Back here again in Indiana

Okay, okay, okay. . . I don’t like being back in Indiana because it means work, work, work. We have an empty apartment we need to get cleaned and ready. The cleaning won’t be bad as the former tenant left it in good shape. We also plan on doing a lot of redecorating on the main house this summer starting with a new floor in the kitchen and new appliances . . . new stove and new dishwasher. Want to paint the entire inside and get rid of some really awful wallpaper the in-laws put up over 20 years ago.

We arrived back here on Sunday, the week before Mother’s Day. We parked Phaeton Place in the side yard and drove down to Claypool to see my sister and her husband and Mom and Dad. Nita and Jim built a big new house in a woods and Mom and Dad have a new park model parked near the house in the woods. Mom and Dad moved in after returning home from Texas this year and they really have their place fixed up . It is really nice and a much nicer atmosphere than had developed where they last lived. And they are close to Nita and Jim should they ever need help.

Mother’s Day we spent back down there and all of Nita’s kids and grandkids came along with the grandkids’ other grandparents. We had a pitch-in dinner and way too much food, but boy was it good! We got to meet "Delta," niece Kellie's newest rescue, a retired racing greyhound. We visited for a time afterwards, then headed back to the house and our dogs.

Tuesday this week, we drove Phaeton Place down to Summit Lake State Park near where we used to live (Mooreland, Indiana). The park was at one time a county park and the state purchased it years ago. In all of its infinite wisdom, the state took a park that had a campground filled to capacity every week and weekend of the season and jacked up the prices to where there are fewer than 20 units in here at this point. Last year we were here numerous times and it was always the same. I don’t understand why they don’t lower the price and get people in here to fill it up. We are here because it is convenient to where we had to go and while more than we like to pay, we are doing less driving the truck while here. We had hair appointments in New Castle, then Terry’s doctor appointment. All is well there. Then we met our broker and today we had to go to Indy to see the cardiologist. Everything well there also. So we are free until the end of September when we head out again, this time hopefully AHEAD of the cold weather and snow. We took the dogs in today for Bailey’s yearly and the vet checked Neal over since his recent surgery. He said Bailey has a very strong heart and will probably live another 10 years. Those of you who know Bailey will be pleased at that! We also made a trip over to Modoc to get our boat out of storage. Don’t know where we are going to put it, but we will have to find someplace.

We are headed back to northern Indiana tomorrow and will try to get started on the apartments before leaving the first week in June for Mississippi. We are going to the Pace-Stevens family reunion on June 9. After the reunion we are going to Red Bay for some service work on Phaeton Place.

We are well but suffering greatly from “Ronan and Jericho withdrawal.” I think after Red Bay we are going to make a quick run to Charlottesville. Not sure after that, but we are going to work in a trip home to South Dakota sometime after that.

Till next time. . .

Dale