Bathroom Banter ..........

I have said it before ............. I hate bathroom duty. I really don't mind cleaning up after folks, been doing that most of my life. But, every year I wonder what new and amazing mess will await me when I enter that sanctuary of necessity.

One year it was the mud fight that a couple of boys had that made me crazy. I had to have a ladder to clean the mud off the ceiling. Then there were the two young men who decided the pool was too cold and that it would be fun to commandeer both ladies' and men's' showers. They turned the water on as hot as they could stand it and then would run jump into the pool, then run back to the still running hot showers. According to the camper who finally brought it to my attention this had been going on for a couple of hours. His family had been waiting to get into the showers and were tired of waiting. He didn't tell me earlier because he didn't want to "get in trouble". Yeah, I know, makes no logical sense that a grown man would "get in trouble" for telling on two teens for acting stupid. I don't know which made me madder, the boys in the showers or the man watching it happen. When I approached said young men, one was smart mouthed enough to tell me that his dad paid to be in this campground and that he could do as he pleased. I grabbed him by the ear lobe and drug him out of the ladies shower before I could stop myself. I am fortunate that his dad wasn't one to sue. They haven't ever returned and for that I am thankful.


The dilemma surrounding bathroom problems is that there is no way to know who has broken something. Can't put cameras in there. Yesterday morning I did a quick sweep and mop and fill of paper product and things looked okay. Trashcans were about 3/4 full, but I was running a little behind and had to open the store. A couple hours passed and everyone had their ice and morning necessities, so I locked the door and went to grab the trash and reline the cans. In, then out and back in the store in a matter of minutes. Not really. I entered the men's room after the requisite knock to make sure I didn't walk in on anyone. I had trouble pushing the door all the way open. The lid to the toilet tank was blocking it. Three rolls of tissue were wet on the floor and the tissue holder had been ripped from the wall. To top it all off, someone had apparently stepped in dog poop and had smeared in the floor in an effort to remove it from their foot/shoe. I saw a man and a little boy leaving the bathroom as I rounded the corner of the building. Were they the culprits? Don't know. And, if they weren't, why wouldn't the man want to alert me to the mess he walked in on? So I grab the mop and bucket again with my ever present Lysol and bleach and get to work after I put the toilet back together. As I am cleaning the mess up I am approached countless times to go open the store and I keep saying I will be there as soon as I can. Even if I had work campers this weekend, do you really think they would tackle the mess?


This morning I head to my daily dilemma and think I am prepared for whatever awaits me. I am not. There is someone in the park who is not picking up after their dog(s). Unless I see it happen and know who it is I can't do anything about it. Looked like maybe a small child's footprint on the wall...... the medium used was dog$**!. It was in the shower drain and all over the floor and various places on the walls. The light had no doubt been on all night with the door open and the place is swarming with flies, ants and mosquitoes. It was not fun, I tell you.


On to the ladies room. I smell it, but can't find it as I do my initial sweep. No dog&**! here. No, this is distinctly human in smell. I move the small trash can tucked in the corner, wedged in between the wall and toilet ........... and voila! There it is. Some one relieved themselves behind the trashcan. I am wondering not only why, but how this happened. Makes me want line all the campers up in a long row and question them one by one. I want to know who the dog owner is and who the $**! smearer is. Just a dream, I know.

Phone Etiquette ..........

I was still sipping at my too-hot-to-gulp coffee and heading out the side door to mop bathrooms when the ringing of the phone jarred loudly. I grabbed it quickly, he who is scheduled to work at his other job today is still sleeping...... It is only 6:45. I answer in a hushed tone. Kan-Do Kampground. "Umm, yeah (long pause). Do you know what time the pool opens?" Yes, I do. A really long pause, then "So, um, yeah, do you know?" Yes, I know. Another pause (I do believe they would call this a pregnant pause in a novel, but I am loathe to use the word in case it would turn into some weird prediction for the caller). Finally I take pity on the caller ...... Oh, you would like for me to tell you the time. The pool is open for day swimmers every day from 11 am until 7 pm. I could tell the term "dayswimmer" really messed with his head, but he didn't ask and thanked me before ending the call. I take my petty little pleasures whenever I have the opportunity. It is going to be a long, long day..........

