•*¨*•¸¸¸.•*¨*•☆ •*¨*•¸¸¸.•*¨*•☆•*¨*•¸¸¸.•*¨*•☆•*¨*•.¸¸¸.•*¨*•☆
Summer Break!
☆•*¨*•.¸¸¸.•*¨* •☆•*¨* •¸¸¸.•*¨*•☆•*¨*•¸¸¸.•*¨*•☆
☆•*¨*•.¸¸¸.•*¨* •☆•*¨* •¸¸¸.•*¨*•☆•*¨*•¸¸¸.•*¨*•☆•*¨*•¸¸¸.•*¨*•☆
So What does that mean?
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•*¨*•¸¸¸.•*¨*•☆
Later….
Woke up this morning to the sound of tapping on the roof… very slow and light… Birds? Then a bit more heavy… squirrels? Then more wide spread… lots of squirrels? Then there arose such a clatter even more heavy… Reindeer? Then a whole heard of reindeer? No it couldn’t be that, it wasn’t Christmas! Then more and more, heavier and heavier… what could it be. I jumped out of my bed to see what was the matter. Okay, early morning… I crawled and creaked my way out of bed and limped to the door. (Continuing)… I flung open the door to see what was the matter. Then it hit me… literally… RAIN… OMG… it was rain… I had forgot what it sounded like. It felt and sounded so good I ran to the yard… okay… slowly walked, but a bit better now. Wow! … Rain! I wasn’t dreaming... it’s wet… it’s rain… I’m wet. It was just like in the movies… joyful… playful… and an upsurge of refreshing emotional and spiritual uplifted feelings… oh! this is really wet! Still, a bit faster now, hobbled back inside, dripping wet. Of course in retrospect, this was not the thing to do… but, you know me… I’m a guy… that’s what we do. Do the wrong thing without thinking… and not think to do the right things. The key phrase… “not thinking”. But the rain felt so good, cool and refreshing… I felt like a kid again! Oops… there’s Mom! Well you can guess the rest of the story. Punished again. Yep… second childhood for sure.
The big question… will this get any better… the second childhood thing? … nope! I like that word… Nope! It kinda says not only “no”… but with the right tone and inflection can convey even more additional meanings… depending on the situation.
Nope… and I don’t care.
Nope… and nothing is gonna change.
Nope… and you’ll just have to live with it.
Nope… and it is what it is.
Nope… end of discussion.
Nope… I ain’t listen no more!
Nope… Nope… Nope!
Nope… … … Guess there’s no dessert for me today… but that’s okay… I need to loose weight.
Hope I got that right… dessert or desert. Too careless, and it’s too early to look it up. I wanted the one that was sweet and creamy… not the one that was hot, dry, and sandy. Oh wait… that’s Texas!
Nope… what a great word! Rain… what a great thing! Looking for rain all day!
So the word of the day……today there’s two …. “Rain” …. and “Nope” !
Both are like a breath of fresh air… one literally… one emotionally.
It’s a gonna be a great day! … … Yep! (another good word… but that’s another story)
Please… Let It Rain !!!
After several record breaking months
of a windy, dusty, rainless existence…
rain is finally in the forecast!
Possibly for 5 straight days!!! Yahoo !!!
Lets hope it holds true!
