Mother Nature Enters Reboot Mode

Our view from the porch until April.

So.  Here we are.  It’s early November and this is what our world looks like.  We’re anticipating that the view won’t change hardly at all until April. 

Mother Nature has entered reboot mode.

It gets so cold here that Mother Nature literally reboots herself.  It’s like the slate is wiped clean with the subzero cold and snow, ready to start over again with the arrival of Spring.   I dig that idea. 

This is one of the many reasons we decided to return to northern Minnesota.  No, we don’t ski or snowmobile.  We don’t ice skate or ice fish.  Dave doesn’t put knobby tires on the bikes and continue cycling. I may  take a shot at snowshoeing at some point, but that remains to be seen.  That doesn’t mean we’ll be housebound for months.  Dave has a short walk to work.  I can still walk when feasible, i.e., not blowing a gale (literally) and conditions outdoors are tolerable.  One still gets out and about with errands or whatever, but I do try to schedule my outings to days when it’s not actively storming.  The main reason for that is it’s just less messy with bringing in groceries and the like when it’s not actively snowing.

Not only does one still need to run these types of errands, but you really do need to get out  during Winter.  It would be too easy to sit indoors and become a total hermit.  Even if it’s just a stroll around the parking lot a few times, get out and acclimate, embrace the environment.

I’ve been known to fire up the outdoor grill during snowfall when we lived in Hibbing years ago.  Almost surreal, that.

Towns up here are equipped for harsh (yes, I used the term “harsh”  ) Winters.  Snowplows are of the “we ain’t kiddin’ around” variety, with plows on both the front and side.  

When we were on-site security in New Jersey – February 2014.  That’s me clearing a path. What amazing times those were.  What adventures.  What memories!  We’ve done stuff, ya know?

A year ago, we were in Texas probably sweltering in the 80-degree November weather, occasionally commenting that we wondered if we’d ever see snow again.  Perhaps that’s when our idea of returning to Minnesota at some point began to emerge.

So here we are.  Momma Nature is in reboot mode.  We have it easy compared to the photo above.  Living in a 55+ community, management clears sidewalks and parking lot.  We don’t have to buy propane to fuel the furnace in our townhome.  Dave doesn’t have to get on the roof to clear snow.  Makes a difference!

Experienced my first Face Time chat a couple of days ago, connecting with a dear girlfriend from college days.  We visit via phone now then, but the addition of video to our “yap session” was such a joy!  We carried on like a couple of … college gals … and it was such fun!  Of course, visiting with her always does my soul good, but this was just about over the top fun.  We’ll be doing that more frequently in the future.

Life percolates along smoothly, and I am very grateful for that.  Seems like I have a lot to be grateful for these days. 

Better water the plants, then get geared up for another work day.  Yes, working from home is another thing I’m grateful for every  day.

Thanks for stopping by!  Stay safe out there, okay?

Autumn Is Coming. But Wait …

Autumn here in northern Minnesota is definitely making its presence known.  Well, except for today and tomorrow with highs in the upper 80s.  Even at that, it has been a stunningly gorgeous day out.  One evening a couple of weeks ago, I noticed a touch of Autumn in the air.  You know … that feeling that’s hard to describe.  Is it a change in humidity?  A slightly different scent to the air?  Not sure.  All I know is that it is a feeling, and it was there.  Sure enough, since then our weather has definitely been trending towards Autumn.  Except today and tomorrow but, even so, the warm temps have a different feel to them.  Mr. Sun comes to us from a slightly different angle these days, too.  Ran the A/C for a wee while at one point this afternoon, but other than that … we rarely have anything going having to do with temperature control in the house.

Windows open a lot of days lately.  How wonderful is that?

This year’s first spotting of winter-rated gear in Walmart last week.  Yes, those boots are rated for –25F.  Winter’s coming!

Scored my parka since last post, too.  I knew what I wanted – a Columbia parka like the one I had years ago when we lived in Hibbing.  Wasn’t sure I could find one locally and was prepared to order it from Columbia if I couldn’t find one here.  At the very least, I hoped I could find similar Columbia jackets to try on in order to get a feel for sizing. 

We have an L&M Fleet Supply here, so a couple of weeks ago I thought I’d go check them out.  Hadn’t been in one before but … yay!  It’s like Tractor Supply!  Woot!  We really, really enjoyed Tractor Supply up in New Jersey and picked up some quality clothing there, including winter wear.  Although L&M had not officially put out winter gear yet, I noticed a rack of Columbia men’s jackets.  Again, thought I could at least get an idea of sizing. Looking through the rack … wow!  There was the jacket.  Okay, so it’s a man’s jacket, but that’s fine.  It’s the same thing.  Best thing yet?  It was on sale at a price that would be less than if I ordered straight from Columbia.  Tried it on.  Checked it out thoroughly – took out the inner jacket and put it back in (it’s a 3-in-1 – waterproof outer with a removable fleece inner jacket, removable hood, etc.), tried all the zippers and pockets.  That puppy came home with me.  Score!

We also had a bit of celebration recently with the newest member of the Barnes clan making his appearance!  Weighing in at a bit over 8 pounds, Lachlan Joseph came into the world over in London, the first child of my youngest stepson and his wife, and my third step-grandson.  He’s sure a cutie, and we’re looking forward to our first Skype video chat with the new family tomorrow.

Isn’t technology cool?

I kept vigil from afar the past couple of weeks for friends and family first in Texas – specifically the Houston area- during Harvey and then again during Irma’s visit to Florida.   Everyone came through safely, although with some property damage from flooding in Houston. 

Say what you will about Facebook, but it does serve a purpose during times such as Harvey.  I was able to look up a post with rescue extraction phone numbers at 3 AM while on the phone with relatives in Houston in need of leaving their home due to flooding.  They were having no success with 911, but were able to reach someone at one of the Coast Guard numbers and were able to safely leave their home.  So yeah, Facebook and social media has its flaws, but … it can also provide a valuable service.

Cookie jars in the window of Raphaels Bakery Café in downtown Bemidji

Can’t say I have anything terribly exciting to report.  Life has been going on to the hum of our usual routine.  We look forward to our “weekends” and are grateful those two days can actually be spent relaxing.

