Spot has hookworms.

I found a live one in his stool. So now I know the culprit, I can wage an all-out war on those little buggers. The home-cure is to sprinkle some copenhagen on his food, but not let him throw it up. It has to run through his intestines in order to work. I really wish I could administer this cure to him outdoors, instead of keeping him inside because I know the side-effects are nausea, hyperactivity, and diarrhea. Oh well, we'll get him fixed up. Now, where to get a pinch of copenhagen? I don't want to buy a whole can just for a pinch or two.

I've got to go out today and find a job. Maybe cashiering or waitressing? Just something simple - I have more out-go than I have income right now and I need to tip the scales back to my benefit.

Oooh. Ew. Meg has some awfully stinky farts this morning. Gag.

Have a great day.
MsAmber

The barometric pressure is high

But the temperature turned cool yesterday. It rained gently several times, and the humidity was at 100%. Interesting. I calibrated the barometer a few weeks ago, so it's correct. I just wonder how it could be cool and rainy with a high barometric reading?

I think I'm going to start a picture blog called "Silly things I see". One of my neighbors has a propane tank sitting on a top-post truck battery. If it were to shift 1 inch, it would be shorting across both posts. I need to take a picture of it so you can all see this. I would be very careful: just removing the tank from on top of the battery, one slip and... Kablooey!

I did my taxes. I nearly cried. My w-4 I claimed 0, single no dependents, with an additional $20 per week taken out. I assumed this would give me a good refund this year. Nope. I've jumped into the 25% tax bracket. If I hadn't had the extra $20 per week contribution, I would have wound up owing over $500. Instead I get back $531. I really anticipated a thousand back or better. I moved up from the 15% tax bracket to the 25% tax bracket. Unfknblvbl.
"A fine is a tax for doing poorly. A tax is a fine for doing well." I read that on a billboard once. So true.

Regarding the job search: Now that my RCDD is expired, I'm getting calls from New York, New Jersey, and Virginia. They want a current RCDD. My resume plainly states that it's expired. Apparently these people are nearly illiterate, or are only searching for the keywords without actually reading the resume.

I put in "To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar", and I'm laughing at seeing Patrick Swayze and Wesley Snipes getting into drag. I have seen John Leguizamo in other movies I'm sure, but for the life of me I can't pick him out.
I'm going to look him up now to see what he looks like out of drag.

Update: HE was Tibault - Prince of Cats in the movie Romeo & Juliet with Leonardo DiCaprio. Dang, I would have never recognized him. That's too funny.

You have a great day.
MsAmber

On Wifeswap last night...

There was a Rastafarian wife with 4 children. She and her husband didn't believe in consumerism, discipline, or brushing/cutting hair, and they home-schooled.
There was a spreadsheet wife and a military husband. They had three children. They believe in chores, discipline, and materialism.
The Rastafarian family kept saying "Ja will provide", and the kids were pretty well adjusted - a little on the wild side, but harmless characters.
The disciplined family had all kinds of issues - "life is unfair" and "I don't get enough attention", issues.
In all fairness, there was a big difference in ages. The Rastafarian kids were young, and the disciplined kids were pre-teen to teen. But still...
I saw the preview of the show as I was walking out the door. I really wanted to stick around and see how that worked out.
I never got into watching Wifeswap, but for some reason this match intrigued me. I know that they choose polar opposites to match up just to make for good viewing, like the really Christian lady swapped with the pagan astrologer. They really made the Christian lady out to be some kind of kook. "Tainted! You're all tainted!"
It's all in fun, I suppose, and the participants get paid.

Hey, the sun is shining and it's silently drizzling outside this morning. You wouldn't know it was raining if you didn't see it coming down. How pretty! You should see what I'm seeing. It smells good too.
Good thing I already walked the boys.

Speaking of the boys: Spot has blood in his stool. Oh goodie, another vet bill coming right up. I've had him for exactly two weeks. It's a considerable amount of blood, so I have to get him in to the vet's soon. Dammit!
Terry and Rhonda... You might want to check the rest of the pack. Hopefully, it's just worms.

