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May 2010
Monday, May 31, 2010
Memorial Day, 2010. I laid in bed this morning remembering all of the people that I've known that have served or given their lives for our country and the list is quite long. It's too bad that we just never learn, keep getting into wars, and then don't take care of the soldiers when they do return. What a mess we're in right now in Iraq and Afghanistan and it just never seems to end. It looks like many of the parades and celebrations could be rained out this morning, as a front is expected to move through here shortly.

I got to thinking about this poem that I read many years ago, was able to find it on the internet. Check it out.

The Box
by Lascelles Abercrombie

Once upon a time, in the land of Hush-A-Bye,
Around about the wondrous days of yore,
They came across a kind of box
Bound up with chains and locked with locks
And labeled "Kindly do not touch; it's war."
A decree was issued round about, and all with a flourish and a shout
And a gaily colored mascot tripping lightly on before.
Don't fiddle with this deadly box,Or break the chains, or pick the locks.
And please don't ever play about with war.
The children understood. Children happen to be good
And they were just as good around the time of yore.
They didn't try to pick the locksOr break into that deadly box.
They never tried to play about with war.
Mommies didn't either; sisters, aunts, grannies neither
'Cause they were quiet, and sweet, and pretty
In those wondrous days of yore.
Well, very much the same as now,
And not the ones to blame somehow
For opening up that deadly box of war.
But someone did. Someone battered in the lid
And spilled the insides out across the floor.
A kind of bouncy, bumpy ball made up of guns and flags
And all the tears, and horror, and death that comes with war.
It bounced right out and went bashing all about,
Bumping into everything in store.And what was sad and most unfair
Was that it didn't really seem to care
Much who it bumped, or why, or what, or for.
It bumped the children mainly. And I'll tell you this quite plainly,
It bumps them every day and more, and more,
And leaves them dead, and burned, and dying
Thousands of them sick and crying.
'Cause when it bumps, it's really very sore.
Now there's a way to stop the ball. It isn't difficult at all.
All it takes is wisdom, and I'm absolutely sure
That we can get it back into the box,And bind the chains, and lock the locks.
But no one seems to want to save the children anymore.
Well, that's the way it all appears, 'cause it's been bouncing round
for years and years
In spite of all the wisdom wizzed since those wondrous days of yore
And the time they came across the box,
Bound up with chains and locked with locks,
And labeled "Kindly do not touch; it's war."


We had a very nice afternoon in Stoughton with Pat and family. His friend Dan, his 2 sons Josh (age 5) and Victor (age 4) plus his 2 dogs came down and joined us for burgers, brats, beans, and salad mad with fresh lettuce and spinach from the garden.

When we got back home we had a video conversation with Ben and Jill on Skype - so nice to see them both - and Ruby too.
May 24 - 30, 2010
Monday, May 24. It was another nice day of visiting with family, starting with Mom in the morning, a stop back at home for some lunch, then to Tom and Karen's in the afternoon. Mom was doing well, sitting in a recliner when we got there. The nurse says that she is doing well, no signs of bleeding, good blood counts, and in good spirits. The residents sat in a circle and hit a lightweight ball that the activities gal was sending their way. They all seemed to enjoy it and when she had to leave after about 15 minutes, Walter asked me to throw it, so I got a bit of a workout too.

Tom and Karen recently got an Airedale puppy, Tara, who is 5 months old. She and Frisco got along quite well, in fact, I think Frisco was a little worn out after a while. He tried to hide from her, but she always found his hiding spot. We had a tired boy tonight.

Tuesday, May 25. I just had to shut down my computer as a nasty thunderstorm just blew through the area. We had no warning, the forecast was for isolated thunderstorms - this one had heavy downpours, some hail, and some winds that shook the motor home and moved things around outdoors. My poor succulent garden got drenched - its not used to those conditions. The awning on the motor home next to us got damaged but the guy was able to get it fixed.

We were busy this morning, not sure where the time went, but it was after noon before we got our showers out of the way. I did some cleaning and Mike replaced the hinges on the bed (the bed raises up to access the storage underneath it). We had talked about going to Wisconsin Dells to the outlet mall, but would just buy a bunch of useless things that we don't need, so decided not to go there. I did drive to Madison to do some shopping - bought a useless pair of shoes that I don't need - already I'm considering a trip back to return them.

