When you are parked on a slope and you are disconnecting your toad from your motorhome, make sure the car has been put in park.
Yep, yesterday when I was having my little brake condition with Somewhere, I had to disconnect my Grey Goose (HHR) from her. I had tried a few times and it was in a bind and it was hot and I was sweating, profusely I might add. So when I pulled the last bolt, yep, thar she went!!! Now I'm sure it was pure entertainment for the guys across the street at the body shop to watch the "mature" "plus size" woman running down the parking lot chasing a car and opening the door and hopping in to get it stopped before a very large tree stopped it.
OMG, that all I can say. Hope you can get a visual of that little lesson learned.
Later...
Friday, August 14, 2009
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOUR BRAKES LOCK UP?
Answer: the coach shimmies, smell of rubber burning, brake peddle gets spongy and the ABS light blinks on/off.
Yep, take it from me that is exactly what happens and thank goodness for Coach-Net.com, Harpeth Towing and Carl Black Chevrolet. But most importantly I'm thankful I had a safe place to pull off at the bottom of a hill in Charlotte, TN. pulling a toad. WHEW!
This was the first opportunity I had to use Coach-net and they were so helpful, friendly and consoling that I just had to give 'em a plug here. Amy and Greg handled my/me complaint with professionalism and caring. I know that's what they are supposed to do but it sure worked for me 'cause let me tell you I was just a little bit stressed.
Then the young man, Sean, from Harpeth Towing was so nice to me. He said he could tell this was my baby and he would take real good care of her. Guess he thought it would make this old woman feel better and it did.
Carl Black left the gate open a couple of hours more than usual to be able to take Somewhere in and park her behind a gate with "puppies" running around. At least that is what Kemp, the service manager, said when I told him that MH contained my life. He assured me it was in good hands.
Here is the story:
I picked up Somewhere in Clarksville to take her to Montgomery Bell State Park for the weekend. My BFFs, Randy and Debbie, were going to stay there to just get away; Debbie to swim/RR and Randy to play golf.
I program Stella so that I could know how to go the back way at 44 miles instead of going around the world at 76 miles by coming back to Nashville. So off I go. No problems. Two lane roads (blue roads) but that is okay, gotta get used to the right? Anyway, a couple of times I pull off to let traffic go around me, see I was in no hurry and I think they were. Each time I would pull over, I'd get out and walk around Somewhere just to check make sure things are ok. No problems, get back in and off I go. The hills along this route are not big hills, at least not compared to Monteagle or Monterey MTN. The next to the last hill I go down Somewhere was not acting right, a woman knows these things, but it was short and I thought maybe I was just imagining. Nope, the last hill confirmed what I had suspected and now what was I going to do? I tried to gear down and I couldn't do that, a 4-way stop was coming up at the intersection and I was just praying I could stop, no one was there except my little mama angel on my shoulder. So yes, I did it! I admit it, I ran the stop sign and went right into the parking lot in front of The Pig Pit, yep, there I was in the middle of Charlotte, TN, do I know how to pick 'em, I was sure to have something to eat because it smelled so good. But about that later.
I got out and there was a horrible smell up front. I put the hood down (on a MH the hood goes down and not up) because I thought maybe it was the transmission since it wouldn't gear down. But that smell! Yuck! So I get back into the coach, start up the generator so get some air conditioning going, man it was hot.
I began calling Coach-net. Amy answers the phone and the first question she asks is "are you in a safe location?" I assured her I was and then we start talking. This was the first time I have used this service since I got Somewhere and it paid for itself this one time, if I never have to use them again. I also know what questions they will ask next time and will have those answers ready so I don't waste so much time, phone minutes, you know. LOL
Amy connected me to Greg who was the RV technician and he asked me questions, I had no clue, like "do you have an I beam?", "how far is it from middle of the front tire to the front of the coach?" I have no clue, should I go measure it? "yes" Anyway, Greg told me he would call a towing company for me and they would take Somewhere back to Nashville to Carl Black Chevrolet.
What? I've got a weekend planned, I don't have time for this. I sure didn't want to disappoint Debbie & Randy and I was looking forward to setting everything up and then kicking back for the evening meal Debbie had prepared, barbecue.