Last Wednesday I spent just about the entire day in the kitchen cooking up Dave’s meals for the coming work week and … I made a cake!

Spotted this kit at the store and thought I’d give it a whirl.

Dave and I don’t eat a whole lot in general, and a regular-sized cake would just go to waste between the two of us.  This seemed like just the size, so thought I’d try it out.

It turned out pretty darn well!  Yes, I still have a plastic cake container(?) – not sure what the correct term is.  It’s not exactly a stand, but it has the cover and is definitely designed for a cake.  Hadn’t used it since the Montana RV rally in Lancaster, PA back in 2012.

My outdoor Autumn decorations.

I think that about wraps up this post.  My days are full and I rarely have quiet time to simply write.  Oh well.  One of these days …

Until then, Life is Guid, indeed!  We continue to be grateful every day for being up here in the Minnesota Northwoods!

Thanks for stopping by!  Be safe out there, okay?

Two Weeks and a Day

Wow.  We have been here at Aggieland RV Park 2 weeks and a day as of today.  It sure seems like a lot longer to both of us.  That’s not a bad thing, really, it’s just that we have been busy.  The days seem to fly by and run together.  Dave has Tuesdays and Wednesdays off, so our days get a bit blurred; our “weekend” starts Monday night. 

Let’s see.  He survived Black Friday, although it sure was crazy, especially Thanksgiving evening and Friday, and he did work some overtime.  Crazy.  He’s getting a firsthand glimpse of the retail world during the holiday season.  Yes, he worked Thanksgiving, and so did I.  This was the first time in decades that I did not prepare a typical Thanksgiving dinner.  Oh well.  I did cook bridies while he was off that week, so we had a nice meal.  He is settling in quite nicely with his job, even enjoying it now, and we hope – but not expect by any means – that he will be kept on after the holiday season. 

Although I’m still in training on my MT job, I am making good strides.  It’s not the medical terminology/knowledge part, it’s becoming familiar with and implementing the specs, the software requirements, etc.  Things have changed re: formatting, punctuation, etc., since I was an MT 8 years ago, and the specs of the company/accounts are quite different from the “old school” way I was taught and used back when I worked before.  I am still not enamored with voice recognition and being a medical editor; I really still prefer straight transcription.  Well, I’m giving it a whirl, and it is getting better.

My virtual assistant job is percolating along nicely, and I am picking up some additional responsibilities.  I really am enjoying it!  Honestly, if I had a couple of long-term VA clients with ample work, I would seriously consider ditching medical transcription/editing.

I believe I mentioned my work laptop crashed and burned.  Yep, turns out it needed a new hard drive.  It had been in the shop but is home now, and this evening I have it set up to be put back into service.  I’m composing this post on it.  There is still some additional tweaking to be done – getting things back on it – but at least it’s usable again.  I sure missed my larger screen!

Our gray tank is being ordered, being delayed by some issues pinpointing with Keystone exactly what type of tank is needed.  Hopefully we will be having the replacement work done in the next couple of weeks.  They might be able to do it on-site . . . that sure would be nice, although they are only about 10 miles down the road.  We are thankful the facilities are nice here, so it’s a short stroll down to the showers near the front of the park each evening.  Each is a suite unto itself, so one has privacy when showering.  Nice.

Our allergies are finally getting under control.  Yay!  I was able to actually sleep prone in bed last night for the first time in a couple of weeks.  My recliner is comfy, I slept well in it, and I can watch TV from there if I want, but Maggie sure appreciated me being back in bed.  Me, too, I tell ya.  Dave was suffering equally, with the added frustration of plugged ears.  We both are much better with regards to our noses, and his hearing is much improved.

We are even having evening meals together twice a week, the 2 days Dave is off.  I had taken some Mexican lasagna out of the freezer the other day, so that was last night’s dinner accompanied by a green salad.  Tonight was baked fish, wild rice, and sweet corn. The rest of the week, we’re on our own, obviously because of work schedules.

Mr. Sun finally made an appearance today after being AWOL for 4-5 days.  We have had definitely chilly weather – highs in the 40s and 50s – with miserable, drizzly, nonstop rain.  Ugh.  Sure was nice to see sunshine today.  I made a run to a self-serve car wash and washed off a lot of mud from the truck.  It could stand detailing, but at least it looks presentable again now.

Last week I went over to Suddenlink (the park’s ISP) and purchased a modem and then to Walmart for a wireless router.  We now have a direct “pipeline” into the Internet service here at the park, and it is a secure connection via our own router.  Pretty darn speedy, too.  Yay!  We’re wireless and secure in the rig!  Woot!  This is wonderful, as my iPhone is getting a well-deserved rest after serving as a hot spot for a couple of months.   (Note:  The park WiFi is actually quite good, but not secure.  Getting one’s own modem and router is suggested by the park owner/manager if one wants a direct connection and secure network within one’s rig.  If I wasn’t working online from home or we were just here short-term, we would not have done this.  It is groovy, though, eh?)

We have had issues . . . gray tank, computer crashing, Internet and cable going out for 24 hours, miserable rain, allergies, yada, yada, yada, (yes, all in 2 weeks and 1 day) but we truly are liking it here and thankful that we are both working and have landed in a nice environment for our home.

Have I mentioned I really, really appreciate stepping out onto concrete and not mud?

Thanks for stopping by!

24-Hour Rollercoaster

Yesterday until early evening we were pretty darn blissful.  We have been feeling so relieved and grateful to be in this park. 

Our site at Aggieland RV Park in Bryan, TX

Dave was off, so we spent the day pretty much settling in here; he even managed a bit of a bike ride in the afternoon.  He cleaned off the mud and organized our storage bin, spare propane tanks and his fixed-gear bike.  They “reside” at the front of our rig in a tidy fashion, and they are clean once again!  With our work week commencing again today, we went to H.E.B. for a few items and I did laundry, vacuumed and tidied up the inside.

We had a nice stroll around the park in the early evening, feeling relaxed, grateful and settled.  We like our site and the park in general.