Live in an Rv ? … all the time? … don’t have a house? You betcha! We are currently staying in an unusual part of the campground… we are in the cabin section… no Rv’s… just cabins. So all the people that we meet near the Rv are not “Campers or Rvers”. Since they have never been exposed to Rv’s other than to see them going down the road or seeing them on the campground… it all seems unusual to them to know that we live in our Rv… fulltime, year round, all the time. When we tell them how we retired, sold the house, got the Rv of our dreams, and travel where ever we care to go… where ever the wind blows us… they are first amazed… and then see how happy we are enjoying our freedom. Guess there’s just something inherent about total freedom to travel. Our several months of “vacation” each year peaks their interest too. But Rving fulltime isn’t the same as vacationing. Vacation is a time to generally let loose of the purse strings, eat out 3 times a day… everyday, spend lots of money doing fun things, buy lots of souvenirs, and after a week or two, return to home and work… and take the next 50 weeks to pay for the two week adventure. Fulltime Rving is more like any other day to day life except that we can move around, follow the good weather, live places for extended times that others can only visit for a week or two, go to new places, meet new people, do new things. Speaking of moving around, it’s also nice to following the weather… it’s so nice to have a winter home in the south, a summer home in the mountains, a resort home at the beach, a vacation home at Disney, a get a way place near the lake, and all the joys and freedom of travel while taking everything with you without packing or unpacking! Just about everyone we meet goes… wow… what a great lifestyle… wish we could do that! I retired at 49½… or at least semi retired. We still usually work about 6 months a year, sometime full time, sometime part time… and usually play the other 6 months. When we do work we have two main jobs. One - doing activities in campgrounds and Rv Resorts… where we plan and play with the big kids and the little one’s… mostly play. It’s kinda like the song… “money for nothing and my kick’s for fee”. Okay… I know, it’s “chicks” for free… but I have to say “kicks” … married! And it’s not all completely play, a lot of time and effort goes into planning and doing all those fun things! Oh… and Two – we usually spend part of our working year as Seasonal Cast Members at Disney World in Florida. That’s when people usually go… “Oh My God”… all this and work at Disney too… can you adopt me? I wanta go with you! The constraints of a “normal” life… same house, same job, same place, same routine, day after day, week after week, year after year… well, its security, but it’s not freedom. I basically saw the job, house, and all the related work and house expenses of both as more or less boring, routine, and being somewhat of a slave to the whole thing. 70% of my income and 70% of my time went to support the house, utilities, and taxes, and the expenses of working. Everything has a price… give up some freedoms to have the security of a same job, same place to live, same people… the same routine day after day… well, it’s the “norm”… we choose to exchange some of that security for a bit more freedom… and go where ever we choose… whenever we choose. 30 years of the conventional work and house routine, well… it was enough for me. Rving gives us freedom. Most jobs are generally not good paying, but then again, expenses are greatly reduced too. While working in campgrounds doing activities we get a free place to stay, plus free electric, water, internet, cable tv, laundry, perks and discounts while still getting paid for the hours we work. When we stay near Disney, we have 2 membership campgrounds there… pay the yearly dues, stay as much as we like between the two resorts, and this past winter, our seven months stay averaged out to less than $30 a week for rv site, utilities, and use of amenities. $120 a month to stay in the vacation capital of the world. So freedom can be less than you thought. So there’s a bit of insight for those not having been exposed to the Rv lifestyle. Not that there is anything wrong with the “normal” job and house…it just wasn’t for me anymore… found a better way to live. And… No… we aren’t planning to adopt anyone so don’t get your hopes up. Our 40 foot Fifth Wheel Coach only sleeps two! … and maybe a grand daughter when we can. So if you have a dream of something different… see it, plan it, and go for it. It may not be perfect, but it certainly better than what we left behind. Wagons Hoh! Maybe we’ll catch you around the next bend in the road. Happy Trails!
There seems to be a lot of issues with songs downloaded via the internet. And I guess there’s valid points to both sides. The extremes… those that have worked hard, have something to sell, and want their money for their efforts… and those that want something for nothing, and want it for free. But what about the middle ground that’s still technically illegal but may seem morally righteous or not so bad? So what’s the middle ground? … Well, I’ll define it as I see it. Ya see… I bought and paid for the songs on old 33 1/3’s, and then the 45’s, and then again on the LP’s… then still again on the 8 tracks… than again on the cassettes… and then still again on the Cd’s. And now their out on MP3’s. So how many times have I already paid for a song? How many times have you already paid for a song? So there in lies the moral decision. Did I previously pay for the song or the package it came on? Obliviously… the song, and not the 50 cent package it came on. So how many times do I feel the need to pay for the same thing over and over again? Maybe I draw the line at… lets see… 6 times. So is a free Mps download of that song moral… or not? I guess that’s a personal decision for yourself, but it will always remain illegal. So was using VHS to record movies or Tv shows, or using DVR’s to do the same… but we have all done it. If you do it for personal use only, you may consider it morally okay… and I can see that if you try to copy and sell them for financial gain… well… you should be in trouble and prosecuted. But for personal use… have a bit of common sense… illegal – yes! … immoral – you decide.
Some other considerations. In today’s tight economy, it’s nice to be able to listen to and / or download a trial version of a new song to see if you like it… then decide if you want to purchase it… this is a great feature. It’s also nice to be able to buy single songs, and not entire albums to get that one song. It’s also especially nice to get old songs or less favorite songs that are no longer available to buy anywhere… not even from “time life” (lol). There’s lots of great songs out there that if not for the internet and sharing… well… they would be lost in time forever. Songs that our parents once listened too… songs we heard as kids. Songs from others countries and cultures that can not be purchased here or anyplace else.
