Saturday/Sunday Notes.

First we’ll start with Saturday, My bride and I were up at the usual 06:00AM. About 10AM my Son Andy started on the needed repairs, to get his Grand Cherokee, road worthy. It has not been used since last December when a tire in front started rubbing the tie rod end. he found out it needed an alignment to correct that. then he did an oil change and checked the brakes and found out all 4 wheels needed pads and the rotors were scored up, so after a $200 trip to Auto Zone. Of course with all that work not everything went easy, two of the rotors had to be soaked in penetrating oil then whacked with a sledge to get them off, had to make a run back to Auto zone when we found the anti rattle clips were all bent up. but by 05:00PM including two short rain delays he had it all done his new sticker for the license plate on and his insurance back in force. Even though it took a lot of sweat and mumbling at some of the stuck parts and rusted bolts, the bottom line is he saved a ton of money doing it here with me, The estimate for just the brake work was $600. The good part for Donna and I is we now have our trucks back and in the garage, instead of being used by my Son or his girlfriend.
Sunday we started early again with our coffee together, then this morning I had a couple things to do on the fiver, Donna and I finished putting everything away from our trip since the weather was a cool 70 degrees here this morning, Then we folded the winter blankets and comforters from the two beds and stored them under our queen bed along with two folded up air mattress’s I had in the outside storage bin, gives me more room out there and less chance of something happening to tear the mattress’s.
When I was done with that I took the drawers out from under the sink because when we got home we found a water leak from under there. Sure enough the fresh water fill hose had come loose from the filler socket and needed to be put back on and the clamp tightened. Rechecked it and pressure checked the rest of the lines with the pump running until it pressurized and shut off and no leaks. Ever since we had to replace the flooring we have been paranoid if we see a drop of water anywhere on the floor.
I have to say Donna came in handy with her skinny body and arms reaching under the sink and replacing the line and tightening the clamp, only way I would have been able to reach it would have been to disassemble one of the cabinet walls.
So now one last repair. my TV antenna is stripped out and wont’ go up so my son will get that job of going up on the roof and taking it apart and putting a new drive gear and worm in. This must be the weak link of Winegard antenna’s as our old fiver had to have the same thing done.
On the home front we have been busy trying to make little repairs around the house and we have bids being taken to replace the steps up to the sun porch. We noticed the bird motel in the back has been rather ramshackle and rundown, it’s about 20 years old, So today at a flea market my Son Andy got his Mom a new Bird Motel.

                                The old Bird Motel.

                             New Bird Motel.
Looks like we’ll have to find some bird porch furniture.
Just a nice comfortable day, temps in the 70’s sunny most of the day with one quick shower earlier.
Hope all is well with all our friends out there, Be safe in your travels. Sam & Donna……..

T.G.I.F.

Was up at 06:00AM with my pretty bride for coffee, then it was nap time.Donna wanted to do some garden weed eating. I decided to work on her car. While we were in Florida my son sent it in to have the rear three spark plugs changed, while they had the engine apart they found one of the coil packs was marginal and the mechanic switched it for a new one I had just put on the front of the engine. That way when we got back I could just take three bolts and the cover off and replace it since it’s right in front on the V6 motor.

I also needed to get some antifreeze since it needed to be topped of and it uses the green stuff and not the red that my diesel uses. I bought a coil pack and came home and installed it. Donna had been complaining about it running rough since she got home. After I got the coil pack on and before I replaced the cover, I noticed a vacuum line to the EVAP solenoid had been left disconnected, As soon as I plug in the motor smoothed right out and idled just as smooth as could be. I put the engine cover on and then took it for a test ride and it was smooth as silk all the way even when I kicked the air on. Donna was happy as a lark with the repair job.

When I was done with that I had to put the charger on John Deere, Donna was going to start it and forgot to pull the choke on and wore the battery down. After it charged a little while I fired it up and cut about 3/4s of the grass until the heat finally got to me and I said, I’ll finish tomorrow. Oh Donna finished a cake for a friend’s daughter that is a graduate this week. Here it is.

Donna is going in to the restaurant tonight and Adam’s Mom picked him up about 03:00PM right after I put the tractor away, If he was here in the morning I was going to let him cut the back, It’s pretty level and I trust him to be sensible out there with the deck going. hard to believe he is eleven now.

Not much is going on it is sunny and 90 degree’s right now so that’sit for outside work.

Hope all is well with all our friend’s out there. Rigg’s wants to tell Poppy that he loves riding in the truck too, he said he put 3000 miles on his riding time in the month we were gone. Between you and me Poppy he spends a lot of time snoozing on the console next to Mom & Dad when we are traveling.

Everyone be safe out there. Sam & Donna……

Wednesday Musings.

