Picture...not so perfect

Sigh. Still can't upload pictures, so it is time to try a new tactic.........go try from a different computer on a different system! That'll narrow the problem down some. That'll be tomorrow's project.

So I'll just tell y'all about our day. We have a house that we remodeled (and is for sale) that is in serious need of new landscaping, so Dick and I paid a $$ visit to Home Depot today and loaded up on various holly plants for the remodel, plus a half dozen or so for our own (new) house that is seriously lacking in the landscaping department. No, they aren't in the ground yet, but that'll be soon. Pray for the plants......and more rain!

And being Queen of the Office, I spent the afternoon doing blasted paperwork and all other fun stuff that had been waiting for me while we were off RVing. And I am seriously trying to finish moving in.......you know, empty at least one box a day, put things away where they need to be....and then try to remember where we put them! Dick had to ask me where the watering can is today. Hmmm, it was in one place for the past 20 years, and now this new learning curve.

Speaking of spending bucks today, here is a shopping chuckle for y'all:

Seems there was this preacher's wife who decided along with her husband that they really had to save more and spend less starting in the New Year.
Well, she went shopping and found the dress of her dreams. It cost way too much, but she had to have it. When she showed it to her husband, he exclaimed, "After all we said about spending less money, how could you?"
She replied, "The devil made me do it."
"Didn't you tell him 'Get thee behind me, Satan' ?" asked the exasperated preacher.
"I certainly did," she replied, "but he said: 'It really looks great from the back!!!' "

Banging my head here...

OK, so on Saturday I can upload images...Sunday, I can't. And still can't. Urrggghhh. I didn't change any settings..............I have emptied out temp files, cleared cookies...yada, yada...all those suggestions to make this work. This is NOT funny. Picture me banging my head on my desk......I am definitely not a happy camper, y'all!

Great senior moment...

Going nutz here (short trip!)...*Murphy* is messin' around with Blogger and I can't get pics to upload.

Since we had some 'senior moments' this past weekend, here is a little chuckle:

A very self-important college freshman was attending a recent football game. He took it upon himself to explain to a senior citizen sitting next to him why it was impossible for the older generation to understand his generation. "You grew up in a different world, actually an almost primitive one," the student said, loud enough for many of those nearby to hear.


"The young people of today grew up with television, jet planes, space travel, man walking on the moon; our spaceships have visited Mars. We have nuclear energy, electric and hydrogen cars, computers with light-speed processing, and....," pausing to take another drink of beer.


The Senior took advantage of the break in the student's litany and said, "You're right, son. We didn't have those things when we were young........so we invented them. Now, you arrogant little sh*thead, what are you doing for the next generation?"

The applause was deafening.

Flint Riveraquarium

Whew, it is sure hot here in So. GA! We are back at the coach; Dick is napping, and I am uploading pictures and checking out my buddy blogs. Chehaw Park is busy today with loads of people enjoying the outdoors. Our family came here often when we were small. Good memories.

Hey, Bruce...and David, David's wife, and Marilyn...

Sandy, Claire and Diane...we three go waaaayyyy back to first grade together, and continued all the way through high school graduation!
Yes, we did walk through the aquarium, but y'all have seen pictures of fish and alligators before! The section on blue hole springs and how this impacts the Flint River is very interesting. Stop by if you are ever in the area.

Tonight is the last function for our class of '63...a dinner/dance that is conveniently being held here at Chehaw. The organizing committee has done a fine job...kudos to all of them! I suggested a cruise for the next gathering. Go figure! We'll pull out in the morning and head to Mayberry for our g/daugher's 7th birthday party. We are such party animals!

Class reunion social Friday evening...

Big THANKS to Susan and Carroll for hosting tonight's party in their beautiful home...it was fun, fun, fun...and Daddy didn't take the T-bird away!!! (think about that '60's song, OK?)