So who’s really getting hurt with technically illegal downloads? Well… just like everything else in this world… it’s all black & white, cut & dry, and there will always be the two extremes. The one’s that have something to sell, and the one’s that want something for nothing. Illegal or moral with no middle ground. So where do we all fall? Most of us far in the middle ground somewhere. Already paid for those songs 3,4,5,or 6 times already… so what’s the harm in a free MP3 download for personal use? It’s a personal decision… at least morally. You’ll still get hung out to dry legally… even if only for personal use… no middle ground. Some things just don’t make any sense. Perhaps a good question might be… If I could not get the song for free… would I have paid for it? If the answer is “yes”… then maybe there’s a moral question there. If the answer is “no”, I would not have bought it, so no one would have made any money on it anyway… then what would the record companies have loss? Certainly nothing it you were not going to buy it any way. So perhaps there’s another bit of moral justification. I’m sure lots of people, especially now days, fall into this category… they would not have been able to purchase those songs due to financial considerations or lack there of, so no matter what, they would not have spent their vital resources to buy the songs… no one would have made money from a song that would have never been bought from that person anyway. Kinda “no harm no foul”… morally. But then again… a personal decision.
But then again… very few things in this world combine legality and morality in the same package. The two usually never meet and are usually at the extremes… and usually with no middle ground… there’s never middle ground when it comes to any legal question. But not much comfort for that woman that “illegality” downloaded … 23 songs(?) to her computer ( presumably for personal use ), got taken to court and loss the case and was fined $80,000 per download. It’s all about perception… the record companies want to make an example of someone ( a poor one if she did it only for personal use ), or maybe she was just looking for a roof over her head, three meals a day, and free medical care, that she couldn’t afford in the real world.
Just another thought on just another day.
Think I’ll play it save and just listen to the radio!
But if things get worse, given this countries obsession with big business greed… a roof over my head, three meals a day, free medical, free cable, free internet, free utilities, and a free education… it all might not be so bad. Give up your freedom in exchange for everything free that some working people can’t afford. But then again… maybe that’s what’s wrong with the system. The real criminals have no fear of jail with all they get for free! But that’s another story!
Not much Calypso… but it’s gonna be Hot, Hot, Hot!
Hot and Windy 18-25 mph
Looks like a Snowball Weekend!
Yall from Maryland know what I mean!
Dreamsicle, Chocolate, or Skyblue?
Below… NOT “Funny”… NOT “Interesting” …
and definitely NOT “Cool”!
“It is… What it is!” Most things in today’s life fall into this category. “It is, what it is”…and you can’t change it… you and can accept it, enjoy it, and have fun with it… or you have two other choices. Move on to something else that you can enjoy and have fun with… or perpetuate a miserable life existence complaining about everything, and letting the smallest detail ruin your good time and your life. Yep, it’s that plain and simple. So why do so many people choose to have a life long love affair with complaining… bringing down not only themselves but everyone around them?
Perhaps it was best stated: “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; the courage to change the things I can; and the wisdom to know the difference”.
I have to conclude that “Wisdom” has little to do with some people’s demeanor… since they really don’t know the difference… and can’t accept things, and refuse to more on. Wallow in despair and discontent. Lack of wisdom also preludes any logical expression of their side of the story or a logical argument of the issue… strictly emotional and non rational confrontations. (We all my have a moment there every now and then… but not “Live There”… 24 /7)
Isn’t life taxing enough without adding a miserable existence to everything they do. Hey… “It is, what it is”… and if you can’t change it, and you don’t like it… MOVE ON to something you do like.
Another great saying: “Don’t sweat the Small Stuff”
Two thoughts for the day… which will undoubting fall on the “wrong ears”… but may help those on the Happy Side of the Life… understand and deal with the malcontents in this world.
“It is… What it is” … find what’s right for you and what makes you happy!
( just another rare serious moment )
I see everyone around me being adversely affected by all of this, and wonder how much they can take.
