister recommended the Ford Body Shop. Everything has gone according to plan except for the dent. The cursed dent that every body shop refuses to fix and finally the Ford Dealership explained why. It has a major wrinkle around the window and it is labor intensive. Also only a qualified RV Body Shop should do the work. Since I can’t find a RV Body Shop, I guess I will be living with the dent for a while.

We are hoping to stop at a shop that sells RV accessories. I want a “Thunder Blaster.” A lot of RVs have the same problem as I. The black water tank readings are misleading because toilet paper gets hung up on the sensors. This device will back flush that tank, eradicating all toilet paper. Yeah….. I sound like “Tim the Tool Man” but it’s more like “Pepper the Pooper Flusher.” It is clear plastic and I am not sure I want to see what comes out of the tank. I told mom that when I get it and start to use it if she hears a scream and see a blur going towards the park showers …. Then it backfired. If that happened and I hope it doesn’t, you could say I am not only full of it but I am covered in it.

Last night it was pizza and printing at my sister’s house. Her husband was in the “man cave” which is his garage.

Surely went to Pets Mart on this visit. It was her first trip in a store. The electric door scared the holy ned out of her. But she had a ball, sniffing and exploring. I recommend taking your pet to Pets Mart. It cost me $10 but it she is worth it.

I reread this blog and a sudden revelation came to me. For those that don’t know me -Pepper is my birth name. I do have a legal name. If anyone calls me by my legal name I become immediately suspicious because only bill collectors and siding dealers use it. My brother, Ray cursed me with that name. Prior to my birth my mother noticed that Ray was not hearing very well. When she took him to the doctors the doctor removed two red crayons from his ears. Then when I arrived, Ray just couldn’t say my legal name. Whenever he tried it would come out as “Bepper.” So mom thought it best for me to go through life with the name of Pepper. Life with the name of Pepper is not easy. You should have heard the pick up lines when I was younger, skinnier, and prettier. Of course a lot of pets have the same name and when their owners would call for their pet they were surprise to see me coming. I can see myself in 30+ years, old, tired, in my wheelchair in a nursing home and the name just wouldn’t fit that description. Yet it is my name, it carries funny and warm memories, I even forgave my brother for giving it to me, and I think I will keep it for a while longer.

Location:  Edwardsville

Good News

I received word yesterday that grandchild number three will be making its arrival in April 2007. Grandchild number three will be joining Hayden and Isabel. Since Congrats James aka Rusty and Nicole.

Artwork by Brian Andreas.
Click here to see more artwork by Brian Andreas

My Living Will

I, __________________________, being of sound mind and body, do not wish to be kept alive indefinitely by artificial means. Under no circumstances should my fate be put in the hands of pinhead politicians who couldn't pass ninth-grade biology if their lives depended on it or lawyers / doctors interested in simply running up the bills. If a reasonable amount of time passes and I fail to ask for at least one of the following:

______A beer
______A Bloody Mary
______A Margarita
______A Scotch and Soda
______A Martini
______A Vodka and Tonic
______A steak
______Lobster or crab legs
______The remote control
______A bowl of ice cream
______The sports page
______Chocolate
______Sex

It should be presumed that I won't ever get better. When such a determination is reached, I hereby instruct my appointed person and attending physicians to pull the plug, reel in the tubes and call it a day. At this point it is time to call all of my friends to raise their glasses to toast the good times we have had together.

Signature:___________________________

Date: ___________________________

Bored

Photos removed

Rhino Beetle

I just read Jolie’s blog about her view master. I too had one and what treat it was. My favorite toy as a child was a troll doll. One of the big troll dolls and I treasured it until the asinine neighbor child decimated it. It was a gift from Papa Doctor (my grandfather) and I treasured it for innocent reasons. I didn’t know Papa Doctor and I had childish notions of what a wonderful person he wasn’t. I don’t remember playing with it; I probably had it on a shelf and admired it. My question I will pose it this – what childhood toy do you recall with affection? It will be interesting to see who answers this or post their answer on their blog.

