Ft. Huachuca, AZ

Christmas Kitties!

These two kitties weren't very happy about having their pictures taken especially with their stocking hats on their heads, but aren't they cute? Maggie (my kitty) probably won't be here next Christmas because he has a very aggressive form of bone cancer. Nicole (my mom's kitty) has had her picture taken with the hat before. She wouldn't look up and would hardly open her eyes! She's not fond of the hat, that's for sure!

They Got Me!

My 50th birthday is December 12th. I had a feeling that "something" was up, but I never expected a surprise birthday party the day that it happened!

My mom had hand surgery on Friday and I was staying with her for a few days to help her out. On Saturday, Nathan, my son, came over and trimmed up the trees and hedge that is in her backyard. I was doing some things inside for her and supervising the work outside! In the afternoon, Don called and asked if we wanted to come over for barbequed steaks (we were staying in Kathy & Jon's backyard). My mom said that she felt up to it, so I said "o.k."

I didn't see any cars, didn't notice anything unusual but when I walked into the house lo and behold...there were lots of friends to surprise me! If I had of known, I would have made sure that I had make-up on at the least!!! Family, Kountry Kamper family/friends and even Dottie & Lew Anderson, some of our Monaco friends (who had driven up from San Diego) were there to help me celebrate my 50th birthday! It was a lot of fun with great friends and great food. A co-worker of Kathy's made my cake, which was great (except that my name was spelled wrong). I loved the sign on it "Relax I'm Only Here For The Cake".

I wasn't expecting all the gifts that people brought to me, but I had a lot of fun opening everything! It was almost like Christmas...just a few weeks early!

Hot Tamale!

My mom and I went to the 15th annual International Tamale Festival in Indio, CA. My mom had been wanting to go to it, and it happened that we were able to take the opportunity and go! We both had perceptions of what we would find there but it wasn't quite what we had anticipated! Years ago we had gone to a chili cook-off. Each of the booths had samples to hand out, at the Tamale Festival you bought the tamales you wanted to try. They had beef, chicken, and pork as usual, but they also had fruit and chocolate tamales as well! Ironically, one of the best tamales we had...came from Temecula which is in our very "own" backyard! I read in the paper that there were over 60 vendors and they were expecting to serve over 120,000 festival goers! I think most of them were there the same day we were! There were lots of people there, that's for sure! One of the last booths we saw, had a line waiting to buy tamales that was *l*o*n*g*. I wonder if they knew something we didn't? It was also a very warm weekend...temps were in the mid 80's...and this is December! Lots of entertainment all around but most of it wasn't under cover so we choose not to sit in the sun to see it! Many of the booths had characters "hawking" their tamales! The chili pepper in the picture with my mom is just one of those! In addition to the tamales, there were also booths selling crafts, leather, jewelry, etc. It was fun to experience, but I'm not sure we would go again!

Decorating for Christmas!

O.K. So I used to turn on the Christmas music...loud... and begin to remove everything that was used to decorate our home. Everything went into boxes and then I began replacing everything with Christmas decorations. I think at last count I had something like 17 or 18 boxes. BIG, BIG boxes! It would take me days. Every room in our house was decorated, bathrooms included! So last year began a new tradition...decorating the motorhome! I can't remember where Don and I were when I happened upon the neatest gift store! That's where I found my moose nativity set! Now, this year part of it is missing and I'm not sure where in our storage container it is. It could be because when Don and I went by there we both had had a lot of liquid before we got there! It could be that Don didn't want to miss Dr. Laura on the radio (I hate Dr. Laura!!)So this year my nativity only has the "main" characters...Joseph, Mary and of course, baby Jesus with the angels looking over them! I was able to find a few other decorations in the storage container, so with the things I was able to find throughout THIS year (like the moose "angel" choir I found in Wyoming while shopping with Glenda Roe) our motorhome is once again decorated for Christmas! I LOVE my three newest pieces...there's a moose in a Christmas tree that says "lighten up it's Christmas", a moose in a Santa suit with his bag of toys thrown over his shoulder. Does he know that there's a hole and the toys are falling out behind him? Then there's the tree with everyone helping to decorate it...it has lights that really light up! When we were at our "year-end" campout with the Kountry Kampers, Evie Ferreira showed us how to make Christmas baskets with poinsiettias, etc. and that gave me the idea to "redo" a container that I have in the corner of the kitchen! I had some white lights and with my new Christmas flowers, I have a container to use for Christmas! I'm really quite proud of how it turned out! Thanks Evie!

