Snug as a bug

It's been stormy the last two days. Heavy rains, some lightning, etc. The weather spoiled our plans of going to see another plantation & running errands.

NJ: Speaking of errands, we were supposed to go to the Post Office on Sat. to send the title for Scott's Yamaha Venture motorcycle to NJ. We've sold it. No more paying storage fees.
But with the heavy rain, we decided to just stay snug as a bug in a rug, inside our RV. The Post Office will have to wait until Monday.

RV: We got a knock on our door yesterday afternoon.  It was the park ranger letting us know that their is an electrical problem with the pump that regulates the park water pressure. May not be fixed for a week! Scott had noticed the drop in pressure when taking a shower last night. We were offered a site at the other loop of the campground, a refund, or the option to stay put and just fill up our tanks. Scott was napping at the time, so I didn't want to wake him to make the decision quite yet. Really no big deal for us.  We had water in our fresh tank to last a few days, or since we don't have reservations for our next stop, we could just move early. What a great life, freedom to just move when needed.  Before Scott even woke from his nap, the ranger was back saying they will have it worked on in the a.m.  Sure enough, by 9a.m. the next morning, the pressure was great again.

With Scott being the cook in the family, I tend to let him get what appliances he wants. While purging our home, that was difficult to purge pots, pan, grills, etc. But if is amazing, our much excess you have that are just used occasionally.

We had a small Foreman Grill which I liked, except for cleaning. Scott bought a "better" Foreman Grill which I hate. It is large, & bulky. The only improvement was the heat plates come off for easy cleaning. So we pack this grill in the RV. It takes up a whole cabinet space, so I resent that. To take it down to use is awkward, so I resent that.  Scott decides maybe an electric griddle might be more user friendly.

Scott also uses a toaster oven quite often, even when we lived in a house. We have a nice Black & Decker toaster oven that can fit a pizza in to cook.  Very nice oven, but again bulky and has only one use.

Off to Walmart we go.  We pick up a RIVAL ELECTRIC GRIDDLE & a OSTER CONVECTION TOASTER OVEN. Scott has used both a couple of times, and so far he is very happy with them.
But now, what do we do with the Foreman Grill & the old toaster oven?? Scott had the great idea of offering them to the park ranger for their lunch room. Even though we are both retired, we well remember how important having those conveniences in our lunch rooms were. The park ranger happily took them off our hands. Two new items in, two old items out.

Now to the present time: It's been raining for two days. We don't mind much. It gives us an excuse to sit around and be lazy. Wait...we're retired! We don't need an excuse! I have to be living in a dream. This life is too good to be true! Scott stayed in the bedroom most of the day, watching TV.  He does miss having a couch, so the bed is his couch. Doesn't bother me because I get the rest of the RV to myself. While watching TV, Scott is also reading the 2nd part of the Hunger Games, "Catching Fire", on his kindle. I spent the day scanning more craft books into the computer, finding more knitting & crocheting projects to do. I also worked on A&B ES RESCUE applications & home visits, which is part of my daily routine. Also sat in my comfy chair and read. In between all this activity, I did have to don my crocs, raincoat, & umbrella to take the dogs out for walks. The weather was very very rainy, with lots of puddles, but at least it wasn't cold & windy also.

DOGS: This is the 3rd or 4th day, that Devin is moving forward to the kind of dog we want. He's still not a cuddler, but will come over for a good massage...who wouldn't? Just think of how often dogs & cats get massages from their humans. If only Scott would massage my skull & back 1/2 as much....sigh. Lucky dogs! We're still half-heartedly working on  recall. But the step forward I'm talking about, it that he is not constantly wanting to go out or pacing the RV, or bothering Lyla.  I'm sure part of it is because all our blinds are down, but for the most part, he has found my comfy chair & the bed as his place to relax.  Makes for a much nicer, quieter day. This change in his behavior came right in the nick of time, since it's been raining for two days. The less we all have to go out the better.

