This is my sweet son, Jeff. He was helping his dad clean out fire rings and empty trash. These are some of the things that folks who come out for a weekend of camping never think about. I had never thought much about it until we bought the kampground.
The tractor makes life a little easier for he who loves all things that have a motor and roll on wheels. I usually just take a bag at a time out and sling it into the dumpster. I can always leave the bags at the end of the sidewalk and he who loves me will pick them up with is tractor for me, though.
Boys never really grow up, the toys just get bigger.
Today is Thursday. I start to get ready for the weekend on Thursday. This is the day to mop the store and give it a good once over with a dust cloth. My family left Monday and I was a little weepy that day. I did laundry all day ...... lots of towels. Tuesday I cleared the fence around the pool to get it free of vegetation and ready for the new boardwalk to be constructed. I already had some patches of poison oak on my person from the re-stacking the firewood event, so I figured I would just go for broke.My dad had told me to purchase a bar soap that was used for laundry purposes. He said my Grandmom would make him bathe with this soap to prevent and help clear up poison ivy. I had searched for this soap and could not find it under the name he had given me. I did happen upon a bar of Fels Naptha soap in the laundry detergent aisle on a trip to WalMart. Figured it had to be very similar to the other and bought it. For a mere 97 cents. I have been using it since the last out break. It won't make the rash disappear, but it does keep it from spreading. It makes you feel squeaky clean. The only drawback is the dry skin, but that can't be helped until the rash is gone. It has occurred to me that I mention WalMart often enough to be paid!So, I awoke this morning feeling a lot less itchy and ready to get going on my chores. I prepared the mop bucket and quickly mopped my living quarters, changed the water and moved on to the store. I was ahead of schedule and was thinking about doing a little rearranging of some merchandise. It was then, while totally distracted, that it happened. My right foot slipped and I went down on my left knee. Still holding on to the mop and trying to catch myself, the mop slid away from me and the handle whacked me in the head while my right foot slid out in front of me and my left leg, bent at the knee, went behind me. I did a split! First thing I did was to look around and out the window to make sure no one witnessed this amazing feat. Then I managed to pull myself into a sitting position to access the damage. My knee was a little bloody. That's all that is visible. I thanked the good Lord for my good fortune ....... since He knows I don't have health insurance. I am sore from stretching all those muscles, but I did a split! You may laugh now ............Frustration? The frustration is with blogger. I can comment on some of the blogs I follow, but some just keep asking me to re enter my e-mail address and password. When I do, the comment disappears. Very frustrating. I am open to suggestion .........
Meet Zara, my three year old granddaughter. She is one determined girl. She likes my cinnamon buns, it seems. Just look at that happy face!
I wake with the sun most mornings. In the winter months, it is easy to roll over and go back to sleep. But, during the spring, summer and fall, there is too much to do. After being house bound all winter I am ready to be outside anyway. So, while the coffee was brewing I tossed the laundry in the machines and found the bathrooms to be as clean as I left them the night before. Coffee cup in hand, I took advantage of my reprieve of not having to scrub toilets and took a little walk around my world. The happy frog windsock was a gift from a kamper passing through.
This old porch swing was left after the garage(less) sale. I dare not hang it, lest it become a liability. But, with some tree stump bottoms, it becomes a bench. I thought about painting it, but I kind of like the green ........ Thanks, Julie!
I have finally managed to get out all my froggy decor that has been stored inside all winter. Every year I tell myself that I will remember where I put it ........... and every year it is an adventure to find it all. Oh, well. Sweet Nan made this one for me and it holds a special place of honor.
It has been hot and the pool has been busy. The pool is open to the public daily from 11 am until 7 pm. I have said those words at least one thousand times. I also say, "No eating, drinking, or smoking inside the pool area; we have provided a pavilion for that purpose." There are signs on the restrooms to remind you not to smoke in them. Signs, words .......... no one is listening or reading. Some days are just that way. Today was one of them. At 6:45, I put a sign in the door and slipped out to the side yard to stack the wood pile and attack some weeds. I worked until almost 8:00. I noticed that some of my swimmers were still at the pool, so I walked over and said, "Hey you guys, you do know that the pool closes at 7, don't you?" One man didn't even turn to look at me, but said, "We'll get ready to go in just a bit." Like he was dismissing me. So I told them it was almost 8:00. The other gentleman informed me that he knew Drew and that maybe I should put a ***damn clock up. He also told me that he would tell Drew. I just looked at him. Tell Drew what, I wondered as I walked away to go clean the restrooms. I also wonder what he will think the next time he tries to sign in to swim and I tell him he is banned from the pool. The very first thing I notice as I approach the restrooms is the lights on and the doors open. I go into the laundry room to gather my supplies and notice the foul odor, then see the nasty swim diaper in the trash can along with half eaten food. This is a small trash can for things like dryer lint, etc. I clean that mess up and go on to the men's room. The disgusting odor of cigarette smoke greets me. As if I wasn't already in a crappy mood, someone has peed on the toilet seat. I am assuming it was a child, but having met the nice gentleman demanding a clock at the pool, I can't be sure. The ladies room was a real treat. A swim diaper full of poop is in the shower stall along with a cigarette butt. The water was running in the sink and it looks like someone had a water gun fight.So, I decided I needed to take a walk through my gardens to calm down .........
The peaches are coming along nicely. Looks like I will have lots, too.
