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.

Today

It finally rained. I never knew how much I missed the sound of a thunderstorm. I was lying in my bed which is the cab over and the sound was more intensified than if I was in my house on a foundation. At times it was deafening but I enjoy every nuance. I am sure if I was thinking I would be terrified because an RV can be lifted and moved to an undesirable location in a heavy wind but I was too wrapped up in the experience. When I woke up this morning everything was new again. All of the dust had been washed away and everything felt clean.

Surely did not take well to the storm. She stood on the edge of the loft like a suicidal person on a window ledge. No matter how I tried to console her she still had that look of desperation. Finally I put her in my mother’s bed and she calmed down. I think it was a little to close to the ceiling for her liking.

This morning I grabbed Surely’s leash and took off for a little walk. I was enjoying the sights and as usual Surely was enjoying sniffing, which brought back a memory of me asking my friend Betty why dogs sniff all the times. Keep in mind I am not an expert and I don’t portray one in real life. I consider Betty wise beyond her years. This is what I remember her telling me.

Dogs sniff trees, rocks, bushes, other dogs’ butts because it is their newspaper. It tells them who was there, what that other dog was doing, how old the dog was, if the dog was a boy or a girl and if your dog was polite he would add his own editorial to let other dogs know what is going on in his world. Sniffing each other’s butt is not only a newspaper it is also a great big howdy and are you ready for a little bit of loving. Dog’s sniffers are an amazing thing. It’s a shame we can’t have their noses because it would stop a whole lot of trouble.

Today it is run around and do errands. My daughter will be here tomorrow instead of today because she too has errands. We are planning on leaving Sunday for the Meramec River and vegetate there for 5 days. If anything new comes up I will post but until Sunday I will be silent, if you can believe that.

Great News

LOWELL, Mass. - Jack Kerouac's "On the Road" will be published in its unedited original scroll version by Viking Press, which published the Beat Generation classic in September 1957.

John Sampas, executor of the writer's literary estate and brother of Stella Sampas, Kerouac's third wife, said he has signed a contract with Viking, an imprint of Penguin Group USA. He hopes the work will be out by the end of next year, the 50th anniversary of the publication.

"Incidents in the original were edited out of the published version because of the censorship of the time," said Sampas, who noted that some of the edited sections refer to drugs and sex. "On the scroll, entire paragraphs are crossed out and not included in the published version."

Sampras said the new version will be in book form, but taken from the original scroll. Any sections Kerouac had crossed out before turning it into the publisher will be excluded in the new edition.

In 1951, Kerouac, hopped up on coffee and Benzedrine, sat at a typewriter and began retelling the tale of an aimless trek he made across America. In a spontaneous, stream-of-consciousness burst, he typed on long sheets of tracing paper, taping each finished page to the previous one to form one continuous, rolling text.

Published six years later, "On the Road" won critical praise and became an icon of the post-World War II subculture of intellectuals, writers, musicians and rebels who identified with the freedom of Kerouac's cross-country odyssey and embraced his disdain for 1950s conformity.

The original, 120-foot, coffee-stained scroll that is yellowing with age was purchased in 2001 by James Irsay, owner of the Indianapolis Colts, for $2.43 million. The scroll is touring U.S. museums and libraries.

My Girl Surely Not

I have to say that dog is woman’s best friend. When I left my husband one of the first things I wanted was a cat. My middle child, Scott was asthmatic and the doctor said no. I ended up getting Surely Not at the local pound. She was given that name because she’s surely not a cat. I wasn’t too thrilled but the kids were absolutely delighted with her. For some reason she attached herself to me and only me. I call her my little wart. She became gray and wizen looking at a very young age. With her ruff, Poodle hair butt, and the soft undercoat of a Pomeranian she is a mess. I believe her to be a poodle, Pomeranian, terrier mix but I am not sure.

In the morning when I let her out to potty, she would throw herself onto the porch with the charge of tiger. She would bark ferociously at people passing by. They would stop, look, and laugh but this was not a deterrent. She has the heart and soul of a lion. She was the defender of the home. She was the Queen.

