The Ups and Downs

Saturday 14 September 2024

   The beautiful early fall weather continues.  The burnt yellow leaves from the walnut tree next door flutter down all day long.  A sure sign of cooler weather ahead. But for today I cleaned up the apartment, vacuumed and made a grocery store run in anticipation for Diane returning. I grabbed a salad from the grocery store for lunch thinking I'll eat a good lunch.  It was a good salad but an hour after eating I was sick. I'm guessing they must have used a preservative on the lettuce.  Eventfully the gas and bloating passed, and I managed another bike ride.
    I got back Rudy and I were trying to decide what we want for dinner, hot dogs or sausages when the phone rings.  WOO WHO it is Diane, and she is on her way home 😀😁seems Lynne and Rick got back early. Good news for Rudy and me.  She pulled in Rudy ran out jumping, licking and making little whining and grunting noises, he was so happy to see her, and I was too of course. Some wine, burgers on the grill and we are a happy family.

Sunday 15 September 2024

   Breakfast on the grill first time in over a week.  But the honeymoon didn't last long.  After breakfast we got back to the grind, sorted mail, paid bills, Diane went to the grocery store.  She picked up a rotisserie chicken from Wies market for lunch, I picked it, and we had it for lunch, it just didn't have any flavor.  Wasn't bad but wasn't good either. I went for another bike ride, and she did dishes and laundry.  Boy, it is good to have her back. 😏 

Monday 16 September 2024

   And so, another crazy week begins! 😓 I left the house at 06:30 heading to Wellsboro to have a tooth pulled and pick up my dentures. Made it there just in time for my 11am appointment.  In and out just over 1 hour. Next stop was the cabin for a pair of boots to hike up Norman's hill and replace batteries in the trail cam. Back down to the truck and hightailed it back to the apartment. One stop for gas ($2.85 in Lewisburg) and I was home by 5:30. Just in time for happy hour. What a long day (11 hours) traffic was heavy but no accidents.  It took two glasses of wine just to calm down. Diane was bored to tears just sitting around waiting for me to get back. But tomorrow is her turn in a vehicle. She did manage to get a few items packed to get out of here on Saturday. 

Tuesday 17 September 2024

   Today Diane is in the car all day.  She left around 10am drove to Elizabethville to pick up some auction items, stopped for lunch in Berrysburg, on to Selinsgrove to check out a Moho and finally to Kate's place arriving around 4:30.  She pulled in and half an hour later her and Kate were back in the car going to Galeton for dinner.  The place was closed for some unknown reason. Back to the Perma Stone Inn for dinner, food was ok. They made it home by 8pm. She was worn out and has to do it again tomorrow.
   Rudy and I didn't do anything.  My jaw is still sore😩 so it was rest and pain pills😏 most of the day. I also managed to get a small box of items packed up. Getting anxious to get the Moho back. 

Brad always threatened Kate that he was going to start buying her pigs to collect.... she found this one in her house and figured I planted it there for Brad.  😆

Wednesday 18 September 2024

    Diane left Kate's at 10am (see a pattern) heading to her doctor's office in Corning. She was in and out in just a few minutes (appointment was 11:30).  Stopped for wine (much cheaper in NY), then lunch, next gas and a few bathroom stops and she was home by 5:30. Her butt was really dragging two days in a row.😐. And the car was just covered with Tioga County dirt. She flopped in the lawn chair outside and had a refreshing glass of wine.
    I waited until the first glass of wine was gone to give her the bad news. What she didn't know yet was just before she arrived the Maria (from the RV shop) called.  You guessed it......the Moho will NOT be done this week. 😟😠😡. Maybe Tuesday or Wednesday but for sure by Thursday.  No use getting mad, it is what it is. Can't change how long it takes to do the painting. What a disappointment.
   We did have steaks and mushrooms for dinner. This was supposed to be a celebration (getting Moho back) instead we celebrate another week in the apartment.

