Friday the thirteenth

Yes it was! Friday the 13th started off like every other day of the world. The dog awakened us at 4:30 a.m. so she could be let outside and fed. Our morning at home was very routine and we arrived safely at work. I completed my early morning work chores and things were still great. Then I had to make a personal telephone call. You see, in Thursday's mail we received a letter from M.D. Anderson informing us that we were being turned over to collection for an unpaid bill from my February 2007 surgery down there. I was way less than happy about that because I've been working on that for months. In my usual style I have kept every piece of paper associated with the bill and have meticulous notes regarding all of my telephone conversations with the billing office at M.D. Anderson and with BCBS of Texas. So, at 7:30 sharp I called the billing office. I was fortunate enough to be answered by the same woman that I spoke with on 4/8/08 who had me fax everything to her and told me that she would take care of everything. "Do not worry Mrs. Hoover, you won't owe anything." Well, today I explained the whole situation to her again. "You are right Mrs. Hoover, you don't owe anything and I'll turn this over to our Recovery Department." Just between you and me, I have no confidence in that and I'm just waiting to get the call from collection! Ho hum, the day at work proceeded wildly as my boss raced around like a chicken with his head cut off. I quietly attended to my menial little tasks. Bruce and I enjoyed a tasty chimichanga for lunch at the Mexican restaurant next door. Ho hum, more work and finally we were ready for the weekend. Bruce seemed a little strained when he got in the car but didn't say anything on the ride home so I thought it was my imagination. NOPE. We got home and we both fell asleep while watching the evening news- he on the living room floor and me on the couch. When I woke up he says to me, "I received an interesting call at work right before I left." To which I replied, "And what was that?" Well, it would seem that there was some "misunderstanding" with a dock company down at the lake and one of the companies moved our dock without approval or without us knowing anything about it. Aren't we lucky! Monday Bruce had talked to this dock company about moving our dock but their price was outrageous so he told them he wasn't paying that much. He thought that was the end of the deal. He went about his business and found someone else to do work to the slip that would allow him to get the boat on the lift properly and get the boat completely under the dock. That work was completed and Bruce agreed to pay the bill. Then dock company #1 went and moved the lift (doing exactly what Bruce had talked about before he told them their estimate was tood high) but charged us less than originally quoted so they figured we would be happy. Because it was the same company that did the original work to convert the lift from a "V" hull to a pontoon, they had our credit card and charged it and then called Bruce and told him our lift was ready for use. I was NOT happy because now we've paid two people to do work that I didn't want to have to pay for in the first place. I told Bruce I was calling the credit card company to stop payment but he said that because the work was done, he was paying them. Isn't he nice? Now it was time for a hair consultation and style. You see, I've been going around looking like Gizelda for quite some time trying to get a decent haircut. I had decided I would try the young lady that does Amy's hair because she always does a great job with Amy. As I was driving over there I was telling myself that the dock deal was fine and that it is only money. After all we are working so it's no big deal. I arrive and meet the young woman and we proceed. I tell her what I want and the last thing I say is that I just want a nice style and NOT TOO SHORT. She worked on my hair for an hour. Well, I have a style - a VERY SHORT style. I went over to show Amy and she had a look of surprise on her face and the first thing she said was, "Do you like it?" I said yes and she agreed. I came home and Bruce had the same look of surprise and said, "It's cute and SHORT!". At this point I decided to feel my head. YIKES - I have no hair. Snookie, I'll show you mine if you'll show me yours! The day didn't end there. When I arrived at home I was thinking that we wouldl go get a nice dinner and a glass of wine and just end this stupid day. Bruce was working on all of his mother's paperwork and was really grieving the loss of both of his parents and was quite overwhelmed. Instead of trying to console him like a good wife would do I WENT TO BED!! Today is Saturday and the dog again started my day at 4:30 so I'm sitting in the living room typing away. I'm so glad it is the 14th now and not still the 13th! I'm staying in bed on the next Friday the 13th!

