EASTER SUNDAY NOTES

This is note the Bunny left for Nikki..”Good luck finding your eggs..signed the Easter Bunny”

BTW this is Donna, Sam has come down with a bad case of the flu, started not feeling well on Thursday and by Friday night had full blown flu. Hopefully he will be up to eating something for dinner.  Tomorrow is his birthday so hopefully he will totally well by then.

To show you the Lord works in strange ways, Andy and Samantha wanted to boil eggs so Nikki could dye them, I was at work and Sam was sick in bed.  Though they both can cook they weren’t sure how to boil the eggs. Andy decided he would text his gourmand cousin Tammy and ask her, How do I boil an egg…well, he didn’t notice that he had entered the text address for when I had my heart procedure and he was letting 15 people know how it went, so the how do I boil an egg went to 15 people. When I got home he told me what he had done and told me Phyllis said she was in the e.r with Len that he had a blood clot in his leg. When Sam had put on the blog about the procedure I was going to have, Phyllis called me right away, so I think my son’s text error was God’s way of letting me know that she needed me to contact her.  Len will be in the hospital for a few days, they have him on blood thinners and giving him shots.  Doctor told him no more driving long days.  They are full timers and Len likes to get behind the wheel and go.  So if you will all say a little prayer for them tonight I know they would appreciate it…he is going to be fine.

Well Nikki had a ball looking for the eggs and hunting for her basket…little ones make the bunny experience.  I don't get much of a kick out of Sam hunting down baskets. :-)

 

I hope you all have a blessed and happy Easter.

T.G.I.F.

Up at 04:30AM with my pretty bride and we had our coffee, Then she was off to the Truck Company & the Restaurant. Rigg’s and I had out nap. Then he was up and ready for his 3/4 cup of doggie food for breakfast. He has been slowing down since he has figured out he is only getting one serving a day and now is making it last longer.

What a Friday it has turned out to be, Sunny and right now it is 59 degrees and the snow is just about gone. It was only supposed to be 57 today but since it is only 02:00PM I look to see it in the 60’s before 5PM. Tomorrow is supposed to be more of the same.

Nicky made supper for us last night and it was as good a spaghetti as Mom makes.

I think it might have went to her head because she came over before and said . “Grandpa if you roll the dough out I will make the pizza tonight”. I said sure you have already learned pizza making before.

She is my little doll, and it is so nice she likes cooking and helping her Grandma bake on Sunday mornings.

Woke up this morning with a bit of a sore throat, so I have been spraying and sucking on throat pills today. With 3 weeks to go before Donna retires I don’t want anything ruining that.

For some reason maybe with the snow and then the Spring Break week this week seems to have flown by. I just wish the next three will go that fast. We are having visitor’s at the Ranch on the 15th of April, JAY & STELLA a couple of bloggers we haven’t had the opportunity to meet yet will be stopping and driveway docking for a few days. Jay is a retired Texas lawman so I am sure we will have a couple good happy hour discussions. and maybe even talk them into the Anhueser-Busch Brewery Tour.

Then after their visit we will be heading out for our vacation. Can’t wait.

Well that’s about it for today. Hope the weather is getting better for the rest of our friend’s , especially the ones heading north from their snowbird spots.

Be safe out there. Sam & Donna…..

THURSDAY THOUGHTS.

Up at 04:30AM and had coffee with my pretty bride.then she was off to the truck company and then the restaurant.
Rigg’s and I secured our spots on the bed for a good nap. He as usual beat me to it.
I found out that last night in the middle of the night Adam got sick and my son Andy drove him home so his Mom could give him his medicine. They think he is coming down with strep throat.
So today it was me and Nicky, she is fun to play with, and when I went to the store yesterday I took her with me and bought here a baby doll. She got home and named it Sarah and has been giving her bottles, and caring for her like a baby. This morning I asked how Sarah was doing and she said, she is still sleeping Grandpa. Babies need more sleep then us.
Nicky said she is making supper for me tonight. we are having spaghetti. I am really spoiled now that she has decided to be a cook too.
It was supposed to be cloudy with a chance of showers today, but it turned into to be a gorgeous sunny day, with a temperature near 60 degrees. Most of the snow except for the really shaded areas or where it was piled high is gone. Another few day and maybe we can try to start spring again.
Well that’s about it for now here at the Ranch. All is well, Everyone be safe out there. Sam & Donna…..

WEDNESDAY MUSINGS.

Started the day at 04:30AM with coffee with my pretty bride, then she was off to the Truck Company & the Restaurant. Rigg’s and I were off for our nap.

Nicky came over last night, and Adam got here this morning so they will be finishing their Spring Break at Grandpa & Grandma’s.

I swear every time I don’t see Adam for a week he looks likes he has grown another inch. It won’t be long before he passes Grandpa up.

Thy have been playing all afternoon and the house and dogs are loving it.

Right now it is almost 04:00PM and the temps has reached 44 degrees,out of a high of 47. The snow is visible melting with water running down the driveway and into the street out front.

Should only be a couple more days and the majority of it will be gone.

The highs for the next three days are supposed to be. 55, 57, and 59 on Saturday.

Only 4 days left to go before my birthday, I took Nicky to Wally World to get her a present today she got a baby doll. I gave Adam cash so he can buy phone time. I always rather give the kid’s presents on my birthday that receive them.

Found out my sweet Granddaughter loves hard salami. So I made sure to stop at the deli and get some more and some sandwich pepperoni. put some of that with some cheese on a hard roll and you don’t get a better sandwich.

