Because We Can - Fulltime RV'ing




Journal Archive 5/1 - 5/10 2011

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May 1 Sunday

One more day

Sign

Sign

Sign

Sign

Sign

Decided that the easiest way to walk to where I could see the sign this morning was to walk down the main road, then across the field to where I took yesterdays photo. As you can see, this looks like the last time I will be able to see the sign.

Ditch

This is looking back towards the park from the road where up until yesterday I was able to see that sign. The ditch to the left was the one I walked across yesterday, but not today. Interesting to watch the movement of water in the ditch and realize it is flowing in the direction the photo is taken, which is uphill.

Water

The end of the road where I had been taking the photos of the sign. Actually where I had been standing in the past to take the photos is far to the right and is all under water. To walk down here every morning and see what is happening is amazing. The water just keeps coming.

Field

The view of the field across the main road when standing at the bottom of the hill that leads up to where the coach is parked. When I went to pay for more camping, they would only take my money for two nights as they are now on a day to day basis as to when the park will be closing. This was also the day, 148 years ago when, after General Grant's army crossed the Mississippi below Port Gibson in the night, it began its march north towards Vicksburg, the rest of which as they say, is history.

Stove

While cooking my breakfast I managed to spilled some garlic powder on the stove. It wasn't much of a mess, but I know that Linda is going to be looking at everything when she comes back, not to be critical, but with an eye to what I did while she was gone, and what I left for her to do. The plan is for there to be nothing for her to do so she can rest for a couple days. The last time the stove was this clean wasn't the last time Linda cleaned it, it was just a couple of days ago because, Linda, I have worked hard at keeping things neat, orderly and clean.

Wash

While there wasn't much to wash, I still washed a load, wanting to make sure that everything is clean when she returns. Tomorrow will be a long day because I know I will be awake early due to the excitement of Linda returning, then her plane doesn't arrive until nearly midnight, meaning we won't be back here until around 2am. Doesn't matter that we may need to leave the following day, though I don't think the flood waters will be that high yet, but the drinking water and the electric may be a different story. It's going to be interesting.

Flowers

Even though the waters are rising, there is still beauty to be seen. Life is like the Trees and the Forest. What you see is in how you interpret what you are looking at, not what your eyes see.


May 2 Monday

No more sign

Sign

Sign

Sign

Sign

Sign

Sign

As predicted, the sign has disappeared under the waters of the Mississippi. I could still walk out the road, but not nearly as far, and it may only be one more day that this road will remain above water. Hopefully they will blow up that levee in Missouri and relieve some of the potential for flooding at other points on the River.

Ditch

Ditch

As you can see, I couldn't get as far out onto the road to take the same photo today. The ditch is far more than a ditch and the water is spreading over the field on that side of the road now.

Worms

Just beyond the water that can be seen on the road in that last photo was this. Worms, hundreds, if not thousands of worms. There are also all kinds of flying things that are small and bite, as well as creepy things that crawl. When I stood in the very shallow water of the road, it was long before my feet were covered with "things".

Curve

I've switched to a different sign, which it is where the above photos were taken. And while it is not likely to ever be under water, at least while we are here, it probably won't be long until I can't walk out there to take nearby photos.

Foot

One of the problems with trying to walk most anywhere off the road is that while it doesn't look like there is water there from a distance, once you take a few steps, this is what you are in. The water comes and it comes.

Up

Down around the corner from the park are a number of structures that are elevated, some more than others. There were also a number of trailers parked there before this weekend, now they are all gone. It looks like it will take a few days for the water to cross the road at this point so I should be able to walk down here for a while. The water is higher on some the structures that are further away, but it is hard to get up close to take photos. Now I know why they are always riding around in boats during floods.

Smile

She's back!! Left for the airport at 10 o'clock and walked into the terminal just after 11:30. The board was showing her flight was now arriving at 11:53, but didn't happen. At 12:22 she was the first one to walk out from the concourse, looking a little lost, or maybe it was sleepy, but just like with all fairy tales, a kiss from her Prince Charming made all well.

it was 1:59 when I opened the door to the coach, and less than 5 minutes later the bear was once again slumbering in it lair. Life is good.


May 3 Tuesday

Day of rest

Sign

Sign

Sign

Sign

Sign

Sign

Sign

No new sign photos, there is no way to get anywhere close to the place I was taking those sign photos. Down this road and into the trees at the very end was where I had been standing to take the photos in this series.

Ditch

Ditch

These are the old ditch photos and just as with the sign photo, I can not get anywhere near this spot anymore.