Then . . . my work laptop crashed.  Long story short, I was up until 5 AM this morning being extremely disappointed in the remote diagnosis/repair service by Geek Squad.  I have had very good service with resolution of issues in the past via telephone assistance (actually speaking with a tech who walked me through things) and dropping off machines at the location in Best Buy.  The first tech disappeared/disconnected after about 1.5 hours.  I hooked up with another tech, whose last action was performed a little over an hour into the session.  Five hours later, I terminated the session.

Both service notes I received today indicated there was something wrong with the Internet at my end.  I am simply not buying that, as I periodically checked my connection, and it was up and running just fine with no blips or hiccups on my end.  If there had been a connectivity issue, they should have contacted me; my phone number was in the records and I indicated I would be available.

So.  First chance I get I’ll drop it off.  In the meantime, much of today has been spent in a sleep-deprived and stressed state getting my personal laptop set up for work both as a virtual assistant and as a medical transcriptionist.  This laptop has a smaller screen with corresponding smaller fonts, and I am finding it much more of an effort to see what’s on the screen.  sigh

And . . . along about mid morning, I noticed a puddle of water under our rig.  Our bathroom gray tank had split and was leaking.  It will have to be replaced and, in the meantime, we will be showering in the facilities here.  Thank goodness they are nice.  I contacted a dealership/repair facility less than 5 miles down the road.  A mobile tech is supposed to come out tomorrow to check it out, do measurements, etc.  They will order the necessary tank and parts.  Once they have everything, we will roll the rig over to have the replacement performed.

The good news is, things could be worse.  No one died today.  That’s always a bonus.  These issues are worrisome and stressful but, in the big scheme of our life, they are bumps in the road.  Having them occur back-to-back like that just freaked me out a bit.  I’m really not complaining, but 2015 has been a tough one for us.  We carry on, though . . .

Today marks 1 month of being here in Bryan.  I think we have done very well to have both landed jobs and moved to a nicer park which is looking good as a long-term spot.

Thanks for stopping by!

Yesssss!

I am thrilled to be able to share with you that I have accepted a part-time (for now) position as a remote Medical Editor/Medical Transcriptionist! The company I will be working with has a good reputation among MTs. I am awaiting scheduling for training on the transcription platform and then will be under mentoring for a while as I learn the platform, the specifications of my assigned accounts and the dictators on those accounts. Even with prior MT experience, this is the process that takes place.

It was weird/scary thinking about doing MT work again. After refreshing my transcription skills through an online acute care (hospital dictation, which I did before), I felt fairly confident; however, applying for employment and going through that process was a bit nerve-wracking. After all, I haven’t interviewed for a “real” job in 8 years. Narrow that down to a technical/professional position and it has been 9 years. Yoinks!

I always enjoyed MT work. It is fascinating, one learns something almost every day and there is a dark/silly sense of humor that one entertains working in the medical field. I’ve missed that.

You should have seen how excited and hyper I was the other evening after receiving the offer earlier in the day! Dave rode the wave with me in such a supportive and joyous fashion. He’s a good guy.

The profession of medical transcription has changed since I was last working in the field.  Back then, one listened to the dictation voice file and typed the document (known now as “straight typing”), sculpting it into a medico-legal document – correct not only in medical terminology, but in grammar, punctuation, etc. Typing, typing, typing.

Voice recognition – where the voice dictation is interpreted by a software program into a document – was pretty much in its infancy regarding widespread use when I worked in the field 8 years ago. Now, however, VR (or SR for “speech recognition”) has infiltrated to the point where the “medical transcriptionist” has become the “medical editor.” This is exactly that – editing the VR-produced document to match the voice dictation file.

This “old dog” will be learning some new tricks!

So, this week so far has been brimming with activity. A second interview, pre-employment testing, today the tech support guy tweaking my computer (installing the platform, etc.), paperwork, emails, phone calls . . . whew.

The result is one goal realized – land an MT job. Yay!

I continue to work my virtual assistant job, which is also part-time. I am learning new programs and very much enjoy working with my boss.  My vision has been to have 2 revenue streams with 2 part-time gigs, and that is what is coming to pass. We’ll see how that goes. It will be a while before things settle down and I get in a groove; both schedules are flexible to a point, so I see that it may be a really nice thing.

There have been moments of, “My brain hurts.” Bwahahaha!

This is a different type of thinking. With security work, the thinking was more physical (?) or action-oriented. “A strange car just entered the gates and headed towards the back. Better check it out.”  I could expect a phone call from the alarm company when an alarm would activate; we would then need to enter the building and check it out. Those are just some examples of the thought processes involved. Action-oriented. My thought processes are now of a more technical nature, i.e., learning software, reading/understanding written procedures . . . more of an intellectual process, if you will.

Yep, my brain hurts.

I am actually enjoying all this. Yes, in a perverse way, eh?

The focus so far – because it is happening so rapidly – has been on my securing MT work. We have yet to put the same time and energy into finding something for Dave. We are hopeful just the right part-time or full-time gig will come along for him. We know it will. In the meantime, he is enjoying the heck out of cycling here. He deserves that, as he took the brunt of the work load in South Carolina and did not sleep well at all there. In fact, he got very little sleep and was exhausted pretty much from October 2014 until now.  Yes, he is sleeping well now, thank goodness. All 3 of us are!

Hey, it’s early days yet. We haven’t even been here 2 weeks! I think we’re doing pretty darn good to be accomplishing so much in so little time.

We are managing to have some “together time” during the days/evenings, and that is important. I whipped up one of our favorite meals of chicken noodle casserole this afternoon, so we had a nice dinner with leftovers for tomorrow. Yay again!

Maggie is doing well and enjoys looking out the windows

I was working up until almost 10 PM and needed some decompression/fun time, so here I am blogging. It’s a hair past 11 PM now. I’m winding down and so is this post.

Thanks for stopping by! Ya’ll stay safe out there, okay?

Happenings

I have been attempting this blog post for almost a week.  Seems like the days and nights just fly by here.

Last Tuesday night a storm came on quite abruptly with what may have been straight line wind.  We were watching TV about 9 PM when suddenly it started.  We heard what we thought was hail on the roof of our rig and Dave said he saw the living room super slide move.  During that conversation, we were putting on shoes and jackets and leash on Maggie to abandon ship.  Yes, it was that violent.