The Pool Is Open!!

All is well in the world, in spite of all the mishaps and craziness that surrounds the first big weekend of the season. The only way I can describe it is to liken it to the massive house cleaning for company. You hate the thought of starting, then wonder if you will be done in time, and then are so happy when the company arrives so that you are finished .... whether you are or not.

The toe is much better today and the bruise is hardly noticeable. I am almost sorry it isn't all blue and purple and ugly with crazy swelling. It is such a good excuse to be sitting and would be a lot more believable if it were so. The pain is much more manageable today. The toe just feels tight. Guess I will no doubt have arthritis developing in that toe.....

The wicked moon was shining down on the land of Kan-Do Kamping last night.

I finally said good night to the guard frog at 9:38 last night.

The sign says it all. I skipped supper and just went to bed.

Before I called it quits, though Crazy Tom came in carrying a big box of T's! Dayglo colors. I want my shirts adorning many bodies in many places this summer.

This what the pool looked like when we started repairs. All those ugly cracks had to be repaired and patched before we could even think about painting. Ideally we would have repaired and scraped and power washed, then let it dry for 24 hours. After that we would have painted, then let that dry for 2 days, then filled it with water. Ideally.

To do so we would have to have 4 days of no rain ..... in a row. That didn't happen. The paint is not cheap and if you don't cure it, it starts chipping up in about a month. I was determined to do it right this time and not be rushed. That didn't happen. Most of the paint cured properly, but there was on problem section that refused to cooperate and we ended up filling it before the paint had even cured for 24 hours.

That wheelbarrow is full of the paint chips of previous paint jobs. I would use it to fill an area and put dirt over it, but am afraid it would eventually wash up and end up all over the landscape as little blue specks. Wonder if I could use some kind of epoxy product and fashion a unique sculpture ............. you know, like the biggest ball of string. It could be the biggest pile of pool scrapings in the state. No doubt the only one in existence. Just thinking..........

Progress started slowly. See that area in the back? The trouble spot.

We ran the fire hose out to the pool and turned it on full blast all night. We woke at frequent intervals to check on the pump and the progress of the fill. All day long yesterday young and old came in the store to ask when the pool would be full. The door opened so many times that the air conditioner worked overtime and still didn't cool the store. I finally told them I possessed no powers that would allow me to tell the future. This seemed to quiet them for a time .... or they were busy with their dinners around the campfires.......

Today at 12:05 they were allowed in the breath taking water and all was well in the world of camping! It is still busy as bag after bag of ice is purchased, along with a million candy bars. In two hours I will once again post my "no vacancy" sign and call it a night. It has been a long and prosperous day.

Check-in/Check-out

I started the day with optimism ........ really, I did.

I rushed through my morning chores (cleaning toilets) and then raced to the local grocery for fresh bread and milk and eggs for the convenience of my campers. Check out isn't until noon .............. so check-in can't occur until ...... after noon. Right? If you try to check in a hotel before check-in time what happens? So, I am carefully selecting all the items I need and my cell rings. He who loathes checking in campers and can't seem to look at my easy chart is frantic because the people I assigned to 14 can't get in because 14 hasn't left yet. Probably because it is only 11:00 and they assume they have another hour to get going............


So, now I am literally running and pushing the cart like I am trying to get to the finish line first. All I can think about is getting back to the campground to enforce my chart!! He said he had several more checking in. Several, how many is several? My mind is whirling with the many variations of mistakes that can be made with several check-ins. I finally make it to the check-out counter where exactly two lines are open. Foolishly, I choose the line with nothing on the belt. I load my merchandise onto the belt and watch as the nice lady conducts her transaction with her EBT card, then pays for the non-qualifying items and think that I am next. How silly I am. The clerk disappears into the room containing the locked up cigarettes and finally reappears with about a dozen single packs, two different brands. Then forgets that he locked his drawer when he left his post and tries to scan them several times before realizing and correcting his error. He then proceeds to scan each pack ever so slowly.