Surely Not knew that I couldn’t cook. Perhaps it was the plateful of leftovers that I gave her and she didn’t eat. That was no problem for her because she would faithfully run away from home everyday at 5:00 to my mother’s house and eat there. Then she would either come home or I would get her when I came up to visit. She wouldn’t even eat the dog food I gave her because she was that afraid of the food I handed her.

When Scott’s asthma was under control, I went out and picked up a cute little kitten. Surely Not immediately took to my bed, moaning and groaning. It sounded like someone was dying in there. Then she stopped eating and would only drink out of the bathtub faucet. She would lick the faucet until her tongue bled. Then she started pooping and peeing all over the place. I took her to the vet. The vet asked if there were any changes in her life because she was having a doggie nervous breakdown. The kitten was returned and Surely Not returned to her old self.

I was a foster parent doing respite care. I had to take in two small boys under the age of 7. This too made her very nervous and neurotic and she finally nipped one of the boys. As he sat there crying I comforted him and asked him if I needed to find a new home for Surely. He said yes and she was taken to my mother’s. That is when I realized that Surely Not had zero tolerance for small children and babies. I went out and found an old cat and Surely Not was okay with sharing her home with the Spookster. Later I added four more old cats and she tolerated that well. If you brought in a baby cat or even a baby human she had no tolerance for it and would do her pooping, groaning, licking, vomiting routine until the offensive infant was removed. She is the only baby in my world as far as she is concerned.

She has been with me as I raised three children to adulthood, she was my comfort during my divorce, and she was on a few of my adventures. The reason why I say a few adventures is because when I took her anywhere she knew immediately when we left town. The minute we would cross that invisible barrier known only to her she would start whimpering, groaning, panting, and shedding copious amounts of fur. Her breath was atrocious. So driving with her was not pleasant even when the kids would roll down the windows. I faithfully maintain her dental care and that didn’t help. To give you an idea of how bad her breath is, on one of our adventures out of town I noticed that the disagreeable odor was gone. I made a comment about it and that is when my daughter confessed to giving her several breath mints before we got in the car.

My favorite Surely Not story involves my father. It is not something she did but something I did to insure her place in my parent’s home. My dad had cerebral palsy, peripheral neuropathy, and was confined to a wheelchair the last 25 years of his life. Every time Surely Not would come to mom and dad’s house he would get nervous. He swore up and down that she was going to potty on his rug. So I went to the local convenience store and picked up a candy bar called “cow patty.” It did look like a big cow turd. I sat in the car and carefully broke it down to a Surely Not looking turd and snuck it in the house. When dad’s back was turn I laid it down where I knew he could see it. Then I said “bad dog Surely, bad dog.” Dad immediately swung around, and focused right in on the fake Surely Turd. I quickly bent down and picked it up and took a bite. It was a miracle, he actually stood up. To his last day with us he swears he knew the turd was fake. From that day forward Surely was welcome to his home. He never ever complained that she was going to potty on his rug. He did meet her one time with a roll of duct tape going “here puppy, puppy, puppy.” Her barking drove him nuts.

She is now 14 years old, and starting a new phase in her life. When we purchased the RV and took our first road trip with her and we crossed that invisible line she tuned up. Fortunately 28 feet dissipated the bad breath. We put her two favorite pillows on the couch and one between the seats. She whined, moaned, and cried the whole day. I told mom I don’t know what to do because I felt at that time this was too much on her. It took her two days of traveling before she realized that this was her new home. As long as she has me then anyplace is home. It goes to show that old dogs can teach us new tricks.

Wonderful News

My daughter, Hannah is going to join us on the road for a week or so. Honey to get ready to live in our little house on wheels I suggest you move into your walk in closet, with the fridge and a port a potty.

Heading to the state of Missouri tomorrow. We will have phone service but no internet.

I Am A Republican and a Realist

This is hysterical.

