If it weren't for bad luck.....

So....Dennis and I finally got on the road last Saturday. We had planned to leave on Nov. 28th, but the weather was so great, we loaded up early and made like a baby to "head out"...Sorry, I couldn't resist.

 The refrig was loaded to the max!!

FINALLY!! On the highway by our home, heading out of town..

We had no reservations until Nov. 30th in Texarkana, TX.  We planned to stop overnight at Gun Creek Campground in Rend Lake (Southern IL) for one night and then move on to Lake Wappepello in South Missouri for 4 nights, making the last leg of our trip to Texarkana on Thursday, the 30th of November...YAAAAY "On the Road Again"....or so it seemed.

Here we are just North of Pana, IL fueling up...I could NOT stop smiling..But..I was to find out all was not as it seemed.

We pulled out of the gas station and got just one mile from Pana, IL  and Dennis suddenly had no power steering in our truck...AND..he immediately discovered we had no power brakes either. He slowed waaaaay down, knowing he only had his trailer brake to stop us. We saw a cafe ahead on a T intersection with a big parking lot. Dennis managed to strong arm the Hiker into that lot and pull off to the edge of it..At least we were off the highway!!

Dennis is pretty handy at almost everything, hence his nickname, McGyer. He decided that our serpentine belt broke and was shredded due to a faulty Idler pulley. (For those of you who think I am knowledgeable about auto mechanics, think again. I am quoting a much frustrated McGyer.)

He got on his phone and found out that there was a NAPA Auto Parts in Pana, but we couldn't drive our truck. Den called the place and talked to a nice guy who knew just what we needed, took our CC number over the phone, and sent someone out to deliver the parts to us..Now, THAT , my friends, is customer service.

McGyver has put this belt on before, but at home. And he really needed a few more tools than he had with us...Before long, a nice man stopped to see it he could help..

They both worked side by side until this nice man had to leave to go to work..McGyver was at it alone again..But the Gods of Southern Red Necks were with us!

How much brains and brawn does it take to put on a serpentine belt??? Apparently FOUR!!Count them..1,2,3,4!! Four great guys that stayed with Den for at least 30 minutes until..WALLA! Success!!! 

Dennis offered some cash to these guys, and they refused it..saying to pay it forward, which we definitely will!! Back on the road again to Rend Lake, IL, about a 2 hour drive, but we finally made it.

We left Rend Lake Sunday AM and drove about 150 miles to Lake Wappepello, MO, Redman Creek Campground...Whew!..Well, almost.
When we got to the campground every site had decorations set up, lights and balloons, candy canes, toy shops, toy soldiers..and NO ONE was allowed to camp there. It was a weekend Xmas drive through celebration of lights...7-Festival-of-Lights-Christmas-Auto-Tour.. We proceeded to drive through it, looking pretty idiotic, I might say..JUST GREAT. The camp host found us as we drove the Hiker through the campground, aimlessly wandering trying to figure out what was going on. The camp host spotted us, and told us to go about 3miles across the dam to People's Creek and we could get a spot there. OK, we can do that.
We drove in and found a spot. There was a sign that said do NOT set up until the camp host allows you to.  We spotted a site with no reservation on it and pulled in. We didn't set up..We knocked on the host camper and no one answered.  A nice lady camper said the host might be at another spot up the road and she offered to drive Dennis up there so we could get permission to set up..However they couldn't find him. 2 hours later we decided to set some stuff up..Yes, we are renegades..Hey, it had been a bad start!!
Dennis had no more than got our water, electric and the TV dish all set up,and I had gotten stuff out, when the park gustapo showed up. Dennis told him we had waited a long time. This guy was pretty nice, but informed us that this was the only site in the place that had a reservation beginning the next night...and that we had to move in the morning to another site..Aaaaaall righty then...
We are now all set up in our new site at People's Creek, Wappepello Lake, MO. The weather is wonderful, and we are now "happy campers"...finally.

I certainly hope this trip soon gets less stressful! As for now, we are just about to light a campfire and have an early "Happy Hour". Sometimes you get the bear...sometimes the bear gets you...I think I felt his hot breathe.