This is what we saw when we opened the door, except it was dark and lashing down rain

The next morning, I was able to get some better photos.  We were very lucky that we found no obvious damage.  Dave checked the roof, we checked the awning for rips and worked the slides in and out a couple of times.

This is the tree. There are still about three big limbs that are detached and just caught in the tree, waiting to fall.  Hoping they will be taken out this week.  Fortunately, they are on the side away from our rig.  Trees provide shade, but we are not fans of parking underneath them.

Did a bit of “shopping” in the office building behind our rig (with permission, of course) and came up with a couple of delightful pieces of furniture to create a cozy workstation for myself.  It’s in the office we’re using in the guard building, where I am testing its functionality.

Dave and I have been talking for some time about taking out our dining table and chairs and replacing it with a work area for me. This setup will fit nicely in that space and, once I make sure this configuration will be practical and comfortable, we’ll make the transition.

The big white keyboard is a Microsoft Natural Ergonomic 4000 Keyboard.  That particular one is at least eight years old.  So outdated that it had a serial connection; I had a serial-to-USB adapter for it.  I used this particular type of keyboard when I was working as a medical transcriptionist.  Well, after really typing on it for the first time last night, I realized it was done.  They have a certain feel to them and one can tell when the keys become clunky and hard to depress, well, it’s done.  In my days as an MT, I would go through one every few months and always kept a new replacement one stashed away as a spare. 

I was pleased when I found one in stock locally at Office Depot, so I boogied over there this afternoon.  Man!  Sweet deal. The keyboard has come down in price over the years and was about $20 less at the store than on their website, certainly less expensive than on the link above.  Nice. 

Another reason for doing this blog post tonight is for practice on the keyboard.  It does take a bit of training one’s fingers and hands; however, once you get the hang of it, it increases speed and is so comfy.  In all my years of working as an MT, I never had bother with carpal tunnel.  I used a good chair, the keyboard and typing gloves. 

Okay, what else?  We are just in our routine of working and living.  Again, time passes very quickly here.  We’ll soon be coming up on our first month here.  Wow!

It’s almost time for my midnight-ish patrol, so I’ll say cheerio for now!

Thanks for stopping by!

Wintry Weekend

Friday was pleasant, and I grilled burgers for us that evening.  Saturday, on the other hand, brought downright chilly weather with rain and wind throughout the entire day.  We made our patrol rounds and did a few things indoors, but in the afternoon the three of us (that’s including Maggie) snuggled up on the bed and watched a Netflix movie via our Roku streaming stick – perfect cozy interlude on a blustery, wet and chilly Saturday.  Today started off definitely chilly and windy; this evening the wind has dissipated, but temps will bottom out at around 30F.

Just to be on the safe side, Dave drained our water hose which is outside.  If you recall, we’re running off our fresh tank, and he uses the hose to top off our tank every few days.

Friday I ventured to downtown Darlington and the jewelry store on the square.  Last Christmas Dave gave me a lovely silver bracelet; however, the clasp was of poor design and kept coming open.  I had it changed out for more secure lobster-type clasp while still in New Jersey.  This resulted in added length to the bracelet, making it too large for my wrist . . . especially since I have lost about 7 pounds during/with our move here to South Carolina.  Having previously noted the independent jewelry store on the Square, I took my bracelet in to see what they could do.  Sure enough, the jeweler said it would be no problem to take out a section of the bracelet.  Yay!  Guess what?  He said he would attach a loop (?) to the section he removes in case I would like it as a pendant or charm.  Sweet.  I also wear three pendants on a silver chain . . . well, last week the chain broke.  Bummer.  The jeweler helped me pick out a similar chain, and I have that on order, too.  All this for an extremely reasonable price, and I’m supporting a local, independent business.  One of my aunts sent me an American Express gift card for my birthday and I’m putting it to good use.  Thanks, Linda! 

While on the Square, I ventured over to the Merle Norman studio, which also has a hair salon in it, and made an appointment for a cut next week.  Going to a new stylist is always a bit of a freak-out, but I’m hopeful this will be a positive experience.

That’s really about all that’s been happening.  It is very quiet here and, from a security standpoint, that’s a good thing! 

Thanks for stopping by!

Yes, We’re Back in The South

Yesterday being Monday, it was grocery shopping day.  Instead of going to Walmart, we ventured down Highway 52 just a bit towards Darlington to a Food Lion.  I was pleasantly surprised; it was clean, inviting and not crowded.  There was a nice variety of items, produce and meats looked good, etc.  There were some items I had not seen in quite some time . . .

Smoked Pork Hocks – yep, we’re back in The South

No, I didn’t put the above in my cart.  What I did find was some nice tilapia for our dinner last evening and . . . wait for it . . . hushpuppies!  Woot!  I hadn’t had hushpuppies in probably five years.  You bet I had some with my piece of fish.  Wonder where that term comes from?  Possibly the origin is from way back in the American wilderness when hunters, fishermen and others would fry up a ball of cornmeal and feed it to their dogs . . . hence, the term “hushpuppy.”  Well, this puppy hushed while I enjoyed those yummy morsels!

Speaking of puppies, have I mentioned how much Maggie likes her bed in the office?

Taken this evening.  She’s pretty much down for the count for the night, that is, until our work shift is ended; she and I will go next door to our RV and go to bed around 2 AM.

Just to set the record straight, Maggie is quite active during the days.  We walk quite a bit and she often goes on patrol with me.  There is a decent amount of floor space in the office suite for her to do the “crazy dog run around,” and we play a bit.  She does like her bed in the evenings when she and I are in the office together pulling our guard shift.

Today didn’t go as I envisioned, as I spent virtually the entire afternoon in phone calls to AT&T.  Was attempting to make a change in our plan to lower our monthly expense, which resulted in a snafu of my online account, which led to trying to speak to someone whose native language was not English, back to another phone call and finally a promise that someone would be calling me “today.”  Well . . . today is almost over and that person has not called.  I’m wondering if the bit of annual savings is really worth all the hassle I’m going through . . .

I made Dave a steak bridie for his dinner meal, and there is enough meat left for another one tomorrow, so at least I don’t have to really cook.  The bridie project is an all-day thing, although most of it is the meat cooking in the slow cooker.  It is a process, even after the meat is done. 