I have read so many blogs and I wish I had the capabilities to write so eloquently and with so much thought and intelligence. I am a story teller to my children but find so hard to write my stories down. I take some responsibility for my children’s imagination. What stopped me from telling stories to my children was divine intervention. Yep, God spoke and I listened. Since my middle child doesn’t read my blogs I will pass this on. I loved telling my children ghost stories. One night, around dark, I remembered that I hadn’t taken the laundry in. So I gathered my basket and my then 3-year old son and started out the door. It was a wonderful night, ink black with the moon shadows dancing on the ground and I started telling my child about the little men that lived under our trailer. At that time we hadn’t put the skirting on and so my little man kept glancing at the vast void between earth and mobile. I told him in vivid details about their green skin, boils and warts. I explained that they had sharp teeth and they were hungry. By the time we reached the clothes line he was literally dancing. The night noises filled the air and every time I heard a particular noise I would say “Listen they are sharpening their knives.” My child was getting into it. He would say “listen mama they’re getting their plates out.” We bantered back and forth like this until the last towel was removed from the line and we headed back to our home. I don’t know if you all have seen a Rhino Beetle but it is the biggest beetle in the state of Missouri. It was that night that one flew out of a tree or something and land smack dab in the middle of my child’s chest. Its humongous pincher grabbed onto his shirt and held on for dear life. My child grabbed at his chest and screamed “they got me mama, they got me.” Then he went running into the house and threw himself on the couch. I dropped my laundry and went after him. I pulled the beetle off of his shirt and tried to comfort him by showing him it was just a beetle. I think the beetle scared him more when he saw it than the story but I took it as a divine message to stop the ghost stories and even though they begged me to tell them a ghost story I refused. No more.

Tomorrow we off to Highland for repairs. Until then.

Finally

My daughter started a blog after much begging from me. She is an excellent writer; I am in total awe of her.

My next goal is to get my Uncle to start a blog. I gave him instructions and I know his daughter has as well.

Wheaton IL

Our trip to Wheaton today went smoothly. I actually drove straight there and straight back without getting lost. My aunt is doing well. She has a wonderful caretaker. We had an enjoyable afternoon visit. It was a relief to see her doing so well. She cannot be left alone for extended amount of times; her ailments are due to age – hearing, some memory loss, and loss of balance.

I am still printing away, I have taken to many pictures and I need to slow down until I get caught up. Monday we are going to back to Highland to see if we can get the dent repaired. I am getting a little tired of people asking if I purchased the RV from a scratch and dent sale. I am also embarrassed to tell them I ran into a tree. When I purchased my little house on wheels it didn’t come with instructions. All the dealer would tell me is make a wide right turn leaving the lot. The biggest thing I drove on the highway is a Dakota pickup truck. I was absolutely terrified. I did try to operate the back hoe but I almost took out my mobile home and that was the end of that. Back to printing to my pictures and listening to Brother Iz. Until later.

GAS

Think a gallon of gas is expensive?
This makes one think, and also puts things in perspective.
Diet Snapple 16 oz $1.29 .......... $10.32 per gallon
Lipton Ice Tea 16 oz $1.19 ...........$9.52 per gallon
Gatorade 20 oz $1.59 ..... ...........$10.17 per gallon
Ocean Spray 16 oz $1.25 .......... $10.00 per gallon
Brake Fluid 12 oz $3.15 ............ $33.60 per gallon
Nyquil 6 oz $8.35 .................... $178.13 per gallon
Pepto Bismol 4 oz $3.85 ........ $123.20 per gallon
Whiteout 7 oz $1.39 ................ $25.42 per gallon
Scope 1.5 oz $0.99 ...................$84.48 per gallon
And this is the REAL KICKER...
Evian water 16 oz $1.79............$14.32 per gallon for WATER!!!!
So, the next time you're at the pump, be glad your car doesn't run on water, Scope, or Whiteout, or even worse, Pepto Bismol or Nyquil.

2 1/2 More Years

PERKS OF BEING OVER 50

1. Kidnappers are not very interested in you.
2. In a hostage situation you are likely to be released first.
3. No one expects you to run--anywhere.
4. People call at 9 pm and ask, " Did I wake you ???? "
5. People no longer view you as a hypochondriac.
6. There is nothing left to learn the hard way.
7. Things you buy now won't wear out.
8. You can eat dinner at 4 pm.
9. You can live without sex but not your glasses.
10. You get into heated arguments about pension plans.
11. You no longer think of speed limits as challenge.
12. You quit trying to hold your stomach in no matter who walks into the room.
13. You sing along with elevator music.
14. Your eyes won't get much worse.
15. Your investment in health insurance is finally beginning to pay off.
16. Your joints are more accurate meteorologists than the national weather service.
17. Your secrets are safe with your friends because they can't remember them either.
18. Your supply of brain cells is finally down to manageable size.
19. You can't remember who sent you this list

And you notice these are all in Big Print for your convenience.