Biding our time until we can leave!

Dennis and I are hoping to leave this area for the Winter and our "lift off" date is tentatively set for November 28th. We will spend 2 nights on the road until we land in Texarkana for a few days. There was a time when we drove it in just one overnight stay, sometimes Wally Docking around Blytheville AR..not a great place to be alone in a parking lot..I'm not a big fan of the Wally Dock idea..I prefer at least a neighbor, albeit a bad one..Misery loves company. One thing we have plenty of is time..Why rush it?
We have been busy this last part of October. Our grand kids have been busy and we have tried to keep up with their activities.  Our oldest Wolff cub, Aiden, has been playing Youth Tackle Football down in Zionsville, IN.

 They won both games too!! This weekend they have a Superbowl and play 2 games again!! The NFL doesn't even do that!! Aiden's little brother, Maddox, plays flag football and their season is over, but Madds is always there to support his big bro!

Our Heiser grandsons are pretty busy too! The oldest, Peyton, is a Senior and runs Cross Country as I have mentioned before. They placed 2nd in the Regional and are now headed down to Peoria for the State Championships this Saturday. We aren't able to go, but his mom will keep us informed on how it goes. Last week I went to his track meet dressed like Nanook of the North!! Those runners were just in their shorts and tank tops...BRRRRR!! The fields were wet and we had snow flurries..My feet were soaked..What the heck?? This a darn track meet, for God's sake, NOT a football game!!

This is a Senior picture...He's a great kid, inside and out..Of course, I am not prejudice at all!

Peyton's younger brother, Campbell, had a part in the middle school play. Campbell is 13 and played the role of a Sheriff..

 Campbell and his Mom and Dad...

Sheriff Jesse Marlow, on stage.

The kids have nicknamed Campbell "Soupy"..He's a really fun kid! He is so little, just look at those toothpick legs!..Oh, and those are MY cowboy boots,making their stage debut!!

We were not proud at all!! Campbell is following in his sister's Thespian footsteps..And speaking of his sister.....

Taylor is obviously adjusting to college life at Ball State University.

Dennis is busy in the combine. They are way behind due to so much rain. I have been trying to start loading our Hiker. We haven't taken it on a Winter trip in two years and we almost stripped it clean when we parked it, so there is a LOT to load. It doesn't help that it is parked quite a ways from our house! We also discovered that our slides were not working properly, so Dennis got underneath where the gear gizmo was. He first thought we may have to buy a new $700 motor (YIKES!), but discovered it was just some thingamajig on top of the motor that was the problem. As you can see, I have no idea what it is called, but he got online, ordered said thingamajig on line, and put it in when it arrive . WALLA!! Slides work.

I am a little nervous about this trip because the Hiker has been just sitting for a long time...I sure hope the ol' girl doesn't throw a hissy fit about having to get off her pad and travel again! She is, after all, 10 years old..How old is that in people years? So Dennis and I are trying not to jinx this trip. The whole idea of getting outta here this Winter is rest and relaxation. Now if I can just remember where I had everything put away in the Hiker, and can redo it the same way..I do, however, remember where I stored that wine!!

If it weren't for bad luck...

Yep, if it weren't for bad luck, Dennis and I would have no luck at all! I finally thought I could see a bit of very dim light at the end of our medical tunnel..Not to be..October 1st I woke up with a bad belly ache...It didn't get any better, and in fact got worse throughout the day. Finally, about 3PM, Dennis talked me into ANOTHER  trip to the ER..I really didn't want this. I felt we were becoming "frequent flyers" at the Sandwich Hospital ER lately,..But...I also somehow knew I was NOT going to get any better at home..I was thinking gall bladder..Nope. .peritonitis and appendix trouble..Surgery 9PM that night. Yep, plans made in jello.

 

They began pumping me full of antibiotic immediately..Apparently, they didn't rupture..but were very close to it..Sheesh!

The good news is I got to go home the next afternoon, promising to behave myself. My intentions once home were to resume normal activities...I soon found out that emergency surgery can take a person down and the healing process can be a bit slower than I planned. Just today I took up my normal 2mile walk..at a much slower pace, I might add. Hey, and guess what?? My surgeon took some great 8 X 10 glossys of my infected appendix before he yanked them..Christmas cards, maybe???

