Good Bye Sun…Hello Rain…

  Well, so much for our great sunshine…We are due for some showers here over the next few days and the wind has turned out of the North…But, that’s OK….I have my own “sunshine fix” available to look at whenever I want…

 

I warned you about my tendency to bore you with photos of our newest grandson, Maddox.  He is one long legged little Monkey Butt, isn’t he?? Chris took him for his one week check today and he has put on 3 ounces since his birth, which is good…He is a good eater, but has his days and nights mixed up, as do most newborns…This little ray of sunshine is now my background on our computer..

  Not much goin’ on here…I am in quite a bit of pain with my foot…and ,  believe it or not, I am considering using some crutches or a cane for a few weeks to expedite the healing (if there is going to be any) .  I went and got groceries today and I was a total gimp by the time I was done…lesson learned.    Date night its Saturday, and I really don’t want to ruin my “hot mama” look  with crutches…I never knew ANY hot mamas who hopped around on crutches and wore Crocs….My sexy looking cowboy boots are sitting in my closet wondering what the Hell happened…There goes my “Miss Kitty” look. (Only you old timers will understand that one)….I fully intend to get back on the saddle and pull on those boots by next fall…Marshall Dillon, a.k.a. McGuyver/Dennis awaits.

  It’s been pretty boring around here, so I thought I would give you a little “Art Show”…All of our grandkids love to do sidewalk chalk in our driveway,  and I am always there to encourage a budding artist….

CHECK THESE OUT….

 

 

ISN’T IS NEAT HOW ALL KIDS SEE THINGS DIFFERENTLY?…NOTICE THERE WAS NO HOPSCOTCH…THEY PROBABLY DON’T EVEN KNOW WHAT THAT IS!!! OK, SOME CHALKARTS ARE A LITTLE QUESTIONABLE, BUT THEY DRAW WHAT THEY SEE, AND AT THE CAVE DWELLINGS, THEY SEE A BUSCH LITE!!!

Well, tonight I am making Gyros for dinner…No, I didn’t make them myself,  Wal Mart has a good Gyro “Kit”, and that sounded easy…The most effort I have to put forth is to heat the meat and put some fries in the oven…So right about now it’s cocktail hour…..and I feel the need for some self medication….I might get ambitious tomorrow and actually BAKE something, seeing as the weather is going to be cold and yucky…..Cranberry muffins sound good….At least the kitchen will smell yummy..(I’m not known for my baking skills.  Usually I find my baked goods at Casey’s General Store…)

  Thanks for reading this meandering blog….Wipe the druel off your mouth , quit snoring and go do something CONSTRUCTIVE!!!!

To Gimp or not to Gimp…that IS the question.

  First of all, I want to welcome a couple new readers….Andy Altes, and rmnorman1…I may have already welcomed you, and if I did…well…I just did it AGAIN!…My mind isn’t the best at my extended years…Glad to have you aboard, and by now you have already figured out how crazy I can be….

Not to bore you with my ongoing Plantar’s peanuts foot problem..but my PT guy and I had a “set to” Monday. I have been doing PT for almost 3 weeks now, and all I feel is worse.  My foot killed me all weekend, and his answer to  my rantings was..”And what exactly did you do during that time??”…Wellllllll.. I got groceries Thursday, Friday I cleaned my house, Saturday I worked in the yard, Sunday I worked some more in the yard….WHAT’S YOUR POINT?  This is stuff I do all the time!

His point being that I was suppose to stay off my foot as much as possible…WRONG ANSWER…..Unless my foot is falling off my body, I refuse to sit all day on my gluteus maximus and watch TV or read books…that just isn’t my style. Also, I have done just enough research to know that most peeps who have this stuff DON’T go on crutches unless they have had foot surgery for it…Don’t get me wrong…I know I should go easy…and I do.  I haven’t done the 2 mile walk with Dennis for 3 months…I have sat at the computer and done genealogy research most of the winter…But now that the weather is nice,  chances are that I WON’T be just sitting around waiting for the foot fairy to heal me. 