Yay, my turn. He reaches beyond the six packs of Pepsi product and scans and bags all my breads first and hands each bag to me. He looks at me quizzically as I lay each bag back on the counter and I tell him I want to put the heavier items into the cart first. He looks at me like I have grown horns and asks what he should scan next and I suggest the six-packs of sodas. I also had four 2 litre bottles of Diet Coke to satisfy he who drinks that. No longer moving slowly he scans and hands the six packs to me at lightning speed and then the Cokes. Doesn't bag them or set the to the side so that I can load the cart at a normal pace. As I lifted one bottle from his hands it slipped from my grip, at a level just below my waist and hit my foot. Actually my second and third toes of my left foot and then bounced into the air before hitting the floor. Didn't even hurt too much ....... at first. The pain hit me while I was paying and I thought I was going to hurl on the kid before I could get out of the store. I am pretty sure my third toe is broken. He who delivers picnic tables suggested I go to the ER, but, really, why bother. They don't set toes and it looks okay except for the impressive bruise creeping up my foot. I reminded he who hates check-ins that we have a park to fill today and he agreed that I didn't need medical attention.


So here I am. Have checked in a few, but the onslaught won't happen until folks get off work and muscle their way through the traffic to get here. Things could be worse. At least it was my left foot and didn't affect my driving home. I have a nice comfy chair to sit in ........... and I have my computer. All is well ..... for now.

Inside Out

The big day is here and the last minute things must get done today. Thanks to all of you for your caring comments on my headache. We do see the doctor regularly ........ in his office and not just when he camps! I have one of these headaches about twice a year and it is usually preceded by a massive amount of stress. After I finally succumb to the pain and take a day off I feel so much better ...... and energized ......


Still very busy here. We had two helpers yesterday as we race to get it all done. I did all the prep mowing around my precious fruit trees and gardens while the nice man mowed. He who gets it all done ran from one disaster to the next. Although there is still much to do today, I think we have a handle on it. I made the run to Wally World and was filled to the brim with all manner of camping necessities. I confess I did detour through the fabric department. All is 50% off and I scored a few good buys, then the clearance section of the plant department. I felt compelled to rescue some destined for the dumpster.


I raced home to relieve he who hates to check in campers. He called me twice with ridiculous camper requests to move to other sites .......... thus ruining my thought process. I came home, came straight in to change into something cooler since the temp had risen to 92. I went about the business of unloading the vehicle, pricing and stocking shelves while answering the phone that rang non-stop. I finally got to go out and get some gardening done and talked to some of my favorite campers and encountered lots of folks.


At 9:30, when we finally sat down to eat our dinner and unwind, I happened to look down to see that my shirt was on inside out. It is a very light weight little pullover that I made and is a light blue print .......... my red bra was clearly visible, too. Ooops. I am a busy woman ............. can't be bothered by little things, you know.

Wasted Day

I have been keeping a headache at bay for about 2 weeks now. I grab a couple of aspirin or Tylenol or Motrin and gulp them down with lots of caffeine. Then I convince myself that I feel okay and go on about my business. Yesterday I awoke and looked over at my exhausted sleeping husband, wondered what was on his nearly bald head and plucked a tick off. I flushed the tick and brewed the coffee and got started on the day. I read all my e-mails, then stuck a ball cap on my head and went out to gas up my mower.


We are so behind in park maintenance due to rain and "he who" is stretched way too thin. In an effort to be of more help I dragged my mower over to the sites and started mowing........mowing the entire area and not just the parts he can't get to with the big mower. I was in the sun, so after about an hour of that I switched to just mowing the tight areas in the shade. I was making fabulous progress and had rounded the curve on the first row of sites. He who was dealing with some electrical issues and I imagined how happy he would be that I had gotten so much done. That is when I hit the water on 17 and the geyser shot up into the air, drenching me and my now un-new mower.