Amy called me back and said it would be 2.5 hours before the tow truck could get to me and I asked her what time the dealership closed, she would call me back. They would send different tow truck that would get to me in 1.5. After 1.5 I called Amy back, no tow truck, she called then called me back, 10 minutes.
While waiting I knew that I was not going to get that barbecue from Debbie that night but hey, Mr Pig Pit was right there in front of me. I had gone over when all this first happened to see if it was okay that I park in their lot. Wasn't their lot, it was the cities and they didn't care if I parked there. Okay, go get some lunch, barbecue sandwich. Yummy! I highly recommend their food. Nice clean place so if you are ever in the neighborhood at Charlotte TN you might want to try out the Pig Pit.
I asked Sean if I should follow. He told me I could but that I would probably want to go ahead of him. It might be tough to watch my "baby" being towed. He had made a few jokes earlier about this was his first time, he had only dropped a few on the interstate but then he got serious and I guess could tell this was really my first time having this done and he assured me she would be fine.
I, in the meantime, called Carl Black Chevrolet to let them know we would be delayed and he assured me they would have a gate open for when we got there. Sure enough at 7:45 we pulled into the dealership and that's where she is today.
Workhorse had a recall on the brakes saying something like this could happen so hopefully the costs will be covered by the recall. I asked them to go over her with a fine tooth comb as we were getting ready to hit the road next month. Oddly enough I had an appointment this coming Monday to do just that, have her checked out. There were a couple of more recalls that I was unsure that the previous owner had them taken care of and they were going to check those. They will check my transmission as I told him it wouldn't gear down for stopping. So I'm hoping everything else checks out okay.
Thank goodness it happened close to home, thank goodness my son answered his phone so he could hear me and give me assurance, thank goodness Debbie and Randy found reservations at Tims Ford State Park and their weekend wasn't a complete wipe out, thank goodness I had decided to leave Sedona at home, thank goodness no one or nothing was damaged, thank goodness Theda was available to hear me cry after it was over. Oh I could keep on going, but you get the drift. I'm thankful!
Later...
Yep, take it from me that is exactly what happens and thank goodness for Coach-Net.com, Harpeth Towing and Carl Black Chevrolet. But most importantly I'm thankful I had a safe place to pull off at the bottom of a hill in Charlotte, TN. pulling a toad. WHEW!
This was the first opportunity I had to use Coach-net and they were so helpful, friendly and consoling that I just had to give 'em a plug here. Amy and Greg handled my/me complaint with professionalism and caring. I know that's what they are supposed to do but it sure worked for me 'cause let me tell you I was just a little bit stressed.
Then the young man, Sean, from Harpeth Towing was so nice to me. He said he could tell this was my baby and he would take real good care of her. Guess he thought it would make this old woman feel better and it did.
Carl Black left the gate open a couple of hours more than usual to be able to take Somewhere in and park her behind a gate with "puppies" running around. At least that is what Kemp, the service manager, said when I told him that MH contained my life. He assured me it was in good hands.
Here is the story:
I picked up Somewhere in Clarksville to take her to Montgomery Bell State Park for the weekend. My BFFs, Randy and Debbie, were going to stay there to just get away; Debbie to swim/RR and Randy to play golf.
I program Stella so that I could know how to go the back way at 44 miles instead of going around the world at 76 miles by coming back to Nashville. So off I go. No problems. Two lane roads (blue roads) but that is okay, gotta get used to the right? Anyway, a couple of times I pull off to let traffic go around me, see I was in no hurry and I think they were. Each time I would pull over, I'd get out and walk around Somewhere just to check make sure things are ok. No problems, get back in and off I go. The hills along this route are not big hills, at least not compared to Monteagle or Monterey MTN. The next to the last hill I go down Somewhere was not acting right, a woman knows these things, but it was short and I thought maybe I was just imagining. Nope, the last hill confirmed what I had suspected and now what was I going to do? I tried to gear down and I couldn't do that, a 4-way stop was coming up at the intersection and I was just praying I could stop, no one was there except my little mama angel on my shoulder. So yes, I did it! I admit it, I ran the stop sign and went right into the parking lot in front of The Pig Pit, yep, there I was in the middle of Charlotte, TN, do I know how to pick 'em, I was sure to have something to eat because it smelled so good. But about that later.