Wednesday, May 26. When Frisco and I were walking this morning, I found a huge bee hive that must have blown in from the wind. It actually appears to have at least 3 levels to it, maybe even 4. Check out the photo in the gallery.

Back to Wyocena this morning for a visit with Mom. She was attending mass when we got there, so we had some time to chat with the nurse and learned that their only concern with her health right now is swollen legs and ankles, probably caused by the flush of fluids that were given her in the hospital. We are so pleased with the care that she gets there, the staff is consistent and many of them have worked there for years. We had a nice visit, sitting under the shade of a big old tree, the birds were flitting around and chatting like crazy.

On the way home, we passed a huge field of purple lupines, I made Mike stop so I could get some photos (see the gallery).

Thursday, May 27. It was one of those perfect Wisconsin days today, temps around 80 degrees, low humidity, a light breeze, and not a cloud in the sky. The buzz of lawnmowers could be heard and the smell of fresh mowed grass was in the air. We spent the day doing chores and preparing for dinner.

Pat, Tracey, and Savanna joined us for dinner and we had a short but sweet visit.

Friday, May 28. I did my usual Friday morning garage sales in Pardeeville this morning, they were having their annual city-wide sales. They were everywhere! I decided to go there because it is only 3 miles from Wyocena, where Mom is. I don't know why I like to do this, I rarely by anything and today I only bought a couple of very nice quality kitchen knives that were sold by the American Legion - a good cause to support.

Mom was happy to see me, raising her arms for a hug as I approached her. I took her for a nice walk outdoors where we could hear the birds singing and see the beautiful flowers that grow around there. Her nurse expressed some concern that she isn't eating well and although there are no other signs, it could be an indication of something not being right with her health.

Pat and Roger picked us up this evening and we headed to the Nau-ti-gal on the northeast side of Madison, a nice restaurant on the Yahara River where we met up with Dick and Bobbie. As usual, Friday Night fish fries draw a big crowd and we had an hour's wait before being seated. That isn't a problem there, as we sat at a table on the lawn and enjoyed a couple of Old Fashioneds and had some good conversation while we waited. Pat's niece was our server and she took extra good care of us. The Walleye was yummy, as usual.

Saturday, May 29. There must have been something in that fish last night that made us feel sluggish this morning. Could it be the Old Fashioned? Whatever it was, we were pretty slow to get started this morning and got to Pat's house around 11:30. They had a garage and shed cleaning project going on as they are getting their house ready for new carpet and will need that space to put their furniture.

Mike and I volunteered to take their empty paint and other chemical containers that had built up in the garage to the recycle center in Madison. We loaded up the back of Tracey's SUV and headed to where the county operates the Clean Sweep center for disposal of items that you cannot throw in the trash - a very nice service to the community. Anything that is still usable is put on shelves and folks can get it at no cost.

We took the scenic route back to Stoughton along some of the roads that we used to drive in the Miata, the 1951 Chevy, or even our bikes. It brought back lots of memories for us.

Back at their house, I planted some vine seeds and daylily and iris plants that Pat had gotten from a friend and they finished their projects. We ordered some subs from Milio's and relaxed. We felt good that we were able to help them out a bit and they felt good to get that stage of the project out of the way. It was nap time when we got back home.

Sunday, May 30. Our day started out with a list of things that we could do or people that we could go visit, but there were limitations as we didn't feel like a long drive either. And the RV park is crowded, so we didn't really feel like sitting around here.

After chatting with the neighbors for quite a while this morning, we decided to go to Madison to check out a new pawn shop that just opened and exchange the shoes I bought last week. While we were shopping, we got a call from Mike's cousin, Louie, saying that they were just sitting around and we could join them if we wanted to. So we headed over there and spent the afternoon. It was nice, we got to see Louie & Dave, Vicki, Joan, Rick and Mike's classmate Jim. It was a beautiful day and since they live on the Yahara River between Lake Monona and Lake Waubesa, there was a lot of interesting boat traffic going by.

