A Trip Back In Time

I find myself less than inspired lately. I have plenty to write about, just not motivated to get it all down. It is, after all, the end of the season and I am not as young as I used to be. This was made all too clear last week when a young military family checked in for the evening. I offered the discount that I do to all active and non-active military families as a thanks for their service. The wife and children came in to check out the contents of my store after they had gotten set up. Yvonne happened to be here, in my house when the lady came in. Since I knew they were moving to Wichita, and that is where Yvonne had lived, I mentioned it. I cannot remember what curve the conversation took, but the lady mentioned how nice it was to have my daughter here with me.


I am a mere seven years Yvonne's senior. I would be lying if I said that I was not affected by this assumption. Yvonne is a very youthful looking almost 50 year old and I have never been ashamed to own my 57 years. I have been told that I look younger than I am ................ I can only assume that I was not having a very good day as far as looks go. I am tired. But, I haven't noticed a drastic change in my appearance. Maybe I need a new mirror, or should I have my eyes checked.


I colored my hair today. I washed that gray away. Then I carefully applied make-up before opening the store. I feel the same, though. Tired, counting the hours until bedtime. Must have something to do with all the sneezing and itchy eyes. Allergies, I suppose. The little heat wave has got things blooming that normally aren't blooming this time of year. That must be it, cause I know I am not old!
Last week Yvonne and I went on our Amish adventure. Seems like we drove forever down roads that look much like this one.

This sign is not very clear, but it says 'HalleluYah Way'.

I love this dwelling with the wash on the line in the front yard. Maybe that was the side yard, the front could have been down that little trail.

The horse has turned to watch Yvonne as she takes his picture. The passenger dog was as sweet as could be!

I didn't see any handicapped parking spaces at the store.

Look at those mums! They were cheap, too. I didn't get any, though. I wanted to spend my money on honey and spices.

I want to go back in the spring. There is a seed store, but we didn't go. In the spring, that is when I want to hit the seed store.

Every one was very friendly, even this little kitten! I found the honey and have been taking a tablespoon daily. He who sometimes mocks my efforts keeps asking if it has worked yet. I haven't answered yet. Besides the honey I found so many treasures. I got some beef jerky for my dad. I used to buy it for him in Minnesota until I could no longer find it. My dad loves beef jerky and dried fruit. The spices were priced so reasonably. I stocked up on the ones I use the most and found some I have been unable to find before. I was so glad I went.

Despite the fact that Yvonne has been chortling merrily as she teases me good naturedly about being her mom, I will no doubt go on another adventure with her. She even had her husband ask what he should be calling me now. He wanted to know if "Mum" would be okay. I laugh along with them, because I know the day will come when I will get them back. I am just waiting and watching for that perfect opportunity ..............

Happy Birthday, Clair Stine!!!

October 12 was my my good friend, Clair's birthday. The Kan-Do birthday Frog went on a little trip to High Hill and landed here in Clair's yard ...............

He told me later that Clair actually thought vandals had defaced the property when he looked out his window that morning! Yvonne is a sneaky one, planting the frog in the night for a birthday surprise.

This was also the day that Yvonne and I went to Amish country on our adventure. We were happily exploring the stores when none other than the birthday boy shows up!!

Clair is Yvonne's dad and I have adopted him. My dad is so far away and I get to see my friend's dad every weekend when he stops in for a sticky bun. After I sang a birthday ballad we posed for a picture. Isn't he so cute!

He is also responsible for all the new site numbers popping up all over the park. Not only does he cut out the froggy shape, but he even helps paint them! What a guy.

Happy Birthday, my friend!

Hannah Montana??

I escaped today. The kampground, that is. I went on an adventure with Yvonne. We got a late start and only hit three of the four places we wanted to see, but tomorrow is another day. I haven't told he who had to man the front desk today that we are planning to leave quite early in the morning. We are going to an Amish store where I hope to find home grown honey. I like honey. I like to put it in my hot tea. I suppose any honey will do to flavor it, but I want local honey. I am hoping to immunize myself by using local honey that should contain all the allergens in my area. Makes sense. Any excuse to shop, right?


So, today's adventure ended with a trip to WalMart. I got an e-mail this morning that depicted the people of WalMart ................. some of them were there!! But the one thing that sticks in my mind is the sales rack that had scrubs on it. You know, scrubs for the health professionals to attire themselves in. Am I the only one to not know that Miley Cyrus has managed to invade yet another clothing line with Hannah Montana scrubs?

Scary...........

I got over my irritation with he who is much loved by me ........... in spite of himself. I felt much better today and even got the fall decorations up. I am happy to have most of it out of the way. I am ready for Halloween ...............

This is one wicked looking cat! I have had it forever and it seems to get better with age.