Curve

Curve

"I've switched to a different sign, which is where the above photos were taken. And while it is not likely to ever be under water, at least while we are here, it probably won't be long until I can't walk out there to take nearby photos." The quote was what I wrote yesterday, the lower photo is of the same view today. The water has already risen to the point that the entire field across the road will possibly be under water in just a few days.

Pack

Stopping by the museum we found a flurry of activity. All the contents were being packed up and taken to higher ground. The outside artifacts were also being moved to higher ground, as they had been informed last night that the expected crest had been raised by another four feet. They also let us know that we should probably plan on leaving on Thursday even though they haven't set a definite closing date yet.

Photo

Finally, a photo of Linda taking a photo. I was so out of practice that I almost didn't get my camera out in time. When she realized what I was doing, I got one of those million watt smiles, and she pretended to take another photo so I could take mine. Could it be that she really did miss these things she always complains about when she was gone? And she is not taking a picture of the fire hydrant. There was woodpecker sitting on the fence post behind it, a photo of which will likely appear on her blog.

Snake

This one is for my son who is always telling me to watch out for snakes in the grass around the edge of the flood waters. This one isn't going anywhere, but now I know he wasn't just saying that because he and I once saw a dead snake after a flood, back when he was a little boy. I'll be careful Rich, especially with mom along.

We really shouldn't worry about snakes though, because when I mentioned to Linda that there was a snake in the grass over there, SNAKE!! WHERE!! WHERE'S A SNAKE!!! was what immediately came out, and any snake nearby would have immediately headed for the high hills. If it could of crawled away with the ground shaking from her feet stomping up and down like they were, that is.

Smile

I have to say it, the grizzly hibernated almost into summer, as it was a few minutes before noon when she made her first appearance of the day. Besides the walk, we also went into town to do some grocery shopping. This is the photo she wanted me to show.

Snarl

This is the photo I was not allowed to show.

Sleep

And this is what she did on and off during the day. It looks like Life has almost returned to normal.


May 4 Wednesday

Last day at Grand Gulf

Sign

Sign

I will close out the sign photos with today's photo. This gate is at the entrance by the main road and in only a day or two it is where the water level will be.

Water

No more ditch photos or curve sign photos. Water, water everywhere and rising to spread out even farther.

Move

We are parked up high, in the trees at our RV site. We walk down the hill, see the water slowing flooding the land, take some photos, see them moving the artifacts out of the museum and write about the water. But that leaves out the real story of what is happening. It leaves out all the other people who are affected by the Mississippi.

I haven't mentioned the heavy earth moving equipment we have seen going down the road past the park. I haven't mentioned the trucks that move mobile homes driving past the park. I haven't mentioned the pickup trucks with trailers loaded with household items that we see going past the park.

Grand Gulf is a ghost town now in more ways than one. The bare dirt where only a short time ago a trailer or mobile home was parked, sometimes elevated high up on concrete blocks. That height was sufficient for previous floods, but not this one. This house with the water now only feet from it, being emptied, but what of the people who live there? How easy it is to see the water, how difficult to realize the real impact on the people.

Pack

As was the case yesterday, the museum was once again the scene of much activity. It is literally being cleaned out down to the bare walls. I was amazed at how much the strain of accomplishing all this was showing on those involved. Over the past four weeks I have come to know them from my time down at the museum, know of their appreciation of what the museum preserves, the emotions that must be buffeting them as they strive to keep the River from sweeping away those bits of history.

Talk

With this being a historic flood, the local TV stations are doing stories on how the rising waters are affecting people. Here is a reporter from WLBT in Jackson interviewing a local about when they will be evacuating, and where they will be going. Linda thought it was great that it took place close to where she was, and that she was able to take some photo's of the interview.

Tire

As part of the story, they were interested in what last minute preparations the evacuees were making. Here is that same person who was interviewed on camera making sure the tires have the correct pressure, while the TV cameraman captures the action.

After they left, Linda said she couldn't have done what I just did. Rather than say something wrong I just shrugged my shoulders and walked away. However, the next time I have to check the air in the tires I think I'll see if she wants to help me, because I know she could do it if she tried.

Actually it isn't everyday that you get interviewed by a TV reporter, and in case anyone wants to see it, here it is. It starts with a 15 second commercial, then once the story starts, the part where Linda and I are shown is about half way in, but the whole piece is great as it describes what is actually happening. Plus Linda finally got to be on television doing what she does best.

Lake

Looks like a lake across the road from the park, but it is just the Mississippi River.