I’m getting hungry just thinking about it. The kid’s will either want pizza or oven baked Mozzarella sticks for supper. I may just have a hard roll sandwich and a beer.

That’s about it for now the charge of the lab brigade just went down the hall to all kinds of shrieking and laughter. God is this a great country or what?

Everyone be safe out there. Sam & Donna……

TUESDAY THOUGHTS.

Was up at 04:30AM with my pretty bride and had our coffee. Then she was off to the Truck Company and Rigg’s and I were off for our nap.

It is a nice sunny day and the temperature has pretty well reached the forecasted high of 40 degrees. I can see the snow is melting and now the tire tracks in the driveway are down to bare driveway. still a lot of melting to go.

Here is a picture of our youngest cowgirl Grand in New Jersey at her ballet recital.

Meghen, The Baby Blue Bird….

I’ll bet her Mom & Tim were proud of her.

It’s another slow day here at the Ranch. Adam & Nicky are supposed to come over tomorrow and stay the rest of the week, Their Spring Break sure got interrupted by snow.

I took the truck and ran to the store this morning for milk and bread, The dumper had to go down so I pulled it down to the front behind the truck. Don’t know if they will pick it up on their normal Wednesday or if the storm put them a day late.

Like I said there is still a lot of melting to go, instead of three lanes, they have it cleared to two and piles on each side.still the driving was good.

Rigg’s is chasing something in his sleep at my feet, he is such a big lop.

Other than that nothing of note going on here. I hope everyone is having a fine day. Be safe out there. Sam & Donna………

Monday Meanderings.

Was up at 04:30AM with my pretty bride for coffee, then she was off to the truck company. I had her send me an e-mail when she got there, and she said they had cleared the roads pretty good, It was still snowing when she left this morning.
About 09:00AM it stopped snowing and got pretty clear no wind. The final tally for Dardenne Prairie, was 14.5 inches. You can see that on the roof of the Bird Motel, behind the Web Ranch.

                      Bird Motel Yesterday 03-24-13.

Bird Motel today 03-25-13 after snow ended, 14.5 inches.
Rigg’s has been in and out playing in the snow and a couple of drifts near the fence in back where it is 2 or 3 feet deep . He runs and jumps into it and gets snow all over himself.  Then he comes and knocks on the back door to come in, you have to have a towel ready to get the wet snow off him. Sadie on the other hand wants no part of the deeper snow and only runs in the path that Andy shoveled for her, does her thing and runs back to come back inside. Definitely not a winter dog.
Now it will be interesting to see how fast this late season snow melts, Starting Friday it is supposed to be in the 50’s all weekend and into next week. I am sure we will have some high waters since both the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers were high before the snow, and since we are on the southern edge of it all that snow north of us the runoff has to go somewhere. Hey when your retired you have time to sit and watch the snow melt.
From where I sit at the kitchen table it looks like traffic is moving in front of the house, yesterday it was white out conditions most of the day and we didn’t see a car or plow go by all day. The News said the highway crews took a break and came back in at midnight, so that’s when the roads must have gotten done trying to open it up for Mondays commute.
When I was a young policeman and didn’t have enough seniority to get a summer month vacation, my Mom was still alive so we would always leave around March 25th and go to Pa. for a two week vacation, Usually when we got back it was green and hot here in MO.
I’ll bet we go from cold, to hot with no in between like we did last year, when we got back from Fla. in April last year it was hotter in MO. than it had been in Fla.
Oh well we can all guess all we want about the weather but it can sure surprise you like it did us here the last couple days. Plus if you wait a week it will change.
You guys heading back to Canada maybe better wait about a week especially if your using Illinois and Detroit as your egress point.
Well that’s about it for today, go back to watching the snow melt, since it’s only 30 it won’t melt much today.
Be safe out there. Sam & Donna……..

SUNDAY NOTES.

Hi everyone, it’s Donna., I’ve taken over blog duty today. Boy what a day it is. Palm Sunday and at present we have about 8 inches of snow and still coming down. Thank goodness our TV dish is mounted on the stairs, so far have had to go ‘sweep’ it off 5 times in order to continue reception.

Riggs wants everyone to know that he had his annual check up.  He has an ear infection and has to have medicine twice a day and that he is such a good boy that we don’t even have to chase him around to put the stuff in. What he is not so happy about is the vet said he was overweight, weighing in a 110 lbs just a few pounds less than his mom, so he is put on restricted rations and green beans.  He tried to tell the vet that he is just big boned but that just didn’t fly.  Oh well he wants to be trim when he sees his girlfriends, Jodie, Coco, and Sandy in Florida. He said I had to tell everyone about my check up too, boy he can be such a nag.  My cardiologist was very pleased and extremely happy that I had quit smoking. I told him I was not pleased about the fact that I was gaining weight. Well to show you why he is such a highly paid physician he gave me great advise about how to handle the weight gain, are you ready I’ll share the secret, “Eat less”.  Guess it’s nice to have a doc with a sense of humor. Other than a test to find out about water retention, he doesn’t want to see me for a year.  And thank you all for your comments and concerns.

My original intention was to be off from the restaurant to work on taxes (yuck) but first what better way to spend a cold snowy day than stocking up on the essentials.

sugar free gooey butter cookies, grandmas applesauce cake and chocolate gooey butter cookies.

