Sunday, May 30/2010

It is still raining although not very heavily. It looks a bit like snow as well. Hogan was out only long enough to do his business and then was back inside lying in front of the heater. He is such a warm weather dog!!

Today we are to meet the owner of the little truck and if we like what we see (I am sure we will) we will buy the thing and start heading back home. I am not sure we will make it all the way to Leoville but we will head in that general direction. I am anxious to see if the tomato plants survived!!

Also, we have to meet with the soon to be ex-owners of the property in Leoville and sign the papers for the purchase of the land on Wednesday. So very busy are John and I!!! Who said one just sits around getting bored once you retire?

Saw the little Sami and it sure looks a lot smaller that the tracker. It is definitely narrower. We took the truck for a spin and the transfer case does not hold in four low so, back we went and the owner says he will fix it for us and we still have a deal. We headed back home empty. Boo Hiss!!

We stopped for the night at the small town of Glaslyn and guess what --- it is raining!!!!!STILL!!

Saturday, May 29/2010

It is still raining and yes, there was snow in Leoville last night. Great!!

Jace was over early, he now has his truck out of the fix-it shop and is smiling from ear to ear. I am happy for him. The truck is as good as new!!

We head out to get all the necessary stuff needed to finish the trailer and we were soon back at the bus. We had to purchase four new ratchet straps to tie the little truck down with as we left our old ones in the trailer at Leoville. I guess one can never have too many tie-down straps.

John went over to the shop with Jace to supervise the completion of the trailer and both were back with in a couple of ours with the trailer in tow and ready to go. It wasn't too long before John and I were headed out of town. I must say, I am getting very good at filling the motorhome with fuel and dumping the tanks!!!! John is sooo going to owe me!!!

As we got closer to the campground at Maidstone, it became very evident that there truly had been a significant amount of snowfall in this area as it remained in the ditches and as you can see by the pics of the campground, remained there as well. Hogan was shivering!!

Friday, May 28/2010

It is raining this morning - surprise - surprise. Good thing it is only May. John says that the tomato plants may have frozen in Leoville as the temp got pretty low there. I may have to replant them - oh well!!! Believe it or not, it is supposed to be a very HOT summer so perhaps this rain thing is just our lead into it. Perhaps, halfway through the summer we will be wishing for some of this rain!! Funny how that works.

I did a bit of running again today then returned the vehicle to my sister - she may have to work this weekend and will need the parking pass that is on the window. I think I am finally done shopping anyway!! Ya, Right!!

John finally made a deal on the little truck and we will be picking it up on Sunday. We go a hold of Jace and asked if we could use his trailer to bring it back to Saskatchewan (we are meeting the owner in Lloydminster) and he said sure. Only one problem - it still needed to have the deck put on and for a few hundred dollars, it could be done!!! Okay then!! Oh, it needed to have a license plate too!! Jace is to bring it get all this done for Saturday so that we can leave and take our time getting to Lloyd.

Thursday May 27/2010

I was up early again today and off again to complete my list of things to do before John decides to head back to Leoville. John is still looking for another tracker and thinks he may have found one in Edmonton. I think I smell a trip to Edmonton coming up!!!

I had a quick coffee with Jan and was soon on my way - no rest for the wicked.

John finally got hold of the tracker dude in Edmonton and he is getting him some more pics and info on the truck.

I got a hold of Jace, he is home because of all the rain and seeding is at a stand still and will be for some time according to the weather forecast. Sounds like we all need to take swimming lessons by the sounds of the rainfall predictions!! I will go have coffee with him in the morning.

Wednesday, May 26/2010

Well, it is not raining today!! I was up early, dressed and headed to Walmart to get at least some of my running around done before my meeting with SGI to hand in all the bills John has amassed due to the accident. I stopped for coffee at Jan's then headed to SGI. The meeting went well and the only bill they wouldn"t cover was Jace's flight down to Phoenix to drive the motorhome back to Canada - A small price to pay if you ask me. I then had to hurry back to the bus and pick John up for his doctor's appt. We waited two hours for a 10 minute visit with the doctor, but he was pleased with the progress and we are to return in another month. John has a long plate along the side of his tibia and 13 screws holding the plate and the fractures together. He is still non weight bearing and there is still quite a bit of swelling BUT it is improving.

Tuesday, May 25/2010

It is raining AGAIN!! What a surprise. Because John was worried about getting out of our parking spot we quickly made the bus ready to move and keeping our fingers crossed, hit the turbo boost and eased out onto the road and parked in the graveled driveway. We filled with water and then headed into Saskatoon. Tomorrow, I have an appointment with SGI and John has a doctor's appointment. It will be busy but we will sneak in a visit with Jan and Ron and maybe, with a little luck, we may get to see our boys!! Too much to do and to little time!!