After I told the PT guy this he actually said to me…”Well,, this physical therapy doesn’t work for everyone….Sometimes it just has to heal on it’s own….”,..NO,REALLY?? So….today I put on my brand new Saucony  Progrid Ride 2 shoes and I am wearing them all day to see if that makes a difference.

…I am going to continue the PT until May and see how it goes…but I refuse to use crutches OR just sit around…Sorry, Charlie…I’m just now built that way unless I am in so much pain I CAN’T walk…I remember what the Midlife Cruiser told me a few months ago..She said “don’t let your foot problem define you….”…and I won’t, my blog daughter…I WON’T!!!! ENOUGH SAID ABOUT MY PLANTAR’S PROBLEM!

 

….Cactus Wren nest……a wildflower in the desert scrub….more foliage in bloom..All taken along the Rio Grande,TX

“OH, WHAT A TANGLED WEB WE WEAVE….”

 

 

 

OK, so I’m in a “nature” kind of mood.  Sometimes you just gotta let nature take over and see what happens…That’s exactly where I am in attitude….(These were ALL taken at Falcon Lake State Park….Gosh I miss that place.)…

Well, this has been a venting blog for me…I’m sure not everyone agrees with my “take control of your own life” campaign…and I know many of you think I should just listen to the Doc and do as he says…and maybe I eventually will, but before I throw in the “towel”..or hop  on one of these…

 

…..I am going to try to behave somewhat, do what I feel comfortable doing…and see how it goes…This cane, by the way, is one of many my Mother used for most of her adult life…which may explain my nasty attitude toward all walking devices….Hey…ya gotta do what ya gotta do…and I will if I have to, but not until I try it MY way first…

 

 

I’m sooooo sorry I was on such a negative vibe today….I promise I will have a more uplifting blog next time….Hey…how could I be such a “Crabby Maxine” when I have this little bundle of joy to do a “meet and greet” with in a couple weeks????

Maddox and his Daddy on Skype yesterday….Yeah, that’s what I’M talkin’ about!!!

PLEASE ACCEPT MY  HUMBLE APOLOGY..MAXINE WILL NOT MAKE ANOTHER APPEARANCE ANYTIME SOON!!!!!

HELLO WORLD….

 

 

“HEY..COULD YA QUIET IT DOWN…SHEESH…JUST 2 DAYS AGO I HAD PEACE, QUIET AND MY OWN SPACE!”

 

 

 

 

Well, Maddox is almost 48 hours old and will go to his new home with his new family this afternoon….Sleep will become a thing of the past for Chris and John, and the house will be filled with Pampers, formula, wipes and love.

He is doing just great and he got to meet his big brother. They had a little talk about the pecking order in the family and came to some kind of “brother” agreement…Chris is doing fine also, and their life will be very busy ..getting ready to move everyone into their new house by the end of April….Mimi (me) and Papa are  on call to head off to Indy when needed ,and provide some muscle, gifts, hugs, and…. an extra pickup truck…

Yesterday I got crazy and began to move the patio furniture onto our deck, and the fire pit went down by the garage for the summer.

I have been going to physical therapy twice a week for my foot…I ‘m still not sold on the idea that it is helping…It seems like for a few days after they “massage” my foot, it hurts like Hell.  (Of course, I’m sure it doesn’t  help that I am constantly on it, walking all over the place.)  It’s just that I am NOT one to stay off my feet and sit on my caboose watching TV…especially with the weather turning nice FINALLY and work to do outside…

…Got the front screened porch all cleaned off, new chairs out and ready to eat our breakfast and dinners outside…but not until it gets MUCH warmer…We also LOVE to have our morning coffee and paper out here…This officially initiates Spring into the Cave’s Cave….

  I mentioned that I didn’t win a darn thing from the Maxine Crabby Contest , even though I was a finalist…(however, McGuyver would give me 1st place for my attitude lately)….Well, yesterday the FEDEX truck pulled up and left a little consolation prize for me….