Thanks sis for giving me this list and making me look forward to my 50 year birthday.

Random Pictures

Photos Removed

I Wonder

Last night my long lost son instant message me. I haven’t heard from him in so long I though maybe he met a girl, got married and had two children but no he is still single. He said something to me that left me wondering.

My father built the house that mom and he shared for 50 years. She had no say so in how it was constructed and how it was decorated. She was to busy running the business while he was consumed with building the house. This house was his pride and joy. Just before his death I teased him about the windows. He refused to update the windows; they were falling apart and desperately needed replacing. I told him if he replaced the windows that I would take the old ones and build him a glass casket and that way he could take part of the house with him. He just grinned. He finally relented and agreed to replace the windows. He was there when they picked them out but he didn’t get to see them installed.

It was shortly after his death that mom’s dog, Lily started acting strange. She would go into mom and dad’s bedroom and bark at the wall where his bed was. Thinking it could be the pictures that were making her nervous we removed everything on the walls. She still barked. Then mom and I decided for her to switch bedrooms and take everything out of the room. She still barked at the now blank walls in the bedroom where no furniture existed. Then we shut the bedroom door. She scratched incessantly at the bedroom doors until we gave up and left it open. Folks would ask “why is that dog barking?” It was very odd but we got use to her barking at blank walls and looking down the hall. Before you jump to the conclusion that Lily and dad were inseparable let me tell you that were not true. Lily had a slight attachment problem and was not really attached to anyone.

I will admit, as will others that stayed in the house, it was weird. You would get the feeling that someone was behind you even though nobody was there. Or you would get the feeling that someone was watching you.

We are a strange family when it comes to funeral rituals. My grandmother, my father, my mother and I included loath funerals. Our philosophy is this “if you won’t come and see us when we are alive, then it is pointless to see us dead.” My grandmother and father were cremated, no funeral, no memorial services, and no advertising it in the paper. Those that were close to them were notified and given consent to hold a memorial service if that is what they needed for closure only we wouldn’t be attending. We would be at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee and remembering. That is what got us in trouble with the neighbors when dad passed; we left the windows open. We were laughing so hard at some of my dad’s antics and the memories that he created for us to enjoy that our neighbors became quite upset with us and refused to talk to us again. Ah but that is another story.

My dad and my grandmother are now up on the mantle of the fireplace in the living room. We put dad’s old cowboy hat on top of his little box and Granny’s favorite demitasse teacup and saucer on her box. Scott came in the house this past weekend and kind of got a strange feeling that something wasn’t right. He check out the rooms and when he entered the living room there was Grandpa’s hat. It was lying on the floor, next to the fireplace, like someone set it there. Keep in mind there we didn’t leave the air conditioner on so there was no air flow. It was very strange, made him feel very uncomfortable. It is interesting to think that he never left the house that he loved so much and comforting to know that he is with his mother.

Later

Carlock IL

We are in Carlock IL at a very nice RV park. You can hear the freeway noise and an occasional train but it is nice. Has a pool but very little attractions. Saturday we will take the car and visit my Aunt in Wheaton. Back in Highland on Sunday or Monday.

Edwardsville IL

We stopped off in Edwardsville for two nights to visit my sister and her family.

We are off for Chicago tomorrow to visit my aunt, my mom’s sister.

New Madrid and Malden Missouri

We went to New Madrid Missouri. It is a small town whose history includes the earthquake of 1812. We went through the museum that was located by the river. That was something that we really enjoyed.

We decided to find a sit down restaurant and that lead to us getting lost. I will make this admission; I can’t find my way out of a bucket. If I don’t have clear instructions I will be wandering aimlessly around for hours. Sometime that is a good thing because we find out of the way places. This was one of those moments. We finally found a place; Katie’s Diner and had a wonderful lunch. When I got in the car I asked mom which way and down the road we went. We ended up in Malden Missouri and the memories started coming back. What is so special about Malden Missouri you ask? When I was parked in front of the Casey’s General Store getting ready to go in to buy a map it hit me. This is where Narvel Felts lives. I was in love with him in my teenage years. He is cuter than a pig’s ear and where I come from that is pretty darn cute. He had a voice that could melt ice cubes. When I was 18 I went all the way to Possum Hollow in Illinois to see him. I was his biggest groupie. What a man. So I quick jumped in my car and we headed to Bernie Missouri a town he grew up near. Thank god I am over the groupie stage in my life or I would have been knocking at his front door

New Madrid Museum Webpage

Narvel Felts, The Man, The Music Webpage

Thanks Jolie

I was doing my usual morning routine, reading news, checking on kids, reading my favorite blogs and a blog friend had this posted. I thought what the hec, I'll fill it out.

