U.P. Sunday

[Colliemom]

Good Morning from Michigan's Upper Peninsula,

Yep, we arrived yesterday afternoon after a nice uneventful drive. Stopped potty breaks, lunch, gas and quick trip to grocery store to grab a few things. Had one surprise at the first rest stop in that there were only three cars there including my truck. I had just gotten Molly out and a lady came walking up wanting to see her. Lo and behold, her collie came from around behind my truck Now what are the chances of that happening like that especially up here and with nobody at the rest area by then, but us. Her husband brought their truck over from other side of parking area and wanted to see her too. So we visited and talked collie for a bit before they left. Mollie lit up like a Christmas tree when she saw him

She did great on the trip. Stayed in her bed and slept. Since being here she has made herself right at home and it's okay boss, now what. She's having a blast playing on the hill out here, trimming off all the little shrubs and bushes Met the owners two "granddogs" yesterday. Likes them, but one is a bit unsure of her.

Gee, I had a nice ceramic tree in here along with a little battery operated candle on the table, a nice card from the owners and a pile of "goodies" to munch on. They are so glad to see me and even had Molly come in and run around their place while they fussed over her. So they are making my Christmas.

Today is off to church and then home to relax and spend time with Molly. Will have a White Christmas as there is a bit less than a foot of snow here. Think the next storm is going to miss us.

Donna, sorry to hear you won't have family around for the holiday, but go create your own Christmas. Go someplace you really like and enjoy the day there. Do something special for yourself. Ava, I too wonder why you don't take Scout in. He seems to be at home with you. Barb, glad your cold is almost gone. Hope it stays away. CArol, seems like it's one thing after another with the driver's license. But once FedEx gets it to you, then you can be done with the issue and then get that mail straightened out. Yes, they only do forward it for one year and after that I don't know what you have to do. Guess by then you are expected to have a mailing address and notify all senders to send to that address, but in your case, your address is still in NC. Good luck.

Judy, think you are making right decision on brother. No use if you can't help him. Needs to help himself as you said. You can be in the wings for someday.... Linann, have a wonderful two weeks of enjoying whatever you want to dod.

Okay, need to get hair washed here while the 'fur kid' is having her morning nap. I brought her rug and my shoes along so she can have her "security" system for naps. Guess those shoes wll be hers for as long as she wants. At least she lets me wear them

[carolb]

G'morning Sue & Molly & all to follow

How fun that you & Molly got to meet another collie friend! Glad to hear you made it to the UP & are ready for Cmas with your little ceramic tree:) Happy first day of winter to everybody! The shortest day of the year, so make the best of those daylight hours

Well, a wonderful surprise for me yesterday! Met up with Beth & Peaches at Tombstone Finally made it to AZ, entering through the south. Anita informed me that Beth was in the Benson area--I've lost track of everybody. Anyway, we strolled through the town for a couple hours--left A & T in HB, & took Piper with us so Peaches could have a friend too. THEN Beth recommended free boondocking at Whitewater Draw, so that's where I went next. Home to about 20,000 sandhill cranes! Waiting for sunrise to see all 20,000 of them take off for their morning feeding. Beth will come down around 11 a.m. to catch them circling the sky as they socialize after their breakfast. Thanks for the recommendation Beth!

So we're a few days from Cmas, & many of you might be too busy to break for MC, so I'll wish all of you a wonderful holiday! Donna, I think Sue's idea is great--if you can't be with family/friends as usual, create a new Cmas memory for you & Maggie. I'd say that goes for all of us who are without or away from our loved ones!

Y'all have a great day & be safe always!

