How annoying

Feb. 7 - 16, 2014 (10 days)

David Crockett State Park - Lawrenceburg, TN

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"Folks are usually about as happy as they make their minds up to be" 

Abraham Lincoln

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CONTENTS

RV LIFE

RV PARK REVIEWS

HOUSE HUNTING

PETS

BROWSING THE WWW

MOVIE REVIEW

RESTAURANT REVIEW

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RV LIFE:
Surprisingly, while living in a 5th wheel, both hubby and I can spend hours away from each other. Scott is a TV watcher and I like quiet. I watch TV when I get into bed at night, but during the day, I like quiet. Scott turns on the TV as soon as he wakes up and he'd leave it on all day, but he knows it bothers me.
Usually we are in our "own space" during the day. If it's nice outside, I spend the day outside. Yes, I'm still sitting on my as..oops butt, but at least I'm outside. With this especially cold Winter, we are spending weeks inside with only going outside to walk the dogs. Yet we still spend hours away from each other. This is very easy to do. I start my day "downstairs" in the living room in my easy chair. Scott wakes up and turns on the TV in the bedroom until about 11a.m. Then we switch places. He comes "downstairs" to cook breakfast (lunch for me by this time). And of course, the TV in the living room is turned on. I get to stay cozy upstairs in bed. The bedroom stays much warmer than the rest of the RV. Our bedroom is my little den. I'm set for the day. A book, my computer, some knitting and the dogs all together.
As I type this, it is 8:45 a.m. I'm am in the living room and Scott is awake in bed watching the Olympics. He is obsessed with watch Curling. Grrrrr, how annoying! Normally, I can slide the door closed and it amazingly does keep the noise down, but with this cold weather, we have a heater up in the bedroom that also helps heat the downstairs, so the door can't be closed. My quiet time is being interrupted by the screaming of the Curling teams. Oh----my----gosh! How annoying to hear this screaming during my quiet time.
Time to put the headphones on and listen to some acoustic guitar!!!!

David Crockett SP has two campgrounds. #1 is closed for the Winter, but #2 is open all year. We are the ONLY campers here! It's wonderful! Scott is a little nervous not having anyone around, but I feel very comfortable. Scott carries his taser with him when walking the dogs at night. I guess that's a good idea. We are not sure what wildlife is around besides deer in abundance. Because we are in a very wooded (yeah!!!) park and the only people here. We've seen deer all around and they are quite comfortable with our presence. They stay away, but not out of sight. I wish it were warm enough to spend my days outside. It's so cold, that even Devin doesn't want to stay outside sitting in his blue chair.
Since we have the campground to ourselves, I want to let Devin off leash for some training. Because there are mainly deciduous trees, the forest is easy to navigate and see through. It's wonderful to once again walk through the crispy fallen leaves. This makes for a good area for Devin to be off leash and somewhat safe. If it ever warms up somewhat, I'll give it a try. Shhh. Don't tell Scott. He is a much more protective "parent".
I am so at peace here. Some people are desert people, not me, some people are ocean people, not me, even though I was brought up within 5 miles of the Atlantic Ocean. I am a woods and lake person.
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So let's do a quick catch up of the places we stopped on our way to Tennessee.
RV PARK Mini REVIEWS:
Midessa Oil Patch RV Park - Odessa, TX
Our rating 2 out of 5   $30./night
Overnight.
Decent park with mainly pull thrus.
FHU
We were told we couldn't use the water for drinking or cooking, but ok for washing. They have a bad well and this has been going on at least since the Summer of 2013. They gave us a case of bottled water and said just ask if we need more. Would have rated this park 3 out of 5 if they did not have this water problem.
There was a decent sized dog park. But it was so cold that we spent little time there.
This park is mainly long time residents. The park is kept clean and the permanent sites were neat.
Sites were close together but was fine for a night or two.

Traders Village RV Park - Grand Prairie, TX
No rating, since this was a quick overnight. $31.50/night w/Good Sam discount
Mainly pull thrus
FHU
2 dog limit. Oops, did Dina count? She's a foster dog.
Dogs can only potty along ONE fence line along the driveway entry/exit. I hate when we are limited to where to walk the dogs, but even though it was only a 3' wide strip, it was long enough for the dogs to do what was needed.