I felt wretched that I had caused him more work instead of helping. He was a sweetheart about it........... even though he had told me not to take the mower over to the sites. He did suggest that I just go inside and stay there. I cooked his favorite meal for lunch and saw him off to work. No way, I was not staying indoors with so much that needed doing. I checked in a camper and put a sign on the door and went to deliver firewood and retrieve my mower that had been abandoned. I put the phone in the cup holder on my trusty golf cart and held the handle of my disgraced mower while driving the golf cart and pulling it. I stopped and watered gardens for special folks and then came back to the main building. The phone rang while I was still too far away to answer it and I quickly made it to my front door where I discovered I had effectively locked my self out.
Wanted to cry, but I wanted to do that in private and I was locked out.


I won't describe just how I broke into my own home, but I will say that it involved climbing through a bunch of stuff piled up by he who is a pack rat. At any rate I was able to get back in without calling for a rescue. Since it was still light outside and staring to cool down a bit I decided to plant a bevy of day lilies in a half circle around the new flagpole. The forecast was for showers overnight so I got them in the ground and wanted to mulch, but, alas, a pile of wood got dumped on my mulch pile. There wasn't much left, but......... I also planted two small red maples on the property and then called it a night. My head was starting to hurt, but I thought a shower and salad would make me feel better.


My head was pounding by the time I laid it on my pillow and I woke a couple of times in the night to take aspirin. When I woke this morning it hit me full blast. Tunnel vision and intense pain. Felt like sinus pressure, so I sent he who shops to score some sudafed and mulch for me. I took the sudafed and aspirin and coffee and I swear I could "see" every beat of my heart before my eyes as my head continued to pound. Still in my tattered sleep shirt that I can't bear to part with (says "Y are you so stupid" on the front) and a pair of sweat pants I stumble off to bed. The phone rang and rang until I accidentally hit the wrong button and effectively silenced it. The dogs either whined until I put them in bed or got up and down and up and down. The tap of the toenails on the floor sounded like sledgehammer blows. I finally achieved a level of relief in time for he who works to leave and be on his way. I can't stand the light in my eyes and certain noises make me want to scream out in pain.


So, nothing, absolutely nothing has gotten done today. I feel guilty as I sit here and write about my fragile state. My poor husband will pull a 10 hour shift, then come home and finish installing water on a site before he even comes to bed. I think I need to learn how to do this. I already know how to dig a hole. I just need to learn how to connect the pipes. Not today ............ maybe tomorrow.

Gifts

Mother's day has come and gone. I haven't been too diligent in my posting. We are in a mad dash to finish all the prep for Memorial Day. Every year we plan and scheme and are so sure that we will be ahead of the game and prepared for any event. Then Mother Nature steps in and shows us all who is boss.

We planned a brunch for Mother's Day weekend. It was to be Sunday morning. The dads and kids were to prepare the edibles and we were going to have a picnic style event. Petunias were carefully potted and ribbons attached for presentation to moms along with a card and verse. Saturday arrived with a blustery wind that could cut through you. The forecast for Sunday was for a lower temp and higher winds. Since we chose to bravely ignore the forecast on the previous event and ended up crammed into the small space of the store; I chose to cancel the planned brunch.I mounted my trusty golf cart loaded with petunias and good cheer. I drove through and made the presentation to every mom I encountered. Most of the moms in the park were leaving early anyway to be honored by their offspring. Sunday dawned with sunshine and turned out to be a beautiful day. Go figure.


My kids all called with good wishes from way too far away and I was destined to a quiet afternoon alone since he who made me a mother had to work. My buddy Deb came strolling in before leaving to be with her children.......... gift bag in hand. I had a little gift for her, too. I got her a salad dressing emulsifier. I am practical and she does love to create salad dressings. She is all about the bling and thinks I need some bling in my life.

I hate the picture of my appendage. Who knew how hard it would be to get those little frogs to turn around to be photographed? She gave me a bracelet.......... with frogs! I love it! It jangles nicely as I type.

I did mention that I am practical. I did ask for a mower. I got a mower. I specified that it should be self propelled. It is not. He claims that he heard me say it should not be self propelled. Whatever. I love the fact that it starts right up when I pull the cord. I love that the handle isn't broken causing me to bend over as I push it. and really, compared to some of my gifts on Mother's Days past, this one is a winner.