Thursday 19 September 2024

   Now that we're not leaving, we have a bunch of things to rearrange. Scheduled her car for an oil change, extended our stay at the Airbnb, changed reservations in Dillsburg, wash the car and restock the pantry.  We have been eating what we had so we wouldn't have so much to pack and carry back to the Moho but now we are out of food.  I went washed the car, came back then had to go to the Dollar store and Diane did the grocery store run and most of the phone calls. We are just so let down about the Moho.
   We were supposed to go out for dinner, we just don't feel like it anymore.

Coming back to life, us and the Moho!!

 Monday 9 September 2024

   Life goes on sick or not.  I'm feeling somewhat better and there are things I need to fix. Last week the check "transmission light" came on it the truck.  Second time this year. I found a Ford dealer just down the road. I drove over this morning with two lights flashing on the dash.  Besides the transmission light the tire pressure sensor failure light was flashing.  Well, we all know we don't have lights anymore they are symbols 😒 that I had to look up in the owner's manual.  After talking with a service advisor, we schedule the truck for service tomorrow.

   That out of the way I stopped at an antique store on way back to the apartment. It was a big antique mall lots and lots of vendors just not much fun alone. Back home walked Rudy and leftovers for dinner.

    Diane finished her drug regiment but still very tired, feeling a little better just weak and tired. 

Tuesday 10 September 2024

    Good and bad of concierge service. The good, they picked the truck up at 8am and returned it around 3:30.  The bad, all day stuck in the apartment with no vehicle. They flushed out the transmission hopefully that will work.

   Tired of living alone already.  More leftovers.

Wednesday 11 September 2024

    We were supposed to go the RV show today but Diane is just feeling better, and we didn't want to tire

her out. So, we met at T.J. Rockwell's in Elizabethtown.  Another wonderful day for touring around but settled for lunch. We had a good meal, Diane had the fish tacos, and I had BBQ sliders and baked tomato soup.  Both were very good.  I took a different way home and found another antique store (surprise right) they are everywhere down here.  This one was more reclaimed wood (old shutters, barn boards etc.) with regular antiques mixed in.

   Back home walked Rudy, yet more leftovers for dinner.

Brad got to go 
antiquing!!

Thursday 12 September 2024

    Today I went down to the RV shop to check on the progress of the repairs. Went down the turnpike route 202 and rt 100, a little longer but almost all 4 lanes.  Looking for a better way to get the Mohon back up without narrow winding roads.  I arrived about 11:30 it is only 50 miles but takes 1hr 45 min on the back roads. throw in a stop for gas and it is a two-hour trip. They had the passenger seat removed, cut a hole in the wall and were working on rewiring. I tried to turn on the inside light and battery was dead. Had to use a flashlight. Back on the road by 12:30

     As requested by my superior I stopped for marinated mushrooms on my way back. And just my luck

We have STEPS!!

there was a sandwich shop just across the street. Feeling obligated to help the local merchants I walked across and got a sandwich. 😁  

     Back to the house walked Rudy.  I tried to eat the leftover fish, but I think it was bad, so I ate the last three leftover wings. Diane has been gone 6 days; all the rest of the leftovers were trashed. 

   Diane did get out to follow up on her application at the Elk's.  She applied back in May but never heard anything more. The Elk's though she had been approved and not sworn in. They were apologetic and she is back on track. She stopped for lunch and did some shopping on her way back.

Friday 13 September 2024

  The weather has been great all week long.  This is the second week straight of just perfect sunny fall weather.  Last week we were sick, this week at two different locations.  The highlight of the days are going to grocery store and brief shopping trips. Today is no exception.  I went out for lunch, stopped for 4 things at the grocery store and then the dollar general for my creamer.  Oh Yea! 😒 After all that excitement I loaded up my bike and went for a ride.  First in over a week. That felt good.

   Can't wait to have Diane return and then get our Moho back.  Time to start planning for the fall camping schedule.

SICK all week

Thursday 6 September 2024

   I don't have a test kit, but now I'm sick!  Not near as bad as Diane, but a sore throat and a nasty cough. I went to the store picked up some green tea and back home. Diane did make dinner tonight baked chicken with spinach and mushrooms.  That pretty much wore her out for the night.