Wednesday, June 10, 2008

For the first time in a really long time we have enjoyed two good weather days in a row and for that we are very thankful! Tuesday was a much better work day than Monday. Tuesday is family night with the girls so they came over for dinner. A friend of ours, Sharon Pierson stopped by with her new puppy Kermit the Dog so she joined us as well. We had a good time talking laughing and eating. After dinner Bruce, Jasmine and I enjoyed a good walk through the complex. Today was a GREAT day at work. All the managers were gone so we had what I called "Indoor Annual". That means we all had a day off but we were at work and didn't get charged any annual leave. I had time to get all caught up from being gone last week plus I had time to do some research. After work I had my regular check-up with the dermatologist. This time I only had one spot frozen (right above my right eyebrow) and one spot biopsied (right arm). We are both hoping the freeze job on the face will do the trick. She'll recheck that in 2 months. I'll get the biopsy results in about 2 weeks. I'm sure that was a "nothing" spot because it didn't look like any of my other cancer spots. The doctor said she was 50/50 on it so biopsied it just to be safe. I am happy with the check-up because I wasn't looking forward to leaving there like I did out in Arizona - 4 biopsies on my face. I'm thinking I just need a complete face peel so I can quit going all the time. This evening I had dinner with three friends - Bev Henning, Carol Smith and Eden Keefe. What a treat that was. We talked and laughed like crazy.

Monday, June 9, 2008

Today is our grandson's 16th birthday. Happy birthday James!! We hear that he is out driving around town celebrating. This was a Monday of all Mondays. I had to use my "big girl" voice twice today. That is twice more than I have used it since I went back to work. Hopefully I won't need it for a very long time. Good news. All the kids are coming for Sunday dinner to celebrate Father's Day. We've all been so busy that we haven't seen Alex and his family for more than a month. I'm going to cook so we've got lots of time to visit. This evening I've read all the blogs from our Quail Run buddies so I feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Thanks guys! Our winter in Quail Run was different than we expected but boy we sure made some great friends.

Sunday, June 8, 2008

Today we spent the day completing more tasks at the condo. One of these all the projects will be complete and we will be able to play every weekend. We finally found a comforter set that we like for the master bedroom. It is "aqua marine" in color and I am using a really pretty brown as the accents. If I ever get my wits about me, I will take some pictures. Bruce moved our boat to Ken and Ginny Taylor's lift because our lift has to be moved farther back in the slip. Nothing is ever simple. We re hoping we can get the lift moved this week as Ken and Ginny are getting their new boat next Saturday and will need their own lift. I had the pleasure of talking to Snookie this afternoon on the way home. They are in Cortez, Colorado where it is 71 and a light breeze. WHAT ARE WE DOING IN KANSAS? We decided that 1/2 of the Quail Run workampers will be in Florida this winter along with Jack and Cathy. Here's our plan. Everyone needs to let me know where they will be this winter. Bruce and I will fly to Florida and get a place to stay that is centrally located to everyone. We'll find a park where we can all get together and get caught up. What does anyone think of that plan? Bruce and I can't miss out on all the fun! We drove the three hours home this evening and arrived in the garage just as the rain really let loose. We had our daily thunderstorm. The sky was green as can be and the clouds really looked threatening but we didn't get anything except thunder, lightening and rain. Tonight we are going to hit the hay early so we are ready for our week at work.

Saturday, June 7, 2008

Yes, we are alive. I can hardly believe that I haven't written anything since May 18. What is wrong with me anyway? I'm very sorry for being so lazy. I'm sorry for not calling. I'm sorry for not returning phone calls. (I think I need to go to lazy anonymous or something!)

What have we been doing? We've been working. We've been to SD for my niece's high school graduation. We've been working. We've been trying to get the condo back in some kind of shape since the painting. We've been working. I've been to Fort Worth for Funds Certifier training. We've been working. Who's idea was it to go back to work anyway?