Back home, we ordered a pizza and watched a movie. I got a call from my niece, Christel and we had a nice, long chat - so nice to talk with her again.
May 18 - 23, 2010
Tuesday, May 18. We slept in this morning and took our time getting ready for the day, but still got to the hospital by early afternoon. When we walked into Mom's room, she was sitting up and asking for a glass of coke or a milk shake - good signs, although she was still on a diet of chipped ice. After learning from the nurse that she was doing well, they brought in a tray of clear liquids that she gobbled down with great interest. We feel quite relieved and hope that the good news continues, if so, she will go home tomorrow or Thursday.

Pat came up and had dinner with us tonight. It was SOOO good to see him again. Had a nice visit and look forward to seeing him again in a few days. He brought us some tasty Babcock Hall gouda (rated #4 in the top 10 nationwide) and pesto havarti cheese - yum!! Welcome back to Wisconsin!

Wednesday, May 19. An R and R day for me, although I did manage to run a few errands and do some cleanup on the motor home. Poor Frisco was out of food and while he and I were at the pet store, we also tried on several harnesses. I picked one called the SENSE-ible harness that has a front connection, causing slight tension when the dog pulls on the leash, thus correcting the problem without choking or causing other discomfort. I can't believe how good it works! He instantly responds to just a slight tug, and I don't have to say anything other than what a good boy he is.

It is one of those gorgeous days here in the midwest, clear blue skies, a nice breeze, and temps in the mid-70s. We cleaned the road grime from the car, the bugs off the front of the motor home, and the road grime from the back of the motor home. I don't know what we encountered along the way, but the back wall is a dull gray that won't come clean. I think it is from road construction and rain mixed together and will have to find a product that will work. I just ordered a product that is used on airplanes, a spray on and dry off protective coating that had lots of great reviews. I hope it works!

Mike went to the hospital with Dan this afternoon and I opted to stay home and take a nap. It sure felt good, although I'm not real good at naps. I've got a pot of spaghetti sauce going on the stove for when he gets home.

Thursday, May 20. I was up, walked, and ready to start my day by 9:00 this morning. I think I'm finally recovered from those long days of packing and driving. My plan was to go to see Mom this morning, but I learned from her nurse that they were waiting for some blood results and were hoping to release her. It then made more sense to wait until the afternoon and meet her back at the nursing home when she arrived.

I got busy with the laundry and grocery shopping, had time for a short rest before heading to Wyocena to see Mom and meet up with Dan and Sharon. Mom was feeling much better, but confused about where she was and we heard several times that she didn't want to be there. After our visit, we went to Dominick's restaurant in Pardeeville where we had a very un-flavorful pizza - it's too bad, because it looked yummy. Looks were deceiving in this case. The company was great though and that's what really counts.

Friday, May 21. Pat and Tracey were both off work today, so we headed down to Stoughton this morning. After a short visit, Tracey had to leave for an appointment and Mike and Pat were busy watching some of "The Pacific" series, so I went to see my cousin, Fran. I stopped at the grocery store first (I always used to say that Pick N Save was the social meeting place in Stoughton) and I ran into my friend Sue and her mother just as she was leaving the store. We had a quick chat, I learned that she recently retired, so I really hope that we can connect again before we leave the area. We have lots to talk about,especially since they plan to do some RVing during the winters.

On to Fran's house to see how she is after a winter of medical problems. Fran is in her mid-80s and has always been there for me. It was good to see that she is on the mend and her usual, cheerful self. We had a nice visit, as usual. From there, I made a stop at the cemetery at Mom & Dad's and my brother Rocco's graves. The Hosta's that are planted there really need some cleanup, so I will have to get some tools from Pat's house and get back there before Memorial Day weekend (next week).

Pat grilled some good old Wisconsin Bratwurst for dinner, had some beans and salad with it - yummy! Frisco had a great time playing with Lucky and running around that big back yard. I checked out all of Pat's gardens and we talked about some of his plans for the yard. It's kind of nice to be here in the spring instead of fall, as the plants are all just starting up instead of being fully mature. I always loved the spring around here. And we got to see Savana again too. It was a very nice day!