Mike, Dick, Mel and Kay

A bunch of folks sitting in the living room...old people have to rest, ya know! Just kidding, Bobby, Gayle and Howard!!!

Backyard gathering...I'm sure someone is talking about algebra class...if they can remember that far back!

Hey, Tommy....who are you lookin' at?
Fred, Sandra, Huddy, Eddie, Hope, Kay...

Dee and I reminiscing about all the many rides we shared between Atlanta and home...and my ex-roomates that he dated!

Lucy, Fred, Sandra

Busy bartenders...and Daryl Ann, who brought delicious pecans!!!

Kay, Anna, Sue, Nancy...always with her mouth open!
Beautiful home, good food, great folks! Still having fun together, after all these years...

Today is Red Hat Day!!!...part deux

I have to give a *shout out* to my best red & pink hat buds today...here are two of them, but there are soooo many more celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Red Hat Society TODAY. Hugs to all of my fun-lovin' sistas!!!

Jennie, Joy and Sandy

BBQ dinner at Lucy & Fred's house...

Chatting at the table after a great dinner...

Doug and Sandy
Everyone gathers in the kitchen...

Sandy, Doug and Tina
Class reunion time, so there has to be a joke, right? Here it is...

TWO WAYS TO LOOK AT EVERYTHING

My wife and I were sitting at a table at my high school reunion, and I kept staring at a drunken woman swigging her drink, as she sat alone at a nearby table. My wife asked, 'Do you know her?'

'Yes,' I sighed. 'She's my old girlfriend. I understand she started drinking right after we split up those many years ago, and I hear she hasn't been sober since.'

'My God!' says my wife. 'Who would think a person could go on celebrating that long?'

So you see, there really are two ways to look at everything.

And tonight we'll gather again at Susan's house for another fun time. Stay tuned...

From Americus with love...

Carter+ and Martha picked us up here yesterday at the cg and took us to a great restaurant over at Lake Blackshear. We took a tour through GA Southwestern College (where both of them taught nursing) before going to their house for a visit. Carter played tour director while Martha went to a meeting, showing us the beautiful, old Victorian-era Windsor Hotel in downtown Americus. The woodwork inside is really ‘old school,’ and the upper balcony outside porch could tell some tales if it could talk! Americus is filled with beautiful old homes that I never noticed in my youth when our family came up to visit a great aunt/uncle. Silly youth!

Americus is home for Habitat for Humanity and has a Global Village set up that we walked through...lots of examples of homes they build all over the world. Really eye opening what they can build with so little money (by our standards).

Dinner was at their local church, followed by a simple service, and delivery back to the coach to see two happy kitties. A good day, with good people. FYI: Carter (a nurse and former fertilizer salesman!) is the former priest of our parish, and he and his gentle spirit are very much missed back in Mayberry. Carter (widowed) married Martha after he retired, so she is a new acquaintance for us, and it was fun getting better acquainted with her today. They make a great pair...and we are blessed to call them friends. Life is indeed good. I passed on the 'hi' requests to Carter, who says HI BACK. So that was our day.

Today? Albany. How much more fun can we possibly stand??? It is class reunion time, so stay tuned for some golden oldies! Tonight is a BBQ dinner at a classmate's house for all the early arrivals. Let the party begin.......oh, first we have to close up, get on the road, get set back up, launch the satellite....gotta go! Later y'all.......

Callaway Gardens

Our arrival at the gardens was greeted by greenery, rather than flowers. The flame azaleas were still out, but even they were not in their glory. Nary a bush could I find worthy of a picture...most disappointing, but we still enjoyed the scenery, so here is one that at least has an interesting tree trunk in it...

There is a butterfly sitting on top of this red flower in the butterfly house. You can click on it to bigify. We learned that 9:30a is the best time to see the butterflies swarming. We hit during their nap time it appears, because there weren't many to see. Drat.

Here is a pretty fella...or gal. Of course the brighter blue one I was trying to snap would never land for me...

You can sit on this guy and rest your buns for awhile...