Today we took delivery on our new boat. It is a 25 foot tri-toon made by Premier. It has a 225 horsepower Evinrude engine.

Notice that it is a dual command. I now have the right to sit in the other chair and tell him where to go!!

Bruce's seat. (I guess it's real the helm.)

DeAnn's seat.

Bruce loves his cupholders.

Bruce is checking out the cooler/table. Isn't he cute?

There's the 2009 Evinrude. It is the 100th anniversary edition.

Bruce is demonstrating the "changing room". This is the front end of the boat. (The bow.) Joyce Cooley and her mom stopped in Kansas City early in May so we went to lunch together. It was fun catching up with them again. Here are Joyce and Bruce in front of our new car. Notice Joyce's rig in the background. Joyce is quite a gal!! We were fortunate enough to be in town to watch one of Melissa's dance performances. She was being adjudicated.

The guys were trading off. Melissa was having fun. She's GOOD!

My oldest niece, Kelsey, graduated from high school on May 25, 2008. She was one happy girl.

My mom made Kelsey this quilt for graduation. Grandpa, Grandma and Kelsey.

Melissa, Kelsey and Amy after graduation.

Grandpa, Kelsey and Grandma.

My brother-in-law Rick, Kelsey and my sister Val.

It is now 12:05 a.m. and I need to get to bed. We've got two weeks of work to do at the condo tomorrow before we leave for KC. Back to work on Monday!!

Sunday, May 18, 2008

I just read all the blogs from our fellow workampers at Quail Run. All the great stories make me really lonesome for everyone. Snookie and Bob's pictures of the Hoodoos bring back great memories of hiking through the hoodoos in my flip flops! Congratulations to Don and LaVon on your new home. It is beautiful. Bud and Shelley have a new shed and are home with the kids. Bob and Liz have survived the bears and the tornadoes. Bruce's other brother Darryl and his lovely bride Barbara have said goodbye to Kerrville and hello to Houston. Rick and Wendy are about home. Everybody is going to Florida this winter so I see a quick trip to Florida in our future! Thursday night Bruce and I went to TC Dance to watch Melissa's dance adjudication. She is a GOOD dancer and we enjoyed watching her dance. We are so proud of her! Bruce, Amy and I went to the lake this weekend. I was nervous as all get out the closer we got to the condo because I was about to see our new paint job for the first time. I was really relieved when I opened the door and loved the paint. The three of us worked for 3 1/2 hours to get furniture back in place. Bob the painter will finish the kitchen cupboards this week. Saturday morning Bruce went boat shopping with Ken Taylor. Amy and I were off to the mall for an hour or two of shopping. The mall had great sales and we did GOOD! Bruce called and said he was on the way. Next he called back and told me to meet him at a boat dealer. O course he had bought a new pontoon. Amy and I got to the dealer before him and we toured the boat. I thought I was hiding my disgust but Amy said it was really obvious. Oops. I guess I'm not good at hiding my feelings. Anyway, Amy and I went back to the mall for some more shopping. By the time we got back to the condo, our friends Rob and Bev Henning were there. We had a fun afternoon and evening. Bruce and I "discussed" the boat deal between 12:30 a.m. and 2:00 a.m. This morning Bruce called and asked the sales lady to meet us at the dealership to look at other floor plans. She agreed even though they aren't open on weekends. We went and picked out a different boat that both of us like. While we were there another couple drove up and I sold them the boat we decided not to take. So, Lou was REALLY happy she came out on Sunday- we were now much happier customers and she got rid of another boat. I think I'll call her tomorrow to see what my commission will be. I see a future of boat selling in my future. We brought the RV to Olathe with us because Bruce has to take it to the DMV for an inspection before we can get it licensed. What a pain in the backside. Tomorrow I'm back to work so make some more money to pay for all these new toys. The way I have it figured, we'll have everything paid for about the time we re-retire! I think we would have been money ahead if we had stayed retired the first time. Janet, I think Bruce could use a new certificate!! He's definitely back in the money spending saddle. I'm going to Fort Worth for a couple days in June and a couple days in July for funds appropriation training. I hope they teach me how to make someone STOP appropriating funds!!