BOOKS:

Fiction:

Side by Side by John Ramsey Miller
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Suspense/Mystery. Mother & child kidnapped. Story of their rescue & what was behind it.
I may be able to rate this a "4", but I gave it a lower rating, because I didn't look forward to reading it.  It held my interest, enough to keep reading, but wasn't a book that I wanted to sit for a couple of hours & read. The final 50 pages, were exciting and that's when I didn't want to put the book down.


View all my reviews

Start "Chesapeake Blue" by Nora Roberts
I've read 5 books by Nora Roberts and all I rated between 4 to 5 out of 5. So I'm looking forward to reading this one. Below are previous books I've read by Nora Roberts.
"Carnal Innocence" My rating 4 out of 5
"Genuine Lies" My rating 5 out of 5
"Sacred Sins" My rating 4 out of 5
"The Search" My rating 4 out of 5
"Tribute: My rating 4 out of 5

More Old South

RV:
We've been here at Natchez State Park for 8 days. There is no sewer hook up. Scott decided to lighten our load, by dumping the tanks. He used our portable sewer tote and he's still very happy with it.  He didn't even tow it with the truck.  He just pulled it along while he walked to the dump station.  Very good investment.

NJ:
Good news, our house in NJ is under contract and the home inspection has been completed. The last hurdle to jump over is the Certificate of Occupancy. That is always a stressful part of sale. You can get an ass of a municipal worker who abuses his "power" and picks at every little thing, or you can get a decent municipal worker, who takes pride in his job and requires dangers to be fixed, but doesn't pick at every little thing.
Here's hoping, we are fortunate enough to have the latter inspect our premises. We are hoping for a closing by the end of February. Quarterly taxes were due Feb. 1st, so we had to dish out, $1640.00. Hopefully, that will be our last and maybe a refund also.

SIGHTS:
LONGVIEW PLANTATION Our Rating 3.5 out of 5 Tour Price: $12.00
I would have rated this higher, if the tour guide was better. She was very quick to say her memorized info. and really didn't give much time to observe the surroundings. She did not have a love or real interest in the history as our other tour guides have at the other homes.

This is a beautiful structure though. It looks like a tiered wedding cake! 6 stories, in the round that get smaller in diameter with each level.  The top floor was to be all windows and an observatory.

Unfortunately, only the basement was finished. The Civil War came, the workers had to go to war. After the War, there was no money to continue, so the inside of this magnificent home was never finished.  I love the set up. I'd love to have a single story home in this shape. There are two center main rooms (dining room & living room). Then surrounding those center rooms are the bedrooms, sitting rooms, etc. alternating with a patio area.

We went to the unfinished second floor which gave us a view of the heart of this structure. I'd move into that second floor easily! Brick walls, hardwood floors, open floor plan.

If this were finished, the brick on both the inside & outside would be covered with stucco.  I like the brick myself.
If you look up while in the center of this 2nd floor, it is open and you can view all the upper floors shrinking in diameter.

FOOD/BEVERAGE:
MAMMY'S CUPBOARD Our Rating 3.5 out of 5


Love the novelty of the building. Staff very friendly. Very simple decor, like going to Grandma's outdated home.
Reuben: The pumpernickel bread for the Reuben was delicious, but the Reuben, no so much. Enough corned beef, but not enough swiss cheese and I did not taste any kraut, which is a must for a Reuben.
Tomato vegetable soup: average, but enjoyable.
Potato salad: DELICIOUS with a touch of sweet chopped pickle mixed in.
Tues. special was Rosemary chicken:  Average. Chicken was nicely roasted, but nothing special. Gravy was delicious, but not enough.
Blueberry Lemonade: Very good. Not real sweet, not real tart. Fill ups free.
Lemon Meringue Pie: Below average. I like the tart bright yellow lemon filling. This was a muted yellow, with just a slight lemon taste. The meringue's top was a thick brown and too sticky to cut apart without a knife.
Humingbird cake: DELICIOUS. A not so sweet cake/bread with pecans? or walnuts?, coconut and cream cheese icing. Great with a cup of coffee.
While paying the bill, we got to talking with the owner/cashier about Natchez. Spoke of the author Greg Isles and how his books take place in the Natchez area.  We find out that he was brought up in Natchez and Mammy's owner has known him for years.
I would return here again if convenient.

