A FEW “WANNA BE’S”….EVERYONE HAS THEM….

  I have a few “wanna be’s” in my life…I “wanna be” a piano player, but all I can manage is chopstix , and I do better with the utensils…I “wanna be” a dancer…but all I did was go to dancing school age 4-10, and besides, the tu tu’s scared me…I “wanna be” a poet…and I DID actually win a poetry contest in high school, (have no idea where that poem is)….I also imagined myself to be an artist in my more wistful days….and I have dabbled in some attempts at art (using the term loosely).

  While we were gone this December, I found some idle time to do a little sketching…or attempt to do some..I have used my grandkids as subjects before, but it has been a while since I got out “the ‘ol sketch pad.”  I do not claim to be anything but a “hacker”…but our grandkids liked getting these portraits…mostly because they are done by their dementia driven Grama/Mimi…..

      Taylor Kate Heiser, age 12                                        Peyton Lang Heiser, age10

      Campbell William Ross Heiser, age 6                                 Aiden Kendall Wolff, age 2

Trust me, my brother is the talented artist in the Ross family (my maiden name)….Not me….But it did give me something constructive to do ….

We took our walk this morning in the rainy drizzle…yes, I said rain…

That is fog at the end of our street…

 

 

I think I have mentioned what fabulous, crazy and totally “off the wall” family we have…A perfect example is the photo on the left…

This would be my 2 son-in-laws…They were at the Hampton Inn, Carmel Indiana the weekend before Xmas.  Both families were swimming in the indoor pool…Someone, (and it could have been EITHER ONE of the men), decided to run outside and make snow angels….HMMMMM….Should I be worried about Timothy Heiser and John Wolff???….No, because this is EXACTLY what happens when any parts of our family gets together… total insanity..

Terrie was fast enough to catch this pic on her cell phone and send it to us…trust me, they weren’t out there very long…..

…Makes a mother-in-law proud, eh????

 

 

OK, I have managed to find something to blog about, albeit a bit lame….I also want to thank all of you for your concern when we were so “mysteriously” offline and traveling.  I will tell you that Scott is out of ICU and back at the nursing home..Den and I went up to see him about an hour ago…Also, my brother-in-law, Dar’s hubby, is doing OK, and I think he is glad we are back home…Dennis…well, what can I say about Dennis that hasn’t been said?? He is a stubborn, ornery, curmudgeony old fart, but a cute one at that…and he is ALL mine. At the moment he resembles Frankenstein, but personally I think staples become  him…..More later!!!

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST “WANNA BE”????

THE PLANETS WEREN’T ALIGNED….THINGS HAPPEN FOR REASONS….

  Well, …..where do I begin??? How about 3 big things I love about camping…

1-…Seeing new and different places…

2-…Having campfires and meeting people..

3-…Being able to take your house with you when you travel…

  And ….what are 3 big things I don’t love about camping…

1-…Cold weather and no campfires….

2-…Not feeling well when away from home…

3-… and knowing in you heart, that you should GO HOME….

….and so we did.  Long story longer….McGuyver’s back  began to bother him somewhat…Then ,when my sis passed away, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I should be home…Then our nephew, Scotty (who is in a wheelchair, has a trache and can’t talk), ended up in ICU the 23rd of December.…Neither one of us was able to have a good time because our hearts weren’t in it…Sooooo , we left December 26th..and got home yesterday, December 28th, at3PM…

Gloves and stocking cap ready for action…..                Our outside temp was 17 degrees…OH, JUST GREAT!

Yes, that is snow in Missouri…..and it just kept showing up more…all the way back to Illinois….

We called ahead to one of McGuyver’s friends and he plowed out our driveway before we got there….Thanks Conveyor Eddie!!!! It was a bit of a challenge backing the Hiker in our drive…Yes, there were a few profanities, but no helpers or wives were injured or abused in the process….