William Rivers Pitt: 'The Ballad of Dumb George'Posted on Saturday, July 22 @ 08:03:48 EDTThis article has been read 2431 times.
William Rivers Pitt, t r u t h o u t
"I cannot believe how incredibly stupid you are. I mean rock-hard stupid. Dehydrated-rock-hard stupid. Stupid so stupid that it goes way beyond the stupid we know into a whole different dimension of stupid. You are trans-stupid stupid. Meta-stupid. Stupid collapsed on itself so far that even the neutrons have collapsed. Stupid gotten so dense that no intellect can escape. Singularity stupid. Blazing hot mid-day sun on Mercury stupid. You emit more stupid in one second than our entire galaxy emits in a year. Quasar stupid."- "The Ultimate Flame," author unknown George W. Bush is a good man, word has it. He's plain-spoken, they say. A regular fella. A good guy to have a beer with, except he supposedly doesn't drink anymore.I wish, more than anything, that he were drinking. I wish he were drinking all the time. I wish, oh how I wish, that he were stand-up-fall-down-ralphing-down-his-shirt loaded every minute of every day. It would be a comfort, simply because it would explain a great many things. Having a drunk for a president is, after all, a fixable situation. Put him to bed at Camp David for a few weeks and surround him with Secret Service agents. Let his body clean itself out. Problem solved, and really, would anyone actually notice his absence?

Questions

My daughter likes to send me these "questionnaires" and I dutifully fill them out. I am scared that someday she is going to put together a book on me but this one I thought was pretty interesting and I will share it. It is titled "Music"

What do you listen to when you are...Driving?
Bob Carilse's song I call the Mustard Seed song
You should know me by now.
I've always been straight with you.
I've always tried to sing about the truth the way I see it,
In a mixed up world where truth is hard to find.
I ain't no spiritual superman.
Don't always give a shiny, bright example of what a believer ought to be.
I ain't never parted the ocean, though I really think I could
if I had the faith of a mustard seed, like the Bible says I should.
I ain't never moved a mountain,
I ain't never felt that need.
But the one thing God has taught me to see...
I can have faith
A mountain of hope
I can even speak with tongues of angels
Tell you everyting I know
But it doesn't mean a thing in this world
Without a mighty love


What song do you listen to when you are getting ready for bed? the soft, soothing voice of Lisa Thiel

What song do you listen to when you are mad at someone? Daddy by Jewel
Yes, I left the refrigerator door half open, Daddy
What's that say about me?
Sometimes I want to rip out your throat, Daddy
For all those things you said that were mean
Gonna make you just as vulnerable as I was, Daddy
What's that say about me?
Sometimes I want to bash in your teeth, Daddy
Gonna use your tongue as a stamp
Gonna rip your heart out the way you did mine, Daddy
Go ahead and psychoanalyze that

What do you listen to when you are happy? something loud and positive

What do you listen to when you are doing nothing what-so-ever? Brother Iz

Your Favorite...Concert? ZZ

Favorite TopBand? Bond

Favorite Album Cover? Medieval Babes always have beautiful cd covers

How to listen to music? LOUD

Something you are listening to now? chanting

Name a song that reminds you of..
Your best friend. this is so cheesy but it is "my old friend" and I think of Hannah and CarolS

Name a song that reminds you of summer. to many to mention

Name a song that reminds you of your childhood. I will follow him by Little Peggy March

Your last realtionship. "Tin Man" by Tracy Chapman. At least that is what he told me

Your city. Who Let The Dogs Out

If you could...Put together a show with 3 groups. Brother IZ, Rich Mullins, and Louis Armstrong

If you could meet any musician you could. I meet several but my favorite was Narvel Felts

If you could play an instrument. none

If you could listen to one song forever. Brother Iz

Lyrics...that motivate you
It would have to be Elijah because I have lost so many friends and this song reminds me of them and that motivates me to be the person they thought I was.

The Jordan is waiting for me to cross through
My heart is aging I can tell
So Lord, I'm begging For one last favor from You
Here's my heart take it where You will
This life has shown me how we're mended And how we're torn
How it's okay to be lonely as long as you're free
Sometimes my ground was stoney
And sometimes covered up with thorns
And only You could make it what it had to be
And now that it's done
Well, if they dressed me like a pauper
Or if they dined me like a prince
If they lay me with my fathers
Or if my ashes scatter on the wind
I don't care

CHORUS: But when I leave I want to go out like Elijah
With a whirlwind to fuel my chariot of fire
And when I look back on the stars
Well, It'll be like a candlelight in Central Park
And it won't break my heart to say goodbye