I now am the proud owner of a Maxine “Crabby Button”….just turn it on, push down and you get comments like this…”Life is a series of ups and downs, but if you apply yourself you can stay mad the whole time”…or…”I hate to see people frown….Could you put a bag on  your head till you cheer up?”…or my favorite…”Having a bad day?…Do what I do, find somebody and ruin their day too!”….What’s really scaring me is the fact that I am pushing that button more times a day than I thought I would…..

LIFE IS GOOD….IN FACT…IT’S FABULOUS.!!!!!!!

Welcome To The World Maddox Isaac Wolff!!!!

  A short blog today…..I’m so excited to announce our newest grandson, Maddox Isaac Wolff……Christie went into the hospital last night at 6:30PM and they started her labor this morning at 8:30AM…..He was born at 12:11PM…He weighed in at 6lb 9 oz. and 20” long…healthy and loved…and our family is again blessed…That makes 5 grandchildren, 3 step grandchildren and  3 step great grandchildren!!!f WHEW!!…..so many Cave People!

 

TRUST ME, THERE WILL BE MORE PHOTOS!!! HE WAS ONLY 1/2 HOUR OLD HERE! ..AND THIS WAS TAKEN WITH HIS DAD’S SMART PHONE…  

 

HIS DAD TOLD ME HE LOOKS LIKE A LITTLE OLD MAN…DOESN’T HE KNOW THAT ALL  NEWBORNS DO???

 

MADDOX’S BIG BROTHER HELPED PICK OUT HIS NAME….I CAN’T WAIT TO GET A PHOTO OF THE 2 BOYS TOGETHER…..

 

“I ASKED GOD FOR ALL THINGS THAT I MIGHT ENJOY LIFE;

HE GAVE ME LIFE THAT I MIGHT ENJOY ALL THINGS…..”

 

 

 

 

Donna’s Semi-Helpful Semaphore Signals For RV Parking…

  Any of you out there that have owned a camper/RV/motorhome know that one of the most dreaded jobs  for any two people is …BACKING INTO THE PARKING SPOT.  This almost always means that the “co-pilot” gets to jump out and assume the position at the back of the camper, putting your reputation on the line!  This also usually always means that many expletives will be  mumbled during the process…and sometimes certain hand signals are required.
 

MOST SPOTS YA GOTTA BACK INTO… SOOOOO……LET THE GAMES BEGIN!!

Being a co-pilot is one of the hardest jobs  I’ve ever been handed, and this includes giving birth…You can take all the walkie talkies in the world, and it still won’t save you from various and assorted facial/ body language.   Over the 8 years we have been camping, I have developed my own set of “semaphore” signals…(Trust me, McGuyver would NEVER  let me use flags!!)




“More to the right, left, right..Oh, Hell….THAT WAY!!      Exactly what about that did you NOT understand???

NO!NO!NO! SHEEEEEESH!!!!               Read THIS  hand signal, big boy!!!!


Say whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat??????         Please God, let this be the last pull forward and try!



Holy Crap…I did NOT see that tree branch!!!      WOOPS!….I DON’T DARE LAUGH…..(TEE HEE)

AND FINALLY , WHAT I LIKE TO CALL “THE BIG KISS OFF”…..

NOW DON’T YOU TELL ME THAT SOME OF YOU HAVEN’T SUBSCRIBED TO MY NEW AND IMPROVED SEMIPHORE MOVES!!

SEE YA ON THE OTHER SIDE!!

DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME WITHOUT A SPOTTER…..

Before I do anything else I want to say HAPPY 69TH BIRTHDAY TO THE LOVE OF MY LIFE!!  LIKE FINE WINE, MCGUYVER, YOU AGE FABULOUSLY..ESPECIALLY HAVING TO PUT UP WITH MY ANTICS FOR 42  YEARS…YOU ARE MY BRICK.

