Thursday Happenings.

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

First off I want to welcome our 152nd follower,Kelly who is married to Al of the Bayfield Bunch, Their blog is world famous and I have been following them since 2009, I thought Al had signed up with us before as I hear from him all the time, But welcome aboard Kelly & AL, and Donna enjoys reading about your work at the lodge and hopes someday we can all meet up.

Adam slept in until about 07:00AM it is raining and supposed to continue all day with a high of 67 degrees.

My son got a new monitor for his Dell Desktop that I gave him and a new Dell keyboard. When I went to swap the parts the monitor was missing a monitor cable so I had to make a run to Radio Shack. I have plenty of power cables here, but none of the svga cables with the small connector on each end. Got that finished and it is up and running for him. The pictures are so much better on those new lcd monitors than on the old cathode ray jobs.

Adam is stuck inside and is playing his XBOX, I don’t mind him spending time on a rainy day but when it’s nice we limit the time he spends on games and encourage him to go out and play with his buddies. Luckily the other parents around here feel the same way. Must be the country attitude. I would rather cart them swimming or somewhere else than have em in front of a TV all day.

I am going to have to make a run to someplace where they recycle old computers I have 2, 900 desktops that still work, another desktop that is shot, about (3) 19 in monitors that still work. and a bunch of old drives (CD-DVD) from the desktops. I usually smash up the hard drives and then donate the rest for parts.

Donna and I have gone to each having a laptop so all the office type stuff can go, I do have a LCD monitor and docking station for my laptop set up on my downstairs office desk, but when we hit the road that will go to my son and I will buy a new laptop to go with us.

Not much else going on, I hope the trash was picked up Wednesday is usually our day, but when Monday is a holiday they run a day late.

Hope all is well for everyone out there in blogland. Be safe out there. Sam & Donna……

Wednesday Musings.

I slept in today, Donna was off to the truck company and the restaurant.
I was up at about 06:00AM it was raining lightly but steadily most of the morning until about 11:00AM. Just a nice steady rain. first we have had in over a week. Then at Noon the sun came up and it is about 81 degrees for the high today. sure beats the last week in the 90’s. Adam had a sleepover at his buddies house behind us and got back about 11:00AM also. He said he had a good time, but that Brandon was going to Six Flags so he wouldn’t be home to play with. I told him we will get out there before long and spend a day in the park and water park. I think Adam is part Lab because you mention water and he’s all ears.
Going to wash the fiver this week they are forecasting abundant sun and a temp of 75 for Friday, that’s sounds like a perfect day for outdoor work.
The sewer pump job was finished just after supper last night so a round of showers was in store for all of us.
Rigg’s is slacking off from his guard duties and is crashed for a nap on the kitchen floor under the ceiling fan. What a life.
Now I am going to try to get Donna motivated for a short vacation trip to a nice resort type campground that we could afford sometime this summer, the sewer repairs were unexpected, and the Truck & the fiver both had $250 dollars each in repairs this month, so the budget is shot for a couple of months.
The Lake is a cheap place to stay with the kid’s, but Donna prefers a hot tub and older company when we do finally get her away for a few days. Boy, That Florida trip was a stress reliever for her and we are so grateful to the Tempesta’s for their hospitality. RV Bloggers are just super people, we have opened our home to a few of them and stopped at a few driveways ourselves and always have a great time.
By the way Donna’s Cardiologist visit went good and then she had a regular appointment with our doctor and he wants a cat scan to make sure everything is fine after her last bout of pneumonia. So it looks like one more visit and we should have a good report.
That’s about it for today, I hope everyone is having a great week out there. Be safe, Sam & Donna……

Tuesday Thoughts.

Was up at 06:00AM, didn’t sleep good last night so I didn’t get up with Donna at 04:30AM.

Before I forget sometime in the last few days I got two new Followers, number 150 is Mike Ultra Mike has a blog just click on his name to see it. Number 151 is Pat Dutson,  Pat is Donna’s Brother and my B.I.L. Welcome aboard guys and I hope you enjoy reading about the misadventures on our travels and around the Weeb Ranch as we prepare to hit the road.

After she went to work I blogged for a couple hours and then went out to work on the fiver. While I was at the Lake the parts to fix the window came in. So I got all the parts together and made sure everything was the right size, and then I started removing the patch we put on in Florida. Boy Donna did a great job of caulking it as the caulk was like cement and had to be chipped out before I could mount the new window and frame.

Then when I was all done I found out they didn’t include the two little “c” clips that lock the lever arm on the window bracket to open and close it.I measured the diameter of the shafts with a micrometer and then went to Lowes to get the clips. Luckily they had them so the installation was complete.

                                                  Before.

                             Before with Patch.

            Today after the new window was installed.

After I finished that job at 11:30AM. Adam got dropped off, his Mom is going out of town for the week so he will be staying with us for about a week. Wonder how much trouble we’ll get into. I know I can see a couple trips to the pool if stays this warm.

About 02:00PM the repair guy arrived to replace the sewer pump. This will be the third pump in less than 10 years, He  recommended we go up one size so the pump doesn’t have to work as hard, he explained that even though the lift is only 3 feet there is almost 300 feet of pipe to pump through and this adds to the work the pump does, He said the pumps we have had will lift that much easily but we are better off with a heavier duty model. Because of the distance to the sewer manifold.

