Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!

Well, that's important to know....

Well, I spent most of the weekend painting and the kitchen is largely done. The insides of the cabinets need to be done, and there are spots which need attention, but the four walls and ceiling are pretty much all white now.

I also made an important discovery during my paint-splattered weekend: I’m allergic to latex paint.

I am sick as a dog (Where did that expression come from anyway? My dogs are healthier that I am!), and my head is trying to subdivide into two separate but equal parts.

I took time off of work to paint on Friday and now I’m taking time off of work because of having painted.

I’m going home, now …. Bye.

In over my head

Well, we’re not exactly remodeling, but….

In order to get the house ready to sell, we’ve got to fix up the kitchen. This means paint, door and floor:

Paint: we had a nice faux finish on the walls, kind of a Tuscany deep-orange-sunset color (or so I’m told, I’m partially color blind). We’ve had it for years, but while faux finishes are good for living in, they’re bad for selling. So – it goes white. Off-white according to the label on the paint can. Here’s the problem though: we’ve been in that house for more than 16 years. In all that time, the kitchen has been the collection point for *stuff*. Then we get more *stuff* to organize and store the other *stuff* creating less room in the kitchen which is where the *stuff* naturally gravitates. The washer and dryer are in the kitchen too, so there’s laundry room *stuff* mixed in with the food preparation *stuff*. Getting to the walls is not an easy matter. In fact, I shoved the stuff into the center of the room in order to work on two walls at a time. I got three done. I have one wall and the ceiling left, and I ran out of paint. The *stuff* is still in the center of the room.

Door: we’ve been wanting to get rid of the arcadia door for some time, and though it seems stupid to put in a new door when we’re gonna sell, the fact is we don’t have a lot of choice. The arcadia door’s wheels are so worn out they actually have a straight edge and the house is so old (35 years), there are no replacement parts for it anymore. Can’t sell a house when one of the two ways INTO the house won’t open. The track on which the wheel runs is shot too, so we’d have to replace it even if we wanted to stick with another sliding door from hell, but … why?

Floor: Ok, I will admit to having dome something stupid, but in my own defense, I was told that this OK to do. I put peel-and-stick tile down on top of peal-and-stick tile. NEVER do this – trust me. The rest of the house is wood floor (wood laminate), so I need to bring it into the kitchen too. See the entry about *stuff*.

Then too, Chelsea is cleaning and painting the insides of the cabinets. Joy. So the *stuff* that was there is now everywhere else.

Yes, we’re still planning on a large Thanksgiving.

(help!)

We're home again

NOTE: Since Blogger isn't taking my pictures, I've created a Flicr account here though there will be more photos to come.

Well, we have arrived back from vacation. Yesterday we returned the RV ;-(. It was really hard to let it go, but we had a Great Time.

The night we left, the low was 28⁰, (-2⁰C for those who speak Canadian), and we only had the heater on for a moment to take the chill off of the floor. Boy, are we living in the wrong place.

The “C” we rented was wonderful, though I think next time we’re going to try for something a little bigger. There’s more room in a travel trailer since you don’t need space for a motor or driver’s seat. The idea behind getting a class “C” or a class “A” was that the dogs would have more room to stretch out on the drive and Chelsea could use the facilities on board while we were driving.

Ahem. The ONLY place either dog wanted to be while we were driving was on my or Chelsea’s lap. We had to fight to keep them from curling up on the gas pedals or blocking the mirrors. The entire 30-foot RV to choose from and all they wanted was right up in front with us.

As far as the facilities – forget it. Motion is exaggerated in the rear of the RV and just getting into the room while moving is like dancing on a ship in middle of a hurricane. Being in the restroom while driving would be something akin to that shaving scene in the movie Airplane. Come to think of it, there’s a little more room in an airplane restroom than in an RV restroom.

Still, I’m sold. This was one of the best vacations I’ve had ever had and we plan to do this again next year. My sister-in-law is retiring in June and has invited us up to Minnesota for the occasion. We’ll see.

Either way, the RV lifestyle is one we both want to continue. Even the people we met at the KOA campground were friendly and helpful; many of them were from Ontario. There may be a correlation there. You could tell who the Canadians were, they ran around in shorts, T-shirts and sandals while the rest of us bundled up in anything we could find and cursed the fact that dogs can’t learn to use indoor plumbing.

I’ve mentioned the dogs twice now, and that’s the real reason for the RV. If it was just us, a hotel room would be cheaper and easier and carry less responsibility, but to have our four-legged, hirsute children with us was SO worth the extra money and hassle.

Taking them for walks several times each day, watching them explore the smells and sounds and sights of the Northern Arizona Woods was fantastic. I think we grew closer to the puppies and they to us in a way that could not have been accomplished even if we had found a hotel that would take them.

I know Chelsea and I grew closer; we had long wonderful talks into the wee hours of the morning, curled up under blankets and watching movies from a laptop perched on the edge of the dinette table.