This past week as the rain came down day after day and the grass grew ever taller and the pool filled with water and had to be pumped out so that we can paint it, I wondered if we would ever get through all the things that needed to be done. We had a break in the rain on Wednesday and he who mows while riding tried to mow, but after getting stuck twice gave up. When he left for work I pulled my trusty cord and mowed and mowed and mowed. Thursday proved to be sunny, too and he who mows astride the fast mower that mows a wide path once again mounted his machine and mowed all the dryer areas. I mowed all day again to get those areas that were still too boggy for him.


Rained again on Friday and the "high" was 61. Even though it was chilly my phone rang all day with inquiries on our pool status. Yesterday it shot up to the 80's and today it was 90's. The grass needs to be mowed again. I decide to at least get my back yard done so that I can see the "gifts" my little four legged friend deposit. This makes for easier removal.My little Emmy is prone to leaving "gifts" inside from time to time. We rarely get angry at her, she doesn't have the best control of her bodily functions since she broke her back and had to have her spine fused. Not only that, her sweet disposition makes scolding her next to impossible. Hang in there, I am sharing all this for a reason.


When Emmy or one of the other dogs leaves a gift on the floor I grab a WalMart bag and scoop up the gift and throw it away ....... in the dumpster. Now, when "he who" is confronted with one of these little gifts he also grabs a similar bag and scoops up the deposit and then, for reasons known only to him, shakes the contents to the bottom of the bag, filling it with air and then ceremoniously ties the bag ......... and opens the back door and tosses it out into the yard! Yes, he does. He always says that he will get it "later" and put it in the dumpster if I happen to catch him in the act. I can assure you that "later" never comes. Does he think there is a poop fairy? Does he think that the poop fairy gathers up these offerings and removes them? If so, then I must be the poop fairy.


Today, I opened the gate and and rolled my Mother's Day gift; my shiny new easy to start Mother's day gift into the back yard with the tall grass. I am always on the lookout for dog toys lest I get one caught in the blade. I was mowing happily watching the tall grass disappear and kicking the balls and chew toys away as I went. I suppose that is how I missed it. I saw the white bag out of the corner of my eye and couldn't stop the mower fast enough. The wheel had it and I thought if I backed up I would be able to avoid disaster, but the momentum of the blade grabbed the bag and before I could say "Oh $h*t" fermented dog poop and shreds of white Walmart bag are flying out of my mower all over my newly mowed rows. Gifts indeed.

Will Wonders Never Cease?

You will no doubt recall my frustration when a camper wheeled over my tulip bed. It is still to wet to go boulder hunting in the woods and my tulip bed has remained unprotected. On this past Sunday as I was gazing mindlessly out the door of my store and watching all the campers leave. I was humming my special song (....it's the most wonderful day of the week.....all the campers are leaving, and my heart is heaving a sigh of relief......). I was in my happy place, anticipating closing the store early and spending some time in my sewing room in a fit of creation. I saw a big semi slowing and then coming in the entrance drive. He ignored my stop sign and gunned his engine as he turned left towards the exit drive.......... and cutting it way too short, pulled his trailer over my tulip bed. I was incensed. It was a Werners truck.


Being the clever one that I am, I looked them up online and whipped out an e-mail to the company. I told them that I did not mind their driver using my more than adequate driveway and parking lot to turn around; but that I did mind him driving through my tulip bed. I went on to say that I doubted I would even get a response, but that I wanted them to know that the name Werners would now have a negative impression as far as I was concerned.


I did get a response the very next day saying that my e-mail had been forwarded to the correct department. I was satisfied that someone was reading my letter and promptly forgot about it.....well except mentioning to he who hunts boulders to get cracking. So, imagine my surprise today when I opened my e-mail and found that they would be sending an adjuster from their insurance company to assess the damage! Who knew that some companies still take responsibility for the actions of those in their employ!


So, if ever you would need a trucking company, let me recommend Werners!

Hostages, We are Hostages!

We are being held hostage by Mother Nature..... Although the rain might be good for my garden, we have too much of a good thing! Even when the sun is shining and we can get outside it is still too wet to get anything done. Can't mow, can't paint.....and can't get the billboard put up. He who is a jack of all trades has managed to get every piece of equipment at his disposal stuck in the muddy field where the billboard is.

