Getting old or what?

FOUR PAWS KINGDOM
Rutherfordton, NC 28139
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QUESTIONS OF THE DAY:

1. What is the name of your vet and do you like him/her? What vets have you used while on the road and were you happy with the service?

2. Pedometer recommendations.

3. Kinect program for exercises on the road (non-aerobic).

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PETS:

A question that is often asked about our Fulltime RV lifestyle is if it is difficult with Pets.

For the most part, it is not.  We used to tent camp. That was more difficult because we were a slave to our campsite unless we brought the dogs with us on our outings. Many a time, I would be sitting with my dogs in the little grassy areas of the Walmart parking lot, waiting for Scott to shop. Then on to another store that I may need to go to. It was that or go separately.

With an RV, it is much easier. The RV is their home as much as ours.  It's also hard sided, so no chewing  out of the tent. The RV can be locked and it has AC & heat.

Vet care on the road has not been difficult. But, we've only been on the road for a year and a half and we did return to our original home state which enabled us to update our dogs vaccines, do blood work, and get needed prescription. Also, we finally seem to have a couple of healthy dogs now.  No emergencies, no seniors, no "TELETHON DOG", no dogs needing a wheelchair/cart, no expensive meds, etc.

We've only had 2 incidents to use a vet while on the road. One was to put sweet Ryley down because of bone cancer, while here at Four Paws Kindgom last year and once in Boise, ID for CHEATGRASS. Both times we easily got an appointment and were very happy with the office. 

I am compiling a spreadsheet of vets on the road. I'm especially interested in vets that friends, fellow RV'r, acquaintances have used-good and bad.

Here is a link to my VETS ON THE ROAD spreadsheet. 

I'd really appreciate if you would leave a comment with vet offices you have been happy with or of ones we should stay away from. 

I'm especially interested in Specialty Vet Hospitals, that are usually only by referral from your regular vet.  When or if we decide to settle down, we would like to be within 30-45 minutes of a Specialty Vet Hospital.

Back to having pets on the road...Each new park is a whole new set of odors, landscape & wildlife to explore. All Devin's leash training goes out the door because he is so excited to experience the new setting and not at my slower pace. Devin can be quite a wimp when meeting new wildlife if they are larger than himself. He was totally freaked by the miniature horses in TX. He pulled so hard, I fell on the grass and he got loose. He was somewhat better with the cows, but even then he was as far away as possible, while Lyla wanted to go up and greet them. 

The worst part about RV'ing with dogs is not having a fenced in yard. If you have small dogs it's not as much of an issue, because you can set up Xpens (exercise pens) to make a small fenced area. But with large dogs, the Xpens are too large to pack.

Luckily, Devin has grown out of needing or more likely just wanting to go out at literally, the crack of dawn. He is much more relaxed and enjoys staying in bed longer. But I still have to take them out for a walk within a reasonable time in the morning. And yes, I take them out in my pajamas. Since Scott is a late sleeper and I'm an early to bed person, Scott takes them out for their final evening walk between 9-10 pm. I would much rather wake up in the morning to take them out, than to have to stay up to take them out at night. Scott is just the opposite so it works out well.

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RV LIFE:

This past weekend, we played bingo. It was fun and a nice group of people participated. Every time a number in the 70's was called, we'd be entertained with an old age joke. Part of the intake after winnings is donated to a charity.  To my surprise, it was announced that the donation would be given to ABOVE & BEYOND ENGLISH SETTER RESCUE, which is the rescue I volunteer for and from where I adopted our two present setters.

Thank you very much Meik & Birgit for your generous donation  to A&B!

Our last pot luck dinner at the Kingdom. Things are winding down. It's a cool evening, very cool. The propane deck heaters are on in the pavilion where we gather for dinner.

I decided to make a recipe I've had for years. It's easily portable for pot lucks, and still tastes pretty good if not piping hot. Recipe to follow below.