Hopefully that means tomorrow I’ll have more time to do the things I planned for today.  Exciting stuff, ya know, like vacuuming, straightening up a bit, working my virtual assistant job, etc.  Ah well, no complaints.  The days pass swiftly.

Hope you’ve had a groovy day!

Thanks for stopping by!

It’s Friday Already?

I can’t say that this week since Monday (and my last post) has been exciting, but it has been busy.  We’ve been settling in more and more . . . so many little things to be done.  I did our first two loads of laundry, and that was sure a relief.  I hope to get caught up entirely this weekend.

Our macerator is working fine, even after being packed away and unused since October 2010, when we used it the first and only time for two months at this same site.  That, too, was a relief.  Not the optimal way to dump the tanks on one’s RV, but there are worse/more inconvenient methods and it works.

Our shower and toilet rooms here in the office area are set up, and that’s working out fine.  It’s a bit of a nuisance showering in one building and then going back to our RV, but I can certainly live with that wee inconvenience.  Having these facilities available is a tremendous help; because of that, we don’t have to dump our tanks nearly as often.

My hotspot is working out fine, too, and I’m glad I bumped up the monthly data.  I’m able to work my virtual assistant job at night when I’m on duty by myself.  Well, not really by myself, because Maggie is crashed on her bed right behind me.

My little office is just about set up; I brought over my printer today and it found the wireless connection just fine.  Yay!  We got our first packet of forwarded mail from Escapees and the chaos that was my desktop has been cleared away considerably after I took care of the mail and some personal paperwork. 

I’ve mentioned the Walmart is a bit farther away here than in NJ, but the redeeming thing is that there is a Dollar General store just down the road.  A bit more down the road is a station with diesel at the lowest price I’ve seen in the immediate area, and a wee market if we need basics like bread and milk in between major runs for groceries.

Researched online and hopefully found a hair salon for me and a veterinarian for Maggie.  I don’t mind getting a haircut at chain places for a one-off like when we’re traveling, but if I’m going to be in one spot for a spell, it’s nice to have the same person cut my hair all the time. Maggie is on special dog food only available via veterinarians, so I can check them out when it’s time to restock her.  I made sure she had plenty before we left NJ.

It’s still strange to be having breakfast around noon, and it feels a bit decadent to be sleeping until 10:30 or 11 AM, but I keep reminding myself that I’m up until about 3 AM.  Dave gets up about 2 AM, but by the time I have my shower, walk Maggs, get my clothes ready for the next day . . . well, later in the day . . .  and actually hit the sheets it’s right around 3 AM.

The tire covers we had were really too small for the tires on our current RV; we bought them originally for our popup and then used them on our bumper pull, both of which had smaller tires.  We figured we would order new covers when we arrived here, but turns out the tires are actually in the shade throughout the day.  So . . .

Instead of covers, I’ll be ordering a platform step to supplement the entry steps on our rig.  It’s quite a big step-up to the first one.  In NJ, we had a nice shipping pallet that Dave had covered with a piece of plywood.  This made an excellent porch and served us well, but we did not bring it with us.  I’ve been looking at different platform steps and have narrowed down the choices to two, both of which have favorable reviews.   I’ll think about it a bit more and then order one.

Okay, enough rambling for tonight.  Hope you’re having a good one!

Thanks for stopping by! 

Out and About on a Monday

 

Arising around 10 AM today, we had some breakfast and headed out with a goal of hitting up Walmart for a week’s worth of groceries and a few odds and ends.  Passing by the Pee Dee State Farmers Market, we decided we would go there first.  I turned us around and we headed back. 

We patronized this farmers market back in 2010, too.  That’s Dave to the far right in jeans and blue t-shirt.

The nice thing about this farmers market is that it is open year-round and it is really quite close to our location. 

There’s just about a little bit of everything at this market.

After selecting some good-looking produce, we headed off to Walmart.  As we settle in, I bet we’ll locate some regular grocery stores in the area; however, I must confess that this Walmart is huge and it is convenient to be able to get everything we need in one spot.

One thing we are both noticing is that food prices are much lower here compared to New Jersey.  That is a really good thing!

Maggie enjoying her new bed in the office

Maggie is adjusting to the new life schedule, too.   She stays up with me until 2 AM, when Dave comes on duty, and then she and I go to bed.  When midnight rolls around and it’s time for us girls to go on patrol, she’ll look at me as if to say, “Why are the lights still on and why are we not in bed?”  She is indeed a trouper, gets up, does a few yoga poses/stretches and goes with me on rounds in the truck.

Maggie on patrol in the golf cart the other afternoon

The Internet here is less than stellar, but we are grateful for what there is.  It is great at times but then floats in and out, so is not stable.  Needing a secure, reliable connection for our personal business and for my virtual assistant job, I jumped on AT&T’s offer of getting double the gigs per month at the same price.  Upped my data to 30 gigs and can use my phone as a hotspot, so we’ll see how that goes.  Dave can get by with the facility connection and I switch between the facility and my hotspot, depending on what I’m doing.

Thanks to fellow full-timer Jeff for turning me on to that deal from AT&T.  Jeff and his wife are oilfield gate guards down in Texas.  Jeff’s better half was catching up on sleep the other night while Jeff pulled a solo shift.  He and I ended up messaging back and forth in the wee hours, chatting about our jobs and the full-time lifestyle in general.  I enjoyed the company and appreciate the tip about the data special offer.

Dave headed off to bed a few minutes ago, so here Maggie and I are until 2 AM or thereabouts.  It’s not a rigid schedule and one that we set for ourselves.  If I need to crash before 2 AM, I’ll go get Dave.  Conversely, if I’m cruising along, I’ll let him sleep in a bit.

That’s it for today . . . or tonight . . . or whatever.  I’ll put on some music, and Maggie and I will get our evening started.

Thanks for stopping by!

Back in the World

 

Power was restored to the office this afternoon and we’re back online.  I was able to update iOS, set up my new phone and then backup and sync it.  Took a bit of doing and even some more tech stuff.  iTunes did not automatically detect my phone, so I had to research that issue and fix it after finding a solution.  That entailed finding the device on my laptop, uninstalling the driver and reinstalling it.

