Poison Ivy Strikes Again

Miss me? The eclipse campers kept me busy until Tuesday. I normally close early on Sunday, but was in here until 9, checking in late arrivals. While HeWho set up the big screen outside, I popped corn and bagged it with one of my sweet helpers, Belle.

We aired Boss Baby. I thought the movie would never end!!! I was sitting in my golf cart with HeWho and munching popcorn just to stay awake. Had I been in a comfortable chair, I would have slept. I can't believe I sat through an animated feature presentation! A cartoon, if you will. It was cute and let's face it, you have to be selective about what you put up in an outdoor setting with all the kids in the park. I chose the title, so I can't really complain, can I?

But, I had to open at 9 the next morning. I don't usually open until 11 on weekdays. This meant I had four 12 hour days in a row. And that is just the hours the store was open. I still have necessary chores to accomplish on a daily basis. I was mopping bathrooms at 10:30 pm on movie night.

My body rebelled and I was down with a killer headache Tuesday. I stuck the sign in the door that says I am outside working in the park and to call the store number for assistance. I don't have a sign that says I feel like I am dying. I pretty much ignored the sound of the door bell and only went out when summoned by phone.

Wednesday and Thursday were so nice I hated to be inside, so I left the sign up and did work. I mowed and reworked a garden. I am so pleased with my progress. I moved the boundaries to a more workable size and dug up all the stray iris that had come up over the years and planted a row on the other side of the formidable row of tiger lilies. Next year when the tigers send out the tall blooms they will be surrounded with purple bearded iris. I plucked out as many weeds as day light allowed and spent Thursday in the dog park.

Wednesday night I checked in some campers in a van. The van was a long utility type with no windows, an older model, maybe 80's. I am not good with makes and models. I just know a rattle trap when I see one. The couple was probably my age, both with long gray hair and few teeth. After I had checked them in (quick as I could, they were eating up my day light!), they asked about monthly rates.

Now, I don't have monthly rates for folks living in a van or a tent. Or in some dilapidated camper. I find such to be a deterrent to future prospects looking for accommodations. I told them as much, but they told me they were buying a camper. I told them it had to be newer than 2000 and, as I figured, it eliminated the possibilities of a home here. This is when I learned about just how big the bullet was that I had dodged ........

They had ELEVEN cats and two dogs. She confided that they would just pick up cats along the road, even feral ones. She said she really loves cats. But, she likes the two dogs, too.

So, it really came as no surprise to find that I had to pick up the dog park before mowing. But, before that I attended to the area that I have the benches on, under the trees. Vines were starting to climb the trees again and it was sorely in need of a good weeding.

After I finished, I headed inside for a shower in Ivy Wash. Despite my efforts, I woke up itching this morning. My right hand, my left eyelid and my right ear. I did not wash my face and ear with that stuff, and I had some scratches on my right hand ...... so I would give this product a big thumbs up! It is made by Technu, the same company that makes the Ivy Dry. Good stuff.

Right In The Band of Totality!

My picture of the eclipse isn't so good. Looks like a vortex is trying to suck the earth in.

Tried again with similar results.

Guess I will stick to pictures on the surface of the earth. We had a beautiful day with mostly clear skies. Everywhere I looked heads were back looking up at the sun. Someone spread a white sheet on the ground under the apple tree. During the eclipse it was rumored that crescents would appear. I didn't see any.

This boy decided to elevate himself on a stump to watch.

I tried again as a cloud obscured the brightest part of the sun. Note the jet stream from a plane passing by. Wonder what it looked like up in a plane .....

As the sun was coming back into view the skies were smudged dark, almost like a storm was brewing.

I had heard about a dramatic change in temperature, but it only dropped 2 degrees. I was disappointed. It was hot and muggy here. My park is still full, though a few people left early. I would say we had a successful weekend ..... but I didn't read the reviews yet .....

I am ready for a long rest. The past four days have been 12 hour days. I have just one hour left, and I will be going to bed!

Little Elves and Gnomes

I seem to have struck a nerve in Anonymous with my last post. I would say sorry, but that would be insincere.