The trip into Saskatoon was uneventful and we parked on the street in the north end of the city. It is a dead end street so there was no traffic. There were a few gophers and a couple of rabbits to keep Hogan entertained!! Jan stopped by later this night to drop off a vehicle so John and I could have wheels while we were in the city. It is so nice to have a sister you can rely on. Thanks Jan.

Monday, May 24/2010

It is cloudy today but at least it is NOT raining!!! Being Monday, people have to leave. Tomorrow is a work day for most people and it is days like this that I am glad that I am blessed to be retired. Shelly and I did the laundry and while we were doing that, Morgan washed and waxed the kitchen floor and cleaned the porch. Thanks Morgan!!

The sun showed it's face and Bayne started a bonfire - the first of the weekend. Remember all that fire wood that we took the chainsaw to? We had a few refreshment by the fire and soon all the weekend revelers were gone. Although the weekend was wonderful, and chatting to all the folks was great, it is nice to have peace and quiet - at last. The whole weekend was great for John but it was also exhausting - in a good way. He is finally starting to sleep a bit better.

Sunday, May 23/2010

Woke up to rain - GREAT. The good thing about these people we call friends is that rain does not stop them from hitting the trails. There were several calls to the house as to when we were leaving. With the time set, and of course the required "waiting period", we were off. Rain and all.

The trail was wet and muddy as the rain had started during the night and has not let up. Thank Heavens John and I were in the tracker - we were warm and dry.

There were several places were trees had fallen across the trail and the chainsaw was required. Thanks Pat for bringing it. We headed to the shelter to start a fire and have everyone warm up for the trip home. Pat's quad had an issue with the front wheel which took a bit of time to fix but with a little ingenuity he was able to fix it and ride it home.

It was late when we finally rolled into the yard but fun was had by all. Supper was served and once again we were all so tired, we were in bed early AGAIN!!! We have got to stop partying like this!!! (It is still raining and now it is getting cold so Shelly and I covered the tomato plants in the garden.)

Saturday, May 22/2010

We got a bit of a late start onto the trails (Vance had truck trouble) but it was great once we headed into the bush. The birds were singing and the fresh spring smell was incredible. The trails were dusty but once your face is dirty, the damage is done!!

John decided that he was coming along - AND - he was driving!! Well, it took a bit of timing but we were well on our way with the help of a stick (John's foot feed). Where there is a will, there is a way. Who says you can't drive a standard with only your right foot??!!! He did great, but was quite tired when we finally made it home. Just a little note - We forgot John's crutches in the yard when we left and thank heavens Mom Larocque noticed them so, she jumped in her car and did a Parnelly Jones down the grid to catch up to us and hand then over!!! Thanks Mom!!!

John wasn't the only one tired - I was too. In fact all of us were tired and once supper was over, everyone was in bed before midnight!! What a bunch of party animals!!!

Friday, May 21/2010

We are property owners!! The couple accepted our offer, so now there are all sorts of plans to make for the acre property. We will not build on it this year but at least now we have a place to put the motorhome and eventually build a home. I am quite pleased and anxious to start planning!!! John and I both have always hoped to retire in this little community.

Being the start of the long weekend, the invited guests are starting to arrive and there is all sorts of activity in the yard. Hogan doesn't know which way to turn - he is having a ball!! Morgan has brought her cat Phoenix once again and to see those two together is something else - Hogan is scared of Phoenix.

John asked Arnie and Bayne to put the CB antenna on the tracker and while they were doing the task, I took pictures of the gong show - John directing the operation and the other two trying to get the job done!! And they say women are useless!!

Most of us were in bed early - ready for an early day tomorrow.

Thursday May 20/2010

I heard the rain start about 2 o'clock last night but it sure didn't last long. I woke this morning to sunshine and although the sky looks a bit heavy it was quite pleasant out. I hauled the hose around and watered the garden just in case the weather man was wrong and we DID NOT get any rain!!!

Arnie, Shelly and Mom all made it back from the city. Mom's bloodwork was not as good as what it had been so that is a bit of nasty news. Hopefully she is able to drink a bit more and improve her kidney function for next month. Time will tell.

Arnie brought our trailer up and it is nice to finally have all our stuff up here and readily available. I can now get the hummingbird feeders out and hopefully will once again be entertained by the little birds. Mom said they used to have a feeder up and the hummingbirds came to it so hopefully they will again.