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Sorry I've been so negligent about writing. We've been busy going to work, catching up with old friends, redecorating/remodeling the condo and taking care of things associated with moving to a new state, etc. I do know one thing for sure - working SUCKS! After we tucked the RV away in the storage shed (200 miles from us), we discovered that we can't get it licensed without the state inspecting the VIN number. Lovely. A couple weeks ago we had a nice visit with Joyce Cooley and her mom as they were passing through Kansas City. I took pictures but of course I haven't had time to download them. We sold the Volkswagon tonight. Bruce listed it on Craig's List yesterday and within 1 1/2 hours he had 5 calls. The second couple to look at it bought it. It was really kind of sad to leave it but it went to a really good home. The young man actually grew up in Berlin, Germany. He has been in the U.S. for 15 years and loves VW's. They were both trilled to pieces. The Cadillac rarely comes out of the garage because the wind blows all the time and it rains almost every day. Life in Kansas is just great. Can't wait to get on the road again.

Thursday, May 1, 2008

Yippee! It is spring in Kansas and we are having thunderstorms, hail, rain, tornadoes and every other nasty spring weather you can think of. It was 82 today so I guess that we can expect. For those of you that don't know, I do NOT like spring storms. Jasmine and I sat in the closet tonight for a couple of hours. I had my phone, my computer, my jewelry, my purse, my pillow and my dog. I called both of the girls and they weren't very happy with me. It is dark now and the KC metro area is still having tornado warnings. For right now they are all east of us but I'm not comfortable going to bed quite yet. First I complain about the cold and then I complain about the tornadoes. Is it September of 2010 yet?? The week has been busy but good. Wednesday night we had dinner at Bill and Donna Rinne's house. Jack and Cathy Montgomery were there too and it was fun to see everyone. They are all happy and relaxed - RETIRED. Tonight we had dinner with Jeff and Pam Holmes, Blake and Aiden. the boys are 6 and 3 and they are ACTIVE. I think I have forgotten what it is like to have little ones around. Jeff and Pam were part of a Bible study group that we just loved. It is good to start getting reconnected with our friends. Work is fine. Bruce had an all hands meeting this afternoon for the first time since his arrival. He's been busy at work but seems to be happy. I haven't been fired yet and it's almost three weeks. Pay day is Tuesday. YAHOO!! Tomorrow we are going to the lake to work on the condo some more.

April 19-17 (Whew)