I went out last night and shot a few games of pool. I had 4 beers and a red-bull-and-vodka, the music was mainly zydeco with everyone singing along except me: I've never heard most of the songs before. It was a hoot. I don't have a hangover this morning, that's good. It was a nice small smoky place and the owner's sister was having a birthday. The people down here have such a crazy accent. One little gal seemed like we would be good friends, she is as ornery as I am. Ah, good times.

Anyhoo, I gotta get ready for the day. The sun is shining, the birds are a-singin' and the air is warm.

Have a great day.
MsAmber

It's so beautiful here in the morning...

The mist hanging low between the trees. Watching the sun peek through the branches while all the little critters rustle through the leaves searching for worms or nuts on the ground. I had an opossum in the yard last night. During the day there is a gathering of fat red robins that settles in the leaves to look for worms. I counted 9 outside my window, and there are two squirrels - only two.

It appears as though I'm going to have to find another place to move at the end of my month. I've already offended the landlady. On Wednesday, when I took Meg to the vet, I had removed the screens from the windows and cleaned them. I put Spot in the trailer and I closed the two livingroom windows, but I forgot the bedroom window. Meg and I were gone for a little over an hour, and when I got back I found that Spot had jumped out the bedroom window and had been running loose. I caught him and put him on the tether. I usually let the boys go take care of their business at 4:30 am when there is no-one around, otherwise I will walk them on a leash, but yesterday I went out with them off-leash. There was no-one else around, except the landlady. She intercepted me as I was catching Spot to bring him back to the trailer. The conversation quickly turned into a disciplinary lecture.

Me: Hello, how are you?
Her: Good. Do you know that you have to keep your dogs on a leash?
Me: Yes Ma'am.
Her: Well then, why do you think you can do this?
Me: There isn't anyone else around right now, so I didn't think it would hurt anything.
Her: This isn't the first time I've seen them.
Me: I know. Sorry. I'll use the leash from now on.
Her: I have dogs too, and when we go out, they are on a leash.
Me: Yes, ma'am.

Then she said that when others go out to walk their dogs on a leash and mine are running loose that it causes a problem. I understand that perfectly, but mine are never just running loose - except at 4:30 in the morning, and the one time that Spot jumped from the window - but I didn't tell her that.

Her: Next time I see them, I'm going to have you ejected from the park.
Me: Ok. Sorry, sorry. I'll take care of it.

So, I'm duly humbled. Got my ass handed to me pretty good. I have to say she hammered me like a parent. A little humiliation, put me on the spot, asked pointed questions, and then followed up with a threat.
I was a little sulky about it later, but I'm clearly in the wrong. I still think the threat was a little premature, but that's ok.

In my experience, when people threaten you right off the bat, they will find a reason to follow through. I'm not going to specifically give her that reason, but any slip-ups and I might find myself being removed. This time of year is not good because with Mardi Gras coming up, it will be damn hard to find another spot. So I need to either go ahead and find one and get moved, or try to make nice with the landlady, avoiding slip-ups with the dog is a part of it, but Spot has a lot of energy so it's nearly impossible to keep him from bolting when I open the door, and it takes me a few minutes to catch him.
Not only that, but if she is overbooked for the Mardi Gras week, she may be looking for a way to capitalize on that. Keep my rent money but eject me so that she can put someone else in my spot. I don't know for sure if she's thinking that, but the threat was too premature and seemed unnecessary to me. I was being as pleasant and apologetic as I could, but she was clearly working herself into a froth over it. Not to downplay my crime, I know I shouldn't have walked them off leash, but there were no incidents or accidents to justify the threat of eviction. IMO.

Anyway. Whatever happens, I'll just deal with it.
I seem to only go crosswise with landladys. Landlords are easier to deal with. I pick up garbage that is lying around, I keep a clean campsite, and I'm quiet and easy to get along with. I also pay my bills on time. No problems.

