The Internet Is Back!

It is like I fell off the face of the earth!! No internet for almost a week and spotty before that. Too much time on the phone with Sprint with HeWho is nice. He would call, they would go through everything imaginable on our end and the internet would come back on ...... for just long enough to make me think it was working. Long enough to check my e-mail and sometimes even read a blog or two. Maybe even leave a comment. Then BOOM it was gone again. Leaving me without access to entertainment as I sit here at the registration desk.

So many things can happen in a week, you know. Finally, finally some savvy technician thought to check the satellite tower and found that it was down! I would think you would check that first, or even second ...... not on the eighth call from the same subscriber. I was the one fielding calls from campers. Some of them quite irate.

But all through those days when I was inspired to write (vent?), I was sorely disappointed. I do some of my best thinking while pulling weeds or picking strawberries. I am picking a gallon container full every morning. By evening I can pick about half as many again.  I have given away so many that people are starting to run from me when I have strawberries in my hands.

Kamper DJ suggested preserves, so I looked up some recipes and found a super easy one that called for only three ingredients; strawberries, sugar and lemon juice. I had all that on hand, so I doubled the recipe and cooked them up, following the instructions to a "T". Maybe it was because I doubled the recipe, but it did not thicken and set. I even used a candy thermometer to check the temperature.

Nonetheless, I handed out jars of strawberry "syrup" to those kampers willing to subject their palate to my mistakes. Last night I made breakfast for supper and the strawberry syrup is great on pancakes.

The race is on to get everything "ready" for Memorial Day weekend. I have no sites available. This is a good thing, you know. But the people calling at the last minute are a curious bunch. One man kept insisting that he has camped here before. Did he want me to say, "Well, in that case, I will just give you someone else's site and they will just have to understand!"

Yesterday found me grouting tile on the newly built vanity top in the ladies room. I will need to wait until all the weekend campers leave tomorrow to tackle the men's. Then I will need to wash down all the walls and touch up the paint in both sides. The pool just needs a good vacuum job and another shock to be all ready for the big day.

The pavilion has a new metal roof topping it and the ceiling fans will go up today (I was worried about the heat the metal would collect). HeWho loves to shop on-line bought a huge smoker grill to put on the pavilion for guests to use. I am not really keen on this idea. I my mind's eye I see a fire in the making, or the lid being ripped off due to misuse. So, with that in mind I will be insisting on either renting it out, or a deposit to use it and then be inspected before the deposit is returned. I know my clientele .......

Many things have irritated me in the past week, but none more than HeWho tows. He keeps starting projects and failing to complete them.  Nothing new about that, I am just tired.

We lost power night before last. 100 mph winds took out the power poles along the interstate and even flipped a semi. The storm came on fast and I watched out my window as it bent my peach tree nearly to the ground from side to side. The rain was coming in sheets and that was all I could see from my vantage point before I raced through and closed all the windows.

The power went out shortly after that and then our cell phones chimed with the "alerts". A little late if they were meant to warn us. Nothing can be done on our end to restore power, like everyone else, we are at the mercy of the power company. I had finally dozed back to sleep after trying to comfort Toni Louise. She seemed to be convinced that we were all going to die and would not let me hold or pet her. HeWho tows sleeps with his phone right next to him and it startled me back awake with a text message from one of our tenants who felt it necessary to tell us he had no power.

When I find myself with no power, the first thing I do is look outside to see if I am the only one lacking electricity. If the entire area is blacked out, then I call the power company. So, yeah, that text annoyed me. After little sleep, I dragged my unwilling person in to open the store and go out to survey the damage. No trees fell on any campers and there were no injuries. I figured not having power was a mere inconvenience. Ameren promised to restore us around noon. I made sure to not open the coolers or freezers and hope for the best. Nothing to do but pull weeds and answer the phone.

The phone worked because I had it forwarded to my cell. We had some late arrivals the night before .... in tents. They had all their bedding draped on the fence around the dog park and their air mattresses drying in the sun. The phone rang and the lady tenter seemed quite perplexed because my bathroom had no water. She realized that the power was off, but she wanted to take a shower! I explained that we needed power for the pump to pump the water. She seemed to be even more perplexed and I wondered if she thought I was sitting in the main building hoarding all the power and water .........

Another storm last night with lots of the wet stuff and wind, but the wind was mild compared to the previous night. If I can just make it through this weekend and get my projects finished .......