Friday 7 September 2024

   Diane was supposed to go to Lynne's today but decided to wait until tomorrow.  No need to contact anyone we don't have to. It was my turn to do dinner (picked up wings) and that wore me out.

Saturday 8 September2024

   We are feeling just a bit better.  Still have a nasty cough. Diane left for Lynne's about 9am. Rudy and I stayed here until noon. I needed to pick up some auction items in Halifax, so we left at noon.  Up to Halifax got my items and met Diane at Lynne's.  By the time we arrived, and ordered dinner we were wore out again. 

Sunday 9 September 2024

   The dogs had us up by 6:30. Took one out the back door, one out the front door and neither of us had any coffee yet. 😦 After some coffee we had breakfast sat around for an hour or two before I headed back to the apartment.

SUMMARY 

   This has been one for the nicest weeks of weather all year.   Great for touring around Lancaster County to all the antique stores, Amish shops, craft stores and winery's.  We had such great plans for our time here. And we had to get sick.😖😖 Hopefully it will get better!!

COVID HITS

 Sunday 1 September 2024,

    Woke up to cloudy skies and a light drizzle. Doesn't that just figure we are to go to a cookout at the Smedley's in Dillsburg.  We pretended not to notice and went about our morning. As the morning went on the rain kept picking up. By the time we left a steady light rain but amazingly 5 mile down the road it quit.  We took the slow and back roads through York and to Dillsburg. By the time we got there the sun was out and temperatures were on the way up.  It was a nice visit especially to see Chase and Kennedy playing and swimming. Shane didn't get there until 2:30 we had a short visit with him before heading over to Lynn and Rick's.
    We sat on their deck talked for a while before ordering pizza. The pizza showed up and we headed to the basement to eat and played a game of Mexican Train.  Diane ruled the board no one else was even close.  Around 10 we called it night planning on staying for breakfast before heading back.  When morning came Diane was not feeling good, headache, mild fever and scratchy throat. She got dressed said goodbye from across the room and we went back to the apartment. 

Monday 2 September 2024

    As soon as we were in the house, she took some pills and rested.  I went for my second bike ride made it 11miles. I don't want to push it too much until my butt get used to riding again. 😊 Very windy this afternoon to the point other bikers were actually kicking up some dust. I stopped to get a picture of the Cocalico creek, beautiful and very peaceful.

Brad crosses the
Cocalico Creek

    I made it back to the apartment Diane was still resting. Lynne sent a covid test kit with us and Diane finally tested.  Yep, she has covid.
   That was about it for today. I made dinner for us (warmed up leftovers) more pills for her and off to bed.

Tuesday 3 September 2024

   First full day of confirmed covid for Diane.  She got some Paxlovid from the doctor hopefully she can kick this early. She mostly sat around took pills and napped. I'm still feeling ok, went for bike ride this afternoon. The farmer by the rail to trail was out with his kubota tractor--with iron wheels that's just wrong. But what a beautiful day we had sunny almost 80 degrees.  The bike ride was about it for today.  I had to make dinner again😩 take out from Gus's restaurant, not to difficult.

Sitting outside

Wednesday 4 September 2024

   Day two with covid. Diane appears to be coming around just a bit.  Yogurt for breakfast. Diane is sticking with her plan, drugs, nap and eat repeat. We are watching more TV in a day than we normally watch in a week.  I went for a bike ride; it may have been a bit much 4 days in a row. By the time I returned to the truck my throat was a bit scratchy.  But I made it. Diane made baked fish and had a little appetite, first in three days.  Cleaned up the kitchen and we were both in bed by 9:30. Hope we kick this sickness soon.

   

Some much needed down time.