Look

Yes, but it is not what you think it is. Linda's propensity to snoop has not rubbed off on me, I was only peeking out the window at what was going on next door so I could describe it to Linda, who I thought was sitting at her computer doing her Facebook thing, not taking photos of me.

Red

What I was trying to describe to her. The 5th wheel parked next to us was being moved out. This wasn't someone like us, it was a permanent resident.

High

This is the reason why everyone is leaving the park. No, it's not because a vicious grizzly has been sighted in the park. The gray box next to Linda is the electrical box for the electrical feeds to the upper section of the park. The forecast water level is above the top of that box. It does set down on the lower level of the RV park, which means that Linda's feet are probably six to eight feet above the current water level. The water is coming ever higher, day by day.

Phone

By the end of the day there were only two other RV's left, both permanents, and they were having a big get together of some kind. Tomorrow late morning or early afternoon we will be pulling out and heading up to Vicksburg for the next four or five days. The weather is supposed to be great, highs in the mid eighties, lows in the sixties and sunny skies. Time for some sightseeing and battlefield visiting. The water is rising, but Life is good, plus Vicksburg is situated on a bluff high above the river, and so is the RV park we are headed to. At least I hope that is where the RV park is located.


May 5 Thursday

Leaving Grand Gulf

Sign

There was more than a touch of sadness to this morning's walk, because we would be leaving around noon today. The water rises ever so higher, and they are predicting the road will be under water in just a couple of days. The Mississippi is already within a couple of feet of the road, having seemed to have risen several feet in the last 24 hours.

Water

Down the road, closer to what was once Grand Gulf, the water is already across the road just as we suspected it would be. All those photos that were taken to show how high the water was on those elevated buildings will have no additional photos today. The place we were taking them is now under water, as well as the road leading to it.

High

All the mobile homes that were on the ground, or on cement blocks have been pulled out. The ones in the photo were designed to remain above the flood waters, and normally they would. This flood, however, is not normal and if the predicted crest is reached, the water level would be about half way up the doors.

House

Today the water has passed the driveway of this house, which we photographed yesterday with a trailer being loaded with their large household appliances. As were were there today, the lady of the house came out and said this was the first time since 1973 that they had to empty out the house, but that fortunately, they were almost finished. With the predicted crest, the water will likely be roof high or more. While there is a sense of urgency in the leaving, what emotion will there be when they return? I know I will never be able to look at photos of flooding again the way I did before this experience.

Net

Returning to the park, we took one last walk around it, and as always, we noticed things that we had walked by many times without seeing. In this case it was a glimpse of the former life I lived. The one where I worked for a living. Just a small piece of erosion control netting, but it brought back memories of a different type.

Look

During the walk we stopped at the cemetery. Sometimes curiosity is just too much, as it was in this case. I tried to tell her there was nothing to see in there, but she wasn't taking my word for it. I knew there was nothing there because I had looked when I was here earlier. Just what is it about cemeteries that make us so curious?

Lake

It was going on 1:30 when we drove down the hill to leave the park. The view we had coming in was of a hay field. Now, going out, the view is of the Mississippi River. We will miss being here, but staying is not an option. Next spring when we are heading back out west, we will hopefully be able to stop back by and renew friendships with the wonderful people we have met at the park.

Front

The view to the front, Vicksburg style. It was a short drive, we only forgot to put a couple of things away, but when they slid off from where they were and landed on the floor we knew what they were. No damage done, but it's what happens when we sit someplace for a while. Exhausted from the grueling 45 minute drive, we rested up once we arrived, with plans to spend three nights here, that were immediately changed to four nights because of something special we discovered that we want to do. But you'll just have wait a day or two to find out what it was.


May 6 Friday

Visiting Vicksburg

Shop

24 hours ago we were walking along the edge of the Mississippi as it lapped the road back to the park. Now we are on a bluff high above the River, but still cognizant of the fact the River is flooding. However, that was not what was on our minds this morning. It was food, real food, the kind of food we usually buy at grocery stores.

That is not to say that the Piggly Wiggly at Port Gibson didn't have food, it did, but it didn't have what we were used to buying. I guess you could say that we have not adjusted to how the locals eat, and you would be right. But it wasn't only the local section of the WalMart that attracted us, it was the other items that we are used to buying, Life is slowly returning to normal, whatever normal is.

Bottle

Besides shopping, we also drove into downtown Vicksburg and walked around the old town area. This was not the highlight of Linda's day, mostly because Vicksburg is a city of hills, which is something that Linda enjoys from inside the Explorer, but definitely not when on foot. And since we were on foot, you can guess what her attitude was.