Of course, we also have a Christmas tree! It's only about 2' high, but it's a real tree complete with lights and ornaments - moose of course!

So with the Christmas CD's playing, the peppermint-y candles burning and the glow of the Christmas lights on the tree I can almost believe it's Christmas....with the sand blowing instead of snow!

**I almost forgot to mention that it's very windy, but only mid 50's tonight, high 70's during the day!**

So now..."Merry Christmas to All and to All A Good Night"!

The Price of Love...

For those that don't have a pet as part of their family, you might not have the same feelings as those of us that do. If you only have a dog, you may not understand what others see in cats. For some of us, our pet is part of our family...an extension perhaps, and one that cannot talk in english but yet relays their thoughts and feelings none the less.

Maggie is MY cat. Don tolerates him...yes, that's right, his name is Maggie but he's male! The short story on that is that I was told he was female, named him, and a few months (or maybe it was only weeks) later, found out that he was definetely a male! He already had a name that he responded to so Maggie stuck! It actually fits his personality! Or I blame his personality on being named Maggie! My kids, Kimberleigh and Nathan gave Maggie to me on Mother's Day in 1993...he was only 7 weeks old!

About a month ago I noticed Maggie limping. Because he's strictly an indoor kitty and due to his age, I figured it was probably a little arthritis. Once we got here to So. California and things settled down, I took him to the vet and received the shock of my life! The vet suspected bone cancer. We did blood tests and x-rays and confirmed the worst. Last week a biopsy showed that Maggie has highly invasive osteosarcoma. His prognosis is "highly guarded". In a younger cat they would amputate his leg and most likely he would have quite a few years left but in a cat Maggie's age, the vet isn't even recommending it. The vet has basically told me that Maggie has about 4 months before the pain in his leg and/or further complications from the cancer will necessitate making the decision to have him put to sleep.

I hate the thought of losing him. I thought I had so many more years left with him. I can still remember the day that I held Kobie, my 17 year old cat the entire day before I knew I had to take him to the vet and have him put to sleep.

Recently I had someone ask me "what I saw in cats". His comment was that dogs come when they are called and take an active part in your day to day activities. Guess they just don't know cats like those of us that are owned by one! Maggie comes when he's called! It might be on his terms and only when he wants to, but he knows his name! Everytime I go into the bathroom...he's right there! What he really wants is for me to turn the water on...he loves fresh, running water! :-) Every night he jumps on the bed, waits for me to get under the covers, get settled and then he jumps over me, sometimes bites my nose, sometimes licks the blanket (don't ask me why he started this) and then curls up and drops down right next to me! I'm not sure if he leaves for long since he's always in the same place in the morning! In the morning when I'm putting my make-up on, he's right there with me...sometimes eating his food, sometimes just visiting! During the day he'll often come out to visit! He's always seemed to know when "I" needed a little extra attention and been right there to rub against me, purr or "ask" for me to scratch him. When I've been gone for a few days he's been quite vocal when I've gotten home to let me know that he missed me and he doesn't want me to leave! He also likes to play, although he has slowed down a lot over the years! He loved chasing "fluffs" (pom poms to you and me), the plastic ring off the milk carton or that elusive string!

Our animals offer us so much in our lives and they really ask for very little. I keep asking myself...where did all the time with Maggie go? It seems hard to believe that he is 13 years old. It seems harder to think that I have so little time left with him. I will have another cat somewhere down the road but it will never replace Maggie. There will never be another cat like Maggie...Maggie is definetely one of a kind!