I harvested the gourds. I am amazed at how many I got, since I didn't plant any. All the vines were volunteers from stray seed. Even the pumpkin. Do you see the frog hiding under one of the pumpkins?

I love my gourds, this one lends a lot of color to this old wreath.

Legend has it that I lent my broom to this witch........... I have another witch in the store that cackles and sings. My grandchildren firmly believe that it is my voice that has been taped. I do have a good witch voice, if I do say so myself.

This monkey heard my witch laugh and actually tied his arms around the chain in an effort to get away from me!

Now for the truly scary .......... This is the new radio in my golf cart. He who fancies sound to surround him built this lovely box thing and mounted the radio to the top of the canopy. I would have thought it should go in the dash. What do I know?

I suppose I will just be happy he did not drag out the compressor and the pneumatic nail gun. He shoots nails into things like it is a machine gun ............ instead of a nail every inch, there will be 100 nails per inch.

I confess that I am not without faults (no, really). My buddy, Yvonne and I went out prowling around the various antique and junk stores in town last week. On the way into town is a house that always has windows leaning against tress and such in the yard. We slowed as we approached and Yvonne proclaimed that we would be stopping on the way home. I wasn't all that keen on the idea, but she insisted. We approached the house that was surrounded with a fence and many barking small dogs. It would have been impossible to gain access to the door, but Yvonne shouted out a "hello" while I tried to hide behind her as a big puppy galloped over to us. He was not confined by any fence. He seemed happy to see us and the owner came from a deck on the back of the house to greet us. I let Yvonne do all the talking, since she was hell-bent on us stopping and I was little put off at the amount of junk we encountered just getting out of the car and approaching. There was a musty smell to the place and it was obvious that no-one in charge of policing the dog leavings.

We learned that the windows came out of homes that had the windows replaced and could be purchased for $5 each. I was ready to go and come back at a later time with he who has a truck. But no, Yvonne the Brave, insisted that we follow the lady through the back yard and over to the windows nestled in the knee high weeds to have a look-see. Having broken my foot FOUR times walking on unlevel surfaces I was stepping lightly and managed to avoid most hazards, including a rather impressive pile of dog poop. Yvonne The Inquisitive kept pace with out guide and saw a lot more than me. She even ventured into a trailer that had previously served as a chicken coop to view even more windows. I stayed closer to the road and look what we found!!! These were the side lights on a front door. And I want them! For what? I had no idea, other than the fact that they were double paned with leaded glass and they were coming home with me.

I drive a VW bug. No way will they fit in my car unless I dump Yvonne and make her walk home. Or maybe make her recline the seat and lay under the doors. Even though I considered both options, I called he who drives the truck and gave him his instructions to meet us at this house of many windows. Of course, I waited for him. I had to make sure he loaded the right ones. He was less than enchanted with my purchase. He lacks vision, this man I love. That is okay, I have enough for both of us. He buys electronics and houses them in ugly boxes ........ I buy unattractive items and use them creatively.

My guest room lacks a closet (no doubt due to the fact that I ripped the wall between the bedroom closets out to create a bigger closet for my room). I am getting rid of the bulky TV and mounting the flat screen on the wall. This leaves me with a rather large entertainment center that I no longer have use for in it's current state ....................... With a little imagination and careful use of a measuring tape I have determined that I can disassemble the unit and make an closet of sorts with hanging capacity on top and storage beneath. I can, in fact make two of them. They will flank the bed, much like night stands and have lights mounted on the sides for reading at night. The best part? Those ugly doors with the leaded glass windows will be cut to fit the "closet" top on the larger unit.

Profoundly Irritated

I know, I know ................ just positive thoughts. I can't help it today. The phone has rung no less than 100 times. Maybe not that much, but I have cauliflower ear right now. Nobody can pull into the assigned site. They think just because one is empty, it is there for the taking; and, no, it doesn't help that you call me to tell me that you chose another site. And, when I tell you I have no more full hook-up sites, asking me if I can just maybe come up with one only makes me more irritated. Like I am saving one and won't let them have it. I make more money on the full hook-up, so I rent those first. Even if they are empty when you pull in, folks smart enough to reserve a site in advance will be here ................ eventually.


I was so sick yesterday with stomach pains. I stayed on the couch reading in the land of blog and watching endless re-runs of Law and Order. If I tried to eat I hurt, if I didn't eat I hurt. I was absolutely miserable, but had to keep running to the office when a traveler would come in. We were busier than normal, but I figured if I could just make it through the evening, then crawl to my bed I would be okay. I made the mistake of trying to eat a little chicken broth after I locked up. It did not sit well. I hear that I moaned a lot in my sleep, but I felt much better this morning. Unfortunately, it didn't last and I feel pretty crappy as I am waiting for all my reservations to arrive.


