Finite lives

CONTENTS

TENNESSEE LIFE

PETS

CRAFTS

BUSINESS REVIEW

BOOK REVIEWS

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

TENNESSEE LIFE:
Really just life in general. Both Scott and I have been thinking along the same lines lately. Is it because Scott just turned 59 and I'm only a couple months away from that same age? Almost 60! That's a grandparent's age. How does Christy Brinkley look so good at 61?? Exercise? Plastic Surgery? Good genes? All of the above?
Admittedly, I've let myself go since I turned 50. From the age of 14 to 50, I watched and thought about everything I ate. I exercised regularly and kept my weight down.  At 50, I was tired of it. No exercising, eating what I want and now 50 extra pounds later, I'm thinking about how long I have to live. We're at the age where we look at the obituaries hoping they are full of "old" people, meaning high 80's and older.

I see I am falling into the mindset of my late Father in Law. He went to the same diner for years to have coffee and breakfast in the morning with his buddies. Eventually one by one, his buddies died off. I see that now with acquaintances of mine. A rescue friend's (only known via email and rescue) husband recently died of brain cancer. I followed the fight via Facebook. Young family. Why? I just can't believe that a God has this "special plan". I believe we are just worker ants going about our lives, some trying to do good, others not. If we happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, we are crushed by a giant foot or swatted like a fly...and we're gone.

Lazy afternoon on hammock reading

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PETS:

In proofing this post, I watched this video again. Since I've seen it so many times and have actually done this event twice daily for years, I listened to the TV in the background. At the very out of the video, you can hear the guy on the TV say..."and everyone gets what they want!". How appropriate.

It's been "only" a little over a month since my last blog post. In that time, my senior Setter Sassy has been adopted and on the same day I picked up another dog to foster. Meet Bell. She is an 18 month "PointSetter", part Pointer part Setter. She was given up because she was too rambunctious for the kids. I'm thinking, uh oh, we're in for a wild child.

Bell lying near foster Mom

What a pleasant surprise Bell was. She is house trained, calm, a cuddlebug, gets along wonderfully with our dogs, obedient. Rambunctious? I don't think so. Her only negatives...she will jump on us once in awhile, but it is a gentle jump and she has a wicked whip of a tail wag. Both of these negatives could be somewhat dangerous for a very young child.
She has been a joy to have and we could have easily adopted her known as "foster failure", but we have too many dogs of our own already.
I drove to Vienna, IL to meet Bell's adopters. They have a Gordon Setter mix who is looking for a playmate and Bell is just the dog to fill that need.

Bell was very attached to me. No matter where I went Bell had to follow. No matter how cozy she was lying on a dog bed, if I left, she would follow. Even while eating dinner, if I left the room, she would leave her dinner to be with me. Sorry Bell, there was just no more room for another dog in our already crowded king sized bed.

I've already been asked to take in another Setter needing help. Have YOU ever considered fostering? It can break your heart when they leave, but if you don't foster, that dog in need may be killed at the shelter because no one would help. I believe it is selfish to say, "it would hurt too much to let them go". Hmmm, well then, that's one less dog needing help because it is now dead. Put your big girl panties on or jock strap and deal with your decision to not help or step up and fill out a application to foster or adopt. If you can't handle larger, very active dogs, then look for a small dog rescue. All rescues need help!

*Disclaimer: of course I know there are legitimate excuses not to foster. I really DO understand. I just hate hearing the lame excuses which to me are just selfish reasons. This is coming from a somewhat selfish person myself. I chose NOT to have children because I didn't want to deal with them and the time it takes to care for them, the money it takes to feed, clothe, educate them, and sometimes the heartache of rebellion as I gave my parents for awhile.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CRAFTS:
Surprise, surprise...another Mystery Knit-a-Long complete! I absolutely love this yarn. I usually try to stay away from 100% wool, but the color saturation and tonal changes is beautiful. Also there is almost a springy softness to the yarn. The yarn name? Oh...Jill Draper Makes Stuff