We did have an enjoyable time in the Coca-Cola museum, which is housed in the building where the the first ever Coca-cola bottling plant was located. They had a great deal of memorabilia, and we also found the history of the most famous soft drink of all, very interesting. It was only $3 to go through the museum, and while there is not a whole lot to see, if you like Coke, it would be worthwhile, especially the old bottling equipment where they filled one bottle at a time.

Jerk

One of the more interesting displays was a 100 year old soda fountain. The dispenser for the Coca-Cola was very ornate and it even had an actual soda jerk as evidenced by the photo. Unfortunately the soda dispenser was broken, so it was very little soda, and mostly jerk, but that is the way it is sometimes.

Chick

You never know what you are are going to find when you walk around these old towns, and this was one of those instances. "Take my picture in front of this house," she says. No problem thinks I. Then when I get ready to write the Daily Journal I see why she wanted her photo taken there. Note the large chicken above and to her left. That woman does love her chickens.

Food

Dinner was a combination of ingredients type of meal. We had gotten the pork tenderloin out of the freezer, we bought the fresh green beans at the WalMart this morning, and Linda used the sweet potatoes I had bought while she was gone to make a sweet potato salad. The pork and green beans, my contribution, done on the grill were fabulous. Linda's potato salad was the best we have ever had.

Eat

The smile says it all. Tomorrow we plan to spend some time at the Vicksburg Military Park, and possible find out where the 3rd Ohio Battery was located during the siege. It would be special to walk the same ground where one of my ancestors fought, 148 years ago. But if not, it will still be special to just close my eyes and imagine what happened.

To uncover the link with the past. To experience the connection of being human. The joy of life. The spirit of individuality. The adventure goes on and on. Years ago I closed many Daily Journal's with those words as we visited the places where our ancestors had lived and died. Today they are just as apropos. History, it is not not just something boring one reads in books. It is real people doing real things.


May 7 Saturday

In the footsteps of those who have gone before

Stamp

Single mindedness of purpose would be the description for today. To walk in the footsteps of those who have gone before would be another. The place was Vicksburg National Military Park. The date, May to July 1863, 148 years ago. The person, my great, great, great grandparents son, Jacob Keckley, who was my great, great grandmothers brother, and consequently my great, great, great uncle.

Before touring the battlefield we needed to stop at the visitor center so Linda could do her thing. We had been here in 2006 but that was before she acquired the book. The book to be stamped at all the National Park Service Passport Stamp locations. We also toured the displays and watched the movie to get an overall view of what took place.

Guns

Vicksburg was not a battle, but rather a long campaign that ended with a month and a half long siege that had a number of attacks and repulses as part of it. Because it was a siege, artillery played a very important role. This display of many of the types of artillery pieces used in fighting was in front of the visitors center.

Then we were on the road through the park in search of the position where I could walk where Jacob had walked. To see, even if in a modern sense, what he had seen, where I could close my eyes and relive the past.

Stand

Just feet from what is known as tour stop 1 was what we were looking for. Not far off the road was the position during the siege of the 3rd Ohio Light Artillery Battery. Had Jacob stood on the very ground I was standing on? Had he manned one of the pieces located here? Had he written letters home about that experience? The 3rd Ohio fired over 3500 rounds during the siege, and I could look out towards the Confederate lines and see where those rounds were directed.

Field

The Confederate lines were some distance away but one can see where they were. Directly over the barrel of the field piece, a large memorial is visible on the distant hill. It was on that hill the Confederates were dug in, and had their own artillery positioned.

Pose

Not only were there six field pieces representing the six pieces that made up the battery, along with a metal sign describing the unit, nearby there was also a granite monument. Perhaps at the time it was erected it was visited by some living survivors of the battery. Now it is descendants and other relatives, many generations removed that stand beside it, noting what the men who served in the 3rd Ohio Battery did here, and saying, I have a connection to what happened at this place.

Look

Meanwhile others, not directly related to the men who fought here, expressed there interest in what took place in other ways. Actually there is information stamped into the end of the barrel of these pieces and that was what Linda was looking at while I did my thing.

Close

During the last month of the siege one six pounder was detached from the Battery and placed with Battery Hickenlooper. The photo does not do justice to show just how close this piece was to the Confederate lines, and the term point blank range is precisely what it was. Of course the question I was asking myself was whether Jacob was with this piece or the main part of the Battery, something that I will probably never know. However, standing where he stood, whether here or there, is more than enough.