Felt sorry for him as it is over 90 degrees and the clouds we had this morning when I was doing the window job are gone. It was cooler this morning. for change.

Not much else going on. Hope everyone out there is having a fine week. be safe out there. Sam & Donna……

Monday Meanderings.

 

Happy Memorial Day

Monday started out at the Lake campground, Rigg’s and I made our morning walk, and then I started to break camp and get ready for home. I  have to say you could not have asked for a better week of weather sunny every day since Tuesday , but it was hot in the upper 90’s Sat & Sun so we stayed either in the Lake or in the pool where it was cool. the water was 85 degrees just right to keep you nice and cool but not cold. you could feel the difference by Sun as the water was warming up. Poor Rigg’s is not allowed in the Lake so he had to stay in the air conditioned trailer for the afternoons, He knew it was hot and unless he was playing with his new dog friends he stuck close to the trailer.

Donna had to work except for Monday so I left the Lake about 10AM and headed for home. Rigg’s was happy to see his Mommy.

On Sunday they had a car show at the Restaurant where Donna  works, they sponsor several a year and usually draw a nice crowd, here are a few pictures she took.

In case anyone noticed I haven’t been able to comment or read many blogs since Tuesday, I had a to depend on finding an unlocked wi-fi signal as I drove around the Lake. It reminded me of those old war movies where Germans would drive around looking for a clandestine radio transmitter. Things will be back to normal now that I have my home wi-fi again, Eventually Donna and I will have to get a Mi-fi or something similar for those situations where the park doesn’t have wi-fi. But that can wait until we are full time and don’t have a home phone bill.

Today is a relax day, even Rigg’s has his spot next to my chair under the kitchen fan nailed down and has been snoozing off and on.It’s tough being a camper dog, but he loved his week and the new doggie friend he met and played with.

Hope everyone had as nice a holiday weekend as we did. Be safe out there. Sam & Donna.

Saturday Notes.

Was up ay 06:00AM and had coffee, then Rigg’s and I took a walk around the campground, it looked like we were the only ones awake,

I then went and found a wi-fi hotspot to post my Friday blog and get my mail for the day.

When I got back, I took some pictures of the campground crowd.

Had a question from a couple of my commenter's on what exactly is a “train movie”.

Since I am a Ferroequinologist or lover of trains, I have accumulated a collection of DVDs of trains either taken by myself in my travels all over the country, or by others that I have swapped with. also there are several companies that make movies of trains new and historic that they sell commercially. Most are one to two hours in length. They are great for putting you to sleep.

Waiting now for Adam to get out here and to see if Nicole will be out. I can see a day at the beach in out future.

Adam and his friends Brenden,&Dylan arrived and we went to the beach for the afternoon, it was pretty crowded compared to the last two days.

Temp got up to 97 but the water was just right, then it was back to the campground for supper.

That’s about it for today, We are enjoying our camping weekend, especially Rigg’s who is meeting all kinds of new friends. and smells.

Be safe out there, Sam & Donna…..

T.G.I.F.

Up about 06:00am and had my coffee ,then enjoyed watching the sunrise, Adam’s Mom came out last night and got him and said they would be back Saturday morning.

Rigg’s and I had a guy day together he loves his spot here at the campground and going for walks around the circle.

I made a Walmart run for a couple of things we needed.

About 05:00PM I went to the Tavern and ordered a bar pizza to take back to the fiver, that and a couple of High Lifes made my Friday night.

The campground is full and plenty of youngsters running around.

         Adam on the swim dock on Thursday.

We had a hot day in the 90’s and sunnt all day. Saturday it supposed to get up to 97. Adam & his Mom and I will grill some burgers, sausages, and hot dogs, Hopefully Nicoles Dad will bring her out so we can have a big day at th beach.

Not much else going on. Couldn’t have custom ordered a better holiday weekend.

That’s about it for now. Everyone have a great weekend.

Be safe out there, Sam & Donna.

Thursday Happenings.

Adam’s Mom dropped him off at the campground at 07:00PM last night, he immediately found a friend to ride bikes with and played at the playground until 09:30PM when I called him in for the night. I couldn’t get the TV’s to find an HD signal and they both acted like the antenna on the roof was unplugged or not working. We were in good shape as I had my train movies, and we have a stock of Adam’s movies so we both could watch something until we were asleep.

This morning Adam said he was big enough at ten to climb the ladder to the roof and he only weighs about 70 lbs, so I watched him go up and he checked the connections on the top and bottom of the Jack Antenna, he said the one that goes in the roof was loose and tightened it.

When he got back down we tried it and both the sets scanned and found the local St Louis stations. Now he can tell his Mom he helped fix Grandpa’s trailer.

This afternoon we plan on going down to the clubhouse and swimming in the Lake, the Pool doesn’t open until Saturday, The weather so far has been great supposed to reach 90 today and there is a little bit of a breeze.

                          Adam sleeping in.

                   In the Lake at last.

That’s about it for today, hope all is well in blogland while were enjoying our week at the lake. Be safe out there Sam & Donna……

Wednesday Musings.

Was up at 04:30AM abs had coffee with my bride, then I collected whatever was left to go out to the trailer. I loaded Rigg’s up about 08:00AM and we headed out to the lake.

We had to make a quick stop at Shop & Save for some last minute groceries. Then it was off to the Lake.