Instead of dwelling on the negative, let's take a peek at the gnome garden.

My gnomes are very patriotic. You can see a bit of the flag they have flying. They want the houses close together, so they can all get water at the well.

In another part of the garden, the fairies have taken up residence. The baby fairies like to fly up and play in the tree.

They can see the gnome houses from there.

They can also hear the impromptu concert. Those gnomes are always up to something.

HeWho is being kept busy today with campers and special requests. I don't cut trees down, so I am tucked away behind the desk selling ice and soda. No requests for snocones yet, but I am ready.

Long ago HeWho likes to purchase things, bought a digital projector. He extolled the virtues of being able to show movies outside. When I say long ago, I mean years. Never showed a movie, but he did take it out of the box and fiddle with it. Instructions for use usually come with merchandise and I am pretty sure this WAS the case ......

Not too long ago (months), HeWho likes to purchase things, bought a screen on which to project movies. Have we used it yet? No. Yesterday, in a lull in the midst of madness here, HeWho makes me crazy put the screen together ....... in the store. The screen is big. The screen is sort of in the way. He has the projector set up next to the snocone machine as he tries to make it work, flipping the lights on and off.

I am pretty sure this thing should stay away from water and sugary syrup, so it is probably a good thing I haven't made any snocones today. I know, I know, I am a grumpy old lady complaining about everything. I am, after all perfecting my skills.

Does That Even Work??

Does that Snocone machine even work? I have never seen any snocones in it.

"Would you like a snocone?" I ask. "No, I was just wonderin'." comes the reply. "Well the snocones are made to order." I say. "You'd probably sell more if you had some ready." he says. "And, if I don't sell them they will begin to melt immediately and I will have wasted the ice and the syrup." I tell him. "Well, then you keep making them ..... the cost of doing business!!"

I wish I had replied with the first thought that popped into my head .... "No, the snocone machine is just a prop to tease you. I am so into the joke that I actually purchased 30 flavors of the syrup you see there just to make it look real."

I choose not to follow this sage wisdom. All you need to know is which flavor and I can make a snocone in just minutes. It is going to be a long weekend.

Most campers are not coming in until tomorrow and think they will extend their stay to watch the eclipse, then hop in the rigs and leave. The eclipse will not happen until after noon. Check out is noon. I did not hike my rates to take advantage of people and I will not let them take advantage of me. At any rate, they will caught up in a traffic jam if they try to leave immediately after the eclipse.

In the meantime, I have been plagued with cancellations, since I cannot guarantee clear skies for the event. I tend to think those folks have just decided they don't want the hassle of fighting traffic and changed their minds, but wanted to present an excuse for the cancellations.

Power Wash ..... My Teeth?

So here I am, manning the desk. Just busy enough to be stuck here, but not busy enough to not be bored. As I am perusing Facebook, I see an ad for a device to "power wash" my teeth!!

It shows incredible results. Yellowed teeth are perfectly white again and any food particles are just blown away. Really. It is not credible at all!

The amount of pressure it would take to dissolve years of yellowing would, no doubt, damage the enamel ...... if it didn't blow the tooth right out of your head.

Wonder how many people will buy it and then be disappointment with the results?

This Is Where I Draw The Line

Tempted as I am, I don't blog about politics. I have very strong views and if you decide to engage in a debate about it ..... I am more than happy to share my views. But, this week, watching the events unfold, I am finding it really hard to keep my mouth shut. But I will.

I have plenty of material right here with-in the borders of my own little world. Did I forget to mention my unforgettable weekend clientele? Lots of kids here. Lots and lots. Two sites had nearly 20 kids.

I may have mentioned a time or two how I feel about parents who turn their kids loose. No supervision. This leaves me in an awkward position. I can either yell at the kids, or implore the parents to take charge. I choose to bypass the parents, since they would have the children under control if they were into parenting.

