Square dancing at Cherry Ridge

I wrote this about five years ago but never posted it, so the date on it should be 2009.

Well, it's been an exciting 11 days. We left home a week ago last Thursday to go to Cherry Ridge for square dancing. Outside Knoxville on I-40 a very hard rainstorm started. In addition, the transmission lit came on. We were able to stop at a Dodge dealer on I-40 east of Knoxville. They tested the transmission and said there was no apparent problem, just a defective sensor ( I understand that's typical with Dodge vehicles). So they replaced the sensor, and there was no further light on the message screen.

We stopped at a campground that night and the slideout would not extend, so we were unable to put it out. But we were able to use the RV anyway.

The second night - same thing. After lots of driving we arrived at Cherry Ridge on Saturday (a day early, but decided it was best to come on in and get set up. Ben (Rubright) came over to meet us and helped with manually extending the slide. And then #3 - the jack on the RV quit working. So we borrowed a jack from the campground and were able to extend the jack enough to get it off the truck.

A couple of days later the water heater quit working (the first in the second series of three things going wrong). We were able to get the heater going on electricity (but not on gas -OK, since we were connected to 30 amp electricity). Then the second thing in the second group of three - it rained hard - over an inch on Tuesday night. We had a leak. After checking the roof and finding nothing wrong, we decided the rain bounced up into the vents (bathroom and kitchen) and ran along the ceiling and dripped in on the bed. But with several other rain showers, it hasn't leaked again (thank goodness).

We had a tough week of C3B last week with Ben. He is so good - presents things in a different light and really makes us think. Then John Hughes called a 3A dance Friday night, all day Saturday, and Sunday morning. He's a really good caller with such interesting sequences.

Last night (Sunday) Ben started the second week of Boot Camp - C3B.

Today the high has been in the low 60s. At 1:50 pm (after lunch) when I left for the afternoon session, the temperature (after a short rain shower) was 58 degrees. Our campsite is about 100 yards from the dance hall. I really enjoy being so close to where we dance. We have four squares for the 3B.

Larry danced the 3A over the weekend but isn't dancing the 3B so he is helping out in the small hall and is dancing C1 - right next to our campsite.

It's sprinkling now and the temp outside temp is 60 degrees, and it's August 11! But we're in the Poconos in NE Pennsylvania, and it's usually cool here in August.

Catching up

I haven't blogged in nearly six years. A lot has happened in those years. Son Scott married our beautiful daughter-in-law Carrie, who brought with her another grandchild Brinlee. Then the two of them produced another granddaughter Briley, who is nearly three. They live in Florida.

Sharon and Jason live near with their two boys, Parker and Dalton.

After spending winters in Florida for 11 years, in spring of 2013 upon returning from Florida Larry was diagnosed with non-smoker's lung cancer. He fought it valiantly for six months, but died September 17, 1913, at the age of 81. We had been married for 56 years. It's been a tough eight months, but I've stayed busy remodeling my house (which we had started when we were hopeful Larry would beat the big "C"!).

I'm sitting out on my wonderful screened porch this afternoon working on various chores on the computer and watching the Atlanta Braves.

Last day of summer

Wow! I didn't mean to wait so long to add to my blog. A lot has happened since I last wrote.

Since my last post, we went to Pennsylvania to Cherry Ridge, a campground and square dance resort near Honesdale in the northeastern corner of PA, in the Pocono Mtns, near Scranton-Wilkes Barre. The weather was beautiful - highs in the 70s and lows in the 50s. One day (this was in August) the high was 62.

I danced two weeks to Ben Rubright, C3B boot camp. Really good dancing. Larry and I both danced C3A to John Hughes on the weekend between the two weeks. Then Ett McAtee and Linda Kendall called a C3B weekend at the end of the two weeks.

We had some real problems with our trailer. The first night out heading for PA, we discovered the slide out wouldn't go out. And the battery needed to be serviced, which we didn't know. The jack broke once we got to Cherry Ridge and we had to borrow a jack to get the trailer off the truck. Ben got under the trailer and cranked the slide out manually. Then we discovered we couldn't get the gas to work to heat water. The electric part worked, so we had hot water. Then during a hard rain, water bounced up into the vents on top of the trailer, ran along inside the ceiling and dripped on the bed. Ugh!