Read the answers below to find out a bit about me--then answer them about you.

A)Four jobs I have had in my life:

1. cleaning cabins, a customer came up to me many moons ago and said I remember when you were knee high to a grasshopper, you would be dragging a mop down the sidewalk saying "work, work, work, all I do is work, I think its time I get a headache.

2. Patio Drive In, teenage years

3. Convenience Store Clerk, single mom years

4. Then I got a job for the State as a "OSA"

B)Four movies I would watch over and over:

1. Somewhere In Time

2.. Trip To Bountiful

3. Shawshank's Redemption

4. Fried Green Tomatos

C)Four places I have lived.

1. California

2. Illinois

3. Lake of the Ozarks

4. Any where these 4 wheels will take me

D)Four TV shows I love to watch:

1. MSNBC

2. I watch almost all the shows on TLC but I like What Not To Wear the most.

3. Emergency Vets when I can catch it

4. Okay I need another one.... I am addicted to news shows. I rarely watch sitcoms, never watch cartoons. I hated cartoons since the day I was born.

E)Four places I have been on vacation:

1. Belize, El Benque

2. Guatemala, El Remate

3. Honduras, Copan

4. Rotaan Island, Honduras

F)Four websites I visit when I can, maybe weekly,

1. CNN

2. drudge report

3. myspace - its how I check up and communicate with my children

4. jigzone

5. Any websites containing information about the Mayans, RV info, and photography

G) Four of my favorite foods:

1. Black Beans and rice

2. Most mexican foods

3. Take off the earing and diving into a big plate of BBQ

4. Chef salads

My Last Meal - Any meal would be wonderful if I could share it with family, friends.

H) Four places I would rather be right now:

1. I have would love to go to the Maya ruins of Tazumal in El Salvador.

2. Flop on the beach in Nicaragua

3. Machu Picchu

4. Sitting down with friends that have passed sharing a cup of joe

Friends I think will respond:

I don't think anyone will

Uh Oh

I am listening to Willie Nelson, cry in your beer music. I might sneak out and get a soda out of the basement (yes my RV has a basement) since I don't want a beer. Music like this makes me introspective. Just think a year ago I would be thinking about the weekend, dreading the work week, doing the same old same old. I did not know a year ago that I would be sitting here in Sikeston. A year ago I didn't own a tool box, or considered pliers and a hammer my best friend. A year ago my worries didn't even come close to my worries now. What are my worries? Well, "is the car still there?" "why aren't these gauges reading true?"

I am secure in the knowledge that my kids are okay and if tomorrow should find me needing a job, well there are jobs out there without the stress of the one I held for 12 years. I thank my friend, Jill for this security because at the age of 70 she took a job and if it wasn't for that I wouldn't have met her. I do miss her. I am fortunate that I had good friends that still live in my memories and heart.

I am happy even contented with life now and I am not afraid of the future. There are uncertainities in my life, that is true but I will not bore you with the details. When I think of the future I think of the client that approached me in WalMarts. This was a few months after I quit my job and he wanted to let me know that he missed me. He told me he was losing his fight with cancer but how fortunate he was because he had the love of his life, kids, grandkids, and before illness took him a wonderful career. Then he grabbed my hands and gave me a little kiss and it was then that I realized how fortunate I have been and that I needed to throw caution to wind and embark upon this journey with arms and eyes wide open.

Tomorrow and Sunday we will do a little sightseeing and then head for Illinois on Monday. We plan to visit my sister before we visit my Aunt. I will leave you with the Willie Nelson song that prompted this... it was also sung by Kermit the Frog.

Why are there so many songs about rainbows

And what's on the other side?

Rainbows are visions, but only illusions,

And rainbows have nothing to hide.

So we've been told and some choose to believe it

I know they're wrong, wait and see.

Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection,

The lovers, the dreamers and me.

Who said that every wish would be heard and answered

when wished on the morning star?