Just awhile ago I yelled at a little boy for playing with the pool equipment. His mother was on the phone, chain-smoking with her back to the child in the pool area. As I walked over to finish my chores for the day, she commented that she had told the kid to put "that thing" down, but he never listens to her. I said, "He didn't seem to have trouble following my directions when I told him to put it down." She said, "I am his mother, but he won't listen to me. We (I am assuming she is referring to herself and her parents) just got them back from their dad and they are acting like butt holes now."

I went on about my business, putting up the cleaning equipment and weeding 60' of fence line. She seemed to be pretty self involved, intent on her phone conversation and a marathon smoking event. I wondered if she was in a contest to see just how fast she could smoke that pack of cigarettes.

Last weekend a couple spent most of their time in the store, eating ice cream and just generally taking up my time. They ran up a sizable tab, and I found it a little strange that they were only treating themselves and not their kids. But, not my business. I was happy to see Sunday come.

Sundays are my happy days. Most campers are busy packing up and getting ready to pull out. I can indulge in some outdoor time as long as I stay close to the door and have the phone. I was weeding in my fairy garden when a camper alerted me to cries for help coming from the men's room.

I approached cautiously and a little boy was at the door peeking out a narrow opening. I asked if he was okay. He nodded yes, I asked if he needed help and he pointed to the toilet paper and his bum. This is where I draw the line. The kid looked to be 7 or 8 and should have been able to accomplish this task on his own. But, here's the deal, people .... if your child needs help in the bathroom, perhaps you should accompany him when he goes. It is not a good idea to ask strangers to wipe your butt!

You're So Vain

Have you heard about the eclipse? Been all over the news, signs on the Interstate, seems like everybody is talking about it. If you don't know about it .... well, I don't know what to tell you.

We are right in the path for best viewing. I have been booked solid for at least a month. I have a waiting list for cancellations. All the RV parks are booked. It is kind of a big deal. Talk is that Interstate 70 will close for the event. Signs are warning about delays and to plan ahead. Not only traffic on the road, but they are expecting people to arrive early to claim a space on the shoulder of the Interstate, with a cooler full of drinks and food.

I hear that some enterprising businesses are hiking their rates for the event. Motel and Hotel rooms for up to $1100 a night!! I did not raise my rates, but I do plan to enforce check-out time for all those campers who want to stick around and take advantage of my hospitality and leave sometime in the evening. I just imagine that the roads will be grid-locked anyway.

So, I now dread answering the phone. One man asked me what he was supposed to do when I told him I was booked solid. His tone was accusing, like it was my fault he had not though ahead. At least he called. I told one tent site seeker that I could put over flow tents in my open fields ..... the caller wanted to know if I would allow campfires.

I immediately said "NO". I can just imagine what my park would look like with the grass all burned up in circles. From space it would look like crop circles and there would be an investigation about who I was trying to communicate with.

But this evening as I was puttering around outside, a truck pulled in followed by a motor home. I walked reluctantly into the office to help the woman emerging from the truck. I was met with the exclamation/question "I bet you remember me!" She looked familiar, but, really, no. I remember people who endear themselves to me or annoy me with damages and complaints. I remember the kind man who held my hands and prayed softly when I started crying about my Daddy dying. I remember the family that tried to kill my bat population with rocks, and stole all our firewood.

After establishing my non-remembrance, she asked for FOUR sites for big RV's. "For tonight?" But, no she wants to stay until next Tuesday! "Oh, you have reservations?" She looked at me like I had suddenly grown a second head. She points to the area of the park nearest the pool and said that is where she would like to be. Took awhile to explain the concept of reserving a spot ahead of time. Not sure where she came from, but she did look a bit distressed, saying her husband was going to be "so mad".

She was right about that. I just wish they had taken the argument home, or anywhere else. They decided to hash things over in the exit drive. Side by side, truck and motor home, each with wheels in the grass. At one point he sprang down from the driver's and opened the passenger door on the truck to yell at her. Bet she is not having a good night, but nothing I can do about it.

That line from the Carly Simon song keeps running through my mind "and you blew your winnings up at Nova Scotia to see the total eclipse of the sun" .........