Downtown Riverside RV Park - North Little Rock, AR
Yeah!!!! Finally out of Texas.
Our rating 3 out of 5 $11.50/night with Passport America discount (reservation & cash only)
This is basically a parking lot. BUT, it is right on the Arkansas River and in the middle of things to do locally. At night, the bridges on either side of the park are lit up and really give the area a festive feel.
There was a nice little grassy area to walk the dogs with pooper scooper and bag provided.
Walking distance to Bill Clinton Memorial Library.
FHU
Decent WiFi
Key code gate for security.
If you want to sightsee in Little Rock, this is a good spot to stay. This is not a park to "vacation" in, but a good place to be amid the local happenings.
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HOUSE HUNTING:
Well here's a new category!
I think we are pretty much set on settling down in Tennessee. We are no where "desperate" to settle down, but I'd like to be sitting in front of a wood stove this time next year.
The good news: We drove by our "dream property" and are still thrilled with what we saw "in person". It lived up to the photos we saw on line. I can tell Scott is really excited. After 20 years together, I can feel his subtle emotions.
There is a sheep farm, Belfair Farm, across the street. My first thought was "Cool! I can pick up some roving to try spinning wool!". But this farm seems to be more for meat.
We drove around the neighborhood. About a mile or two away there are some junk yard trailer properties, but surrounding us, the homes and properties seem fine. There is a mixture of fancier homes, small ranch homes, and some mobile. But the important thing is that the houses are kept up and the yards are not full of junk.
There are guard dogs at the farm. Akbash dogs are a new breed to me. These dogs are to guard and protect the sheep from predators. I also saw three dogs on "our property". We did see a distant neighbor with 3 or 4 dogs in an outside kennel. Too small for so many dogs, but they looked healthy and happy.
The bad news: We made contact with the realtor. But, there is an offer on the house and a back up offer also. There is a problem with the first offer that is trying to be worked out. The realtor said we can still take a tour of the house and property in case the offers fall through. I'm hoping we may be considered since we can put over 1/2 the amount of house as a down payment, so we can easily be prequalified. And our time line is flexible. You want out fast? Fine. You want to take your time packing up? Fine.
So hopefully, we'll be able to see the house in the next day or two. Then onto the Eastern park of Tennessee where there are quite a few places we want to look at.
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PETS:
I REALLY miss Dina, although her name is now Emma. How annoying. She will always be Dina to me. Her all volunteer transport went fine. So far her new Mom is thrilled with her. I am quite upset over a few things. She changed her name to Emma. I like the name Emma, but I really liked the name Dina and the name Dina had a specific meaning for her "heritage". Dina was a version of Dineh, which is what the Navajo people prefer to be called now. You know how politcally correct I like to be....NOT! Dina was rescued as a stray from the Navajo reservation. Then I just found out Dina is not allowed on furniture, including the bed. Grrr, how annoying. One of our favorite times was cuddling with Dina in bed at night. She did not bother us or move around. She just settled in between us and she slept all night.
Of course these changes are not abuse and Dina/Emma will adjust I'm sure.

It totally breaks my heart to see her tail down like that. That is how she looked when we first saw her on the reservation. As she started hanging out with us and then coming along while walking our own dogs, her body language changed. Her tail was up and she had a bounce to her walk. To see her tail lowered again is just too sad to dwell on. I'm sure she'll adjust.

Dina/Emma meets her new sibling. I hope she plays nice. Dina can play somewhat rough. Of course 75# Devin could handle her.
She was a really bright personality in our quiet household. Even though our Irish/English Setter, Devin can be a wild child, for the most part, he just lays around inside the RV, preferring to be with us, but not near us. The same goes for our English Setter, Lyla. She wants to know where we are, but not particularly touching us. Dina watched us constantly. Waiting for any sign that she would get some attention. She followed us from room to room (we only have two rooms). When we would settle, she'd come over for pets or lay next to us for physical contact. Sigh. I miss you Dina. Yep, the tears are now flowing. This is the difficult part about fostering. Many times you absolutely fall in love with your foster dog and it's difficult to let go. Can anyone take as good care and give as much love as we did? Of course they can, but we never think so. But to give up your foster to an adopter opens up to new opportunities to help another dog in need.

In her new dog bed. Miss you sweety.

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BROWSING THE WWW:
Since we have a DVR (Digital Video Recorder), we rarely watch  commercials. And even if we don't fast forward through commercials, we take those 3-5 minutes to read our books. But I did see this Beneful commercial on line.
The commercial is cute and interesting, but I must let you know, I in no way would recommend Beneful dog food to anyone.
Here is a breakdown of the ingredients and it's value from the Dog Food Advisor website.
First ingredients is corn meal. This is a very cheap way to increase the protein percentage. Would YOU consider corn a good source of protein?

"No dog food product can ever be magically better than the ingredients that were used to make it"