After I completed setup and packing. A guy came to the door and said there was water coming from the bottom of my trailer, I shut the water off and opened the cargo bay and found a hose had come loose from where the city water hitches up inside the compartment, I had to repair it and then empty the Storage Bay and let both doors open to dry the carpeting. Thank goodness it was a hot sunny day as it dried in about 3 hours.

Tomorrow I get Adam and then either Friday or Saturday Nicole should be coming out. tonight I will renew acquaintances with the crowd that is up here for the weekend, There are only about 2 campsites left as of this afternoon.

Now I will find a place to try to get this posted, the new office building they built here is all hard wired and they did away with the wi-fi they had so I will have to look for another spot.

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

Tuesday Thoughts.

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

Had a 09:00AM appointment for the sewer guy to come and see what is wrong with our pump, It is working but the light and alarm won’t go out.

While I was waiting I hitched up the fiver and turned it around so I could take it out to the Lake for the Holiday Weekend.

The pump guy called around 09:30AM and said he was stuck on his first job and it would be awhile, so I told him I would meet him at 02:00PM and then I headed for the Lake. Good thing I didn’t wait until tomorrow.My favorite spot #15 was already taken but #16 was open so I backed in there. The thing that bugs me is they won’t allow reservations it’s all first come and first served. But when I got there a MH was in 15 and it had a visitors tag. Which means its belongs to someone visiting a lot owner and not to a Lot owner. I have said before. The Lot owners that are paying the freight should have first call until like the Thursday before the holiday so they will have a chance at getting a spot, There were only 3 spots left that would accommodate a trailer,MH or Fiver and the rest were tent spots. Those three will probably be gone today.

Anyway I got setup and then I had to hightail it home to find that the pump guy had just got there. He had bad news ,not only is the pump drawing 45amps, about 30 more than it should, but the power box is also bad, probably caused by the high current burning up the switches and contactors.He said that the first two pumps that were put in by a different contractor, are too small for the distance they have to pump to the manifold connection. He showed me the amp meter readings and said while the pump is still pumping, everything is shorted out in the box and you get shocked touching it. The box and pump will have to be replaced. He said what will happen is the breaker in the house will fail because of the load it is carrying. Ideally is should have 20 amps start and 10 amps running.

Boy I wish we would have planted that money tree in the back yard when we moved in. In less than 10 years this will be the 3rd sewer pump.

I will make supper for Donna & I and then tomorrow Rigg’s and I will head for the Lake. I think he knows because he went out on the screen porch and was looking for the fiver after I got back from the Lake today.

The Kid’s will come out on Friday and stay the weekend.

I put the new whole house water filter on the fiver and it’s all set, I will have to make a grocery stop on the way out tomorrow.

Starting tomorrow the temps will be close to 90 and sunny for the whole weekend. I hope that warms the Lake water and pool water up.

Well that’s about it for today. Hope everyone has a good week. Be safe out there. Sam & Donna….

Monday Meanderings.

Was up at 04:30AM for coffee with my bride, then she was off to the truck company, Donna has her regular Cardiologist Appointment today right after work, so supper is on hold until we see what time she will be home tonight.

I am still trying to decide if I want to take the fiver to the Lake this week, if I do I will have to have it out there on Wednesday at the latest. We are supposed to have a nice long sunny and hot weekend.

Donna is working all but Monday, so she won’t go so it will be Me & Rigg’s and Adam if he gets out there.

Still looking for our wedding pictures, don’t know where the album is found most of the other ones. but not that one.

Today was another sunny and nice day here in Dardenne Prairie. Just a lazy day and that’s what Rigg’s and I did lay around most of the day.

Hope everyone out there is having a good week. Be safe out there. Sam & Donna…..

Sunday Notes.

Was up and at em for morning coffee with my bride at 06:00AM.
We had a great dinner last night to celebrate our 33rd Wedding Anniversary at the Olive Garden in Wentzville MO. what a nice place, but for some reason the service was slow compared to past visits.

       Donna & Sam, still going after 33 years.

Cocktail Hour, Sam stuck with a Stella Artois Beer.

Donna’s dinner, Tuscan Chicken w/Tortellini.

           Sam had Spaghetti/w Italian Sausage.

For Dessert it was Zeppoli’s w/ choc or raspberry sauce. My Grandma and Mom used to make these but they called the pizza-frias.
All in all we came away full and had a great dining experience, although a violin player to serenade your bride during Dinner would have been a crowning touch.
Today Donna will go in to the restaurant and hostess from 10AM until 04:00PM then I will put some brats and burgers on the grill for supper when she gets home, I can smell the grill already.
Not much planned for today, I will organize my storage bins on the fiver, and change the water filter on the whole house filter we use for our city water hookup.I bought a couple extra spares yesterday at Lowes.
Have to decide if I want to go to the Lake for the Holiday Weekend, which is coming up next weekend, didn’t go last year, but if I go I have to get the trailer up there and setup by Wednesday at the latest if I want my good spot.
It is supposed to be in the 90’s all week and weekend so The Lake and Pool will be ready for all the visitors.
Still haven’t heard from the window place on when the parts will ship, I hope they aren’t having trouble getting some of them. But all is dry and usable with the Florida repairs we made with Paul’s help.
That’s about it for today, Hope everyone’s weekend is as good as ours. Please be safe out there. Sam & Donna…

Saturday Mumblings.