The traffic must be pretty bad, it is almost 7 and I still have 11 reservations to arrive. This means they will all come at once. In the meantime, those folks traveling without reservations will start to pull in and be shocked to find that I cannot give them a full hook-up site. And this brings me to my profound state of irritation. He who is ADD and has to be told what needs to be done has spent the past week fixing his tractor in order to move a pile of rock that he had delivered and dumped at the end of a row of sites in the non-full-hook-up area. Instead of moving rock when he fixed his tractor ................... he installed a radio in the golf cart. The golf cart that I rarely use. The golf cart that now has all manner of tools in every nook and cranny. The golf cart that was supposed to be mine. This created a bit of a problem, since WE ARE FULL! And I need each and every site.


She who does not feel well called he who was playing with the golf cart and gave him a not so gentle reminder to move the rock. Yes, I am profoundly irritated and see no relief in site.

It Is All About The Frog..............

Some days I wonder why I do this job. But, there are those days that it all seems to make sense. I wonder why I drag myself out of bed while the sun is still asleep. Then I get the dough rising and creep out into the awesome quiet and even though I am cleaning bathrooms, all is well in my world. I get to walk through the grounds and check on my gardens while a sleepy cat winds her way between my ankles. Then I re-enter the building and smell the yeasty dough rising as the coffee brews. The dogs all lay sleeping with he who snores until the sweet smell of cinnamon permeates the air................

Then the phone's ring shatters the quiet and an early riser begins banging on the store door demanding coffee and sweet sustenance. The day begins as the breakfast crowd comes in full of news and happy banter. Sometimes an over-nighter will enter and sit a spell with the crowd. Some just sit and listen, while some seem to fit right in as if they had known them all forever. It puts a smile on my face and I realize the reason for my sleeplessness is right here. I can sleep late during the week!



Seems like we have worked extra hard this season with all the changes in the signage; but it is paying off A couple stopped over night not long ago. They came in because they saw the frogs on the signs and she is a lover of frogs ................ and she was wearing a Coke t-shirt!

She likes frogs so much that she wears them! You can't tell from the picture, but the arms and legs move. She assured me that our kampground would be a regular stop as they travel. I tell you, it is all about the frog!!!!!!

Life Can Be Sticky ......

I was gently chastised this morning for not posting last week. I did not realize a whole week had passed. The days seem to blend into each other with a brief respite of restless sleep thrown in. Just like Spring, Autumn is a very busy time for me. The garden is slowly yielding the last of it's bounty and I am pulling the remnants of what was healthy plants slowly. The corn has been gone, but I plant the beans and peas along side it to provide a structure on which to climb. My dream garden would be one that is raised a good two feet so that I could avoid bending so low.





The corn stalks have been removed to grace the front pillars and proclaim that winter is approaching. This year I got really crafty and used bean vines to secure them to the posts. I added some spent sunflower plants and a touch of the late flowering sedum to add a touch of color; but it needs something else to lift it out of the drab colorless state it is in. I would tramp through the woods for something interesting, but the fear of poison ivy keeps me confined to my own safe yard...............





The store is being re-merchandised to display possible gift items. I made doll clothes a couple of years ago. Whatever I am making is usually a reflection of what my grandchildren are wanting or needing. I made nightgowns for the girls and made matching ones for their dolls, then got a little carried away with doll clothes............



I borrowed a couple of dolls from my sweet Kiley and they are now displaying my dolly duds.

I even dressed a monkey. Now, this monkey looks more like the puppet, Lambchops. I made the ears a little over sized, but the skirt and blouse fit! The skirt closure in the back is a simple hook and eye and there was even a hole for the tail!

All the Christmas handbags are out, as well as the pillow cases. Doggone cute dog harnesses fill out the bottom shelf and with all the new little dogs in the kampground they have come in handy.

What do you do with slightly rusty, still functional folding chairs? I was hit with inspiration as I gathered all the empty 2 liter Diet Coke bottles left by he who drinks too much of this. Hmmm, since I collect Coke stuff I decided to make use of all those labels. A little spray adhesive and those labels are sticking to the chairs. This is after I painted the chairs red. Next I will be making new seat cushion covers out of a drop cloth that has been tie-dyed ............ or maybe I will have a paint flinging party. Who knows?

When using spray adhesive it is difficult to keep it off your fingers. You need to push the label down good and sometimes it will ooze out at a seam and you can't help getting it on your fingers. Getting it off presents a bit of a challenge, though. Regular soap and water didn't work and the bar of Lava soap wasn't doing the trick either. I happened upon a remedy to the situation, though, and am happy to share. You have all no doubt heard the jingle "When you pick up a pan, spray it with Pam". Mine goes like this.........."To unstick your hand, spray it with Pam". Or Great Value no stick vegetable cooking spray ........... it doesn't rhyme as well, though.

Coca Cola and frogs = Kando Kampground