Mike Sagman, Dog Food Advisor Blog

Of course you can't believe everything you read on the internet, but for 15 years I have researched and read about dog food ingredients, so I'm quite particular about what kind of dog food I feed our dogs. I agree with Dog Food Advisor's rating system.
Here is another break down review of Beneful's ingredients at Feeding Fido and Fluffy.
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MOVIE REVIEW:
The Call - Thriller  2013
My rating 4 out of 5
Halle Berry
Abigail Breslin
I watch a lot of reality crime TV. This movie was like watching true crime but also seeing the action behind the 911 calls.
I think Halle Berry's beauty and talent were wasted on this movie. I would have liked to have seen an unknown in the 911 operator's role. Halle did not add anything special to her character, but probably drew an audience to the movie because of her fame.
The acting of both Halle and Abigail were great. I sucked in all the info on what to do if I'm ever stuck in the trunk of a car.
This definitely kept me on the edge of my seat...well at least sitting upright and attentive in bed. I couldn't even knit! Not so much because I had to watch what was happening, but more because the suspense just kept drawing me away from my knitting.
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RESTAURANT REVIEW:
Subway - Chain
Our rating 4 out of 5
30 years ago, I would have never thought I'd give this chain such a high rating. Being originally from New Jersey, we have great subs (grinders, hoagies, etc.). While going to Northeastern Bible College in North Jersey, I stopped in a Subway with fellow students. Ugh! You call this a sub? I never returned to any Subways until... Scott tried one out of desperation while we were traveling. He HAD to eat. He tried the tuna flat bread sandwich and the rest is history!
Scott usually orders from Subway, while I stay in the truck with the dogs. But on our last trip, we were kind of in a hurry, so while Scott was filling up with diesel, I went in to "simply" order a tuna flat bread. What a traumatic experience!
I order two flat bread tuna sandwiches with lettuce, tomato, and onion and this is what followed.
S-ubway #1: What size?
D-eb: 6"
S#1: Do you want that toasted?
D: Yes.
S#1: Do you want the cheese toasted also?
D: Yes.
S#1: What kind of cheese?
D: What kind do you offer?
S#1: American, cheddar and pepper jack.
D: One with American and one with pepper jack.
S#1: Do you want extra cheese?
D: No
S#1: Do you want extra tuna?
D: Um, no.
S#1: What else do you want on it?
D: Lettuce, Tomato and onion.
S#1: Do you want crispy bacon?
D: (Did I ask for that?) Yes, sounds good.
Now I decide to also order a breakfast sandwich for Scott. The menu board says it's a 3" flat bread sandwich.
D: Could I also have a egg, cheese and bacon flat bread breakfast sandwich?
A second employee (S#2) helps me with this order.
S#2: What size? A foot long?
D: (Doesn't the menu state 3"?) No, just a small one.
S#2: Do you want extra cheese on that?
D: No
S#1: What kind of dressing do you want? (on tuna)
D: Oiy! you ask too many questions! At least you guys are nice and patient.
S#1 and S#2: I know, we HAVE to ask the questions.
D: (Isn't there already dressing IN the tuna?) Nothing.
S#1: Nothing? No mayo?
D: Oh, ok. (Do I really need more mayo in my tuna salad made with mayo?)
I head to the register and decide to get some cookies.
D: Could I get a dozen cookies? (Great cookies!) Do you have more in the back? I don't want to leave you with none.
S#3: We bake them all day. Order as many as you'd like.
The tuna sandwiches are done and brought by S#1 to the register.
The breakfast sandwich (6" even though I asked for a small and the menu states 3") is done and brought by S#2 to the register.
My cookies are packed by S#3.
S#3: Do you want anything to drink with your order?
D: No (as I chuckle).
How annoying! Oh my gosh! Questions coming at me from 3 different people. So many options when I just want a simple sandwich. So many item choices on the menu board. I can't handle the stress of ordering. Never again! Let Scott do the Subway ordering. Scott laughs at the recounting of my "ordeal" and says I'm getting old. How annoying!

5 Warning Signs you're getting old - Warning, foul language included

Do not regret growing old, it is a privilege denied to many. 

It's time for a change

Thursday, February 6, 2014

Downtown Riverside Park - North Little Rock, AR

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CONTENTS

RV LIFE

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RV LIFE: 
I think fate,  a higher being, bad luck, or who knows is trying to tell us something!
It's time to settle down.  What that means is, we either start staying MUCH longer in one spot or we settle into a house. To be honest, I have only one area of the country I feel  I'd still like to see. That is the upper peninsula area. I'd like to stay around Mackinac Island. That's it!  But, I'm ok if we don't get there also.
We spent way too much time in the desert. We have been in cold weather way too long. As I've said before, I like Winter, just not in an RV. If we were in a house now with a fireplace or wood stove, I'd be happy, and say "Bring on the snow!" But we're in an RV in the cold Winter weather and it totally, sucks!
We've  had a string of bad luck, and I've had it. Stuck in Ft. Stockton for three weeks, and a $16,000. truck repair was  definitely a hard pill to swallow.
The good news is at least we're heading to a part of the country with pine trees and some green.  We're also getting closer to Dina being adopted. That is definitely bitter sweet. It is very difficult to give her up.
Today, we head out of the Dallas area with snow falling, roads icing up. Do you really think Dallas has salt or sand trucks?  Traffic very slow and backed up because of some spin outs by the idiot drivers not used to driving in snow. We are a little more cramped in the truck today. We had to include our African Grey parrot to our passenger list. Since rescuing Dina, we've left the bird in the RV during travel. She seems to do fine. Although, we thought we lost her when we drove with black exhaust. We opened the RV and the fumes were very strong. We got Swayze out and she was fine. When we arrived yesterday. The inside temp of the RV was only 36!  Much too cold for a parrot. But again, she seemed fine. We're not taking chances today. She'll stay in the small dog crate between Scott and I in the front seat, and the three dogs in the back seat.
The normal temp for this area at this time of year is 59°, this morning it was 18°.
While closing the slides this morning, one hit a small table which turned it sideways, which then moved the recliner, which then got in the way of the other slide. CRACK! There goes the molding. Put the slides out again to rearrange and secure things again. Now slides back in.
And because of Jay Leno, we broke our TV antenna. We normally watch satellite Direct TV.  But because our stays have been just overnights, we don't bother setting up the dish. Because this is Jay's last week, we didn't want to miss his last shows. So we raised our antenna to catch his show. Since we rarely use the antenna, we forgot to wind it down. Scott thought of it when we reached the exit of the RV park. He got out to wind it down...too late! We must have gone under a low hanging tree. Antenna is bent down. Scott now has to take the ladder off the RV ladder so he can climb up to the roof. With our luck lately, the antenna probably ripped a hole in our roof, or worse yet, Scott will slip off!  10 minutes later, Scott returns. He's ok, the roof is ok, and the antenna may be able to be easily fixed.
Again, thank goodness for this blog which is a great outlet to release my negativity.
Here's Scott's version of events...
"We must have really pissed off the FFoF. (Fickle Finger of Fate) We over-nighted in Grand Prairie, TX and with-stood one of their coldest nights. About 18 deg with a wind chill of who knows what. We woke to snow. Dallas people don't handle snow well. Our neighbor told us our planned route was completely blocked by accidents. A dusting of snow and they all go nuts. So, we pack up, check everything, we think, and hit the road, planning on taking the long way around Dallas. Problem? We had wanted to see Leno last night, being this is his last week. So, we'd raised our antenna for the 1st time in about 2 years. Naturally, we forgot it was up. This was also the 1st campground we'd been in with trees in I don't know how long. As we got to the exit of the campground, it hit me. Debbie? Did you lower the antenna? Deb, "huh"? Yeah, the antenna was busted, nailed by the first tree we'd camped under in months. As I climbed the ice covered ladder, onto the snow covered roof, I thought, this is it. I'm going to side off the roof and die. I survived the roof, but the antenna is dead. Luckily, no roof damage on my quick inspection. So, antenna removed, we hit the road. We managed to make it thru Dallas and the ice and snow, and arrived in Little Rock, Arkansas at 5:40 PM, in one piece ( 2, if you count the busted antenna). On the plus side, the truck ran great. :) From now on we, meaning Debbie, will be checking our "packing up" list before we we hit the road. Tomorrow, on to Lawrenceburg, TN, and Dina's transport."