Up early at 05:45AM even though it’s Saturday to have coffee with my lovely bride. why, because today marks 33 years of being a married couple. Yep our Anniversary.

Happy Anniversary to the Love of my life.

One of Donna’s presents, a Rigg’s Thermometer to match her other hang ons.

Rigg’s gave his Mommy a magnet that says “ I Love my Labrador Retriever” needless to say Donna thoroughly enjoyed her morning.

I am planning on taking her out to a nice dinner tonight. Maybe even Olive Garden if she’s lucky.

How did we meet all those years ago, I wish I could say “There I was sitting on a barstool minding my own business, when in she came”. Truth is it didn’t happen like that. It was plain and simple a matchmaker.

Donna was working at a restaurant on the 11PM –7AM shift after working her 3PM –11PM shift at a different truck company. Yep even then she worked two jobs. One of the girls working there Ann Boehm had a 12 year old daughter on a girls hardball I coached, As a young policeman you were expected to be an officer an a gentleman, and when the call came for a coach I was reluctantly drafted. It turned out to be a wonderful experience in life, nothing like mens baseball.

Anyway one night Ann , “what do you think of Donna. and I told her she was a beautiful girl but I didn’t think she would be interested in me, I didn’t consider myself to be good looking and as a policeman I had a very limited income potential. I just didn’t think she would be interested in me. Ann said why don’t you ask her out. I did, and then at the last minute called her and said I had to work and chickened out. The next day as girls are wont to do Ann said what is wrong, why didn’t you go out with her, she thinks you don’t like her. So I made another date, took her to an Italian pizza place for beer & pizza. Later on I found out she is not as fond of pizza and beer as I am. But we have made it through all the trials most families have and then some. Now if I can just keep her healthy enough to enjoy our remaining years together.

So today is her day and I will do everything I can to make it a great day for her.

Hope all of you in blogland can share in our day. and we will look forward to hearing from you on yours. Al & Kelly are also celebrating their 10th anniversary today, way to go Al & Kelly I hope you guys can catch up to us someday.

Be safe out there. Sam & Donna….

T.G.I.F.

Up early with my bride,then Rigg’s and I snuck back into bed for another hours nap. Then it was off to my Doctors for my every three month check up, this one a month late because the Doc had back surgery. He did an EKG and and I test to see what the blood flow to my feet was. and said both came out fine, He also said my diabetes numbers were great and that I was good for another 3 months or 3000 miles. Boy was I glad to hear that. He did prescribe a new pill for my feet  which have had a little more pain than normal lately. Not complaining though, I still have my feet under me.

Went out to Warrenton Mo. and picked up Adam at the bus top. It will be a Grandpa weekend for the both of us. he only has couple more day of school next week and then he is out. The wheels are already turning for a camping trip with me and Rigg’s and him.

Adam and I had a pizza for supper, it is Friday isn’t it.

Not much else going on here at the ranch, it was another sunny nice day and Adam is looking forward to playing with his buddies.

Hope everyone is having a great day. be safe out there, Sam & Donna.

Thursday Happenings

Really late on getting this posted, I forgot to hit the publish button and it sat all night on the laptop.

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

I had some small shopping to do and then spent the rest of the day just sitting around,Tomorrow I have a 09:00AM Doctors appointment and then two appointments for guys to look at replacing the guttering.

Other than that not much going on here at the ranch.

Hope everyone is having a fine day. be safe out there. Sam & Donna….

Wednesday Musings.

didn’t make it up for coffee this morning, slept in until about 06:30AM.

We stayed at the wedding reception until about 10PM last night. I am sure Donna had a great time and I did too.

There were a lot of people there that had worked at the restaurant, including Jerry the owner. Jerry and I are old beer drinking pals so the night went by fast. I was asked for some pictures. So here they are.

         Donna & Sam before we left the house.

              Tiffany the bride and her Dad.

                 Husband & Wife at Last.

The wedding ceremony was held at All Saints Catholic Church in St Peters MO.

Then it was off to the Hickory Creek Golf Club House in Cottleville Mo for the reception.

Bride and her co-workers from J J’s Restaurant.

                              Donna & Sam.

Anyway It is another sunny and warm day here at the ranch, supposed to be around 80 degrees again today.

Not much going on today, Made a run to the store for milk and bread and stuff, also had the truck washed ,it was really dirty since our trip south.

Donna has the restaurant tonight but she is slowly getting better with less coughing and a more healthy look, her boss Jerry told me anytime she needs rest he will make sure she has the time off.

That’s about it for today, Hope everyone is having a fine week. Be safe out there. Sam & Donna….

Tuesday Thoughts.

Was up at 0:30AM and had coffee with my bride.Then Donna was off to a day of fun at the truck company.

It turned out to be another gorgeous day with a high of about 80 and plenty of sun.

When Donna gets home I have to be cleaned up and find something nice to wear as we are going to a wedding and then the reception. One of the girls, Tiffany who worked with Donna at the restaurant is getting married, she started as a teenager at the restaurant and then worked there while she went to college, her & Donna have many years together, she is 31 now. She has two degrees and still is having trouble finding a good job. Any way we will have a good time and I may have to take Donna out and move the sawdust around the dance floor a couple times. We haven’t had a night out like this in ages. When you get old there are not as many receptions to go to. and they don’t dance at funerals anymore.