Point

Linda has also discovered the difference between learning history from a book in a class taught by someone who was really hired for their ability to coach a sport rather than to teach, and actually touching history. While my side of the family was fighting in front of Vicksburg, July 1-3 1863, her side of the family was in a little town in Pennsylvania doing the same thing. While not everyone knows about Vicksburg, almost everyone knows about Gettysburg.

Here she is showing her curiosity and enthusiasm about the history of the USS Cairo, an ironclad river gunboat that is on display at the park. Buried in the mud at the bottom of the Yazoo River for 100 years, it has been a treasure trove of historical information, having sunk in only minutes with the notoriety of being the first ship ever sunk by a mine. At that time the term used for the explosive device detonated against the ship's hull was a torpedo, but today it is what we refer to as a mine.

Peel

The day ended with the best spaghetti dinner we have had this side of Europe. The other day we saw a cooking show that was set in Italy and the food was just like we remembered it from our times in Italy. No Ragu sauce, just peppers, onions, garlic and slightly smashed and broken whole tomatoes quickly cooked in a skillet with just a pinch of added Italian spices, making the taste and texture completely different from the typical americanized sauce designed for American expectations. It was absolutely wonderful, enough said

Some days are boring, some exciting, some interesting and some special. As the day ended, we knew this one had been special in more ways than one.


May 8 Sunday

Good thoughts

Sign

Not every day is filled with awesome experiences. How could we possible understand what is up without there being a down, or what awesome is without there being a mediocre. Just as yesterday had an outing that resulted in wonderful and fulfilling experiences, today's outing gave us pause to realize that sometimes it is merely the experience that counts.

During the intermission of this play Linda leaned over and said, "We've seen too many professional plays." That indeed summed up our experience at the Sunday afternoon performance of the Vicksburg Theater Guild's production of Richard Van Den Akker's comedy, Fast Food.

We, along with the 24 other people in a theater which had seating for hundreds, watched and also at times heard the play that was taking place before us. We did chuckle on occasion, but unfortunately the actor whose role elicited that response was only in the first three acts of this four act play. It was a play that revolved around a number of confusing situations and perhaps that is the best way to describe it. In the advertisement for the play, we noticed the line - seats always available - in retrospect we now know why.

Mom

There are people in this world who are not famous, wealthy, or widely known. This is one of them. There are people in this world who don't know why they are given the burdens they are, but unhesitatingly accept them and make the best of what they have. This is one of them. There are people who are able to make the lives of those they touch better, often ways never understood at the time. This is one of them.

There are people whose grand daughter say's I want to be just like grandma. This is one of them. There are people that ask for nothing and give everything, this is one of them.

At a later time in life they have a slightly stooped countenance, a care worn face, but still retain their shy smile and twinkle in the eye. They are a person who made the world a better place.

The first time I met Linda's parents I instantly knew where that special undefinable something that Linda had came from. Linda's mom has been gone for many years now but her legacy lives on, not only in her daughter, but also in her daughter's daughter. Some mothers make every day special, constantly giving away their unconditional love, not always knowing that the lives of others are better because of them. Happy Mothers Day, and thank you for blessing me in ways you could never imagine during a lifetime of giving your love to Linda while asking nothing in return.


May 9 Monday

Whole lot of nothing

Park

We are staying at the Ameristar RV park, which we picked mainly because of what was said in the reviews of other RV parks around Vicksburg. As it turns out, we don't know if the problems, negatives, etc, which the reviewers experienced at the other parks are true or not, but we do know that we have certainly enjoyed our time at this park.

It is conveniently located, has wide open sites for great satellite reception, plus it keeps you on your toes with the noise and rumble of an occasional passing train. It also has excellent, very high speed wifi and cable TV if you need that. I don't usually comment on the places where we stay, but since we really didn't do anything of interest today, and needing at least something to write about, I thought I'd mention it.

Box

Linda did find one thing to busy herself with during a day when the temperatures and the humidity were both in the 90's, and it definitely was nothing that required her to venture outdoors. Knowing that we should not keep medications that are out of date, she made today, tossing the pills day.

I will not say just how old some of them where, but if some may have expired during the previous century, it wouldn't have come as a surprise. By the end of the day I'd made four trips to the trash receptacle, and Linda was having to do some condensing in the medicine cabinet to keep everything upright. Some good reading, a little TV with Linda getting to watch the coverage I taped of the Royal Wedding while she was gone, and far too much food completed the day. What can I say, some days are like that.

