September 8 - 30, 2010 - "Home Improvement"

Wow.............Three weeks since last blog. We have obviously been very busy.

Jefferson City to Carthage, MO – We departed Jeff City in route to Carthage where we would be staying a couple of days for a little R&R. Not much in Carthage you say? Eau contraire………………

Carthage – We took the time to visit 2 museums, the Powers and the Civil War Museum. And yes, there actually was “The Battle of Carthage” during the war. Not much of a battle, more like a Mexican standoff, but the locals remember it differently. Onward to my personal favorite (???), Precious Moments Museum and Chapel (and gift shop); don’t think for a “moment” that CC would be denied her inalienable right. For collectors of these ”objects”, I’m sure they could spend all day here, gazing at these dust collecting chotskies. I can only say I was impressed by the vast number of creations AND the amazing story behind the figurines; unfortunately, CC and I can relate to the inspiration. www.preciousmoments.com/

Carthage to OKC – Tulsa side trip – We departed Carthage in route to OKC. By the time we hit Tulsa, it was lunch time. CC was piloting and I was navigating. With the help from Nuvi, she spotted a Cracker Barrel, which is one of our favs, not only because the food is good, but they cater to the RVer’s by providing RV parking. What started out as a great idea turned into a nightmare. We couldn’t turn into Cracker Barrel in the direction we were heading. Now if you’re in an automobile, a u-turn is no bigee, but in a 40 foot motor home, a u-turn just ain’t gonna happen. So………..we decided to look for someplace else to dine. But, the City of Tulsa had other plans. It seems EVERY on ramp to I-44 Southbound was closed for construction. We zig-zagged our way around Tulsa for over an hour, and FINALLY managed to get on I-44S off Lewis, right before the Arkansas River. Lunch consisted of a ham sandwich prepared by CC in a shopping center parking lot. It wasn’t gourmet, but what the hell, we were both hungry and a little stressed from the ordeal.

Twin Fountains Oklahoma City – We stayed here in July; week by week. This time we booked a month at a savings of $12 per day. This is a very nice park especially at the monthly rate. No stay here would be complete without a trip to Remington Downs to watch the ponies run.

Mom’s House – We spent 4 weeks here in July and completed many projects, but the weather was so miserable (HOT & HUMID & HOT Triple digits) we decided to head North while the painting was being done. So, with the  painting completed when we arrived, all that was left to do was just a few finishing touches:

1) Install 2 squirrel cage fans in crawl space to dry and allow access if necessary

2) Adjust and lubricate garage doors for proper operation

3) Weather-strip garage doors

4) Hang and adjust mini-blinds on 10 windows & adjust accordingly with Dremel

5) Orange Glo stained wood trim/baseboards/doors and clean outlets in whole house

6) Hang vertical Levelors in den

7) Caulk rear patio cracks

8) Paint thresholds on front and rear doors

9) Clean both bathrooms (CC scrubbed floor grout with toothbrush)

10) Caulk bathrooms were necessary

11) Clean 40 years of crap from workbench

12) Hang two garage mini-blinds

13) Monster vac all air ducts (They were REALLY bad)

14) Install new floor registers as the old ones were rusted

15) Replace one 75 watt light with 2 light fixtures in garage; 96” x 2 - 40 watt fluorescent lamps

16) Fabricate and paint new cover for crawl space and bolt securely

17) Install and caulk clothes dryer vent in kitchen

18) Mow complete 5 acres

19) Haul brush piles from 2008 ice storm to main brush pile by the barn

20) Adjust tension on outside clothes line so lines were tight

21) Remove, clean and lubricate all windows, including storm windows for smooth operation

22) Replace old passage door destroyed by cat with new door from garage to kitchen

23) Replace damaged bedroom door with new

24) Paint new passage door and trim

25) Stain and finish new bedroom door

26) Replace broken garage window

27) Shampoo carpets

28) Install new light fixtures in entry, hall and 3 bedrooms

29) Met with Realtor to list house http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/400-Edgewood-Drive_Choctaw_OK_73020_M74195-69976?source=web

30) That’s all folks!

Now that we have the heavy lifting behind us, we can get on with living our dream. We can take some time to reacquaint with family and friends in the area. Although, one day as we were slaving away at Mom’s, the neighbors, Bob and Judy, came and kidnapped us and took us to the Oklahoma State Fair. CC and I haven’t been to ANY State Fair in 7 or 8 years, so it was time that we experience the same old thing again. State Fairs don’t change, they just get more expensive. $3 for a corn dog and $6 for a beer. At least the admission was free, as we were all able to get in as it was “Geezers Day”; anyone over 55 got in free. This was one time I appreciated looking older than my actual age ;-) They had me at free.

We were also invited to John and Vicki’s for a wonderful dinner and fine conversation. For those not familiar with John, he is our “adopted” son from the Bronx, which we met while attending OSU; Long funny story for a future blog. How about those Cowboys? Pulled it off in the final 2 seconds against Texas A&M last night. The damned OSU defensive coordinator should be castrated for his decision to play soft zone at the start of the fourth quarter with OSU up by 14. That idiotic move almost cost them the game.

Rick, another friend from OSU called and wanted us to dine with him and his special friend, Jennifer, at the one and only, Eischen’s Bar in Okarche, OK. You may have seen this culinary establishment on the popular TV show, “Diner’s, Drive In’s and Dives”. There is only 5 items on the menu, with fried chicken being their signature dish, and it did not disappoint. Simply delicious. At Eischen’s, you cannot order a piece or two; the only way they sell it is by the whole chicken. We ordered 2 and “somoker”. (For those of you not versed in Okie lingo, that translates as “some okra”.) We consumed all of the fried okra and only had 3 pieces of chicken left. Yes, it was gooooooood!

A special thanks to all that have helped us in preparing Mom’s house to be sold. In July, both CC and I were somewhat overwhelmed at all that needed to be done, but, as the old saying goes, “Inch by inch, anything’s a cinch”. Until next time, take care..................