Not much else going on here at the ranch tomorrow is dumpster day so that will have to go down today.

I’ll take the camera with us tonight. Maybe there will be a picture of me in something other than shorts, levi’s & a tee shirt.

Hope everyone is having a fine week. Be safe out there. Sam & Donna…..

Monday Meanderings

Was up at 04:30AM and had coffee with my bride, then at 05:30AM she was off to the truck company.
Rigg’s and I got a short nap , then we did our blogging at the kitchen table.
It is another sunny mild day in the middle 70’s, just a gorgeous day.
Didn’t do a lot just laid a round , last night I had a fever, so I just decided, the truck and John Deere would stay in the garage and get a day off along with me & Rigg’s. Rigg’s always takes care of his Dad & Mom if they are not feeling well and he won’t leave your side. When Donna was in bed last week I had to shut the bedroom door so she could get her rest without him jumping up on the bed to make sure she was alright.
That’s about it for today, I got an e-mail that the parts are on order for my window and they will be shipped soon. I an just glad that with the patch the fiver is still useable and doesn’t leak at all.
Hope everyone out there has a great week, and be safe out there. Sam & Donna..

Sunday Notes.

 

 

We were up at 06:00AM on this beautiful Mothers Day, Had our coffee together, and Mom got here Mothers Day present.

                                 Donna’s Roses.

We want to wish all the other Mom’s out there in Blog land a Happy Mothers Day.

My son Andy is going to cook us a Mothers day dinner, don’t have a clue what yet.

Started the day by going to Wally World and buying a battery for my son’s Jeep, it completely quit on him and he asked if I could get it for him and he would pay me on pay day. Then I noticed some rust on the tow bar on the back of my truck so I took the grinder and cleaned and then repainted the hitch assembly.

Donna has a shift at the restaurant from 10:00AM until 04:00PM as Hostess so I will probably go out later and run John Deere back over the grass I cut yesterday. Hopefully it will look a little better when I am done.

I keep thinking of Rick up in Cowichan Bay having to cut his front and back lawn with a push mower, don’t know how much area he has to cut, but with my 2 acres I can barely keep up with it with the help of John Deere, first the weather was wet and then we were in Florida and my son didn’t get to it, so yesterday I felt like I was baling hay. Hey Rick maybe there’s another lawn tractor in your future someplace.

We have been blessed with about 4 days straight of sunny mild weather , temps in the middle 70’s and down around 60 at night, Wednesday the highs are supposed to start into the middle 80’s and with May halfway over summer is not far around the bend and with 90 degree weather.

We usually have good swimming weather at the Lake by Memorial Day with the water about 80-85 degrees. After that it doesn’t take long for the water to reach 90-95 during the day in the shallow areas.

The kid’s are anxious to get out of school for the summer and get Grandpa to take them camping have plenty of firewood and the fiver is in good shape for our next trip. waiting to hear when the window parts ship and then that will be done.

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

Saturday Mumblings.

We were both up and had our morning coffee at 06:30AM. Then later in the morning I put the ladder up on the front of the fiver and Donna went up to put some enternabond tape over where we had the seams recaulked last summer, she then put some self leveling dicor around the tape edges to make sure of a good seal. The reason she went up there is I am a couple pounds over the weight limit for the roof, so I didn’t want to break anything.or go through the roof.

                              Donna on the roof.

While she was doing that I exercise our generator, and fixed some minor things with the fiver. like the latch I bought for the cargo door to hold it open.

After Donna was safely down from the roof and the ladder was put away. I had a date with John Deere. There was only one small patch that still had water in it but the rest we cut and got the place looking pretty good, since it was so long I will let it dry a couple more days and go over it again and mulch it up. That killed a good two and a half hours and now I am gonna rest while Donna gets ready for the restaurant tonight.

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

T.G.I.F.

Was up and at em at 04:30AM and had coffee with my bride, then at 05:30AM she was off to the truck company and then the restaurant.

Rigg’s and I took another nap  together, but by 07:00AM he was ready to go outside and then have some food in his dish.

Later in the morning I made a run to Walmart to pick up another 25 foot section of sewer hose for the fiver. I found a pin hole leak in our old one and I changed it at the last campground but it was only a 10 foot section. That was long enough for that campground but most places like the lake you need more than 10 feet.

I then went to the RV dealer and picked up a latch to hold my one cargo door that broke, and a replacement plastic plug for my Atwater water heater which has a drip no matter how tight it is. They both come on a card with two pieces so I will have a spare of both.

I saw a gem of a helicopter that I didn’t know about just about in my own backyard, at the VFW in Wentzville on Hwy Z they have a Huey Cobra,so I stopped and got a couple of pictures of it.

                             AH-1 Huey Cobra

                        Nose Mini  Gatling guns.

            2 3/4 in unguided rocket launcher.

As an old rotorhead I never tire of finding these old war horses, this one is pretty much armed like a Viet Nam era ship except for the exhaust deflector, which was a later addition after the war. I can only wonder the stories this baby could tell. Do I miss my old Navy flying days, Sure, but I had a lot of good days compared to bad in 30plus years of law Enforcement. So far it’s been a wonderful Life.