You have a great day.
MsAmber

Megabyte is getting 3 teeth pulled

I noticed my boy has been having a little dried blood on his bottom lip, and some stains on the pillow where he lays his head. I've looked into his mouth to see if it's ulcerating again, but it doesn't appear to be too bad. Then I started to see pink dribbles on the floor. So, I took him to the vet yesterday.
For one: I have to say I like this vet. Even Meg liked him, even though he tortured Meg mercilessly by feeling all through his mouth. The prognosis is not too good though. He has a lot of bone loss in his mouth and both canines and one molar need to be removed. I got some antibiotics and we are going to get rid of the infection before scheduling his tooth removal. I asked the vet if Meg will still be able to eat hard food and he said "Yes". He told me that Meg is pretty healthy and the boy still has many years left. Not to worry. The bone loss needs to be stopped, and those three teeth must come out. He wants to see how the antibiotics are working in one week, so next Thursday we go back in for a follow-up check, but it will be two weeks before we schedule the extractions. He was real good with Megabyte. Meg whined a little about the feeling around in his mouth, but the vet petted him and talked to him and was very thorough.
Also, I had him check for heartworms. The good news: he's still negative. I will put him on Heartgard as soon as we are done fixing his mouth.
This vet didn't try to milk me for a lot of extras, he didn't act "holier than thou", his front desk persons didn't act like jerks-who-hate-their-job, and I didn't get any bad attitude as though I neglected my dog until his mouth rotted out. I feel as though I have to explain that I do take care of my boy; this mouth thing has been ongoing for years and I've spent a lot of money trying to take care of it. This vet actually has a plan to make it go away. I'm really happy. Scared of the bill, yeah. But happy that it will finally be taken care of. I can't wait.
The name of the clinic is: Prejean Veterinary Clinic, 1101 West Port Street, in Abbeville, LA 70510
Donations are accepted!

Have a great day!
MsAmber

I should have gotten a new email address

I've officially started the job search. I've applied online to a few postings, and now I get spammed in my inbox. Gosh, that's aggravating. Craigslist, Boo!

So, we have a new President! I'm excited and curious to see how he proposes to fix things. I think he may just be the pill to cure the ill. We needed a fresh perspective up on the hill. I like him. (So far...)
The times, they are a-changin'.

I got the P.O. Box. I went to the Abbeville Post Office and the man there said he couldn't rent me one without a Louisiana state issued I.D. I said: "Are you kidding? Shreveport did." and he told me that they violated a rule if they did. So I drove to the town of Perry and rented one. I think he must have misunderstood some rule. The purpose of a P.O. Box is so that you can get your mail when you are in a different town. My current address is an R.V. park, and I need a mailing address. Otherwise, what address would I put on a State Issued I.D.? That's just crazy to tell me that I can't rent a P.O. Box. But I really wanted an Abbeville address, so I'm kinda disappointed that I have a Perry address. Both of the Post Offices said I could just have my mail sent "General Delivery, town, state, zip", and they would hold it for me. I never considered that. I always thought you had to rent a box. That's cool that you can just have mail sent General Delivery. I wouldn't do it though. I don't need somebody misplacing it, or saying that they can't find my mail. I don't trust that at all. I know how people are...
Anyway, my W-2 is on it's way. Yayyyy!

I found a shop to take the truck. I need the carb looked at. The choke doesn't engage in the mornings, and the vacuum advance isn't kicking in so when I put it in gear it stalls. Also, I'm going to need the AC recharged before it gets hot around here. It is impossible to survive these summers without a good AC. I think I'll scrounge up some money and go ahead and let John fix those three things.

