Back to normal...well, somewhat!

PETS:

Just dropped my English Setter foster dog, Ollie off in Newark, DE, to the 2nd person of a 6 leg volunteer transport. Ollie is being adopted today and will be living in Beaufort, SC. It will be a long stressful ride for him. He should finally arrive at his furever home around 9pm tonight. If you'd like to read about how Ollie almost died, one day after we started fostering him, go to our Pets page.
For those that don't know about volunteer transport...this happens every weekend all over the country. Hundreds of animals are transported from kill shelters to rescues or from rescues to adoptive homes. This is how I got started in rescue, by doing transports. You usually drive between and hour to an hour and a half and meet the next driver and pass the animal on. Very rewarding and you can claim something like 16cents a mile on your taxes as charity. Here are a few links if you are interested in finding out more on volunteering to be a transport driver.

 A&B ES Rescue Transports
On the Road Again 
Rescue Transports 
IMOM Xpress 

**UPDATE, Sunday, July 18, 2011: Ollie is with his new "dad"/adopter.
Keep in mind, Ollie is NOT a good car rider. He wants to go from front seat to back, he wants to chase the cars passing and barks at them. Here is narrative, by Leisa, one of Ollie's transporters. 

"...Ollie seemed to enjoy riding in the car and was convinced that we needed him to be an active participant in his transport. He would graciously point out when  cars were passing, by giving two barks.  We assured him that our mirrors were working just fine and he needn’t notify us via his loud barking.  He only pointed out about 5 cars that way –we collectively expressed our dismay at him, and praised him when he was quiet.  He figured it out quickly and stopped barking—and trusting that we could figure out traffic on our own.  He then turned his attention to the driver and passenger area.  Were we buckled in?  Hmmm….could we read the gages?  How about steering?  Driver position okay?  Can you reach the gas and brakes—I am going to my new home and want to get there in one piece. After about 45 minutes of his conducting his 10 point traffic safety inspection of all aspects of the car’s operation and the driver’s operation of the car he settled down quietly to enjoy a little nap.  In fact, he slept like a baby for the balance of the trip..."

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RVing: Purging
So now that we no longer have any fosters (dog nor piggies), we can get back to the business of purging/cleaning/repairing/packing/learning.
Freecycle has been my best friend throughout our purging process. I have lived in this house for 22 years, my husband for 16 yrs. We have STUFF in the basement that hasn't been touched since Scott moved in 17 yrs ago. I guess that means we don't need it. We plan on hiring 1-800 Got Junk or something similar to just take the STUFF out of the basement and AWAY. I'll write a review on whatever junk removal service we use.
We have been planning our full time RV life for at least 5 yrs. Since we knew we would have to get rid of almost everything, we have not bought furniture in a loooooooong time. Our couch shows it. Lots of fading and a few tears also. Scott would rather sit in bed and watch TV than on the couch, since the cushions have sunk and his bony butt gets sore. Of course, my butt is not boney and I'm fine sitting on the couch, or maybe it's because I wasn't as much a couch potato as he was, so my side of the couch still has some cushiness to it.
On Monday, July 18 will be the next step toward f/t. We will have our 5th wheel officially on a campsite. We will take a short trip to Lums Pond State Park, in DE, so Scott's parents can see us living in the RV. Scott will cook his quick chunky pasta sauce. Mmmmm, mmmm good.

CHUNKY PASTA SAUCE

28 oz. jar Ragu Lite Tomato & Herb sauce
1 can Chunky Stewed Tomato w/italian seasoning
2 onions
1 cup mushrooms
1 Tbsp. chopped garlic
1 pound ground beef
1/2 pound sweet Italian sausage
1 tsp. basil
1 tsp. sugar, to your taste
1 Tbsp. Parmesan, to your taste
olive oil

In fry pan brown beef to almost done. Set aside.
In fry pan saute onions, mushrooms & garlic in oil.
In saucepan put the Ragu & canned tomato.
Add the cooked beef and onion/mushroom/garlic mix to the pot of sauce.
Simmer 30 to 60 minutes.
Serve over pasta.