After dinner, we tried to have Karaoke. It was pretty cold and I think most folks really just wanted to head back to their RV's to warm up. But one guest started it off with a couple of songs. A duet was planned, and then another guest was to sing. After the first participant, Sharon got up and sang "WHEN YOU'RE GOOD TO MAMA" from Chicago. Oh my gosh!!! All our mouths dropped wide open. She was FABULOUS!!!! No one wanted to follow her after that. Good night everyone!

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I used to be quite the bowler in the 1980's and 1990's! I was on two leagues at one point. My reason for joining a league was two fold. I enjoy bowling and at the time, I was single and hoped to meet some eligible guys. Of course what happens? Since I signed up alone, I was assigned to a team. It was all the leftover people and they all happen to be women! Oh well, it was still fun.

1st place in league! (I'm on right)

Four Paws Kingdom goes bowling once a year at AUTUMN LANES in Forest City, NC, on Black Friday. Can't beat $6.50 for 2 hours of bowling, with shoes included!

Scott & I haven't bowled in about 10 yrs. Plus, when we purged our house, we both gave away our bowling balls. That was difficult, but knew we couldn't sacrifice the storage space and weight for something we may use only once a year.

With those excuses, this was my first frame.

I don't ever remember a double gutter! My game did not improve much. I finished with about a score of 70. Not worth remembering if it was under 100. I also fell and slid all over the oily lanes on the first frame, as did Scott. Our shoes stuck, really! So after that we were fearful of a repeat which really ruined our bowling.

For the second game, we were given a sack to rub on our shoe soles to make them slippery. What a difference after that. We both redeemed ourselves. My next three games continually improved.

Deb's Scores: 60 something, 143, 149, 163

Scott's final score: 187!

I miss bowling.

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Aches & pains: So we both are now a little achy from bowling. You know you're out of shape when bowling makes you sore. 

I really took a big tumble on the lanes. I scraped my knee and hurt something under the skin. I cannot even kneel on the bed without screaming with sharp pain. As long as I don't kneel or knock the knee, it does not hurt.

The following day, I woke up and must have still been not totally awake. I stepped down the steps from the bedroom into the kitchen. Unfortunately, I somehow forgot there were two steps and only anticipated 1 step. Bam, boom! I slip off the second step. Feels like I broke my toe. I can't bend it and it is all black and blue. Because I can't really bend it, I walked funny all day, which then made my other leg hurt from walking weird.

We have been staying in one of the rental RV's here while our flooring is being installed. Although the bed does not feel uncomfortable, I'm not used to it and holy moley! My hip and side back muscle is killing me!

Of course my excuse is "Getting old sucks", but really this is because I've become extremely lazy and I don't not watch what I eat. I am now paying the price of not exercising for 6 yrs.

I stopped dieting at age 50 because I felt it was "my time" to eat as I please. I've enjoyed the freedom, but now I think the extra weight and sedentary life is catching up and making more unhappy than dieting would. So, let's hope I'll get off my fat ass and MOVE my body, not just my mouth!

I'm starting slow. Trying to make movement a habit. Starting with simply doing  stretching exercises 2x's a day. I want to get a pedometer, so I can walk the minimum 10,000 steps per day that is recommended. From there, I'll add some arm exercises, etc. Hopefully, I'll get to a point where Scott will have to leave the rocking and shaking RV while I'm doing my Kinect (like Wii, but for xbox) exercises. Anyone have suggestions for a decent mid range priced pedometer? 

Has anyone used a Kinect program for exercising? What program do you like?

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RECIPE: 

SAUSAGE-BEEF PIE 
(Similar to a quiche) 

1 9” frozen unbaked pie shell
½ pound sausage meat
½ pound chopped beef
1 onion, chopped
4 eggs
½ cup evaporated milk
8 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded
Salt & Pepper to taste

1. Cook meats in fry pan, drain.
2. Put meat in a pie shell.
3. in bowl, beat eggs & add milk, onion, s&p
4. Put ½ of cheese on meat.
5. Pour egg mixture on meat.
6. Spread remaining cheese on top.
7. Bake 400° 25-30 minutes