Oklahoma 2013

joanfenn · June 02, 2013, 10:05 PM

Kev and Patti: Just got back from our weekend and heard about Sheba. So sorry. Hopefully you can find the b-stardo and it would be nice to do the same to them. Pardon me for venting but I hope she is doing okay. Let us know what is happening. Thinking good thoughts for you all. Joan

Guess I should have read on. I am sitting here with tears running down my face because of all the wonderful friends I have lost over the years. The furry kinds that don't criticize you, listen to every word you say and just want to be with you in good times and bad. All the old memories you have of the faithful friend that shared your life, your loves, joys and sorrows will help you recover and soon you will say, remember when.....? thinking that without that animal in your life, you would not have grown to be the person you are. I am so sorry that Sheba is gone, but I hope that the memories that you have of her will help you remember the good times, the fun times and how empty life would have been if you never would have met. Thinking of you both, Kevin and Patti

ClydesdaleKevin · June 05, 2013, 08:43 PM

Thanks everyone. I'm going through a very hard time dealing with this. She was my baby girl, the best dog I ever had, and we had her for 10 years of her 15 or so on this planet. Turns out she was much older than we thought she was, and she fought her little heart out through the years to stay with her daddy, through many illnesses. At least 4 times we thought we were going to lose her, and she always fought back and regained health and stayed with me. This time she couldn't. And I am devastated. I'm trying to keep and stiff upper lip. I'll report in when I can do so cheerfully. Sorry for my absence. Kev

ClydesdaleKevin · June 05, 2013, 08:57 PM

And just so you all know, the vet ruled out rat poison. With the treatment she was on, she should have recovered from rat poison, or at least showed a rapidly improved platelet count. His conclusions from the labs showed that her platelets that she DID have were clotting normally, which would be the opposite if it was poison. His final conclusion was that she either had a cancer affecting her bone marrow, or the tick borne blood virus, which he thought was the real culprit, was overpowering her immune system. I offered to sell everything I owned to save her, and he broke down into tears himself, an almost 70 year old veterinarian. He said clearly that no matter how many more tests we paid for, and no matter how many meds he put her on, there wasn't anything he could do to stop the bleeding, and even if we found a medicine to restore the clotting, it would be temporary and gain her a few more months, maybe. A suffering painful few more months.

I'm tearfully writing this, just to let you know what happened. Not poison, just old age. And every time I think about her passing away in my arms, I fall apart again.

She was the best dog ever, and loved me more than anything could ever love another ever. She'll either wait for me on the rainbow bridge, or find her way back to me as a puppy reborn after May 31st, 2013, at 11:37 central time.

I'm hoping for the later.

Kev

joanfenn · June 05, 2013, 09:01 PM

There is a puppy out there for you to love. You will know it when you see it. Thinking good thoughts your way. Joan

DaveVA78Chieftain · June 05, 2013, 09:23 PM

Thanks for checking in Kevin. There is little I could say that would reduce your pain other than that all of us were worried about how you were and just wanted to know you were OK. Well at least as OK as you can be for the moment. Take care and please check in at least once a week so we know you are OK.

Dave

HandyDan · June 06, 2013, 12:51 AM

I can relate to the ticks. My Scout Troop was asked to help round up two wayward llamas last week for a rescue team. While in the grass chasing these spitting, clever, agile creatures, we got covered with ticks. I only had one that got attached and it left a nice sore even though it wasn't on but a few minutes.
As some of you may remember, I lost my cat a few months back. I loved that cat even though cats have a different way of interacting than dogs. You never get over the loss, but at some time you have to let it go and move on. Another pet never takes the place of a loved one, but it begins a whole new relationship. I still miss Wally and every time I see a picture of him I well up, but our other cat takes away some of the pain. She isn't Wally by any stretch of the imagination, but she sleeps at the foot of the bed.
You have my sympathies, Kevin. I hope there is a new friend in your future.

ClydesdaleKevin · June 06, 2013, 05:14 PM

Thanks again everyone. Barnabas has been getting extra love and attention. He's been pretty depressed, sniffing Sheba's bed and sighing, looking for her whenever we go out, and waiting expectantly at the door whenever I come back home with the Jeep, then sighs and looks sad when Sheba isn't in the car. Unfortunately, he also got himself a lot of extra people food yesterday, and is paying the price for it today...as did my carpet...lol!