BOOKS:
Speaking of authors, both Scott & I love Greg Isles' books. Scott has read more than I have. Below is a list of the ones I have read or listened to in the past.
The Quiet Game: My rating 5 out of 5
True Evil: My rating 5 out of 5
Turning Angel: My Rating 4 out of 5
Third Degree: My rating 5 out of 5

On to the present:

Long Lost by Harlan Coben
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a Myron Bolitar series. Always a good murder mystery read.


View all my reviews

Currently reading Side by Side by John Ramsey Miller
Suspense/Mystery

AUDIO:

The Rose Garden by Susanna Kearsley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Audio, Fiction: Time travel, romance. Not really sci-fi except that it IS time travel. More of a romance.  If you like Diana Gabaldon's time travel Outlander series, you'll like The Rose Garden.


View all my reviews

Currently listening to Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins. This is part 2 of The Hunger Games Trilogy.

CRAFTS:
A while back I mentioned I finished a shrug knit from my Irish Setters Ryley & Pillsbury & my English Setter, Lyla's spun fur.
Here's a photo. I love it.

I have finished the diagonal striped scarf, but it is blocking.

Old South

SIGHTS:


ROSALIE MANSION Our Rating 5 out of 5 Tour Price $12. each
Built in 1820, right along the Mississippi River in Natchez, MS. This was an especially interesting historical building, because there were only 3 owners, the present Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Society being the 3rd. Because of that, the history told on the tour was very accurate instead of guess work.  The tour guide was excellent. I actually asked questions. Usually I'm very quiet.  But the tour was so fascinating, because the furniture, books, music, notes, were actually left over from the original families! They were not just antiques donated from various sources.
During the Civil War, this home was used as headquarters for the Union Army. Our Union head officer was very respectful of the property. Although he had to take over the 1st floor, he allowed the family to store their belongings in the attic and also continue to live in the home, but only on the 2nd floor.  Thanks to the respect of the Union soldiers, this family's heirlooms have been preserved for us to enjoy today.
When the present owners, DAR bought this home from the 2nd private family to own Rosalie, they allowed the 2 sisters presently living in the home to continue to live there on the second floor, until the last one died in 1958.

View of Mississippi from Rosalie Mansion

UNDER THE HILL Our Rating 1 out of 5
This is sort of equivalent to "the wrong side of the tracks". Up on the hill was where the well to do lived. Under the hill was level with the Mississippi River, so the businesses catered to the seamen who didn't stay in one place. So there were lots of bars, cheap inns, and women willing to show the men a good time.

Today, it is just a row of old buildings that are offices, and a couple of bars.

Isle of Capri Casino A floating gambling casino on an Paddle River Boat. Lots of slots, some tables, simple buffet upstairs. Not our thing.




FOOD/BEVERAGE:


OLD SOUTH WINERY Our Rating 2.5 out of 5 Tour & Tasting: FREE

Very small winery, with no vineyards. Grapes are bought, but that is not a bad thing.  Very casual, as in garage setting. We turned down the tour, but did try their wines. Average, nothing terrible, nothing great. We bought 4 bottles for the novelty of the labels and names representing the South.  I don't think any bottles were over $10.00.

VAT MAMA'S TAMALES Our Rating 2 out of 5
I guess I'm not crazy about Tamales. First time having them. So I'm basing my rating on the other items we had. Scott had a bowl of chili, which is rated average. The shredded cheese and diced onions on top added some needed flavor.  I ordered Nachos. I figured this was a Mexican restaurant, so the nachos shouldn't be those chips covered in cheese whiz type stuff you find at sports arenas. Unfortunately, that is what they were. Processed, melted cheese food with some added olives, peppers, etc on type. The added extras made is at least somewhat enjoyable. Would not return.

Working too hard

I'm retired...I shouldn't have blisters on my hands!!
RV/CAMP: Spent the day around the campsite. Beautiful day at 70°, cool breeze, and very few fellow campers. I was able to just sit at the picnic table, listen to a book on tape, drink some wine, and do a couple of hours of counted cross stitch. Devin actually stayed quiet for the most part. He did entertain himself with some branches and leaves for a while, but still was being good.