Whew. Where does the time go anyway? We've had a great week of celebrating the life of the NOG. When last we talked, Bruce was at the condo working all kinds of projects. He accomplished everything he wanted to get done. Sunday morning he worked until 3:10 a.m. He grabbed a couple hours of sleep and drove back to the city in time to jump in the car with me and head for Topeka. On the way over there, I was driving along loving the CTS. It felt like I might be exceeding the speed limit a little. HELLO!! I was going 95 mph but it honestly felt like about 72 or 73. I can't wait to take it to South Dakota. Anyway we were going to Topeka because Alex and Joy were involved in their church's Hymn Festival Worship service. The members of the church selected their favorite hymns from each of the seasons and they were sung in the Hymn Festival Worship service. Joy (our daughter-in-law) was the soloist on "My Lord, What a Morning" and she did a beautiful job. Alex played his trumpet in the brass trio. I wish I had a recording of the service so you could all listen. After church we had lunch at Wendy's and came home (at a much slower speed than on the trip out). Bruce drove. (He's such a party pooper sometimes). We changed our clothes and went straight-away to our friend Kari Swan's house for April birthdays - Marilyn Bottrell is April 22: Bruce is April 24 and Dale Brandt is April 27 so Kari has us all over for a yummy dinner. Somehow I missed getting a picture of Dale. Do any of you recognize Donna Rinne? The gal in the peach top is Carol Brandt. Monday was back to work for both of us. Did I mention that I hate getting up in the morning? I know we were busy Monday and Tuesday evening but I can't remember what we did. Wednesday was Professional Administrative Assistant's Day. YAHOO!! The Air Traffic Manager took all the administrative help to the Cheesecake Factory for lunch. See if you can find the boss. I had the lunch portion of the Chinese Chicken Salad. Good thing I didn't have the dinner portion! Thursday was the day the NOG turned into the RONOG - Really Old Nice Old Guy. I took BBQ and all the trimmings to Bruce's staff for lunch. Feeding 20 is nothing compared to the crowd at Quail Run. The staff decided we should make this a birthday tradition. This is Michon, Bruce's lead administrative assistant and her son Manuel. Is he a doll or what?? Chowing down in full force! The RONOG and his cake. After work we met up with about 20-25 friends at Austin's Bar and Grill to continue the birthday celebration. We hadn't seen Wayne and Joyce Gregory for a long time so it was fun catching up with them. Lorraine Hisel was assuring Bruce that he would survive the big six oh! Donna was having a great time giving Bruce the business. Note the blue bag in the bottom of the picture. Bev Henning used the dog poop bag to wrap Bruce's gift. How appropriate because the gift was the energy drink inside the blue Koozie. The Koozie says "I don't need the internet because my wife knows everything". I thought Bev was my friend. ): While Bruce was busy hugging the women Melissa was busy working on Bruce's gift. Alan Hisel and David Farrinton were "helping" Melissa. Abby and Beth were keeping Bruce occupied. Melissa tied several balloons to a square basket and presented them to Bruce. Inside each balloon was a clue as to what Bruce's birthday gift would be from the kids and me. Bruce popped the first balloon and read the clue: These vehicles can serve no use until we can guide them. I had rather now find a medicine that can cure and asthma. --Dr. Samuel Johnson The next clue: The ________ seems to stand still in the air while the earth flies past underneath. --Alberto Santos-Dumont. George Bush did this at age 81. I have known today a magnificent intoxication. I have learnt how it feels to be a bird. I have flown. Yes I have flown. I am still astonished at it, still deeply moved. --Le Figaro 1908 Champagne toast anyone? An envelope and shirt will be involved. The best way of travel, however, if you aren't in any hurry at all, if you don't care where you are going, if you don't like to use your legs, if you don't want to be annoyed at all by any choice of directions, is in a ____________, you can decide only when to start, and usually when to stop. The rest if left entirely to nature. --William Pene du Bois, "The Twenty-one _______" And finally: May the winds welcome you with softness. May the sun bless you with its warm hands. May you fly so high and so well That God joins you in laughter And sets you gently back into The loving arms of Mother Earth. ----The ____________________ Prayer. Bruce cried as he read the prayer and we all cheered. No, Snookie, he's not jumping out of a perfectly good airplane. He is going on his first hot air balloon ride. He may choose from a sunrise flight followed by a champagne breakfast or a sunset cruise followed by a champagne dinner. He gets to take a guest of his choice and he says it is me. I'm so lucky. Melissa and Bruce following the revealing. Abby Farrington brought her beautiful baby boy and he liked Amy: Bruce and Amy:

The party was over and it was time to go:

Saturday morning Penney's delivered a new mattress and box springs, dresser and two night stands. The rest will come later. Saturday afternoon Bruce and I went to the Melting Pot for more birthday celebrating. Amy gave us a gift certificate for helping us move and we enjoyed it to the max - spinach and artichoke fondue, salad, steak, shrimp, chicken, salmon, pork and then bananas foster fondue with all the trimmings. We were stuffed so we walked all over the new Kansas City Power and Light District. We stopped at Sprint and got our phones straight so I now have the new Palm Centro with my phone number (913-706-3786) and Bruce has the old phone with his number on it (314-800-4024). By now it was time to go to the Barry Manilow concert at the Sprint Center. He might be 65 years old but he knows how to put on a show. It was fabulous. The kids got me two tickets to Barry Manilow for Mother's Day. Have you started to notice that we have great kids?? Well, we do.