Saturday, May 22. A day at home, and it sure felt good. We considered several options of things to do or people to visit, but we ended up just staying here and found plenty of ways to keep busy. It was one of those beautiful Wisconsin days, with temps right around 80 degrees, a nice breeze to keep you from getting too warm, and partly cloudy but bright skies.

I did leave to go to the grocery store. DeForest has a new store and it is so much nicer than the Pick N Save in town. Last year, Burbach's was struggling and in decline from the economy - many of the shelves were empty and they were stocking only what they were sure they could sell. Their meat market was the big draw, but even that was not doing well. The place has changed hands and is now called the Red Onion and I was quite impressed. The produce section is well stocked with as much local stuff as they can get, the shelves are stocked and well organized, a full service bakery and deli, and the meat market is superb.

I brought out the grill to cook the beef tenderloin, Mike tuned in Rockin John's program on WORT (we have been faithful listeners for many years), and we enjoyed the nice evening. The tenderloin was delicious and we complimented it with a grilled onion and a fresh spinach (from Pat's garden) salad. Can't get much better than that.

I've had a couple of "it's a small world" moments this week. I was reunited with 2 of my 1st cousins on Facebook the other day, Steve and Kathy. While perusing a list of Vietnam Veterans that would be attending the upcoming LZ Lambeau event this weekend in Green Bay (a much belated Welcome Home event), I stumbled on my cousin Steve's name, a phone number and e-mail address. So I checked to see if he was on Facebook and both he and his sister have pages. Within a short time, we were Facebook friends, so I chatted with Kathy for a bit and plan to meet her for breakfast one morning next week. It has probably been 15 years since we've seen each other and I look forward to seeing them again. I think Facebook is great for that type of thing - I've connected with several people and rather enjoy keeping in touch.

As I was talking with a couple that we met last summer, both Madison natives, I learned that we knew some of the same people. One couple is Bob and Fayth, the parents of one of Pat's good friends from middle school. I learned that Fayth writes a newsletter called the Fabulous 50 Times, stories about people from her generation and news and history of the Madison area. I will be zipping off an e-mail to her and getting on her mailing list.

Sunday, May 23. Frisco and I had a nice, long walk this morning - by 7:30 it was pretty warm already and the gauge went up, up, up - all the way to 88 degrees.

Earlier in the week, when we cleaned up the motor home, the back wall would not come clean and I had tried several different products. This morning, I tried the Mr. Clean Eraser and that did the trick. I had only about a third of it cleaned when a fellow Escapee (RV'er membership) came over to introduce himself. We ended up chatting until it was time for Mike and I to head to Stoughton. Nice guy, full timing for 10 years, so we had lots to talk about.

At Pat's, I got my gardening fix. He had several projects going on, but the most immediate was to dig, divide, and relocate some Hostas (he was putting in a larger fence post and the plants were in the way). It felt good to dig in the rich, Midwest black dirt again. You can tell it's good stuff when you see many worms with each turn of the shovel. It didn't take long to work up a sweat and to feel tired from that kind of activity. Anyway, we got done what needed to be done today.

We didn't stick around too long, were back home by about 3:00, and it was nap time. I'm usually not real good at napping, but I got in a 2-hour one today.
Monday, May 17, 2010
I had a real hard time waking up today, even though I slept in, and felt sluggish for much of the day. Perhaps it is the stress of the drive, as we usually prefer to travel at a much slower pace and stop to smell the roses along the way. Again, we were on the road by 9:30. Just before we pulled out, we got a call from Dan informing us that Mom had another setback and they would do the same procedure this afternoon to try to stop the bleeding.

After 5 hours on the road, we no more got the jacks down and the slide out, when Dan called. They were on their way to the hospital, so they stopped by to pick us up. We took Frisco for a brief walk, brushed our teeth and were headed to Madison. Mom was happy to see us and the feeling was mutual. The doctor told us that all went well again with the procedure, they were giving some additional medication to settle things in her stomach, and hopefully should could start back on clear liquid foods tomorrow. She was in good spirits - what a trooper she is. She is a woman that never complains, is always cheerful, has a great sense of humor, and is just such a sweetheart. I sure hope that she gets back to normal after this.