 Thursday 29 August 2024

   Finally, a day to relax! We had breakfast on the grill, pancakes and sausage. We took it easy all day. Diane went to the grocery store and a goods store (.5 miles) where she found a purse she liked 😄, but didn't buy it😔. She came home put the groceries away. Went for a walk and we were sitting here planning dinner that uncontrollable urge hit! And just like that she was in the car going to get that purse.
   Rudy and I walked down Main Street and found where the rail to trail parking lot was.  Turns out it is just three spots beside an apartment building.😟They were all full, surprise. I'll have to find another spot to park.
   Chicken on the grill and the day was over.

Brad found the 
Bike path.

Friday 30 August 2024

   Breakfast on the grill again, mushroom and cheese omelet. It was good! Lynne drove down, picked up Diane and they were off to the Green Dragon farm market. They were gone for quite a while and returned with a bunch of fresh vegetables and other goodies. Seems they had a great time.
   Rudy and I stayed home did dishes, laundry and cleaned up the apartment.  I did manage to get an update from the repair shop. They had to remove the passenger seat and loosen a wall panel to find wiring connections.  At least we are making progress. I'll get another update on Wednesday.

Saturday 31 August 2024

   Not much happening today! Diane spent most of the afternoon cleaning, chopping and cooking the vegetables she bought at the market.  I finally made it to the bike trail.  This was the first ride since February of 2022. I made it almost 9 miles, I thought that was good for the first ride. Back to the apartment showered and had a glass of wine before we had dinner. Deer tenderloin stuffed with jalapeno peppers, cream cheese and wrapped in bacon. One of our favorites!!😋

Our Grill Area!!

Crazy amount of driving

 Saturday 24 August 2024

    By the time breakfast was over we had gathered one more load of stuff for the storage so off I went while Diane packed up the Moho.  We only have 60 miles to go but most of them are "country miles" down through Lancaster, Lititz over to Ephrata. And as usual we wanted to leave by 11am, didn't make that.  It was almost 1:30 till we left. We hooked up the car and good thing Diane was watching; the wheels weren't moving. She had to go through the whole set up once again. We were good to go. 

   Pulled into the Airbnb around 3:30. It wasn't easy, but we got the Moho within 25 feet of the entrance door. Diane and Rudy stayed in the apartment and sorted/organized as I carried the stuff in.  It doesn't seem like much, but all the refrigerator stuff was first.  Then all the perishable foods came in.  And let's not forget all of Rudy's stuff, dishes, food, treats, medicine etc. Next all the pills and stuff from the medicine cabinet. And lastly all the clothes you need for 3 weeks (and who knows what that is)! It took a couple hours and was finally wine time.  We poured some wine and OH there is NO where to set?  We had the car packed full and had to unload that first.  Now with the grill and chairs set up we could relax (until morning).

   Burgers for dinner (and wine).

Sunday 25 August 2024

   You talk about a travel day. We started with a breakfast sandwich from Gus's dinner, it certainly big enough.  Then we all get in the car and drive to Dillsburg to get the truck. We pulled into Walmar Manor, Diane got back in the car and left, Rudy had to pee then we were off to storage unit (I forgot the bolt for the bike rack) then we headed back to Arkon. 

  As soon as we got back, we parked the truck, carried our overnight stuff to the Moho, hooked up the car and headed to a Harvest Host camping spot, close to the repair garage. It is 50 miles but even google says 1 1/2 hours.  Now I had Diane navigating us through Amish country on a nice Sunday afternoon. We missed the first turn and....then we passed at least 50 or more horse and buggies😟. We ended up on some of the windiest, narrow roads in PA. Route 841 should have a sign "NO RV's"!

   We finally pulled in around 5:30, unhooked the car, put the slides out and Diane had to get back in the car to get us dinner. She found a BBQ spot; the food was yummy.

   To sum up today. Drove to Dillsburg, drove to Akron and drove to Newcastle DE. Not a lot of miles but over 6 hours in a vehicle.

Monday 26 August 2024

   It not over yet.  We had breakfast bars and started packing the car up. We left at 9am heading to The RV Shop 15 miles away. We pulled in I told them I had an appointment with Maria our service manager. Well, she is off for a couple days. They assured me the work would start without her. I hope😟

   Back in the car and another drive through Amish country (at least it's a workday).  We made it back around 1:30 unpacked the car.  We stopped and got fresh mushrooms.  Dinner was (wait for it) steak and mushrooms. Fresh mushrooms did have a much richer favor. Happy hour started early. 🍷😁.