Some good news, though...Dennis got his cast removed from his arm..He has one more Xray and the doc will decide if he needs Physical Therapy..Of course, you know darn well he is in the fields combining beans as I speak. I think Den and I might need to live in a padded room..or at least wrap ourselves in bubble wrap..

Also good news was the fact that our granddaughter was home from Ball State University for a few days for Fall Break .

Trying to be optimistic, Den and I are still planning a Winter Trip to Texas this year..We are re-visiting a few "old haunts" in Cowboy Country..One of our first stops will be Clear Springs Campground at Wright Patman Lake in Texarkana, TX. We almost always make this our first long stop..

It can still be pretty cold there in December..but anything is better than Illinois!!If you hope to stay here in March, you had better have reservations..Those Arkansas/Texans fill up the park over Spring Break..One drawback to this park...it is a dry county..Gotta go back into Arkansas to buy any adult beverages!! One really good thing about this park...it is only 2 miles from a nice RV dealership and parts place..!(We know this because we have had things break at times here!!)

Our next stop will be Lake Jefferson, TX, about 2 hours South of Texarkana..We love this place at Christmas time!

The town of Jefferson has a great Christmas Parade too!

Jefferson, TX was a riverboat town at one time. The riverboats came up the backwaters of the Mississippi from New Orleans until the passage got overgrown and too narrow to accommodate the boats..The railroad was a big deal here too!

Our next planned stop will be at Canyon Lake, Texas..Cranes Mill campground is where we will be for 2 weeks over Christmas..This is an Army Corp campground, and there is another one on the other side of the lake called Potter's Creek. Texas is another place you need reservations for Christmas..They even set off fireworks over the lake..Here are a few photos from Cranes Mill campground.

Dennis is a firewood gatherer, and you are allowed to pick it up here! This park is close to a little town called Startzville, TX. It has a great VFW, grocery, hardware store and laundromat..Not  to mention a local pub just outside the park..We will spend Christmas here..if we get to make this trip!

Soooo, all in all, Dennis and I are blessed. After this last trip to the ER, I did learn a few things :

 

~ When contemplating a trip to the ER, don't worry about your apparel..Sweats, stripe socks, crocks , a sloppy T shirt and no bra...that's how I arrived.

~Your ER Doc is "the luck of the draw"..Expect anything from Barney Fife to Superman..I lucked out with Superman this time!

~If you get the hospital gown with no working snaps on one sleeve, the "off the shoulder" model,you need to "rock it"...own it..Walk that hallway like a runway model!
~I now can add Dilaudid to narcotics I cannot take. The ER doc tried a 1/2 of 1/2 dose in my IV, then sent me for a chest X-Ray. I became a fainting vomit comet and scared the bejesus out of the poor X-Ray tech.
~Remember that the hospital is not the Ritz-Carleton..That button by your bed is NOT Room Service
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~Also remember that this is called Out Patient Surgery for a reason..Yep, you're IN..and you're OUT..Botta Bing, Botta Boom!
And here are some things to remember after you go home
When they gave you Milk of Magnesia with a Prune Juice chaser, this could have a delayed reaction of epic proportions. Stay close to your commode...and..keep in mind that "passing gas" might be beyond your expectations.
~Even though your mind feels 18..(OK, 40), your sphincter is almost 70..and it's similar to an old rubber band..The pucker power is kaput.
~This is no time for doing "chores". If you must do laundry, dump it all in one load and pray the colors don't bleed.
And, lastly, everybody tells you that the 2nd day after surgery is the worst..Truth here. So, just chill out, relax, read a book, order out, hang around in your jammies. I sit on my front porch and watch the neighborhood, reminiscing about the movie "The Burbs"..All I need is Bruce Dern. As for my personal choice of bed time meds, I have found that 2 Extra Strength Tylenols followed by a vintage glass of Franzia box Refreshing White is good for my pain control...And this time of year it MUST be in my skeleton head wine glass...Life is good, if not interesting. (Ah, but it is both!)