It was another fast food dinner - I'm so ready for a home cooked meal. Maybe tomorrow.
Kellogg, IA to De Forest, WI, 274 miles
Sunday, May 16, 2010
After getting off to a late start this morning, it was another long day of driving. We decided to try to make it to the east side of Des Moines, and stopped for the night at the Kellogg RV Park ($20. It was after 9:00 when we finally got set up. Fortunately, the park is adjacent to a gas station and a cafe that serves "the best burgers in Iowa". I certainly can't vouch for that since I chose a hot dog, and Mike's rating was only an OK, but then we don't have too many other Iowa burgers to compare it to. It's time to stop eating just before bedtime and I'm also ready for some healthy green stuff. The park is very nice, the only drawback is being right next to the interstate and the roar of truck traffic all night long. Guess we had better get used to that, as we plan to stay at the KOA in DeForest again when we get back to Wisconsin.

We had rain off and on throughout the day today. Apparently, there has been quite a bit of that, as the fields and grass are a beautiful green. Wild irises, daisies, and even Missouri Primrose were seen along the roadsides.

The highlight was checking the gas mileage and realizing that we got 9.3 mpg at one point. I'm sure I calculated that right, but it just doesn't seem right, as we usually get between 7 and 8. Mike attributes the great mileage to the higher octane fuel that he put in the tank. That could be the case, as we also have not seen the "check engine" light since leaving Arizona.

The roads in this country are a mess, although Kansas has some of the best that we have seen. As I was approaching a bridge west of Des Moines, I hit a huge pothole that just shook the whole motor home - I'm surprised that we still have the front right tire.

Pratt, KS to Kellogg, IA 517 miles
Saturday, May 15, 2010
We saw parts of 4 states today; New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. It was a long 400 miles, most of it on 2-way US highway. The traffic wasn't bad and it was a pretty relaxing drive. Tonight's stop was at the Evergreen Inn Motel and RV Park ($22) in Pratt, KS.

After we decided this would be today's destination, Mike remembered that our friend Connie in Madison grew up here. As we drive around we find that we know so many people from so many places and we have visited so much of the US that something is usually familiar about a place or we can say - we've been there! The drive along US-54 was all new country for us and I can't really say there is much about the drive that will stand out in my memories. Lots of grain fields, grain processing plants, and a few risky drivers that decide to pass when they really don't have enough time to get around us.

The news from the family today has been good - Mom is on the mend and will be going home tomorrow or Monday.
Santa Rosa, NM to Pratt, KS, 398 miles
Friday, May 14, 2010
Mom was transferred to Madison last night and they are trying to figure out what is going on. Later in the day, we learned that they located an ulcer in her small intestine and were able to cauterize it. They gave her some blood and she was doing much better. Mike's siblings, Dan, Tom, and Patty are all there with her and we are wishing that we were too.

Some highlights from today's driving; Saguaro forest, evergreen forest, black lava rocks, 7,000 feet elevation, snow capped mountain tops, "watch for elk" signs, rain and fog, 90 degrees to 46 degrees. Today was the longest day of driving that we have ever done and we are beat. We were on the road by 9:00 this morning and drove 600 miles, pulling into a pull-thru site at the Santa Rosa RV Park ($25) in Santa Rosa, NM just after 9:00 this evening. Fortunately, it doesn't take long to get setup.

It's a good thing I brought along some leftover calico bean soup, warmed it up in the microwave and settled in for bed a around 10:30.
Mesa, AZ to Santa Rosa, NM, 596 miles
May 10 - 16, 2010
Monday, May 10. It was a big job, cleaning the motor home, especially after it has been sitting in a dusty parking lot for the last 3 months. Wouldn't you know, when Mike was cleaning the porch light, it broke, so that had to be replaced. Other than that, no casualties. I did manage to get a few things loaded up.

Frisco got away from Mike again this evening - Mike showed up at the door with the leash and collar still attached. He was standing there talking with a neighbor and a police woman (here to check on someone) when Frisco spotted the friendly black bunny that lives in our neighborhood. He lunged for it and chased it until the police woman was able to catch him. I think we finally realize that the clip on his collar is giving away. Fortunately, I had another one on hand. No more exciting rabbit chasing adventures for the little one.