School Is In Session

Yesterday was almost perfect! A nice breeze and overcast all day long. The sky was bruised with dark clouds that threatened to rain, but the rain never came. No swimmers to deal with and I managed to complete my entire mowing assignment. This usually takes two days. I even grabbed some down time to enjoy a dip in the pool mid-way through the mowing.

Today is sunny and beginning to turn hot. I will be cooling my fast moving heels in Walmart. I need dog food and bleach ..... and other things. This will mean that HeWho loves to run errands will be here, on his own to deal with swimmers. I suppose I could have skipped that extra hour of sleep and gone on when I got up with the critters at 5:30. I would have been back in time for the pool crowd. Instead I turned that last hour into three hours and slept until 8:30.

I was hung over from too much sleep and had to linger over coffee while watching Seth Meyers on  Late Night. That woke me gently and then I had to check my list and make sure I had everything on it. I even put some make-up on and dressed in un-stained clothing. This would make me the elite Walmart shopper. No slippers and pj pants with a t-shirt and no foundation garments for me!

While I was doing all these things, HeWho discovered that the bolt on the new mower blade did not fit the mower. This is the second one he has ordered. We own 3 push mowers, but at any given time, only 2 will be working. We are down to one and I am loathe to share. When I need to mow, I need to mow. Anyhoo, he had to make a trip to town. Since I knew he would be going anyway, I handed the water sample for DNR (dept. of natural resources ...... not a medical term that would make you wonder) and I now await his return.

I could just leave. He already fueled my vehicle, but it will be better if I wait and give him instructions about what to do in my absence. He is needy like that. Of course, we could just text back and forth, we will do that anyway. He always wants to know when I am done and on my way.

And here he is! To burst my bubble ..... school started today and he will not be busy with swimmers.

"Are you still there??" "No hurry, take your time, just wanted to know how much longer you will be." Don't know why I put that in quotes, because that is not what shows up on my screen. He talks to his phone and I translate.

Toddler Behavior

It has been a little slow today. Slow enough for me to weed the front gardens, do two loads of laundry, pick and shell a basket of peas and poach some fresh peaches. A pleasant day.

After all my activity I was content to sit down after eating my dinner. I was listening to an audio book and playing with a puzzle on Jigidi. You know, just winding down. A camper pulled in and I was getting him taken care of and another camper came in right behind him. I was busy, but I never want to overlook someone waiting. I asked the lady who came in if she was with the man I was helping, then told her I would be right with her. A young man and a girl of maybe 10 came in and I looked up at them while the credit card machine was chatting with the bank and asked if I could help them.

"We just want to swim." says the young man who could not have been older than 25. I glanced at the clock and saw that it was 5:30 and said that I was sorry, the pool closes at 5 on the weekends. He sneered at me and said "Do what?" I repeated myself and he told me that was pretty stupid to close the pool early on the weekends. I shouldn't have even tried, but I explained to him that the weekend people camping here liked to use the pool and that I was pretty full.

He looked down at the girl and said, "Let's get out of here and go somewhere else ......" He was muttering and my bank transaction was over, I went back to my original customer to show him how to get to his site. Both campers commented on the rudeness of the young man.

Before I could finish hi-lighting the map, the man was back to tell me there was no one in my pool. I have been known to break my rules and let people swim a little longer or even give them a reduced rate if they have arrived right before the pool closes. My prerogative to do so, after all I own the place. On a hot summer day I just can't turn a child away with their disappointed eyes. But this guy was rude.

"So, you think I should break the rules just for you?" I asked. He told me I was stupid, that he swims here all the time and had been coming here all his life. "Then you should know the hours the pool is open." He then repeated that he had been coming here all his life and had never had a problem until NOW "with YOU". I have never seen this man before. I told him I have been here for 13 years and this is the first time I have ever seen him.

I did not break the rules for the rude young man and my campers applauded me. Seems like nowadays people want to be rewarded for their bad behavior. They seem to think that creating a scene will get them what they want.