So I packed up a bunch of stuff in the workshop today, took down the dog fence and stowed it at our booth, and then employed the help of our neighbors and new friends Russ and Patrick to lift the hard top back onto the Jeep. Then I spent the next couple of hours bolting it back down, taking it off because I forgot a rubber windshield seal, the putting it back on. Then the doors and reconnecting the dome light switches and adjusting the mirrors, and removing the accessory mirrors that are used when the doors are off.

After that I figured out which belt was loose in the RV that was squeaking when we got here...it was thankfully the AC belt, the easiest one to tighten...the others were still fine. And then aired up the front air bags to 60psi.

Then I changed out the peat moss in the composting toilet and cleaned out the pee bottle, and by then it was around 3pm and I was hot and sweaty and covered in dirt...so into the shower.

I called it a day. Tomorrow I'll be doing a lot more packing and loading the rig compartments, moving tools to the booth, etc. The goal is to get out of here sometime on Saturday, but we may end up staying a day or two more if our Greendot card doesn't arrive by Friday...It expires at the end of the month, and they said they sent out the new one this week.

Once we leave here, its a short trip to the Flying J to fill up the propane (gas is already full), and we'll probably stay the night...then hit the road.

Plans have changed since the huge veterinary bill ate up a lot of our vacation funds. Dodge City and the Black Hills and Mount Rushmore are out this year, although they are on the list for next year.

Instead, we are going to meander our way towards New York and stay in National Forests along route. First stop is going to be the Mark Twain National Forest in Missouri. They have lots of campgrounds which will accommodate our rig, and of course its half price with Patti's Golden Access card...and since we don't need hookups with our solar setup, camping will end up being between 5-7 bucks a night. Next stop is going to be Shawnee National Forest in southern Illinois for about a week...not a fan of Illinois with their Nazi gun laws...then Hoosier National Forest in southern Indiana.

We have an appointment with Mor-Ryde in Elkhart, Indiana for July 1st to adjust the rear tag axle to its highest setting. 75 bucks an hour, about a 3 hour estimate, and WAY cheaper than other quotes we've gotten of the past year...AND, since they are the ones that designed it we know it will be done right.

After that we are going to go visit the Great Lakes Renaissance Festival in Ohio, where our new friend Russ happens to be the craft coordinator. He's trying to get us to do his faire, so we are going to spend a bit over a week at a local campground there, and see the faire two weekends in a row.

Then its off to Allegheny National Forest in Pennsylvania for about a week...and then a week or two in Patti's son Joe's driveway in Sussex, NJ before the New York Renaissance Festival campsite opens.

So while our vacation plans have changed, we'll still have a great vacation visiting National Forests along route.

Tomorrow its back to it!

Kev

M & J · June 06, 2013, 05:27 PM

Welcome back Keven and Patti.

ClydesdaleKevin · June 06, 2013, 08:38 PM

Forgot to mention I aired up the Jeep tires while I was at it.

And there is a slight skip in my step again, and you can call my superstitious if you want.

While I was working on everything today and Patti was out on the porch with me, a beautiful butterfly kept flying around us. Landing really close, fluttering about. It stayed the whole time we were out there, unafraid. To my recollection, its the only butterfly I've seen so far since we've been here...or at least the only one I've noticed. If any of you have followed my posts in the past about Sheba, you know she had this thing for butterflies. She would bite and nip at flies and bees and hornets...I saw her eat many hornets over the years without getting stung, or at least not noticing the sting. But she always loved butterflies. She would just watch them with a smile on her face, and even let one land on her nose once. She disappeared one day in Kentucky about 5 years ago, and I had to let Barnabas find her...she was sitting about a mile out in the woods in a field of mountain laurels, surrounded by hundreds if not thousands of butterflies, just watching them with what could only be described as a grin on her face!
I told Patti Sheba sent us a butterfly. Next thing I know, Patti is on the internet looking for German Shepherd female puppies in the New Jersey area born on or after May 31st.

Call me silly or superstitious, but I really think she did send us that butterfly.

Kev

HandyDan · June 06, 2013, 09:20 PM

That is too cool!

joanfenn · June 06, 2013, 11:41 PM

I am sure she did. Beautiful thought.

