Lawns, Roses, and Snakes Oh My!

Stix n Brix
Clayton, NC

It’s been more of the same stuff the past few days. While I was at work, Gin cleared out our home office. It’s her domain.  It’s amazing how many cables, phone cords, etc. accumulate over the years.  After taking those bags to the dump, I picked up the weed whacker that had just been serviced and did some yard work.  After mowing, edging, and spraying weed killer, I washed the last bit of pollen and spider webs off the house and washed the windows.  The house looks real good from the outside.  First impressions only happen once.

As I was about to finish washing the windows, I saw a long black snake on the pine straw.  I must have bothered him.  He’s kinda thin but I’m sure that he’ll find plenty of food around our pond.  Gin took his picture a couple of days ago.  I don’t kill black snakes but I don’t kiss them either.

 

The last bit of outside work for me was spraying the roses.  We have about a dozen bushes.  At one time, I doted over them.  Since we fell in love with rv’ing, they have been neglected.  When I was a kid, my folks had a rose garden and I enjoyed bringing Mom a fresh cut rose every few days.  A homegrown rose is so much more fragrant than a florist rose.  Needless to say, we have a half dozen red roses in a vase on the mantle right now.

 

This weekend is my nephew’s wedding.  I did a post in February about how fate stepped in to his life.  I always find it interesting how couples get together.  My mom’s house will be full of family so we are taking Wanda so that we can have our own space.  Smudge will be more comfortable too.  Yep, she’s spoiled.

I want to welcome the most recent followers of this blog, Emery Nash and Brenda A.  They both have interesting blogs and hopefully, I can keep mine interesting also.

Thanks for dropping by, and enjoy each day of your life’s journey by finding beauty in the ordinary.

Visiting RV Friends

Stix n Brix
Clayton, NC

We enjoyed a day off by visiting some good rv friends.  Jim & Linda are staying at Crosswinds CG in Jordan Lake State Park, and Dee & Jim are staying at the NC State Fairgrounds new area of 50amp FHU sites.  We joined Jim & Linda for a good lunch of grilled burgers, broccoli salad, and the best snap beans I’ve had in a long time.  Here’s Gin and Jim chatting outside and a bit of humor from Myrddin which has a Caterpillar engine (click a photo to enlarge).

 

After enjoying a brownie for dessert and more good conversation, we drove to Raleigh with Jim & Linda following.  It was time for more good conversation with Dee & Jim at their Cameo 5er.

 

Jim & Linda have been fulltime now for more than 10 years and Dee & Jim have been fulltime now for a little more than 1 year.  It was very relaxing and we loved listening to the conversation about following your dream.  They are starting to feel like family.

You may have noticed from the photos that there is a difference in the two campgrounds.  They’re both nice but in different ways.  The Fairgrounds is located in west Raleigh close to Cary and many medical facilities.  You can’t stay there in October because the Fair is in town.  This new area off of Youth Center Rd behind the Horse Complex is in the city but has a buffer of trees around it so it’s pretty and quiet.  They have planted a few trees amid the sites but it’ll be a while before there’s shade.  The sites are a little close but if they’re not busy (which is most of the time), there’s plenty of space.  It’s $25 for 50amp, water and sewer.

Jordan Lake State Park is a more rural location between Apex and Pittsboro and almost all of the sites are wooded.  There are some nice sites on the lakefront, but the aggravating thing is the gate.  It is locked at night and you may get caught high and dry if you get home late.  It’s $25 for 30amp and water.  Both places are limited to a 2 week stay and either would be ok to stay, depending on your preference.

Tomorrow is another day off and we will visit Gin’s folks.  Her mom just got out of the hospital and we need a little family time.

Thanks for dropping by, and enjoy each day of your life’s journey by finding beauty in the ordinary.

Yard Sale #3 and Miata

Stix n Brix
Clayton, NC

We’ve had some beautiful weather here the past couple of days so we took full advantage of it.  On Friday, we prepped for the yard sale.  The garage was full of stuff.  We had everything priced and closed the door by 8:00pm.  We were two tired dogs…make that three.

 

Saturday morning started bright and early.  At 6:15, Gin opened the garage door so that we could put a few small tables in the driveway.  Five minutes later, we had our first customer, never mind that the signs say 7:00.  Oh, and by 7:05, half of the stuff was gone.  Everything was pretty much gone by 8:00 so we closed up a few minutes later and got busy with other projects for the day.  We cleaned out the garage and I took two loads of stuff to the dump.  Gin put a new battery in the mower and I cut the grass.  Naturally the weed whacker wouldn’t start so I took that to the shop.  After lunch, I took advantage of a clean garage and washed and waxed the Miata.  It had been at least a year since I had washed her so she got two coats of wax. 

 

We bought the Miata on June 17,1995.  I still remember the test drive.  As Gin pulled out of the dealership, I put on my seatbelt and knew that we were going to get a new car.

 

She only has 120,000 miles on her and we’ve taken good care of her.  We towed her to the Shenandoah Valley one time and enjoyed a topless ride on Skyline Drive.  She’s been my commute car for the past few years because she gets 30 mpg and is easy to park.  We are putting her on Craigslist this week so it’ll be hard to see her go.  I just hope that she sells soon and that the new owners will like her too.

 

Since the car was spotless and the weather was wonderful, we took her for a spin with the top down.  For the first time in a long time, Gin drove.  It felt wonderful!

We are both sore today since we overdid it on Saturday so we’ll take it easy.  Tomorrow will be my last trip to the range.  I don’t mind shooting the gun so much, but I’m real glad this is the last time I have to get gassed with the gasmask.  We have a great place to have yard sales but we won’t have any more until we pack up the MH for fulltiming.  Oh happy day!

Thanks for dropping by, and enjoy each day of your life’s journey by finding beauty in the ordinary.