It’s always good to find a good place to eat. Got another one… The Original Waller County Line Pit BBQ. Went there today for the first time. Sure was good! Located minutes from the campground at US 290 & FM 362 at the Shell Station. Great BBQ! On the recommendation of another customer that goes there all the time, I got the Loaded BBQ potato. Biggest potato I ever saw loaded with butter, cheese, bacon, spring onions, lots of BBQ beef… and drenched with their Spicy flavorful BBQ sauce. What a treat! They also have lots of homemade desserts. Got the peach cobbler… another good choice. Lots of good stuff on the menu. So for everyone we know here in Texas… you gotta try the WCL BBQ. Definitely worth the trip. A delight to the taste buds!
People are different everywhere. Mostly the same, but still different. Sometimes for the better, sometimes not. This entry takes a funny look, and sometimes sarcastic look, at the “sometimes not’s”. Being in the camping business is simple but not exactly what it seems. Yes we rent campsites… but that’s not really our business. Yes we rent cabins… but this also isn’t our business. We also sell the use of our pools, water park features and slides, as well as activities… but that too isn’t really our business. They are all a means and an element of our business… but our real business is much simpler. Our real business is hospitality. Making our guests feel welcome, appreciated, and ensure that they have a good time while being safe. It’s a people business plain and simple. There’s always going to be something that could go wrong and leave your guest with a bad experience… and it’s all in what you do to turn something bad into something good. But there’s always going to be those that can’t be satisfied, or for some reason want to complain in an effort to get something for free, or even just to complain because it’s in their nature. Not much can be done with this type of personality. Once past the initial effort… mostly everything else is useless.
Da, da, da, dum…. These are their stories. The 10% that can’t be happy with anything!
[ I want something for nothing ] I want to complain about the most insignificant thing that has ruined my entire week and want a refund. I got water splashed into my beer at the pool… I want a free one. It rained last night so I want to leave early and get a refund. The movie stopped playing and I didn’t get to see the last 15 minutes to see how it ended… what can I get for free. They parked another Rv next to mine and blocked my view… what can I get for free. I wanted to go to the craft center after it closed, and I can’t… what can I get for free. I went to the lake to fish and didn’t catch anything… what can I get for free. Well, I’m sure you get the picture… they want to complain in hopes to get something for free, and when they don’t get anything, they want to tell the world how unfairly they have been treated.
[ I want something more for my money ] The ice cream social needs to be improved and more fun for the kids. [They get 2 scoops of ice cream, chocolate & caramel syrup, nuts, strawberries, and sprinkles for only $2] It needs to be more fun by adding M&M’s, gummy bears, and more premium toppings… $2 is too much. Once I pay for my site everything else should be included… food, gifts, crafts, and drinks. Isn’t the staff really like babysitters for my kids, so I don’t have to watch them? [what world do they live in?]
[ I didn’t know it was going to be like that] We have a Wet & Wild Wagon Ride around the park and tell everyone… you will get wet… probably even soaked! They can’t understand when they really get wet on the ride. We warn them about cameras and phones on the ride. They can’t understand why they get wet and stop working… “my phone got wet, are you going to pay to replace it?” Crafts sells T-shirts for painting with fabric markers… “do you mean I have to paint the shirt myself”? The bears are scheduled to appear three times a day at specific locations… “I wasn’t at the right place at the right time… I missed the bears… what are you going to do?” Three of us (staff) are standing near the movie theater and have a clear view of the entire area… we get a radio call that a guest says that there are several families waiting to see the bears and none appeared. A bear was there, no one came while they were there, the bears left, no one is there now, so where are the guests, and what are they talking about ??? . [ again, what world do you live in?]
[ I have to follow the rules ??? ] So many people think that they are above the rules and guidelines that are there to ensure theirs, and everyone else’s safety. Why can’t my 7 year old watch my 3 year old at the pools? Why do I have to be there? Why can’t my 12 year old drive the golf cart? Why can’t my group party until 1 am ? Why do I have to put my dog on a leash? Why do I have to kick up the dog mess, the campground didn’t give me a bag. Why can’t my campfire be left unattended? Isn’t the craft center also a babysitting service? What do you mean I can’t spread out into the campsite next to me and have more space and use both picnic tables?… can’t you just have them go to another site? Why do I have to drive the golf cart responsibly… I want to zoom, zoom, zoom, around everyone walking in the road. Armbands… why do I have to wear armbands? And it goes on and on… amazing. Do you know that golf carts are like video games? The carts and the people in them are indestructible? And those plastic armbands that are almost indestructible that require good sharp scissors to remove… just keep falling of by themselves.
