Little needed to live happy

March 23 - April 3, 2014 (12 days)

Lums Pond State Park - Bear, DE
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CONTENTS

RV LIFE

BROWSING THE WWW

HOUSE HUNTING

PETS

BOOK REVIEWS

RESTAURANT REVIEW

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RV LIFE:
We are currently in Bear, DE. Yeah!...Not! But it IS better than the desert or Texas.Lums Pond State Park has large, spread out sites, with large shade trees, an open field and a huge pond. My idea of comfort.
We have been in three different sites so far at this park. There are only 8 sites with electric, none with water or sewer. We weren't able to make reservations very far ahead, because of not knowing our schedule because of our engine trouble in Texas and looking at property in Tennessee. We were only able to book for 12 days. The weekends fill up here from Spring through Fall.
In those 12 days, Scott has been busy helping his family clear out the family home of 50+ years & visiting his parents in an independent living apartment (Mom) and assisted living (Dad). I have been glued to the computer cleaning up records, taking on more responsibility for the English Setter Rescue.Yes, more responsibility! But the good news, it is mainly computer work, not people work. It has been very time consuming, actually like a real job but I can set my own hours.
Nearing the end of our 12 days, I knew the family home was not ready to be abandoned yet. I suggested to Scott that we should stay longer. He agreed, but where to go??? There really is very little in the way of RV parks in this area of DE/NJ. There is a 2 week limit here at Lums Pond State Park. Hmmm, maybe...if I reserve the next two weeks under my account (reserve America) and not Scott's, we can get away with staying longer, IF there are any open spots.
Turns out, the 2 week limit is only from Memorial Day thru Labor Day. Found one site available with electric for the time we need except for the weekend, of course! So we decide to reserve a no utilities site for the weekend and then the electric site for 10 days.
Boondocking is not for me. It seems every time we try to boondock, it is overcast and cold. The RV heater sucks up battery power quickly and is inefficient. I do not like being cold in my home.
And yes, our weekend boondocking was not fun...for me. I don't like having to think which outlet is wired for solar power/battery or what lights and appliances I can run at the same time. This RV is my home, I'm not "camping". I'm spoiled by having to space heaters available to make the RV toasty warm on a dreary, rainy day. We have the Mr Buddy or something like that propane heater, but it uses up the little propane bottles within a few hours.
Now Scott on the other hand, was very happy with our two day boondocking experience. Everything worked as it should. He did a great job installing the solar panels and wiring. He also wired the generator, so he doesn't have to take it out of the bed of the truck to run to the RV. I'm happy for him. I did let him know i don't enjoy boondocking, but if he want's to do it again, I can put up with it.
Electric! The little things that make me happy. Prior to our weekend boondocking, I was wishing we had water and sewer, but after boondocking, I'm THRILLED to just have electric again!
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BROWSING THE WWW:
Wow! The World has survived without my blogging regularly.
Wow! My family has survived without my blogging regularly.
Wow! Fellow RV'rs, crafters, readers have survived without my blogging regularly.
Wow! I have survived without blogging regularly.
Things have calmed down once again in my life. My stress level is lowered, yet I'm still quite depressed, but I can now "hide" that fact and function again.
Life has gone on all around me.
Susan from Beluga's Excellent Adventure has left Florida is moving North.
Carla from Cozy Be Gone is getting ready to head out from their Winter stay in Alabama. She has become quite the blogger with info on what to do, where to go, RV mods, etc.
Marikay from Merikay's Dream is no longer parked in their driveway. They closed on their house recently in California. She is officially a full timer, although they really have been for a couple of months, just not traveling yet.
These are the 3 main blogs I keep up with.
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HOUSE HUNTING:
We still have the itch to settle down into a house again. I am very concerned about the commitment again. We will be heading to Tennessee vis West Virginia next. There is lots of real estate available in Tennessee. Especially, since we are open to looking at houses throughout the state, although we prefer the Eastern, mountainous area. I hope that I have learned my lesson about collecting "stuff", just because we will have the space. Living in a RV proves how little we really need to be happy. I still remember purging our NJ house of the things we've had and not used for 20 years, just because it was there was room and it was out of the way. Now with emptying the in-law's house, again, the things we keep for "memories" yet they are stored in the attic or basement and never to be looked at again, until moving. Suddenly all those "precious" items that were saved are no longer precious! We're told to just throw them out or donate. My greatest lesson learned is that we don't need much to be happy.
I keep thinking what it is that wants me to have a house again and be stuck in one spot.
1) I was not unhappy just staying home instead of going on vacation. As long as I find my sweet spot to relax, I am happy in the same place day in and day out.
2) I want a bigger kitchen.
3) I want room to foster dogs.
4) I want a fenced yard for the dogs to be able to run.
That's about it. I've traveled plenty. I've seen many places I never expected to. I am ready to settle and if anyone wants to visit, that's fine. They can come to me instead of me going to them. I'm glad we have experienced full time RV'ing and will continue if the almost perfect home and property don't appear.
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PETS:
Devin has been having a blast at Lums Pond State Park. Because it is practically empty, except for weekends, I've been walking him with a 25' lead. He loves running and bouncing around. Grabbing sticks and giving them to me. He has great recall while on the long lead. He doesn't pull on the lead and he returns periodically for a fly by to check in with me. Now if he would only do that off leash also. Devin has also been able to take regular quick dips in the pond that is really a decent sized lake.
And of course, Devin is known for enjoying the little luxury of comfy chairs.
I visited a dog rescue friend recently & of course I took our two Setters. Lynne has a fenced in back yard which Devin would really enjoy. After some running around and sniffing her two Setters, Devin settled down.