Now this is what I call a survival kit.  By the way Karen this is what the cake was suppose to look like.  Last weekend when Karen and Steve were here, I was going to make the applesauce cake to have with our morning coffee. Andy and Samantha go geo-caching on Sundays with her friend Lisa…well they were all talking while I was measuring out the ingredients.  When I opened oven to take out the cake it was about 1 1/2 inches high and pale. Then it hit me I forgot the baking soda. Of course it would have been perfect and so delicious if I hadn’t been interrupted, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it!

I did start the taxes but quickly got out of the mood, I guess working with numbers all day on a computer burns me out of doing it at home, and since we generally owe I have a tendency to procrastinate this chore.

Now Riggs is tall and the snow doesn’t bother him, but poor little Sadie’s legs are only about 6 inches long, and after all she is a girl, so doing her ‘business’ is a little uncomfortable in the snow.

Boy what we will do for our fur kids, here’s Andy shoveling the yard so Sadie has a path.  Of course this was a couple of hours ago and you would never know he did it.  Another ‘pee’ run will have to be made.

This reminded me for some reason of those big hats the British guards at the palace wear.

Well I don’t think the kids are going to have a problem finding the eggs in the Easter Egg Hunt unless they forgot to dye them.  :-)

Well guess that’s about it from here. starting to wonder if I ought to start now to make the 27 mile trek to work for tomorrow. St Louis doesn’t handling snow very well.

Be safe out there, Sam & Donna…….

Saturday Mumblings.

Slept in today until 05:00AM, Donna was off from the truck company, Saturday and Sunday is when she catches up on much needed rest.

Didn’t do much myself around here it’s been partly sunny and trying to warm up to close to 50. Tonight the temps will fall and we are due for 8 inches of snow over Sunday and Monday.

It’s sprung break this week so we will have both the Grand’s for the week. Speaking of Grand’s here is a picture of the New Jersey girls.

 

Meghen & Katie with a new foal where their Mom & my Son Tim keep their horse.

My Son was feeling better so he and Samantha made the store run today. Then Donna was off to the Restaurant for the evening shift.

Not much else stirring here at the Ranch, we have a muskrat established a burrow under our cement patio at the back door, the dogs go nuts whenever they see it. My son Andy said he will get rid of it . It’s a pretty good sized animal.

That’s about it for today, Hope all is well for all out there in Blog Land. Be safe out there. Sam & Donna……..

T.G.I.F.

Was up at 04:30AM with my pretty bride for coffee, and then she left in my good truck for the truck company & the restaurant. The check engine light came on on her Escape yesterday. So after our nap. I took it to Auto Zone to have the computer fault read. It said a spark plug miss fire.

I replaced the front three but to get to the back three you will have to remove the intake manifold, fuel injectors, and exhaust manifold on the rear of the engine. I decided to stop at three for now and put a clean fuel filter, and air filter on, and then run a bottle of injector cleaner through it for the next couple of tank fulls, It seems to be running smooth enough and Donna does mostly highway driving so maybe I’ll get lucky, if not I will have to pay to have the motor tore apart. Can’t really complain it has been a relatively trouble free car since 2002.

Other than that it was a slow cold cloudy day here at the Ranch. My Son Andy is in bed with the Flu, so no Grandkid’s will be coming this weekend, told Adam not a good idea with a baby sister at home to be around his Dad this weekend.

I just hope it doesn’t make the rounds around here like the last time he got, we all ended up with it.

That’s about it for today, hope everyone is doing fine in blog land. Be safe out there. Sam & Donna…………….

Thursday Happenings.

Was up at 04:30AM with my bride and we had coffee,Then she was off to the Truck Company and then the Restaurant. She has to stop at the Doctors on the way to the Restaurant to return a heart monitor that they had her wear for 48 hours after her last appointment, just to see how it was doing. The Doctor told here at the appointment that she is really doing fine.

My brother Bill came over this morning and installed a program in my laptop so I can program my new radio, I sent off on the internet for a speaker/mike, and a USB patch cord to connect to the computer. the software Bill put in allows the channels to be changed and turned on and off easily.

                          Baofeng Transceiver.

I have had several scanners before for receiving the police and railroad bands, but this one has a greater range and sensitivity, it was receiving NS Railroad broadcasts while the older Bearcat I had sat next to it on the kitchen table silent.

I missed a blog again yesterday, blame it on a writers block, by the time 05:00PM got here I knew I wasn’t going to come up with anything earth shaking, even Sadie & Rigg’s were a slow act yesterday.

Now today I can at least pass on that KAREN & STEVEO have arrived home today in Wisconsin with a foot of snow to be shoveled off the front steps. Boy what a climate change a few days makes. Last week they were soaking in a hot spring by the Rio Grande River.

I belong to a couple of face book pages, The HC-2 page, The USS Shangri-la page, & the USS Independence page, all commands I was assigned to in my Navy days.

I put a picture and a post on the HC-2 page today, and I will share it with you. When we managed to be at our home station at NAS Lakehurst in the summer, almost all our flights involved flying up the Jersey coast along the coast. We would always go as far as the Statue of Liberty and make a couple of hot tight circles around her,to the delight of tourists, and then head for home. And yes she always left the light on for us.

                        Miss Liberty ca 1970’s.

PS. we would also fly under all the bridges on the Hudson & East Rivers.

Well that got me thinking of a few bridges I would like to fly under between here and Florida in a couple weeks, it’s one month tomorrow that we should be heading out, if all goes well with Donna’s retirement.

Hope every one is having a fine day and that the weather is warming for you. It was a sunny but cold day here at the Ranch high of 35 degrees.

Be safe out there. Sam & Donna……

Tuesday Thoughts.