Sheesh.  My brain is fried. 

Unfortunately, not all the data in some apps transferred over to the new phone, so I have some inputting to do.  I’ve also got a nice stack of documents that need to be input to a program on my laptop and some scanning to catch up.  There’s the laundry to get done tomorrow, but I’m grateful that the power is back on and we have the washer and dryer here.  So nice not to have to go to a laundromat!

But, hey, everything is back online and I even got some housecleaning done this morning, too!

Although the temperature today wasn’t all that drastic, up in the mid 80s, the humidity was really incredible.  It slacked off a bit in the later afternoon, but for most of the day it was pretty miserable outside.  I pretty much stayed indoors.  I think we’re in for more of the same tomorrow.

Short and sweet tonight.  Tickled to have our office back and that we have an office!

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Friday Happenings

 

Today’s parking lot visitor

We are now on day three of no power to the office and, therefore, no Internet as we know it.  Luckily, my iPhone can serve as a hotspot for brief periods online.  At least we can check email and hang out for a few minutes.  It brings back memories of our early full-timing days with satellite Internet, meting out a few minutes online here and there. 

Our electrician is on site right now attempting to find the problem.  We’re hopeful he will be successful soon.  Or at least before the weekend is done.  I’m going to need to do laundry before long; the prospect of a laundromat really isn’t appealing.

My wireless keyboard was ready to retire after over two years of faithful service.  I was back to Radio Shack this afternoon to pick up two – one for me and one for Dave. 

 

Dining room table without functional office.  At least it’s temporary!  Those are the new wireless keyboards on each of our laptops.

This one is slightly different from the retiree, being a tad bigger (but definitely still a comfortable lap size) and has the numeric keypad on the right.  The other one had a built-in flat mouse area which I never used; I preferred to use my mouse and pad.  I have always missed my keypad area on the right, and it’s nice to have that feature again plus the mobility and comfort of the wireless keyboard.

Yesterday I was back at Radio Shack with the objective of having the latest iOS update downloaded, version 7.1.1.  It requires a network connection in order to download and I could use the one at RS.  Well, it downloaded just fine but would not complete the verification process, stating that I was no longer connected to the Internet.  Excuse me?  The RS tech and I labored over this for some time before I finally said “Enough,” and went on to order pizzas for pick-up. 

Apparently that error message is a glitch in version 7.1.1; the tech researched while I was there.  Last night and today I did some research on it and apparently that’s not the only issue.  Over quite a few forums I read folks having issues with this iOS update actually crashing their phones and causing them to be inoperable.  Lovely.  Perhaps I’ll wait until the next version??

Keeping with the theme of “What’s gonna break, freak out, have a glitch, etc.?” over the past week, when I attempted to order Dave’s pizza of ham and mushrooms, I was told they had run out of mushrooms about five minutes prior to my calling.

Hahahaha!

Alrighty!  We seem to be on a roll here!

The good news is my Blogger blog roll is functioning normally again, at least as of about ten minutes ago.  Sweet.  I’ll have some reading to do in order to catch up.

I guess the other good news is that in the short time of typing this post, I have fallen in love with my new keyboard, a Logitech K360.

The other good news is we have a collection of classic James Bond movies on DVD.  Goldfinger is on right now. 

Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend!

Yesterday Craziness and Blogger Issues

 

View from our first campfire of 2014, Sunday evening

 

Dave had an evening doctor’s appointment for 6:45 PM yesterday.  Right around 6 PM, my iPhone croaked.  Buttons and display nonfunctioning.  Fine.  Figured I’d drop Dave off here at home after his appointment and then boogie over to Radio Shack in the mall for a replacement.  The phone was over two years old and I guess it just chose that moment to call it quits.

Right about that time, the power in the office (and the rest of the mill) went out.  Concerned that it might be widespread and we would lose power to our rig, I needed to reschedule the doctor appointment.  (We did not want to leave Maggie in an increasingly hot RV should it lose power.)  That meant, of course, I had to try to find the number of the clinic the old fashioned way, because my phone was dead and the number was stored in there.  Finally found the number and called the clinic.

Guess what?  They didn’t even have him on the schedule.  Well!

Snagged an appointment for him this afternoon and then headed over to Radio Shack.  Why RS versus the AT&T store in the same mall?  Would you believe the AT&T store can’t do anything for me because I have a Texas number and they are not a national store branch.  Really?  Experienced that shortly after we arrived here in 2011; Radio Shack has had my biz ever since.  The guys there are friendly, helpful and know their stuff.

I was eligible for an upgrade on my iPhone at a significantly discounted price and RS happened to have a sale going on top of that.  Long and short, I made out like a bandit with a new iPhone 5S.  Of course, this version is slightly bigger and the charging cord connection is slightly different, so that meant new Otter Box and a new second cord for the truck.  Still, I came out way ahead of the game.  Got three $10 coupons, so I’ll be headed back in the next day or two for a replacement wireless keyboard.  This one is ready for retirement, the same one is on sale at RS and I have a coupon.  Whoohoo!

RadioShack as a company is apparently bleeding and there are hundreds of stores slated for closure.  I bet this one will soon be gone, which is unfortunate.  The mall changed hands a few months ago and most of the stores are gone. 

My phone is charged but I still can’t download the latest iOS version or my apps from the Cloud because I need to be on a wireless network.  Don’t have a wireless network because the modem and router are down because I don’t have power in the office.  Oh well, at least our electrician got the well pump working this morning.  He’ll be back this afternoon to get power back on line.

Hopefully.

Our RV is on a different power line, so we’re thankful we have power to our rig.

Blogger Issues

For probably at least a couple of months, my blog reading list does not automatically load.  I have to reload the page to get blogs to show up, sometimes having to reload more than once.   Over the weekend, I started seeing only the most recently updated blog in my reading list.  Looking at Blogger’s help forums, this is apparently a widespread issue.  The last response from Blogger was about a week ago, indicating they are aware of the problem and working on it.

I can call up individual blogs from the list on the left and read them, but I tend to not get around to that.  Well, especially this past week with all the technology surprises I’ve been tackling.  So!  If I’m not commenting on your blog these days, hopefully I’ll get back to it soon.