Can I just say that when you think you things about this trip are beginning to  “chill out”…and we are home safe and sound….one errant sharp edge of a bedroom slide  (sans the little tennis balls) can literally knock you out of the game…And it did McGuyver…He cracked his head good..( and he was wearing his usual baseball cap)…The blood was flowing…So we ran in the house and I had him sit down so I could get a good look at it…NOT GOOD…

  “OK, Den…you definitely will need stitches on this one”…

“No, Donna, I’m fine!!! I just cut my scalp a little..I’ve done it before..I’ll be fine!”

“ I say you need to go to the hospital so they can stitch you up…You have a gash about 2 1/2 inches long  and it is GAPING!!!! YOU CAN’T SEE IT..I CAN!!!”

“ I SAID NO, DONNA..I AM NOT GOING..I AM FINE!!!

(I need to interject that things were getting ugly at the Caves…I was pissed)….

OK, Dennis…WHATEVER YOU THINK!!!”… and I walked away to the kitchen..The next sound I heard was a huge THUD…Oh, Oh…McGuyver down…fainted…I ran in and helped get him sitting up, but still on the floor.  At this point, I told him I was calling 911….About this time, he tried to get up again  …and he went down again..this time he was OUT!! and he fell against me, so we were both on the floor…(Ya had to be there)…Just as I was dialing 911, he came to, and said “Do NOT call the ambulance!”…

..I did manage to get him to allow me to call our son Kelly, (paramedic), and his wife, Cindy, (nurse)….They came right away…and off we all went to the hospital ER…. (Now, I love to do family things, but this was a bit over the top… and by the way, OUR truck was still hooked on to the Hiker!) Unbeknownst to us, Cindy had already called ahead to the ER, and they had a bed with his name on it already..she has some pull up at Valley West ER!!)

  McGuyver ended up with 10 staples in his head ( I asked to the ER Doc to let ME put them in, but he wouldn’t)…He also got IV fluids, a CT scan of his head, an EKG and a tetanus shot.  He even had  his own little cubicle to lie in.  He definitely had a concussion…but there was no bleeding in the brain..and yes, they verified he did, indeed, have one.

Finally, they discharged  him,  reluctantly I think, to my care.  To make sure I didn’t throttle him when we got home, Kelly and Cindy came in our house and had a couple beers with us…I got out the cheese and sausage, mixed a MUCH NEEDED Rum and Coke and we all had a “Let’s celebrate Dad’s stapled head wound” Party.  They left  about an hour later, but only after Kelly helped his Dad hook up our Satellite TV…Cindy will take out  his staples herself in about a week..(unless I feel the need to do it myself!)…JUST KIDDING!!!

Today, McGuyver is fine…We finished cleaning out the RV, got it backed on the pad, and he winterized it AGAIN!!  He doesn’t even have a headache!!!!  So…I didn’t mean to be mysterious when we left…We were just so bummed that I couldn’t bear to put it in writing….But, hey..we are home..and actually very happy to be here….This winter trip was doomed from the start, I think.

LIKE I’VE SAID BEFORE….WE CAVES WILL DO ANYTHING FOR A PARTY!!!

 

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL!!

…Happy Christmas Eve to all!!!! Thursday AM we made the 3 mile trip to Fisher , TX to get our mail…The town of Fisher is a wide spot in the road, with a post office and general store….The Fisher General Store also used to house the post office…Here are a few photos….

 

The old safe and postal boxes are still there…and lots of “stuff”…..It was built in 1902…We have been to Fisher to get our mail before, but this place is only open on certain days, and we had been missing it…

Short blog…We have again changed plans and are leaving here early…tomorrow, I think….Directions have changed too, but more about that later….We will be offline from this afternoon until sometime Monday or Tuesday….Have a wonderful Christmas….and we’ll see ya on the other side of it!!! Caves

“GO WEST, YOUNG(???) CAVES”…I BELIEVE WE WILL!

