February 1-15, 2024 RV Water Heater and Other Miscellaneous

Feb 1 - Thursday-Today we ran errands then went to Linda’s for hair appointment. After that it was a stop at Homeland and a trip through the car wash. Steve worked on the gutters and I held stuff for him. I made Chicken Pot Pie for supper.

Feb 2- Friday-I again was the assistant to Steve while he worked on the gutters. It seemed those expensive things we bought  have pulled away from the house in a spot and are not doing the proper job. Later I paid bills and renewed our RV Roadside Assistance and a few other things as needed. 

Feb 3-Sat-We discovered that the RV Water Heater is leaking. Steve started taking it out of the RV. I was the mechanic assistant again. I help with tools and moral support. It was a difficult process. We order a new Water heater from Camping World. Our was 20 years old and had a horrible crack!

See the big crack!

Feb 4-Sunday-Today we did a few errands, laundry, Grocery store and post office. I got on the phone  to cancel my Total Care Contract with Best Buy. They said it should show up as a refund to the credit card in 7-10 days. (Guess what? It didn’t-so I had to call them again!) Supper tonight was Chicken Enchiladas. 

Feb 5-Monday-Today we went to Stillwater. Our first stop was Lowe’s, then Belk and Walmart. We got back home and unloaded all our stuff. We relaxed and ate leftover chicken enchiladas for supper.

Feb 6-Tuesday-Today We had hair appointments at 10 AM. I got a trip and hair color. Steve got a haircut. Then we picked up our mail. After lunch I held the light for Steve to check the heater in the. Then we did some computer work. We went out to supper at La Macarena with Linda and Hazel. 

Feb 7-Wednesday-Today we putzed around. After doing our routine things Steve also fixed the seat belts  and cleared the spot for the water heater. We also to a nice walk. 

Feb 8-Thursday-We called Camping World and the RV Water Heater had arrived. So we left for OKC to pick it up. We also made a stop at Lowes. Then we drove toYukon and met with Kristi & John at Chili’s for  supper. We also ate ice cream at Dairy Queen. That was fun!

Steve in the mirror! Check out that 70 degree temperature!

Me!

Feb 9- Friday-Today Steve started working on installing the water heater in the RV. That took up most of his day. We made a few trips to the hardware store. The thing is, the new water heater is a different brand. Why? Because the company that made the water heater we had, was out of business and we had to go with Atwood brand. The new one replaced this model. But of course the connections and holes, etc. don’t exactly match. 

Feb 10-Saturday-More work on the water heater. It was chilly today - so we stayed inside until about noon. Logan came up about 5:30 or 6:00 PM to visit with us. He left about 11:30. We had a nice visit. 

Logan - He had National Guard Duty today so he wore his uniform.

Feb 11-Sunday-Today was the Super Bowl. So we took that in most of the day. Kansas City Chiefs won! Yea! It was a good game. 

Feb 12-Monday-Today Steve started his new meds for MS. He had trouble with flushing and tingling for 15-20 minutes after he took it. It was an expected side effect, but rather disconcerting for him. We did laundry and bill paying. I called Linda to wish her a Happy Birthday. 

Feb 13-Tuesday-I didn’t record much today - so it was pretty routine. I did go to Thorn’s to get Linda a birthday present. Later, we joined Linda and Hazel at Stillwater to eat the celebration supper at Texas Roadhouse.

Linda with 1 of the presents I got for her.

Feb 14-Wednesday-Happy Valentine’s Day! We did routine morning things and had lunch. About 12:15 we left for OKC. Today Steve meets with the back doctor (pain management) to see what to do for his back -either ablation or steroid shots. We were home a little after 3:00 PM. He and I went to La Macarena for fajitas to celebrate Valentine’s Day! 

Valentine's Day flowers and cards!

Feb 15 - Thursday-We made our run to Walmart this morning. We got back home by 12:30. We put away our stuff and had lunch. The afternoon  was spent relaxing. I made Meatloaf, cheesy potatoes and salad for supper. It was good!

February 15 - 28, 2023 A Short Month!