And here's the deal. The pool hours have been in place all season. Before we bought the park, the pool hours were 1pm-5pm weekdays only. My weekday hours are 11am-7pm and weekends are Noon-5pm. So if his swimming experience happened before my time, he would not have been swimming on a Saturday. The woman before me was a stickler for rules. If you arrived 20 minutes early, you sat in your car and waited. I will remind the early arrivals of the pool hours, but I will let them get in the pool early.

And I was having such a pleasant day. Such is life.

Basic Anatomy

You may recall me mentioning the current ailment of HeWho mows and still tows. He grimaces and sort of moans a lot while shoving his hand up under his left rib cage. I think shoving his hand under his ribs is the cause of the pain .... but that's just me.

He had a CT scan and he does have a gall stone, but it is not blocking a duct. No surgery in his near future unless things change. You would think this is good news. I did. But, HeWho will jump up and take a tow call without a second thought, seemed a little disappointed. He is still shoving his hand under his ribs and grumbling about his pain.

After a restless night dealing with itching and warm dog bodies sleeping too close to me, I admit that my sympathy level for his pain is a little low. So today, he sat down on the couch in the store, hand shoved up under his ribs on the LEFT side of his body and announced that he had located the gallstone and he could feel it.

I started laughing and asked him if he even knew where his gallbladder was located. He said, "Yeah, right here." He indicated his abdomen where he had his hand. I was almost sorry to burst his bubble, but I did. What ever he "felt" was not a gall stone. Probably some bruised tissue from all that hand shoving he has been doing.

Nothing in this world is quite as entertaining as an ailing man. Funny thing is that he should have a basic understanding of anatomy. He was an EMT and I was an ER nurse. That is how we met almost 43 years ago. A lot of things have changed, but I am pretty sure our basic anatomy is not one of them! I no longer have a gall bladder, but I do know where it used to be!

Weekends and Questions

Still having a run of unfortunate events here. I am still battling the poison whatever. Foundation garments make me want to scream and my skin is so dried out, it should start to peel away soon. Sleep is next to impossible without Benadryl. Add a nice glass of white wine and all is well in the world for about 4 hours.

We are completely booked for the Eclipse. The phone seems to be ringing non-stop and I am having to turn folks away. This should make me feel secure, but it doesn't.

I woke to damp cloudy skies this morning. That made me happy. We really need some rain and rain means no swimmers and cancellations ......
This should not make me happy, but it does. I got out the door early and went to the grocery and them to speak to the pharmacist about my rash. I came back with some stuff to cleanse the tender skin with and hopefully stop the spread. We will see.

Before I could even get in the house with my groceries and before I open the store, the first camper pulled in. This does not bode well for my day. I am not in  good frame of mind as I check them in and remind them that check-in is AFTER NOON. I should have added an early check-in fee, but I will make a sign first. Another sign that no-one will read until I point it out to them.

The phone kept me hopping while I was at the grocery and all the way home. Hasn't stopped since. I took a reservation for Oktoberfest and was going about my business when the same party called back to cancel. She informed me that I have "a lot" of bad reviews on line. Two. One was about me not wanting to run a credit card for a $1 purchase and the other one was about my bathrooms "being ok-ish". The woman felt like she needed to cancel and then bring this to my attention. I already knew about them and told her that I don't respond to them. The fact that I am at 75% capacity speaks for itself. Still ..... this did nothing to elevate my mood.

Then I got into a rather lengthy discussion about which side of the camper the hook-ups are on. I never use "right" or "left" when having this discussion. It all depends on perspective when using those terms. The hook-ups are always on the driver's side. Trust me, they are. The passenger side has the door to enter and exit. I promise you, this is true. But .... if you are standing in front of your travel trailer, the hook-ups are on the right side. If you stand behind it, they will be on the left side. Just know that I will definitely have you enter the site so that your hook-ups will be facing my hook-ups. I promise.

"What do you do if it rains?" And, yes, I was asked this question last week. I told her that I go inside. I have been known to stay outside in a gentle rain and garden, but mostly, I just go inside until it stops. Of course that is not what she meant. I do not refund in the event of rain. Oddly enough, I have no control over the weather.