On to better days ahead, I hope!

Home State but not "Home"

BUCKHORN COE PARK

Jefferson, TX

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WEATHER:

Morning Temp: 39° Sunny
Afternoon Temp: 65° Sunny

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RV LIFE: 
While we have made it back to our Texas, I definitely don't call this our home state. It's only home on paper. We have not "consummated" our relationship with Texas. There is no loyalty to Texas. Texas may be our legal domicile, but it is not our permanent residence. We will have to renew our inspections. Yep, we couldn't get rid of that. We were hoping that was a thing of the past when we left NJ. Although we do NOT have to get our truck inspected, because it is diesel, we do have to get our RV inspected!

I know some people think of squirrels as "tree rats". I think they are adorable. I find it very interesting to see the different types of squirrels at each stop.
We've seen white squirrels in FL.

black squirrels, itty bitty squirrels, red squirrels, fat squirrels, gray squirrels (NJ). While living in NJ and before Setters, we had Retrievers. I made friends with our back yard squirrels. I even named one "Stumpy" because she only had a stump for a tail. I would always have a supply of peanuts and corn for them. They eventually looked for me and although cautious, they would approach me. They would actually look into our sliding glass doors as if to say, "Hey, I'm hungry out here! Get a move on!" (When I find the photo, I'll add) Here in Jefferson, TX, there are fat reddish brown squirrels.

While in Little Rock, AR we connected a few times with Stephanie, my Dog Rescue friend and her husband, Douglas. Stephanie is a sweet woman with a HUGE heart for dogs. I have found many times that once a person has kids, the dogs are now an afterthought, a nuisance, or just another mouth to feed. Poor pets go from being the King of the Castle, even above the Husband, to being a chore.
Stephanie is a joy in her love of dogs, to a fault. Her husband is a gem it seems. He can be a lot of gruff talk, but he puts up with all the dogs in & out. Thank you Doug for helping dogs find a home. You may be helping in a passive (agressive, tee hee) way, but you are still helping.
Went went to eat at Buffalo Grill, El Porton Mexican, and Forbidden Garden (Chinese). We had a great time with them both. Stephanie & I may not have crafts nor kids in common, but we definitely could talk dogs in need all day. Her husband Doug, is a jabber jaw! But, he is interesting. It's not like he hogs the conversation, he just keeps it flowing. I look forward to meeting up with them both sometime again when in Little Rock.

Looking for a home state is part of the reason for our full time RV'ing. Although we may do this for many years, we also have the option of settling down in one place.
We felt very comfortable in Little Rock, AR. Although we wouldn't want to live right in Little Rock, I think the surrounding areas could be an option. I haven't researched the pros and cons of taxes on retirement income, etc, but home prices were reasonable. I also liked the models of homes. Many one story homes that were quite large and not just long but L-shaped and U-shaped.
The only other town we felt comfortable in so far was Boise, ID, but not sure if we truly like the dryness.
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PETS:
We finally went to the Murray Park Paws Park in Little Rock before we left. I went on a Saturday, which I try to avoid.
Pet Peeve alert! In general many folks that go to the dog park on the weekend are there to socialize themselves, rather than their dog. They tend to gather together in a group and talk with friends, not paying attention to what their dog is doing...pooping (please clean up), or bugging another dog by constantly humping or chasing, or maybe your dog is being harassed. Just because your dog is loose in a fenced area, does NOT MEAN you don't have to pay attention to your dog(s). 
It was pretty full, but still plenty of room for dogs and people to spread out. Dogs for the most part were well behaved and all went well.
Lyla just kind of roamed on her own, sniffing at the little dogs and making friends with kids. Poor Devin, searched and searched, but couldn't find a playmate he could connect with like Doris, at The Kingdom.

He would find a group of dogs and was just an outsider barking and barking begging to be able to join. I guess he wasn't worth their time since he was just passing through.
So he found other ways to amuse himself and others.

Yep, that's our goofy boy. Find a kiddie pool, a mud pond, etc. and he IN!

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RESTAURANT/BUSINESS REVIEW:
Morningside Bagels, Little Rock, AR
My rating 2 out of 5
Oh boy, I sure miss GOOD bagels. We stopped at here, because the reviews said they were great bagels...NOT! They may be great bagels for Little Rock, AR, but they must not have had any NY/NJ bagels to compare them too. These bagels got hard when I toasted them. They are very dense and very difficult to chew. Bagels should not be fluffy like bread, but they should also not be stone hard either. I'm glad we didn't buy the bag of day old bagels they offer, because I would have just blamed the bad texture to being day old.
We tried a variety and not even one would I recommend.
Blueberry, cranberry, apple,: No taste. Couldn't tell one from the other. I used butter, not cream cheese, so I could taste the bagel. Nope, will not return. Would rather go without, than have a bad bagel.