The scar on my nose where I got the skin cancer removed is red and swollen. I really hope it's just an embedded pimple. That skin is too thin and sensitive to try and work it around. Oh, I sincerely hope it's just a pimple. Though a pimple on the side of my nose is not the most attractive thing in the world, it sure beats the alternative. It started acting up after I drove around with the sun shining through the window on that side of my face. I got a little sunburned there, and my neck has a white stripe from the collar of my shirt. I must use SPF 40 face lotion. The last time I bought Oil of Olay, they didn't have the SPF face lotion, so I just bought the plain-jane stuff. When it runs out, I promise to always buy the SPF Face Lotion. I just hope it's not too late.
P.S. I also have three darkening age-spots recently appeared on my face. Two on my left temple, and one on my right cheek. Welcome to middle-age, Amber.
Why, oh why, couldn't I have been born with darker, easily tanned skin instead of raging brilliance? Just kidding.
...or am I?

You have a great day.
MsAmber

Exploration day.

I went exploring yesterday. I drove south and then west. I went across quite a few drawbridges and "intra coastal waterways", and flooded prairies. I saw some farmland (soybeans and rice), and cows, and crawfish farms but what made the biggest impression was all the decimated houses and trailers. This is the area that was hit by hurricane Rita.
We all heard about how devastating Katrina was to the New Orleans area, but very little about the mess that Rita made. I drove down the Creole Wilderness Scenic Highway, and it was anything but scenic. Hundreds, maybe thousands of homes, everywhere you looked, were damaged, abandoned, partially dismantled and most of the people are living in travel trailers similar to mine parked next to the decimated houses.
I have to say that I was amused to see trailers 15 feet up in the air on pylons, though. I always thought that looked funny, but that is the standard when you build on a floodplain. What do you do with the cows?
I saw a few beautiful old brick homes that were abandoned with no windows. I kept thinking that they could be saved somehow, but the owners probably don't think it's worth it, in case another Rita comes through.
Then I drove through a town that is all duck hunting lodges. Every trailer, cabin, RV, or whatever is used seasonally during duck hunting season. This time of year, it's virtually a ghost town.
I saw a sign that said Acadiana Marina, so I turned that way. I found myself at a pretty little marina. Half of it was messed up but there was some construction equipment parked around, and the back half looked shiny and new. I only saw one living person, so I stopped and asked him to explain what I'm seeing. He told me that THIS half is privately owned by the individuals who have rebuilt, the other half is just now starting to be rebuilt, and the damage I see was caused by Rita. Wow. I asked if the bad half was state-owned, he said it was privately owned also. The whole marina was empty and occupied only by about 5 boats. Not a person to be found on such a beautiful warm day. I think I should like to move there and make it a hopping little tourist town with RV spots and a general store and a nice new coat of paint on everything... (I'm such a dreamer, I know.) Then when the owner comes back and sees what I've done, maybe he'll let me stay?
I saw a brown pelican.
(Yep, there's a conversation stopper.)
I have such daydreams when I'm exploring by myself. I stopped heading west when I was near Lake Charles, and I turned back north then east on hwy 14. I discovered that I had wandered 87 miles from Abbeville, so I wanted to see hwy 14 all the way back. I was a little disillusioned however. I had thought the area would be swamps and cypress and old oaks and... forest-y. Instead I saw flooded plains. Not all that appealing to me. I'm thinking maybe I'll want to settle closer to New Orleans or maybe on the east side, closer to Slidell. I still have plenty of time to decide, but I really want to have trees. I need the trees to surround me, shade me, protect me from the wind.
Once again, I took off without my camera. I hope I painted a clear enough picture without it.
You have a great day.
MsAmber

Kids and Camping...

Any of you who know me, knows how much I like kids. But this story is about my recent experiences with some rotten ones... and their parents.

This is a holiday weekend. I noticed sometime last week that all the RV spots were reserved for the weekend, so I asked why. This is MLK Jr. weekend, so lots of families with children like to hitch up their trailers and fill the coolers with beer and go camping. A group of 5 or 6 RVs pulled in across from me to party together, each set of parents had 2 or 3 kids, mostly boys, between the ages of 9 to 13.

The first thing I observed out my window is one particularly mean kid throwing rocks. He hit what I presumed to be his brother in the head. I noticed none of the other kids moved to see if he was alright. They just stood there as if moving closer might mean they were guilty of the deed. The little brother sat on the ground holding his head and he started crying, but then he got mad and yelled at his brother for throwing the rock. Older brother didn't seem to care, and no parents came to check though they were only about 50 feet away standing around the campfire.