ClydesdaleKevin · June 07, 2013, 08:31 PM

So it took all day, but the workshop is all packed up and stowed in the booth and locked up for next year, all the sawdust and scrap wood is picked up and thrown on the site burn pit, and everything is staged to load into the RV compartments tomorrow.

The Greendot card didn't arrive today, so if it doesn't arrive in tomorrow's mail, I'll give them a call again and get an estimate of when its supposed to arrive. We won't be anywhere to receive mail until almost August, and my retirement gets direct deposited to that account.

Tomorrow its load up the compartments and get ready to hit the road. Not a heck of a lot left to do.

Patti and I have been smoke free since Monday...we started using vapor devices made by Ego-T, and they work incredibly well. No nicotine urges since you are getting it from the device, and no smoke! Just vapor. There is a small amount of proplylene glycol, food grade, added to give the vapor a bit of a bite so it feels more like smoke. And the Apple flavor is yummy...lol! Way cheaper than cigarettes as well. A vial of the liquid costs 7 bucks and lasts about a week. And you can get the liquid in bulk online for way cheaper. The technology has come a long way on these things, and we haven't even had to recharge the batteries yet since Monday. No more smoke or carcinogens, no more bad smells and ashtrays. Its a win win! Specially since we are going to NY where cigs are almost 10 bucks a pack! Stopping by the D&M Vapor store tomorrow to pick up enough vials to last until we get settled in in NY. Its not exactly quitting the nicotine addiction, but its WAY better for you and way less offensive to others.

And now that I've dropped the weight, I think I have a belly button hernia...in fact, I'm sure of it. I have no idea how long I've had it since the gut was in the way, but it definitely a protrusion right over my belly button, about the size of a small grape, that I can push back in and it stays in for a while. Anyone ever deal with something like this before? Not painful at all, but I'm wondering if I should see a doctor about it. I really don't want to be laid up in a hospital from an operation, but don't want to be laid up in a morgue either...lol! Not a fun way to spend a vacation, but I sure as heck won't have time to deal with it in NY or NC! Any ideas? Is it life threatening or demanding immediate attention, or can it be put off...and just how long is someone laid up after getting the operation to fix it?

And on a lighter note, has anyone ever tried Crabbie's Ginger Beer, imported from Scotland? OMG its yummy! Not very high in alcohol content, about 4.8, but its better than any regular ginger beer or ginger ale I've ever tried, and I love gingerale! Tasty tasty tasty, and perfect for unwinding after a very hot day of outdoor working!

Okay, enough rambling.

Kev

M & J · June 07, 2013, 09:06 PM

Our daughter had a herniated belly button. Out patient surgery when she was a child. Insurance covered it. Have a Dr. check it. Not a bid deal while its small I think.

ClydesdaleKevin · June 08, 2013, 05:27 PM

Got all the compartments loaded and packed full, and Patti kept at it doing the laundry and getting the interior of the rig ready to travel.

Then everything that goes in the Jeep was staged and covered with a tarp. I would have loaded it, but Barnabas (and Sheba while she was sick) made a mess of the carpets, so when all my chores were done I drove the Jeep down to Lowes and rented a Bissell Green Machine to shampoo the carpets in the morning when its cool enough outside to not run the AC. After I shampoo the carpets in the morning I'll wash the machine and bring it back to Lowes.

Anyhow, once all the compartments were loaded and everything else was staged, I ran down to D&M Vapor to stock up on eCig stuff, then went to Walmart and picked up some ribeye steaks and mashed potatoes for dinner, then stopped at Tractor Supply to exchange a case of Cherry Cola for Rootbeer (bought Patti 2 cases of root beer last week, but one of the cases was Cherry cola by accident...YUCK!). Then home and walked Barnabas. And called it a day.

Tomorrow I'll shampoo the carpets and bring back the Bissell, wash the solar panels, take Patti shopping for road groceries, install the tow lights on the Jeep, load up the Jeep, and that is pretty much all we have planned for tomorrow.

Monday morning I'll run down to the post office and get a self addressed stamped envelope, then go to the office here and give it to them and ask them to please forward our Greendot card, which according to Greendot should be by the end of the month, to Patti's son's address. And pay them for the extra 2 days of camping. We are payed up through today, 10 bucks a day after that.