Settled into the Lynn's comfy chair.

And then we've been  clearing out the in-law's house. We don't want to leave the dogs in the RV if they can be with us. So sure enough, Devin settles in nicely while we work.

Ahhh, leather, nice!

And then of course, "Home is where you park it". Devin always settles in his blue chair at each site we stay at.

Ahhh, just right. (Lums Pond in the background))

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AUDIO BOOK REVIEW:

The Mermaids Singing by Val McDermid

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I listened to the audio version. Oh when will this end? I tried, but after many hours just had to end my own torture of listening to this book. The killer is definitely a sicko, but the story just rambled on and on. I couldn't figure out who was who and dreaded trying to finish.
BOOK REVIEW: (Kindle edition)

Soul of Flame by Rebecca Ethington
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This series continues to keep me obsessed. This is the 4th in the 5 book series. Joslyn learns her strengths & how to use them.  Joslyn learns how to deal with love interests Ryland and Ilyan. Her hatred for Edmund grows. The book is leading up to the battle of good vs. evil.
I am still in awe of the imagination of these fantasy/paranormal writers.

Coming Home by Laurie Breton
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I'm so glad this was free.
At 57 yrs old, I just don't have the patience for an 18 year old girl getting married, (at least she wasn't pregnant), and then after knowing someone for a short time, decide to marry the other. That's a fickle 18 yr old for you. No mention of how she broke the news to her ex fiance.
And then she and her wanna be rock star hubby start having problems. Gee, I couldn't see that coming. Relationships developed so quickly that I felt like I was reading an abridged version of the book. I did not finish.
I have been enjoying Young Adult books, but this one is more teenage, NON adult genre.
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RESTAURANT REVIEW:
It's been a while since I've reviewed a restaurant. We haven't been eating out much.
Italian Kitchen - Pennsville, NJ

Our rating 3.5 out of 5
We've ordered take out a number of times from here.
They have an excellent pumpkin cake roll with cream cheese filling.
Their chef's salad is huge and full of all the goodies a chef's salad should have.
I was expecting the garlic sticks to be typical "Olive Garden" type which I'm not impressed by. These garlic sticks aren't very garlicky, but they taste homemade. A deliciously seasoned dough that I just can't enough of.
Chicken and Italian Strombolis were: full of meat and cheese. Yum.
I was disappointed in their pasta dinner though. Very plain tomato sauce and over cooked pasta.
The pizza was also just ok. Probably the best in Pennsville, NJ, but that is not saying much.