We very rarely have campfires. Mainly my fault. I prefer to have them on cool mornings, so I can read in front of the fire.  Scott prefers them at night. I have to get my headlamp to read by the fire at night and there's usually bugs too. We gathered lots of dried wood throughout the campground.  Lots of downed trees. Stupid me with my "oh so delicate" hands :) didn't wear gloves. I came back to the site to organize the gathered wood while Scott continued his "manly" gathering of more wood.

I decided to break and/or saw the larger branches to make shorter pieces to fit into the fire pit. Then separate the wood into kindling, small branches, thick branches. Again, STILL not wearing gloves. Sure enough, I got a big blister under one of my fingers. Well, I tried to help.  Ya know, I'm just a fragile woman and can't do all that manly work. I think I've been reading/listening to too many Victorian Romance books!!! Or maybe it is visiting the plantations and seeing how the rich land owner's wives lived with the servants doing all the work.

Scott ended up making a lovely fire around 4:30pm, so we had maybe an hour of sunlight left. But the mosquitoes were out now.  I tolerated about 45 minutes and had to go in.

WILDLIFE: Scott again says he hears coyotes howling at night.

There are a lot of armadillos that Lyla is very quick to notice.  They must have a strong scent that the dogs can smell.  Since Lyla is deaf, she can't hear them rustling the leaves while they walk, but she sure knows there is one around before Devin or I notice.

We see lots of turtles in the lake. While driving along the gravel road to Longwood Plantation, we passed a small lake and there must have been a dozen turtles sunning on a fallen log.

FOOD: I've finished the Moonshine Jelly (My rating 2 out of 5) I purchased at Grapefull Sisters Winery Gift Shop in SC. This is a clear jelly, that is made with White Wine.  When I spread it on toast & peanut butter (my normal breakfast), it's fine. But to eat it plain, it does have a white wine taste. Since I don't like white wine....But if you are a white wine lover, this may be a nice jelly to try.

Scott made sauteed cabbage with adouille sausage again.  Mmmm, mmmm, good. The adouille we had this time was supermarket/packaged stuff. Yeck! It tastes like a slightly spicy bologna. Scott liked it better than I did. I guess after having Jacob's adouille, it's difficult to have any other.
Scott also made fresh green beans and marinated rib eye steaks. Very nice meal. Thank you honey.

Corn & Black Bean Salad Recipe

FOOD/BEVERAGE: Now that we are on the road and anything we mail order we have to pay postage for to go to Escapees and then postage again for Escapees to forward to us. A couple of years ago, I won a Keurig Coffee Maker at our rescue annual picnic Chinese auction.  I had no interest in it, but the little boy in Scott, had to open it and try it. Well, ended up I like the single cup idea, instead of having a pot and reheating in the microwave all the time and throwing out what was unused. Although as my brother, Robbie can attest, there were many times he would come to visit and want a cup of coffee and he'd have to ask if it was made today, since I would drink day old coffee, so not to waste.

My little Bro, Robbie

Back to coffee. I was ordering large quantities and variety of k-cups through COFFEE GIANT, which was the best price and free shipping. But now that we are on the road, I've had to pay top dollar at supermarkets for k-cups. I do have "KAPS" which enable you to use loose ground coffee in used k-cups. So I tried "Community" coffee Louisiana Blend, Dark Roast. I like it alot.  Strong and smooth. This coffee will definitely increase my daily cups for a while. I also have a "PERFECT POD HOLSTER" which enables you to use coffee pods in a k-cup type coffee maker. Ground coffee is probably the best price, then pods, then k-cups.