[avalen]

good morning ladies
sure don't like these cold mornings, but at least it warms up as the sun comes up.
for those that wonder why I don't keep Scout myself....he is a very active little guy and requires lots of supervision. The poor
cat has been up on the shelf since Labor day weekend and just when she thought it was safe to come down, he came back Of course she has a litter box up there but when she used to come down she went outside couple times a day, made the
litterbox duty easier to deal with. So many different challenges coming up for me in the next few months, an out of town wedding coming up in June, sometime over the next few months a funeral, also out of town and I'll have to board Maggie
when that happens. A lot of expense coming my way this next year. Scout has been a great little dog in my home but he is
high maintenance and would do much better in a home with some children to match his energy level.
Still dealing with the hot water tank issue, Sheila mentioned rv salvage, so I googled that and they do have one, just have
to contact them for a price. Although it doesn't have the self sparking ignition for the gas part its doable and I use mostly the electric part anyway. It would certainly be much cheaper than the $500 new unit we could pick up on Monday. More research
on that today. (thank you Sheila for bringing that thought to mind)
Have to get laundry done today and go to the store for a few groceries. Ya'll have a great day and be safe.

[Redetotry]

Good Morning All, Glad to hear you and Molly are enjoying your vacation Sue. That really was a coincidence meeting another Collie at the rest stop. I seldom ever see a Collie anymore and they are so beautiful.
Carolb I was wondering about you this morning, glad to see your post. How nice you could meet up with Beth and Peaches. I would like to see the cranes take off, that would be amazing. Big hug to you Donna I hope you can find something to do, can you go visit someone and maybe find a place where there are a lot of social activities? Ava sounds like you have a lot coming up, I hope you get your hot water tank issue resolved.
Not much going on here, I'm just trying to hang on until the holidays are OVER! I do several things to try and keep my yearly holiday funk at bay but it has descended and I feel totally out of sorts...to phrase it nicely
CArol I sure hope your drivers license problem gets sorted out, maybe Santa will deliver.
Need to get on with the day or I'll be late for church again.

[JudyJB]

Yes, Scout is a high-speed dog and needs a fenced yard and a couple of kids to run around with.

I am going to enjoy my do-nothing or at least almost nothing week. Weather has been gorgeous but supposed to get some sprinkles this evening, so I am going to hop on my bike soon and head off for a ride to see what animals I can spy. Might take a tram ride, also. Tuesday need to go out for a propane refill to make sure my refrig works while I leave RV in parking lot at airport for four nights. Might treat myself to some stone crab claws, and that is going to be about it until I head off to Tampa to fly out to see grandkids in Cleveland.

Only negative is that mosquitos are coming out. I am back to having to be careful not to go out after dark so they don't carry me off!

[gingerK]

Good morning gals,

So good to hear from everyone, especially you carolb! I was wondering where you were in your wanderings, glad to know you are ok and have met up with Beth, too!
I think Sue pretty much covered everyone and everything in her post! What a surprise to meet up with another collie fan! And Molly sounds like such a wonderful little girl!
Ava, since Scout needs to work off his energy are there any trainers in your area who specialize in agility or flyball? They might just know of someone who would be interested in Scout and might just be a good home for him.
CArol, you WILL get that dang license! Then it's going to be look out world, here she comes! Positive thoughts!
Donna, wish I were closer, I'd have you over for the holidays. But it's a pretty long ways and I don't think you'd like to come north this time of year.
I'm going to copy carolb and wish everyone of you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year in case I don't get another chance to say it. You will all be in my thoughts and prayers!
Kathy

[Carolinagal]

Good Morning Everyone !!! What a perky cheerful post to start our morning out with, thank you Molly and Sue. She is so adorable, glad you had a good trip north, enjoy your week there. No church for me this morning, except on TV, this cold is still with me. My neighbor Liz, I noticed her car still here and she has this mess, my bad !!! I feel really terrible about it. She took me to dr. the other day and the close confines of her car was probably the cause of this, I had stayed clear of her I thought. Rainy day here, except for potty times for Maggie, will just stay in and watch Christmas programs and sort through trash mail before throwing. Doesn't that sound exciting Actually it sounds really appealing to me, except the mail sorting part

Dr. appointments and calling to see if my toilet seat is in, are the exciting outings to look forward to this next week, until Christmas day, Liz and I, are eating out and the 26 th will each head south to our DD's. The younger generation have decided to have a family reunion, the 28th, it will be held at Liz's DD's, so will give us all a chance to visit with some we haven't seen for awhile. Many are here in Fl or on their way, so its a good time. Our big wish is to be totally well before the end of this week !!!