  I got some good news and some “just news”….The good news is that my Maxine character made the finals of the Crabby Contest…(here is the link to see all the finalists)…The “just news” is that I apparently didn’t make the cut…N0 bunny slippers,  NO Maxine mugs and NO checks with my name came in my mail.  The reason I didn’t call this “bad news” is for the fact that I had one Hell of a time creating my Maxine “wanta be”…and I really appreciated all of your great comments on my “ensemble”.  Soooo, let’ s just say that  I still consider myself the Official Maxine of the RV Bloggers…and I wear the title proudly, with all it’s esteemed honor!!!

“WHAT ARE YOU LOOKIN’ AT??? THIS IS MY BEST SIDE!!”

I would like to welcome 2 new followers….and I think I grew up with one of these….Pat Tyrrell….are you the Pat Tyrrell we lived across Elm St. from in the 1970’s??? (No, people, NOT the NIGHTMARE!!)…and also a big welcome to rmnorman1…I didn’t see blogs for either one of you two, and you are to be commended to following this train wreck…Thanks for jumping in the GMC…and hang on!! (If the above photo doesn’t frighten you off, then nothing will!)

Yesterday was a crummy rainy day…The grandkids were coming over for haircuts, and we decided it would be a good day for lunch at the Bull Moose train car, since they hadn’t been there  yet.  McGuyver is not one who likes to dine out so much, so we left him to his Martin house project and went to lunch….and speaking of the Martin house project…..

 

Yesterday he dug a huge hole in our backyard to bury some posts as a support for the bird condo..This birdhouse weighs 50 lbs, and has to be mounted 14’ in the air.  Apparently the Purple Martins like their privacy, and far be it for me to infringe on their preferences!!  As long as they keep the mosquito population down this summer, they get the Taj Majal!!

Den still has to somehow hinge this rig so we can take it down and clean it out every year…It is also very apparent that these birds don’t clean their own homes, and depend on us as their yearly “Merry Maids”…(actually, I like their style…)

 

Back to the train car….we had a great lunch.  I would  have taken photos of the food, but it didn’t last long enough to get a chance….Those kids are hungry little rugrats, for sure.  We had a late lunch, which worked out good for us.  I wanted to get some photos.  The place had cleared out,  and by the time the Heiser family was done, it looked like we did a “movie shoot”…I figured it best to put them in a collage….

    I am counting the days until we get our newest Grandson…He is due to arrive on April 10th, but I think his Mom would love him to make his appearance ANYTIME NOW!!  We are booked for the 3rd weekend of April to go to Zionsville, Indiana to help them all move into their new home…That will be another whole blog.

  Just to show you what a really boring day will drive me to…..I usually end up cutting my hair off.  Call me spontaneous, (most call me Nutso), but when I decide it’s time to chop…IT’S GOTTA BE NOW!!…and here is what it looks like in my basement beauty shop…

…Note the carefully thought -out positioning of the hand mirror between my knees….At this point is it instrumental that I am still able to pull my knees up to my chest, so I can see the back of my  head in the big mirror on the wall…

Pay special attention to my technique of keeping both hands free to pull and cut in one grand sweeping motion…(Dear God,  my ass is HUGE on this close up…and when did I grow 2 more chins?)  I especially love my frayed jeans and white socks…my grandkids would be appalled.  I have no idea in Hell how I’m gonna pull this off in another 10 years…Hey, maybe by then, my  chin will come DOWN to my knees…Now there’s a novel thought, but the visual isn’t a pretty site.  So there you have it….How to cut the back of your own hair without a net.

  For those who love to watch the birds, here is a link to watch a live streaming video of a Bald Eagle who just hatched out some chicks.  I took a photo with our camera, but you really need to see it live…

  She is sitting on her nest somewhere in Iowa and they posted a webcam to watch her…GREAT STUFF!!

OK, last but not least is McGuyver’s birthday…He got a special gift from his “pals” out at Conveyor Eddie’s Shop yesterday afternoon….

…JUST WAIT TO SEE WHAT WE CAN “COOK UP” FOR NEXT YEAR…SEVEN-OH!!