Wine, Zoloft, and Love, Quiet support

March 23 - April 3, 2014 (12 days)

Lums Pond State Park - Bear, DE

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CONTENTS

RV LIFE

RV TIP

BROWSING THE WWW

CRAFTS

BOOK REVIEWS

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RV LIFE:
I'm still in a bit of a slump, but working through it. We spent a week in Cedar Key, FL. No that is not way down south in the "Florida Keys", but is on the Gulf coast of Florida, about an hour or two South of Tampa. I read in so many other blogs about how great this little community is. The "go to" RV park to stay at is Low Key Hideaway, but there are only three sites, so very difficult to get in. There is supposedly a great Tiki Bar where there is a happy hour gathering every day. I really wanted to stop by for a drink, but in my stupid, debilitating depression, I just couldn't bring myself to deal with "happy" hour. Maybe, if I had a designated driver, I could have gotten a nice buzz on to make me more sociable. But Scott had no interest in going.
We were only able to get reservations at Cedar Key RV Resort. This resort is 8 miles outside the center of Cedar Key, so we really didn't get the Margaritaville feel of the area. But Cedar Key RV Resort is a really nice park. I would consider this a Winter/Snowbird destination possibility. I'll catch up on Park reviews in another post.
We spent 9 wonderful days with my parents in Altoona, FL. They live in a continuing care or life care community. We were able to set up our RV with 30 amp and water hook ups. We either had to walk down to my parent's home to use their bathroom or use the outside bathroom "facilities". This was a first for me...using the outside bathroom. Yep, after dark I would go near the bushes and let it flow. I guess I can get used to a lot of things.
Spending time with my parents was really, really relaxing. My Father and I didn't even have any conversations that needed to be cut off because of differences of opinions! Mom and I had an afternoon together cry fest. That sure felt good. Thanks Mom.
The 9 days flew by. I never met up with our motorcycle friends, Pete & Judy, originally from NJ. I never met up with my Setter rescue friend, Bonnie F either. Yep, this depression is debilitating. My mind says "get over it", but it's taking time.
We then took 3 days (2 overnights) to get to Bear, DE. We're here for 12 days. I have some great alone time since Scott has been cleaning out his parents' home for sale. They've moved into assisted living and independent living in the same facility. I suppose I'll head over there next week to help out, but for now, I'm appreciating my alone time.
We have no idea where to head to next. I would like to find a nice Corp. of Engineer park a little more South.. Or maybe head to Four Paws Kingdom for a month. Hmmm, that sounds like a plan!
We got our hopes up slightly about the log cabin in TN. We were told the first offer fell through. The 2nd offer was supposed to be a cash deal, but turned out it wasn't. I thought that would void their contract, but nope, they closed this past Wednesday. That's fine. It wasn't meant to be. Now we can relax, slow down and spend the Summer in the Upper Peninsula. Fall will be here soon enough and we'll start our search for a house then.
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RV TIP:
Leveling boards

When we first began RV'ing, we considered those yellow, interlocking leveling blocks, but we felt they were too bulky for storage.
With scrap lumber we had from purging our household, we made 1' wide by 2' long and a variety of thickness boards. They were cheap (free) and worked fine, until they began to split when we were on soft earth.
While we were fixing our house up to get ready for sale, we covered our garage turned storage room with recycled rubber mat flooring. My thought it would make a nice base for gym equipment. I've seen similar material at Tractor Supply. It is used for horse stall flooring. The link shows a 4' x 6' mat for $40.+. I believe we found either 2' x 4' or 4' x 4' size outside in front of Tractor Supply for about $25.00.

Scott then cut them into multiple rectangles of 1' wide by however long was needed to span the length of the tires. They are flexible, stackable, easy to store, long lasting.
Here's a Tractor Supply link to a similar item sold in 1' lengths x 4' wide for $5.69 per foot.