Buffalo Grill, Little Rock, AR
Our rating 3 out of 5
Casual dining. Nice & attentive waitress.
CHEESE DIP & CHIPS: While the chips were nothing special, I was surprised at how addicting the cheese dip was. Just enough bite and spices to make it interesting.
CHICKEN QUESADILLA: Nothing special, but tasty enough.
FRENCH FRIES: They looked fresh cut. Delicious!! Best part of the meal.
REUBEN SANDWICH: Not a large sandwich, but great corned beef. Overall a good sandwich.
If you are offended by stuffed wildlife, do not go here. They have Buffalo heads as well as other wildlife displayed on the walls.
Would we return? Sure, if that's where other's wanted to go, but it would not be my choice if I was making the decision.

El Porton Mexican, Little Rock, AR
My rating 3 out of 5
We had a coupon from Groupon. I paid $7. for $15. certificate!
CHIPS & SALSA: Chips were served warm and above average. Salsa was smooth and just a nice amount of bite.
BEEF CHIMICHANGA: Nothing special. More on the good side than bad.
REFRIED BEANS: I am not a fan of refried beans, but I must admit, these were the best I've had and I finished the whole portion.
I always like to try flan for desert when at Mexican and Cuban restaurants. Unfortunately, the waitress tallied up our bill without asking if we wanted anything else.
Would rather try the many other Mexican restaurants in the area before returning here.

Forbidden Garden, Little Rock, AR
My rating 4 out of 5
Very nice wait staff.
CRISPY NOODLES: Although these seems freshly made, they had a taste of bad oil. Of course that didn't stop me from eating them. But I did not take the balance home with a doggie bag.
For $2.75 you can have soup, egg roll & chicken wings added to your meal.
EGG DROP SOUP: Better than many places. Flavorful (as much as egg drop soup can be), but would have like to have green onions added for a little more flavor.
CHICKEN WINGS: Southern fried type. They were moist and a decent breading.
EGG ROLL: Good, nothing special.
SESAME CHICKEN: Very good. Sweet & fried, tender chicken.
I tasted my husband's meal also. It was delicious. I don't know what it was. It was a shredded beef meal.
I would definitely return here.

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BOOK REVIEW:

The Quiet River by P.M. Hubbard
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

WORST BOOK I EVER READ~! Terrible, boring writer. Long drawn out story. Very blah.  Written like a grade schooler might.


View all my reviews

AUDIO BOOK REVIEW:

Guilty Wives by James Patterson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Four woman, (all married), go for a girl's vacation in Europe. A night of fun, leads to months of hell. Really enjoyed this book. The writer really made you feel as if you were experiencing what the characters were. Great read, good mystery.

View all my reviews

Just what the Dr. ordered

MAUMELLE PARK COE

Little Rock, AR 72223

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RV LIFE:
We originally did not plan to head West to Little Rock. We were so cold and miserable in W. Memphis, AR, that we planned to head straight South, just North of New Orleans in hopes of meeting up with warmer weather. But it's been so unseasonably cold throughout the US.
An A&B volunteer, Stephanie, whom I've communicated with via email invited me to her town of Little Rock. She really enjoys meeting fellow Dog Rescue people. So what the heck. We have no set plans...sure lets go to Little Rock.

I was really getting quite down in my mood, with the terrible weather, the depressed area of W. Memphis, and the too tight and crowded city of Memphis to enjoy. I enjoyed looking out over the Mississippi River, but our site was in the middle of nothing.

Onward to a Corps of Engineer Park in Little Rock, AR.
I love this place!!! We were going to stay for 5 days, then looked at the reviews and decided to stay a week. Upon arrival and set up we decided to stay for 2 weeks. COE parks are great! This is just what I needed!

Even though there are no leaves on the trees, there are so many trees that you still get a sense of coziness.