We enjoyed our picnic of smoked cheese, crackers, fruit, veggies and wine...then drove back to the coach for a short nap...surfed, played with the kitties, then this is where we went for dinner. Note the Christmas lights hanging (and turned on!) from the gutters:

It looks like a dump, but was highly recommended and this was actually our second time here. Not on this trip, though. Check out the 'lovely' front door:

Welcome to the south, where ya gotta love mama, pick up trucks, and your dog! Life is short...make fun of it!!! See y'all down in Americus for the next adventure of the week where we are going visiting with Carter+ and Martha:-)

Save the Earth...Day!

FDR State Park, Warm Springs, GA

This is a beautiful, wooded state park (GA has many of those). We have water & electric and were able to get both the internet and TV satellite systems to work through the trees. This is our windshield view of a small (by our standards) lake...

While Dick was doing his 'blue' jobs on getting us set up, I fixed our lunch and then we headed to the Little White House. I was here with a great aunt when I was 16, and this was Dick's first visit. They've added a small museum since I was here, complete with a short video of FDR and his presidential legacy. Below is a picture of the actual (small) home he lived in. The two outer buildings housed the servants. FDR died here of a cerebral hemorrage at age 63 in '45.
Say 'cheese!'
After touring the gounds, and seeing the famous, unfinished FDR portrait, we headed into town (loose term) and went to the hot springs pool that FDR enjoyed to try to improve his polio-damanged muscle tone. This building is now a small museum and is no longer used as a pool.

We didn't know that GA has about 9 hot springs in this immediate vicinity...and we also learned that FDR actually began the REA (Rural Electrical Association). He developed a great affinity for local farmers and wanted to bring cheap electricity to make their lives easier.

Today we are heading to Callaway Gardens. This might be an expensive day, since our yard needs landscaping, and I'm sure I'll see lots of plants that I'll want to bring home with us! It is Earth Day, so y'all be kind to Mother Earth, today and every day.

Just Peachy!

Yawn....we slept in, mainly because Missy decided to have her own ATL 500 in the wee hours this morning, running from the front of the coach back to the bedroom, jumping on top of us, and then completing the circuit a few more times, bless her heart, until she tired out.

Good morning! We wound up staying here at the track another night, since the Petty experience took up most of the day and the site was already paid for:-) Gotta save where we can! So this morning we'll do the close-up, hook-up routine and head down toward Callaway Gardens....and then repeat that process in the reverse. I'll definitely post pics when available of the pretty things we see, and will leave you with a Georgia joke for today (thanks, Dee!):

Copper Wire

After having dug to a depth of 10 yards last year, New York scientists found traces of copper wire dating back 100 years and came to the conclusion that their ancestors already had a telephone network more than 100 years ago.

Not to be outdone by the New Yorkers, in the weeks that followed, California scientists dug to a depth of 20 yards, and shortly after, headlines in the LA Times newspaper read: 'California archaeologists have found traces of 200 year old copper wire and have concluded that their ancestors already had an advanced high-tech communications network a hundred years earlier than the New Yorkers.'

One week later, the "Newnan Times Herald," a newspaper in the small town of Newnan, Georgia, reported the following: 'After digging as deep as 30 yards in cotton fields near Newnan in Coweta County, Bubba Johnson, a self-taught archaeologist, reported that he found absolutely nothing. Bubba has therefore concluded that 300 years ago, Georgia had already gone wireless.'

Gentlemen, start your engines...

Dick 'wannabe Petty' waiting for class to begin...

Paper work all done, all instructed, suited up, and now ready to go....

Zoom, zoom....he topped out at 143.25, just under son Brian's personal best of 147 mph...

Big grin...Dick said it didn't feel like six laps, but that's is what it was.It was fun, but no need to do it again. Actually, Dick said that driving the mountain road over Neel's Gap is almost as much fun.......and a heck of a lot cheaper!!! End of story!

Stay tuned...