Started out as a drab cloudy morning, then got sunny, then it clouded up this afternoon and the rain started. Nicky is here and my Son Andy just went to Warrenton to pick up Adam. I took some dough out of the freezer and we will be making a homemade pizza for supper, Just can’t wait until Friday, plus the kid’s wanted it.

            Rigg’s and Nicky waiting for the pizza.

Donna is going in to the restaurant tonight,but with the storm coming  it will probably be slow there tonight.

Hope the heavy stuff holds up until after the kid’s get back home.

Not much else going on here at the Ranch, but it is always fun to have the Grand’s and the dogs playing and just the general noise and bedlam that goes with it.

Hope all is well with all of our friends out there.Also just be safe out there. Sam & Donna…

FREELOADING RESIDENT MAKES APPEARANCE

Well so far semi-retirement is a lot of work.  Have been trying to make progress on all the clutter that has accumulated. Working as much as I did, there never seemed to be enough hours in the day to stay ahead. And boy has the stuff ( crap actually) piled up. I think it was safe to throw away the receipt from the Quick Trip for the gas and candy bar from 2004, don’t you.

Have also been working in the yard cutting down trees and shrubs that are growing where they shouldn’t be. Boy do I have a pile to burn. Can only work for about an hour in the morning because summer in Missouri has hit and the temperatures heat index has been hitting over 100. So its work outside for a while, then inside, then computer breaks.  Afraid I have a case of ADCD, you know adult deficit cleaning disorder, I have so many projects going that I work like crazy and nothing seems to get done because I do a little of this one and a little of that one. Never would have accepted that in my job, but home is different, right?

Have also queried a few fellow retirees and have found that I am not alone in not knowing what day it is. Whew that was a relief thought my brain was going already. Not having a Monday morning job really was throwing me off, but Paul being the good buddy he is has promised me that he will email me what day of the week it is any time I get confused ( that is of course after he asks Helen )

Then too I have developed an addiction and its all Helen’s fault.  Have found online SCRABBLE. While in Florida at the Tempestas  Helen and I played a few games. Have not played in decades. It was a standard in my childhood home, my parents loved words and played every day. So I have been playing a lot….play 30 minutes work 30 minutes. Sounds like a fair trade to me.  I am still having trouble wrapping my mind around the fact that not everything has to be done now because there won’t be time later. Now that I am working only 20 hours or so a week lots of time left to work on things around here.

Now to our resident. We have a woodchuck (aka ground hog) living under our patio slab.  Well today as Sam was walking past kitchen door he said “well look at this”. The patio slab has a dip in it and we had a downpour last night leaving a puddle of water in the middle. Well, there’s old Woody getting himself a mighty drink.  He must be eating good as he is huge.  Average size is suppose to be 25 inches nose to tail tip, this guy goes almost 36 inches, and he looks fat and happy.

Getting a drink

Munching on clover

More munching

Uh Oh he thinks somethings up. Head up and sniffing

My ears might be small but I hear something this way coming

So I’m going

As Judy would say THE END

Sunday Notes.

Our day started at 06:00AM with coffee with my bride, about 10:00AM Donna headed for the restaurant to do a day watch. Around 11:00AM a fellow came buy to give us an estimate on replacing the steps to the sun porch which are rotted.

Yesterday Donna’s car was parked on a hill by our back shed and got locked in gear and couldn’t be shifted into gear. She took my truck to work. This morning I took the floor jack out and jacked both wheels off the ground with the rear parking brake on. That freed it and it started and shifted okay, so Donna had her car back.

It was cloudy when we got up, but turned into a sunny day in the 90’s. Now at suppertime it has clouded over again and with the wind and lightening it looks like were in for a good storm. Speaking of supper, Donna brought me home an order of cannelloni which was excellent.

Both the Grandkids were absent this weekend, Nicky was here until Friday and then went with here Dad for the weekend. Adam was going to come Saturday, but plans changed at home. It’s funny how you get so used to having them around and doing things like going swimming, and when they aren’t here the days are so quiet, Even Rigg’s misses being chased and ball playing with them.

It’s that time of the day now to relax with a couple cold High Life’s, hope all is well with all our blog friends, and I am getting back into the mood for another month away soon. Be safe out there. Sam & Donna……

T.G.I.F.

My bride and had coffee at 06:00AM. Not much doing in the morning. The guy that was supposed to give us a bid on replacing our steps was a no show, didn’t answer his phone. Just bugs me when someone just blows you off.Maybe the job wasn’t big enough for him. So we are back looking to get more bids.Karen & Steveo can relate to that with their driveway guy. wish I had the carpentry skills and tools to do it myself like Steveo did.

It was sunny and in the 90’s here at the ranch so Nicky and Grandpa headed for the O’Fallon pool for a swim, I think everyone else had the same idea as it was really crowded.