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BROWSING THE WWW:
As if I didn't spend enough time on the computer...now there is a new site to suck me in and keep me sedentary. Thank you very much Carla, of Coze Be Gone, who mentioned this site in her blog.
RVillage is here! And oh what a great site it is already in it's Beta version, with the potential to be THE go to RV community site of all. It is the Ravelry or Facebook for RV'rs.

I've already joined about 10 groups on this site, one of the groups is for bloggers. So of course I have to check out each blog that is introduced. I cannot possibly keep up with them all.My favorite feature of this site is you can easily change your location. When you enter what RV park you are staying in, a circle pops up to show how many other people from RVillage are at that same park. You can then schedule a meet up! Wow, wow WOW!
Please check out RVillage and "friend me". I'm listed as "NJ No More"
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CRAFTS:

Yes, I have been knitting and cross stitching, but I'll post about some crafts from the past at my parents' home. My father keeps saying their home is filled with things I made.







This ugly gold & brown granny square afghan  was quite nice in the 1970's. It was my first granny square afghan and I didn't know how to connect the squares or secure the yarn ends. So over the years, it started to come apart. I finally told my Mom I'd make a an updated afghan to match her bedroom, and then she WILL throw out this ugly one. I did make the updated afghan. The pastel colors afghan above is the replacement. I trusted my Mom to throw out the ugly brown and gold one.









But Mom can be quite sentimental. While I was knitting on their couch, I happened to lose a knitting needle. So I was lifting up the cushions of the couch in search of my missing needle and low a behold, what do I see?

See that look of shame on my Mom's face?

Embroidery machine project

 Cross stitch when my Father retired.

Tunisian crochet afghan I gave my Mom when I purged my house to go FT.
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AUDIO BOOK REVIEW:
The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a book about the fight against oppression. Oppression of blacks, women, and religion. A historical novel, based on real history and real people and real specific characters (Grimke sisters).
Very well written from a young female slave and female white abolitionist's view.
I cannot wrap my mind around this way of thinking. Slavery, the Holocaust, religious superiority, anti-gay, white supremacists, animal cruelty,  domestic violence, child abuse, and on and on. What a sad world. I still believe the good outweigh the bad, but for how long?
From Wikipedia  White supremacy is the belief, or promotion of the belief, that white people are superior to people of other racial backgrounds and that therefore whites should politically, economically and socially dominate non-whites.
Who the hell are these people? Because of your color you're better than someone else?
I was brought up in a strict Baptist home. This belief "thinks a person has to believe in Jesus Christ at some conscious level to be saved (exclusivism)" Quoted from Patheos.Or as I was taught, we must ask Christ to forgive us our sins and accept him into our heart.
Really? This is the only way to heaven? (if there is a heaven). Again, I cannot wrap my mind around one exclusive religion. I'm not sure what to call myself, a Plurist, meaning there are multiple viable religions? No, I don't think so. I believe I am agnostic, meaning "a person who holds that the existence of the ultimate cause, as God, and the essential nature of things are unknown and unknowable, or that human knowledge is limited to experience."

BOOK REVIEW: (Kindle)
Scorched Treachery by Rebecca Ethington
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This series continues to keep me obsessed. This 3rd in the series is written from Wyn & Illyan's view, so it somewhat overlaps what happened in Book 2, but from a different viewpoint.
I am still in awe of the imagination of these fantasy/paranormal writers.

We are so fortunate.