We still have mice in our RV and but oh the horrors, we actually had a couple of children in the RV for a couple of hours.
Thank goodness they are easier to get rid of than mice. Ok, I'm sorry, I was just on a roll. Strike that last statement. Stephanie's 6 & 8 yr old children were pleasantly well behaved. They sat in my rocker/recliner squeezed in together. It was very cute. Stephanie's son, Connor, gave us a great compliment. He said "this is just like a house, only smaller". For them to sit there for 2 hours while Mom & I talked was very impressive. Near the end, they got wiggly and wanted to go to the playground. By then the visit was over anyway. Poor Devin is scared of kids. He hid in the bedroom the whole time.
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PRODUCT REVIEW:
Digital Toys: Kindle Fire $159.00 vs I-pad Mini $329.00
I have had a Kindle Fire for over a year. I wanted an I-pad when they first came out, but felt they were too large. I wanted something to slip into my pocketbook. I waited and waited and no smaller version was announced, so I gave in and bought the Fire.
Now the I-pad Mini has come out. Hmmm. Do I purchase it? I have used my Fire very little. I don't feel it is a very user friendly tablet. I mainly wanted the Fire for some handy internet browsing, cool apps, checking email, reading, note keeping.  I'm sure the Fire will do that...in a round about way. So after a year of not using the Fire, I started researching if there was a way to download iOs (Apple) apps onto an Android (Fire) device. Sure enough, there is. I asked Hubby if he could "root" my Fire.
Rooting = Altering the software of a device to release it from certain restrictions imposed by the original manufacturer, giving the owner fuller control/capabilities. Synonym: jailbreak, which for me was to be able to download Apple apps on my Fire.
If you have a Fire and want to root it, here is a link from PC WORLD and lots of how to videos on YOU TUBE.
Scott did this but didn't finish the process, so I wasn't sure that it was working. So off I go to purchase the I-pad Mini. While I was shopping Scott completed the rooting correctly and by the time I got back with my new $329.00 I-pad Mini, Scott had the Fire screen looking and working like an I-pad. Oh well, the Fire is my gift to Scott. First time I have given him one of my "discarded" computer items for an "upgrade". Most of my desk top computers were built from Scott's old parts after he upgraded.
The iOS apps & I-phone have become so popular, that the user's ease have been greatly developed. I'm already familiar with I-Tunes from using my I-pod for audiobooks, and the RV Checklist app. So the transition to a larger, easier to read and navigate (bigger touch area) was easy. I have already used my I-Pad Mini more in 2 weeks than I've used the Fire in a year!
The I-Pad Mini is also lighter, so easier on my shoulder while carrying in my pocketbook.
For me, this was a great purchase.  And for Scott, he's very happy with his after root Fire.
============================

Grumpy!

BAVARIA, GERMANY

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RV LIFE:

Huh? I'm in Bavaria, Germany? Yes, in my mind I am. In Arkansas, it is only 9am, and not socially proper to be drinking, but in Germany it's 4pm and that's the perfect time for "Happy Hour". Since I've just had a double shot of Rumple Minze, it's 4pm in my mind.Yes, I'm grumpy, depressed, blah! 

This freezing weather is getting to me. 

Cabin fever, mice invading the RV for warmth, Devin going nuts trying to get to the mice. 

Devin looking for mice behind my sewing machine

What damage will they do? Have to crate Devin at night because he keeps us up scratching the walls and our new floors trying to get to the mice.

Yes, I'm grumpy.

Devin has cabin fever too! He's too much too handle on our walks now, even with his no pull (yea, right) harness. Back to the prong collar for a bit.

I want to go out!!!

Yes, I'm grumpy.

It's not only cold outside, but grey also. Looking out at the Mississippi is just depressing with the all grey, dank, cloud covered scene.

Yes, I'm grumpy.

Nothing to do in this area. Been to Graceland already.

Yes, I'm grumpy.

Can't quite get warm enough in the RV unless I'm in the bedroom.

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GRACELAND: Memphis, TN

Our rating 3 out of 5

We are right across the river from Graceland. We "have" to visit it. We'll never make a special trip just for that. So we drive over to the Graceland Tourist Trap entrance, well try. We had to wait for red lights on the main highway and also wait for the tour shuttle buses.  That was enough to let Scott know that it would be ok if we didn't go. I hate being ripped off by tourist stuff. Scott was the voice of reason? and said we're here, we might as well go in. So onward we went with our $4.00 off coupon for the $37.00 Platinum tour. The Platinum tour included Graceland, the Lisa Marie airplane and the car museum.

I always had this image in my mind of the entrance of Graceland being a huge high, difficult to climb over gateway.

In today's world, the rich seem to have to over do it with their huge McMansions, huge master baths, their SS appliances, immaculately landscaped yards, etc. So Elvis being so famous, I pictured these 15-20 foot high towering gates. Nope. They are about 8' high. Nice personal touch with the musical notes, but it could fit into almost anyone's piece of property.

Included in the tour were mp3 type players with the tour guide info recorded on it, which were well thought out. You pressed a key pad to coincide with what part of the tour you are at. Much better than a live tour guide with everybody trying to crowd in to see & hear at once. I was able to wait for the crowd to move on and then view and hear the tour at my own pace. Of course you return them at the end of the tour.

By today's standards, Graceland is a joke. There are a lot of rooms, but they are fairly small. Funny to see how a celebrity lived then compared to now. But he was still a country boy at heart, so Graceland was a big deal compared to what he came from.

He liked TV. He saw the President watching 3 TV's at once,
so he wanted to do the same.

Jungle room. Not a big room at all. Very cozy though.
I like it.

Billiards room

This room's walls & ceilings are covered with fabric. Very cool look. But again, not a big room. Barely large enough for your cue sticks to swing.

His performance suits

This was the most interesting part. Seeing clothing items that he actually wore. Other celebrities and want to be celebrities clothing were displayed also.

Dean Martin's Suit

He certainly did have a lot of gold records! Since visiting Graceland, I've been listening to some Elvis. I think he really was a great singer. He had that "it" factor. I remember watching Elvis on TV at his Hawaii concert. We had 3 generations of women watching and loving it. My Nana, my Mom and me.

We also visited the car museum which was interesting. But I personally do not understand the need to have a car collection. And lastly, we toured the Lisa Marie Convair 880.

Lisa Marie Jet Media Room

Lisa Marie Jet Bathroom

Overall, if you are a big Elvis fan, it's worth going. But really, if I had skipped Graceland, that would have been fine.  I was disappointed to not see any fans yelling that they felt him here, or maybe an Elvis sighting or flinging themselves on his grave wailing.

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BROWSING THE WWW://

Product review:

YTD Video Downloader  This is a free (for basic) program that lets you save videos from YouTube and some other sites. I've used this many times. There are so many craft instructions on YouTube. I've been able to download and save forever onto my own computer. Very easy to use. They don't bother you with junk mail. I highly recommend the program.