This garden is on the side of the building, I see it when I wake up each morning from my bedroom window. Know what these are? This is one of those happy mistakes. I planted onions here last year and didn't harvest all of them before it got cold. I had no idea they would survive the winter, but they did. They aren't fit to eat and I could have pulled them up and added them to the compost bin, but I decided to let them go to seed.
I like them. They add height. There is rosemary and basil planted here, too. I can just go out and snip what I need when I am cooking.
This hosta looks like it is on steroids!
My tiger lilies have started to open. The weedy looking stuff on the ground is marigolds just coming up.
These tiger lilies are very hardy and I have found that they will grow just about anywhere.
For some reason known only to blogger, I am unable to post more pictures. This garden is 4 years old. It started as a low spot of the lawn that I hated to mow. Any amount of rain would result in a soggy ground that was difficult to mow and easy to lose one's footing in. If he who only rides to mow tried, it resulted in deep grooves from the weight of the mower carrying him, so it was left for me to handle with the push mower. I don't mind pushing a mower. I need to walk anyway and I might as well push something as I go. Mowing is kind of like painting ......... you get to see the results right away.But, this low area was hard to mow and when it dried out, the grass was sparse and unsightly. So, I decided that it needed lots of dirt brought in to create another spot for a garden. I wasn't sure what the shape would be or what I wanted to plant. I like to let these things evolve, you know. I commissioned he who loves his loud equipment to climb upon his trusty tractor with the bucket on the front to go forth and bring me some dirt! He had told me that he had a spot in the field that had some nice rich dirt with no weeds. I believed him. He brought load after load of this "clean" dirt to the designated spot while I was busy with swimmers. I happily anticipated leveling my dirt and planting some flowers. At closing time I eagerly grabbed the hoe and garden rake to get started............ You can only imagine my disappointment when I saw the weeds sticking out of each and every pile of soil. "Um, I thought you said this was weed free ......" "Those are wild flowers!" "No, really, those are weeds."We went back and forth, but nothing could be done at that point. Some one had given me one of those giant packet of wild flower seed, so I strewed them about and waited to see what would happen. I didn't like the results. The flowers were tall and leggy and looked all weedy and scraggly. So, I pulled them all up and started over. It has taken four years of constant weeding and mulching and finally it looks the way I want it to. Tiger lilies are in the middle and the area facing the front is lined with day lilies. Hostas circle the area near the maple tree and the ground cover, that I do not have a clue as to the name, adds a lovely yellow hue. The iris in front of the tiger lilies is just beginning to bloom. Soon there will be marigolds popping up every where. I save the seed every year and simple toss it on the ground before I add mulch every spring.The sycamore tree started out as nothing more than a stick coming out of the ground. That must have been in the "clean" dirt from the field. I suppose the tree makes up for all the weeding ......
I overslept. It was almost 8:00 when I dragged myself out of bed. I was cranky and out of sorts as I stumbled around trying to organize my thoughts. I needed coffee, but I also needed to get the rest rooms cleaned and mopped. And there was a little issue of dog incontinence to deal with.As I brushed my teeth, I prioritized. I grabbed some laundry to toss in the washers as I scrubbed bathrooms. I decided that coffee would have to wait until I opened the store and was stuck firmly behind that counter. He who is making the major trip to Sam's to restock the store had left me sleeping while he did his morning drive through the park with Wall-E the wonder dog in tow. Upon finding his wife up and about when he returned, he set about to annoy me with questions. I am not nice to be around before the magic of caffeine has soothed me. Did you make a list? Where did you put my list? No, don't stop mopping the bathroom, just tell me where you put it ............ I did stop what I was doing so I could get him on his way. I went back out to attend to my morning chores. Without the sound of his voice firing questions at me, I noticed another sound. It sounded like a diesel engine running. I looked in the direction of the sound and saw nothing, just empty sites. It was the chorus of the cicadas singing in the trees. They are out there just waiting to see the lights come on ............. then they will invade the rest rooms!The lights outside the rest rooms illuminate the building for night time relief. Campers will use the facilities, neglecting to flip the switch that will douse the lights in the bathroom and leave the door wide open ............. inviting all manner of insects and critters to come on in. And they do. I have been seen encouraging frogs out the door with my broom. Anything bigger will have to be a job for he who is my hero (I am delicate, I tell you). The mosquitoes love the warm cocoon of the lighted space and apparently, so do the cicadas.People will smack mosquitoes onto the wall and leave a smear of mosquito goo on the walls. Some very tall people will take on the task of smashing bugs up high, out of my reach. In the past I have had to drag a step stool out with me to clean this up. But, I had an epiphany the other day and decided that a sponge mop would do the trick. O'Cedar makes a good mop. The sponge side is down, but there is a scrubbing strip on the side that is easy enough to access by turning the handle. I cleaned the ceiling and most of the walls in the men's room this morning. The ladies room will have to wait until tomorrow. The tiny little speckles of night bugs came off the ceiling easily, as well as the smeared mosquitoes .......... but, cicada juice is not easily removed. Rusty colored cicada juice is every where. I will now spend my free time researching ways to clean up cicada juice. The carcasses land on the floor and are easily swept away. I am thinking I should put them in the compost bin.
This is my sweet son, Jeff. He was helping his dad clean out fire rings and empty trash. These are some of the things that folks who come out for a weekend of camping never think about. I had never thought much about it until we bought the kampground.
The tractor makes life a little easier for he who loves all things that have a motor and roll on wheels. I usually just take a bag at a time out and sling it into the dumpster. I can always leave the bags at the end of the sidewalk and he who loves me will pick them up with is tractor for me, though.
Boys never really grow up, the toys just get bigger.