My lic fiasco is just another turn in life, the toilet seat is worse, I'm thinking. Not sure what happened to other, but getting another just like it,(I hope soon) so hoping it last . Old RV had same seat in it when it left us after 19 years, whats the matter with these new things ???? I do take care of things, but care didn't help with it, have to try harder if I ever get the replacement , setting on cold porcelain is not nice in the middle of the night, and thinking I might fall in

Ava, kitty was there first, and if Scout isn't nice or kitty is scared, then I hope you find a good home for him, where he will really fit. It was so good of you to take him in like you did, not sure I know many who would have done that. Carolb, safe travels to your Christmas destination, sounds like you had a nice day with Beth. Judy, your week sounds wonderful and relaxing, thinking you need it, I sometimes really get tired reading of your work and travels etc. you go at everything so fast and furious. Or maybe its laziness has really moved in on me, anyway I really hope you enjoy your week and it works out for you to get some good rest. Sarah, hoping things will soon smooth out for you, seems you have had some serious issues to deal with lately. Always something , right?? So anxious to see you soon, praying everything is all taken care of, so you can leave and really enjoy your stay down here with lots of us. Weather has been nicer then you've had, hoping it is when you get here. Donna, I hope you find a way to enjoy your Christmas day. If we were all closer, you could join us for our dinner out.

Merry Christmas Everyone !!!!!! Wishing you all the best in the New Year, Good Health, Happiness and enjoyment in each day, whatever it holds, look for the good things !!
CArol and Miss Maggie

[chalet05]

Good Morning,

Another cool morning and not so warm day but better. Our desert ride yesterday I learned was searching for Big Horn sheep - I guess L has more optimism that I do! Didn't see a thing and it was cold!

Sorry about the illnesses, aches and the holiday blahs. Since I met Steven on a December 26 and we were married the next year on December 30, I really went through the blahs for several years. Sue, glad you arrived safely! Carolb and Beth, glad you had some time together!

I'm getting another late start - slept in and got caught up on Slingshot forum. Thinking I may go to storage later and see what I can get rid of. Gives me a good excuse to go for a ride.

Hard to believe Christmas is this week! I, too, wish you all a Merry Christmas and everything good in the New Year! Safe travels!

[Bethers]

I had to rush this morning to make it to Whitewater Draw - to sit and wait and wait on the cranes. They were not as nice as they were to me last trip, but Carolb saw lots of them, still. She missed their take-off this morning though. She was up early, but they left just before dawn and she wasn't expecting that! Sneaky, they are. After I left, a few miles down the road I saw another 100+ of the cranes heading back from the distance. They just were late. Maybe, like Anita and me, they were being fussy because of the chill. The temps were way cooler this morning than predicted just last night! Then it was also cloudy. For a few minutes the sun came out and we were all happy and warm. Amazing the difference that makes. Then it disappeared again. It's out shining brightly now that I'm home, of course.

There was also a Vermillion Flycatcher hanging around Whitewater. People were taking pictures of it as I was walking to my car. I tried to grab my camera, but it disappeared into the foliage by the time I got ready. A few minutes later I looked back and saw 2 people set up big, professional type gear to take it's picture. Hopefully they were successful.

Anita, Carolb is on her way - slowly ... you two should be getting together and having a great time soon.

Glad you made it north safely, Sue and that Molly likes riding. That's so important. And the owners up there really do take care of you. That's so nice.

[BarbaraRose]

Just got home from a busy day at work. Tips were better today than they have been. More regulars today tho.

Another wet, rainy, dreary day here but still better than -10*.

I thought I was pretty much over this cold/sinus thing until I went to bed last night. My right sinus drained big-time! Very infected! That is the third time in just over a week it has done that. May have to go see a real doctor about that. Don't know why the Virtuwell nurse didn't give me an antibiotic for it.

Sue, so glad things are going so well with Molly! You are so lucky to have such a sweet puppy!

Ava, I can understand about the dog. Gotta make sure all the animals are happy. I have had to give up pets before because the other pets were miserable with the new one there.

Anita, we need a pic of your new toy!

Hope you are all happy, warm and safe today!