This yarn was perfect for this design. There are so many defining stitches that this yarn just showed the depth beautifully.
The name of this design is "Water". Can you see how the stitches look like water rippling? Very cool. This is why I like these mysteries. It challenges me with stitches and designs I've never done or seen before.  Those long stitches at the bottom of the photo is a new stitch for me. And also learned to "drop stitch" on purpose. that was scary, but it worked and I love the results.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BUSINESS REVIEW:
Haus of Yarn, Nashville, TN
My rating 4.5 out of 5
I've only been there once, but from what I've seen and experienced, this is a great yarn store. This is a nicer/larger store than the one I went to in NJ. Haus of Yarn is still 2 hours away, but when I have to transport a dog to that area, I can stop in. I don't need yarn in general, but going to a well stocked yarn shop is equivalent to going into a bakery. I try to resist the baked goods, but it is so difficult. Same with the yarn. A beautiful smooshy and soft yarn would knit up beautifully.

Haus of Yarn has many classes, the staff are helpful. It's a large yarn store and I love that they yarn is displayed according to weight, meaning lace, fingering, worsted, etc. That type of organization makes sense to me.

They also have many finished projects on display which is a great sales tactic. Oooh, how pretty! I want to make that and oh, here's the yarn for it! I'll take it! They will wind the skeins into balls which is a very nice extra touch.

Now for us folks in the country, Haus of Yarn has a "Yarn Bus" that sort of comes to us! On Saturdays, they travel to different parts of TN. They stop in Jackson, TN which is only 30 minutes away. Yep, living in the country things are not just around the corner.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BOOK REVIEWS:
The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I related to this book in that I am essentially a loner, but certain events can bring me out of my shell. Such is the case with bookstore owner and book genre snob A.J. Fikry.
He owns a failing bookstore and not only the internet and e-readers being the cause, but also that he only stock books that HE thinks are worth the shelf space. Thus a limited clientele.
He lives a lonely sad life. Sort of reminds me of Scrooge only not quite as grumpy. Then an unexpected, and initially unwanted important person comes into his life.
This has the appeal of a small town quaintness, family, romance, heartache, growth. A great read.

Runes by Ednah Walters
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Very smart move to make this available as a Kindle free download. There are so many young adult paranormal books out there. Free got me in the door. After finishing Runes, I am a fan, looking forward to reading the next in the series.
If you liked the Vampire-Werewolf series, Twilight, you should really enjoy Runes. Runes is not about vampires and werewolves, but definitely immortals and mortals with special insight.
The high school students in this book are mostly mature, good kids, so no getting frustrated by immature antics...for the most part. And of course there is the electricity/romance akin to Edward and Bella.
The author definitely keeps you hanging as to what is going on. Who are these "people". She gives you just an itty bit of info and then goes on with the story. Just like catching a fish. Put out the bait, we bite, we're hooked and the line is let out, then drawn in again and so on.
I am a 59 year old woman and will admit I loved Twilight. If you too are a Twilight fan, please try out Runes, currently (Aug 2015) a free Kindle download.

Immortals by Ednah Walters
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Now that the excitement of a new set of paranormal is over, this is still a good book, just not as exciting because there is not as much of the unknown.
Characters are still enjoyable, there are still some new non-humans being introduced.
Why can Raine get away with what she does? There must be something special about her...hmmmm?
Her boyfriend doesn't remember her, her male best friend is having episodes of violence and sickness. Her female best friend's loyalty is being doubted. Her Father isn't feeling well. She certainly has a lot of stress to deal with at only 17 years old.

Suspect by Robert Crais
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Being a dog lover, this book had me hooked from the beginning. Military & police K-9's that are treated kindly and trained appropriately. Not like in the old days of hanging a dog by his leash into submission. These dogs are trained with positive reinforcement.
A murder mystery, a love story, a dog story. A great read.