We thought about getting a new trailer, but after one day of looking discovered that we couldn't agree on what we wanted. We love the layout of the one we have so decided to get this one repaired. So we're in the process of getting everything fixed.

Two and a half weeks ago I had the first surgery on my left eye - cataract surgery. I didn't realize I was looking at the world through a tan filter! Everything now looks so much better. I am having the new lenses that are flexible (Crystalens) and help with far, middle, and near vision. I am so thrilled! But I didn't authorize the doctor to turn my hair gray or to add so many wrinkles. With the cataracts my gray hair looked brown to me and I couldn't see all the wrinkles. Oh, well, the alternative to getting old isn't desirable!

The surgery on the right eye is this Wednesday. I'm really looking forward to having it done. I may still have to wear reading glasses but things are so much clearer now and my vision is continuing to improve. And I won't have to wear glasses (except possibly for reading). It will seem strange, since I've worn glasses all the time for about 50 years - tri-focals for 15 or 20 years.

I worked again for the SPLOST election last Tuesday - a long day for only 150 voters at our precinct. I hope many of our voters voted absentee! And this Tuesday I start teaching preparing workers for the General Election in November. Have to go tomorrow to pick up the materials that we'll be using. I know a lot of the workers will complain about having to train again after just training in the summer for the primary in July!

Finally I think I have gotten a computer that works to use with the square dance groups. The first one gave me fits - it kept shutting down with any text entry. Now that the second one is doing that, too, I believe it is a problem with Vista (the latest Microsoft operating system for PCs). It bothers me that Microsoft has put out a system with so many bugs - and it has been out for well over a year now. Tonight I downloaded Service Pack 1, so hopefully the problem is corrected. At least Dell has been helpful in solving the problem!

Guess I'd better get some software installed on the new computer to use with dancing. We've started a new C3B class. Having lost three couples of our group, we need some new dancers. Yesterday I went with George and Bev Morlan to Chattanooga to dance C3A and work with the dancers on lesson 1 of the Jacobs C3B tapes. Mike's tapes are old and have on them lots of calls not on the 3B list now, but they are much better than any alternative.

Mid-summer and then some

It's already past the middle of the summer school break. And the primary election is over - thank goodness! We'll be leaving in about a week and a half for a three-week "vacation." (How do you vacation from retirement? VBG) We're going to Cherry Ridge Campground near Honesdale, PA, for some square dancing. Larry will dance for one weekend C3A with John Hughes. I'll be dancing Ben Rubright's C3B "Boot Camp" and then will probably stay for Ett and Linda's C3B weekend.

Yesterday evening we went to Jason's mom and dad's for supper. Pam is an excellent cook. We had fried chicken, mac and cheese, black-eyed peas, broccoli casserole (Sharon made that and took it.), corn on the cob, sliced tomatoes (think they came out of their garden), and other goodies (so many I can't remember them all). Dessert was peach cobbler with ice cream. Jason's grandmother and his two sisters and their families were there. It was fun and a beautiful day, although hot. Thank goodness for air conditioning.

Parker and Dalton spent last night with us and are here today while Sharon goes to school to begin getting her new classroom ready for the 2008-2009 school year. They are such precious children and are so good. We hope when they are their 70's they'll remember times spent with "Gram" and "Granddaddy" as Larry and I remember spending time with our grandparents.

This coming Friday night, we'll be going to Knoxville for the Knoxville Central High School "Golden Grads" reunion. It's for everyone who graduated from KCHS 50 or more years ago. So it gives us a chance to see not only our own classmates but those in classes before and after ours. (How come everyone else has gotten old and fat and bald but me! Another VBG) I'm really looking forward to it. We'll just drive up for the reunion and then drive home that night.

There is a recall on the refrigerator in our RV and we have an appointment next Monday to get a new part to make it safe - there's something about fire hazard. Ugh!