Tuesday, May 11. Mike's phone was ringing at 5:30 this morning, a call from his brother, Dan, to let us know that Mom is in the hospital with some internal bleeding. The last few times we have talked with her, she's had a terrible cold, might have even been pneumonia, but she has been in good spirits and said that she sounded worse than she felt. Later on in the day, we learned that the doctor seems to think her current problem is an ulcer, they were able to take care of during the exploratory procedure. She is in great spirits and they are keeping her in ICU overnight. We are now thinking that we should probably reverse the direction for our upcoming trip and head to Wisconsin first. It sure is great to be retired and to have that motor home to get us where we want to go.

Speaking of motor homes, we had an appointment this morning for an oil change and to have the seams resealed where the roof and side panels meet. They called later in the afternoon to let us know that it was finished, we will pick it up tomorrow.

This afternoon, I got a call from my brother, Rick, with good news. There is no evidence of any remaining throat cancer after his recent surgery and treatment. He is feeling much better and it is getting easier for him to swallow these days. What a relief!

I cooked a whole chicken on the Holland grill this evening and it was so yummy that we couldn't stop eating it, ended up with just a few pieces left over.

Wednesday, May 12. Picked up the motor home this morning and dropped another $800 on the Bravo - the roof is now completely resealed, it has fresh oil in it, and all appliances are tuned up and in good working condition.

Later in the day, we learned that Mom is still having some internal bleeding and they aren't sure where it is coming from. They may need to transfer her from Portage to the UW Hospital in Madison for more treatment. We will pack up the motor home tomorrow and head out right away.

Thursday, May 13. Happy Birthday, brother Rick! Every time we do it, it amazes me how much stuff can fit in that little 30' motor home. It was 5-6 hour project. We sat with the neighbors and had a beer later in the afternoon and Phyllis told us that she got so tired from watching us go back and forth, that she had to go take a nap. We're pooped, but we're ready to go in the morning.
May 3 - 9, 2010
Monday, May 3. Yee Hah! The motorhome passed the emissions test - thanks to Mike and Seafoam! We were headed to Auto Zone to have the test run, drove right past the parking lot, and as we were headed back there, the light went out. We went directly to the testing place and it passed. That is such a relief! On to the DMV and the lines of people waiting to take care of business were out the door, so we went back home and will do that tomorrow when it isn't so busy. The list of things to do before heading down the road is getting shorter.

My sweet tooth got the best of me this afternoon, so I mixed up a batch of oatmeal raisin cookies to satisfy the urge. It wasn't the best batch I've ever made, due to several factors - a convection oven and I think there was way too much butter and sugar in the recipe. The texture is quite interesting, chewy inside but quite crunchy on the outside. Is you mouth watering yet?

Tuesday, May 4. It's official - we are Arizonians. The motor home is legal and insured in this state. We have now officially been residents of 5 states during our 43 years together.

It was a good day to go to the pool but a sign at the gate informed us that it is closed for repairs. Back home to read, eat popcorn, and take naps.

Pizza on the grill for dinner tonight - yum!! It turned out great - and no mess or oven heat in the house.

Wednesday, May 5. A busy day for me today. After taking a walk, doing some housecleaning and some gardening, I decided to make some dog cookies for Frisco. I had come across a recipe in the old Covance cookbook, so thought I would give it a try. It was a rather disgusting preparation that included blending a pound of liver in the blender, adding some other ingredients, and then spreading it evenly on a cookie sheet. That and stinking up the house with the smell of liver was kind of gross, but they turned out great - and Frisco thinks so too. Guess it was worth the effort.

We're off to the Cinco de Mayo festivities at the clubhouse this evening, complete with happy hour, dinner, and music. The people in this community sure know how to throw a good party. The room was nicely decorated, folks were all dressed up, food was yummy, and the dance floor was hopping. We even got out there a few times, the first in a long time.

Thursday, May 6. I started a pot of Calico Bean Soup this morning and it simmered on the stove most of the day. It's another hot one, approached 100 degrees, although the thermometer on the carport shows 100 in the shade.