  A few blogs ago, I said that McGuyver and I weren’t too sure which direction we are headed this Sunday…Al suggested we “go West, young Caves, go West”..I’m not sure where the young part came in, but we feel the desert cactus calling our names…I believe we will, Al…..thanks for the input!!

But before we do, I had better whip up some egg salad for our trip…..

…if I don’t eat it all before we leave….This bite’s for you, Al and Kelly!!!

 

…The sun was breaking through the heavy clouds Monday morning on our walk…..Our weather has warmed up, and yesterday it hit 80 bone warming degrees….They are still getting lots of cold and snow in Illinois…and out in California, Nevada and Arizona it is raining cats and dogs..and houses…Some of the homes in Northern Arizona are being undermined by the water run off from the mountains, and sliding down the hillsides..YIKES!…It seems  Nellie and Jonathan have had some really bad luck… their truck tranny “shot craps”!!  That’s really ugly, but I guess it could be worse..you could be knee deep in snow in Colorado somewhere!  Be careful out there, you two young wippersnappers!!

As we speak, Rick and Paulette are loading up their new fiver for their 4 month trip to warmer climates,   Sue and Doug have their home decked out and looking fabulous for Xmas (makes me a little homesick), Stu and Donna are motorcycling through Key West (I am soooo jealous..), Kathy and Robert got a new RV and are heading home to Kentucky for Xmas..Woo Hoo!!!.. Jerry and Suzy are baking up a storm out there in Arizona!…Dawn and Denise are downsizing, preparing to go full-time.  It won’t be long now!!  Mark and Chris are backed up to the Pickleball Court for the holidays…

Also, Laurie and Odel could use a new dumb phone, Santa…and..Sam and Donna  are finally together with family for the holidays!  Are ya making pizza, Sam?  Judy is counting the blackbirds for her  Xmas pie and making pretzel treats…(Emma is licking the bowl)…Al and Kelly  are driving around in their new vacuum cleaner (better check the tires) ,  John and Bridget are touring the Xmas lights and waiting for the Sears repairman..LOL! Our ambitious fabulous volunteers, Randy and Pam, are helping build yet another Habitat home,(kudos, you guys!)   Kenny and Angela are getting more sick jokes ready while getting “one day closer to the dream”…and Chris and Melissa have a Xmas tree of lights on the front of their motorhome!!

  And a shout out to Mountain Man Bob, who hit the road from Bullhead City and is back in the desert again (Did I dream this, Bob, or didn’t you just buy a “stix and bricks” out there??) ….and Mike and Geri celebrated 28 years together this year with a special dinner at The Plantation Room, Callaway Gardens. (Congratulations you two, it isn’t easy, as we know!….)

  I know that all of our thoughts are with Stephanie and her kids, who will spend this Christmas missing two very dear family members,  Bruce and Margie.  Our prayers are with their family at this very hard time….and I think I speak for all of the bloggers who knew them…they are sorely missed this Christmas..And…. I just have a feeling that Margie is “up there” organizing all of the angels in alphabetical order, and Bruce is chuckling just watching her….

..So…we are all getting ready for the big jolly man with the beard and red suit…(no , I don’t mean Sam Weibel, although it would be fun to pop open a High Life with him, too!)…

DOGS LOVE PICK UP TRUCKS!! (WE HAD A ST. BERNARD NAMED BRUNO ABOUT 40 YEARS AGO. HE WAS 80 LBS. AT 6MO. OLD AND OUTGREW OUR LITTLE HOUSE…(TALK ABOUT SOME BIG “DOG LIPS”!!!!)

 

THIS IS WHAT MCGUYVER AND I WILL BE CAMPING IN SOMEDAY….NOT SURE IF THAT THING WOULD TIP OVER WHEN WE CLIMBED INTO THAT BED, THOUGH!!! I DO KNOW IT WOULD MAKE A GREAT BLOG IF IT DID!!!