There's people been friendly
But they'd never be your friends
Sometimes this has bent me to the ground
Now that this is all ending
I want to hear some music once again
'Cause it's the finest thing I have ever found
But the Jordan is waiting
Though I ain't never seen the other side
They say you can't take in
The things you have here
So on the road to salvation I stick out my thumb and
He gives me a ride
And His music is already falling on my ears
There's people been talking
They say they're worried about my soul
Well, I'm here to tell you I'll keep rocking '
Til I'm sure it's my time to roll
And when I do
I want to go out like Elijah ....

Montrose Iowa

Today we went to Montrose Iowa. A small river town that once was a Mormon community. My g.g.g.g. grandparents, Josiah and Loly Richardson resided there.They were not a part of the mass exodus to Utah because they both passed away before that event. I stood on the banks of the Mississippi, while in Montrose, and saw Nauvoo. When the Mormons left Nauvoo they had to cross the Mississippi into Iowa and how sad it must have been to them to look back and see the city and temple they created and now forced to leave.

Taken from the Journal of Lewis Barney - On reaching the summit between the Mississippi and Des Moines Rivers the company made a halt for the purpose of taking a last and peering look at the Nauvoo Temple, the spire of which was then glittering in the bright shining sun. The last view of the temple was witnessed in the midst of sighs and lamentations, all faces in gloom and sorrow bathed in tears, at being forced from our homes and Temple that had cost so much toil and suffering to complete its erection.

My gggg grandmother who was called Loly but her given name was Lola Lowly Foote Richardson. She died in Nauvoo and her husband, Josiah died in Montrose, Iowa. I found out today that they rest together in an unmark grave in the Nauvoo Historical Cemetary.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my stay at Nauvoo. The RV Park we are in is not the best and in fact has a low rating in the Good Sam book but it is a place to park. I have enjoyed the old homes and the homes they recreated. The LDS church owns most of Nauvoo now and that is how it needs to be.

Question of the Day

I am watching my neighbor break down his RV. He dons heavy duty black gloves (reminds me of something you would use when handling nuclear waste) and works on the septic hose. He then removes his gloves and unhooks the drinking water hose. For those that don't know it is a white hose. He then proceeds to don the heavy duty gloves and uses the drinking water hose to flush out his septic hose. I am talking stick the hose all the way down and flush. Why is he so afraid of touching something nasty and not afraid of drinking something nasty. Will someone explain that to me?

Mama Does Know Best

Have you ever rolled your eyes and sigh whenever your mother tells you not to do something?  I have a list of favorite momisms, the eye rolling kind and even though I am 47 years old I still do the eye rolling whenever she says "Now don't do that..." I am sure this picture will show you that mama does know best when she tells you not to do something.

I received a parking ticket. Photo removed.

Illinois Nauvoo

Charlotte's Webb

I woke up this morning, did the usual routine. Grab a cup of coffee, a cigarette, and plopped down at the dining room table. My mantra this morning was "wake up, empty tanks, wake up, empty tanks..." and on the fourth chant I noticed a tiny green object dangling from an electric plug in. After deciding I was not hallucinating from something in my coffee I focused in on it. It was a tiny green spider. My first reaction towards an unwanted guest is to grab a shoe. Keep that in mind when you decide to drop in on me. Then the spider started sailing. Yes Sailing and again there was nothing in my coffee. Upon closer inspection I noticed it had made tiny lines almost invisible to the human eye to sail upon. I sat back down and watched it as closely as I watch my neighbors trying to set up their RV. After "sailing for a while, it would dangle, like a child in a swing. Then it would climb to the electrical outlet and leap and it would swing. It repeated this jumping, swinging acrobatics a few times then it would dangle for a while and then it would sail. I am sure if spiders had expressions this one would reflect glee. I put my shoe down. Let it ride down the road with us.

Illinois Nauvoo,

Nauvoo Illinois

On our way into Nauvoo (a little river town) the beauty of the river was enhanced by the water lilies that cover the shorelines and they are in bloom. When we first entered Nauvoo I was amazed at the Mormon temple. It is beyond my compression how they built such a building in those days. There are some of the original buildings carefully restored and others they built using similar floor plans.