Chula Vista RV Resort - Kountry Kampers

For many, many years Don and I have been members of the Good Sam Kountry Kampers; a chapter based out of Riverside, California. It was a great way to get out and use your RV on a regular basis and over the years, our Kountry Kampers has become family. There are only a few members that have been there longer than Don and I that still come out to the campouts. Of course, since we've been traveling full time, it has really limited the number of campouts that we've been able to attend. This was a great campout to be able to go to since it was not only during wonderful weather, at a very nice campground, but it was also our traditional "holiday" campout where we celebrate Christmas with our extended family! In the year and a half we've been traveling there have been a few new members join and we didn't really get a chance to meet the latest ones.

Since we didn't have "work" to get in the way, we were able to arrive on Thursday. This was a popular destination as we were one of 12 that arrived a day early! It was fun to join our friends and go to dinner at the local restaurant that is just a walk away! The special was "all you can eat fish and chips" which most chose, but NOT me! :-) Friday 4 more members came in and we had our annual "soup night"! This was a tradition that was started a few years back and was such a success that we've continued it! This campout, the board members are in charge of and each brings a different variety of soup. The rest of us bring bread, crackers, etc. and we never go away hungry! Another tradition that we've continued is the ladies making some type of craft on Saturday which we incorporate into our decorating for our holiday party on Saturday evening. A few years ago we served Malibu Rum and pineapple-orange juice and another tradition was born! Can you imagine a group of ladies using glue guns while consuming alcohol? We have a lot of laughs and lots of fun and as always our projects turn out great! This year, Evie Ferreira and Jan Lennert helped us create baskets with battery powered candles surrounded by flowers, ribbon and pinescones! Each basket was different and unique and they all glowed on the tables!

Our "holiday" dinner was a little different this year. Instead of a catered dinner or a dinner "out" provided by the chapter, the RV Resort was hosting a turkey dinner with everyone bringing a side dish to share. I'm not sure how many they served, but our table (with the entire Chapter at it) was almost the last one! While we all got plenty to eat, I know the park was worried that not everyone would get turkey! They also had dinner at 3:00 so we could all sit outdoors before it cooled off so we had a few hours between dinner and our party!

Our party was lots of fun. We exchange gifts valued at $10 and it's always fun to see what ideas everyone comes up with! Lots of flashlights seem to make the rounds each year. I happened to receive an alarm clock! I don't think I've ever seen one as a gift before. Last year we didn't make the "holiday" campout, but I'm still using the glass case I received the year prior to that! The decorations and holiday music always adds to the festivities and this year was no exception! Evie and Joe Ferreira along with Jan and Joe Lennert did a fantastic job with the room!

Sunday morning we have our business meeting and everyone packs up and heads out. It's the last campout of the year and *WE* won't be at another Kountry Kamper campout until April of 2007. Although that's really not that far away, it seems like an eternity! We had a great time visiting with our Kountry Kamper family and hope to see many of them on our travels during the coming year!

One thing I didn't mention above...the weather was perfect! Low to mid 80's during the day, foggy and 60's during the night! Great weather for being at the beach!

Happy Birthday!

One of the great things about getting to So. California is being able to see our grandkids that are here...Allison who will be 7 in Feb. and Brian, our youngest who turned 2 today! He missed his grandpa's birthday by mere hours but that's o.k. A birthday should be "your own"!

We last saw Allison and Brian in March! Eight months doesn't seem like a long time, but wow, how a baby grows in that amount of time! Brian has always been the sweetest, happiest baby and this day was no exception! He showed us all his new tricks and lots of things he's learned in those 8 months! It was so much fun seeing him open his birthday presents and eating his birthday cake!

Allison was so happy to see us...it makes me feel so special when she is so excited to see me! She always has a great big hug and lots of things to tell me and show me! It seems like she is growing so tall each and every time we see her! She is almost as tall as her mom (who isn't very tall!) and in no time will be towering over her! We know that we won't be here in February for Allison's birthday, so we gave her her birthday presents a few months early! It was wonderful to see how very excited she was by what we gave her! Her exclamation of surprise and happiness was worth way more than the gift itself! I hope I can do as well with her Christmas presents!