 

 

I PRESENT TO YOU THE 2010 NFC NORTH DIVISION CHAMPIONS…

MONSTERS OF THE MIDWAY…THE CHICAGO BEARS..OH YEAH!!

GO CHICAGO BEARS!!!

  THEY ARE PLAYING AGAINST THEIR NO. 1 NEMESIS…BRETT FAVRE…..I WOULD LOVE THE BEARS TO WIN..BUT NOT KILL FAVRE IN THE PROCESS!!! IN KNOW..THIS IS NO BLOG…BUT GUESS WHAT?…WE ACTUALLY GET TO WATCH THE GAME ON ESPN!!!! SEE YA LATER…

IT’S WARMING UP…HO HO HO….!! YEA YEA YEA!!!!!

TODAY IS SUPPOSE TO BE ALMOST 70 DEGREES…DO WE DARE TRUST THAT LYIN’ SOB, THE WEATHERMAN????

  Some of us do things that are good for us…..and some of us…..…not so much…..

Not that is NOT McGuyver and myself on the left….However, McGuvyer and I DID go into the VFW Post 8573 Lounge yesterday for a wine and beer …I don’t take photos inside here.  You have to understand that this place is frequented 99.9% by local veterans…and then there is US!..Now, McGuyver  is a veteran of the Air Force..4 years…, but fighting in a war???..hmmm, not unless you consider surrounding Skidmore Girl’s College in Saratoga Springs, NY, where he was stationed…At any rate, all the people in this place are very nice and friendly, but I didn’t want to push it by blinding them with flashbulbs while they were just enjoying a cocktail and shuffleboard game..

 

 

 

I MANAGED TO SNAG ONE OF THEIR COASTERS FROM UNDER MY WINE GLASS..

VERY NICE…IF YOU CAN’T TELL, THOSE ARE DOG TAGS IN THE EAGLE’S TALONS, UNDER THE WORD BUDWEISER…

 

On the left is the Canyon Lake Dam…Right is a great example of typical Texas architecture in this little house.

McGuyver managed to get a few photos of me doing some physical labor the other day….

Ignore the rude old bat above..     I found a way to wash our bikes and the Hiker at one time…

This last weekend our 2 daughters and their families got together for an early Christmas in Carmel Indiana, just North of INDY,,,Chris , John and Aiden live in an apartment there, temporarily, since they sold their home in Broad Ripple …and are looking for a house farther North of INDY…

These are our Grands….and no, that does not include the Polar Bear, Seal and Elephant who were rude enough to jump into this photo!!! They all did The Children’s Museum, swam at the hotel pool, made snow angels, decorated cookies, had dinner, opened gifts, drank toasts (adults only, of course) and had a great time…We were right there with them…in our hearts!

  I want to welcome Kate and Terry , and also Dear Little Miss Mermaid to our blog…You might want to get a good supply of Rolaids and Ibuprofen for this trip…

I got this as an email…It’s the new “texting code” for Senior Citizens….like Den and I..I , for one, intend to put it into play immediately!!!!!ENJOY! (THANKS DAVID!)

ATD: At The Doctor's  
BFF: Best Friend Farted

BTW: Bring The Wheelchair 
BYOT: Bring Your Own Teeth 
CBM: Covered By Medicare 
CUATSC: See You At The Senior Center 
DWI: Driving While Incontinent 
FWB: Friend With Beta Blockers 
FWIW: Forgot Where I Was 
FYI: Found Your Insulin 
GGPBL: Gotta Go, Pacemaker Battery Low! 
GHA: Got Heartburn Again 
HGBM: Had Good Bowel Movement 
IMHO: Is My Hearing-Aid On

LMDO: Laughing My Dentures Out 
LOL: Living On Lipitor 
LWO: Lawrence Welk's On 
OMMR: On My Massage Recliner 
OMSG: Oh My! Sorry, Gas. 
ROFL... CGU: Rolling On The Floor Laughing... And Can't Get Up 
SGGP: Sorry, Gotta Go Poop 
TTYL: Talk To You Louder 
WAITT: Who Am I Talking To? 
WTFA: Wet The Furniture Again 
WTP: Where's The Prunes? 
WWNO: Walker Wheels Need Oil 
GGLKI: Gotta Go, Laxative Kicking In

SEE Y’ALL A LITTLE LATER…KEEP  YOUR SEATBELTS ON!!!