Donna and I have been thinking of joining the Escapees and going to their Rally in Sedalia MO this fall. If anyone has any comments on this let us know, Last Rally we went to was the State Good Sam Rally for MO. It was not a pleasant experience except for Rigg’s getting first prize in the dog contest, even then some woman told us he shouldn’t have won because he was to big for an RV. The thing we noticed was that nobody seemed to welcome the newcomers and they stuck to their own groups and cliques, I hope that isn’t the same for the Escapees, I for one enjoy a nice relaxing Happy Hour and sitting around a campfire. Even at the Lake without a rally you can always find a partner to sit with a spell and maybe have a cold one. Anyway were open for suggestions and comments.

Haven’t heard from Adam this weekend and Nicole is going to her Dad’s so it will be a quiet weekend at the Weeb Ranch. But Sunday is Mothers Day so I will attempt to get Donna out for a nice dinner, maybe even the Olive Garden.

Hope everyone has a good weekend and Be safe out there. Sam & Donna….

Thursday Happenings.

As per our usual routine I was up at 04:40AM and had coffee with my pretty bride. Then Rigg’s and I napped on my bed for awhile longer after Mom went to work at the truck company.

As for happenings I was waiting for the UPS man all day as today was the day my instrument cluster was being delivered from the Speedo shop in Va, where it was rebuilt.

Before, I used the GPS as a speedometer while mine was out.

             After, It is working like a champ.

It arrived about 02:30PM and I put it back in the truck and took the truck for a test ride, It read the speed just fine and all the other lights and functions worked properly.

Now next on the agenda will be getting the parts and repairing the bedroom window in the fiver and then maybe the money flow will stop for awhile.

It is another sunny and mild day in the mid 70’s, I went out to where I got the tractor stuck and it is still not dry enough to cut, no standing water but a lot of mud yet so I will let it dry another day or two.

Can’t believe we have only been home a week and I am really itching to get the trailer moving again. The kid’s on;y have two more weeks of school left and by then I should have the window fixed and we can head to the Lake for a couple of days.

Nick just got home and got her licks and kisses from Rigg’s ,he really misses her when she is at school.

That’s about it for today I haven’t heard yet of Adam will be over for the weekend yet. So tomorrow will tell.

Everyone be safe out there. Sam & Donna……

Wednesday Musings.

Was up early and had coffee with my pretty bride, then she was off to the truck company and also the restaurant for the first time in a week, she promised if she tired out she would leave early.

I have been reading with interest on several of my favorite blogs what people seem to think make up the ideal blog or what detracts from them, how long or short they should be, etc. etc. I know I probably break all rules for blogging but I blog for mostly my own pleasure, and it is a family, RV, doggie and whatever else blog since we are not full time yet so we don’t have as much travel content. If you look I have a long list of blogs I follow maybe I don’t get to read them each on a daily basis , but I enjoy all of them and I must say they each have a little bit of their own style and taste. So I don’t think we are ever going to  the find the one size fits all blog style, Unless the people in China that make baseball hats, discover a way to do it.

Anyway, as some of you know I lost the jalousie section of the passenger side bedroom window on our trip to Florida, when we got to Florida it was gone, never heard or saw anything. Paul was gracious enough to help fabricate a wood patch, and Donna caulked it and put a coat of white primer and then white top coat of paint, and it doesn’t look bad. Plus it has had a ton of rain fall on it and is leak free. I found a place that stocks parts for HEHR windows, The catch was the tag that has the all important part number for my window is located on the inside of the window frame, so I had to remove the entire window frame and all from the fiver and then reinstall it. While I had it out I photographed the tag to attach to the e-mail going to the Parts company. Also it is still leak free after putting it back in. Anyway here is the break down of costs.

$115.00 Louver- glass & frame

$115.00 Torque tube assemble kit- tube, arms, operator

$4.98 Pair of hinges- total $234.98.

I am ordering the parts and will repair it here at home. I am sure the cost of replacing the window at an RV Dealer would be well into the $500 range as the one I called said they weren’t repairable and the would have to replace the entire window with the fiver being tied up 3 to 5 weeks. But they really didn’t sound like they were interested in trying to get a window for a brand of trailer they don’t sell or stock any parts for.

We are having a nice sunny but mild day with temps in the mid 70’s a house open no A/C day, we usually run the attic fan from late afternoon to before we go to bed and the house stays in the 70’s. I hope tomorrow the ground will be dry enough to resume some cutting.