A Desperate Place for Dying by Jack Nolte
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm not liking the road Gage's character is traveling. He was quite likable in the first book. Sympathy for losing his wife to murder, sympathy for his need to use a cane. Rooting for him to find love again. Liking his character because he took it upon himself to find out what happened to the girl washed up on the beach.
This 2nd in the series, Gage seems to be depicted as more of a womanizer, although all in his head and he doesn't act on it, but the thoughts are strong and disappointing to me. Another woman close to him is murdered. I guess this is now considered a trend in his life. And of course, he just can't let the police and FBI solve it, he has to. Another character development I'm somewhat disappointed with. Only Gage can solve this, again, in HIS mind.
Two separate storylines, one that Gage chose to be involved with and the other came to him unwanted.
Still a decent murder mystery, but may hold off a while before or if I read the next in this series.

You Called 9-1-1 For What? by Dave Konig
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Can't beat free! Interesting little read. I believe the point of the book was really education about the 9-1-1 system. It's history, proper use, dedicated work force and to add some humor to the history, some ridiculous calls to 9-1-1. I'm glad I read the book. Quick read. It accomplished it's point. I did learn about how 9-1-1 developed and changed with new technology. I learned about 3-1-1, which means you need help but is NOT an emergency. Definitely worth reading. Always good to learn something new.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUDIOBOOK REVIEWS:
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Life is too short to plod through books that take too long to get interesting.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Teens with cancer. Life quotes we may think are corny, aren't so much when you know your end of life is within sight.
Life today as if it were your last...Make today your best day...
The author worked in children's hospice for 5 months. I suppose that is how he know about the dark humor of living with and dying of cancer.
A sweet young love story.

Failures

CONTENTS

PETS & Dog Rescue

BOOK REVIEWS

Oh what did we do?

PETS:

Scott, Lou in lap, Ella by his side

Well, we decided to adopt Lou & Ella. This is what rescue calls "foster failure", which should not be used in a negative sense. It simply means we opened up not only our home, but our heart to a dog (or two) in need, in hopes of finding an adopter for them. But sometimes, they work deep into your heart and you can't let them go. Therefore, you failed at fostering, because you didn't find a new home for them. But of course, they have found our home and that is a positive. So, we've doubled our pack within about only 2 months of settling down.
Other past foster failures...Sophie, Pillsbury (both now deceased).
My heart is with the older dogs. I think this is where my maternal instincts lie/lay?. I never wanted human children and thankfully never had a "accident" (in my opinion). I love the stoic demeanor of the senior dogs. They somehow seem to appreciate the care I give them.

If you're not interested in dog rescue, you can skip over this of course. But this is just ONE  dog's story. This is what Above & Beyond English Setter Rescue does. We get so many heartworm positive dogs also. Our adoption fees do not cover the cost of health care for the dogs that come in to our rescue, so we depend on generous donations. Donations can be made through our PayPal account or by check sent to our Treasurer (email me for address).

The County Judge would not authorize the shelter to spend any additional money on the dog after they found out she is diabetic; in fact, he ordered her to be put down. Thank goodness they did not listen. 
I picked Sophia up today and she looked worse than I expected. When I got her to the vet clinic 2 Dr.'s immediately rushed to her side along with 2 tech.'s. They stated that she was the 2nd worst they had seen since the practice began.  She should be around 45 to 50 pounds but she is currently only 27 pounds. (When I began fostering her, she was about 30 pounds. She was up to 52 pounds when I finally adopted her) Her blood sugar is high, over 400, but they are most concerned about her liver. Her liver is not functioning properly. They said that it could be due to being extremely malnourished. Sophia is every bit the sweetheart they said she was. 
Her spine seems to stick out 2 inches above her back and her skin is draped over her ribs. It was all I could do to hold it together. Thanks to you all, we really saved her life. She could not hold out much longer without serious medical attention. To be honest, she looked like a dead, dog that has been killed on the side of the road--she is just still moving

Below is a video of Sophie after she regained her health.


Pillsbury was my "heart" dog. We had him 1 day and couldn't let him go. We adopted him at 7 years old. We called him the Gentle Giant. He was a large Irish Setter. He came to us at 105 pounds. We got him down to 95 pounds which was an appropriate weight for his size. He was very TALL. And so so sweet.