Last night I had a nightmare I just have to share. I was back in the school building where I went to elementary, junior high and high school only this time I was a teacher and guess who was the principal? Jeannie Budd, the manager from Quail Run. All night long I was getting called to the office for a chewing. There was also all kinds of food preparation going on and I just couldn't get it right no matter how hard I tried. At one point I was running around Sam's Club like a wild woman looking for that one last item I needed for the next party. Does that sound familiar to anyone besides me? I woke up in a sweat and was I ever thankful that it was only a dream.

This morning, Bruce, Amy and I went to Topeka for our youngest grandson, Michael's, confirmation. After the service the whole family went to Alex and Joy's for a delicious lunch to celebrate Michael's decision to devote his life to Christ. A perfect ending to a perfect week or maybe it was a perfect beginning to another perfect week! The only problem is that I once again forgot the camera.

Friday, April 18, 2008

I survived my first week of work and so did everyone that I worked with! That is an accomplishment. Many things are coming back to me and I've slipped right into the routine of running the office. One of the managers commented that he couldn't believe I had been there only one week. I think what he really meant to say was that he couldn't believe an employee that had only been there one week had enough nerve to interrupt a meeting three times! Actually my week was really good if I compare this week to some of the weeks at Quail Run RV Park. This one was a walk in the park. I only worked 8 hours a day for 5 days and my work was finished. I was able to sleep at night. Not one cross word was spoken to me all week. AND the big one is that I'll actually get paid for every minute that I work. I really can't beat a deal like that. Not much more progress has been made in the apartment but that will come. A lot of progress has been made at the condo. Bruce drove the RV to the Lake of the Ozarks Thursday night. He filled it with diesel ($4.14 per gallon thank you very much) and tucked it away safely in the shed. Those were two very heart-wrenching tasks for Bruce. We are both thankful to have jobs that will fill up our diesel fund so the next time we fill up the RV the price won't be such an issue. Friday afternoon a crew of strong young men showed up to install our new counter tops and Bruce captured some great shots. The new knobs look GREAT with the new counter tops. We are going to tile between the counter tops and the bottom of the cupboards. There will be no white or tan between the two. How do you like our new sink? I LOVE it! And don't the chairs look nice?

After a hard day of working around the condo our friends Diana White, Bill White, Sue Dauner and John Dauner treated Bruce to his first birthday dinner of the year. I hear they all had fun. For those of you that don't know, Bruce is turning the big 60 on Thursday, April 24. Now he is officially a NOG - Nice OOOOOOOLLLLLLLLDDDDDDD Guy. Just kidding dear.

While Bruce was out celebrating his birthday I was getting reacquainted with friends. Several years ago I belonged to a sorority called Beta Sigma Phi. Lisa Wilms, one of my sorority sisters, invited me to attend their founder's day celebration so of course I accepted the offer. The theme for the 2008-2009 year was revealed: Rekindle the Torch of Friendship. That is exactly what I hope to do in the coming year. The evening couldn't have been any better.

OK, LaVon, I'll loan my title, Queen of the Road, to Snookie for the next couple of years. I've decided to dub myself Queen of the Office. I know that Snookie will wear the title with dignity and honor!

