Jan's Journal

June 26, 2004

It's Friday, my favorite day!! (Oops - Saturday again.)

So what has been happening in my life this past week? We brought the motor home as far as West Linn so we could get it ready to take to the family reunion. As I mentioned earlier, we had to unpack everything we had stored in it and clean it all out before we could use it. That took most of a day. We drove it from the coast back to West Linn to get it loaded for the reunion and as I was putting the last of the things in there, I came face to face with a squirrel inside the motor home. They're all over the place up there and I had left the door open so I could load the rig. Anyway, he went "nuts" trying to find a way out and since I was standing in the only exit, I decided to step back out of his way. He was so funny racing around inside the motor home looking for the fastest escape route and when he finally found it, he was chattering up a storm all the way to the nearest tree! I am glad we discovered him before we left!!

Thursday morning, Dave drove up the Columbia Gorge with the motor home for the Nichols family reunion to Husum, Washington and I followed in the Jeep. We needed a car, as Dave had to drive back and forth to Portland to announce the Indy Car races all weekend long. That is about an hour and half trip one way. He figured he spent 9 hours commuting between the reunion and the races over the long weekend. Anyway, on the way up the Gorge, we had a blowout on the motor home. I was driving behind him in the Jeep and got a road full of rubber! Dave was perplexed on how he was going to change the tire, since it was so hot out and it wasn't something that he was looking forward to. I suggested we call the Good Sam Club, since we are paying $100 a year for the emergency roadside service and we might as well take advantage of it. We called them and they came and changed the tire and we were on our way in no time. We got our hundred bucks worth right there!

The reunion was a lot of fun and we enjoyed seeing all the aunts, uncles and cousins. There wasn't as big a crowd as in years past, but it was Father's Day weekend and that might have had something to do with it. We did have beautiful weather for June in the Northwest; in fact it was downright HOT...90 degrees. (Well, that's hot for us!) My daughters came with their kids so I got to show off my grandchildren. My older daughter and her husband spent the night with us in the motor home as our son-in-law was going to the car races with Dave the next day. Our granddaughter is 14 months old and didn't think much of her substitute crib. Needless to say, we didn't get much sleep that night. In fact, I think she managed to keep most of the camp up half the night from the dirty looks we got the next morning!

We stayed until Monday after everyone had left. It was so peaceful up there with just the two of us, except for a tractor that came barreling through the field at 5:30 in the morning! The reunion area is right next to a hay field on the ranch. And when the hay needs turnin'...it needs turnin'! Even if it means waking up a cousin who hung around a day too long!
We left the motor home up there as we have to return in a month to attend a cousin's wedding and decided that would be a great place to crash after the festivities. Besides, it gives us a place to keep the motor home while we get moved, and right now, we can use the RV space in the boat barn for furniture storage! After we left, we bought a new tire and stopped to visit with Dave's cousin who lives nearby, then headed for home. It is so nice not to have to rush to get home just so you can make it to work the next day. I am lovin' this retirement thing!!

We are back and forth to the coast this week. The more we come down here the more I don't want to leave. Our official move-in will be over the 4th of July weekend when the kids are going to help us move the "big" stuff down.

GIVE ME A BREAK!!

I had to go to Costco to get my mother's prescription filled. I usually pay at the prescription counter and get out of there...but...because I was purchasing a telephone calling card too, I had to go through the regular line with my one extra purchase. Why is it that when it is finally my turn to get waited on, the clerk decides to stop and count his money in the till? That wasn't so bad but then the darn bag person had to interrupt him and so he had to start over!! I made the comment to that person and she just glared at me! I guess I should learn to keep my mouth shut. I keep telling myself that there is NO service or consideration these days so I might as well just get used to it.
And speaking of lines, why is it I always get in the slowest one? While I was a Costco, I decided to gas up the Jeep. Hey, it's 30 cents a gallon cheaper there than at the regular stations! Anyway, with prices like that, you know there are going to be long gas lines. Let's see, which line shall I choose? OK, that one! I was in that line for an extra 10 minutes while cars that got in other lines after I got there were long gone! Just a talent I have, I guess.