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.