I got out and there was a horrible smell up front. I put the hood down (on a MH the hood goes down and not up) because I thought maybe it was the transmission since it wouldn't gear down. But that smell! Yuck! So I get back into the coach, start up the generator so get some air conditioning going, man it was hot.
I began calling Coach-net. Amy answers the phone and the first question she asks is "are you in a safe location?" I assured her I was and then we start talking. This was the first time I have used this service since I got Somewhere and it paid for itself this one time, if I never have to use them again. I also know what questions they will ask next time and will have those answers ready so I don't waste so much time, phone minutes, you know. LOL
Amy connected me to Greg who was the RV technician and he asked me questions, I had no clue, like "do you have an I beam?", "how far is it from middle of the front tire to the front of the coach?" I have no clue, should I go measure it? "yes" Anyway, Greg told me he would call a towing company for me and they would take Somewhere back to Nashville to Carl Black Chevrolet.
What? I've got a weekend planned, I don't have time for this. I sure didn't want to disappoint Debbie & Randy and I was looking forward to setting everything up and then kicking back for the evening meal Debbie had prepared, barbecue.
Amy called me back and said it would be 2.5 hours before the tow truck could get to me and I asked her what time the dealership closed, she would call me back. They would send different tow truck that would get to me in 1.5. After 1.5 I called Amy back, no tow truck, she called then called me back, 10 minutes.
While waiting I knew that I was not going to get that barbecue from Debbie that night but hey, Mr Pig Pit was right there in front of me. I had gone over when all this first happened to see if it was okay that I park in their lot. Wasn't their lot, it was the cities and they didn't care if I parked there. Okay, go get some lunch, barbecue sandwich. Yummy! I highly recommend their food. Nice clean place so if you are ever in the neighborhood at Charlotte TN you might want to try out the Pig Pit.
I asked Sean if I should follow. He told me I could but that I would probably want to go ahead of him. It might be tough to watch my "baby" being towed. He had made a few jokes earlier about this was his first time, he had only dropped a few on the interstate but then he got serious and I guess could tell this was really my first time having this done and he assured me she would be fine.
I, in the meantime, called Carl Black Chevrolet to let them know we would be delayed and he assured me they would have a gate open for when we got there. Sure enough at 7:45 we pulled into the dealership and that's where she is today.
Workhorse had a recall on the brakes saying something like this could happen so hopefully the costs will be covered by the recall. I asked them to go over her with a fine tooth comb as we were getting ready to hit the road next month. Oddly enough I had an appointment this coming Monday to do just that, have her checked out. There were a couple of more recalls that I was unsure that the previous owner had them taken care of and they were going to check those. They will check my transmission as I told him it wouldn't gear down for stopping. So I'm hoping everything else checks out okay.
Thank goodness it happened close to home, thank goodness my son answered his phone so he could hear me and give me assurance, thank goodness Debbie and Randy found reservations at Tims Ford State Park and their weekend wasn't a complete wipe out, thank goodness I had decided to leave Sedona at home, thank goodness no one or nothing was damaged, thank goodness Theda was available to hear me cry after it was over. Oh I could keep on going, but you get the drift. I'm thankful!
Later...
Friday, August 7, 2009
Maggie and Sedona
I am house/pet sitting for my friend, Sandra. Sandra will be Sedona sitting for me when I go on my cruise so this turned into a win-win for both of us.
Sandra lives in Bellvue which is on the opposite side of town from where I live and I am not at all familiar with the area. I did learn where the library was on the first night as I figured I needed to become familiar with Nevada Barr's novels. She is a good author and writes about murder mysteries in the National Parks. When you read her website and her sister's blog, she is just an amazing woman.
But I digress, Sandra's full bloodied Yorkie is Maggie. She is maybe a year old but I think maybe a few months less. Sedona will be three in September. Here they are together.
It was the best shot I could get of them together. Trust me when I say they are both only fur babies. Sedona is not used to sharing and Maggie just loves all the dogs around her and wants to give them kisses. Sedona said she was annoying.