Watching the squirrels

Pillsbury was our Irish Setter Rescue ambassador. He would go up to people and lean in for pets. Because he was so large, hairy and such long ears, he drew a lot of attention.

In 2011, we lost both the Irish Setter pictured above. The one in the background was our Ryley, who died of bone cancer and Pillsbury in the foreground, died of a burst stomach tumor or something like that.

During Pillsbury's last year of life, he lost all feeling in his hind legs from Degenerative Myelopathy. Many German Shepherds suffer from this disease. The good news is that it is not painful to the dog. Pillsbury needed to be lifted into the doggie cart, he also had to wear diapers. I used a human type of incontinence pad which worked great. Purchasing those adult diapers I guess was preparing me for my possible future?
In January of 2011, we had our 5th wheel and truck purchased for our plan to Full Time in July of that same year. We planned to bring our blind Irish Setter, Ryley, our lame Irish Setter, Pillsbury and our deaf English Setter, Lyla. We would somehow make this work. But they both died unexpectedly prior to our full time adventure. Ryley did make it on our maiden weekend voyage though and Lyla is still with us.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BOOK REVIEW:
21 Tales by Dave Zeltserman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Never heard the term "noir genre" until reading this book's reviews. Oh please, be down to earth and call it "dark". On to review.
I must admit I did not finish this book. Not because it wasn't good, simply that I have come to realize, I don't like short stories. I will search out a full length book of Zeltersman to try.
Melki's review was spot on, so I have just pasted it.

Here's a fun collection of crime/noir/suspense and paranormal tales.

- A stolen fortune cookie messes up one man's fate.

- A writer takes care of his pest problem for good.

- One man deliberately gives bad advice to his fellow bar patrons.

- The desire to keep a Beacon Hill apartment becomes a treacherous struggle.

- A man attempts to scam the Nigerian Prince internet scammers.

Zeltserman is quite skilled at writing stories about people trying to screw other people. He concocts great dialogue, inserts plenty of laughs and frequently pulls it all together with a delightful twist at the end. Watch a master at work as he manages to pull off a double, triple and even a quadruple cross. The stories keep you on your toes as you're never sure who will end up with the money and who will end up dead. Good stuff!


The Art of Seducing a Naked Werewolf by Molly Harper
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Molly Harper's series are ALWAYS good for an easy light hearted paranormal romantic comedy. I've read a number of her books and have NEVER been disappointed.
These stories are nothing deep and dark, but a lot of sarcasm about werewolves living among and even having very close happy relationships with humans.

Desert Mornings - Tales of Coffee, Cactus & Chaos by Kathleen Walker
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Nice light reading with your morning cup of coffee. While visiting the Southwestern part of the US, we met the author at a book signing and decided to purchase who book.
An easy read about life in the Southwest and some funny things that have happened along the way. She can be somewhat sarcastic, which I enjoy.

House Hunting

Staunton/Walnut Hill KOA - Staunton, VA

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CONTENTS

RV LIFE

PETS

HOUSE HUNTING

CRAFTS

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RV LIFE:
One of the very nice things about full time RV'ing is meeting up with old and new friends. Earlier in the week, we met up with Ray and Linda. We met them via the Cedar Creek RV Owner's Group. Ray has taken a liking to me. I guess sometimes I can be sociable and nice enough for people to want to meet up again. We went out to Golden Corral and made pigs of ourselves. Golden Corral is buffet style, so as we would go up to choose what we wanted, Ray would pass by the dessert section and pick up a little fudge and pop in his mouth on the way to the main courses.