Second issue: the little campsite next to me is vacant because it has no drain hookup, it also has no fire ring. There is a stump from a dead tree. The boys huddled around the stump and set a fire on it. They fed the fire with dead leaves and branches scavenged from the ground. The oldest boy in the group was the proud owner of the lighter. He decided that instead of taking the fuel to the fire, he would light the pile of leaves at the edge of the forest. I was eating a sandwich when I saw the flames in the pile of leaves. I ran outside and said "No, no, no, no, no. You put that out. That fire can get away from you faster than you think." The boy says: "Alright", and halfheartedly stepped on it a couple of times and walks away. I asked them to please stomp on it real good and make sure it's completely out. I got some really mean looks from the boys for interfering. Then I walked over to the parents and I told them that they really need to keep a closer eye on the fire situation over there, and they responded: "Yeah, they're burning a bunch of stuff." I said: "It's not just the stump, they're trying to set the woods on fire." I got mean looks from the parents. I walked back to my trailer. I kept an eye on the fire next to my trailer and about 10 minutes later two of the Dads wandered over to see what the kids were up to. They stood around the burning stump for a couple of minutes and all the kids just walked away. (I would have made them put it out before leaving, but that's just me.) The men stood alone around the fire for a few minutes, then they walked away from the still-burning stump. Hours later it was still smoldering. Man, my mother would have kicked my ass for stupid shit like that.
Well, apparently I made myself a target for retribution. I heard a loud hit on the side of the trailer and I went out to investigate. I'd been hit by a big pinecone. There are no pine trees around my trailer. Later, I heard another crack. The mean kid was batting rocks with a badminton racket at my trailer. Interestingly, there were three adults just 20 feet away from him, oblivious or silently permissive, I'm not sure which.
They also throw litter everywhere. There are aluminum cans on the ground at the site next to me, there is a paper plate in the middle of the road, and a bag of trash sitting outside. The place is trashed.
I'm so pissed about these kids and their parents.
...I've daydreamed of walking out there with my belt and just giving "dancing lessons" to the one mean kid and daring the parents to stop me.
...I've daydreamed of giving them all squirt guns filled with peroxide, and telling them "Not to squirt each other", which means that they will, so they will all wear stupid white streaks in their hair and nobody will notice until they are all gone from here.
...I've daydreamed of walking over to the adults and telling them how wonderful they all are for taking these retarded children camping.
I've daydreamed a bunch of other stuff which I won't mention here because it borderlines on the criminal, but you get my drift.
At least today is Monday, and they should all be leaving soon. These kids have worried me crazy for three days. Good riddance!
Now I understand the appeal of "adults-only" campgrounds.
I can't wait till they're gone. I'm going to go pick up garbage and do the happy-dance.
Have a great day.
MsAmber

The Boys... Megabyte and Spot

Yesterday I cleaned...

I went to the Winn Dixie grocery store and bought more dogfood and groceries. I'm completely stocked up on the essentials. I have about a months' worth of dogfood, both wet and dry; enough rice to feed a village for a week; some frozen chicken thighs and drumsticks; and I splurged on three things: Pierogies which I love; fresh strawberries, ripe- on sale; and a lemon cake which I also adore. I needed coffee mainly, the price they are asking for the brand I like almost gives you a heart-attack. $9 for a big can! Oh, and I also bought a 12-pack of coke, another unnecessary luxury. Yeah, I went all-out! You'd think I was having a party or something.
I came back to the camper and put away the groceries, then I bathed both dogs and brushed them well, and started cleaning. I moved most of the furniture outside, put all the dirty laundry in the truck, swept the carpet thoroughly, vacuumed, and shampoo'd the carpets. Then I dusted and windexed the glass, cleaned the bathroom, rearranged the furniture and brought it all back in, changed the bedsheets, fired up the charcoal grill, refilled and washed my oil-lamps, did the dishes, and hauled off the trash. Whew!
I grilled two chicken-leg quarters and reheated yesterday's black-eyed peas for dinner, and I lit the Sabbath lamp at 5: a full half-hour early. My chores were done so the Sabbath could start a half-hour sooner. My back was aching a little so I took two advil, watched some tv, and went to bed by 8.
Yep, I'm a freak. I had thawed the lemon cake for dessert and forgot all about it. Today, I get to eat cake and drink coke! What a treat.
I'm going to get out the camera and see about taking a few good pics of both dogs. I don't have any good pictures of Spot yet. Let's see how photogenic he is.
You have a great day,
MsAmber