Whew, I'm so happy that I "shaved" Sedona. I could not keep up with all the hair on a true Yorkie cut.
Maggie doesn't like to be brushed so I held her down a couple of times and said, "you my dear, are going to be brushed whether you like it or not." I was worn out when I got finished with that. LOL
After the first night of missing out on sleep, the girls settled down and now they are leaving each other alone. First night Sedona ran around the ottoman five or six times full speed ahead with Maggie hot on her hills. Sure wish I had my camera for that, it was funny. Afterwards they were both exhausted and laid down for a rest.
Both girls are used to sleeping in the bed with their mistress'. Now that get's a little complicated when they are both vieing for the same place. See with Duchess, she sleeps at the foot and Sedona sleeps at the top. Well, Maggie sleeps at the top too. Here in lies the problem. Finally after all the jockeying for position, last night was peaceful with one on one side and one on the other. Whatever, it worked!
Have you ever tried to walk two dogs on leash? OMG, they each try to go their separate ways or they cross over in front of each other to take lead and then there is a big mess with the leashes tangled up.
Good thing though, Sandra's complex has a swimming pool and not many people (none) go there and it's quite and peaceful. Should have played hookie this week from work but I have Saturday to play in the pool.
The neighborhood meets in the evening and Sandra has been used to taking treats out to the meeting place and all the neighborhood dogs are used to getting treats. I am continuing the tradition, Sedona has met some new friends. There are two little blind dogs who come to the treating. Good neighbors.
It's been fun and it will be good for both to have had time together before a whole week.
Later...
Sandra lives in Bellvue which is on the opposite side of town from where I live and I am not at all familiar with the area. I did learn where the library was on the first night as I figured I needed to become familiar with Nevada Barr's novels. She is a good author and writes about murder mysteries in the National Parks. When you read her website and her sister's blog, she is just an amazing woman.
But I digress, Sandra's full bloodied Yorkie is Maggie. She is maybe a year old but I think maybe a few months less. Sedona will be three in September. Here they are together.
It was the best shot I could get of them together. Trust me when I say they are both only fur babies. Sedona is not used to sharing and Maggie just loves all the dogs around her and wants to give them kisses. Sedona said she was annoying.
Whew, I'm so happy that I "shaved" Sedona. I could not keep up with all the hair on a true Yorkie cut.
Maggie doesn't like to be brushed so I held her down a couple of times and said, "you my dear, are going to be brushed whether you like it or not." I was worn out when I got finished with that. LOL
After the first night of missing out on sleep, the girls settled down and now they are leaving each other alone. First night Sedona ran around the ottoman five or six times full speed ahead with Maggie hot on her hills. Sure wish I had my camera for that, it was funny. Afterwards they were both exhausted and laid down for a rest.
Both girls are used to sleeping in the bed with their mistress'. Now that get's a little complicated when they are both vieing for the same place. See with Duchess, she sleeps at the foot and Sedona sleeps at the top. Well, Maggie sleeps at the top too. Here in lies the problem. Finally after all the jockeying for position, last night was peaceful with one on one side and one on the other. Whatever, it worked!
Have you ever tried to walk two dogs on leash? OMG, they each try to go their separate ways or they cross over in front of each other to take lead and then there is a big mess with the leashes tangled up.
Good thing though, Sandra's complex has a swimming pool and not many people (none) go there and it's quite and peaceful. Should have played hookie this week from work but I have Saturday to play in the pool.
The neighborhood meets in the evening and Sandra has been used to taking treats out to the meeting place and all the neighborhood dogs are used to getting treats. I am continuing the tradition, Sedona has met some new friends. There are two little blind dogs who come to the treating. Good neighbors.
It's been fun and it will be good for both to have had time together before a whole week.
Later...
Monday, August 3, 2009
Parksville Lake in Benton TN-Southeast TN
Another year has gone by and we had another terrific family reunion at the lake. The cabin is rustic, no air conditioning but holds a lot of fond memories for those of us who go down there yearly. We have already made plans for next July as my schedule is so booked already. As I am driving up from FL to head to the Rally in Louisville, KY, we set the date where I can stop and see family mid year. Thought it was a pretty good idea.Sis Shirley brought decorations for the downstairs for all the birthdays which occur in 2009. That way everyone gets to celebrate and no one gets left out. So Happy Birthday, Moore Family.