   And it is not over tomorrow Diane has to drive to Tioga County for a doctor's appointment on Wednesday.

Tuesday 27 August 2024

   Diane packed an overnight bag and was on the road by 10am. Now if your keeping track Diane has been in a vehicle four days straight and today is a five-hour trip. She arrived at Kate's place about 3pm, they went out for dinner and back to talk a bit before bed ('til midnight).

   Rudy and I did not leave the apartment! 😏 

Wednesday 28 August 2024 

   Diane was up, showered and headed to the doctor in Elmira NY by 10am.  Her appointment was 11:30 to have some lumps cut out of her head. Believe it or not she was on her way home by 12 noon. Another 225 mile, 5 1/2-hour drive home. She arrived home safe and sound just before 6pm. Some wine and leftovers for dinner and it was over. That's five days in a row for her to be in the car.

  And by the way Rudy and I were busy too.  We went for a walk and did dishes. Now we were exhausted. 😉

   That should be it for traveling for at least a week.

Return to the land of Electronics

 Tuesday 20 August 2024

   Well, here we are back in the land of internet service. We parked at Walmar Manor and were set up by 5:30pm, with our normal travel day burgers on the grill for dinner.  We were later than planned.  Haven't packed the up the Moho for 3 months, but we made it before dark.

Wednesday 21 August 2024

   And so, the crazies begin.  We have only 3 days to clean out the Moho before it goes to the repair shop. And while we were hooking up the car yesterday, I notice the inspection EXPIRED in May. So, the first thing this morning was to drop it off at Pennick's for inspection. 

   Next was a trip to Bev's to check out her flooded basement. I think redoing her downspouts would help a lot. Then the first of several trips to the storage unit. We are trying to get valuables out of the inside and as much out of the damaged storage bins as possible.

   Then Pennick calls to say he can't inspect the car because the computer is empty of data.  Seems when we disconnected the battery to tow it, it wipes the computer history clean. They drove it for an hour or so, it still didn't reset.

   By now it was dinner time, and the car must wait till tomorrow. 

Thursday 22 August 2024

   Right after breakfast Diane went down to Pennick's picked up the car and drove it around (100 plus miles) before the computer reset. Back to Pennick's, got the sticker put on, paid the bill then over to pick up her new eyeglasses.

   I washed the front of the Moho; I'm planning on the repair shop doing a complete detail after it gets fixed.  And on course another drop off of stuff, pick up stuff from the storage unit.

  I forgot a few days back Diane went into the bathroom turned on the exhaust fan and nothing! I

checked fuse it was good.  Got the electric meter and I had twelve volts on the wire. Time to tear it apart! First, I couldn't get it loose from the wall, so I tore the one in the kitchen apart. The unit in the bathroom was held in place with a large glob of silicon. I finally got it apart and found a wire broke loose from the circuit card. OH no. Searched the internet/call parts distributors nothing. 😠Gotta move on we have just one more day before we leave.

Friday 23 August 2024

   This is our last day in Dillsburg before moving into the Air BNB in Akron.  Diane spent the morning with Morgan and the kids. I went to Bev's to get my glasses I left there on Tuesday. 

   Then I took the circuit card to the exhaust fan to a computer repair guy I found in Mechanicsburg. He soldered the wire back on while I waited.  It took 10 minutes and cost $35, that's a really good hourly rate😒, but we have a working fan. 

   We meet at Hoss's for lunch. That was OK.  Diane went to exchange some clothing she bought earlier this week. I went for a haircut. Started cleaning/ packing up the Moho for the move tomorrow. We finished rearranging our entire lifestyle/Moho to live at the Airbnb for 3 weeks.

   Just about done when we realize we need to make one more trip to the storage unit. Right, wrong or indifferent we must leave tomorrow.