We still need to get a few things done on the motor home (oil change & sealing of the roof/side panels) so we went to investigate a service shop that Mike wanted to check out. We now have an appointment for next Tuesday. After that, it needs a good exterior cleaning and to be loaded up for traveling and we will be ready to hit the road. We still are unable to come up with a definite plan, mostly to just roam, see some sights along the way, visit with family and friends again, and get back here by mid-September at the latest.

Allan and Sharon joined us for dinner and as usual, we had a great conversation. We're going to miss their company through the summer, but are tentatively planning to hook up with them in northern New Mexico for a while before returning to Mesa.

Saturday, May 8. We didn't accomplish much the last 2 days other than shopping, some household chores, walks with Frisco - like I said - not much going on. The list of things to do before we leave has many things on it, but other things need to be done first, like washing the motor home. We're waiting for a cool down on Monday to get that out of the way. Hopefully, then we can start to load up some of the things that we won't need in the house. I've been buying some duplicates, so everything doesn't need to be packed each time we decide to travel.

Sunday, May 9. Happy Mother's Day! I'm so fortunate to have 2 wonderful sons and their families. Unfortunately, it will be a sad one for Jill and our family, as this is the 4 month anniversary of Owen's death. Mike and I are glad that her mother and brother are visiting them this weekend and they are both very supportive. Last night I dreamed of how it might have been to have him around, but that isn't a good path to go down - we have to accept the way life is and try to remain hopeful for the future.

I got phone calls from both of my sweet sons this morning, it's always great to talk with them, but it meant a lot to me today. Monica had 3 long stemmed white roses and a card for me when we got to Nan and Dales. She's such a sweetie.

We are off to the historic ghost town of Jerome, about 100 miles northwest of Phoenix. We started a little later than planned, then hit a traffic jam north of Phoenix that lasted close to an hour. It was nearly 2:00 when we got there. All of us were hungry, so the Mile High Inn and Grill was our first stop - to have one of their Blue Cheese Burgers, reputed to be one of the best in Arizona. It was a half pound burger, so Mike and I shared one. Not bad - but I wouldn't rate it as the best I've had. They did make a delicious Bloody Mary, though.

We didn't have a lot of time, since we couldn't leave poor Frisco cooped up in the house for longer than 8 hours, so we checked out a few shops and galleries, then headed home. We stopped along the way to pick up dinner at the Rock Springs Cafe in Black Canyon City, one of their home-made cherry pies. Yes, we're going to have cherry pie and ice cream for dinner - we can do that - we make the rules as we go. Will give a review of the pie later.

It was a nice day, a little too far to drive for lunch, but we were in good company.
May 1 - 2, 2010
Saturday, May 1. The Cinco de Mayo festivities in Chandler included Chihuahua races, so we met up with Nan and Dale and Mike and Stella. It was hilarious, an elimination process of 88 dogs that competed for a $500 purse. Two winners of each race was sometimes difficult to achieve, as they didn't want to run to the finish line. Some of them got half way down the track and turned around, others stopped to go potty before getting to the finish line. The festivity also included food vendors, a beer tent, and music and dancing.

We headed across the square to Murphy's Pub for dinner - I had the corned beef and cabbage that was delicious. Mike's choice was the fish and chips that he also said was yummy. There were no complaints heard at our table.

Sunday, May 2. We were reunited with Diane, an old friend and co-worker from Madison today. A couple of months ago, I connected with her on Facebook, learned that she and her husband Craig bought a retirement home in Mesa and she was visiting this weekend. We met at Midwestern Meats this morning for the "breakflunch". It was great, it only took a few minutes before we were right back where we left off in the late 80's when they left the company I worked for. We had seen each other now and then since then but definitely not in the last 10 years. We're looking forward to helping them adjust to their retirement in a couple of years.

It was a VERY windy day today and that must be why I had a sneezing attack - 8 in a row - it kind of felt like my childhood days during hay fever season. The winds were gusting at up to 40 mph. I had to call on my old friend, Benadryl to help me out.

Created on 05/02/2010 10:26 AM by bridge
Updated on 05/31/2010 08:09 PM by bridge
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