Monday, April 14, 2008

I SURVIVED!! Today was my first day back at a paying job since 8/23/2003! I was so busy all weekend that I didn't have time to get nervous. My day was fine and dandy. I'm being trained by Linda Wall. Interesting fact: I trained her to replace me 18 years ago and now she's training me. Many things have changed in the FAA and many things are still the same. Today was the first day in a really long time that the sky was blue and the sun shined all day. The nice weather was really tugging at me while I was tied to the desk. This evening I roasted a chicken and some sweet potatoes and made green beans and rolls for dinner this evening. Amy stopped by for dinner. After dinner our friend Sharon Pierson came by and helped me finish the kitchen. Thank you Sharon! Tomorrow I take some pictures of the finished apartment. Bruce moved the RV from the RV park to the church parking lot this evening. Bruce will finish cleaning it out and getting it ready for storage tomorrow night. Wednesday we have a dinner meeting and Thursday he'll go to the lake. I'm exhausted from my busy day and am on my way to sleepland.

Thurs night, Fri and Sat 4/10, 11, 12/08

After work Thursday afternoon Bruce, Jasmine and I struck out for Iowa. All was well in our world. Bruce's Aunt Beverly called to tell us to let them know when we were at the Iowa border and they would put dinner in the oven. A few minutes later she called back and told us to slow down because there was a tornado between us and them. We took note of the sky and turned the radio on. Sure enough. There was a huge storm just north and east of us - the direction we were rapidly approaching. About a minute later we saw the tornado. I was so flabbergasted that I totally forgot I had the camera in the back seat. RATS!! The tornado went out of our site while we stood at the Iowa rest area so we proceeded. This is what the sky looked like after the tornado left: We went a little farther saw more clouds and heard on the radio that a tornado had strruck near Numa which is a very short distance from the farm. Yikes. Just before we got to Numa we could see flashing lights. Soon we saw the house that had been struck by the tornado and I shot these pictures while we were waiting for the debris on the road to be cleared. Note that the people on the left side of the picture are standing on the roof from the right side of the house. The fence line across the road from the house was full of insulation and debris from the house. The cattle were wandering around as if nothing had happened. The road was opened and we went on to the farm. We were really glad to get out of the car! Bob and Beverly had fixed a delicious dinner - turkey spaghetti and baked sauerkraut. Now before you go any farther you need to know that both were DELICIOUS. I've got the recipe for the sauerkraut and I'll be making it very soon. YUM YUM. We had a great visit with Bob and Dean (her real name is Beverly but Bruce calls her Dean) and we were off to bed about 11:00. Early Friday morning we were treated to a wonderful breakfast casserole before we went to town to get the U-haul truck. We went to the assisted living center and picked up all the belonging we had left in storage there when Bruce moved his mom to the nurning home. We were back to the farm by 9:20 and began loading furniture and boxes. Oh my. I started off like a spring chicken and by the time we were finished I was moaning and whining and just acting awful. I did get my second wind (so to speak) after a heaping helping of ham and beans. At 12:30 we took off for Kansas City and this is what I saw for the next 4 hours. That is not smoke coming from the tires - it is water from all the rain. YUK! We arrived at the apartment about 4:30 and unloaded everything we had just loaded - more whining and griping. Amy came by after work and helped us move the big items. We placed all the furniture, set up the bed and started unloaded boxes. Rob and Bev Henning dropped by with a nice bottle of German wine. Oh that tasted good. Bruce and I delivered a chair to Amy's condo and then went to the RV to disconnect the water because the weatherman predicted a hard freeze. By 11:00 we were back and the apartment. We've got a lot of work ahead of us. We were off to bed for our first night's sleep in the apartment. Man alive it is quiet in there. Saturday morning about 5:00 our feet hit the floor so we could go to the lake. You see, we had to get to the condo and get the countertops removed so the new ones could be installed on Friday. Here's the work in progress now: This afternoon we went to Lowe's and picked out the paint for the condo. That's after the new countertops get put in. WHAT WERE WE THINKING ANYWAY!! Sunday morning it is back to the city so we can clean the inside of the RV, organize the apartment and get ready to go to work. WORK???? WHAT WAS I THINKING ANYWAY>?.