The newest garage door opener went out while Larry and Sharon and the boys were in Florida. It's under warranty so the part has been ordered and the technician is to come reinstall the new motherboard as soon as it comes. Also, our "less than a year old" picture window in the den has gotten moisture between the glass panes - again under warranty - life time. The new one is here and is to be replaced as soon as they can work it into their schedule at a time we are home. (Seems like everything is like us! Falling apart!)

I go Wednesday to have measurements made for the replacement lens for my first cataract surgery in September. Surgery on my second eye about three weeks after the first. The doctor says I won't have to wear glasses after the surgery. That'll be a big change since I've worn glasses forever - or at least it seems that way.

Dalton is taking a nap (he's three) and Parker (he's six) is watching a Winnie the Pooh movie. Larry just went upstairs to take a nap. I don't nap - I just sleep late in the morning. So this is my "quiet time"! I need to watch some of the home makeover programs I've recorded from HGTV, since I don't try to watch them when Larry is up. Each 30-minute program takes me about 10 minutes to watch. I mostly look at the "before" and then look at the "after"! Need to use some of the ideas on our house.

Musings on Friday night

It's 11:35 on Friday night. I'm back upstairs after dancing C2 tonight. We have a new person who joined the group, Pat Little. She is a new C2 dancer but is doing very well. Dewayne brings her. We danced to 2007 AACE CDs tonight. It was a really good session without much breaking down. Jim and Gerry couldn't come because Morgan is in town for a couple of days. Gerry called tonight to tell me they were sorry. I was thinking about when we met - over 17 years ago and about what good friends they are. We always have so much fun with them. I'm also concerned about An Qi. She wrote earlier in the week that she'd be here, but she didn't get here. I hope she didn't have an accident on I-75 coming up!

Today was my last day to teach for this training cycle. And I am so glad! Teaching five and six days a week for most weeks during the last two months has been tiring. I'll be glad when the election is over on Tuesday.

We got another .25 inch of rain yesterday and 1.1 inches today. Since our watering time has ended (as of July 4), it's great to see the rain. Hopefully, it will continue until our grass is well established. We definitely don't want to have spent over $7,000 on the sod and have it die!

The Braves are losing again to San Diego this time - bottom of the sixth and they are behind 2 - 0. We really thought they were going to be good this year, but they are like the little girl with the curl in the middle of her forehead - "when they are good, they are very, very good, but when they are bad, they are horrid." And this year they just can't seem to put it together.

Sharon sent me some pictures from Parker's sixth birthday party. I didn't get to go as I had to teach Monday. We gave him a telescope that he wanted and then yesterday we got a thank you note written by him - pretty good for one who will start first grade this fall.

I tried to put a picture above but couldn't get it to stay by the text that it should follow. I'll have to work on this!

We got a recall notice on the refrigerator for the RV. We can't get in to get it repaired until just before we leave for Pennsylvania the end of the month. That's really going to put a delay in packing to go!

It's late and I'm signing off so I can go get some strawberry ice cream that I made on 4th of July.

Carol

Rain - at last

We've finally gotten some rain - 1 3/4 inches last night and still more today. It's 11:25 pm, and I'm not going out this late to check. It's been a long day - managers' class this morning, errands this afternoon, and C3A square dance here tonight. Think our prayers have been answered! I hope our grass survives the drought if it continues!

Larry and Sharon and Parker and Dalton drove to Scott's today. They'll be gone seven or eight days. But I'll be so busy I'll hardly have any time to relax and read while they are gone. Classes tomorrow and Friday, pick up election materials on Sunday, set up day on Monday, and election on Tuesday. Jason and I are going to "The Homecoming" at the Marietta theater with the Happy Voyagers on Wednesday. And they'll be back shortly after that.

C3A here tonight was OK, although there were some problem spots. We continued to work on the AACE 2007 dance. I just wish Lee would slow his music down. He has such good "stuff" but plays his music at about 152 bpm instead of 124 to 126 bpm.