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PRODUCT REVIEWS:

Now that we have no carpeting in our RV, we have to adjust to a whole other way of cleaning the floor. We gave away our nice Orek vacuum to Four Paws Campground, since we really have no need for the rotating brush that is essential when you have carpet and pets.

With our fiberglass flooring, we can feel every little grain of sand/dirt. Not too much of a problem for me, since I rarely go barefoot. I either have shoes, socks or slippers on. Scott tends to walk around bare assed, oops, I meant barefooted, so he feels it all. 

The dogs really bring in a lot of dirt. We humans can scrape our shoes on the outdoor rug, or take them off before entering, but the dogs have all that hair on their paws to collect all that outside dirt and bring it in. 

Our little Orek hand rechargeable vacuum has not been holding a charge. Plus, I don't think I want to crawl on my hands & knees vacuuming the whole RV.

So for $20. we purchased

BISSELL Featherweight Stick Vacuum, 3106Q

The online reviews were good. I like that it was only $20. 

Bagless

Convertible, meaning it changes from a full length handle & floor nozzle vacuum to a short hand held "dustbuster" type. 

It also has a crevice device for the tight corners and cracks.

So far, we think it does a great job, is easy to use and easy to empty. Well worth the $20.

To finish off our cleaning we also purchased

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O Cedar Pro Mist Wet/Dry Mop

I used something similar while workamping at Four Paws Kingdom.

This is a dust mop. It has a spray bottle attached to the handle and I just squeeze a lever at the top of the handle and it spritzes water or whatever solution you choose ahead of the mop on the floor. Just enough to help pick up the remaining dirt and wipe away the dirt marks.

I like this particular Wet/Dry mop because the head comes with one washable cloth, a semi-washable cloth, and has pinch holes which allows me to use my own cloths, or swiffer type cloths also.

I'm happy with this product also.

``

Tom Sawyer's Mississippi River RV Park Review, W. Memphis, AR 72301

RV PARK REVIEW:

TOM SAWYER'S MISSISSIPPI RIVER RV PARK   West Memphis, AR 72301

$33./day Riverside Site #100
Our rating, 4 out of 5

Look who else is an RV'r and has been to Tom Sawyer RV Park! click here
+ SITES: Decent size, all with a small grass area.

+ HOOK UPS: FHU - 50amp
+ BATHROOMS: Clean
+ LAUNDRY: FREE, yes Free high efficiency multiple machines and clean!

+ PETS: Welcome, with plenty of grass area and paths to walk them.
+ WIFI: Free, and pretty fast.
+ VERIZON INTERNET: Good
+ SPRINT INTERNET:
+ VERIZON PHONE: good
+ AT&T PHONE: Good
+ BOOK EXCHANGE: Small unofficial exchange in the laundry.
+ MAIL DELIVERY: Yes
/AREA/TOWN/SIGHTS: W. Memphis is a poor town and not safe. Slums. Best to stay on the highways 40 & 55 to get to shopping in W. Memphis.
Memphis is a larger town, with difficult parking, but lots of restaurants and of course, Graceland.
Other info:
Sites 1-38 are mainly long term and under trees.
Sites 40-76 have some shade.
Sites 80-100 are "5th Wheel" sites. These are situated so your back window will have a great view of the Mississippi River. NO TREES AT ALL in this section. Site 100 gave us plenty of grass area for our dogs.
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BROWSING THE WWW://
LIFEHACKER Very cool site. This gives you tips for all aspects of life.
This site is not just about one subject, but so many...
How to make a hot box solar oven,
Craft recycling
Pet care and hints
Apps reviews
Kitchen hints
How to get the most from your computer
Organization
Definitely worth a look/see!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PRODUCT REVIEW:
SCANSNAP s1300i by Fujitsu


This was recommended to me by Meik at FOUR PAWS KINGDOM. I mentioned that I still have 1.5 tubs of photos to scan and it's taking forever.
I'm happy to say that having purchased this, I am FINALLY done with all my scanning!!!!!
This is a great product. It is very compact, only about 12" long by 3.5" wide. It is so much faster than my flatbed scanner. Plus, I can easily pile 8-10 photos, papers, etc and it feeds automatically. I looked at reviews and comparisons. This was rated by far the best of Neat Desk and the Cannon equivalent.
Excellent product! Thank you Meik!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
RV LIFE:
Speaking of scanning..some of the things I've scanned...
my baby book

Me, Debbie at 15 mths.

Old boyfriends. Scott is a very understanding husband, but I won't push it by posting any photos.
My disco party days. Great, great times!

Party photos of me in my prime. I sure sowed by wild oats in my 20's and 30's.
Chip & Dale, well, not really, but Chippendales in NYC in 1984, yes! I kept scanning, and scanning...

and damn, there's still more pages and photos to scan and scan and scan.

 It's embarrassing how many photos I took of those gorgeous almost naked guys.

But who's counting...38, yes, 38! Wooo hoo! It was a fun night. Hey, I was single and 28yrs old. I got it out of my system.
Our EDELWEISS motorcylce tour in Europe. Where were you when the OJ verdict came in on 10/3/95? We were in having drinks at the bar in the Hotel Warther Hof in Warth, Austria.