Scott went into Natchez to pick up some items for dinner and came back with lunch also.  He stopped at PIG OUT INN BARBECUE .  He picked up a serving of pulled pork and ribs. That came with bbq sauce in a separate container, Black bean & corn salad, as well as a small container of potato salad. This place is rated 4.5 stars on URBAN SPOON.  I have to agree with the reviews. It was a shame to put the bbq sauce on the SMOKED pulled pork. This pork has a wonderful smokey taste, with some pieces having a crusty edge and others just moist pull apart, can stop eating taste & texture. The bbq sauce covered up that great flavor.  The ribs were delicious. Not quite fall off the bone, but very tender, smokey and tasty. The ribs could handle the bbq sauce and added to the whole experience of the flavor. The bean & corn salad was refreshing & delicious. I make this at home and I do prefer mine although both are very good.  Mine has more cilantro & less jalepeno. Recipe to follow. Lastly, the potato salad was definitely home made. Very good, but my taste asked for more salt.
We'll be visiting here again and trying the brisket.

BLACK BEAN & CORN SALAD II

Courtesy of allrecipes.com

INGREDIENTS:
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 cup olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels
1 avocado - peeled, pitted and diced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
6 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
(optional)
DIRECTIONS:
1. Place lime juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, and cayenne pepper in a small
jar. Cover with lid, and shake until ingredients are well mixed.
2. In a salad bowl, combine beans, corn, avocado, bell pepper,
tomatoes, green onions, and cilantro. Shake lime dressing, and pour it
over the salad. Stir salad to coat vegetables and beans with dressing,
and serve.

SIGHTS/WILDLIFE: While walking the dogs just before sunset, again we saw all these buzzards. We're looking up into the trees and seeing many perched in a tree.  I counted at least 50 in one tree. The photo doesn't do the image of these large birds congested in one tree justice.

Some buzzards are still soaring overhead, while we're looking up to watch. Scott mentions, "We really shouldn't have our faces looking upward with these birds above us." and I add "Especially with our mouths open"


CRAFTS: Here's a photo of the slouch hat I crocheted with my Irish Setters Ryley & Pillsbury's spun fur.

NATCHEZ, MS 39120

RV PARK REVIEW:
Jan. 24 - Feb. 7, 2012
NATCHEZ STATE PARK Natchez, MS
$18./day Site #24
Our rating: 3 out of 5 Would revisit.
We arrived at NATCHEZ STATE PARK around 2:30pm. Scott reserved a pull thru. Wow! Really easy to park! But, it is one of the worst sites in the campground. We do not have a clean view of the woods or lake. There are either RV's or buildings in the way.

+ Water & Electric (50 amp) & dump station
-Verizon & AT&T cells no bars
+Verizon & Sprint internet OK
+Level paved sites
/1 washer & dryer (clean)
/ Bathrooms ok

But still a nice place. No time limit for your stay either. No AT&T cell service, but more important, we do get AT&T & Sprint internet.  Decent bathrooms, and 1 washer & dryer in good condition. There's a nice trail down to the lake.  I've really got to pay more attention to the details, such as the name of the lake, where we are in respect to other states etc.  I seem to just be living in the moment and place. Meaning, I'm at this campground and this is my own little neighborhood. No real desire to explore the actual towns. I'm very comfortable in the RV and walking the dogs, reading, and playing on the computer.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
RV: Just a short 2 hour ride from Baton Rouge to Natchez, MS. I kept mixing it up with Natchez, LA. I found a couple of restaurants I wanted to try and then realized they were in LA, not MS.
At the campground, on one side of the street is the campground and on the other side of the street is woods with signs stating hunting allowed.  So on Friday, the campground fills up a little bit with lots of hunters. You see young boys in camouflage and orange vests. This is a little bit of culture shock.  I try to keep away from areas for hunters.

There are flocks of buzzards in the trees. I assume they are waiting for the remnants of the hunt. When we walk the dogs, all of a sudden you hear "woomp, woomp, woomp" and the buzzards (smaller than turkey vultures, but larger than hawks) start flying. The "woomp" sound is their large wings pushing the air for flight.

Escapees Mail Forwarding Service has been working out great. I just send an email and they send a packet of mail to the local Post Office via General Delivery.