Was up at 04:30AM and had coffee and a muffin with my pretty bride, and love of my life, although Donna would say I spend more time with my bestus buddy Rigg’s. She was off to the Truck Company and then she has a 04:00PM Doctors checkup on the way home so she said not to wait supper on her. Of course Rigg’s and I got a nap then.

This is a way for me not to have to cook, a couple beers and a sandwich and I’m okay for the night.

I have a couple of new pictures, you haven’t seen. Unless we have company the good camera doesn’t get used much.

Nicky right after she got up last weekend, with her buddy Rigg’s.

When the Grand’s are here Rigg’s take up the role of a dog with his boy/or girl.

The world famous speaker rock by the Clydesdales at the Brewery.

My Son Tim & his girlfriend Bonnie in front of the wrecked pier and Rolly coaster in Seaside Heights NJ.

That pier had a big amusement park on it and went way out into the water, When the boy’s were little that was a must stop for an evening of fun., when we would visit them.

It turned out to be a sunny day here at the Ranch, it has reached the high of 46, but there is no wind today so in the sun it doesn’t feel bad.

Tomorrow morning Rigg’s has his spring check-up at the Vet’s we also have to have a small cyst on his one ear looked, I won’t have it removed if it means he won’t be able to swim during vacation, I will wait until we get home. We will see what the vet says. It almost looks like a chigger bite.

Sadie is taking advantage of Rigg’s napping and stealing food from his dish, she is really a petty thief as she takes one piece at a time and runs with it to the rug, then she will look around for Rigg’s before she goes and gets another piece.

It is now March 19,  more days this month and 21 next and on the 22ndm Donna is planning on retiring. Less than 30 days. I am counting each one.

Tomorrow after Rigg’s vet appointment I will take him for a ride and we will go to Child’s Tire Co. they are having a big sale on a lot of brands of name tires and I will get an estimate for 4 for the trailer, balanced and with new valve stems. I have decided on LT tires since most people I talk to say the are more rugged and have a higher capacity. Since we generally stay at 65 on the interstates and slower on the two lanes I think that is what I am looking for.

Won’t be long and I will be going out and starting to check the appliances get the fridge fired up, and refill the propane tanks.Then the stocking of canned goods and other non perishable food items and last a week before we leave I will stock the fridge with food and beer, water & soda. The tires will come first.

Before our guests from Texas arrive on the 15th of April, probably when I bring it the fiver home from the tire place I will park it plugged into the 30 amp in front of the garage, and that will free up the space for our guests 5th wheel, that’s it for now.

Hope everyone is having a great day, Please be careful out there. Sam & Donna……………

Monday Meanderings.

 

Was up at 04:30AM and had coffee and a blueberry muffin with my pretty bride.Then she was off to the truck company.

Rigg’s and I went into my room and set condition Zebra for a good nap.

Then I got up and read some blogs and one thing that struck me was a lot of people are heading back north from all those warm places they spent the winter, most of them live farther north than us here at the Ranch and it is still a couple weeks from a season break where we will start getting milder weather. The lows at night are still in the 20’s. I’m afraid if I lived in Canada or northern Wisconsin or the Northeast like New York, I would stay below the Mason-Dixon line for another month. Just a thought.

Today we had a cloudy drizzly morning with a temp in the upper 30’s, after about 02:00PM the sun broke out but the wind picked up to 20-25mph so it sill seems pretty cold. The things are looking a little greener with all the rain we’ve had, but like I said around the first of April this area really explodes with spring colors and flowers.

Rigg’s is outside running with his nose up enjoying the wind, must be like being in a car without the car.

Other than that it is a slow day at the Ranch ,me and the truck have stayed in, don’t spend any money that way too.

Hope everyone is having a good day and having safe travel days. Be safe out there. Sam & Donna…

Sunday Notes.

Was up about 07:30AM for coffee with my bride, then Karen & Steveo came in with Dukey Palookie, & Duckie the Duchess, naturally Rigg’s was happy to have his friend to play with.

We all enjoyed coffee and small talk,Karen & Steveo wanted to leave around 10AM to head north toward home, They are stopping at a friend Rosie’s, up in Bethel MO. before turning east to Wisconsin.

                   Rigg’s,Duchess,&Sam…

So at about 10:30AM they headed out with hugs and see ya later’s. Donna left a few minutes later for the day watch at the Restaurant.

If you have the room in your driveway or on your property for a spare RV pad, I can’t say enough for hosting fellow RV’ers or Escapee’s for a visit, Donna & I just love the good times and company we have when someone visits for a few days. We have stayed several times at fellow bloggers homes, and it is really a great way to see friends. The key is just having a little extra room and having either a 30amp post or outlet with number 10 wire put so you can run an extension to the RV, I have a 30 amp outlet in my garage that was added to our breaker panel and wired with #10 wire, you can have an RV parked in the summer and still run one A/C and not have anything get hot.

Water is not a problem as you just hitch a hose up to the house, I also put in a sewer clean out with a threaded cap next to the inside of the garage door, so if you have a macerator you can pump it into there and empty your black water tank.

For us doggies are a way of life, so we have an acre of back yard and a large run that gives the pups an exercise area plus Rigg’s is social and gentle with other dogs & people.Most of our visitor’s have pets so that gives the mutso’s a chance to have friends too.

We hope our guest’s have a good visit in Bethel and then a safe trip home.

Now we are looking forward to April 15th when  JAY & STELLA will arrive for a few days visit. We have never met before, but read each other’s blogs, Jay is a Retired LEO like Sam so they can relate stories, over a cold drink at happy hour. Hopefully we can do some more tour guiding. It will be warmer here at the Ranch by then.