My nephew, Jimmy, told us all a story about our great-great-great grandmother walking out of the mountains from NC (Cherokee)and how she met her husband and other geneology information for the family. He also sang a song that some of the relatives remember her singing which was a Native American song. Also, if anyone is reading this and recognizes any names and wants to contact me, post a comment and I'll be in touch with you.I'm hoping in my travels I'll be able to stop and do some research in OK and ID to see if I can find more information. Jimmy is getting me some questions together that I will want to answer.
We had great weather and such fun at the lake. It seems we grow every year. We had two new additions this year. One was called the Gladiator, the other the Banana Split, no, they aren't family members they are pull behind the boat blow-ups. Can't really call them an inner tube but it is the same principle. My sis, Wanda, was brave enough to ride the banana split with her grandson, Heath. She is one brave 65 year old sister. Love her for her spunk! She survived! LOL
On Friday, 17 of the family went rafting down the Ocoee River. Then we went to the Ghondlier to eat and it was so good. This was the first time my gd, Taylor got to go white water rafting and she loved it. I don't think it will be her last time.Nephew, Jerry got me a neon light of a parrot holding a margarita glass (well, it's actually a martini glass but I'll call it what I want! Ha Actually it was a replacement for one he broke of a dolphin. I think I came out better, this suits Somewhere much better than a dolphin, don't you think? It adds the ambiance I need to living.
Guess I would be remiss if I didn't mention the ping pong we play and how I had to relinquish my championship to son, Jonathan. That' all the space I'll allocate to that!
Most of the other pictures are of all of us gathered having fun, feeding our face and feeling good about life.
One things is for sure Mamma & Daddy made sure we knew how to have fun and how to love family. We learned very well from them. Those who enter our family learn quickly or they don't get to come back. LOL Actually it's not hard to learn, it's all about Live, Laugh, Love.
Later...
Thursday, July 30, 2009
"Gran, what's the big deal? It's just another day!"
Where did this little girl go?Birthday's are always special. It's nice to get recognition for turning a year older (wonder who started that?) and then life goes on, thankfully.
My darling granddaughter, Taylor, turned 13 years old today. I was making a big deal about it last weekend when I was with her and she just looked at me and said, "Gran, what's the big deal? It's just another day!" So I thought, what is the big deal about turning 13? It's kind of the right of passage into womanhood, I suppose. It also says to me, she's not a little girl anymore. Life moves at such a fast pace these days. Selfishly I would have liked to have had more time with her as a child. Now I get to enjoy the deep conversations she likes to have. I get to enjoy the swim meets. I get to hear the excitement in her voice when she plans for her future. I also enjoy the pride she has in her grades and in school.
I'm excited that I have a teenager. Hope I can remember what it was like when Jonathan was that age. Oh, but what if I do? He was a boy. I'm sure their needs will be much different.
Love you Taylor and it is a big deal, you are officially not a tween today. You my dear are a full-fledged teenager!
Later...
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Happy Birthday, Jonathan
Today is my "baby's" 34th Birthday. He started coming to this world on July 15, 1975 at 8:00 a.m. and on July 16, 1975 he blessed me with his presence at 2:13 a.m. Was I ever happy to see him. What a blessing he was for us! He was such a good baby, great child, and what a fine young man and terrific father he has turned into.
Happy Birthday Jonathan, I hope your day was a good one. Love you.
Later...
Friday, July 10, 2009
Retirement Date Selected
I know I have missed talking about my birthday and celebration on the 4th of July so I'll do that in a later post. I just wanted to make this announcement.
I have made a decision that I will retire on September 1, 2009. I am not going to delay it any longer. I am not happy at work, nothing much to do. I can be more productive living my life on the road and I feel GREAT about my decision.
I had my plans all laid out beginning in November forward, now I have to decided what I'll do in Sept and October but I'm sure that won't be too difficult to figure out. I'm thinking the Smokies in October sounds mighty fine. Who knows? I do know I'll be staying pretty close in the area.
I have a cruise planned in late September and my flight leaves out of Nashville so I'll hang around for that. Anyway, that's what I know and I so very excited.