Somebody thought of that

and someone believed it,and look what it's done so far.

What's so amazing that keeps us stargazing?

And what do we think we might see?

Someday we'll find it,

the rainbow connection,the lovers, the dreamers and me.

All of us under its spell,we know that it's probably magic....

Have you been half asleep

and have you heard voices?

I've heard them calling my name.

Is this the sweet sound that calls the young sailors?

The voice might be one and the same.

I've heard it too many times to ignore it.

It's something that I'm supposed to be.

Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection,

the lovers, the dreamers and me.

Photos

I remember, when I was a child I would love to play "school." I was worse than Sister Mary Margaret, and Mrs. Franklin. In other words I was demanding, bitchy, and assigned way too much homework. It shouldn't have been a surprise when one day all of my pupils (my brother, and several stuffed animals) decided to drop out of school. I threw down my ruler and said "You can't quit school, you ain't got no education." Please forgive my bad grammar. I will leave "won't" up there as a reminder.

The Storm

Since our arrival we have experienced two storms, both rather severe. The first one occurred while we were at the store. We stood huddled by the front door with the masses waiting for the rain to cease. There was a sense of camaraderie while watching the rain fall and the hearing the thunder boomers boom.

The second occurred while at home. It was different than the last one. This was intense and I had just laid down for a nap when it started. Surely tried to stay with me but soon she was standing on the side of the loft trying to find the way down. I laid there listening to the rain, feeling the RV begin to sway back and forth, back and forth. I closed my eyes when the hail came and actually snoozed through that. I think it was because there was no difference in the sounds of the rain hitting the roof and small hail hitting the roof. I started to feel queasy due to the motion so I got down and sat with mom and watched the rain fall, feel the temperature dropped, and as it abated our windows were opened to welcome the fresh air. I love storms but I am not too thrilled with them when I am in my little home on wheels.

Location:  Sikeston Missouri

Take A Moment And Remember

With all the sadness and trauma going on in the world at the moment, it is worth reflecting on the death of a very important person, which almost went unnoticed last week.

Larry LaPrise, the man that wrote "The Hokey Pokey" died peacefully at the age of 93. The most traumatic part for his family was getting him into the coffin. They put his left leg in. And then the trouble started.

Shut up. You know it's funny.

Thanks mom for the laugh.

Why Did The Chicken Cross The Road

DR. PHIL: The problem we have here is that this chicken won't realize that he must first deal with the problem on "THIS" side of the road before it goes after the problem on the "OTHER SIDE" of the road. What we need to do is help him realize how stupid he's acting by not taking on his "CURRENT" problems before adding "NEW" problems.

OPRAH: Well I understand that the chicken is having problems, which is why he wants to cross this road so bad. So instead of having the chicken learn from his mistakes and take falls, which is a part of life, I'm going to give this chicken a car so that he can just drive across the road and not live his life like the rest of the chickens.

GEORGE W. BUSH: We don't really care why the chicken crossed the road. We just want to know if the chicken is on our side of the road, or not. The chicken is either against us, or for us. There is no middle ground here.

DONALD RUMSFELD: Now to the left of the screen, you can clearly see the satellite image of the chicken crossing the road.

ANDERSON COOPER/CNN: We have reason to believe there is a chicken, but we have not yet been allowed to have access to the other side of the road.

JOHN KERRY: Although I voted to let the chicken cross the road, I am now against it! It was the wrong road to cross, and I was misled about the chicken's intentions. I am for it now, and will remain against it.

JUDGE JUDY: That chicken crossed the road because he's GUILTY! You can see it in his eyes and the way he walks.

PAT BUCHANAN: To steal the job of a decent, hardworking American.

MARTHA STEWART: No one called me to warn me which way that chicken was going. I had a standing order at the Farmer's Market to sell my eggs when the price dropped to a certain level.



DR SEUSS: Did the chicken cross the road? Did he cross it with a toad? Yes, the chicken crossed the road, but why it crossed I've not been told.

ERNEST HEMINGWAY: To die in the rain. Alone.

JERRY FALWELL: Because the chicken was gay! Can't you people see the plain truth in front of your face? The chicken was going to the "other side." That's why they call it the "other side. Yes, my friends, that chicken is gay. And if you eat that chicken, you will become gay too. I say we boycott all chickens until we sort out this abomination that the liberal media whitewashes with seemingly harmless phrases like "the other side." That chicken should not be free to cross the road. It's as plain and simple as that!