Then on the 22nd of April if all go’s well Donna & I will be leaving for a month on the road to Florida & Mississippi for visits with friend’s and our niece Tammy.

Like I said I can’t praise driveway docking enough, I don’t call it moochdocking because that has kind of a derogatory sound, But driveway docking or camping is just fine, it’s inexpensive really doesn’t costs the host much, and just a darn good way to meet and keep in touch with new friends. At the Weeb Ranch , you will always be welcome, and never have to feel like you are imposing on us. PS if you make it on a Friday it’s usually pizza night..

That’s about for today,hope everyone is having a good weekend. Be safe out there. Sam & Donna……………

Saturday Mumblings.

Since it was Saturday, I waited until 05:30AM, then I got up and had coffee, Donna slept in a little longer, since she didn’t have to go to the Truck company.

About 08:00AM our guests, Karen & Steveo, were up at  em, and came in and we all had more coffee, and some Gooey Butter Cookies ,Donna had just baked. The we spent the morning in pleasant conversation just renewing what has been going on in both our families,

Steveo even got into a rousing board game of Sorry with my Granddaughter Nicky, who soundly trounced him.

 

                               Steveo & Nicky…

Donna & Karen went out for some shopping, and Steveo went for a ride with my Son Andrew in his Jeep Grand Cherokee, to see if they could tell what a noise was in the front end. Ended up Andy put bigger tires on it and the tires rubbed on the inside of the edge of the fender when it was turned tight. He is going to lift it a couple inches to fix that.He thanks Steveo for his help in finding it.

Donna had to go in to the Restaurant at 4:00PM so about 12:30PM Steveo,Karen & Myself headed south to South St Louis and Pestalozzi St. for the Budweiser Brewery tour.Donna rested up at home for her shift.

                             The front facade.

                      Karen & Steveo on the tour…

                           The Speaker Rock.

                                          Clydesdales.

                        Dalmatian, horses companion.

                                         Ah it’s beer time.

After the tour we headed back to O’Fallon in the Tracker, We decided to stop at JJ’s where Donna works for some supper, Everyone had a great meal.

                            Karen,Steveo, Donna & Sam..

After dinner we went home to the Ranch, and being full and tired we decided after a little while to call it a night.

What a great day, even the pups had fun.

Rigg’s and his Wisconsin buddies Duke & Duchess.

I told Karen I was going wait until Sunday and then post a combine blog, but I got up at 01:45AM with leg cramps, so here it is.

Hope everyone is having as a good a weekend as we are.

Please be safe out there.. Sam & Donna………………

                                        THE END.

T.G.I.F.

Was up at 04:30AM with my pretty bride for coffee, then she was off to the Truck Company and then the Restaurant. Rigg’s and I took advantage of another hours nap.
The we watched the e-mails for progress on our guests who were driving from Carthage MO.
Finally at a little before 04:00PM Karen & Steveo arrived in there motor home and setup in the driveway.
It was sure good to see them again since our trip to visit them in Wisconsin. We came in and talked and had a happy hour. Then I made a pizza, after all it is Friday at the Weeb Ranch, Pizza Night.
It looks like by the way it was wolfed down it met everyone's approval.


                                   Karen in the drive.

                                      Karen & Rigg’s.
Tomorrow we plan on making the Budweiser Brewery tour, always a big hit on my list.
Take a look at Karen's blog for more pictures.
That’s about it for today be safe out there, Sam & Donna……….

Thursday Happenings.

Was up at 04:30AM with my pretty bride and had a soda instead of a coffee, then Donna went to the truck company, no Restaurant tonight. Rigg’s and I got our nap.
Pretty slow day here at the ranch, haven’t gone out, Andy & Samantha will be going grocery shopping later.
It is a nice sunny day in the 40 right now, supposed to reach 57, don’t know if it will though, tomorrow they are saying 67 degrees. then a colder spell again.
Our friends Karen & Steveio  will be stopping to camp in the driveway here at the Ranch in the next couple of days. They are heading home to Wisconsin after a nice vacation. I feel for them , they are still talking snow in Wisconsin. I have a feeling we have had about our last for the year here, Anything else will be of very short duration.
Then in April. Jay & Stella said they may stop for a couple of days around the 15th so we will be Blessed with more friends. Jay is a retired LEO like myself so I am sure we can find something to talk about.
Then the next week after that Donna is retiring and we will be out of here for a vacation in Florida & Mississippi for our selves , by then the Southern weather will be just right for any activities including swimming which will suit Rigg’s just fine.
Nothing much else going on here. Be safe out there. Sam & Donna………

Wednesday Musings.

Was up at 04:30AM and had coffee with my pretty bride, then she was off to the truck company and then the restaurant. Rigg’s and I grabbed a nap after she left.

My brother Bill came over this morning and installed a program that displays the dispatcher screens of the railroads I visit. ( UP, NS & BNSF) . It will really come in handy when I am train shooting as I kind bring up the screen for the subdivision I am at. Then see where the trains are and when they will pass my location. You do have to have a wi-fi connection. but there are fast food restaurants close to the tracks in a lot of the spots I go to.

Then he gave me a portable two way radio with VHF-UHF Ham band and all the goodies that come with it, like a charger to set it in and an extra battery. He had programmed all my police and railroad channels in it and a couple of ham frequencies. I will have to buy a cord, and the software that comes with it to be able to program it from my laptop. I am sure that my buddy ROD who is an accomplished Ham operator will be able to give advice, who knows this could lead to another hobby. Bill sells these radios and he got an extra with his last order as a gift for me.