I like to eat dessert first to make sure I have room! Thank you Ray & Linda for good food, good company and for treating us!
Later in the week, I met up with a friend I've only known from emails and one phone conversation. Rick was a volunteer for Above & Beyond English Setter Rescue. He still has a couple of foster dogs that need homes. We ate outside under our RV awning. I made chicken and beef fajitas. Yum! Rick's fiance' Nancy? brought dessert of home made 5 flavor pound cake. Oh--my--gosh!!! It was soooo good! Lemon, coconut, butter, vanilla and forgot the 5th flavor. Moist, dense, wonderful! She was gracious enough leave the balance of the pound cake for us. Oh what a wonderful "getaway"...coffee and pound cake.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
PETS:
Speaking of foster dogs needing homes. Below are the two foster dogs that Rick is caring for that need a forever home.

Ella

Ella

Ella is a 7 ½ year old, beautiful Tri color English Setter girl being fostered in TN.  She is spayed, weighs approximately 50 pounds and would be considered medium build.  She is a very sweet girl with a gentle nature and tender feelings.
Ella is slightly dominant and she will defend herself if challenged.  She is protective of what she feels is hers.  Ella needs an experienced owner that will allow her to be herself, but not allow her to take run of the house. Even though Ella has a gentle nature and tender feelings, she can get pushy.  She needs an adopter that will be consistent in letting her know what is and is not acceptable behavior, in a firm, yet gentle manner.
She currently lives with other dogs in her foster home and does well if the dogs are submissive; however, there are two dominant males that she does not interact with.  Ella is curious about other dogs, but she doesn’t understand that it is not acceptable to get in another dogs face right away.
Outside, this girl will go after anything that moves.  If it jumps, flies, scurries or blows in the wind, she feels it is her duty to pursue further investigation. Inside, her activity level is somewhat lower, but does enjoy hunting houseflies.  No cats for Ella either, that is another critter to add to her list of fun things to chase.
Ella has completed a beginning obedience class; however, she was on “Ella time” and took her own sweet time in displaying her talents.  Eventually, she caught on to most everything.
Ella does a “grooming” type of nibble, as a sign of affection, when she is excited or happy to see you.  She is an intelligent, eager to please girl that learns quickly.  Ella likes kids, but might be too high energy for toddlers. A fence of some type is required for this girl.

Lou

Lou

Lou is an 8 year old, Blue Belton English Setter being fostered in TN.  He is neutered and he would be considered a medium built setter.  Lou is a loving and affectionate boy.  He has developed a love for toys and he enjoys playing with them.
If you like all the attributes of a Bench setter, but don’t have the room for a larger setter, Lou might be the guy for you.  Lou has the attitude, disposition and even the “trot” of a Bench, but he is about 20 lbs lighter.
 Lou gets along well with most dogs, but he is also a dominant dog.  His easy nature makes his dominance so subtle, that you would have to sit and observe his behavior to even notice it.  Lou can be aggressive towards other male dogs, and if challenged by male or female, he will not back down.  However, Lou is much more interested in playing and just having a good time, then he is about fighting.
Lou is well behaved and curious; he is sweet and loves attention.  Lou also likes to help with laundry chores so you will need to monitor your clothes baskets and any front loading washers or dryers.  Wouldn’t it be nice if he could be trained to fold the clothes?
At one point Lou was a climber and a fence jumper.  The tree he climbed was cut down and he has not attempted to climb other trees.  Lou’s foster dad had to move and he now has a 4 foot chain link fence in his backyard – Lou has not made any effort to jump or climb the fence.
Lou is a “nibbler” when he wants attention or gets excited.  This is not an aggressive behavior on his part, he simply wants you or wants to share something with you that is exciting to him.  Even though he has this behavior, Lou is great with kids.
No kitties for this guy as he would more than likely think they were part of his toy collection.
If you are interested in adopting either of these babies, please fill out an adoption application.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
HOUSE HUNTING:
What to do? Do we compromise?
We've looked at a few houses and TRIED to look at some houses in the Sevierville area. This is definitely a hilly area. These are not rolling mounds, but steep property leading up to the house. One day we were only able to see one house out of four because we couldn't get to the other three because the gravel driveways were so steep, we just kept spinning tires. Our realtor has had to get two new tires since taking us out.
I think I've narrowed it down, to definitely a log home, or at least the inside should look like a log house. We really prefer a more rustic look.
The photo below is very rustic, but that is what we like. See the porch posts are kept in the natural state of the tree? We like that. This house was located on "White Lightnen" Dr. The owner built the house out of mainly trees cleared off his land. Unfortunately, it was very small with additional rooms added that were not attached to the house. It was a beautiful piece of property.