The time we are here always flies by so quickly that it seems we have no time to spend more than just a few hours with the kids. I think it's because we have family, doctors and holidays while we are here that take up so much of our time. Add the hours for mom and dad at work, their family commitments, etc. and it really limits what time we have. When we are with our other grandkids, because we are "out of state" it doesn't seem like we have those things imposing on us. Or maybe it's just because we are "visiting" with just them. I think the next time we are near by, we need to just schedule our time with them exclusively or maybe they just need to come and visit us whereever we might be! That sounds like a great idea to me!

BTW...Allison just loves posing for pictures for me!

Pinnacle Mtn, Arkansas

I think our kids tried to kill me today! We took a drive to Pinnacle Mountain to see the views - which, by the way were spectacular; but to get to the top was an adventure in itself! Tim, our son-in-law, didn't think I could make it...I'm out of shape AND had the wrong kind of shoes (sandals) on! He said "I was one determined mother-in-law"! I figured if Ashleigh was going to the top, so was I! Not that I wasn't tempted a few times to stop and wait...but the view at the top was well worth it! Ask me how I feel tomorrow though!

On Sunday, I head back home...home that is to where Don, Tess and Maggie (Tess being the dog and Maggie the cat) and the motorhome are. Back to southern California where we will be, off and on until the beginning of the year. Southern California is where we will spend the holidays with our families.

I have had a wonderful time with Kim, Tim and of course, Ashleigh!

A few days at kindergarten!

Ashleigh started kindergarten this year. She doesn't have half days but instead goes to school from 8 - 3...a long day if you ask me! Although they do have nap time, if you ask Ashleigh, she'll tell you that "she doesn't close her eyes"! She's tired when she gets home and if you ask Kim, she'll tell you that "Ashleigh's teacher gets the best time of the day with her"! For the three days that Ashleigh had to go to school during my visit I was able to spend those days volunteering in her class room! I had fun, got to spend time with Ashleigh and gave her teacher some help as well! Each of the days I was able to have lunch with Ashleigh as well! Two of them we were "tray eaters" and the last day, I brought Ashleigh and I lunch. The only problem is that the kindergarten classes (I think there are four) go to lunch at 10:30...fast food restaurants serve breakfast until then, so Ashleigh and I had breakfast for lunch! :-) It was fun and Ashleigh was so excited to have me there - it was worth a million bucks in my book!

Mrs. Lee told me that this wasn't a normal week. The kids actually had Thursday and Friday off this week, and Tuesday was Halloween so they had lots of activities going on at school! On Monday I helped make spiders out of pipe cleaners and yarn AND a spider hat made out of black construction paper! On both we glued eyes and on the hats we glued noses! I also helped wash gourds...not only for Mrs. Lee's class (we let the kids wash their own gourd) but for two classes that had substitutes! On Tuesday, the kids decorated cookies with frosting and icing! You could see the ones with the artistic ability because it sure came out this day! Later they painted the same gourds we had washed the day before! In the late afternoon, it was time for hay rides around the school parking lot! It was a fun filled, busy day!

On Wednesday, it was the 50th day of school, so they had a 50's day! The kids dressed up in 50's attire, had a sock hop, had a bubble gum blowing contest (everyone won) and finally had rootbeer or coke floats! It was pretty funny watching their teacher teach them how to blow bubbles with their gum...a few rules up front - you couldn't touch it with your fingers (Ashleigh had a tough time with that one), and if it fell out of your mouth it had to go in the trash! There is one girl in class that has a tough time sitting still, being quiet (especially being quiet) and always has the answer (even if it's wrong). I hadn't been at school for more than an hour and I already knew who she was! Guess who has the BEST and BIGGEST bubble? You guessed it - the girl with the most hot air! It was hilarious! After that it was time to read books, I took groups of 5 out at a time and read to them and let them read to me!

I can see such a dramatic change in Ashleigh as she absorbs all the things she's learning in school. As we drive down the street she's "spelling" signs and asking what does that spell! She's spelling words, writing her entire alphabet and sounding out words all day long! She's even learning sign language! I knew they were like sponges at this age and man, is she ever soaking everything up!