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

HEY EVERYBODY, ITS DONNA

First thing I want to do is thank everyone for their concern and best wishes while I have been ill. Makes you feel better just knowing there are so many caring people in blogland. The pneumonia bug really did hit me hard this time, but am now almost back to my old self and ready to take on the world. Some thought I was nuts to be in an e.r. at night and back to work the next day, but have found, especially with pneumonia, the worst thing I can do is lay around. The fluid builds up too much in my lungs.  Then to top if off, on Fridays if I have been good all week on watching my fat and cholesterol, I treat myself to fast food breakfast. Apparently this Friday I got some bad food and had a mild case of food poisoning.  I know my long hours are a concern to everyone, but its what I am used to, couldnt tell you the last decade I worked a 40 hour week, have always been a certified workaholic,but I come by it naturally, my Dad was also one.  For many years I was a manager of a large 24 hour facility and that is not a 40 hour job. The job I have now at the logistics company is a sit on your butt and crunch numbers all day. I love the restaurant, active, around interesting people, many who have become good friends.  Many of you in your pre-retirement worked, came home cut grass, ran the kids around etc, so I just look at it that way.  To paraphrase a country song 'if your going through hell dont slow down keep on going before the devil even knows you're there'. Well, I figure if I dont slow down my age wont catch up with me :-) Just in my nature to go.  Donna of Cave Dwellers thinks I ought to get a spoon and Crisco, which really cracked me up. It reminded me when I was young I could never dive under water, butt just wouldnt go down...my dad jokingly called me Crisco, meaning fat in the can. One day in the not too distant future I will retire from the 70 to 80 hour weeks, but my body would probably go into shock if I didnt do something, either work part time or volunteer somewhere.
Now I want to tell you about two very remarkable people. Paul and Helen of http://ptempesta.blogspot.com/
They treated me like a queen while we were at their home. They will always hold a special place in my heart. Helen is a natural born nurturer. The 3 birds we brought them as an unexpected gift got more care from her than their mother probably would have given them. She religiously every hour would stop whatever she was doing to feed them, make sure they had a clean 'nest' and in general fussed over them.  They both do such much for so many people and animals they wear me out just thinking about what they do. They travel hundreds of miles to make sure a rescue dog is going to a good home before they will relinquish them, they travel to meet up with other rescuers to get dogs to their final destination, they foster pregnant dogs and care for them and their pups until they are old enough to be adopted.  They are constantly helping anyone that needs a hand or just someone that needs a kind listening ear.  They treated Sam, Riggins and myself so wonderfully, I cant thank them enough
Well, guess I have rambled on long enough...but do want you to know how much I appreciate everyones concerns, but hey I'm Irish (fiery) German (stubborn as they come) and Scottish (squeeze a nickel) so I'm going to be okay, now if I can only get Sam to stop worrying, he's got enough gray already.

Sunday Notes/Monday Meanderings.

After a busy day of being house mother/ nurse/ and chief cook and bottle washer I decide not to post yesterday and just sit and drink a couple of Millers and chill last night for awhile.

Donna spent most of Saturday and Sunday napping and relaxing and her medicine seems to be working she kept her meals down both days and is even beginning to look a little better, she went to the truck company this morning and so far so good. I will see what she looks like when she gets home.

Adam went home Saturday, his Mom came and picked him up Saturday night and said they were having a function with her sisters Sunday. He had a good weekend while he was here with his buddy and the xbox thing.

Got an e-mail saying my instrument cluster for the truck has been rebuilt and they are shipping it back UPS today, should be here by the end of the week. Then I will have a whole truck again.

We had an all day rain here again, I just don’t think they want me to get my grass cut until I have a field of hay.

Hop everyone is having a good week, we are here at the Ranch. be safe out there . Sam & Donna…….

Saturday Mumblings.

Was up at 06:00AM had my coffee, Donna was up most of the night sick to her stomach after coming home from the truck company, she ate very little and didn’t keep it down. I think it might be the antibiotic she is taking, that upset her stomach. No coffee for her this morning, I made her an egg sandwich for breakfast and she managed to keep it down. and then sipped water all day.  We will try something light for supper tonight. She had already called last night and told Jerry at the restaurant she would not be able to make it in tonight either making it a full week she hasn’t worked the the restaurant. I know she got a couple naps today so maybe the rest is helping.
Adam was out the door about 09:00AM to play with his buddies he came back for lunch and then went back out until about 02:00PM when they had to go somewhere with there parents, so he decided to xbox for awhile.
I went down to change the rear disc brake pads on Samantha’s Saturn, when I got the wheels off I looked at the calipers and never saw a mounting system like it before. I went up on the laptop and printed out the service manual page on replacing them and in big letters were the words, special tool GM number such and such required for removal of these calipers and hand brake assembly.
I decided right then that this job would have to be done at a garage that had already bought the special tools, since it isn’t my car I am done buying $50 dollar wrenches that you use twice in a lifetime. My son will have to do what I do when I run into those things in life and take it in and have it done.
He is having a week of it , the battery went out in his jeep and now the brakes are grinding on Samantha’s car. They can make it with one car for awhile so he will be buying a battery first.
I was going to go to the RV place to see about what I will have to do to get a replacement window for the fiver, but I decided since my budget took a $225 hit to have my speedometer cluster repaired this week I will wait until I have a few more dollars set aside and then replace it. the patch doesn’t leak and Like Rick said, I can’t see it from inside the bedroom with the shade down.
Weather was sunny and in the middle 80”s again but the ground is still soaked, it will take quite a few days like today to dry the water that standing 4 inches deep in the low spots.
That’s about it for today, hope the weekend is going great for everyone out in blogland. Be safe out there, Sam & Donna.

T.G.I.F.

Up at 0;30AM with my bride for coffee,then she was off to the truck company,she is taking another night off tonight from the restaurant.

It rained pretty hard here today so we are set back again with our plans to dry and mow grass.there is water standing everywhere, the ground is saturated.

I will be leaving in a little while to drive to Warrenton Mo. to pick Adam up he texted me yesterday and asked if he could spend the weekend.

Not much going on, Donna seems to be looking and feeling brighter, and she is sleeping better, so maybe the rest is doing her good.

Have a couple of jobs to get done here when it stops raining. Samantha’s car needs brakes on the rear and my son is getting a battery for his car when he gets paid today.

Other than that no news on the Weeb Ranch front today. Hope everyone is going have a great weekend. Be safe out there. Sam & Donna…..