Gotta get tires for Somewhere and probably Grey Goose. There is a recall on Somewhere's Chassis so I'll get that taken care of in September so I guess I'll have enough to fill my time and I won't know what I did before I retired, right? That's what I hear so we will see.
So get ready blog, get ready world, Here she comes!
Later...
I have made a decision that I will retire on September 1, 2009. I am not going to delay it any longer. I am not happy at work, nothing much to do. I can be more productive living my life on the road and I feel GREAT about my decision.
I had my plans all laid out beginning in November forward, now I have to decided what I'll do in Sept and October but I'm sure that won't be too difficult to figure out. I'm thinking the Smokies in October sounds mighty fine. Who knows? I do know I'll be staying pretty close in the area.
I have a cruise planned in late September and my flight leaves out of Nashville so I'll hang around for that. Anyway, that's what I know and I so very excited.
Gotta get tires for Somewhere and probably Grey Goose. There is a recall on Somewhere's Chassis so I'll get that taken care of in September so I guess I'll have enough to fill my time and I won't know what I did before I retired, right? That's what I hear so we will see.
So get ready blog, get ready world, Here she comes!
Later...
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Duchess Turns Four
Duchess is my BFF, Debbie's poodle. She turned four and Debbie, the ultimate party planner, had a birthday party for her. Of course, Sedona got to go along with two other friends of Duchess. There was Allie at 8 years, Duchess was 4, Sedona is almost 3 and Precious, a yorkie/poodle mix, is about 6 months old.
At first they were not sure of each other. Precious had way too much energy for the others. I believe she got on their nerves. Finally they finished with their sniffing and checking each other out that they began to ignore one another. Probably with the thought that if they ignore it, it would just go away.
Debbie served Frosty Paws (doggie ice cream) and then had gifts for the guests. For adults she also served ice cream but no gifts for us. Hey, Deb, what's up with that? I had pondered what Sedona would wear for the occasion but then decided it was way too hot for her to wear anything except her harness and collar. Just as well, she shouldn't show up the Guest of Honor, right?
We tried to think of a way we could take a picture with all the dogs but couldn't figure a good way, so here I am with three of them and they were not happy campers. They were too close to each other. Guess I'm not much of a dog whisperer after all.
Later...
At first they were not sure of each other. Precious had way too much energy for the others. I believe she got on their nerves. Finally they finished with their sniffing and checking each other out that they began to ignore one another. Probably with the thought that if they ignore it, it would just go away.
Debbie served Frosty Paws (doggie ice cream) and then had gifts for the guests. For adults she also served ice cream but no gifts for us. Hey, Deb, what's up with that? I had pondered what Sedona would wear for the occasion but then decided it was way too hot for her to wear anything except her harness and collar. Just as well, she shouldn't show up the Guest of Honor, right?
We tried to think of a way we could take a picture with all the dogs but couldn't figure a good way, so here I am with three of them and they were not happy campers. They were too close to each other. Guess I'm not much of a dog whisperer after all.
Later...
Monday, June 29, 2009
Thirty Years of Dedicated Service
I suppose one can say it is official. I have thirty years of service with the State of Tennessee. During those years I have worked with the Departments of Safety, Environment & Conservation, Agriculture and TN Wildlife Resources. I also did a stint with the Departments of Personnel and Revenue but that was the time from hell so I won't count them. I also worked at the TBI and that was one of the most fun and challenging jobs I had. Oh, but there was nothing like working for TN State Parks and being around the people in that agency. They look at work a little differently than most employees. They know how to work hard AND play hard.
I enjoyed most of my time working in Human Resources/Employee Development. I have learned a lot. I was able to get my BS degree while working for state government. I have traveled into all 95 counties of this great state. I am proud to say that if I get into a fix anywhere in this state, I could pick up the phone and call someone and they would come to my rescue. I have tried to treat every employee like they are special and feel important because they are.
Having a big old hug from Ed certainly doesn't hurt.
I was glad that our new Executive Director, Ed Carter, presented me with my plaque. He kind of "grew up" in the agency and is extremely well liked and respected across the nation and in the boating arena, internationally.