 Wednesday 15th - We were up and around in good time today. The girl from Geek Squad was here at about 10 AM.  She was assessing what additional time would be needed to get us going. Buying a new computer should be joyful, this has been less than joyful. We skipped lunch and were back on the road to El Reno. We met Logan and got the keys to the Explorer. Steve installed the starter in about 30 minutes since it was the correct one. Then we tested it. I drove the Explorer around a bit while Steve followed me. It started consistently. So when Logan got out of school, we drove Kristi's vehicle to her at school in Yukon and we headed home. We had a snack when we got home and then rested. Thursday - Today was a routine day. We watched TV including our recorded shows. I did home PT. It was COLD today 26° with a wind chill of 13°,  Supper was Cajun Chicken Potato skins! A Weight Watchers recipe. Friday - I went to PT today after lunch. Most everything else was routine, like picking up the mail and working on the computer. Saturday - It's still cold so we watched three movies today. I did PT at home. Steve had trouble with his side of the bed. It would not go to the flat position. We took his mattress off, and looked on You Tube for solutions. Mainly we looked for a reset button. That was finally located but it didn't help. And low and behold, Steve finally figured out that the bed controller had been accidentally unplugged. So voila, plugged it in and it worked! Then we put the bed back together. Sunday - Our big adventure today was going back to Stillwater and getting a new printer at Best Buy. We also went to Staples for a cord to connect the printer to the computer (not using wifi for printer). Since we  were there we picked up groceries at Walmart Market. 

Monday 20th - Today   I felt a little bit under the weather and  slept in until 9:00 AM. We did laundry and had lunch. We tried to move items from the Passport (external hard drive) to the new computer. We also hooked up the new computer printer. I renewed our Escapees membership and worked on email and other things. Tuesday - Today our Geek girl was back. She was able to get our Quicken data transferred to the new computer and a few other things. We bought some virus software and MS Office software. None of our old stuff works, of course!  After she left, Steve and I had lunch.  Then we were able to copy the documents from the old computer on to a CD-DVD disk and put them on the new computer. Finally we had success on our own doing something. We didn't move all the documents, because a lot of them aren't needed. They were related to my working past. Wednesday - Today I did some banking and bill paying. Then we worked on Quicken and Photos. I had PT at Noon. They measured my ability to move my shoulder and wrote a letter for me to deliver to the doctor tomorrow. Thursday - We got  our routine stuff done and made ourselves ready. We left for Oklahoma City at 10:05 and arrived at McBride by 11:05. I checked in on my phone then they said to come on in. I met with the PA and had Xrays. I am now cleared to do whatever I want. I  can just do PT at home unless I think I need additional sessions. They said let them know if I need more PT. I do not have to return for another year. So Steve and I got bet  home and hung out. Friday - Today the VA called to talk to Steve about his hip. Even though he has had ablation on his back, his right hip continues to give him fits! I would like for Steve to have an appointment with an orthopedic doctor. While Steve worked on projects on the new computer, I worked on planning out our yearly calendar. I also worked with Steve on photos and documents on the new computer. I did home PT also. Saturday - It has been chilly for the last 3 days and we are doing mostly routine stuff. Sunday - After doing my home PT I worked with Steve on the old/new computer. We had lunch and then we relaxed. Later   I even worked on the blog. 

Monday 27th - We started out the week as most every other week, with laundry (only had 2 loads). Then I worked on the blog and Steve worked on the new computer. Years ago, when we subscribed to MotorHome Magazine, we had scanned in a bunch of atricles about places to travel. Well I could not find that thumb drive. So I wanted to copy the scanned files to another thumb drive. We were able to accomplish that. Then I found the original thumb drive. Now I have two! We aslo made a run to Walmart to pick up my meds and a few groceries. Tuesday - We did all the routine things. Then we went to the beauty shop and I got a haircut and color. Steve got a haircut. Tonight we went to supper at La Macarena, but only Linda was able to join us. 

And that wraps up February. I am glad it was a short month!

This is the little wall ladder that I walk my fingers up to extend my arm/shoulder.

My most recent Xray - It looks great!

Steve & I after haircuts! I am not good at taking Selfies. This was about the 3rd try. 

August 22 - August 31, 2022 Finishing Up August and Celebrating My Birthday!

 Monday (22) We had hair appointments for today, but Melissa called and hd to change the appointment. The water was shut off at the shop because of remodeling. I made a few other calls to take care of business and that was the highlight of the day. Tuesday (23) We were up a little late today. We got around and dressed. We did not do any chores today - because everything was fine. We loaded up the laundry and went to town. We were back to the RV about 1:00 and had lunch. This evening we walked to the stop sign for a second walk. 

Beautiful   Sunset

I need a haircut!