This was a cute house with 6.6 acres and only $145K. You're seeing the sun room. We really liked this house. The main level was small, but open enough to feel comfortable. It had a walk out basement which I want for the dogs. BUT, there was a house within spitting distance. The owner built the neighboring house for their son to live in. Deal breaker. No neighbors that close.

This house has torn us apart. 10 Acres, well built. Nice property with mountain views.

 Stone flooring, front and back covered porches. Lots of trees.

 Open floor plan, outside is bug resistant hickory. Huge master bedroom with french doors to back porch. Two walk in closets off the master bedroom. Spa bath, plus a nice 2nd bathroom. But...

...what is up with the second floor? This walkway spans to each end of the house. A very large room on one side and a smaller room on the other with a 1/2 bath.
The downside is there is no basement. I really want the basement for foster dogs, storage, etc. Sure we could use this second floor for this, but inside the house, it has to be kept more clean and maintained. A basement, even though finished, can be more casual aka sloppy, dusty, etc.
The other downside, is this is in a community with an HOA (Home Owner's Assoc.), which means RULES. In NJ, the HOA rules are absolutely ridiculous. They rule every part of your household. What you can display in your yard. My yard art is whimsical, the NJ HOA would probably call it low-life, poor taste, etc. NJ HOA's have had lawsuits because no flags can be displayed, not even the American Flag. They have rules about size of animals, types of animals, or having any at all. Many times vehicles must be INSIDE the garage. Fahgettaboutit!
The HOA in TN isn't bad, but it is still rules put upon us on our own property. Only a certain type and amount of extra buildings. You can have a certain type of barn for your horses and a building to house your car, RV, etc. But it must be 3 sided with a door, which means enclosed. And all HOA's have an annual fee. In the case of the property in TN, it is a reasonable $275.00 per year and only raised once in 10 yrs. The bad side of the fee, is that our 10 acres is actually two lots, so we would pay $550. per year in fees. That's almost as much as our property tax. And what do we get for those fees? Maintenance of the GRAVEL roads. I would prefer paved. Snow removal, complimentary neighborhood cookouts. Maintenance and taxes for the common land and horse stalls. Yes, this is an equestrian community, so there is a community horse barn that you can keep your horse for $1.00 a day. That's GREAT IF, I had a horse.
There are parts of the house I love, but it is not THE house. Scott wants it, but I'm think I'm going to have to say no. What do you think???
We saw another PERFECT, yes PERFECT house in this same neighborhood. With this PERFECT house, I could probably compromise with the HOA, but the gravel driveway was so steep with hairpin turns, we almost couldn't get our truck up there. This property also had 10 acres, which means double HOA fees, but this property was mainly unusable except for an acre surrounding the house. The house, the view, the acre of yard was beautiful. When we looked through the house, I actually cried. I didn't think we could afford such a beautiful log home. But do I again compromise with the HOA and small unusable land?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BROWSING THE WWW:
Oh my gosh! So many DIY projects! Check out Ana-White. She is always updating and building things and she supplies multi-photo tutorials. I keep gathering her info for when we move into a house again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CRAFTS:
This project has been two years in the making. I love "bed dolls". I think because I always wanted one as a child, but could never afford them. So the child in me still wants them.

 Also, if you've been reading my book reviews, I'm in a romance novel phase. I love the flowing dresses from the 1800's. Of course I wouldn't want to have to spend all that time preparing to wear them, and all the restrictive layers underneath, etc. But they are still beautiful. This outfit for a barbie like doll was tedious to make. And the accessories, I procrastinated with. I'd make just one part of the hat, then the next week or month, I'd add the decorative touches to the hat. Then I would make the shawl, another month later, I'd add the fringe to the shawl. I even made a parasol, but can't find where I stored it.