Donna will be heading to the restaurant soon, she is working her part time schedule, but they will let her off when we decide to take a trip. Donna really does like this job as she has lots of regular customers that come in just for her. plus it keeps her from being completely idle. But yes she is retired from full time work.

Rigg’s and Sadie are both laying under the kitchen fan, you can tell it’s the dog days of summer.No spring this year. Right from cool storms and tornado’s to hot weather.

That’s about it for today. Be safe out there. Sam & Donna…

Wednesday/Thursday Happenings.

Was up sat 06:00AM with my bride for coffee, the started to work on the garage door. found the trouble with one side was the wood molding was beginning to warp and the door was dragging against it. causing it to stop. I readjusted the molding and it is working fine, the other is a bad receiver board, if I can’t find one I will have to replace the opener unit . I am doing a search now to see if someone has the out of production board in stock someplace.

Donna worked last night at the restaurant and said they were all happy she was back and enjoyed her trip.

Donna and I are slowly doing little projects here around the house, she is reclaiming her sewing room and throwing everything out that has accumulated in it over the years when she was working and didn’t have time for sewing.

Yesterday our downstairs refrigerator /freezer shot craps so we lost all of our frozen food down there, We went to a used appliance place in St Charles and picked one up for $130 dollars, they wanted$400 for a new one. This is where we store the overflow frozen stuff and soda and beer. The one that died we bought from a girl I was working with for $20 about 10 years ago when she was moving. So I guess 10 years wasn’t bad for that price.

Weather here at the Ranch has been in the 90’s and sunny. Nicky is here so we will have to head for the swimming pool soon. Sam’s feet feel so good when soaking in the pool.

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

Tuesday Thoughts.

First of all I want to welcome our 178th follower, MELINDA WISE, welcome aboard Melinda, I didn't see a blog on your list so let us know if you have one or when you do start one. We hope you enjoy the goings on at the Weeb Ranch with our family and now that Donna & I are retired we plan on more trips.
Having just returned from a month away and now with Donna home we are doing little things around here, the two most pressing are getting the garage door motors repaired, and replacing the sun porch steps which are rotting away. Donna is getting bids for the steps, and I will try to tackle the doors.
My Son Andy is busy on the grill again today, and it looks like Pork steaks, Brats, & Sazizza are on the menu along with Mac & Cheese and mashed potatoes.
Did I tell you we eat pretty good here at the Ranch.
Rigg’s wants you to know he put 3000 miles in the truck on this last vacation and loved it, he says he’s ready too for another road trip.
Just a shorty today, Be safe out there. Sam & Donna…..

Monday Meanderings.

As you can tell by the title we are settled in home at the Weeb Ranch. Got home Saturday afternoon and just unpacked food items from the fiver. Rigg’s and Sadie were ecstatic to be back together. Both Grand's Adam & Nicky were waiting for us, Good thing Grandma had there gifts handy as they were hoping we brought them back something from down south.
Yesterday my Son and I celebrated fathers day with a steak supper done on the grill outside. Nothing better than a BBq’d steak and a bake potato the size of a football.(almost).
Today Donna and I started with our morning coffee, then around 09:30AM we went to look at a bicycle Donna found on Craig’s list, she wanted a standard one speed girls bike 26inch, with a regular coaster brake. No gears. This bike looked like brand new with shiny paint & chrome, nice white wall tires, Donna offered $35 and the seller took it so we loaded it in the truck to ride home

                          Donna on her new bike.
Have to get her a nice basket for it, I’m sure she will now be pedaling it all over town, Do I see a bicycle in my future. Who knows.
Ever notice how you can’t get certain food items or restaurants only in the south, two of Sam’s favorites are Krystal and Whataburgers.

Sam at Tammy’s home enjoying Krystal burgers.

                    Sam at Whataburgers.
Since my Niece Tammy loves St Louis style pizza made with Provel cheese and it is not available down south in Ms. Donna & I brought her a 5lb block of it, and two bottles of Imo’s Pizza sauce. so she can make some St Louis Pizza.

Basics for a St Louis Pizza, just add thin crust.
After our steak last night ,that is a tough act to follow, bit it looks like spaghetti is on the menu here at the Ranch tonight.
We have been home two days and I ‘m already trying to figure out another trip, maybe a short one with Adam &Nicky so they have a little vacation time with Grandma & Grandpa, that will mean someplace with swimming facilities so Grandpa will be happy too.
Couple of minor repairs to the fiver the TV antenna is stripped and won’t go up so that will have to be fixed. Most of the parts are available so I will have my Son go up on the roof and take a look at it.
That’s about it for today, Hope all is well with all our friends out their in blogland. Be safe out there. Sam & Donna…..