HELPING MY BROTHER-IN-LAW WITH A FEW ARRANGEMENTS

  I knew I wasn’t going to get a blog together Thursday…I needed to help Norman, my sister’s husband, with a few things……

My sister took her last “curtain call” yesterday ,and is now on the biggest stage of all, finally free of pain and knocking ‘em dead up there!!! (Yes, I know that was probably in bad taste, but if you only knew my sis, she would have LOVED that one!)

Norman asked me to write her obituary, and I was honored to do it.. I got that done this afternoon, with much love, and emailed it to the funeral home…  All is good here.  Den and I made a donation in Darlene’s name to a local theater group called The Limelight Theater Company…The young man who runs it went to Sandwich High School with our kids, and he is an old friend. ….His theater group was performing “It’s A Wonderful Life” last night, and Brian read a dedication to my sis before the performance…THANKS BRIAN, YOU ARE THE BOMB!

 

 

LADIES AND GENTLEMAN..I GIVE YOU BRIAN FAUTH…

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR OF LIMELIGHT THEATER COMPANY….AND A VERY DEAR OLD FRIEND OF THE CAVE FAMILY….

 

 

 

  We had a few other things to address…McGuyver wears Rigid Gas Permeable Bifocal Contact Lenses…he has worn them for 41 years….NO, NOT THE EXACT SAME LENSES…DUH!! He has been noticing a build up of deposits on the lenses recently , cannot see as well, and they need to be professionally polished…(Hey, I polish silverware ,NOT contact lenses!)  So I got online, found a place called TSO, Texas State Optometric here in New Branfels..I called them and …HUGE SURPRISE!!..THEY POLISH CONTACT LENSES ONSITE WHILE YOU WAIT…AND ONLY FOR $20!!

So today,we hauled GMC butt to TSO and McGuyver got buffed, polished and shined up like a new shoe…Well, at least his lenses did!  While there, we picked up some Church’s Chicken for tomorrow night’s dinner and some deer corn for the menagerie outside our campsite..  These deer and weird barnyard ducks are beginning to surround the Hiker and are going to hold us hostage until we come up with some corn…

 

Seems to me like that buck was “goosing” the duck!!! They argue over food all the time.

 

On the way back to the RV , we took the scenic route..The River Road..It goes from New Braunfels, following the winding Guadalupe River, and ends up at Sattler which is about 10 miles from Canyon Lake…

 

 

There is a really tall, neat looking house along this river, on the other side….McGuyver stopped so I could get a photo ..

 

 

 

IT IS FIVE LEVELS …AND THEN HAS A BIG TOP LEVEL THAT SITS UP HIGH LIKE A TREE HOUSE…NOTE THAT COPPER ROOF, TOO!….WHAT A VIEW FROM THAT TOP LITTLE HOUSE…

 

 

 

 

 

 

So…..it has been a long day….tonight is beef kabobs for dinner…I probably should post this puppy ..I need to proof read it and right now it is creeping on toward cocktail hour…and I COULD USE A VERY LARGE STRONG DRINK at this point!…No, I won’t get blitzened, blotto,  tipsy or buzzed..Well, maybe a slight buzz wouldn’t hurt…

Oh, what the Hey….I’m publishing right now! A Pulitzer Prize Winner, this blog is NOT…

Thanks to you all again for your caring and concern…What great blog friends you all are…I will try to get back in the groove now….I promise!

AND NOW…A STANDING OVATION , DARLENE…YOU SOOO DESERVE IT!!

Stuff going on….