Our plan after we get settled in is to explore Nauvoo.

I am interested in Nauvoo not only for its rich history but my family was a part of the Mormon history. They were there in Missouri, Illinois, and were a part of the mass exodus to Utah. I have nothing but admiration for the them because of the hardships they endured for religious freedom.

The history of Nauvoo is interesting yet bittersweet. "In Daviess County non-Mormon settlers grew concerned that the Mormons would seize political control of Daviess County. On August 6, 1838, a group of non-Mormons tried to prevent Mormon settlers from voting in the local elections at Gallatin. The Mormons fought back and defeated the mob. This was the first in a series of conflicts in 1838 that are sometimes called the Mormon War.

In the course of the conflict, non-Mormon vigilantes from neighboring counties came to Daviess and burned Mormon homes. Mormons responded to these attacks by leading their own forces up from Caldwell County. The Mormon militia and Danite groups marched to the non-Mormon settlements of Gallatin, Millport, and Grindstone Forks. They seized the property found in homes and stores and then burned the settlements to the ground. As a result most non-Mormon residents fled the county and their stories increased anti-Mormon sentiment throughout northwestern Missouri.

Missouri's governor, Lilburn Boggs, responded to the crisis with his famous Extermination Order, in which he called out 2,500 militiamen and threatened to drive the Mormons from the state or "exterminate them". The militia caused the Mormons to surrender. Most of the Mormons had left the state by early 1839, the refugees gathered in Illinois

Joseph Smith purchased land on the banks of the Mississippi. They drained the land and began building the city they called Nauvoo, "beautiful place."

The persecutions of the past were not forgotten in Nauvoo. In response to what they saw as the failure of the judicial and political systems to protect them, church leaders negotiated a unique city charter, allowing the city to become almost independent. Joseph Smith headed the municipal system, having the power to issue writs of habeas corpus which were often used to protect Nauvoo's leading citizens (and church members) from harassment by law enforcement agents of other states. The city government was a mayor-council form, and most of the leaders were members of the church. Nauvoo, like other communities, had a community militia. But where other community militias were part of the state militia, Nauvoo's was separate and mostly independent.

This army was chartered by the state of Illinois shortly after Nauvoo was established. The Legion, which had ceremonial duties within the church, soon evolved into an army whose main job was to protect the leadership of the church. The non-Mormons of the area saw this army as a threat to them.

As time went on relations between Mormons and non-Mormons in Illinois quickly deteriorated. A group of three hundred non-Mormons began to attack and burn Mormon homes in rural areas around Nauvoo. The Mormons formed a posse and retaliated. This violence was the beginning of the end for the Mormons in Illinois.
Joseph and Hyrum Smith, along with other church leaders, were imprisoned in Carthage, Illinois, to wait a hearing on charges growing out of the destruction. Although they had been promised protection by the Illinois governor, a mob was able to break through into the jail. On June 27, 1844, the Smith brothers were murdered.

In 1844 the Illinois General Assembly asked the Mormons to leave the state and withdrew the charter for the city of Nauvoo. From there, the Mormons left in 1845 to resettle in Salt Lake City, Utah."

New London Missouri

Date: July 12 through the 16th

Campground: Injun Joe

City: New London MO

We stopped for a few days in New London so we could explore Hannibal and Louisiana Missouri. Hannibal is a touristy place but enjoyable. We explore Samuel Clemens home and went to the museum. In Louisiana they have murals but unlike Cape Girardeau they are scattered through out the town. The most interesting spot was the cemetery in Louisiana. They erected a statue of a Union Soldier and reading the messages engraved at the base was inspirational.

Injun Joe Campground is a family park with a pool, batting cage, mini golf, and bumper cars. They advertised a restaurant, a roadhouse, and my advice is not to eat there. That is where I came down with a mild case of food poisoning. On the 16th we will be in Nauvoo IL.