Brian didn't get to join us for lunch yesterday after all. He is putting in a bathroom in his basement, and he had a crew to oversee, trips to Lowe's to make, etc. All those joys of home ownership...NOT! This is a 'fixer upper' that will eventually be a 'tear down,' but he is making improvements for his duration of ownership. Anyway, we had a nice visit with Bob & Lynne, not to mention all the good food at a family-style, all-u-can-eat place. Then they left to go park their coach in our 'old' driveway for a night or two, and will see our Mayberry kids today, enroute to NH. Got all that?

Today at 11, Dick will be having the thrill of his life...driving on the raceway here in Atlanta. Y'all check back later to see the pictures.

We leave the rally this afternoon to head to the Callaway Gardens area to be GA tourists for a few days. Dick has never been to Warm Springs to see the Little White House, so that is high on our list of things to do this week. I was there as a teenager. I'm sure it has changed a bit, and I'm also sure I'll enjoy it more this time.

Saturday, with rain.........

The DirecTV blimp wouldn't stay still in the blowing wind so that I could get a good shot of the logo on it. Drat. And I had to deal with a high fence in my way. Double drat. It is based at the airport next to the race track. We'd like to take a ride in one some day.

Our two g/daughters would enjoy having this 'baby' Airstream as a playhouse! There is a couch to the R that has a pull-out board that converts the couch into a bed (for two short folks), a small kitchen in the center, and a bath in the rear. Real cute...real cozy!
We went over to check out the RV Super Show after lunch yesterday........the seminars are basically the same each day, only offered at varying times......and the vendors are, well.....in short supply. Sure, there are a lots of travel trailers and motorhomes for sale, but this whole rally can’t hold a candle to the Monaco rallies we are accustomed to attending. Oh well...live ‘n learn.

Dick stayed to attend a seminar on IRA investing (yawn), but I headed back to the coach. I’d rather sort socks or alphabetize my spices than sit through that, but what I really did was visit a few of my fave blogs and then I stretched out on the couch and read. Ahhh, now that is a bit of luxury to me, even with the ‘racing’ noise going on in the background. We saw signs for ‘drive or ride’ on the track, and from the sounds of it, that is a popular offering. It was a sunny, beautiful day...and nice to have the windows open.

Our rally fee included dinner at Club One. Of course it started at 5p for these 'old' folks. The food was good, but the entertainment was positively AWFUL. It was a blue grass band (supposedly), but bless their hearts, they were entirely tone deaf. We ate and LEFT as quickly as we could get our feet in gear. Traffic noises back at the coach were far more welcome than that twangy noise! Back to my book.......The Kite Runner.....in case you are interested, which I finished last night and will return to Jennie. I have lots of mixed emotions about that book about life in Afghanistan over the past few decades, so now will pick a much lighter read.

Rain began in the early hours, so now it is overcast and windy. Bob/Lynne are heading to Mayberry today. We sure fooled them--we aren't there! They actually NEED to go there, as they are picking up a ladder from Dick's shop to use in their new addition...and they want to see our kids:-) Of course! We'll hopefully meet up with them as they pass through Atlanta today. Cell phones are wonderful for making these connections! It's all GOOD.

Hey from Hampton!

Here we are, parked next to a small pond on the grounds of the famous Atlanta Motor Speedway!

This is looking up the row toward the track, with only two other coaches on the other side of us.

But this is the view in front of us looking at the race track........where is everyone??? The rally folks were hoping for 150 coaches, but only 58 have signed up...major disappointment!
Dick went up for coffee and donuts this morning. I don't do mornings AND I don't do donuts, so the kitties and I enjoyed a few more minutes of having the whole bed to ourselves. Now the kitties are enjoying the view out the windshield, wondering what the Canada geese are busy doing in the grass. They both did well on the trip here, alternating between our two laps. Of course Parker is a travel pro, but this was Missy's first outing...and she passed with flying colors.