Now that we’re back, there’s a mountain of laundry to do, unpacking to finish and a weeks worth of unkempt life that was here waiting for our return. Still, there is a certain calm and cool (meant both ways) that stayed with me on the way home from vacation and hasn’t shown any sign of dissipating soon.

This was what vacations were meant to be, and this is why we take them. I am so sorry to leave the camp and the RV. I miss it so very much I can almost smell the pine and hear the wind playing with the trees.

On the other hand, I also know that it’s still there, that there RVs and trailers I can still rent for a week when I need to and I know that we’ll be back.

So if I seem to “go away” from time to time, or my writing or speech slows and dribbles to a halt, I’m probably back there again, reliving this last week in my head, pulling pine needles out a the fur of happy dogs, breathing thin, cold air and whispering secrets with my wife that only she will ever know.

I guess I haven’t really left yet.

I may not for a very long time.

If I’m very, very lucky.

Greetings from the cold and rainy

I know I promised pictures, but my internet access is quite limited, so this entry is being composed as an email to send to my blogger account. Pictures when I return.
It's rained every day since we've arrived, and though that put a damper on our plans (sorry), being in the RV has kept us dry and comfy.
The biggest change the weather has brought is that instead of going off into the seclusion of the woods, we are nestled in the often crowded but awfully convenient campground of the Flagstaff KOA.
Fearing that the forest roads would be rivers of thick mud, we decided to stay here rather than to be immured in the passage to nowhere in particular.
An unexpected benefit of this is wireless connectivity of a sort (a slow sort).
The temps are getting cold - though perhaps a few people from Canada would argue the point. We're low 60s during the day and high 30s at night. For a desert rat, that's cold.
Having fun, the campground is really fairly quiet, and the smell of pine is truly wonderful when it doesn't come from a bottle of cleaner.
More later.......

I leave you with some old humor

In about 4 hours, I’ll be going to go and pick up the RV (see yesterday’s entry). Before I head out, I thought I would leave you with this. You might have seen this before, it’s been floating around for a while, but there are a couple new ones on this version, and it’s cute enough to run again.


See you (so to speak) in a week!

PET RULES

To be posted VERY LOW on the refrigerator door - snout height.


Dear Dogs and Cats,
The dishes with the paw prints are yours and contain your food. The other dishes are mine and contain my food. Please note, placing a paw print in the middle of my plate of food does not stake a claim for it becoming your food and dish, nor do I find that aesthetically pleasing in the slightest.

The stairway was not designed by NASCAR and is not a racetrack.
Beating me to the bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn't help because I fall faster than you can run.

I cannot buy anything bigger than a king sized bed. I am very sorry about this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to ensure your comfort. Dogs and cats can actually curl up in a ball when they sleep. It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other stretched out to the fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking tails straight out and having tongues hanging out the other end to maximize space is nothing but sarcasm.

For the last time, there is not a secret exit from the bathroom. If by some miracle I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not necessary to claw, whine, meow, try to turn the knob or get your paw under the edge and try to pull the door open. I must exit through the same door I entered. Also, I have been using the bathroom for years --canine or feline attendance is not mandatory.

The proper order is kiss me, then go smell the other dog or cat's butt. I cannot stress this enough!

To pacify you, my dear pets, I have posted the following message on our front door:

To All Non-Pet Owners Who Visit & Like to Complain About Our Pets

1. They live here. You don't.
2. If you don't want their hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture. (That's why they call it "fur"niture.)
3. I like my pets a lot better than I like most people.
4. To you, it's an animal. To me, he/she is an adopted son/daughter who is short, hairy, walks on all fours and doesn't speak clearly.

Remember: Dogs and cats are better than kids because they:

1. Eat less
2. Don't ask for money all the time
3 Are easier to train
4. Usually come when called
5. Never drive your car
6. Don't hang out with drug-using friends
7. Don't smoke or drink
8. Don't worry about having to buy the latest fashions
9. Don't wear your clothes
10. Don't need a gazillion dollars for college, and
11. If they get pregnant, you can sell their children.

VACATION

Vacation, Vacation Vacation Vacation Vacation Vacation Vacation Vacation Vacation Vacation Vacation Vacation Vacation Vacation Vacation Vacation Vacation Vacation Vacation Vacation

I’m about to go on vacation – could you tell?

Tomorrow afternoon, we pick up the RV we’re renting and Friday morning, we are heading off into the deep Ponderosa Pines of Flagstaff. One full week without phones, internet, wi-fi, TV, traffic and – with any luck – people.

The temps are currently 37⁰F at night to 67⁰F in the day in Flagstaff, so I’m planning on getting cold – something I haven’t been able to do for may years. The puppies are coming with us and I’m hoping that where we’re going will be isolated enough that they can run around while we’re there.

I have promised people I would take many pictures, so I’ll post a couple here too.

I haven’t been this excited in a very long time!

Talk to you all when we get back.