The 10%ers. They all have an excuse for why the rules don’t apply to them. They all have an attitude when they are asked to follow the rules. 10% of over 1,000 people gives you 100 people that you have to monitor not only for their safety but the safety of others too. The 10%ers that believe that “The campground is an all inclusive, be waited on hand and foot, some one needs to be at my beckoned call, I can do whatever I want, the rules don’t apply to me, didn’t we pay for you to serve me and cater to my every whim… Millionaires Resort! “
Once you learn to deal with the 10%ers, the job is much easier to enjoy the 90% that appreciate what you do! The first few weeks is adjusting to the 10%… after that, is all good! Guess it’s kinda like that with most things in life. Why do I use the term 10%ers… cause of don’t want to use that one word term that has it’s own connotation that perfectly and uniquely describes this kind group of individuals… as seen by the normal people of the world. ( _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ).
Now for my wish list… there needs to be a word or phrase that could convey your feelings to let someone know that… they are simply a whiner, they can’t be happy with anything, I can’t help you, I don’t want to be near you, you are bring everyone down, you need to go somewhere else and leave happy people alone, you are annoying, no one wants you here, no one likes you, go away… far, far away! “@#$@%?#%” !!! ahhh… I get a warm feeling all over just thinking about it.
Well, that’s my little bit of self therapy. Helped me… maybe it will help you too.
The Moral? Enjoy the 90%… and slough off the 10% that aren’t worth the worry or effort. Go the other way. Give them one chance NOT to be a ( _ _ _ _ _ _ _ )… then walk away. They’ll complain about that too… but that’s just part of their miserable life… they want to suck you into their misery. Walk away! They won’t get it… and they won’t get you either.
Next story… like most of my posts… the 90% that are great to be around and make life a joy to live!
So what has 2 horsepower, gets 20 miles to the bale, and gets everyone’s attention? Well… maybe you’d never have guessed it…
… the things we do out of necessity or for fun… or for whatever reason.
(borrowed photo from a friend… and yes… I’m plan to send it back! If I remember…)
Rving brings up some interesting choices. Since you “take it all” with you where ever you go… it’s not like you have a home where you can drop something off… and pick up something else… everything goes with you all the time. So there are some interesting choices to be made. Towing something behind you is pretty much a common practice. You naturally pull the 5th Wheel Rv (trailer) behind the truck… or you usually pull a car behind the motorhome. Towing anything else is usually a problem… like bring a boat along. Most states prohibit driving / towing three things in tandem… and the few that do have total length restrictions… all of which are done for safety. So if you are big time into fishing, and need a boat, you don’t have many options. Here’s how one guy figured it all out. Pretty sure I wouldn’t do this… but I guess it meets the legal requirements… or maybe not. Just can’t figure out how he got the boat, the motor, and the boat trailer on top of the pickup that he towed behind the motorhome… but to each his own.
Just goes to show you… ya just never know what you might see as you travel down the road.
States that are prone to natural disasters… so where do you live? Doesn’t look too good for me since we are in Florida and Texas a lot. But here’s a top ten list as seen by the insurance industry.
Just a little something to think about!
Unfortunately, if you watch the educational shows about weather patterns in history, and the cycles of those patterns, they had predicted the raise in natural disasters that we have seen in the past 10 years, and as history shows, more frequent and more severe weather looms in the future. It should come as no surprise that more intense hurricanes, tornados, flooding, and other natural disasters will be on the raise. The government and scientists are aware of the changing climate but won’t acknowledge the higher severity and frequency of impending disasters when they are ill equipped to respond to the needs of the people. Winters and the storms will be colder and longer, summers will be hotter, and general climate conditions that as history shows, is changing and will produce more frequent and severe natural disasters. Stronger hurricanes, floods, and tornados loom in the near future… it’s a natural process of the planet. Not to reduce the magnitude of the disasters… but the media always seems shocked when something happens… yes, a tragedy, but no, not a surprise.
Some things ya just can’t do anything about…except to perhaps be a bit more prepared and on alert. Like the saying goes… Grant me the ability to change what is in my control, accept what is not, the the wisdom to know the difference.
It’s great to be mobile in the Rv… at least with the hurricanes and floods… we can drive away. Not much to do about tornados… unless you have a storm cellar… and I understand they don’t really build these anymore. Hot & Cold… follow the seasons north and south. The rest, as they say, in is someone else’s hands.