After that, its hook up the Jeep and lights and whatnot, then head down to the Flying J right before I-40 to fill the propane and top off the gas tanks.

Then we are off on vacation! First stop, Mark Twain National Forest in Missouri!

Kev

ClydesdaleKevin · June 09, 2013, 09:31 AM

That's pretty cool, Frederic! Is the button down on the bowl where you can reach it just like you were smoking a pipe?

Once my coffee kicks in, its time to shampoo the carpets, wash the shampooer, wash the solar panels, then bring Patti with me when I drop off the unit at Lowes so we can stop at Walmart and pick up some road groceries tomorrow.

Then its back to camp to fill the freshwater tank while I hook up the tow lights to the Jeep and load up the rest of the stuff into the Jeep, all the while hoping that the predicted afternoon thunderstorms miss us.

Tomorrow morning its a quick run to the post office to pick up a flat rate envelope so we can self address it and leave it with the office here so they can forward my Greendot Mastercard to Patti's son's address, then we'll hook up the Jeep and hit the road!

And probably only get as far as the Flying J off of I-40 to fill up the propane, top off the fuel tank, and will more than likely stay the night in their parking lot before heading to Mark Twain National Forest in Missouri.

This topic is about to end, and a new topic will begin tomorrow: Summer Vacation 2013.

Kev

HandyDan · June 09, 2013, 10:15 AM

The Mark Twin National Forest is 1.5 million acres. Is there anyplace in particular that you are planning to bed down? Don't overlook the state parks. There are a lot of them on your route through Missouri.

ClydesdaleKevin · June 09, 2013, 05:52 PM

Not sure Dan...plan on playing it by ear. Just drive along and enter one that says camping, and see if they have room for the rig...lol! I'll do a little more concentrated research on them tomorrow while we are sitting in the Flying J. And if we see a state park, that will work too as long as they can fit a 35 foot rig.

Got the Jeep all loaded up and the whole porch packed up, the solar panels are washed, the shampooer is returned, groceries are gotten and put away, the freshwater tank is filled through a new inline hose filter, the bicycles are loaded on the Jeep, and we are pretty much ready to leave first thing in the morning, after I get the envelope from the post office and leave it with the office.

Then its a short trip to the Flying J to fill the propane, and get a little more solid data on the National Forests.

Kev

HandyDan · June 10, 2013, 12:43 AM

Are you headed up I44 to St. Louis (Don't get there at rush hour!), or going some other route? If you're headed up I44 I would recommend Meramec Springs State Park or Onondaga Cave State Park. Lots of fun things to do at either one, however, the fees are $21 a night with electricity but seniors over 65 get a $2 discount. MO State Parks do not take Senior Pass cards. The national parks in Mark Twain National Forest don't have much in RV camping. Max length for most camps is 34ft. I was hoping I could find you a military campground near Fort Leonard Wood, but they are either way out of your way up near Lake Ozark, or don't accommodate RVs.

ClydesdaleKevin · June 10, 2013, 08:44 AM

Good to know, Dan! We might check out one of the State Parks when we drive up that way, and unless the park rangers at the National Forests come out with a tape measure, we can always tell them our rig is 34 feet....close enough!

Well, the adventure begins today!

I'm about to take Barnabas out to do his business, go down to the post office to get that envelope, go to the office, unhook the RV, hook up the Jeep, then its off to the Flying J.

If I have an internet connection wherever we do stop for the day, I'll begin the new chapter.

Kev

ClydesdaleKevin · June 10, 2013, 06:46 PM

Got the envelope to the office, hooked up the Jeep, unhooked the RV and started it and let it warm up, took Mr. Boo out to potty, and then we hit the road.

Drove around 125 miles and landed in an RV park in Sarcoxie, MO called Beagle Bay RV Haven, and decided to stay for a week.

So thus endeth the Oklahoma chapter and a new chapter begins. Look for our next chapter under the heading Summer Vacation, 2013!

Kev

joanfenn · June 10, 2013, 06:58 PM

Have a great time you two, you deserve it. Joan

Stripe · June 10, 2013, 08:28 PM

Aww, no more "Winds whistling down the plains.."

Oh well, on to the new adventures...