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CRAFTS:
Now that my scanning is complete, I REALLY have a lot of free time. So I've been knitting again. I'm still working on GAAA-Great American Aran Afghan. I started this in 2008. It consists of 24 - 12" blocks to be put together into an afghan. I just finished #12, which only took me 2 days! Normally, it's at least a week, or two.I'm now working on #13.

At the bottom right of square is a spider.
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BOOK REVIEW:

Chesapeake Blue by Nora Roberts
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A story that gives you that "warm fuzzy" feeling of a close knit family.
It's almost too sweet with that touch of nastiness that really isn't so bad, but family sticks by.
Of course love interest also. Mostly very like able characters.
Not sure if it's really worthy of 5 stars, but it took me away to the land of white picket fences for a while.


View all my reviews

Memphis, TN

TOM SAWYER'S MISSISSIPPI RIVER RV PARK
West Memphis, AR 72301
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Memphis...too much of a city. If the weather was nicer, we may enjoy it more. The city is full of parking garages. There is very little street parking for a 350 dually pick up. It's best to just park and walk where ever you want to go. It's a city, but not a huge city, so many things are walking distance.
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RESTAURANT REVIEW:
Little Tea Shop, Memphis, TN
Our rating 3 out of 5

Cute little historic restaurant. Nothing fancy. We were greeted by a very friendly woman. Almost felt like we were welcomed into her home.
The menu is different every day with a few regular items listed daily. I was at first disappointed in the limited menu items for the day. Since it was a cold, bitter, day, I thought a nice stew or chicken pot pie would be nice. Neither was listed on today's menu.
Omar, our waiter was very friendly and attentive, maybe a little too attentive.
So we penciled in our choices for lunch and handed him our order.
CORN STICKS: We were immediatey served a basket of corn sticks (long muffins). At first I was disappointed because they were not sweet like I prefer, but before I knew it, I was addicted! They are delicious.
SMOKED TURKEY & RICE SOUP: Definitely home made. The smoked turkey was excellent and flavored the well seasoned broth. Rice and vegies made for a nice robust well rounded soup.
LUCY SPECIAL: Chicken on cornbread with gravy, side of rice smothered in gravy.  Chicken was moist, gravy was tasty.
SALAD: Crisp romaine & iceberg greens with an interesting home made vinigarette type dressing. Very good.
COUSCOUS SALAD WITH SALMON: A huge plate full of chilled couscous seasoned with something green in it. At first I was disappointed, but after a few bites, it was also delicious. Add a little of their dressing and mix in the greens on the bottom made for a delicious meal. The salmon was originally blackened, then chilled. Very good.
Did not opt for desert for two reasons: 1. Past reviews said the cobbler was nothing special. 2: We were full!
Omar asked if we were visiting. How intuitive? Oh, he saw our city map clutched in my hand. He suggested after lunch we stop at the Planters peanut store.
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BUSINESS REVIEW
The Peanut Shoppe, Memphis, TN
Our rating 4 out of 5

This is one of 11 Planter's peanut shops left in the world. This is the 2nd oldest shop, the 1st being in Atlantic City, NJ.
The store is very cool, very old galley type store. It's like you've stepped back in time. One long aisle. Trays of all kinds of nuts, roasted, salted, plain, candied. Popcorn was popping as we walked in. The smell was wonderful.

You order by the 1/4 pound and up. The scales are old fashioned weighted type. I asked for a 1/2 pound of pumpkin seeds. Out comes a 1/2 pound weight that he places on a tray and then scoops the seeds on the other tray until the center scale reads zero, or there about. His weighing is not an exact science but he errs on the side of the customer.

Similar to this.

CHOCOLATE, TOFFEE PECANS: I ordered pecans surrounded with toffee, then chocolate covered. I didn't care for them. I couldn't taste the pecan although when you break it in half, you can see there is a pecan in the center. My husband liked them though.
CHOCOLATE COVERED RAISINS: Not great, but not bad. One step up from Raisinets.
SALTED ROASTED PUMPKIN SEEDS: Large seeds and delicious.
SALTED ROASTED PISTACHIOS: Rich tasting and delicious.
CARAMEL GLAZED POPCORN: Outstanding!!! This is not your toffee type boxed popcorn. This is home made and the fresh popped popcorn mixed in. Absolutely delicious and addicting.
Ridda, the owner was very friendly and saw we appreciated the history, especially since being from NJ, I have childhood memories of the AC Planters store.

Ridda told me to stick my hand into this torture chamber looking object. I was hesitant, but finally did. It was warm inside! He had just finished roasting peanuts in the original 83 yr old roaster! He really takes pride in his product and store.

83 yr old peanut roaster

This is not only a nice place to pick up some snacks, but also a history lesson and a place for tourists and locals to stop just for the attraction of the store itself. Say to hello to Mr. Peanut when you stop by.
Ends up, Omar from The Tea Shoppe is a cousin or brother in law of Ridda at The Peanut Shoppe. They are Lebanese and very friendly and welcoming.

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Memories of AC (Atlantic City, NJ)

I remember going to AC (Atlantic City) as a child with my Nana. We saw the famous DIVING HORSE on the Steel Pier. Here's a YOU TUBE VIDEO of the Diving Horse.

This is the first place I saw chicken eggs in an incubator and chicks hatching.

My Nana said she went to a Phyllis Diller show, sat near the front and laughed so hard and loud, Phyllis told her to hold it down, she was stealing her act!

We saw a couple of Miss America parades on the boardwalk. 1969

I saw the Brady Bunch in concert on the Steel Pier.

And referring back to the Planter's peanut store, I was scared to death of Mr. Peanut.