May 10 Tuesday

Crossing Mississippi

Inside

Just in case anyone thinks that the inside of an RV that is lived in everyday looks like something out of a manufacturers sales brochure, it doesn't. This is in no way a reflection on Linda, not even the tiniest bit, it is reality. Stuff gets set down and not immediately picked up. That adage about a place for everything and everything in its place may be how some people live, but I have to believe the majority doesn't. Remember, Life isn't a dress rehearsal, take some chances.

Water

With plans to drive across the state today, but with Mississippi not being quite the size of Texas, it will take us just a couple of hours to do it. With that in mind I ventured out before we left, walking up to the nearby River overlook, and getting that last glimpse of the River. Telephoto picture, but just like they say, the flood is coming with the crest expected in another week or so.

Linda had asked on the Grand Gulf Facebook page about the flood waters at the park, and she learned the main road in front of the park, the one you drive on to get to the park, is now under water. When we turn east today we will be leaving the River behind, but not our thoughts of it and the impact it is having on those living near it.

Burst

In the little park where I took the photo of the River was one of the more famous artillery pieces of the civil war. That's not that it was the biggest, the most accurate, or most deadly artillery piece. It was simply the only Blakley the confederates had, and during the siege, a round blew up in its barrel, after which the confederates sawed off the jagged end, and continued to use it. After the war it was displayed as a trophy at West Point for many years. It's one of those, if you're interested in the civil war you might know about it and if not, you don't, kind of things.

ice

Yes, it was time to defrost. Meridian, where we are going to be staying for the next several days at the least, has a Sam's Club, our first since the Valley, and a serious shopping trip was on the late afternoon's agenda, so sightseeing can wait. Linda had suggested in a way that only she can do, that our freezer inventory was not current and it would be helpful to update it. I will let you use your imagination to fill in the actual words and the tone in which they were rendered.

Defrost

After learning that it really does matter which side you do first and that merely saying, "This doesn't have a label, I don't know what it is," isn't an option when doing an inventory of the freezer, I had all the food out of both sides and the hair drier in operation. This was a first, as we hadn't defrosted the right side since the spring of '09 when we completely emptied the freezer for our summer in Europe. And yes, I know "they" say not to use a hair dryer to defrost your freezer, but having done it that way for over five years now, it seems to work for us. Maybe I've been lucky, or maybe I know how to do it. Or more likely, we just don't pay too much attention to the people whose lives are spent telling others what they think they shouldn't do.

Cans

Once everything was done exactly as Linda wanted it, the inventory being accurately recorded, everything placed exactly where she wanted it in the freezers, it was time to do some shopping. One thing that we always notice is that while Sam's may be a national chain with many items the same from store to store, there are always some regional and local items. Being in biscuits and gravy country, country sausage gravy was sold in abundance. In fact, when we were checking out, a cart next to us had 8 to 10 of these very large cans in it. There are some serious sausage gravy and biscuit eaters in these parts.

Cart

Even without the gravy we still managed to buy over $270 worth of food. Good stuff too, including the tiny yellow tomatoes and sweet peppers that Linda loves. It is always neat getting to buy those "favorite" things on occasion, plus we also managed to pack in quite a few impulse buys. Okay, so it was me that dropped the impulse buys into the cart, but somebody has to do it and Linda always gets a kick out of seeing what it was that I snuck into the cart when she wasn't watching.

Shop

Everyone has their way of shopping, ours is for me to remind Linda when we enter the store to look at everything that isn't refrigerated or frozen first so we can buy the frozen things last and then leave. As you can see, it never works that way. As we were heading up to the checkout counters, I hear, "Lets go through this section." This section being the women's clothes. I have to admit that the top she bought is really cute and that she made it look awesome when she tried it on after we got back to the coach. Between the top and the matching sandals, we even managed to break the $300 barrier, though Linda was quick to point out that $20 was sales tax. Plus the puddle of water from all our frozen items melting in the women's department was probably easy to mop up.

Hot

99.9°, that is hot, but the humidity also had to be nearly as high, and that is miserable. Needless to say the remainder of the day, what of it there was, was spent in the air-conditioned comfort of the coach. I did get one last laugh, though something tells me I am going to pay for it. When I put the soy beans and flavored sausages into the freezer Linda never wrote them down on the inventory sheet.

I thought about telling her I'd put some things into the freezer and she was going to have to figure out what they were. Then I though about my Life flashing before me and that last gasp of air, and decided to keep my mouth shut. Maybe on occasion those people whose lives revolve around telling others what not to do are correct.


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