I KNEW the dogs understood english!

This morning I woke up just a little bit later than usual. It was 5:13, and I was concerned that the neighbor may be walking her little chihuahua. My boys usually go out at 4:30, and they are back inside before she walks hers at 5:00. So I let the boys out with a reprimand: "You go potty, come right back!", and that's exactly what they did. They went to the stump and peed all over it and ran back to the steps to be let in. Both of them, and the first one back was Spot. See, I knew they understood me, they just fake it with their "No habla ingles" looks. Now I have proof. I bet they both get their cards pulled by the "League of Intelligent Animals' Revenge Club" ("L.I.A.R. Club" for short) for letting that secret slip to the human.

I made a pot of black-eyed peas with bacon for dinner, and I have leftovers for today.

It's Friday and I see that most of the campsites here have "reserved" signs on them. The landlord told me this was a busy weekend, but for the life of me I can't figure out why. There are no festivals planned that I know of. I see that Monday is MLK Jr. day, maybe it's actually observed down here with paid holidays off. Wouldn't that be something?

I hung out the dork lights on the canopy, and I hung the clear Christmas lights back up inside the trailer: just because I think they're pretty. Today being Friday, I need to clean house and make everything kosher for the Sabbath. I also need to break out the beading supplies. I made a bunch of pouches, now I just need to embellish them with the beads and get them packaged up.
I have a busy day planned.

Since I'm in a fairly permanent place (for a month, at least) I need to start walking the dogs around on the leash and exposing them to situations where I expect them to heel or stop. Spot could use the training, and Meg could use the reminders. Meg knows to stop beside the road and wait for my command before crossing, but Spot just bolts right out onto the road. Dummy doesn't know any better. I need to teach him to stop. Scares me to death that I can't call that dog to a halt. He has a lot of potential, but he has that typical "don't beat me" look when you are getting onto him for something. I'm always embarrassed by that; like people think I beat my dog, when actually it's common for that breed to hunker down when you are fussing at them.
Spot's getting a bath today for sure!

You have a great day.
Thanks for listening.
MsAmber

So far today...

I started sewing on my new little project, and did the dishes, and drank two pots of coffee. I decided it was time for a little break. The sun is shining, and it's rather warm out today, so I took the dogs for a walk down one of the trails. It's a 1 mile trail. I let Spot run with the leash dragging, and I had to keep reminding him to "wait for me", and they would stop and let me catch up before prancing on ahead. It was a good little walk, nothing spectacular to see except a bunch of upturned trees.
We came back to the trailer and I made a bowl of ramen noodles and was listening to some music when all of a sudden I noticed how noisy it got. I turned off the music and there was a loud cacophany of what sounded like rusty swingsets. I mean it was really loud. You know the sound when kids are swinging on the swingset and the chains go "scree scree scree scree" over and over. I looked out the door and saw that a flock of birds had settled in the trees right outside my door. This cardinal watched me the whole time. I got my camera out and snapped a couple of pictures. When I came over to my desk and loaded them onto the computer, all of a sudden the noise just stopped and the entire flock flew away. Now, I just hear silence.
It was really cool.
Here's my Cardinal.
MsAmber

Yesterday's adventure...