Intervention

My mother sent me this article and I found it interesting. The Mayan Calendar also predicts a change in the year 20012, December 12th to be precise. As my family knows I have an interest in the Mayan religion so much so my past life therapist thinks that I might have lived during that time. One thing I have learned in my journeys to Central America is when you use up your resources you will self destruct. That is exactly what is happening now. At least in Tibet they say there will be an intervention and we need that. I have gotten in several debates over the significance of December 12, 2012 and believe there will be a baktun ending in 2012, a significant event being the end of a 13th 400 year period, but not the end of the world. To be on the safe side though how about we garner family and friends together on December 11, 2012 and celebrate life, love, friendship, and family.


“Remote viewing is nothing new in Tibetan monasteries. For thousands of years remote viewing in the middle of other spiritual activities have dominated Tibetan culture. What some Indian tourists came to learn from a few Tibetan monasteries under the current Chinese rule is extremely alarming and fascinating. According to these tourists remote viewers are seeing world powers in the course of self-destruction. They also see that the world will not be destroyed. Between now and 2012 the world super powers will continue to engage in regional wars. Terrorism and covert war will be the main problem. In world politics something will happen in and around 2010. At that time the world powers will threaten to destroy each other. Between 2010 and 2012, the whole world will get polarized and prepare for the ultimate dooms day. Heavy political maneuvers and negotiations will take place with little progress. In 2012, the world will start plunging into a total destructive nuclear war. And at that time something remarkable will happen, says, Buddhist monk of Tibet. Supernatural divine powers will intervene. The destiny of the world is not to self-destruct at this time. Scientific interpretation of the monks’ statements makes it evident that the Extra Terrestrial powers are watching us every step of the way. They will intervene in 2012 and save the world from self-destruction. When asked about recent UFO sightings in India and China, the monks smiled and said the divine powers are watching us all. Mankind cannot and will not be allowed to alter the future to that great extent.”

Why Was This In Today's Paper?

Troubled water
Visitors to Missouri's most popular lake find that carelessness can ruin a weekend and sometimes take a life.
By JAMES GOODWIN and DIDI TANG of the Tribune's staff
Published Sunday, August 31, 2003


LAKE OF THE OZARKS —
They come by the tens of thousands every weekend from May through September: swimmers, jet skiers, powerboaters, parasailers and partiers all jockeying for water room on the Lake of the Ozarks. But boats are getting faster and bigger and the wakes they generate more massive. A Tribune investigation reveals that a combination of rough water and simple carelessness makes the Lake of the Ozarks one of the most dangerous bodies of water in the United States.


Accident profile
Most boating accidents on the Lake of the Ozarks between 1997 and 2001 fit this profile:
● Day — Most happen on weekends.
● Cause — Most involve people not watching where they are going. Hazardous water is second. Alcohol use ranked no higher than fifth.
● Injury — Cuts top the list, with broken bones a distant second.
● Type — Collision with another vessel
● Boat — Motorboats, especially those measuring 17 to 30 feet, followed closely by jet skis. Cabin motorboats, pontoon boats and houseboats have relatively few accidents.
● Water condition — 44 percent of accidents happen in choppy water, where waves measure 6 inches to 2 feet. Thirty-five percent of accidents happen when waves are 6 inches or less.
● Operator’s age — Boaters between 22 and 40 have 42 percent of accidents. Operators 21 and younger have 26 percent of accidents.
Source: Tribune computer analysis
of U.S. Coast Guard statistics


Danger in the water
The 10 U.S. bodies of water with the most boating accidents between 1997 and 2001:
1. Atlantic coast 953
2. Colorado River 726
3. Lake of the Ozarks 725
4. Gulf of Mexico 667
5. Lake Mead 519
6. Lake Powell 411
7. Pacific coast 355
8. Mississippi River 300
9. Lake Michigan 292
10. Lake Havasu 254
Source: Tribune computer analysis of U.S. Coast Guard statistics

Updates

July 7th

It’s a quiet peaceful night, and I am listening to Lisa Thiel’s “Journey To The Goddess.”

Today we had the satellite installed. They couldn’t put the equipment in the place I wanted so they put it in the only kitchen cabinet we have. Mom is not pleased with the location They asked me if I bought my RV at a “scratch and dent” sale because of the dent.