Yep...the Cave Dwellers are still here..

To say this has been a "busy" summer is just the tip of the iceberg...and we all know what happened to the Titanic! After our trip to Destin, Dennis was due for his hopefully final colonoscopy August 7th. (which turned out OK, FINALLY!!)  At that time, he had an EKG and it was discovered that he has what is called A-Flutter..an issue with the Atrial chamber of his heart beating too fast...Bottom line is that could possibly cause a clot..and a stroke. This is not good news.
So, we made an appt with our Cardiologist and he put a heart monitor on Dennis, with a radio transmitter that sent EKG's regularly to ..someplace, maybe Oz....(it was like having a magic nurse watching your every move!) He had to wear this for one month...grrr.

We managed to fit in a trip to Zionsville to visit our Wolff Cub grand kids and watch them play some tackle and flag football while Dennis was bionic...

Our oldest Wolff Cub is #9..He is 8 years old and they play youth tackle football.

Above, the little blondie chewing on his flavored mouth piece is our younger grandson. He is in first grade, and they play flag football..As you can see, it's hard to hold the interest of first graders..

.

 In the meantime, back home, we were in the process of tearing off our 40 year old deck and having a new one built..Of course, Dennis Cave decided to begin tearing it off by himself without help...and....well, he made a misstep, fell.. and broke his left arm..Dennis took an ambulance ride to the ER, where our daughter-n-law works and we know most of the people up there.( ya just can't keep anything secret in a small town) That afternoon, Den came home with a sling and an appt with an Orthopedic Doc a few days later.

We were lucky to have such good friends to come and help get that old deck down and removed!

As it turned out, the Ortho Dr. decided Dennis should have a cast for 6 weeks...Allllll righty then..

You can see how excited he was to get this..Hey, the nurse matched his shirt at least!

So, after wearing the heart monitor for a month, it was determined Den has A-Flutter AND A-Fib..They set him up for a procedure called Ablation, where a Cardio doc and his team go through the femoral artery up into your heart and cauterize the bad spots..a 4 hour procedure that has a 70% success rate. Dennis had this done last Tuesday...No wonder we drink. He will have an EKG in one month, and another a month after that. They really won't know if it worked for about 6 months..In the meantime, Den is on blood thinner....and so,knowing how klutzy my hubby can be, I wanted to put him in a padded room to keep from cutting himself somehow..One of my ploys was to make sure he got an ELECTRIC razor..and he did!!

 After our deck was completed began the process of staining it..with a brush...in the sun..We are getting too old for this stuff....Here is the new deck before we stained it...

 It turned out pretty good. This is the second time in our married lives that Dennis Cave hasn't done the work himself..Just 6 weeks ago we had a new furnace and Central Air put in our house..PUT IN, buy professional heating and air guys!! Den has a hard time sitting still and letting others help..as you can see....

...Well, he just had to do some nailing here and there..You cannot keep a good man down!!

Below is our deck after staining it all...

Turned out pretty nice...I did a good share of staining it, but MacGuyver helped me, albeit one handed, on all of those damn spindles...sheesh!!

In the middle of the hubbub, our granddaughter, Taylor, started college at Ball State University..

This is her dorm room...She and her mom decorated it. No dorm rooms I ever visited ever looked this great.

Above is our Taylor on the right, with a couple college friends..Too bad they aren't having any fun.

Also, our grandson, Peyton, began running Cross Country track. Pey is a Senior in high school this year.

Peyton is the second runner in black and white checked shirt..He really got tall this summer..Dennis and I finally got to go to a meet!!

Proud grandparents of this kid..He just had his Senior pictures taken:....

Peyton is "quite a catch" ..and of course I am not prejudice in the least..

Sooo, not to be giving lame excuses, but we have been a bit busy lately...However, I have to tell you that we are planning a Winter trip..hoping we can make it. We will be leaving end of November and traveling to Texas, staying at Texarkana, Jefferson , Canyon Lake, and possibly Bandera. Other spots are also in the works...I have made reservations through Jan 1st so far, but am still working on the rest. If there is any GOOD karma left , we could use some!!! But as we all know, plans are made in jello...