I left the trailer at 6:30 and went to the store. I filled up the left tank with gas and bought a pack of cigarettes and a soda. I decided to see the downtown proper of Abbeville. Wow. It's beautiful. At 7:00 am, the Catholic school children are just leaving the church, they attend 6:30 mass every morning. It was quite touching to see all the beautiful children in their uniforms pouring out of the church at that early hour. I saw a lady with a hair net looking for something that fell into the dumpster. She looked embarrassed to be seen rummaging through the dumpster, but you could tell she was searching for something important. I almost wanted to stop and help her, but I didn't. I mean, who wants to rummage through a dumpster at that hour of the morning? Poor lady, I should've stopped anyway.
It was one of those beautiful, misty early mornings. The sun wasn't really up yet, but it was light enough to see and the streetlights were still on. I was expecting a sleepy little downtown area, but instead I saw lots of children in their cute uniforms, between the ages of 8 to 16, being let out of church. They all had bright faces and misty halos, their wings disguised by backpacks. It was truly lovely. I wish I'd had the foresight to take my camera. The girls had knee high socks and short plaid skirts, white shirts and vests. The boys had khaki slacks, button up white shirts with sleeveless sweaters and ties or suit jackets. The picture was perfect.
Then I drove around for a while. I deliberately took all the backroads I could find and I rarely knew which direction I was going except for the sun. I took one road all the way as far as it could go and then it just dead-ended on me, so I turned around and followed it the other direction. I came upon a toll-gate that said I was on Avery Island. I turned back around and found another road heading North. I went to Lafayette and bought a newspaper, sat in my truck and read it cover-to-cover. I stopped in a used appliance store and asked about wringer washers. The owner said he never sees any and has no idea where I'd find one. I went to a pawn shop and looked over their sewing machines. I selected a Brother XL-5130 and took it off their hands for $50. (I know, I paid too much.) I went to the fabric store and bought a bunch of swatches of material and some thread, needles, bobbins, etc for the new machine. I got back to the trailer at 1:30 pm. I made a paper pattern and tuned up the machine. In my experience: the reason people pawn or get rid of their sewing machines is because they screw something up and don't know how to fix it. This particular machine had problems which they tried to fix with oil. The needle was stuck and the bobbin tension screw had been loosened by 2 full turns. It was no big deal, but I had to sew around and around a dishtowel 3 times before my thread came out clean. Nothing worse than a machine that makes the thread dirty. I got my tensions adjusted and the machine works great. I'll still do a good amount of sewing before I attempt anything white. It just needs to be run for a few hours to get all the residual oil out of the bobbin casing.
I should have been in the sewing machine repair business. I have a great machine now, and it hums right along beautifully.
So, today I'm going to hang out here in the camper and sew. I think I'll soak a pot of beans, and cook them with the bacon tonight.
You have a great day.
Thanks for listening.
MsAmber

Today, I'm getting out.

No, really. I'm going to fire up the truck and go see what's around.
I didn't feel like going anywhere yesterday, so I did my laundry by hand and hung it outside, swept the floor, and read a book. I had the doors open and I just enjoyed the sunshine most of the day. It wasn't real warm out, mid 50s with a cool breeze, but not bad. The weather forecast is calling for a "hard freeze" by the end of the week, but daytime temperatures in the mid to upper 50s. The news has been reporting that the temperatures in the upper midwest are -35 and blizzard conditions. So sorry for those people, but so glad I'm not one of them.

I dreamed up a pattern for little ID/money holders with beaded embellishments. I have a perfectly clear image of what I would like to make and sell. I just need a sewing machine and swatches of fabric. I think they would sell real good down here.
So, do I buy a bicycle, sewing machine, or a wringer washer?
Goodness.

Early to bed, early to rise. I can't help but go to bed early. When it's dark out I get bored, all my chores are done. I turned on the TV and found that I get one channel: Channel 3. I watched the news and Wheel Of Fortune. I turned it off and went to bed after Wheel Of Fortune. So, this morning I beat the coffeemaker awake. It's set to start at 4:30. I turned it on at 4:10. At this hour, I can just let both dogs out without worrying. They go take care of business and come right back. No distractions and it's too dark and spooky to go exploring. Now if they would just do that during the day, I'd have it made. Meg shakes his collar to signal that he wants back in, and Spot was right there with him. Nothing like having one good dog to train the next.

