A Test Run

Before we talk about our test run, let's talk toothpaste. I know, not the most exciting topic, but hey, we all use it every day and when I discovered this at Costco, I thought why not? 

While I have no idea how whitening it is, I can vouch for the invigorating mint flavor. Has anyone else tried a toothpaste with charcoal before? I absolutely love it and it makes me look forward to brushing my teeth, never a bad thing, right?

So, I mentioned in my last post, that we were planning another camping trip; tomorrow is the day. And while I do love tent camping, I freely admit that getting off the ground from a low air mattress has its drawbacks for senior citizens. So, I went to Costco and bought a higher mattress with a built in pump. Instead of the full size mattress we'd been using, this one is a queen, mostly because it is way hard to find the smaller size. Anyway, we blew it up on top of our bed and it took less than five minutes to inflate, using the built in plug. We never camp without electricity so there is no problem there. Bruce moved it out into the living room,

along with our pillows and a quilt and there we slept on Wednesday night for a test run. A big win for the Pecks! My full report when we return.

One day we did not play Pickleball! Yup, it is true. Instead I went with Bruce to help him with a project at church. It turns out that the sign on New England just fell over and John called Bruce to the rescue. All our wet weather can do a number on wood over time and it turned out that the wood posts were, well, here you go--rotten.

Originally he'd thought to cut off the legs and attach new ones but on second thought he cut them off halfway,

using a handsaw from his early days as a carpenter. I can make stuff but Bruce can create ideas out of nothing, thus, he put a new post on either side burying it close to the sides. After digging holes about eight feet deep, in the posts went and before leaving both sides had a new foundation.

John is in charge of painting the posts white, which they very well may be as I type this post. Another thing he did, this time for me, is plant some new dwarf azaleas in our little garden area in front of the "Jack in the Beanstalk" tree. Before it was a wild mess with four foot Pentas and Sunpatiens, but when I came home from Clemons with these beautiful plants, he did the planting. They were impossible to resist.

Not only are they super pretty, but having the bed so tidy is fantastic.

Yesterday I put the Vortex to the test and it pretty much worked like a charm, albeit one pan at a time. I made some Pumpkin muffins for our trip, as well as some brownies. Then because the courts were wet from an overnight rain, this morning we worked on getting ready, with Bruce packing the car, putting the kayak and bikes on the car, and packing all of the other gear. I spent hours in the kitchen making a pasta salad and granola. So that one pan at a time business I mentioned, it took about four separate cookings to make the granola because the oven only holds an 8" pan.

Now it is dinner time and for that we are having some corn on the cob, fried okra, and air fried spicy chicken. See, I'm a glutton for punishment, adding that fried okra into my day! Another thing  I made was the meat and veggies for shepherds pie because I had some leftover mashed potatoes that will work nicely  after our six or seven hour drive, plus the set up, we'll be able to have dinner on in a jiffy. It is getting dark so early that this will make things easier.

I abhor making lists, but in my old age, lists may play a bigger role in my future than I'm accustomed to. I made this one so that in the morning, when we pack the cooler, I won't forget a thing. This campground is pretty much in the middle of nowhere, making running to the store not really an option!

Unfortunately with an oncoming storm, the weather is not looking great for our trip which, of course, is not ideal. In anticipation of taking some dark sky photos, earlier this week I went looking for my rarely used tripod. Well, without a top to it, that wasn't going to work, so a trip to Target solved that problem. If I get really, really lucky, maybe one night we will have stars, but looking at the forecast, I'm lowering my expectations. 

Well, I'm pooped so that's it for me tonight because we've got an early start in the morning. Until then, enjoy Friday night's sunset.

Finally, keep the faith friends.

Make of this what you will. xx

your friend,

Gail