Wednesday (24) Today after we finished our walk the electricity was off. We did the chores and then the electricity came back on about 11:00 AM. We had some rain during the day. Steve and I went to Kalispell and he bought me some new shoes for my birthday. Then we hit up Walmart for supplies. We had lunch when we got back to the RV. Later the satellite dish went off - so no TV for a while. I believe we took a nap. At 10:30 PM there were no cars in the parking lot! Yea! It's really nice when everyone leaves. 

My new shoes!

Deer up on the loop. We saw them when we walked.

Thursday (25) Today was another routine day. We were not busy. so we hung out and took it easy. Supper tonight was Taco Salad. Friday (26) Today is my Birthday. It's a beautiful day and 76° with some overcast skies. We got dressed and had our breakfast. After our walk we loaded up the pickup with the dogs and some snacks and headed north. We are on my birthday excursion to Polebridge Mercantile for lunch and huckleberry bear claws and a few cookies (for the boss). We had a great drive and lunch. I appreciated the texts and calls I received wishing me a Happy Birthday. When we got back to the RV, we noticed a paddleboat down by the dock. After investigating, we found a noted indicating they it was free to anyone who wanted it. 

Adorable Dog - I could not resist taking his picture

Sasquatch

Lunch - way too much but really good.

The view from Polebridge

Cabins on the North Fork Road

Just Lovely

Free Paddleboat

My Huckleberry Bear Claw!

My daily dose of Deer!

Saturday (27) It rained overnight, which is good. We always need rain. It was also windy all day. That is a little unusual for here, but we can deal with it because we are from Oklahoma, where it is windy most of the time. Tony was down here again today and we gave him some cookies. He brought a brush for our outdoor toilet - but it did not have a handle - and that is the part we need. We told him about our adventure yesterday and then he was on his way. When we walked the dogs at 3:30 PM we looked up the hill and saw two trees down in the road north of the gate. We got them cleared with the help of two guys from the loop. They came down with their chainsaw and cut up the bigger one that Steve couldn't cut with his limb saw. Some people are really helpful! 

Tree we think was split by lightning when we were gone Friday

Homemade Camper

Trees down in the road

Road after we got the trees cleared

Sunday (28) We did all the routine things. Then we putzed around When we checked the dock mid afternoon - there was an older guy in a Kayak just laying in it. He seemed to be struggling. And a lady was trying to help him up. We finally asked them if they needed assistance. But he said he had a bad back and would be OK in a bit. We weren't too sure about that- we thought he might have been a little under the influence of something. Also some young kids had loaded the free paddleboat up and were going to take it home and try to fix it. Yea! We don't have to haul it to the dump. 

This homemade truck camper belongs to the guy we were worried about.

Monday (29) So today was another routine day. We didn't start doing much until about 10 AM. Our highlight was going to the grocery store at Bigfork. Tuesday (30) We did all the things. Then we got ready to go to town to get haircuts. If I remember, next year, I am going to make hair appointments earlier in the summer. While we were in town we washed the pickup, got gas and groceries. Then it was back to the RV. We relaxed a bit and visited with Sydney when she came by. She brought us a handle for our toilet brush - but it didn't fit either. 

New Haircut

Wednesday (31) After doing the chores  we visited with  Hazel about when to mail our last batch of meds and mail. She is going on a trip in September so she will send our mail before she goes. In the afternoon Steve & I went to Kalispell so  I could get a steroid shot in my shoulder. My appointment was at 3:30 and I arrived early and we were back home by 4 PM. 

August 16 - 31, 2021 It Is Starting to Wind Down!

Our boss, has told us previously that the crowds start to slow down about the third week of August, when the Northwest Montana Fair starts up in Kalispell and people think about kids returning to school. And he was definitely correct this year. The lake crowds have started getting smaller. 

Monday  (16th) started out with some phone calls to get medications renewed. I talked to the Tony (our boss) about 9:00 AM and told him that Reddy Freddy had finally made it out on Saturday night. He had said he would get the outdoor toilet pumped out before the 3rd week of August - but he barely made it. We also had a visit from the game warden over the week-end. Sometimes they just drive through and sometimes they get out and do some "education" or ticket writing. The high was 87 degrees at 5 PM. On Tuesday the 17th it rained most of the day. We were slow to complete our walk and chores. But when we were in the parking lot picking up trash - guess what?  The was a car on the dock! Steve went down and asked them what the ______ were they doing! They were trying to jump start their boat with the car! Some of the  things that happen at Echo Lake are so crazy!