He who is determined got the tractor pulled out of the muck this morning and is now trying to lay rock to form a path to the billboard site. He endured a night of teasing at work, since everyone who drove by our place could see all the equipment mired in. Of course, he who is a good sport, got some local help this morning. I suppose if he should get stuck again, the neighbors will jump in and pull him out again.

I ventured out to check on my garden and picked the strawberries. I have been getting about a pint a day out of my little patch. I saw the tiny shoots of corn making their way out of the soil and the beans and peas, too. The tomato plants are sporting some blossoms with a promise of fruit to come. My cherry tress seem a little stressed this year and I lost one of the three. I will still have cherries in a couple of weeks........... just not as many. The apple trees are loaded with tiny fruit, as are my peach trees. With all this, I am in a great frame of mind as I continue my inspection of the gardens and drink my morning coffee. My mind is whirling with all the little projects I need to attend to. I need to paint some signs and picnic tables since I am not able to mow the very wet grass. Can't really paint the water logged tables.........

Oh, look! Wonderful! Looks like a big truck or, maybe, a camper RAN OVER MY TULIP BED. So much for my state of mind. The road is very wide here, you know to accommodate those big rigs and this is very visible. A big mound of dirt with plants and mulch. Doesn't look anything like a road.

I speak softly to my mangled little bulbs. I promise them that as soon as it is dry enough for he who hunts down big, big rocks there will be an immovable barrier between them and those who cannot seem to stay on the road. Nothing little, something that will cause them to think twice before they turn too sharp. Something that will stop them and make them back up and check for damages........ She who gardens isn't kidding!

Awards........ and Names I Call My Husband

Just in case you might wonder, I refer to my husband by many different names. Some I won't be sharing with anyone. Mostly, I call him "he who" whatever he happens to be doing at the moment. He who mows, he who plumbs, he who routes out nasty sewer lines, making him he who smells bad. Most everyone here has heard me say these things. I also call him the love of my life; and he is. But, that being said, he does supply me with lots to write about.


Last big event we had here at the campground involved food and laughter and a surprise birthday celebration. He was blessed with many good wishes, some scratch-off lottery tickets and and an award. Sweet Miss Martha, wife of Crazy Tom is a very crafty and inventive soul. She was inspired by his many names and the fact that she saw him standing at the pond, gun at his side when he was on muskrat patrol.

She came up with this little trophy so that he can remember who he is.

I tried to get a really close-up and...... well, I failed. But, you can see that. It says:

DREW, He who hunts, plumbs, mows, etc.etc.etc.!! Happy Birthday 2010

Here at Kan-Do Campground, where all the fun takes place.

Love that she found the gun toting man to mount. Isn't she creative? I think that when we sell this place and retire into a motor home that this should be made into a hood ornament. What do you think? Can't you just see us .......... headed down the highway to parts unknown using the new hood ornament to sight the center lane of the road..........

Feet and Attitude

I load my bread and other necessities onto the conveyor belt and stand waiting for my turn to have my items bagged and totalled so that I can pay and be on my way. I gaze at the clouds forming and the sky darkening. I am always in a hurry, trying to stay one step ahead and always finding myself two steps behind.


The person checking out my lane is new. He is slow. I look at the lady ahead of me. She has a scowl on her face. She sees me looking at her and I smile. She scowls and looks away. I wonder why she is so surly. I begin to try to imagine what her life is like. I notice a cane in her cart. She moves very slowly. Now I feel a little guilty that I am so impatient to get on with my day. As she writes her check for her purchases, so painfully slow. I happen to look down. Her shoes are way too big. They are good shoes, but I could easily slip two fingers behind her heel. They must be two sizes too big. She finally finishes writing the check and the clerk offers her bag. She snatches it from him and puts it in the seat part of the grocery cart. The tomato slides down in a portion of the bag and is hanging precariously out one of the leg holes. I reach towards her to catch it and she snarls at me and pushes the cart forward. The tomato continues to hang on as she shuffles out of the store.