We are having another sunny nice day here at the ranch but it is still a cool 36 degrees with a high of 41 predicted, it should be better over the next couple of days with a high of 57 tomorrow and 67 on Friday. I will be waiting for Friday to go out and look the fiver over.

That’s about it for today, hope everyone is having a good day. Be safe out there. Sam & Donna…..

Tuesday Thoughts.

Was up at 04:30AM with my pretty bride and we had coffee, Then she was off to the truck company, Rigg’s and I took our morning nap.

Today was dumper day so that had to be done taking it down to the head of the driveway.

The service man got here yesterday afternoon, and we had a coupon that he wouldn’t charge the service charge for coming out if he fixed the washer, He looked it over and said all that was wrong was that a sock had disintegrated and clogged the water inlet. He got it open and then ran some cleaner through the hoses’s and presto like new again. Total bill was $79, which I thought was really reasonable. we will use this guy again.

This morning I went down and took up where I left off washing and drying a couple loads of wash, thankfully all went well.

It is a nice sunny day here at the ranch, no winds and a high is supposed to reach 50 degree’s, now if we could just get rid of the overnight temps in the 20’s and start some spring warm up.

Finally got all my backup’s done on the repaired laptop and we are not missing anything even the Outlook .pst files which are the record of e-mails you receive. I am also up to date on all updates, when they reinstalled the operating system you start all over with downloading updates, so it did so many a day until it was up to date.

Rigg’s saw that Jodie & Coco & Sandy update their blog and there was pictures of them swimming in the pool, He is chomping at the bit for vacation to get here so he can go with us to Florida and he can swim with his girlfriends, he’s already told them he is just as fast as last year.

Mom & I just look forward to relaxing with Paul & Helen and having a restful vacation. Of course Dad will probably hit the pool with the mutso’s.

Seems to me it is waiting for warmer weather even in Fla. I have their weather on my weather screen and they are having a cool spell like us.

But time waits for no one and April will be here soon and with it warmer temps, since we are not tied to an exact date we can wait for it if we have to.

Told Mom I would have Basketti tonight for supper, easy to make and filling and warm.

How about a picture of my Rootin Tootin, Cowgirl Grands in New Jersey.

                                           Katie.                                          Meghen.

The horse’s name is Dude and he is gentle with the girls and my other Granddaughter Allie.

Well that’s about it from Dardenne Prairie for today, I hope everyone is having a fine day. Please be safe out there. Sam & Donna….

Monday Meanderings.

Was up at 04:30AM and had coffee with my pretty bride, then she was off to the Truck Company. Rigg’s and I were off for our nap.

                        C’mon Dad it’s nap time. 

                                Down for the count,

Don’t know what happened yesterday , Donna worked the day shift at the restaurant, and I just watched movies, next thing I know the day is over and no blog was posted.

Today after our nap I started with good intentions to do my duty and help around here. I took a load of wash down and put it in the washer, put some detergent liquid in the drawer, and hit the start button, next thing I know water is pouring out of the detergent drawer and all over the floor in the utility room and not a drop is going into the washer drum. I took the clothes out, and when my Son got up he looked at it and said , time for the repair man. So we are waiting now for the repair guy to get here.

I’m afraid to start any other projects, better get this one fixed first.

Rigg’s is just sitting here giving me the “Boy are you in trouble look”.

It a cold and cloudy day here at the ranch today, plus the wind has kicked up again, no rain though, but the high is only going to be 40 and with the wind it will seem darn cold if you go out, Don’t think I will.

That’s about it for today, we’ll let you know what was wrong with the washer in the next exciting installment.

Be safe out there. Sam & Donna……

Saturday Mumblings.

Was up at 05:00AM and had my coffee, My bride slept in because it was Saturday and joined me at 06:00AM. Rigg’s and I got our nap.
We just relaxed and puttered today with Donna making Brownies to take in to the Restaurant tonight, had to go around and get all the mileages from our vehicles and put it on the personal property tax form to send in. Mo. still has a personal property tax on things like cars ,RV’s ,trailers , planes, & boats. That means none of that stuff ever gets paid off, you are always paying something on it a year until you get rid of it. It used to be worse, they used to make you include you furnishings and furniture but that was stopped several years ago. Most states have done away with it and are happy with the sales tax you pay when you buy the thing. Oh yeah, we have sales tax here too. Talk about double dipping.
WE are having another nice afternoon here at the Ranch, it rained a little this morning, but the sun came out and it it right at 55 degrees now. No wind so we have the back screen door open. So nice to get the house opened up a little.
This will be a short post, hope all is well with all of our friends out in Blog Land. Be safe out there… Sam & Donna…….

T.G.I.F.

Was up at 04:30AM with my pretty bride and had our coffee. Then she was off to the Truck Company and the Restaurant. Rigg’s and I had our nap. When I went in the kitchen Rigg’s was waiting by the pantry door, just in case I had forgotten where his doggie food is stored, I got a cup out and put it in his dish.

Haven’t heard from Adam, so I don’t know if he is coming over this weekend or not.

If he does come we have to have a talk about a text he put on FB about school being boring. I know he is an honor role student, but he shouldn’t be bored.We are having another great day here in Dardenne Prairie.It’s sunny and in the 50’s already. I just went down and took the charger off my generator and fired it up. it started right away and I let it run for about 30 minutes under load. Hopefully now it will be set for our first trip unless we have some below freezing weather and my Son leaves the truck out side again. It doesn’t take long for the cold to run that little battery that it has. I think this summer I will replace it with a lawn tractor battery which is about twice the size of the one that’s on it now.