It will be especially difficult for me to continue working until October but I have to keep telling myself that by doing so it will further my goals of where I want to be next year.
I also received a broach with an emerald on it. The emerald was about the size of a pin head so don't get excited thinking that state government is wasting your taxpayer money on jewels for their employees.
Now, what did I do with the plaque, you may ask. See I have no wall that I want to devote as a "me" wall, so I took the brass plate off the plaque and gave the wooden base back to Ann (she's the person who orders awards) to use for another recipient. What I'll do with the brass plate is still a mystery. TWRA also provides a plaque to those people who retire from this agency. I told Ann to take the money they would spend on that plaque and buy me something useful. Don't know if she will do that, but it's my request. Hey, I the boss of that area, surely I can order me what I want, right? LOL
Later...
I enjoyed most of my time working in Human Resources/Employee Development. I have learned a lot. I was able to get my BS degree while working for state government. I have traveled into all 95 counties of this great state. I am proud to say that if I get into a fix anywhere in this state, I could pick up the phone and call someone and they would come to my rescue. I have tried to treat every employee like they are special and feel important because they are.
Having a big old hug from Ed certainly doesn't hurt.I was glad that our new Executive Director, Ed Carter, presented me with my plaque. He kind of "grew up" in the agency and is extremely well liked and respected across the nation and in the boating arena, internationally.
It will be especially difficult for me to continue working until October but I have to keep telling myself that by doing so it will further my goals of where I want to be next year.
I also received a broach with an emerald on it. The emerald was about the size of a pin head so don't get excited thinking that state government is wasting your taxpayer money on jewels for their employees.
Now, what did I do with the plaque, you may ask. See I have no wall that I want to devote as a "me" wall, so I took the brass plate off the plaque and gave the wooden base back to Ann (she's the person who orders awards) to use for another recipient. What I'll do with the brass plate is still a mystery. TWRA also provides a plaque to those people who retire from this agency. I told Ann to take the money they would spend on that plaque and buy me something useful. Don't know if she will do that, but it's my request. Hey, I the boss of that area, surely I can order me what I want, right? LOL
Later...
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Ramblings
I sure hate that Ed McMahon died. He was such an icon thanks to Johnny Carson. I know he has been on hard times lately but it's sad he is gone.
I've been trying to come up with an easy to stay in touch with my family and close friends. I don't want to put information on my blog until after I leave a place so I came up with the idea of keeping my Google calendar up dated and give them permission to view it. Brilliant! So I get everywhere I'm gonna be posted to my calendar and then click share and it brings up an email to mail to recipients. I fill all the addresses into the To and then explain what I'm doing and why. The first email I get back is from my BFF, Debbie, asking what she is to do next. I just naturally assumed there would be a link for her to click on and then she could proceed from there. I click help and see what's up. Well, everyone has to have a Google account in order to see my calendar. That would have been nice to know before hand. Oh, well, I'll help her out tomorrow night and then I'll know how to talk others through it.
I really like Google and all it offers. I have this blog, Picasa for photos, gmail, and other things I'm just beginning to explore. Oh, and their maps and Google Earth is just the best. Gmail has chat, IM and video chat, however everyone has to have a Google account in order to chat with them. Video chat is much like Skype and that works very well for me.
I've been busy planning my travelling schedule through my birthday, July 2010. It's been fun and a little challenging. I had found one place in Miami I thought would be good. I called a good friend, Bill, who is from Miami and his family still lives there. I asked him if he knew anything about the park. He said it had been years since he had been there but he would ask his sister. He said NO WAY I should stay there, high crime area. I love friends. They never steer you in the wrong direction so his mother (86) is on the hunt for me a good place to stay a month. Lots of her friends have RVs and know the best place. I love it! Thanks Bill. Hope it works out. Hope I haven't waited too late. South FL in winter, hum, may have.
I hope the next leg of my trip is as easy to plan and that I have a definitive trip in mind. I think that is what made it so easy to plan. Since it's my first time out, I'm sure I'll refine some things and learn from mistakes. One good thing is most of my trip will be paid for before I retire so the most expensive trip will not hurt so badly. Anytime you make reservations at a state park in FL, you pay for it upfront. That works well for me now, next year I'll be on a tighter budget so it will be interesting to see how that does for me.