FOUR PAWS KINGDOM
Rutherfordton, NC 28139
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I know, I know, I haven't been posting very much. My motto is "no news is good news". How often do you hear positive comments as to negative. It seems so much easier to complain and voice that opinion than to voice our praise.
I am willing to learn from other's mistakes. Yes, I'm talking about you David from Flip Flop Vector blog.
Would you like me to explain, blog followers?
David & Teri had a fairly serious mishap a few weeks ago. You can follow what happened and the outcome at their blog FLIP FLOP VECTOR.
Two days after their mishap, Teri mentioned to David..."you remember last night commenting you didn't have much to blog about right now". Careful what you ask for. So with that being said, I WILL NOT COMPLAIN about nothing to write about. There's always something to post about. My post may not interest everyone, but it will interest some.
Scott & I have been very fortunate to not have any serious accidents with our rig, truck or health. We have had items to be repaired as we go along, but that is to be expected.
We are very fortunate to live in the USA.
We are fortunate that there are men and women willing to risk their lives to protect our freedom. Thank you so, so much to our Veterans and current military. It's a sad state that we do need to defend our country, but thank you for your commitment.
I saw this on facebook...
"Men who wear helmets and defend freedom should be paid more then men who wear helmets and defend a football!"
We are fortunate that we escaped NJ and didn't have to deal with the destruction caused by Hurricane Sandy.
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HURRICANE SANDY:
Speaking of Sandy, I'd like to give a shout out to Tide, for setting up their washing stations in multiple areas hit by Sandy. They call this good deed, LOADS OF HOPE . We as the outsiders looking in only see the big picture. Homes destroyed, lives lost, no electric, no water.  There are shelters open to house many folks, others are staying in their homes and bundling up to keep warm. But there are the "little things", that may seem minor to us, but are a big deal when you're going through it.  I never thought about people having to do their laundry. Not only because of lack of utilities, but also from being soaked from Sandy also.
I just heard of another group that are helping the animals caught in the middle because of Sandy.  With homes being destroyed, families may not be able to take their dogs to people shelters, or if they are staying with friends or temporarily renting. SANDY DOG NANNIES OF VT has been established. Volunteers will take care of your pets in their home until you can get yourself established again. That is one less responsibility to have to worry about.
I haven't heard from any friends back in NJ, but peeked on their Facebook pages. Most without power for over a week. Some moved in with friends.
My Sister-in-law and her husband own or manage Rehoboth Bay Marina in Dewey, DE.
This is after Sandy.

Precious Health

LUMS POND STATE PARK

Bear, DE 19701

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RV LIFE:

We were at Lums pond last year in July. It was so hot then, that I never exlored the park or found Lums Pond! This time the weather cooperated somewhat and one morning it was a comfortable 70° and the grass was still wet and freshly cut. I finally found the pond. There is a rustic trail around this tangled shaped pond. Many fingers extending out. At the trailhead is a bright yellow sign stating that walking along the trail around the pond will take 3-4 hours. I suppose people have started out and not realized what they got themselves into. I'll stick with walking around the campground.
Lots of recycling at the campground. They recycle just about everything...glass, plastic, corrugated cardboard, thin cardboard (cereal boxes, etc.), tin, aluminum, oil, batteries...

While here we were able to spend an evening with long time friends from Delaware and spent a couple of days with Scott's parents. Our time with his parents was bittersweet. It was wonderful to see them again after 10 months, but difficult to leave also. They are up there in years and you just never know how much time... Dealing with the mixed feelings after leaving them is a work in progress. We are voluntarily leaving them and not knowing when we'll return. We feel guilty because their time is probably limited and we have chosen to not stay near. But on the other hand, this is an opportunity for us to experience now. Scott's parents may be seniors, but just because we are younger, you never know what could happen to cause us to stop this life.  My feeling is we have to grab this opportunity while we can. I am so thankful that Scott and I are healthy and able to enjoy our travels.  I suppose I take my health for granted, since I've gained so much weight and rarely exercise. Maybe this visit to Mom & Dad Buskirk will be a "wake up" call for me to take better care of myself. Scott's parents are in their 80's and until recently have been active and fairly healthy.  If I don't start taking better care of my body, I won't be getting around very well if I even make 80.
Stay tuned, to see if that little kick in the ass I just gave myself works.