Here is a picture of my Granddaughter Allie’s Subie. She just put new wheels on it and is really proud of it I see she also put a set of those Miata Blaster horns in the grill to get her through New Jersey Traffic. Were so proud of her, She’s in her second year of college and working too.

                                            Allie’s Subie..

Well that’s about it for today, we hope everyone had a great weekend. Please be safe out there. Sam & Donna..

Thursday Happenings.

Was up early but Donna was sick to her stomach so she went in to the Truck Company late. Rigg’s and I got our nap in the guest room today so Mom could relax.

Not much doing around the ranch.I went to start generator in the back of my truck and the battery was down. I wonder if my son leaving it out for several nights in freezing weather helped that along, of course a month has gone by since it was exercised last. I put the charger on it and since it is a little battery like a motor scooter would have, I set the charge rate at 2 amps and I will let it slow charge overnight, since the charger shuts off when the battery reaches a full charge. Then tomorrow I will start it and plug a small 110v heater into it to give it a load and exercise it. We’ve had it a year last Thanksgiving and so far we haven’t had to use it while out with the fiver.Not like the year when the park we stopped at lost all power, and we had to move to another one. This one is 3500watts and runs everything even the A/C.

Today we have a gorgeous sunny day with the temp right at 45 degrees, but it seems warmer in the sun, I went out and got the dumper and put the charger on the battery and it was really nice out, no wind like the last few days. Tomorrow it is supposed to get to 65 so we will have a taste of Spring.

Well that’s about it for today, Hope all is well with all of our Blogger friends out there. Be safe. Sam & Donna…..

Wednesday Musings.

We were up at the normal workday 04:30AM, and had coffee with my bride. Then she was off to the Truck Company & the Restaurant. Rigg’s and I had our nap.
Then it was on the computer to read some blogs.It took most of the afternoon to get the programs loaded yesterday after I got the laptop home, but I didn’t lose any docs or data. It it so nice to be able to use the faster speed and all the other conveniences, ( huge hard drive, larger memory,) Plus my Skype is working again, last night I got to talk to Donna in Sandwich as a test, and then my Donna got home from work while we were talking and she got to say high to the Illinois Donna.
Don’t get me wrong my old Dell Latitude served as a backup unit just fine and kept me in blogs and mail while the new one was in the shop. But with half the clock speed and 1 gig of ram, it reminds me of those old IBM x boxes that used to go ca-clunk ca-clunk, while they were working, and that great green screen.
It is supposed to start warming up starting tomorrow with a high at 60 on Saturday, It is sunny today and the temps are right at 40 degrees now.
Since Donna won’t be home for supper, my Son Andy asked if we could do Wacky Wednesday at Imo’s Pizza. Every Wed. you can get two extra large pizza’s for the price of one, such a deal.
I am always game for a pizza especially when I have a couple of High Life’s to wash it down.
Got my guard Lab Rigg’s lying by my feet by the back door, I am sure his snores will deter any intruder.
That’s about it for today in bustling Dardenne Prairie most of the snow cover is gone, although the truck and I are still inside for the day. I have just sat around and watched movies, just a lazy day at the Ranch.
Hope all is well with our Blog friends. Be safe out there. Sam & Donna……..

Tuesday Thoughts.

Was up at 05:30AM with my pretty bride for coffee, then it was back for a short nap for both of us. Donna was off today from the truck company so he made an 08:30AM dentist appointment and then she was going to go sign up for Social Security. One step closer to her retiring from the truck company. A little later I got the call that my computer was ready, They managed to save all the data.

But all the programs have to be installed on a brand new Windows 7 version they put in. My Outlook, Picasa, Live Writer, any program that Dell hadn’t put in it. But he did save my Outlook .PST files so we didn’t lose any old e-mails we were saving and my old address book and bookmarks are all intact along with all documents.

I save all of our pictures to a an external hard drive and a backup DVD so nothing is left on the hard drive as far as pictures go.

It still take most of the afternoon to load it back to where we have what we were used to, Anything I didn’t use or Donna didn’t use was left off.

We had a couple of inches of sleet and snow this morning but now it is just windy and the snow is melting again.

I just noticed our battered Bradford pear tree in the back yard is starting to bud. Maybe it knows something about Spring that we don’t, it’s always a good sign that Spring isn’t to far away when the trees start budding.

Well that’s about it for today, Hope all is well with all our friends out in Blog Land. Be safe out there.. Sam & Donna……

Monday Meanderings.

Was up at the usual workday 04:30AM and had coffee  with my pretty bride and then she was off to the truck company, no restaurant tonight.

Soon as she was gone Rigg’s and I got a nap. Then it was time to read some blogs and just sit around.Right now at 03:30PM I think we have reached the high for today which is 53 degrees, That was a surprise because they only predicted a high of 40 yesterday for today. A lot of the snow is melted and we have bare ground except for the shadows in the back yard. although the ground is soaked from all the runoff. We do need to store as much of this spring runoff as we can in case we have another dry summer like last year. I made a short run to the store and noticed that the highway dept had brought a brand new post and finished the remount of the mailbox even with new concrete, really a first class job.

Not much else going on I am going to have to start shopping for tires for fiver soon, I want to go one load range heavier than whatever is on there, and I have been throwing around the idea of using LT instead of ST , If anybody has any opinions or experience in this change let me know.