GRANDPA: In my day we didn't ask why the chicken crossed the road. Somebody told us the chicken crossed the road, and that was good enough.

BARBARA WALTERS: Isn't that interesting? In a few moments, we will be listening to the chicken tell, for the first time, the heart warming story of how it experienced a serious case of molting, and went on to accomplish its life long dream of crossing the road.

JOHN LENNON: Imagine all the chickens in the world crossing roads together - in peace.

ARISTOTLE: It is the nature of chickens to cross the road.

BILL GATES: I have just released eChicken2006, which will not only cross roads, but will lay eggs, file your important documents, and balance your check book. Internet explorer is an integral part of eChicken. The Platform is much more stable and will never cra...#@&&^( C \..... reboot.

ALBERT EINSTEIN: Did the chicken really cross the road, or did the road move beneath the chicken?

BILL CLINTON: I did not cross the road with THAT chicken. What is your definition of chicken?

AL GORE: I invented the chicken!

COLONEL SANDERS: Did I miss one?

Family Vacations

When the day came and my divorce was finalized there was so much I wanted to do and experience. One of the top items on my to-do list was taking a family vacation. As soon as I became gainfully employed and was able to save up the money, off we went. We did float trips at the beginning and I thought it great fun to have strange men throw beers at me and I believe at one time I had quite a variety in the refrigerator (at that time I didn’t drink and hated to throw things away). Little did I know at the time my family vacations were destined to have problems. I thought it perfectly normal to crash into trees while floating down the river. Having our canoes wipe out and watching our lunch become fish food. We came back from these adventures battered, bruised, bloody, and laughing hysterically. We were easily entertained and common sense didn’t tell me to stop. One year I decided to go out of the state for vacation. We went to Chicago and I accidentally took the children to Joliet Prison. My daughter was hanging out the window and yelling “mom is that a prostitute?” I wanted to reach back and rip out her tongue. But we got through this and got back on the highway, back on track. Then we got lost in Chicago. I come from a town the size of Hooterville and Chicago is not where I wanted to be lost in. I think I crossed over (illegally) several lanes to get turned around; I know I ran a couple of stop lights but fortunately the children were oblivious to my terror. I only had one thought – turn this puppy (car) around and head home. This country girl had enough but on my way home I found the exit I was suppose to turn onto and off we went. When we arrived at our destination we had a lot of fun and it was truly a family vacation until the semi truck rear ended the car.

Undeterred I still went on family vacations and every one always had something bad happen. The trip I took to Belize with my son, Scott was great. I had my first taste of their beer and liked it. I come back from exploring, drink two cold ones, take an aspirin, and pass out until supper. We explored the Mayan Ruins, went caving, canoeing, and it was wonderful. On the flight back, my son says “mom this is the first time that nothing has gone wrong while on vacation.” Famous last words because when we went to pick up the car, it was gone. Stolen but recovered with about $4,000 damages. Then the next vacation was in Copan Honduras. Scott and I flew in and were met by the hotel van and we were ushered to our room. The next morning there was a man from the tour company we had retained waiting for us to take us to Copan. He took us to our bus and left. We were dumped in Copan. No tour guides, no help, no nothing. In Copan I learned to hitch hike, I learned to find things on my own, and I think I got married to the man who took us to the site where Mayan women would go to give birth on giant stone toads. The guide didn’t speak English but he was wonderful at pantomiming the act of conceiving a baby, giving birth to a baby, and I even got on a toad with him. When our stay at Copan was over we hitchhiked to the bus station where we caught a bus to San Pedro Sula. There we had to find a ride back to the hotel. So we flagged down a taxi, agreed upon the price and we hopped in the cab. Taxi drivers there drive 98 miles an hour, drive on sidewalks, back alleys, and have no regard for human life. I held on to Scott for dear life, said several prayers, and even managed to pick myself off the floor of the cab with my eyes closed. When we arrived we found out we didn’t have a reservation. I tried calling the tour company but no one would take my calls. The manger gave us a suite but then requested that Scott and I do not dine on the top floor where all the highbrows dined; I guess we are too much redneck for them to handle. I am who I am and I am fine with that. We did exactly what two rednecks would do on vacation, we broke into the mini bar that was in our room and helped ourselves. They actually locked it up even though it came with the room. The next day we were to fly to Rotaan Island on a party plane. I don’t like beaches I prefer jungles but Scott wanted to find a few topless women and send the pictures back home to his friends. At the airport I found out that I didn’t have reservations for the party plane, so once again I started bargaining and managed to get Scott and me on a cargo plane. They called it an island hopper. Small, dinky little plane and I am or was terrified of flying. There was no seat belts, people were standing up like on a subway train, and half the plane was filled with “stuff.” We made several stops on our way but we arrived safely only to find out, yes you guessed it we didn’t have any reservations. So we stayed in the employees quarters the first night and were given a hotel room for the duration. I paid for the room. Fortunately there were reservations made for our flight home. They finally got something right and after several phone calls I received a big reimbursement from this company. Poor Scott didn’t have any pictures to share with friends.