Just a quick note….lots going on right now….No, Den and I are just fine….Will post maybe Saturday or Sunday…Love y’all!!!!!

WITH APOLOGIES TO THE FOOD NETWORK…..

  Hey…welcome aboard the Cave Dweller’s great adventure to a couple new followers!! Shout out to Ruth and Ken and  Luci and Loree !!!! You gotta be some kind of crazy to climb aboard this train wreck, but we sure are glad you came!!

 

 

GOT THIS COASTER AT JEFFERSON TX…WE LOVE OUR HAPPY HOURS….AND THESE 2 REINDEER MAKE A GREAT POINT !!

 

 

 

 

  Yesterday was non-eventful…We got groceries at WalMart…I had thought of doing one of those “people you see at WalMart” picture shows, but I am sure I could end up the subject of one at any given shopping trip, so I thought twice. We also hit one of our supermarket “favs”…HEB…They have the best meat and groceries ever!! You might want to check out the history of the HEB stores….Just sayin’…And FYI, the H.E.B. stands for Herbert E. Butt…Yep, you got it…Quite a story there, too!

  I’m hoping to get this “big behemoth of a fiver” washed today..They predicted 75 degrees, but so far, at 8:30AM, there is no sunshine and the wind is hawking off Canyon Lake….Since I’m not in the mood to play the  “windy cold hose spray” game, I will decide if I might put of the big wash job until tomorrow…

  A few shots….let me rephrase that…a few photos of a nice Buck who posed for me…

…not sure who was watching who, but shortly after I got that second picture, he snorted and bolted off into the grasses.

…Quiet day today…unless the camper gets a much needed scrub….Last night we had pizza, yet again…Can I just say to my blog child, Nellie,  that pizza has all of the major food groups in it, so I count it as health food!  I wore one of my best dining ensembles for the occasion…

 

 

……     AND IF THIS OUTFIT DOESN’T SCARE OUR FOLLOWERS OFF, NOTHING WILL!

FOR SOME REASON…TODAY I’M OUTA GAS…MY MOOD SWINGS ARE LIKE MONKEYS ON VINES…

IF I GET AMBICIOUS AND WASH THE CAMPER, THERE MAY BE PHOTOS…..BIG WOOP.

 

 

 

 

We are planning on grilled baby back ribs tomorrow night for dinner, and that means that today I put on my sous chef hat and start “prepping” for the Chief chef, Chef McGuyver…..

 

 

Hey!! ?So I forgot my sous chef hat!!!  This will have to do!….(Must keep my hair covered as per the RV Kitchen Help Health Dept)…..and NO…DO NOT CLICK TO ENLARGE..I TRIED IT AND IMMEDIATELY MADE A 911 CALL TO A PLASTIC SURGEON!

 

 

The secret to great ribs is…(get ready, I don’t share these secrets with just anyone…or do I??)…Yellow Mustard, Donna’s “no longer secret dry rub”, and Bullseye BBQ Sauce..The rub is basically paprika, brown sugar, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, garlic pepper, cumin, dry mustard, onion powder and some coarse salt….

   I cut the rib rack in quarters, smear the mustard on both sides, coat all over with rub…Then, wrap each quarter in heavy duty foil and put in the refrig overnite ( this is a  must do)…..Tomorrow we really would normally put them over a wood fire for about 45 minutes, turning every so often…This may not be possible here (thanks a lot, Smokey), so I put them in our oven at 300 degrees for 45 min….Take them off and let them sit for about an hour, unwrap the pieces and throw them on the grill…Slather them up with Bullseye just before you take them off…and WALLA!..There you have it…..And if you tell anyone , I’ll have to send you to “swim with the fishes”….

 

 

..That little red present is lit up from the inside..very clever…Can ya see our little tree on the table????

OK, the sun is coming out..it is 11AM…I see that I have a possible film project coming up after lunch..It’s called “The Behemoth Gets a Bath”…starring ME, and co-starring McGuyver , who is great at doing windows!!