Wednesday (18th) was a routine day other than Steve getting up at 4:30 AM with Poopsie. I talked him into going back to sleep  and then I was up with her. She wants to eat grass - I guess her stomach was upset. We both got up at 10 AM and walked and did our chores.  

  

On Thursday Steve was again up really early at 3 AM, but it was because he had pain. He went back to bed and then we slept in a little. Later we walked and did the chores. Next was a trip to Kalispell to with stops at Cabela's and Walmart. The high today was 70 or 72 degrees. On Friday we were up and around by 9 AM.  After we walked and did the chores at Echo Lake - we drove to town and did the chores at the fishing access site in Bigfork. Tony (boss) was here about 2 PM and we visited about 20 minutes. Later Kristi called about Austyn's car and Steve tried to help them with telephone technical assistance. On Saturday (21st) it rained in the morning and we didn't do any chores. We walked later and had a late lunch. For the evening entertainment - we drove Foothill Road and looked for deer and turkeys. Sunday (22) was another routine day, with the high being 70-72 degrees. We are loving this weather. 

Monday (23) We got up and around and completed our walk and chores. After we did our chores in town we went to Denny's Barber Shop for hair cuts for both of us. After supper we drove to Bear Creek with the dogs to walk.  I was driving the pickup back to the RV and had put my phone down but it may not have been locked. Poopsie stepped or jumped on it and it dialed 911 the emergency number (Ithink she had her paw on it too long). I hung it up but they called back and wanted to know if we were ok and what our name, number and location was. Wow! That was efficient. I explained that the dog stepped on the phone and that we were fine. I guess if anyone gets in a bind- let your dog call 911 for you! Tuesday (24th) It was a cool morning-47 degrees! We putzed around with our routine things then went to  town to do the laundry.Steve is worried about the jack on the passenger side of the RV (front). Later we went to Kalispell to hear politicians talk about hunting regulations. We thought they would discuss other things related to Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) but it was all about hunting. So we hung out about and hour and returned to the RV. We thought our boss would be there and we would be a show of support - but he didn't even attend. So we heard the Helena director of FWP - bloviate about how he was listening to all the sides..... blah, blah, blah. Wednesday (25th) was another cool morning and we waited for it to warm up before we did much. Today is my sister's birthday, so I called and talked to her.  When evening rolled around, Steve painted the floor in our outhouse. We also had a fire and made s'mores after supper.

 

Thursday, August 26, my birthday! It was a lovely day. We got up and around and completed our walk and chores. Today there was a contractor here and he was pumping water out of the lake! I called our boss and told him, plus texted him the pictures and license plate. I also told the guy that he needed to check with our boss and/or get a permit before doing that again. 

So we took care of that and then loaded up our dogs and headed up to Polebridge Mercantile for Huckleberry Bearclaws! Also we found out that Steve forgot his wallet - so I funded this little excursion! LOL We stopped and walked at a forest access  site along the North Fork of the Flathead River. There were people camping here also (no hookups). Then we got to Polebridge and got sandwiches and bearclaws. We considered driving North to the border at Canada, and we did go a few miles, but the road is rough and it would have taken a few hours at 20 mph for the 20 miles up and back. So we turned around and got home about 3 PM. We were pooped when we got home - so we rested.

The Famous Polebridge Mercantile!

Friday (27th) it rained most of the day off and on. The hi was 59 degrees. We worked on calling people about our leaking front jack with no luck. We called HWH, Winnebago, Big Dog RV Repair, Salvage yard - No luck. In the evening we took a nice walk around the loop and saw two deer. We also saw where someone had erected a fort/deer stand (?) on the DNRC part. Not sure if that is OK. But we will inform our boss and he can figure out what to do. 

Saturday, we were up and around slowly. We did all the routine things. After lunch we went to an Open House and it was a beautiful log cabin with a shop and acreage. They only want $845,000 for it. I need to buy some lottery tickets! Real Estate in this area is absolutely expensive. We also did some weed eating later in the evening. Sunday was more of the same. 

Monday (30th) we had breakfast and walked and did chores at Echo Lake and in town. Our boss called in the afternoon. The high today was 80 degrees. Tuesday we did our usual things. We also did weed eating til noon. Then we had lunch and took it easy for the afternoon. The low was 50 and the high was 72 degrees. This weather is almost perfect! For supper we went to town and ate at Rosa's Pizza. Later we walked the dogs on the north shoreline! This wraps up August, 2021!

A worm trail that fascinated Steve! It's hard to see!