When I drove the RV home, I captured the attention of my neighbors. Two men came out on the porch to watch me back up the RV on blocks. I thought they were all going to fall off the porch when I turned on the satellite. I turned it on in the RV and then went outside to hook up and that is when I noticed them leaning over the porch watching the top of my roof. Then a couple more came out to watch. I just knew one of them was either going to grab a gun or call the police and tell them I was communicating with Martians. After hooking up, I realized I was not going to find a signal because it is so cloudy. I switched it off and it folded up and tucked itself in its little bed. Isn’t technology amazing? Later on in the evening, I came down and flipped it on in hopes of acquiring a signal. The technicians that installed it failed to tell me it illuminated in a wonderful blue light. It was so cool I sat in the darkness watching it as it tried to find a signal. That is when I noticed the same neighbors all watching out the window. Then they turned off their lights and stood in the darkness marveling at the wonderful blue lights that the satellite gave off. These people need to get a life. They are the same neighbors that thought I was spying on them when I stepped out with my camera to take macro shots of the Queen Anne Lace that was growing on the bank.

Scott and his friends left this morning and they did a wonderful job of cleaning the house. They did the laundry and someone of them even changed the stairwell light bulb. They left three cans of beer but took the bikini.

The Spirit of the plants has come to me
In the form of a beautiful dancing green woman
Her eyes filled me with peace
Her dance filled me with peace
The Spirit of the plants has come to me
And has blessed me with great peace
Her eyes fill me with peace
Her dance filled me with peace
The Spirit of the plants has come to me
In the form of a beautiful cancing green woman
~Lisa Thiel~

On that note….. Good Night.

July 8, 2006

We are getting closer to our scheduled leave date. Mom is getting butterflies. I broke down and bought an external hard drive. I have a lot of CDs and decided to take just a few.

When I moved in with my parents to help mom care for dad I stopped listening to my music. I listened to mom’s music but rarely ever took my CDs out of the box. I added to my collection but still I wouldn’t play them. Now that time has come to sort through and decide what to take with me I realized I how missed my music.

I don’t know why I stopped listening to my music but it would irritate mom when I refused to play them. In retrospect I think it is because they are mine. Not in the selfish sense of the word though. I have music I would play rock concert loud and would dance around the room with the curtains closed. Rock star Pepper playing air guitar and singing loudly and off key. I have music that I would sing to my children when they were babies and that was special time. Memories will creep back when I played these tunes of baby smells, tiny hands, and sweet kisses on a sleepy baby’s forehead. I have music that takes me back to the time I was a small child and complications were few. “I Will Follow Him” is one of my childhood songs. Were you expecting Disney Tunes? Songs from my teenage years make me smile because of the drama. “I learned the truth at 17 that love was meant for beauty queens…” I have stories and memories in these cases that are priceless. When I played them it will take me back to those times and it isn’t sadness that I feel but joy and smiles. Okay I will admit to a few tears. Right now “Paint Me A Birmingham” is playing. What is so special about that song? It was playing on the radio and a little girl was singing to it. Only she misunderstood the lyrics and was saying “Paint me a bunny ham.” These are my memories and my times that I keep tucked in my memory and the song brings it back. There are memories I don’t wish to share, to embarrass to share, and I am frightened that if I do share it will sound silly and trite. To quote a Trisha Yearwood song “the song remembers when.” How true.

Today
I am still unable to get on the net. I can for only short periods of time. more later

Grandma Grump Is Worried

Received word over the holiday that my grandson, Hayden will be going in for medical tests. The doctors think it is Craniosynostosis. The definition of Craniosynostosis: "Craniosynostosis, also called synostosis, refers to the premature fusing of the joints (sutures) between the bony plates that form an infant's skull." Its not serious unless you chose to ignore it which is not happening in this case. Any type of surgery scares the hell out of me and especially in someone so small. He is favoring one side and that worries me. I don't see both of my grandchildren enough because of distance and in these situations I just want to see them. James my oldest son and the proud father of Hayden and Isabel will call me as soon as he knows something. I have read that Seattle Pediatric Hospital is one of the best. I will not try to worry but that is hard to do.