It's a done deal. Dick is back; he just signed up for the RP Driving Exp on Sunday morning at the recommendation of our son, who did it a few years ago. "Follow me, Dad".......hmmm, those can be dangerous words, huh Bri? Later...

Off we go again...

As Willie would sing, "On the road again..."

We are leaving the lake that is actually filling up (this is the cove we live on) and loading up the motorhome to take Missy on her first trip. We’ll see if she kicks Parker out of my lap! That’s his personal travel territory, but maybe he’ll share. We’ll see. We are heading to the Big A, actually the Atlanta Motor Speedway, for a major FMCA rally, meeting up with our motorhome camping club members for a fun, long weekend. I’m sure I’ll have lots of details to report as the rally progresses. Today is just for setting up and visiting around.


The rally will begin in full force on Friday. It is an RV Super Show and Outdoor Extravaganza, complete with loads of food, seminars and entertainment...and RVs for sale, of course, but we definitely won’t be tempted to do a trade in! We are mighty happy with what we’ve got.
Dick is seriously thinking of taking the "Richard Petty Driving Experience." It isn’t cheap, but what the heck! Boggity, boggity, boggity, y’all.......later!

The Lighter Side of Observations...

Here is a pretty red bud tree that is blooming near the entrance of our church. Spring is almost here in Mayberry!

The Lighter Side of Observations ~ sent to me by a friend...

Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.

I read recipes the same way I read science fiction. I get to the end and think, "Well, that's not going to happen."

Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday, lying in hospitals dying of nothing.

Have you noticed, since everyone has a camcorder in the car these days, no one talks about seeing UFOs like they used to?

You know, when you're sitting on a chair and you lean back so you're just on two legs, then you lean too far and you almost fall over, but at the last second, you catch yourself? I feel like that a lot of the time.

Lawyers are like Slinkies . . . not really good for anything. But, you still can't help but smile when you see one tumble down the stairs.

All of us could take a lesson from the weather. It pays no attention to criticism.

Why does a slight tax increase cost you two hundred dollars and a substantial tax cut saves you thirty cents?

In the 60s, people took acid to make the world weird. Now the world IS weird and people take Prozac to make it seem normal.

Politics is supposed to be the second oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first.

There is a theory which states that, if ever anybody discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There is another theory which states that this has already happened.

How is it that 'one careless match' can start a forest fire, but it takes a whole box to start a campfire?

Doctors can be frustrating. You wait a month and a half for an appointment, and he says, "I wish you'd have come to me sooner."

You read about all these terrorists -- most of them came here legally, but they hung around on these expired visas, some for as long as 10-15 years. Now, compare that to Blockbuster. You are two days late with a video and those people are all over you. Let's put Blockbuster in charge of immigration.

Happy Wednesday, y'all!!!

Beware of imposters!

Beware of imposters, especially during this political season. Check below and see if you can find the real deal...but look VERY carefully...






Keep looking.......they are out there everywhere:-)

I survived the vampire yesterday...took two tries to find a vein, darn it. Got another pre-cancerous spot frozen off...yearly event it seems. Remember when I suggested using *sunscreen*? Sigh. Wish I had never tried to tan as a teen.

Amy and Alex joined Jennie and me at lunch to celebrate Joy's birthday yesterday. Alex was his charming toddler self. And I didn't take a single picture!!! Urrgggh. Then I went and got my hair cut, followed by a return to my desk for afternoon work. Big day in Mayberry. I am heading to church to help take inventory, but will have the pleasure of an afternoon pedicure. Life is good, happy tax day, y'all!!!

All seniors aren't senile!!!

Maybe they aren't all senile, but I plum forgot to go do that pesky annual bloodwork last year.......you know, the kind that sez that my cholesterol is still good (that's what I'm hoping to still hear), so I've gotta go do that this morning, fasting, darn it. I'll be looking for a cuppa java ASAP......and I have my Nutrigrain bar tucked away for consumption after the vampire lady gets through with me. I don't want my blood sugar to bottom out!