I’ve been playing with WordPress a bit again.  My Scotland blog resides there and I’ve been reading some of those entries again, taking a wee stroll down memory lane and the awesome Winter I spent in that bonnie land.  The blog photos did not export to WP and that’s a real shame, but at least the text is there and I do still have the photos on my computer.

Will I switch to WP?  Probably not, as my “community” is Blogger-based.  When I say “community,” I’m not referring to followers of my blog but rather those bloggers whom I follow.  You all feel like neighbors, friends.  LiveWriter works on both platforms, so . . . we’ll see.  I may experiment with posting on both sites for a while, just for giggles.

Thanks for stopping by!

 

What’s In Store This Week?

 

I’m thinking perhaps this week will be a bit quieter than last, although it is early yet, eh?

The work week ended in a whirl last week.  We had been having some Internet issues and, after talking with our IP, it sounded like our router was the culprit.  Thursday morning I began the process of installing a new wireless router . . . only to be interrupted in mid-morning by a quick trip to the vet with Maggie.  She had a “spot” on her belly which looked most like a bite of some sort, but wanted to be sure it was no cause for alarm.

Turns out it indeed was nothing.  Our dynamite vet got her seen quickly and didn’t charge for the visit.  Figured I might as well stock up on her food while I was there.  She has been on prescription food since her episode last month.  Have tried to transition her back to her regular food, but that was unsuccessful.  Oh well.  If this is what agrees with her for now, so be it.  In the area and need a vet?  I’ll steer you to Spring Mills Veterinary Hospital.

Okay, back home and to our regularly scheduled programming.  Router installed and my laptop, Dave’s laptop, my iPhone, router extender in the rig and our Wii console all online.  Printer?  Printer?  Oops.  It would not connect.  After troubleshooting most of the afternoon, realizing it wasn’t gonna happen and then researching printers,  I found myself at Best Buy around 5 PM picking up an HP Envy 4500.

Meet Hal, the newest addition to my office

Why a name?  Why “Hal”?  Well, both old and new printers use 61 ink cartridges.  Took the ones out of the old printer and popped ‘em in Hal.  Hal responds (text only, of course) that these were from an older generation machine and would I please replace with newer cartridges?  What?  They are 61s and the same ones that I’d get if I bought new  . . . how the heck did you recognize that they came from the old printer?  Creepy.  Hal it is, then.

Long and short is that Thursday evening was spent attempting to get Hal and Dave’s laptop (an Asus) to converse.  They simply refused to speak to one another.  Hal was installed correctly and completely on the Asus and was recognized as the default printer; however, Hal refused to accept and produce anything the Asus had to offer. 

Fine.  I went to bed.

A couple of hours Friday morning resulted in getting the old HP printer uninstalled from the Asus and then reinstalled as a local printer.  Connected those two via USB cord and voila!  We have printed material!   On researching and hearing stories of others with the same issues, I’m led to believe it is a Windows issue, specifically Win 8.1.  Sheesh.

The up side is that getting the old HP into Dave’s part of the office frees up an enormous amount of space on my desk.  Nice.  It’s much less constricted, open and free of “stuff.”

I can also print from my iPhone to Hal, which is sort of nifty.  Not sure how often I’ll use that, but I guess it might come in handy sometimes.

Tickled that I did all this without calling Geek Squad and getting outside technical help.

Back in the early 1990s, I did hardware and software beta testing for Apple in Houston.  For years I worked from home in medical billing and as a medical transcriptionist and had to be able to troubleshoot and fix issues.    I’ve set up systems and networks, installed software, etc.  These tasks are even easier now, as virtually everything is plug-and-play.  I know how this stuff is supposed to work.  When something doesn’t, I’m the proverbial terrier wrestling with something.  My teeth sink in and I’m reluctant to let go until it’s resolved.

These lilies finally bloomed

Found out late Friday afternoon that a piece of equipment would be picked up early Saturday morning.  I always make out a bill of lading and take a photograph of whatever is leaving once it’s loaded on the truck.  So!  My alarm was set for 6 AM and I actually managed to crawl out of bed, although I was still sleeping for the first 15 minutes of being on my feet.  Ha! 

Dave went with me to the little farmers market up the road later Saturday morning and scored a couple of nice tomatoes.  Me?  I got two more walnut chocolate-chip cookies.

Got a kick from watching Momma Groundhog and little ones

Moving ahead to Sunday . . . having taken care of personal business (paying bills, doing paperwork, etc.) and other chores the day before, Sunday was a chill day for me.  Dave split and chopped wood in the late afternoon and we had our first campfire of 2014.  It was a perfect evening for it.

View from the campfire

So now it’s Monday morning.  Errands are run and my every-other-Monday report submitted for work, so I’ll move on to my next project.  That includes programming a remote camera for work.  Guess I’ll be putting on my geek hat again later today!

Whew!  And it’s just the beginning of the week!

Life is interesting and good, eh?

Thanks for stopping by!

Celebrate the Small Things - A Blog Hop Post - No. 4

 

 

It’s Friday and time once again to Celebrate the Small Things!

Not only does Friday herald the end of the week, but also celebration!  I’m a bit late getting this post done, Wednesday and Thursday being focused on upgrading our network router and the resultant cascade effect.  Oh the joys of technology!

 

Meet “Hal,” new addition to the office

 

• I am most definitely celebrating having set up the new router  and getting all our devices online.  Our wireless printer was a few generations old, so new router ended up meaning new printer.  That ended up with a all-day event of wearing my geek IT “hat” getting all our devices online.  Dave’s laptop refused to communicate with the new printer, etc.  I am celebrating having accomplished all this without consulting outside technical support!

 

 

• I am celebrating the fact that these lilies finally bloomed!  They had been on the verge of opening for several days and have arrived at last!  This is their third year of coming back annually and I’m proud of them for doing so.

 

• Once again I’m doing the Happy Dance because of the weather here in NW New Jersey.  Today’s high is to be around 76F and was in the mid 50s last night.  That’s grand sleeping weather, especially in an RV with a window open. 

 

Our home, to the right of the office trailer

 

What are you celebrating today?

Thanks for stopping by!