I remember when James was born and the doctors said he had some hard to pronounced problem. As a brand new mom I absolutely freaked out and the doctor said "It just means he will never write his name in the snow." Of course he had to explain that one to me as well and I will not explain it now. Scott was born with a short palette and I refused to let them do surgery. I chose instead to work with him and teach him how to talk and today you cannot tell he ever had this. When I was pregnant with Hannah she never moved. The boys were like football players. I could feel and see their movements. With Hannah... nothing. I told the doctor I thought she was dead. He examined me and reassured me that she was very much alive. For 9 months I felt nothing and worried.... Until she was born and I held her for the first time. Kids have a tendency without intentions of scaring the hell out of you. I just hope this is not Craniosynostosis and that it is just a flathead treatable by wearing a helmet or band.

Will keep everyone informed.

Hazmat Modine

I found an awesome group called Hazmat Modine. I put a video of them on MySpace. It is another method of keeping in touch with the kids. If you are interested in listening to them go to myspace.com/yaxche. When you get to my page scroll down to the video and click on the arrow. I wanted to put the song Bahamut on but it drives Hannah crazy. So I settled for a standard.

Fourth of July Madness

This Fourth of July was a lot of fun and interesting. On mom's birthday (July 2), we were trying to leave for Prairie Village, KS when Scott and his two friends woke up. They drove down from Independence and came in around 1:00 a.m. They brought all of their band equipment and serenaded mom for her birthday. When we came home and walked into our kitchen, we definitely knew something was wrong because our kitchen chairs were missing. Therefore, we started snooping. In the fridge, we found two 12-packs of beer, a watermelon, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and a bottle of vodka. In the living room was stereo equipment, computer equipment, and something I thought was a bong but upon closer inspection I discovered it was a potato shooter. I am old hippy and they are a bunch of rednecks. In the master bedroom, we found floral flip-flops and a bikini. Since we were staying in the RV, we went there and unpacked. Mom said I don't care what they do in the house just as long as they stay out of the RV. I opened the fridge and said "Hey mom you want a cold one?” She just about died laughing. The kitchen chairs were in the basement. They set up their band equipment in the basement and were performing with the garage door open. Scott and his friends were so much fun. We enjoyed their company.

Growing Up Growing Old

A recent entry on Robin's page made me think of friends. Friends that I feel have been called home to soon. Betty - a delightful lady with a wicked sense of humor. If your husband is blind, you need to respect his blindness. Betty respected his blindness but only to certain point. She built the house she lived in for years. An earth contact home dug out by hand and built lovingly with cement blocks. It wasn't until the kids were grown that she added a kitchen and bathroom. What made this home so unique besides being built by hand was she sent it up to where you could move the walls. You never knew where the bedrooms would be or the living room would be when you visited. Betty hated boredom, the same old same old; she lived actively and pursued life with a passion. Her home reflected this. As I said earlier, her husband Paul was blind. He would become very confused when he got home because he was never quite sure where he was when he walked in the front door. Paul was another interesting person. A man of few words but when he spoke you listened. I remember him tearing down a small house. He did this by placing ropes lines in certain places. Being blind was not a handicap. Their daughter Carol, who was born on the same day and time as I, could tell stories vividly. I would close my eyes because she could describe a bird or a leaf in such detail that I could actually see it in my mind. My last memory of Betty was not of sorrow. She had been suffering from lung cancer and whenever the doctor would tell her she only had 6 months to live she would live longer. She was that stubborn. Whenever I would take her to the hospital, she would get so aggravated with me because I drove on the wrong side of the road. She would hit me and say get in the slow lane. When I got the call that Betty would be passing over I hurried to Springfield. I was thinking, "What do I say?" How do you say good-bye? When I walked into her hospital room and saw her laying there with the usual tubes and machines it came to me. I walked up to her, leaned over, gave her a kiss goodbye, and whispered "Betty I promise you I will always drive on the right side of the road.” She laughed. There was no tears just laughter and I left feeling joy for knowing her and not just sadness for losing her.

Later

This Does Pertain

This Monday we will be going to Kansas City to visit Robert and Hannah. We will hook up with Deanie there as well. She is visiting an old friend. Friday the satellite will be installed and we will be off and running again. Later