I wonder about her as I drive home. I wonder what her life is like. I wonder why she is so disagreeable. I can only conclude that her feet must hurt from her bad fitting shoes giving her the awful attitude. Maybe I should have followed her home and then taken her to get a pair of shoes that actually fit............

At What Cost........

I am tired. It is Spring. Spring and tired go together. I just finished raking and mowing the first 6 sites. I do this every spring. I rake up all the layers of fallen leaves and pick up all the fallen limbs and bits of debris. I stack little bundles of twigs near each fire pit for the next camper to use as kindling. Then I mow the grass, rake it, and mow it again. I only do this once a year unless we have a big storm blow through, then I will pick up debris then and stack it neatly.......... It saves the mower blade. But it is tedious and at the end of the day your very bones ache.

He who plows is busy on the tractor spreading rock and leveling the sites. We have well over 50 sites, so I am behind before I even begin. With that thought in mind I made Mower Extraordinaire take a few minutes to ride through the park with me this morning. We spend so little time together this time of year and I thought a little ride in the golf cart might be fun. We took along the dogs and I had my notepad and pen in hand. The dogs were thrilled to be going along. Oscar took his place in my lap while little Emmy sat proudly between us. Wall-E wasn't so sure he even wanted to go, but he got into the driver's lap and shook nervously as we zipped along. Family time. I was in such a happy state of mind ...... key word being 'was'.

I made a few little notes about some minor repairs that needed attention. Then we both saw it. We have frost free hydrants on some of our sites so that we can offer full hook-ups year round. These are not cheap. They are costly to repair. The parts are not easy to find. These hydrants stand near the power box and are very visible, standing at least 3-4 feet tall. So, how do you manage to hit it and break it? Perhaps you don't know how to drive? Beyond that, why would you not come and at least let me know that you hit it? You would certainly know that you did, because you hooked up to it. Not only that, I am sure that you sustained some damage to your rig. It is only a slow leak and you are gone. I wouldn't have made you pay for the damage, but it would have been nice to know so that I could order the part yesterday and get it a day earlier.

So, as I am raking and mowing, I am bothered. I once had a man come in who wanted every discount club card he had to be applied to his stay. After he laid them all out on the counter and figured them up, he told me I owed him 10% of the cost of an overnight stay. I laughed, thinking he was joking. He wasn't. He insisted that all the parks he stayed in honored his little system (scheme?) and then said to me, "Why do you care, it costs you nothing for me to park here?" I was taken totally by surprise and didn't have a ready answer. I simply asked him who he thought paid the bills that came to the park. He conceded that it probably cost a couple of dollars in electricity.

The cost is so much more than that. I am irritated beyond belief by that attitude today. I don't like the way I feel right now. I have more work to do and I like to take pride in my park. So, now that I have unloaded here, I am going back out to tackle the next set of sites that need my attention. While working on those I will turn my thoughts to more positive things. Some of my most favorite campers were out last week. They tackled the bath house and cleaned and painted it! I love Patrick and Julie!! In addition to that they got their site all spiffed up with plants and mulch. Our newest seasonal campers Marcy and Rusty have their site all spiffed up, too.

These are the folks I will think about while I toil the afternoon away. I hear a good grounds keeper gets paid about $20 an hour............

Celebrate!

Have you ever met someone that you felt you had known forever? Someone that is so in tune with you that you feel you can say anything to them and know that they will listen and not judge you ............ but will tell you when you are wrong? I have. My only regret is that I didn't know her many years ago. Women need girlfriends, true sisters of the soul.

My friend is celebrating a birthday. She is one of those people who buys whatever she wants or needs. Hard to shop for. She is extravagant in her giving. She is very intuitive and gifts me with the most thoughtful and wonderful gifts. Makes me feel inadequate. I know she would hate that I feel that way; that's the kind of friend that she is. So while I am searching the very depths of my brain to find something unique and thoughtful I am writing this post for her.

Happy Birthday, Deb! I promise to be your friend forever! Oh, and I plan to live for a very long time!! There will be a little surprise waiting for you here at the campground. But............ my big gift to you is not posting an unflattering picture of you and me working in the gardens! You are welcome! I hope you have a marvelous day. I love you, my friend, my soul sister.