It is only 3:00 and I am longing for bedtime. It is going to be a long, long day. Six more hours.

Stranger Danger

TGIM ....... Thank God it's Monday. I made it through the weekend in a Benadryl haze. The poison whatever has spread. In order to sleep, I am slathered in Caladryl and taking Benadryl by mouth. It is hard to wake up. Saturday morning I did not wake up until 9:30! Since I am supposed to open at 9:00, this was a bit of a problem.

I had the fastest shower ever and opened at 9:40, hair still wet. I blundered through the day in a fog, as I had to reapply the Caladryl every few hours. I  drank too much coffee and paid for it when bedtime rolled around.

I was more lucid, but still itching Sunday. All this itching and scratching makes me irritable and impatient. So, when a tenant using the laundry facilities, came in to tell me about a vagrant hanging out in the park, I was ready for a confrontation.

I rounded the corner to see a man exiting the restroom. I asked him what he was doing here and he stated that he was using the bathroom in an indignant tone. He had a bicycle with him and I have been told that he has been lurking around for several days, using the facilities and just riding around and sitting around on various sites.

I told him that my facilities were for my tenants and paying guests and that he would need to leave. He informed me that he had no idea this was a private park. On his way out, he stopped to talk to another ne'er do well heading into the park. They both finally left. I alerted HeWho mows that I had spoken to the man.

Shortly after that, it was brought to my attention that bicycle man was standing across the road, watching the park. The man was unkempt and creepy looking. His clothes were filthy and would appear to be his only apparel, as everyone who had seen him said he had the same clothes on for every occasion he was seen here.

I called for a deputy to come out and check the guy out. I can't have strangers hanging out in my park. Two deputies responded and spoke with the man. He told them he was staying with some friends who live "down the road". They told him to stay out of our park and went on their way.

He showed up later, standing across the road and staring at the park. Nothing I can do about that. But, it is creepy. As I told individual long term campers to be on the look-out, I discovered that things have gone missing and odd things have been tampered with.

I have seen him since cycling down the road and giving me the stink-eye. I suppose he thinks I am a monster, denying him the use of my facilities. The state park is right down the road, but that doesn't make me feel any more secure.

I just wish he would go on his way and leave me here to complain about my poison whatever rash.

Friday Woes

Maybe my run of undesirable encounters will end today ...... too late, already had two and I am not even open.

So, there I was, in my garden picking beans and gathering tomatoes and pulling a few weeds. Minding my own business, hidden behind the remaining corn stalks. I heard a semi on the road, changing gears as he tried to back up. I watched as he tried to maneuver his BIG trailer. Looked like he might be thinking to use the back entrance to the rest area that is across the road from my park. I already knew he would not be able to accomplish such a feat. Many have tried, all have failed. The opening is narrow and the small drive to the fence is just big enough for a car. It would be a hard turn going forward for him.

Usually what has happened is that they have turned onto my road (the frontage road that runs parallel to the entrance ramp for the interstate), thinking they are entering I-70. About the time they realize their error, and decide to just stay on this road to the next exit; they encounter the sign telling them that the road is a dead end. They start looking for  place to turn around. They see the entrance to the rest area to their left and the entrance to my park with a lovely long driveway leading to a huge parking lot and keep pulling forward. That is when savvy drivers who read signs will see my sign under the "ENTER HERE" that says "NO TURN AROUND".

The driver realized he would fail in his attempt to use the rest area and pulled into my drive. He was going to pull in and back out. Feeling generous and mindful of the fact that had read and intended to obey my sign, I headed to the parking lot to let him know he could pull in and go out the exit drive. He was pulling forward again and was turning his cab into the grassy field when he saw me and waved.

I was feeling all noble and nice, as I let the man come through. That feeling went away as I watched him plow through my garden with the back wheels of the trailer.

See where he enters the garden adjacent to the extra wide driveway.

Continuing forward, not slowing down, but increasing his speed ......

Pulling rocks along with his tires.

Taking out cone flowers and cosmos. Never slowed down. He could have swung wide and had he been going slower, this would all have been avoided. I did the man a favor by letting him come through .....

