Thanksgiving Plans

Yesterday Brendon and I loaded up and drove over to Brandon's on the Atlantic side of the state. Two hours and 15 minutes to go 90 miles. It's called DISNEY traffic. There was a pretty horrific wreck on I-4 around the Disney exits, but it was west bound and I was east bound, so it didn't slow me up. There was considerable traffic though even after I got off of I-4. I only have to take it for 22 miles, but it took an hour. It was good to see the kids, grandkid and doggie. 

Tonight Brandon and I are going to see Mannheim Steamroller live at the King Center here in Melbourne. They are one of my favorites and Terry would always buy me their new Christmas album every year. Their music is timeless and much more than the traditional holiday tunes. They make it magical. I'm looking forward to it tonight.

Tomorrow Brendon and I are leaving and heading to Virginia to spend Thanksgiving with Jocelyn and her family at her in-law's house in Chesapeake. Tom and Sharon are good friends and it will be a fun time. Since I don't plan on going to Indiana in the spring as usual (no graduations this year), I wasn't sure when I would see them again. We are driving the car this time as the weather in Virginia this time of year can be kind of iffy. And I can't park my motorhome at Tom and Sharon's. They have a large enough house; there will be room for Brendon and I.

I have been busy the last couple weeks. I hired the guy (the wrong guy it turns out) to do some work around the house. He got some stuff done satisfactorily, but he really messed up on some things. My new full view storm doors were not installed completely and there is no trim around them. He just left one inch gaps all around and air was getting in/out. I friend helped me seal them up to keep out the weather and I am going to try and find someone to help get them functional. I don't want the guy that did it back in my house. I'm hoping to get that taken care of when I get back.

Brendon has to see a specialist when we get back. His liver enzymes are high and getting higher with every blood test. High liver enzymes are the bane (one of them) of the Scottish Terrier breed and not always troublesome, but when they appear suddenly and continue an upward trend, they need to be investigated. He doesn't show any signs or symptoms of anything more sinister, so I am hoping nothing is seriously amiss. He continues to be my rock. 

Till next time. . .

Dale

Never Say Never!!!

I have decided to revitalize my blog. Many factors have led to this. One is that I often refer to my old blog to look up places I’ve been or to check dates, etc. I find the blog a real source when it comes to checking events in my life. So I have decided to keep it going. Another reason is that next summer I am flying to England and embarking from there on a 12-day cruise of the British Isles and Ireland. I am going with friends and I want a way to record the trip and include pictures. I hope to blog daily and create a travel-log much like I did for our Alaska trip (see 2013, May, June, July, August). Then I had to decide if I wanted to start a new blog or extend the old one. For the present, I am going to add on to the existing blog known as “Skoolzout forever” as it is still an apt title for this former schoolteacher.

 Even though I thought my life was over when Terry died, I found it just changed. Rather dramatically and suddenly, but life does go on. I managed to sell my big motor home quite quickly and had some updates done on my little one, MinnieMee. I drove her for the next two summers, traveling to Virginia and Indiana to visit family every summer. And my new travel buddy, Brendon, travels very well with me. He doesn’t like sitting up front in his car seat, though. He prefers sleeping in his travel crate on the floor behind the passenger seat. He can see me from there so he feels very safe and secure. So that’s how we roll. He particularly enjoys visiting my sister Nita because of her three dogs, Albert loves Brendon and they play non-stop. So much so that he lost a pound (which is a lot for a little dog) over the summer.

Just to update, ten months after Terry died, my Mom died In September 2021. She was 96 and still living on her own in her trailer at my sister’s woods. She had a stroke and after being hospitalized and starting rehab in a nursing home, she had another which was devastating. She made the decision to allow only comfort measures and she died a few days later.

In November, 2021 right after Thanksgiving, my daughter Jocelyn, drove down from

  Virginia and we hitched the trailer on to MinnieMee and we drove to Mission, Texas, to my place Terry and I had in an RV Park. We cleaned out the shed and the Texas Room and put a For Sale sign in the yard. It sold in two hours! We loaded the trailer up with as much as we could carry, including the golf cart, and started back to Florida. We arrived back to my home in 15 days from when we left. A fast and productive journey. In that time I had emptied the place of everything I wanted, sold it and got back home. I would never have believe that possible. Jocelyn got back home and still had a week before Christmas!

In July 2022, I was finally able to have Terry’s ashes interred in Indiana. Covid interfered with a service and getting a columbarium built, but it all came together finally and we had a nice service with family and a few close friends in attendance. 

In November 2022, I found my “dream coach” and managed to buy it. Fortunately it was just two miles up the road. It is a 2021 Coach House Platinum III, one of two models on my list and it has all the bells/whistles I want/need! I was able to sell MinnieMee quickly. Good small motor homes are in high demand.

I mentioned in an earlier post that I published my blog. It ended up being seven volumes and over 1500 pages! I also have digital files that I can load onto usb storage devices.

Till next time. . . 

Dale