The latest trip was to El Remate Guatemala. Hannah, her friend Robert, and I were off to explore a small part of this beautiful country. I also wanted to see Tikal again and explore Ciebal. After Robert broke his foot horse back riding, we decided to rent two kayaks, one for Robert and the other for Hannah and me. We spent a lazy hour looking for shells, avoiding snakes and enjoying the scenery. Lake Petén is so blue it makes your eyes hurt. It is gorgeous. There is an ancient Mayan ruin under the lake which divers are exploring but as our luck has it, no one was out on the water. When we started back I noticed that Hannah and I were taking on water and immediately started bailing, then the wind kicked up and things went from bad to worse. The weight of the water plus the wind caused the kayak to flip over and the next thing I know Hannah and I are out in the middle of the lake. You could say we were up the proverbial river without a kayak. I know you can hang onto your oar for a floatation device but the damn thing sunk. Hannah is flipping out, Robert is rowing towards us, and when he reached us, I decided to switch kayaks. Ours had rolled completely over and there was enough air inside it to keep it afloat but I wasn’t sure how much weight it could hold. Being short in stature and having more upper body strength I had Robert crawled on the kayak that Hannah and I were in and I pushed Hannah onto Robert’s kayak. She tried desperately to pull me up but I will admit that I am a little overweight and the efforts were futile. Visualize this – we are in the middle of this lake, Robert is sitting on the bottom of the kayak hauling ass toward shore, Hannah is on the other kayak and I (overweight and a smoker) am treading water. Kind of reminded me of the Bill Cosby comedy routine when he says “Noah how long can you tread water?” I held onto the kayak while Hannah started paddling. I managed to get rid of as much weight as I could but I could not wrestle my sandals off and truthfully I wanted to die with my sandals on because the bottom of that lake was like quicksand. Every two minutes Hannah would look at me and say “mom I love you.” Truthfully that was driving me nuts but she wanted to make sure I knew this before I sank to the bottom like the oar. Robert somehow made it to shore, turn the kayak over and started heading for town but like I said earlier the kayak had a leak. By the time he made it to the shores of El Remate the owner of the kayaks was waiting for him. As the owner explained it “I see you paddling but I no see kayak.” It was underwater but Robert was hanging onto it for dear life with his legs. He is a truly amazing man with very strong leg muscles. Robert jumps on the handle bars of the owner’s bike and they started pedaling through town to get the rescue boat. The owner had to stop several times so he could tell everyone he saw that he was rescuing two American women who were drowning in Lake Petén. 45 minutes after the kayak had flipped, Hannah and I made it to shore. I climbed on the kayak with Hannah and we started paddling back to town when I saw our rescue boat coming towards us. It was the owner and Robert in a canoe coming to rescue us. All of us were horribly sun burnt but I ended up with a strange rash. I had rashes in places that I never had a rash before and after a few days my skin started peeling and it was peeling in places I never peeled before. It looked like I was molting. My thighs stayed numb for a long time but I got the feeling back. When I got home I went to my doctor, received antibiotics and his advice was “stop swimming in lagoons.” I won’t bore you with Hannah finding a dead man on the side of a bridge.

Common sense would tell me not to attempt to go on vacation but it is great fun once the terror wears off and you are safe and sound.

It Followed Me Home

Today we rolled into a park near Sikeston, Missouri. After getting everything hooked up and the air conditioner on, mom and I sat down and started a grocery list. When we went to the car something caught my eye. It was brown and hopping up and down. I thought I was hallucinating, serious heat stroke or something. I looked closer and it was a Sugar Glider. I went in the RV and grabbed a towel and threw the towel over the animal. They may be small, cute, but they can become aggressive when stressed out. I put it in a plastic container and mom and I went to the park office to inquire about someone losing a pet. Of course they thought it was a baby squirrel, deformed chipmunk but they gave excellent directions to the Animal Shelter.