IT’S SADIE’S BIRTHDAY

We’re home. You know you have spent a lot of time in your fiver when you go to the bathroom and try to step on the foot pedal to flush it. :-)))

Sam got a new computer for Fathers Day and has spent most of the day getting his programs working. He’s just a boy with a new toy!

The big new today is that it is Sadie’s third birthday, 21 in human years. So she wanted to try some of Grandpa’s beer since she is legal.

Guess it doesn’t take much when you weigh 7 lbs… got a little tipsy smelling it.

Hey, Sadie you’re not walking too straight.

Uh-oh getting a lecture from Mom!

Well anyway Happy Birthday Sadie.

Riggs wants to give a shout out to Poppy. “Hey Poppy thanks for giving my Mom the idea about chicken nuggets. When we stopped for lunch she bought some and her and I shared.  I still love cheeseburgers, but those nuggets were really tasty.”

That’s about it from Weebland.

Hope all the fathers out there have a great day tomorrow.

Be safe out there, be happy.

WEST PLAINS,MO

This is our last stop before heading home.  It is as a small town near the Arkansas border.

We made reservations at Chipmunk Crossing RV Park, a very wise choice, more on that later.

The "Courthouse Square" Historic District in Downtown West Plains was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in July 2003. This designation recognizes the importance of the Courthouse Square and Washington Avenue in the history of West Plains. The streets on Court Square enter the square in the middle of each side and not in the corners as they do in most public squares. A large majority of the buildings were built in the 40 years following the arrival of the railroad in 1885 and they reflect the town's commercial and governmental importance in the early Ozarks.

 

The Court House

Town Square

We had lunch here at the Red Apple Grill

Real Trip back in time. Forgot to take a shot of menu, but a hamburger was $2.50 And a real old fashion milk shake $2.25 served in an old time fluted glass.

Al B, this ones for you. Notice in lower right hand corner, Bob Nolan and the Sons of the Pioneers. Sam says you are a real fan.

The rest of West Plains town is like any other small town with all the present day stores, Walgreens, McD’s, Walmart etc.  But has a large rural area surrounding it.

Now the campground. It is run by Peter and Lory Muellner, he is German and she is Austrian and you will not meet two nicer or more accommodating camp owners anywhere.

Lory

Peter and Sam

This is probably the cleanest campground we have ever been in, everything is immaculate. Both of them are very matter of fact and lovable characters. When we arrived Lory came over to truck to greet us, well Riggins had to put on this big dog bark and act like he is going to eat someone alive, Lory reaches in window and gives him a tap on the nose and tells him ‘Pretty boy be quiet”.           

If you wanted or needed anything, they were right there. There are rules but they are so flexible about everything. They have a dog walk that is quite long and winds through the woods and as long as your dog goes in the woods and not the path no clean up needed. They have a fishing pond that they said we could let Riggs swim in if we wanted and there was an outside hose we could use to wash him.

There is an electronic eye at front that rings alarm in their house so no one comes in that is not suppose to. They have no permanent residents and according to them will not. Well I highly recommend you stay here if you are in the area. Here are pics of the park.  

 

Little fences hide neighbors hooks from your view

 

Dog path

catfish pond

claim they have 

largest book collection of any campground and I believe it, this is only a portion of what they have.

Pool very clean and they keep extra water toys for kids.

Well everyone be safe out there.

EXERP FROM RIGGINS DIARY

Since today was a travel day not much happened other than the trip MapQuest said would take 3 hours took 5.

So I’m giving Mom and Dad a break and taking a page from my diary.

Vacation is fun. Ok so there have been a couple of instances. I found out trying to catch a fly in the truck isn’t such a good idea, they are a lot quicker than I thought. All the jumping around and snapping of jaws didn’t set too well with Dad while he was driving.  But how did he think I liked it when Mom yelled the traffic has stopped and he hit the brakes so hard my butt went up and my nose went down right on the console. That didn’t feel so good.

Would you believe it Mom made me brush my teeth before I could greet the girls. Even though I tried to tell her I didn’t think it would be my breath they would smell first.

As usual, the Tempesta girls all greeted me with a Hi but remember we are the bosses here.  Of course I am bigger than they are, but you all know I am a gentleman and treat girls right, so I let them be the boss, besides they have a huge

POOL

ME AND COCO.  She’s a chocolate lab and a girl so she’s smaller than me

Here we all are, Sandy (looking down), Jodie next to her and me and Coco.

After our swim Paul, the girls Dad rinses you off with a hose and then he dries you with this air thing and rubs you with a towel…aahhhh feels good.  Then we went inside and had ICE CREAM!        

Then we all crashed.

That’s about it for today. A new girl Tilly is also coming, wonder if she swims?

We are now at the Chipmunk RV camp, really pretty here and the owner Laurie loves dogs and said I could swim in her pond.  How great is that.

I’m tired so I’ll sign off now.

Good night, and as my Dad would say, be safe out there