Ahhhhh

LUMS POND STATE PARK

Bear, DE 19701

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RV LIFE:

Ahhhh, we are sort of back to our "normal" RV lifestyle. Our trek from NV to NJ is over. Our social and medical obligations are almost over. This week we will be visiting Scott's parents and possibly some friends in DE. I know it sounds terrible to call visiting family & friends "obligations", but it's just that it came all in a 3 week span. if all this activity could be spread out in a 3 month span, that would have been more enjoyable.

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CRAFTS:

Let the crochet marathon begin! A little catch up first.

I brought stash with me when we started F/T and packed them into ziplock bags with coordinated patterns. My last two projects have been with new yarn. Sigh...The storage unit in NJ has the rest of my stash, as well as a tub of yarn and patterns at a friend's home. I haven't made much of a dent in the projects in the RV. But a year living in the RV, I've found some more "hiding places" for more stash.

Kimono (finished): Not sure if I'm repeating myself, but...I recently finished a KAL (Knit A Long) with a small group of ladies that are also RV'rs. If you are a crafter and an RV'r, check out CAMPGROUND CRAFTERS. We knit the BRIGHT & BREEZY KIMONO, which is a free pattern from Caron Yarns.  I made mine in variegated pastels for the summer. Others made in a deep rich, autumn red and 1 person in an ivory color.

Bright & Breezy Kimono

Excuse the lady modeling in the fat suit. Maybe next year I'll have a better model.

A post taken from KNICE KNITTIES BLOG

Yes, I am a plus woman. I've learned to live with it. I used to be hot, but now, that just comes in flashes. One of these days, I will make peace with my figure and have a better body image. But for now, I will use yards and yards of yarn to cover up.

Shawl (almost finished): CLADONIA SHAWL is a small striped shawl with lace edging. I'm on the final picot edge of the lace. I've purchased some beads to give the picot some weight, so it will block nicer.

GAAA (ongoing): GREAT AMERICAN ARAN AFGHAN was supposed to be a 2 year KAL. I started it in January of 2008. There are 24 blocks, 1 block a month = 2yrs. Should have been finished by January of 2011. Not! I'm still determined to finish this, but I do maybe 2-3 blocks a year in between other projects.  Here's a sample of a couple of finished blocks.

CROCHET MARATHON: While in NJ, I quickly went through my stash and pulled out some FUN FUR and LB HOMESPUN. Back when I lived in a house, I would volunteer to do Fundraising and Rescue awareness events for our rescue, ABOVE & BEYOND ENGLISH SETTER RESCUE AND ADOPT-A-SETTER, IRISH SETTER RESCUE OF NJ.

I went through a faze of making ponchos for kids, but people thought they were some sort of dog sweater, since I was representing dog rescue. So then I started crocheting dog sweaters. I thought they would sell great, but most events were in the summer, so who is thinking of a warm dog sweater when it's 90° out! I made these sweaters with LB Homespun yarn, & edged with fun fur, which produced great looking washable sweaters

My pile of Homespun, soon to be dog sweaters.

So I have plenty of this yarn, but no need to make dog sweaters, until I gave an couple to Birgit from FOUR PAWS KINGDOM. She was able to sell them out of her RV Park/Dog store. Since we're working there this fall, she asked for more! Great! Get rid of my LB  Homespun!!!!! Destash!!!!! So I'm on a mission to just make these dog sweaters until the Homespun is gone. So no new projects for a while. 

I am also crocheting 6"x9" rectangles for a charity project that make afghans for the wounded soldiers in the Veteran Hospitals in the US. This is their last year of doing this after sending out over 8,000 afghans over the years. So, I'm determined to use up my acrylic yarn for this charity. More destashing!!!!!

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BUSINESS REVIEW:

Ray's Service Center 85 Steiner Ave. Neptune City, NJ 007753

5 out of 5 stars

We have been going to Ray's for years. He has worked on all our used cars. Family run business, reasonable (for mechanics' prices) prices. TRUSTWORTHY! Most services done within a day. They keep you informed and give you the option of how much you want done or spend. Now that we have moved out of the area, we really miss this business. Everyone is friendly and take the time to explain things to you.