No good deed goes unpunished, right? There was a big wreck on the interstate and several cars came through, thinking to by-pass it and jump on at the next exit. They disregarded all signs and came in the exit drive and back out the entrance drive. This happens pretty frequently. I thought about putting up gates, but they would just plow through the open fields if I did that.

You might recall the lady who plugged in my washer that was marked out of order as I wait for the right size coin box ....... She decided to leave a day early. Said it was because we are having flash floods here tomorrow. First I heard about it, nothing on the weather report indicates it.

But that is not the best part. She wanted a refund. I had given her a weekly rate. She wanted to be refunded for one night, because of those flash floods, you know ........

I looked at the receipt and reminded her that she had been given a discount in the form of a weekly rate. She continued to wait for a day's rent back, so I grabbed my handy dandy calculator and told her I would be happy to refund her at the daily rate of $35 ....... but that she would owe me $10, since I would not be including a discount for the days she occupied the site.

Funny, she was no longer interested in a refund. My poison whatever continues to plague me with intense itching. Mainly on my right hand. I must have pulled my gloves off to answer the phone, then transferred the poisonous oil to the inside of those gloves. My palm and in between my fingers is making me a little insane. And it is Friday, in a campground .......

I Must Not Be Good With People

Continuing in the same run of bad luck with people ..... I woke early this am to make sure that HeWho is still complaining about his side (he will be more than happy to lift his shirt to display the area in question, right below his ribcage, while he pushes his hand up and under his ribs) would not be late for his CT scan.

The weather was pleasant and I cleaned up my back yard and mowed, then hung out my laundry and headed over to the pool to do a general clean up and skim the water. I picked up straws, water bottles, broken toys and cigarette butts. I refused to be pushed into a bad mood. It was quiet and I had donned my swim suit before I put my shorts on to mow. I had 30 glorious minutes and had every intention of floating on my back until time to open the store .......

As I came around the building the phone rang. I could hear two people having a conversation about the pool. No one answered when I announced my greeting. I heard a woman say that she thought the pool opened at 11 because she read it on the sign. They were in two cars in front of the store.

Sighing deeply, I detoured from the pool and approached them. They wanted to know what time the pool opened and I told them. The woman said, "Oh, just like the sign says."

They hollered to the man from the other vehicle who was apparently roaming in my vegetable garden and he appeared and they left ...... both disregarding the signs telling them they were going the wrong way and "DO NOT ENTER".

I was preoccupied. Worried about HeWho and his CT scan. I got in the pool and was all set to float away until I noticed the tiny white Styrofoam balls clinging to the sides of the pool. I guess some body had a floatation device that leaked. I got out and grabbed the skimmer and got to work. They were tenacious, those tiny bits of Styrofoam. I ended up getting them out by hand. If you tried to net them, the already netted ones would float out and back onto the sides of the pool. I gave up on my desire to float since my time was dwindling away.

I pulled all the skimmer baskets. I could write a chapter on odd things found in them. Todays find was the strip one finds in the crotch of a new swimsuit. I suppose the wearer did not remove it before donning the suit?

Having finished cleaning the pool, I was about to pull the liners in the recycle and trash cans when a 5th wheel entered the park. I still had 10 minutes before opening at 11 and check-in is not until AFTER noon (since check out is noon). I stopped my task and headed up to the office to find a woman tapping her foot impatiently.

"Hi, can I help you?" I ask, as I approach. She snapped out that she needed propane. "Oh, I am sorry, my husband is not here right now and I am not authorized to fill." She jerked back, as if I had struck her and said, "WHAT?"

I repeated myself and I don't know why I chose to share that he was at the hospital having a procedure done. She then went into a tirade and told me that she just got the camper and was told to come to a campground to have it filled. She has lived here for 9 years and she never even knew this place existed ..... and where would she be able to find some propane. I gave her directions to my competitor across the Interstate.