Thursday Happenings.

Up at 04:30AM with my pretty bride, we had our coffee and then Donna headed for the truck company, She has decided to take another night off from the Restaurant. for which I am really pleased last night she was so exhausted after taking her medicine she fell asleep watching TV about 07:00PM.She needs several nights like that.
I wanted to let you all know what happened here, While we were in Florida Donna had a persistent cough that appeared to get worse as the week went on. She never complained and said she really enjoyed her vacation stay, but after sleeping like a log the first two nights, the cough would keep waking her up and I know she was wearing down.
On the drive back Sat,Sun & Monday she coughed even worse and started coughing up blood, she was also tired, and only drove about 3 hours on Monday before wanting a nap.
Tuesday she went to the Med First and they sent her to the E. R. at St Joseph’s Hospital in Lake St Louis. There they diagnosed the pneumonia and put her on an antibiotic I.V. and put a bunch of fluid into her. When they sent her home they also gave her an antibiotic , pain killer prescription.
Happily the bleeding has stopped and she is feeling much better, Donna has had recurring episode’s of pneumonia in the last five years, one of the reason’s why I want her to retire and us to head south at the first sign of cold weather. I am hoping and praying that we can do this and she can retire in January like she says, Thank you all for your concern, I live in constant fear that something will happen to her, and I won’t have a partner for our travels.
Enough of the doom and gloom, I just wanted everyone to know she is doing better and what happened.
Now to the good news I got a text message from Adam and he wants to spend the weekend with Grandpa, so I will be picking him up at the bus stop tomorrow.
Today I put a new sewer hose in the fiver, the old one sprung a pinhole leak while I was dumping it at the campground on the way home. I also took the white lithium grease spray and sprayed the screw gear on my back leveler jacks, now they shoot up and down real easy like.
Other than restocking a few groceries and putting new clothes in the fiver is ready for our next adventure. I will probably take Adam & Nicole camping as soon as they are out of school for the summer. I will wait until the pools are open at the campgrounds which is usually Memorial Weekend.
Went to the service station and topped the truck off with diesel since the fuel gauge is in the cluster that is away being repaired I didn’t know how much fuel I had left, now that it is full I can watch the miles on the GPS and know when I get close to 500 to refill, hopefully by that time my cluster will be back. Also filled the can with gas for John Deere, I got John out and we started on the front yard as I worked my way back I got stuck in a water/mud hole that I didn’t notice and had to pull John out with my truck. no pulling him by hand, way to much weight and in mud he was plain stuck. My aching back tells me how dumb it was to try.
It was sunny and in the middle 80’s again ,but boy there is still a lot of water lying out there, I guess it must have rained a ton while we were gone. Might be another week before it dries out.
Well that’s about it here in Dardenne Prairie, we sure hope everyone s having a great time this week and the weather is as nice as it is here. Be safe out there. Sam & Donna….

Wednesday Musings.

Slept in until 05:45AM this morning Donna had left for the truck company, she wasn’t feeling well since Sunday so she stopped at the Med-First on the way home last night , they sent her to the E.R. at St Joseph’s Hospital in Lake St Louis. She was diagnosed with pneumonia, they gave her a couple od prescriptions to have filled and told her to try to get some rest. She went in to the truck company, but got someone to cover her shift at the restaurant tonight.

I went to Walgreens and filled the prescriptions, and then went grocery shopping.

Still to wet in the low areas to cut, maybe tomorrow,other than that is was a nice sunny day in the low 80’s and windy, maybe that will help dry things out.

Just another slow and peaceful day here in Dardenne Prairie, not much going on.

Waiting now for Donna to come home and see what to make for supper. 

Hope everyone is having a fine week. Be safe out there. Sam & Donna…..

Tuesday Thoughts.

Was up at 04:30AM and had coffee with my bride, then she was off to the truck company.I then got caught up on a week of missed train pictures,

Then later in the morning I removed the instrument cluster from my truck and packed it, and then took it to the UPS Store to be shipped to US Speedometer to be rebuilt. The last several months it would all of a sudden go to the max speed indication while you were driving, and then stay there for a couple days before coming back down and working normal for a few days, then it would go back up again. The Chevy dealer wanted between $400 and $450 to remove the cluster and then they would send it somewhere and when it returned reinstall it. Us Speedometer is in Virginia and the guarantee  there work and the cost for a complete rebuild is $225 and they pay UPS shipping both ways. They said there are stepping motors inside the cluster that go bad, but as long as they have it apart all new bulbs and other parts are replaced.

Supposed to be returned in a weeks time. I can still use the truck and the trucks computer will store the odometer reading and it will read right when I reinstall the cluster. I will just use my GPS to know how fast I am going.

Nicole just came home and Rigg’s was waiting for her to get his kisses and licks in. I love hearing her squeals and laughter.

Sadie spent most of the day by her Grandpa I guess she is making up for the time lost last week.

The ever vigilant Sadie & Rigg’s on guard at the back door.

Got this from Karen & Steveo, at Little House Big Back Yard, looks like Rigg’s.

Rained yesterday was, sunny this morning but still way to wet to cut the grass, wow it looks overgrown, my son didn’t get to it while we were gone. Now it’s raining again. Told Nicole it was gonna rain pitchfork and hammer handles, so be careful not to get hit in the head.

That’s about it for today, Everyone be safe out there. Sam & Donna……