I'm watching the Braves (11:30 pm) but should be getting ready to get to bed. I have to get up at 6:30 to get ready to go teach. If I didn't enjoy the teaching so much, I'd quit as I hate getting up so early in the morning. I'm a night person! But after so many early mornings, I'm sitting here yawning like crazy.

Square dancing and teaching

Last night we had a pretty good night dancing C3A in our square dance room (finished daylight basement). We are dancing to the AACE 2007 dance tapes.

Bob and Joan Smith, our good friends who were in our wedding (51 years ago) and whose 44-year-old son died unexpectedly of a heart attack last week, were here from Monday until this morning. It was great to have them here, as always, although I didn't have much time to spend with them because I'm teaching every day this week.

I love teaching but am finding that teaching six days a week is too much. After all, I retired in order to have some time to do what I want to do. But, let's face it! I've always loved teaching and so this is something I want to do! But this may be the last cycle I'll teach in and the last election for which I'll serve as a poll manager. I've already decided that if I'm still working with the elections training when Sharon Dunn, Cobb County Director of Elections, retires, I will retire at that time, too. She is such a great leader and a great friend and it would not be the same without her. Oh, yes, another reason I like doing this is that I feel that it helps to keep my mind sharp.

Tomorrow I will be working and teaching at the Elections Office from about 8:15 am until around 5:45 with a short lunch break. Then we dance tomorrow night, level C2. Two of the couples are ones with whom we danced in Savannah - Jim and Gerry Lewis and Larry and Dot Steinheimer. They now live in metro Atlanta (as we do) so it's great to be dancing with them again.

We just watched a Dateline episode that we taped this week concerning a young, new teacher in the Atlanta area. What a great young lady! It was an inspiring story (and a tear jerker) and brought back memories of my own early teaching days.

Today is the last full day of spring and summer will be coming in tomorrow. So tomorrow will be the longest day of the year - at least the day with the most time from sunup to sundown. Just wish we could get some rain, as we are in a severe drought. We're concerned that the sod that cost us an arm and a leg won't make it when our watering permit expires (July 4). Wish we could get some of the water that is unindating the midwest. We're so glad that Scott no longer lives in Cape Girardeau, MO, as that city is on the Mississippi downstream from the flooded area. As the water moves south, Cape may have some flooding, too. Part of the downtown has flood gates that close when the water gets high, but I'm not sure how effective they are.

Too busy

I've let myself get too busy! Running several square dance groups at C2, C3A, C3b, and C4 is almost too much, although I really enjoy doing it. I've been trying to learn C4 by listening to tapes when I am in the car, but I really need a full square of eight to practice. We have only five people here in metro Atlanta and that makes it difficult.

I'm teaching election worker classes five or six days a week. So I have little time at home and when I am home, I'm doing something on the computer. Boy, has my house gotten in a mess - clutter everywhere (as well as wall to wall furniture). Watching some of the HGTV programs about redoing homes makes me wish I could find a good designer like one of those to help me redo my house because it really needs updating. It's so "60ish"!

I also have been working with all my computers trying to get them updated - all of them need to have their hard drives reformatted. And I need to get all of them on the network. Last night I had network problems but was able to solve them.

We need rain so badly in metro Atlanta. Wish we could get some of the rain that is falling in the mid-West - poor folks there with their flooded homes! We spent over $7,000 having our entire yard sodded. We had to get a permit from Cobb County to use our irrigation system to water. That ends on July 4. That will be hard on the new grass. We also had come dogwood trees put in.

Yesterday we got some really sad news. Bob & Joan Smith, our wonderful friends who were in our wedding 51 years ago - he was best man, lost their 45-year-old son, Matt. He had taken a new job and and was working temporarily in Iowa. The cleaning lady at the motel where he was staying found him. Autopsy was to be performed today. We don't know what the cause of death was. Our hearts break for them. We aren't supposed to outlive our children!

Got to get to bed, as I have to get up at 6:15 to get ready to leave about 7:30 to teach tomorrow. I'm getting "sleep deprived"! I can tell because my brain isn't working as well as it usually does.