This isn't actually a bed doll, since I need a doll stand to keep her upright, but oh how I love the results.

Ewwwww!

May 20 - May 30 (11 days) - Humbug Mtn. State Park, Port Orford, OR

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RV LIFE:
Have you all heard of the flooding in San Antonio, TX? We had stayed at Traveler's World RV park a few months back, and were right next to the SA River. Susan from Travel Bug is staying long term at that park also. So check out her experience and photos of flooding at the park.

Speaking of flooding...
The rain and flooding reminds me of a camping trip in PA, when we still tent camped.
In 2003, we were camping near a creek. Our Flat Coated Retriever, Chance, loved to swim, so we always tried to camp near water.

Irish Setter Ryley and FCR, Chance (both passed)

Notice where the creek is above. We had been there about 4 days and only had a day or two left of our vacation. It started raining heavy overnight, and continued into the morning. The creek started to rise. Scott said we'd better start packing. Optimistic Debbie said, let's wait a bit. Scott then put a stick at the shoreline of the creek. He said we'll check on it later to see how fast the creek was rising. Well,it didn't take long before the water was way past the stick. I was shocked and said, "let's get packing!". That was about 10am.

About 10 am

It's rising!

We're packing and it's rising, and rising.

About 11am

Our tent was still fairly dry at this point amazingly.

Just about 12 noon

 We made the most of it. Chance loved playing in the new pond. We're outta here!

We have been in Oregon for a week and it has rained 6 out of 7 days. Some days it's just been sprinkles here and there, or heavier rain off and on. But today, we have a full on continuous rain. No wonder everything is so green here.
In between the rain, we've had a couple of campfires. It's good weather for that. There's a little chill from the rain, but then it clears up and the dampness lingers, so a campfire hits the spot.  I sat outside by the fire  the other day, with my afghan wrapped around me, a cup of warm spiced cider and a book to read. Ahhhhh.
We have no cell service (AT&T & Verizon). We have very slow or no Verizon internet. Luckily, town is only about 7 miles away and there are plenty of places with WiFi.
I had breakfast at Paradise Cafe because they had WiFi. I've sat in the Library parking lot and used their WiFi. I've been to Siren's Cafe for lunch and spent a couple of hours there using their WiFi, and lastly, I sat in the parking lot across the street from a motel using their WiFi.
I've been typing up my blog on a WordPad document and saving it. When I get into town with WiFi, then I copy/paste onto blogger and add photos.

It's essential I check my email at least every other day since I volunteer for dog rescue processing adoption applications. I am so thankful that our rescue receives quite a few applications weekly that have to be processed, but that also means I am a slave to the computer. It's all worth it if I can help dogs get out of  "shelters", into  foster homes and then adopted and have a family of their own that will love them.

My calf was hurting me the other day. I thought I must have scraped it or bruised it. I rubbed it through my pants and it felt like a scab. I lift my pant leg up to investigate what I did to myself. Hmm, it lookes like a scab that is coming off. I take my finger nail to pull it off and Ewwwwwwww! I think it is a tick!!!!! I think I saw little legs!!!!!!! I can handle spiders, but ticks just freak me out!!!!!
My brother used to get them in his ears. We used to have to go to the doctor to have him get them out. When I was a teenager, I had an itch under my left breast. I went to scratch it and there was a bump. Oh right, I have a mole there. Did I accidentally scratch it and make it bleed? It kind of stings. Upon closer investigation...Scream! Help! Dad! Get it off! I run around the house with no shirt on screaming, "Get it off!!". Dad saved the day and took it off.  Well Scott saved the day and took the tick off my calf. The problem though is I've never had a tick hurt like that. My leg ached. I checked the bite later and...