John still feeling under the weather and I think he is going through narcotic "withdrawal". He has been on heavy duty narcotics since the accident and has now taken himself off them and is experiencing all the symptoms of withdrawal. Lovely!!

John and Arnie went for a drive around town today and came back with a phone number for a "lot for sale". I went and looked at it and it certainly looks like it could fit our needs well so made some inquiries and went and made an offer on it. Will know later if John and I are property owners once again!!!

Wednesday, May 19/2010

It was cloudy and overcast today and while that is great for the two gardens here in the yard, Bayne's Mom had yet to put her garden in and I told him that I would help if she didn't mind. I will head over there around nine and see what the scoop is. There is a thunderstorm heading this way and is supposed to last for a few days.

Bayne arrived and the garden is being tilled as we speak so off we went. Two down and one final garden to go. Good thing I like to get dirty!!

Back at the bus and the gardens are now all planted and waiting for the rains. Bring it on sucker!!

Bayne's Mom had to purchased a few cabbage and pepper plants yet but she can manage planting those on her own.

It is so windy today - if the rain comes, it could get nasty.

John dragging his tail again today, says he is "cold". Hope he isn't getting the flu - that can't be good. My niece's boys have been sick for a few days now with vomiting and diarrhea. That's all he needs!! He looks a bit pale - I wish he would start taking his vitamins again.

Tuesday, May 18/2010

Woke to glorious sunshine once again but Bayne tells me that it will be raining off and on for the next few days and maybe into the weekend. I must finish planting the garden if that is the case.

Today Arnie has to return to the city. His Mom has a few doctor's appointments over the next two days and they will return Thursday with Shelly in tow. Nice timing Shelly!!

Arnie, Bayne and I bucked all the wood that would be needed for the bonfire - these kids LOVE their fires!! There are LOTS of tall tales and bullshit spread around these fires. I love listening to them and the wild adventures of youth!! (I think John and I were there once!!!)

Once the wood was finished, I finished the garden so "let it rain".

Arnie and his Mom left for the city and John and I settled in for a quiet evening. (The first two pictures are Shelly's and my garden and the last two are Mom's garden.)

Monday, May 17/2010

Work day today. Mom is ready to plant her garden so that was done and I started on the one that Shelly and I are sharing. I was surprised at how quickly Mom's garden was done and that was a good thing because it was starting to get very hot out. It is such a different heat from Arizona. At least a person can still work in our sun shine. I am afraid that I would have had heat stroke in Arizona!!

Arnie and Bayne started cleaning up the backyard and before too long it was looking great. I think Shelly will be surprised as to how the yard has "cleaned up".

The boys hauled up the portable shower for all the dirty quadders, when they return from the trail, so there is no need for any unnecessary foot traffic in the house this year. With Arnie's Mom not feeling well, it was decided that everything that could be done outside will be. This will make it a whole lot easier and less stressful on Mom. It is a good idea.

We had almost finished the work for today and I looked over at the motorhome and what do my wondering eyes see??? Well, it is John and he is sitting in his recliner chair with a beer in his hand!!! What a little shit!!!

Another good days work in.

Sunday, May 16/2010

All the quaders made it home and fun was had by all. There were all kinds of stories and a few tired souls. Nick's quad held up with the ripped boot but Arnie's never made it out to the rally as the rear axle buggered up again. He rode Patrick's extra quad and was able to join in on the fun.

Being a Sunday. those that had to head back to the city for work on Monday prepared to do so and those that didn't watched. Quads were washed and put away - all in preparation for May long weekend when the yard will once again be full of friends and relatives once again heading out onto the trails for fun and foolishness!! I am hoping to hitch a ride with Jimmy (another friend) for this ride. Since John hasn't yet found an "automatic" tracker, he will have to sit this one out. His injury is to his left leg -- the clutch leg -- so now he needs an automatic if he wants to join in the fun!! He better look a little harder!!

Sunday is a day of rest so not too much work was done in the yard. Tomorrow is another day.

Saturday, May 15/2010

Up early again this morning and Hogan outside to enjoy the yard. I heard someone talking to Hogan and looked out to see Morgan (Arnie's daughter). She decided to drive here after work last night instead of waiting for her brother to pick her up this morning. She is headed to the rally along with the others. She came in for a visit and then Nick (her brother) arrived and he too came for a quick visit before heading to the rally.

Quiet in the yard today and Hogan and I putted around, sat and chatted with Mom and watched Hogan and Morgan's cat get used to each other. Hogan is a big chicken and scared of the cat - I am embarrassed for him. I think they will eventually get used to each other and will soon co-exists with out too much drama.

It rained a bit today but the evening turned out to be quite pleasant. I sat outside and caught up on the blog. John stayed in the bus today "chillin".