I got an email from my friend, Margie, today asking how I kept up with what I wanted to see in different states, sort of a Bucket List. She keeps an Access database which is a great idea. I keep my info in an alpha folder by state. Any article I read that is interesting or a place I want to go, I tear it out of the mag, newspaper, print a copy and in that state alpha. Works fine except when there are more than one state in an alpha, i.e., MI, MN, MA. Yes, you get the idea. I'm sure that will be something I'll perfect as time goes on.
Margie and Roger are preparing to go full time as soon as their house is sold. She keeps a great blog that outlines their preparation for full time. She also is selling her class B motorhome. It is just about the best style I have seen for "Bs". She has a link to her sell site. If you are interested, check it out.
Sedona is going to Duchess' birthday party tomorrow night. She is trying to decide what to wear. Such a hard choice for a little one. There will be many other cute dogs there. Should be interesting. I'll have pictures later.
Talked to Becky today. They are all moved in, now they just have unpacking ahead of them. It's nice for them to be 2 hrs behind us. Especially after 9:00 Verizon talking.
I've been trying to come up with an easy to stay in touch with my family and close friends. I don't want to put information on my blog until after I leave a place so I came up with the idea of keeping my Google calendar up dated and give them permission to view it. Brilliant! So I get everywhere I'm gonna be posted to my calendar and then click share and it brings up an email to mail to recipients. I fill all the addresses into the To and then explain what I'm doing and why. The first email I get back is from my BFF, Debbie, asking what she is to do next. I just naturally assumed there would be a link for her to click on and then she could proceed from there. I click help and see what's up. Well, everyone has to have a Google account in order to see my calendar. That would have been nice to know before hand. Oh, well, I'll help her out tomorrow night and then I'll know how to talk others through it.
I really like Google and all it offers. I have this blog, Picasa for photos, gmail, and other things I'm just beginning to explore. Oh, and their maps and Google Earth is just the best. Gmail has chat, IM and video chat, however everyone has to have a Google account in order to chat with them. Video chat is much like Skype and that works very well for me.
I've been busy planning my travelling schedule through my birthday, July 2010. It's been fun and a little challenging. I had found one place in Miami I thought would be good. I called a good friend, Bill, who is from Miami and his family still lives there. I asked him if he knew anything about the park. He said it had been years since he had been there but he would ask his sister. He said NO WAY I should stay there, high crime area. I love friends. They never steer you in the wrong direction so his mother (86) is on the hunt for me a good place to stay a month. Lots of her friends have RVs and know the best place. I love it! Thanks Bill. Hope it works out. Hope I haven't waited too late. South FL in winter, hum, may have.
I hope the next leg of my trip is as easy to plan and that I have a definitive trip in mind. I think that is what made it so easy to plan. Since it's my first time out, I'm sure I'll refine some things and learn from mistakes. One good thing is most of my trip will be paid for before I retire so the most expensive trip will not hurt so badly. Anytime you make reservations at a state park in FL, you pay for it upfront. That works well for me now, next year I'll be on a tighter budget so it will be interesting to see how that does for me.
I got an email from my friend, Margie, today asking how I kept up with what I wanted to see in different states, sort of a Bucket List. She keeps an Access database which is a great idea. I keep my info in an alpha folder by state. Any article I read that is interesting or a place I want to go, I tear it out of the mag, newspaper, print a copy and in that state alpha. Works fine except when there are more than one state in an alpha, i.e., MI, MN, MA. Yes, you get the idea. I'm sure that will be something I'll perfect as time goes on.
Margie and Roger are preparing to go full time as soon as their house is sold. She keeps a great blog that outlines their preparation for full time. She also is selling her class B motorhome. It is just about the best style I have seen for "Bs". She has a link to her sell site. If you are interested, check it out.
Sedona is going to Duchess' birthday party tomorrow night. She is trying to decide what to wear. Such a hard choice for a little one. There will be many other cute dogs there. Should be interesting. I'll have pictures later.
Talked to Becky today. They are all moved in, now they just have unpacking ahead of them. It's nice for them to be 2 hrs behind us. Especially after 9:00 Verizon talking.
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