That’s about it for today, Everyone have a great week and be safe out there. Sam & Donna…

SUNDAY NOTES.

Was up at 05:00AM and had coffee,Donna slept in after a night at the restaurant, Rigg’s went in and took over my side of the bed for a nap next to is Mom. Lucky for me the couch was empty.

Adam slept in too, He must have been whipped after his night out with his Dad at the Motorcross. Ever wonder how they get the astro turf up, all that dirt trucked in an shaped and made into a course, Then when it’s over it’s all removed and a football field is put back. Seems to me that would be a ton of work and money.

It was 11 degrees this morning when I let Rigg’s out for his morning break. Stayed cloudy all day and we just reached the high of 39. But it is a little windy so it seems colder than it is. Keep waiting for the days to go by and the weather to start warming up, last year by the end of March we were having some nice spring days in the high 60’s. Hope that happens this year.

Mom and Rigg’s took advantage of a nice Sunday at home with no jobs to go to and just relaxed, She is doing fine and she says she is well on the way to quitting smoking.

The Highway Dept has my mailbox back up and said they will be back to put a new concrete pad in with a dirt area for the pole instead of the post going right into concrete poured around it. Making it impossible to get the broken piece of old post out of the concrete. But mail will be delivered to the house now after a week without it.

Finally had to put diesel in the truck when I went to the store this morning, My last fuel receipt was was dated at the end of January, so we didn’t due much driving in a month. Figure each trip to and from Warrenton to get Adam puts a hundred miles on, and I go about 500 miles if I use the whole tank , but it was at a quarter left when I filled it. So it looks like most of the mileage was getting Adam last month.

Nothing much going on here in Dardenne Prairie, but this month later is when the area will wake up and tractors will be started and the planting season will begin.

Hope all is well with all our friends out there. Be safe, and have a great week. Sam & Donna…….

Saturday Mumblings.

Was up at 06:00AM with my pretty bride, and then I found out the power was off to the outlets on one wall of the family, room. This wall contains Andy’s computer desk and out spare fridge, which was off  but still cold (No lights inside either). I tried all the breakers and nothing, I then read all of them with a meter and they all had power. so my only guess is the wall sockets on that side of the room are gang wired and something is disconnected at one of the sockets.I went into the garage and got a heavy extension and ran a power line from the other side of the room and everything has power for now. Will have to get somebody that knows wiring to help me with this.
Adam is anxiously awaiting 04:00PM to roll around as his Dad is taking him to a Motorcross meet at the Dome downtown, he is going to park in St Louis County and take the Metrolink light rail down from there. What a thrill for a kid. Motorcycles and a train ride.
Rigg’s and I will have the homeland security detail here at the ranch. Donna is working the restaurant so we will be home alone, along with Sadie, Samantha is going with the boys.
Well that’s about it it’s been a nice sunny but very cold day here in Dardenne Prairie, low this morning of 19 and a high of 32. Hope everyone is having a good weekend, Be safe out there. Sam & Donna…..

T.G.I.F.

Was up at 04:30AM and had coffee with my pretty bride, then she was off to the truck company and then to the restaurant.

Did I mention it was snowing pretty hard and we had a couple of new inches of snow before she left. Here’s what Donna had to say about her 05:30AM commute,

“Roads were horrible this morning.

They made the excuse last Thursday there was too much traffic.

Winghaven, 40, 94, 364 all snow covered and slick….didn’t see one modot truck”..

Rigg’s and I decided since it was snowing it was nap time.

It stopped in the middle of the morning and by noon the roads were clear and the temps were 35 so it was starting to melt again.

My son will be going to pick up Adam for the weekend at 03:00PM Adam was snowbound last weekend so he really wants a weekend at Grandpa’s house. Saturday his Dad will take him to some motorcycle event in St Louis. He is excited about that, What boy wouldn’t be.

Got the dough thawing and rising for pizza night here at the Ranch, A large square Pa. style cheese pizza is planned.

The highway department sent a guy to temporarily fix the mailbox, he came up to the house to let me know what was going on When he came to the back door Rigg’s went into his guard dog bark and jumping at the door. The guy was hesitant to come in but I told him once your in he will be licking you, sure enough Rigg’s made a new instant friend. Labs are not normally good guard dogs but Rigg’s  will sound off  and look aggressive until it’s time to meet. The highway guy said the contractor that rebuilt the street put all the boxes directly in the concrete slabs, so if they were knocked down it was impossible to get the broken stub out. He put a temporary box up so we can get mail and said they will be back with a concrete saw to make a square and then put a new post in stone, dirt , and concrete. That way if it ever has to be changed again they just dig it out.

Just got a call from the computer repair guy, He said my problem was the version of Windows 8 I downloaded for $39.99 is corrupted. He thinks that version is different than the one you are now paying over $100 for. He also said this is the the third computer brought in with the same problem.I guess $39.99 was not such a good deal as I thought. His suggestion was to reinstall Windows seven, he said he could save all my data, and it will be just like new. All this for the price of $135.00 I told him good idea, I didn’t see much in Windows 8 that Windows 7 didn’t have. So if you do the math you will see it cost me almost $175 dollars to try an operating system that was corrupted. Should be ready Monday or Tuesday so I will plug along on the old Latitude until then. Since the offer is over I can’t warn anybody not to spend the $39.99. But I guess there’s still a lot to be said for the old saying” you get what you pay for”..

Hope everyone is doing fine out there in Blog Land, Be safe out there. Sam & Donna…