This isn't a doctor joke, but it is a cute one from senior friend Roger, Joy's dad (Miss Joy has a BIRTHDAY today!!!). Enjoy.........


An older, white-haired man walked into a jewelry store one Friday evening with a beautiful young gal at his side. He told the jeweler he was looking for a special ring for his girlfriend. The jeweler looked through his stock and brought out a $5,000 ring. The old man said, 'No, I'd like to see something more special.'


At that statement, the jeweler went to his special stock and brought another ring over. 'Here's a stunning ring at only $40,000,' the jeweler said. The young lady's eyes sparkled and her whole body trembled with excitement. The old man seeing this said, 'We'll take it.'


The jeweler asked how payment would be made and the old man stated, 'By check. I know you need to make sure my check is good, so I'll write it now and you can call the bank Monday to verify the funds and I'll pick the ring up Monday afternoon,' he said.


Monday morning, the jeweler phoned the old man. 'There's no money in that account.'


'I know,' said the old man, 'but let me tell you about my weekend!'

Scrapping area.....work in process...

Here is my scrapbook area in the loft. Dick has worked very hard to get this all put together for me. He found the rolling carts on Ebay, but I put them together while he was measuring, cutting, sanding, and polyurethaning (he HATES to paint!) the work surface. This was a labor of love:-)

The carts are neat in that they roll about, and the tops are metal and another good work area. Two of those cardboard boxes on the floor on the R are now empty!

And then came a remodel...the area at the lower L end now has shallow wooden shelves to hold rolls of wrapping paper, bags of Christmas bows, Christmas boxes, etc. The drawers next to it hold gift wrapping paraphernalia very nicely:-) Can you tell I'm trying to get ORGANIZED?

The next project will be a tract light overhead........then we'll begin on the next wall, adding shelves over there to hold *stuff*, since it actually has a wall above that work space. Y'all can see that I have already moved some items over and am trying to decide just where I want what. It'll look better when everything has a place........and is in it. Thanks, honey! You did a great job.

Cute vet story...

Miss Missy got a good check up at the vet's office yesterday, and Parker is feeling better after a not-so-good week, so here is a cute vet story, thanks to my friend Judy:



A client brought a litter of golden-retriever puppies to my veterinary clinic for inoculations and worming. As the look-alike pups squirmed over and under one another in their box, I realized it would be difficult to tell the treated ones from the rest. I turned on the water faucet, wet my fingers, and moistened each dog's head when I had finished. After the fourth puppy, I noticed my hitherto talkative client had grown silent. As I sprinkled the last pup's head, the woman leaned forward and whispered, "I didn't know they had to be baptized."

Friday funny...

I'm busy putting together my scrapbook carts, then I need to load'em up.......and take Missy to the vet for a check up this afternoon. Busy, right? Heck, that is normal for around here, so here is a funny for your Friday:

A man was driving to work when a truck ran a stop sign, hit his car broadside, and knocked him cold. Passers by pulled him from the wreck and revived him.

He began a terrific struggle and had to be tranquilized by the medics. Later, when he was calm, they asked him why he struggled so.

He said, "I remember the impact, then nothing. I woke up on a concrete slab in front of a huge, flashing sign. I didn't realize that somebody was standing in front of the 'S' on the 'Shell' sign."

~~Y'all be careful out there this weekend, ya hear?!

Red Hat Queenies...

Red Hat Queenies, all in a row! Lunch at the Barn Door yesterday was excellent...organizer Joyce (seated in the center next to moi) did an outstanding job on getting local queens and chapterettes together to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Red Hat Society. Joy (back row, second from L) and I are co-Queens of a chapter here in Mayberry, which was well represented with several of our sistas in attendance. Bee, I told them you are gonna hurry on up here after you get done with that pesky cruise you are going on. We need our Empress back! Even big girls just wanna have fun.