Friday, May 14/2010

Up early again today and I looked out the window and saw nothing but open field and trees. The birds were singing and Hogan was anxious to get outside. What a pleasure it was for me to let him out and not have to worry about him bothering the neighbors or dealing with lots of traffic.

It wasn't long before Arnie was up and it wasn't long before him and I started cleaning the yard up. He was on a mission to clean up and rearrange things in preparation for May long weekend. We worked for most of the day, stopped for a few "coffee" breaks and actually got a fair amount done. Even Bayne helped a bit. Arnie really wanted to get the garage cleaned because the kids have been banished to the garage for the weekend. With Arnie's Mom being sick, there will be no partying in the house. The garage is the gathering place for the masses so it will be much less hassle for Mom. It actually turned out well.

Mom and I checked out the garden space and had a good chat about where things were going and what still needed to be done to get the seeds in the ground. We looked at the tomato plants and she showed me where Shelly wanted to plant the herbs she wants to grow. This is going to be fun.

We started a fire with some of the burnable garbage and had a weiner roast before calling it a day. Tomorrow the guys are going to the Big River quad rally and will be leaving early in the morning.

Thursday May 13/2010

I have a dentist appointment this morning so I was eager to get it over with then had to stop at the pharmacy as John's medication was finally in (blood thinners for his decreased mobility and the swelling). John was up and about when I got home and has decided that he will drive the motorhome to Leoville himself. He wiggled himself behind the steering wheel and felt that there was plenty of leg room. Now that he is able to bend his knee a bit, he is able to get around a bit better.

We had to get a tire changed on the bus before heading out and John tended to that while I was at the dentist. We dumped (or should I say "I") the tanks and filled up on water then away we went. John driving the bus and me driving the tracker. Casey decided to stay home since he wasn't needed to drive and we left a message for Arnie that we were on our way North. Needless to say, he was a bit shocked at the news of John driving the bus but knew that if he got tired, all he had to do was pull over and stop for a while.

We arrived in Leoville and I could have kissed the ground. It felt like "home". One of our friends, Bayne, noticed the bus had arrived and came to say Hi. Arnie was not too long in arriving and we all sat around chatting and deciding what needed to be done the following day. I went to bed and the boys chatted for a while longer.

Wednesday, May 12/2010

Up early and off shopping. There are things that I need for the garden and some other stuff that is not so easily accessible in Leoville. Might just as well stop and coffee with Jan while I am out. John will be in bed for most of the morning as he had a lousy night again. Had some nerve pain last night - I think because of all the swelling so once that finally starts to go down, I am sure the pain will improve.

John's Mom came for a visit as she knew that we would be leaving tomorrow for Leoville so wanted to have a visit before we left. John slept through most of it!!

Larry and Ariane stopped by as well and stayed for a short visit and John slept through that as well!! Not very sociable!!! Good thing I have the gift of gab!!

Tuesday, May 11/2010

John had a horrible night - lots of pain so neither one of us slept well. Lots of frayed nerves needless to say and if he yells at the dog once more I may have to throttle both of them!!!

I called Jan, and Ron had a good night so she was quite pleased about that. She now has to join Ron in the "NO SMOKING" category. I went and had a quick coffee with her before she headed into the hospital then did a bit of shopping as I think we are headed to Leoville this weekend.

John up and about and still pretty sore and swollen so I kept him filled with pain killers as best I could.

Arnie and Shelly came for a quick visit and said that Thursday was the day we would be heading to Leoville. Arnie would drive the motorhome, Casey would drive the little tracker and I would drive Arnie's truck. One less headache to worry about. I will be thrilled when I finally arrive in Leoville and can sit and relax and all John has to do is sit and heal. What more could a girl ask for. I am looking forward to planting the garden and watching it grow.

Monday, May 10/2010

Up early and headed into the hospital. If John is to be discharged, then I needed to speak to the physiotherapist to get all the do's and don'ts for John's leg. As it turned out, he was discharged so I made arrangements to pick Casey up so he could help me with the whole procedure and getting John into the motorhome might be a bit challenging considering he was weaker from this surgery as this was only post op day 3.

We eventually got John into the motorhome (he wasn't too happy with my driving ability but hey, I didn't make all the bumps and humps in the road and I am sure not responsible for the lousy railroad track crossing!!). Home at last!! Hogan happy to see John.

Ron was doing well enough after the stent that the doctors decided that he could be transferred out of ICU and up to the ward. That is certainly a good sign. Jan said he was in good spirits and said he felt great!! No further chest pain. I think both Jan's and my stress levels are decreasing!!