Yes, classic sign of a tick carrying Lyme's disease. Damn! I hate going to the Doctor. Just a PIA. But from what I've read, I need antibiotics. People who get Lyme disease can be effected only mildly or severely. I don't want to take a chance.
I've got to find a doctor, but we have no internet or cell service. Into town I go to seek out a walk in clinic. They are all over the place in NJ. Good luck in this little town. I stop at Paradise Cafe for breakfast, use their internet and ask the locals about a doctor. Damn! Only one office and they are only open Mon-Fri. On to the internet. I emailed my blogger friend, Suzi and asked if she knew of any walk in clinics in Gold Beach where they are staying, which is about 22 miles from where I am. Between Suzi and my search, I got 4 phone #'s. They all seemed link to "Curry". I had high hopes for the one in town, since they had 3 doctors in that office. I figured one must be working on a Sat. No luck.  I called 4 #'s. Two in Port Orford and two in Gold Beach. Two #'s were closed and two #'s just kept ringing and ringing and ringing. No luck. So I'll have to wait until Monday. Oh, wait, Monday is a holiday! Damn!
So I've been taking some antibiotics I had on hand. Yes, I know, you're supposed to use ALL your antibiotics to make sure that you are cleared up.  These antibiotics were for me to take when I go to the dentist. I have a SLIGHT Mitral Valve prolapse condition. I was to take an antibiotic prior to a dentist visit to prevent a possible infection in my heart. Not sure how that is caused, but ok, I got the script filled and took my pill. By the time I had another dentist appointment 6 months later, the protocol had changed. It was decided people had a greater chance of having a side effect from the antibiotic than getting a heart infection, so the antibiotics were no longer necessary. THAT'S why I have left over antibiotics.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

RESTAURANT REVIEW revisited: 
Siren's Cove Cafe, Port Orford, OR
My rating 4.5 out of 5
I said I would be back!. I returned to this cafe to use their internet and of course for lunch...again. Today's soup was onion & mushroom soup. OH MY GOSH! How can such a simple ingredient soup be so excellent??? The chef has to be the King or Queen of broths. The beefy robust broth would make an excellent base for French Onion Soup. I almost took a container home.
I picked up a couple of sweets to bring back to the RV. A Strawberry Cheese Croissant for Scott & a Berry Lemon muffin for me for breakfast the next day.
Berry Lemon Muffin was very good. There was just a hint of lemon in this buttery muffin with fresh marionberries (similar to blackberries),as a filling rather than mixed through out the muffin. Very good muffin.
Strawberry Cheese Croissant was also good. Light, buttery and just a touch of filling.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PETS:
English Setter of the week needing a home
My heart is with the senior dogs. They just want to be loved in their less active last years. When I fostered, I usually tried to take the seniors. I knew we may end up having them for a long time, since most people want to adopt young dogs. But they were easy to foster, easy to love, and yes all but one got adopted.
FYI, our rescue has a volunteer transport system in place so even though Tesla is in TN, and you may be in say OH, we can get her there via our volunteers.

TESLA , 9 yrs old
Tesla is a senior girl who found herself in a high kill shelter in KY. We estimate that she is about 9 years old.
She is a wonderful girl and loves attention. Tesla does not have to be crated because she never bothers
anything. She prefers to lie on her doggy bed and take it easy.  The only time she is crated at her foster
home is at feeding time because she likes to steal the other dogs food.
She lets you know when she needs to potty by running to the door. She is very good with cats,
totally ignores them. She is good with other dogs, but does not like for a dog to get right in her face.
Tesla is spayed, up to date on vaccines and heartworm negative. She appears to be healthy. Her
teeth are worn down but she eats OK.  She has gotten a little chubby and needs to lose a few pounds.
This senior girl is now ready for her forever home. She deserves to spend the rest of her life being loved and cherished.  She would be a wonderful addition to a senior's family or for someone who just wants a great companion.

Tesla is in foster care in Manchester, TN.
If you are interested, please fill out an application.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
May 31 - Jun 13, 2013 (2 weeks) - Diamond Lake RV Park, Diamond Lake, OR
June 14 -23, 2013 Armitage County Park, Eugene, OR

WA, ID, MT, ND, SD, WY, then south for the Winter of 2013/214