Most people would think the same, it’s a wild animal leave it alone. Most people would recognize it as an exotic and try to keep it. My question is this, what does a Sugar Glider eat? How does it drink? What type of care does it require? Does it truly belong in a cage or does it belong in its own habitat? Its habitat is not the United States. I am not a strong supporter of exotic animals. Sorry folks but that is my opinion. One of the reasons why I don’t support exotic animals as pets is because once the new pet owner realizes the care or attention the animal needs they abandon it. That is probably why I found one hopping up and down.

Kudos to the Animal Shelter in Sikeston. They immediately took possession of the little animal and the lady seemed very knowledgeable on the care this little creature needs to survive. I will admit to this, the child in me wanted very much to look at my mother and say “It followed me home, can I keep it?”

Location:  Sikeston Missouri

Van Buren Missouri

Arrived August 4th leaving Wednesday August 9th
Van Buren Missouri

We had phones but no internet. We were parked in a beautiful shaded spot, next to the river, and we loved it.

We went to Big Springs Park and saw, well a spring. One of the many sources for the Current River. You could feel the temperature change as we approached, it was very refreshing. It was too crowded so we left and came back later in the evening. It doesn’t get dark until 8:00 and it was less crowded. We decided to take Surely and let her have a good run.

Our last full day in Van Buren we went to Johnson Shut Ins State Park and it is remarkable how much work and care has gone into the park. When I was there the last time the season was changing to fall and the foliage was spectacular. It was still warm enough for Scott and I to explore. What was unusual about the state park were the rocks in the river. Masses of them and each and every one had a treasure, which was a miniature waterfall. There were a lot of people there and we joined in on the climbing of the rocks and playing in the water. When I stepped out of the car, this time, you could still see the devastation created when the dam broke. I admire the people who dug out by hand the rock and sand and saved the precious fens. They put in so much work clearing the debris but you can still see the saplings bent by the force of the water. The river that Scott and I climb and played in is completely fenced off because they didn’t have the time to clean the river. You can see rebar, trees, and brush scattered through out the river bed. It is unfortunate that the electrical company responsible for the dam didn’t participate in the clean up financially. According to the brochure, it took 3 billion years to create this masterpiece, this fragile environment and it took 3 billion gallons of water to destroy it in one day. The RV Park, the playground everything but the store, a bathroom and the gatehouse is gone. It was enough to make you cry and now it is up to a few people to try to preserve what is left.

Meramec State Park

Meramec State Park, Missouri
Arrived July 30 left on August 4th 2006

Three generations of wonderful wacky women went on this trip. As I said earlier my daughter joined my mother and I for a vacation before she goes back to the city and back to college. We stayed at Meramec State Park. We parked the RV by the river but we didn’t have a view of it because of the trees and underbrush. But you could hear it, if you sat still long enough and the river always has a special smell to me. There were several paths to the river and we spent our days lounging on the riverside and swimming. I took full advantage of having water so near and gave Surely a bath. She hates water but she tolerated the river bath well.

When we arrived the weather was so hot it took your breath away. When we pulled into the park on July 30th the temperature was 107 degrees. I set up camp, so to speak and pulled out the awning, and put mom’s rocker in the shade but we stayed indoors the first day. The next night we waited till nearly dark to build a fire and cook hotdogs and created smores. Then we went swimming afterwards. Mom sat and watched Hannah and I laughing while minnows and a couple of perches nibbled on us. She had to give it a try so the next evening she laid in the water and felt the fishes and the current. While relaxing, a huge tree fell making a quite a racket. It scared the bejesus out of everyone there. Just as quickly as it happened, things returned to normal. The cicadas with their chaotic music, the occasional bullfrog joining in and of course the horseflies all resume their lives afterwards. I think mom knows the magic a river holds.

You would think after Hannah and I’s a near death experience in El Remate, Guatemala she would learn to put on sun screen. When she left she sported a wonderful burn and several bug bites. Mom and I are relatively safe from mosquitoes; it pays to be old and tough as leather.

Once again we were without phones or internet.

My daughter left on August 3rd. Her job fell through and so she is looking. Also she received word that she can move into her apartment a few days earlier so she has a lot of packing to do.