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RESTAURANT REVIEW:

A & S Pizza 5 out of 5 stars

While staying at the local County Park, we ordered take out a few times.

GARLIC KNOTS: The best I've had. Little knots of home made bread covered  with parmesan cheese, oil and garlic . Wonderful combo. The garlic is always sweet.

CHICKEN FRANCESE: 3 pieces of chicken breast, lightly breaded and pounded thin. Covered in a delicious light lemon/butter sauce. Absolutely delicious!

FETTUCCINE ALFREDO: Nice cheesy and creamy dish.

EGGPLANT PARMIGIANA: Wonderful. Great combo of thinly sliced eggplant with just enough cheeses and sauce so the eggplant taste still comes through instead of being hidden with gloppy cheese and too much sauce. 

SALAD: Their house salad was a surprise. I expected some lettuce and tomato. But their salad had crisp iceburg lettuce, with thinly sliced onion, tomato, cueumber and black olives. House Italian dressing was tasteful also.

BREAD: The bread that comes with the dinners is fabulous! It is like a dinner roll with the combo of olive oil, garlic and cheese on top. 

We never did try the pizza because there were so many other items to choose from.

How could we pass up pizza while in NJ???Duh! There's only so much we can eat.

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BOOK REVIEW:

Right Next Door by Debbie Macomber

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

As I started this book, I thought, ugh another typical romance. Seems I haven't read a good murdery mystery in a while. But I am 40 pages into the book and loving it as I usually do with those "harlequin type" books. I think I'll be sick of the same basic story, but each time, I get caught up in the fantasy and remember back when I was young and desireable.

This is your average romance novel, but completely innocent, meaning no hot love scenes, just some "petting" that I would let my daughter read (if I had a daughter).

Two stories in one book, both single people with a kid. They live either next door or in the same neighborhood.

The author portrays single parenthood as if it's a fairly easy lifestyle. I would think not. Also, the children in the books are WONDERFUL! They interact with their parents, ask how they are, are concerned for their parent's welfare, don't really act up except in the most benign way. I may have been tempted to have kids if it was really that easy and my kids would be that nice.

Light reading, sometimes can be too predictable. I like to read a book of this type for a break from more involved books.

View all my reviews

LUMS POND STATE PARK - Bear, DE: RV Park Review

FULLTIME RV:
Delaware? I could be in NJ in the RV for all I know! It's been so hot, that I've stayed in the RV the whole time! Only ventured out to let the dogs do their business.  There's a lovely lake here, but never figured out how to get to it without going through other people's sites.  Too hot to take a hike and find out.
Nice campground, with lots of shade trees which I would love to sit under and read, but it's too damned hot.
Living in the RV is fine so far. Luckily, Scott & I get along very well.  Even though Scott was home all the time in our reg. home, he spent most of his time in the bedroom or upstairs. Now we are in the same room. Weird, but I don't THINK it will bother us.
Realized we forgot quite a few items...towels (using kitchen towels to dry us after a shower), hair brush, butter. But we have dog food, wine and coffee, so I'm fine.
Scott's parents came for dinner during the week.  Scott is making his fast chunky sauce over pasta. Oh yea, forgot the fresh pasta also.
Friends from way back in my first years working at the Post Office visited us also. They gave me some home made hot sauce. All ingredients from their garden and she did the canning herself.  I stuck my finger in the jar for a taste.... At first a slight sweet taste, but then...HOT! HOT!! I will try again, now that I'm more prepared for the heat.
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RV PARK REVIEW:
July 18-22, 2011 -------- Monday - Friday
LUMS POND STATE PARK Bear, DE 19701
Our rating: 4 out of 5 Would revisit.
+Nice quiet campground.
+Large sites.
+Pets allowed
+Verizon worked fine.
-Only 6 sites have electric. The rest are primitive.
-Communal water and dump station.

I would come here again.
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PETS:
Scott has to carry 84# Ryley in & out of the RV. With bone cancer, it is VERY EASY to get many mini fractures and once that starts happening, he'll be in too much pain to keep alive.