I went on about my business and was feeling quite pleased with my accomplishments of the morning. I grabbed a sports drink and was about to call HeWho and check on him when my phone rang. The woman needing propane did follow my directions and was able to get her tank filled. But she told my competitor/friend what a bitch I was! She indicated that I lied about where my husband was! I have no idea what I did or said to leave her with that impression.

I was even using my calm persona, not the fake cheerful one. To make it all even better ...... I came into contact with some poison ivy/oak/sumac whatever. I had gloves on! It is on my hands, between my fingers and (joy of joys) on my eyelids! To add insult to injury (or vice-versa) a wasp stung me under my upper arm, too.

People ..... Continued .....

Yesterday was pretty much a wasted day. It rained overnight and made for such good sleeping, I slept until almost 9. HeWho has been complaining with pain in his side had already made his breakfast run.

HeWho went to the clinic last Friday (without me) and he might have gall stones. I know this because I have spoken with the clinic. They have scheduled a CT scan for this Thursday. The pain is not enough for drug intervention and we had to get approval from our insurance carrier first.

Anyhoo, since he was up for just sitting around today, we did just that. We even watched a movie. Not uninterrupted, of course, but it was minimal. I felt like I should be doing something, so I went outside. The breeze is delightful and I was happily pulling weeds in my garden when my bubble was burst.

About 7 weeks ago I had two campers come in for monthly, long term sites. The man who contacted me initially had indicated they would probably be here through the winter. To accommodate them we put aside other projects to get two new sites done and put the water line deep enough for year round use. They nature of their work has them here for a period of time and home for a week. Since they would not be actually living here the entire month I gave them a really good price.

I don't like to take advantage of people and always try to be fair with my pricing. One of them decided to pull his camper home with him for 10 days. He was sitting on a site that was reserved for the 4th of July weekend. We offered to dry store it or put it on anther site until the new site was ready. He said he wanted to take it home, since he had planned a trip anyway. I told him I would credit those days to him.

When it came time for the next month of rent, the man who had been here all along told me they would both be leaving on the 31st. I prorated his rent and he paid me for the remaining time. Trip man said nary a word to me. I figured we were even with the credit for the days he was gone.

Yesterday, August 1st, as he was pulling out he stopped and came over to my garden where I was happily pulling weeds to inquire about HIS REFUND. I applied his 10 day credit to the additional 2 weeks he stayed and was willing to call it even. But he said he thought I owed him 4 days.

Not only does he have problems with math, but he signed a long term lease. I have never held anyone to a lease, I just expect to be paid for the time the camper sits on my site and a little notice would be nice. What is wrong with people?

People .....

People continue to astound me. Yesterday, as I was heading into the office to check in a camper, I encountered a swim suit clad  woman going in at the same time. As July winds down and the beginning of anther school year looms large, things tend to slow down enough to allow me some outside time during the day.

As the couple were filling out the registration, I asked the lady wrapped in a towel if I could be of assistance. She handed me a $5 and asked for quarters for the washers. Then she asked me if she could be allowed to hang her laundry on the fence around the pool to dry .......

I can honestly say that this request was a first. Her reasoning was that I only have two dryers, but I have 3 washers. While this is true, one of the washers is out of commission while waiting for a new coin box. The new coin box had arrived, but was the wrong size, so, the washer had been unplugged ....

I asked if she was using that washer and she indicated that she was, she said it worked just fine. I told her that I knew it worked, but that it was lacking a coin box. She stared at me, at a loss for words, so I asked where the coins she had inserted to activate the washer had gone and she said she didn't know. HeWho has been under the weather happened to be lounging in his chair, so I alerted him to the situation. "Honey, I thought you had unplugged the washer that is waiting for parts." He assured me that he had, indeed, done so. "Well, that washer is in use."

He headed out to address the situation while I checked in the campers. Upon his return, he told me that he not only unplugged the washer again, but turned off the water. There was almost $5 in quarters in the open area waiting for the coin box. While he was turning off the water, the woman gathered the coins and was going to keep them!!

He asked her if she had taken the coins and she said that she had, so he stuck out his hand. She reluctantly gave them up. But she had put them with her coins, so who knows if she gave them all to him?