I'm amazed at how much time I spend on the computer. This is what I do:
Record keeping and application processing for A&B Eng Setter Rescue.
Play Freecell
Play Zuma
Check emails
Follow links from emails, which include knitting, crocheting, RV fulltime, RV mods, audiobooks recommendations, free kindle book downloads, free ebooks, yahoo groups, blogs, billing.
Looking to where to travel next.
Search for things to do & places to eat at present location
Cruise on Ravelry, in forums, new patterns, friends activity
Blogging
Read others blogs
Scanning into the computer, craft magazines brought from home, so I can purge them.
Keeping spreadsheets of campgrounds, restaurants, sights, books, budget.
Read digital magazines.

Scott finally cleaned/organized "his" side of the RV basement.  He was not making good use of the space and couldn't get to many things. I'm proud of his accomplishment. I wish I had taken a before photo.  He downsized from large tubs to small tubs, reorganized drawers, found some items he didn't know he brought.

DOGS: Took a really lovely walk along the lake with the dogs. It feels like a fall day in NJ today, which I love.  The sun is shining, but there's a chill in the air and the need for a jacket. Our 8yr old English Setter, Lyla has perked up on the walks. She really seems to enjoy the sights & smells. There's a prance to her walk. Of course, Devin is always up for a walk, no matter where.

We had blessed relief from squirrels and other small creatures while at Farr Park. That made Devin much calmer. When he would look out the window, there wouldn't be little scurrying creatures for him to get all excited about. Here in Natchez, there are lots of squirrels, so Devin is back to running from window to window and trying very hard to hold back his barking. We end up having to close all the blinds until he settles.

Devin is getting my hopes up that he may be settling down.  The past two days he's found his spot on our king sized bed and has relaxed for quite a few hours during the day without coming into the living room &  nudging my arm to go out.  It's been a pleasure to take him out when I want to instead of when he wants to.

He's also starting to pick up some endearing habits. Up until very recently, he was just a dog. I felt no real connection to him. But I'm seeing that he does want to please and he is listening more and he has found his special spots in the RV. Yes, he can have multiple specials spots even in a 35' RV. He has started the habit of laying his head on my arm when he wants something, instead of nudging. He's hard to resist when he does that. He also now waits to take our napkin after dinner.  Lyla licks the dishes, Devin wants the napkins.  Sometimes he'll gently, stealthily take the napkin with just the very edge of his mouth & once he has it, tear it up. Ryley loved tearing up the napkins also.

FOOD/BEVERAGE: We stopped at Natchez Market, advertising fresh produce, so we assumed this was a farmer's market, but no, just a small supermarket. Since being in the RV, I haven't been having as many sweets because it's difficult to sneak snacks in this small space, unlike when at home in NJ, I had a lot more alone time.  I'm not losing any weight though.  I finally needed a cookie fix. Picked up some Coconut Pecan Cookies at Natchez Market. OH.....MY.....GOSH! YUMMY! They're like a butter cookie with coconut and pecans. They're NOT like macaroons, which are pretty much all coconut.  We'll be making a trip back there before our next stop to stock up!

Scott made another Mickey recipe, Daube. It's a beef roast slow cooked in a tomato gravy. At least Mickey's Daube is like that. Either way, it was delicious. Sort of like a very hearty & meaty spaghetti sauce. We did serve it over pasta. This is a keeper.

I've been enjoying Black Opal Cabernet Merlot wine from Australia.  It may be my new favorite, depending on price. My go to wine is usually Bogle Merlot, which is priced anywhere from $9.99 to $14.99.  I am by no means a wine expert and not even close.  I just go by what I like and I very rarely spend more than $15.00 for a bottle of wine. I tend to not like the oak residue taste from some reds and I don't like a strong aftertaste. I really can't explain what I do like, other than I like dry RED wines.
Scott enjoys sweeter wines. He's a Port wine drinker and fruity wines.

BOOKS: Currently reading Long Lost by Harlan Coben.

AUDIO:
Finished Iron Mountain by John Hart, Narrated by Scott Sowers My rating 4 out of 5
About 2 brothers who lived in a terrible orphanage, with much violence. Their lives change when 1 is adopted and the other runs. Then story is picked up again as adults. Murder, mystery, love.
Narrator Scott Sowers did a great job.  He performs southern accents tremendously and his female voices are well done without sounding odd.
Currently listening to The Rose Garden by Susanna Kearsley.