Emily's Adventures in (it's here!) Retirement

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

It Hasn't Even Been 3 Weeks Yet!

Seems like I have been retired a long time already. Guess that says I am fitting into retirement comfortably.

Am still working on my Trailer Quilt. I used an old spare tire cover to work out the details of how to do this. Originally, I ordered some vinyl paint markers to practice and see what the colors would look like. There isn't much choice as far as colors and shades, unless you go online. I found nothing in Hays and the most of the colors I found online, are somber. I needed red, blue and yellow and in bright colors. I found some in the Colorbond brand and I ordered cans of vinyl spray paint from them in the red, blue and yellow and am awaiting their arrival now. The new spare tire cover came in last Friday and it's now prepared to be drawn on. I have a little bistro table that the cover fits over just perfectly so I'll have a nice flat surface to work on.

I finished the porch's sunshade and am putting the finishing touches on it. Have had to modify some of the directions so it would work properly. I used some of that material left over from the dogwood tree's sunshade.

Another project is refinishing the wood on the outdoor furniture. I have one of those benches and it has been sitting out on the front porch for the last several years and the wood part needs to be re coated with some weather protecting material. Right now I have it all apart so I can sand down the wood and then apply the material. I have another chair I will attempt later.

Guess I am not a tomato plant grower. The one I bought is not doing very good, so guess just continue buying from the store or a farmers market. When I was visiting son in Socorro NM last fall, I bought some iris plants at a local farmers market. They hung in the garage at home all winter. Early spring I soaked the pods for a few days (even had one start to send out leaves) and planted about a dozen of them, not knowing if they would grow. Eight of them have, plus some I replanted from daughter's yard. Hopefully, there should be an abundance of iris flowers next year. The ones I planted around the tree in the back yard are doing good along with some transplanted mums, also from daughter's yard. I also have a rose plant started under the tree. When I originally planted the iris plants I marked the locations with stalks from a climbing rose plant that is located near the patio - guess what? One of the stalks has sprouted some leaves.

I am slowing getting the urge to pack up the trailer again and take a week and head somewhere. There is an RV park at Oakley Ks - High Plains Camping - that I would like to spend a few nights at. The owner, Mary Arlington, blogs and Twitters (yes, I Tweet on Twitter - do you Tweet?) have intrigued me to try the place. From there I would like to wander around the western Nebraska Panhandle area, maybe through the southeastern corner of Wyoming and down through eastern Colorado. Think that's going to take more than a week, but hey am on a "lifetime vacation".

Finished another book by J.A. Jance- Rattlesnake Crossing - A Sheriff Joanna Brady mystery. My next book of hers will be "Outlaw Mountain".

IT'S BEEN TWO WEEKS SINCE I WENT TO HAYS! Has been wonderful watching the truck's gas gauge hardly move these last two weeks. Everything I have needed right away have been able to get here in town. I like that. Will be going either Thursday or Friday as need some prescriptions filled and a few grocery items not available here at our local grocery store. Didn't even go into Hays to watch the 4th's fireworks show - could just sit out on the front porch and watch all the neighborhood shows on Saturday night.

Haven't started on the ribbon wind soxs yet, gotta get these other projects done first (or at least close to getting them done) before I start. All this multi-tasking from my work years is still hanging around - think that's one skill I am going to try and unlearn!

Well, last load of laundry is done, so need to go hang the load up outside. Will try and post some pics of my projects in the next posting. Until later.

PS. Just made plans to go to Dodge City to see Sherry and Sarah, say Happy Birthday to Sarah, and go see the play Cinderella at the Dodge City Depot Theatre at the end of this month. Ohhhhhhh, it felt so good to say "YES" and not have to return email and say "I gotta work!"

Saturday, June 27, 2009

A Nice R&R Retirement Get Away

I planned on doing NOTHING, NOTHING, NOTHING. I did NOTHING, NOTHING, NOTHING except sleep, nap, take morning walks, and read. I ate once in a while. It was hot/humid the whole time; luckily the AC worked. There were threats of storms two nights, but nothing happened. There were tornadoes in the central part of the State Wed night.

Harlan County Lake is just over the KS/NE state line between Alma and Republican City NE. Built as a flood control lake, it has served the area well as a recreational lake also. There are two COE campgrounds: Methodist Camp and Hunter Cove, both located on the north shore. Methodist Camp is closer to Alma while Hunter Cove, where I stayed, is just a few miles from Republican City. The Republican River is the main river serving the Lake and is named after the Republican band of the Pawnees that lived and hunted the river valley. I have posted my pictures on my Flickr account - click on the Flickr Update to the right below the swimming fish. Have you fed the fish yet?

I did read 3 of Sue Henry's books on the adventures of Maxie and her mini-dachshund Stretch. I read: The Serpents Trail, The Tooth of Time, and The Refuge. I'll stock up on books from time to time and leave them in the trailer so they are there when I take off. On books I have purchased and finished reading, I'll often leave them along the way - laundromats, campgrounds, small town libraries. Often I'll pick up some in return and take with me to read and then leave somewhere else.

I did leave the campground once - to go into Rep City to have a meal at the Old Mexico Restaurant. When our family lived in Phillipsburg, KS we would occasionally go to Rep City to eat at Little Mexico. Well, it had moved down to the Lake and is now known as Little Mexico on the Lake and wasn't open when I went by so I went to Old Mexico and had THE BEST, the BEST chimichanga I have ever had - even in New Mexico! For dessert I had to try their sopaipillas. Oh my, they were just to die for. I hate those that bring out flour tortillas that have been deep fried and sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar, honey, ice cream, whipped topping or whatever. Nope sopaipillas are those triangle shaped puffy things of dough and give me a jar of honey and I'll eat till I am stuffed. The owners of the two restaurants are sisters so maybe, just maybe, the food is still good at Little Mexico on the Lake.

When I was getting ready to leave on Thursday, I did discover why I was having so much trouble with my left rear stabilizer falling down at every little bump when traveling. The spring came loose, so when got back into town stopped at ye old friendly auto body shop and the owner fixed it for me.

I did try out a new grill I got. I got a little Coleman Fold 'N Go grill. It takes up much less space and worked pretty good. Wednesday nite I grilled some corn on the cob and a rib eye steak. I found a recipe for chili butter and put that on the steak just before taking off the grill and used it on my corn instead of just butter.

Wednesday night around 9:30 I had an unexpected visitor come into the trailer. A little titmouse, not the bird. His eyes were sooooooo big and his ears so cute, so instead of letting him stay I carefully chased him out. All I would need would be a mouse in the trailer. And, besides there wouldn't be any other little tit mouses around here and he'd get lonely.

Back at home now. Am finding I need a loose schedule of when I do weekly chores - laundry, cleaning, etc - just so I know what day it is! I have gotten use to not thinking of workdays. Have got the trailer cleaned out and almost ready for the next trip - whenever the whim hits me now. Wow, what a feeling. Hate the heat and humidity though. Am going to be working on painting my "trailer quilt" pattern on the spare tire cover. When I came home through KY last year, I saw lots of barn quilts, so I though why not a "trailer quilt". My pattern is, appropriately, called Four Winds. I'll post a picture when I get it done. In fact, am thinking of a "Barn Quilt" tour to Iowa, Illinois, and Ohio sometime. I am also learning how to make ribbon wind socks. Well, until later. Have a good summer.