Week Is Almost Gone

 

 

Two years ago I planted daylilies in two big plastic pots that were here on the property.  One pot is in front of each office porch.  This is the second year these lovelies have returned.  With all the rain and cooler temperatures we have had over the past week, both plants have sprouted buds.  This one is in front of the main entry and seems to be the most prolific at this point.  This evening after dinner I noticed the bloom starting to open.  I may just have a lily tomorrow if it isn’t beaten down by the heavy rains that are forecast.  Nice!

It has been a productive week thus far, although I really don’t know how that happened.  Perhaps it’s just been quiet around here and that’s given me a bit more time to turn my attention to other things. 

I renewed our Geek Squad support and internet security coverage for another year.  Perhaps a bit pricey last year for the initial coverage, I got a substantial discount on the renewal.  We each have a laptop and had an issue or two during the coverage year with one or the other, and I used the Geek Squad support.  It definitely paid for itself, and I was quite satisfied with the customer service over the phone.  I like what we’re using for internet security, and it seems to be doing the job.  I use my laptop in our work here and it really has our entire life on it.  Our laptops are our connection to the outside world, too, so it’s worth having some protection and support. 

My oDesk assignment is still percolating along and I’ve already put in a lot of hours this week.  If I take the rest of the week off, I’m comfortable with that.  Today marks my one-year anniversary on this assignment.  I’m still enjoying it and glad to have landed a gig that suits my temperament and schedule.  The folks I work with are pretty laid back and pleasant.  It’s not technically challenging, but that’s fine.  At this stage of my life, I’m not attempting to climb a corporate ladder by “proving” myself to anyone.  It’s enough to keep my brain ticking over a bit, stay abreast of technology and bring in some “mad money” or funds to squirrel away for that beach holiday next year.

Did I mention I upgraded my laptop to Windows 8.1?  All my programs work fine, but I’m not impressed with the changes made.  I actually liked Win8 and Metro mode.  (My laptop kept booting in desktop after installing Win8.1, so I had to figure out how to change it back to booting up in Metro.)  I have a touchscreen but typically use a mouse.  Seems to me 8.1 is more awkward, not as streamlined in functionality and pretty much a step backwards.  Like they are trying to blend Win8 and the desktop look/mode.  Ugh.  Might be great for those who don’t like Metro, but I think it’s rather gangly and awkward.

Just checked the Wundermap.  Looks like we have more rain/thunderstorms heading our way this evening.  Tomorrow is supposed to be the stormiest of this week, with a nice weekend on tap. 

Dave is racing Saturday, which is looking good with sunshine and a high in the lower 80s.  The local farmers market opens Saturday,and I plan on checking it out.  I’m hoping the grass will have dried out enough to be mowed Sunday.

It’s almost the weekend!  What are your plans?

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Celebrate the Small Things

 

It’s Friday and time once again to Celebrate the Small Things! 

Today is my second Friday as a participant in this blog hop.  What a fun way to stop for a moment or two and be mindful, and to nudge me back into the writing habit.  Here we go!

• Today I am deliriously celebrating the weather of this week.  After a warm, icky and rainy start to the week, we experienced two days with highs in the mid 50s and a gloriously sunny day today with an expected high of lower to mid 70s.  Although you would think I’d be acclimatized to heat and humidity as a native Texan, I really suffer on those days and tend to stay indoors.  Days like this week are indeed a relief.

• Keeping in mind the above, today I am celebrating we are in a setting where I can do some “digging in the dirt,” with flower beds. 

Plants for 2014, going into flower beds today or this weekend

• Today I am giddy with celebratory technological happiness that I found an iPhone calendar app that meets my needs!  The calendar app that is native on the iPhone was driving me bonkers.  Found Pocket Informant, which I do believe is what I was using on my Blackberry before I switched to the iPhone a couple of years ago.  Finally!  An app that works well and has the features I need.  Not that my personal life is all that busy (far from it), but I do need a calendar with task, event, reminder and note features for work.  Yay!  Love it, love it, love it!

•  Today I am celebrating (and grateful) that it is a day I feel pretty darn good.  Can’t say that every day, but today I can!

 

What are you celebrating today?

Springtime!

 

Yes, I think it is finally Spring.  Yay!  Saturday was my first mow of 2014, and I really enjoyed it.  The temperature was just right – not too cold and not too hot.  Sort of felt like Goldilocks.

 

Yesterday I had my first digging in the dirt for 2014.  Remember the tulips Dave surprised me with recently?  They had grown so much I had no choice but to plant them outside in a big pot.  Also repotted one of my indoor plants; it had outgrown its original home over Winter and needed more room.

Purple Waffle

We recently got a Roku stick, and yesterday I finally had time to set up and organize channels.  We have a Netflix subscription and can get that on the Roku.  From what I’ve seen, there are three levels of channels:  no-cost/ad-free (public domain channels fall in this category), no-cost channels with ads (like broadcast TV) and then subscription/ad-free channels such as Netflix.  I love Turner Classic Movies, so public domain channels are a good fit for me.  I also added some news channels, PBS, the History Channel and the Smithsonian Channel.  All in all, we have just under 30 channels in our list, so that should keep us content for a while.

Prior to Sandy in 2012, we could get good reception on a few broadcast channels here such as PBS, MeTV, Accuweather and RetroTV.  Well . . . ever since Sandy, reception has been quite poor.  There’s nothing wrong with our batwing on the roof; we think the towers took a hit or their alignment went a bit wacky during Sandy.  Add to that the fact that it is windy here a lot and MeTV (which we did watch quite a bit) is no longer carried by the station . . . we simply don’t raise our antenna any longer.  The company tech guru told us about the Roku a while back.  I waited until the stick came out in April (much less expensive than a Roku box and takes up no space whatsoever) and got one.  So far I’m pretty pleased with it. 

Hard to believe April is just about out the door and May will be upon us soon.  May is shaping up to be pretty busy with work, vet appointment for Maggie (vaccinations), my mammogram and then our holiday.  Whew!  I really am looking forward to our week at the beach.  It is so relaxing and will be our only getaway this year.  Can’t wait to see the horizon again!  Less than a month and I’ll be blogging from our “home away from home.”  Whoohoo!

Hope you all had a lovely Easter weekend!

Thanks for stopping by!