On my to-do list for today: I must get a P.O. Box and have my mail forwarded. The W-2 from my job should be printed soon and I need to give them an address to send it. I'm not sure what to do about the Oklahoma state taxes this year. I haven't lived in Oklahoma all year. Should I get a refund from them? I'll figure all that out soon enough. I paid a helluva lot of taxes last year. It's shocking to look at the numbers. Are we sure this isn't a communist country? Ok, just checking.

Funny me. I thought today was Valentine's day. I'm off by a whole month.
Well, I'm going to run through the shower and dress warmly for my adventure. I'll let you all know how it turns out.
Have a great day.
Thanks for listening.
MsAmber

Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, Louisiana

Here am I.
There are green leaves on the trees, and green grass on the ground. Woo Hoo! Just as I knew there would be. I found a nice country setting, I'm in the RV park and I picked a nice back corner to call my own. My canopy is up, and I have a tether for Spot, and a picnic table. I grilled my first meal here last night and went to bed early. I'm really looking forward to doing some exploring. I think I may start by exploring for a laundromat. Ah, the neverending quest for clean clothes.
I didn't fare so well in my attempt to quit smoking. I bought another pack yesterday, but it's alright, I'll just keep trying until I succeed (or die trying).
I went to the Wal-Mart yesterday for butter, milk, and a dog collar for Spot. Everyone was wearing shorts. I'm not ready to take that leap yet, but I can see a time in the near future when my legs will peep their brilliant whiteness at the world.
I thought I was the only one awake at this terrible hour. I see a lady walking her Chihuahua out there right now. She looks like the walking dead, but like I said before: we all look butt-ugly in the mornings. Thank goodness for curling irons and makeup.
Abbeville is south of Lafayette, and not too far from Avery Island: THE home of Tabasco. I want to tour the Tabasco factory. I'm sitting pretty with a little money still in the bank and all my bills are paid up. Until the 7th of February, at least. First priority is to get a P.O. Box so I can get my mail forwarded. This RV park has that "no clotheslines" rule, but it's stated: "No clotheslines or other lines tied to trees." So I think that means I can tie it to my canopy.
Another cool little tidbit: Abbeville is 16 feet above sea level. I guess I could do worse. Parts of New Orleans are below sea level and that's what the pumps and levies were made for: to keep the water pumped out and barrier. At least I'm not below sea level, right?
I'm going to make a good breakfast and put on some comfortable walking shoes and go exploring today. This new town should meet me. Today I may concentrate on just the places within walking distance. It would be nice to get out from under my heavy gas-hog of a truck. Give it a rest, if you will. Poor thing is overworked anyway hauling this rig around.
Do I buy a bicycle or a wringer washer? Hmmm. Decisions, decisions.
You have a great day.
Thanks for listening.
MsAmber

I'm much warmer, thanks.

Oh yeah. It's much better down here.
I think I'll stay a while.
Had a good laugh yesterday:
The landlady came over to see if I needed anything and we visited a moment. She asked me if I was in tech support, then let me know that she had looked me up and read my blog. I know how easy it is to search for me, I have a huge presence all over the internet, but it caught me by surprise. Especially since my last entry was titled "I got 25 bucks and a cracker". Too funny. It's interesting when you meet someone who reads your work, you wonder just what kind of impression you have made. I figured that she read the current month and then clicked on November 2005.

The pup is starting to get into the routine. He and I had a meeting of the minds yesterday. I took both boys for a walk and we went up a firebreak. I put the leash on Spot and let it drag on the ground. We went to the end of the firebreak and next thing I know he's bolting across a road and ignoring my calls. I ran and got him and we walked back, this time with leash in hand. I walked the boys over to the pond and I sat down in a lawnchair. I parked one dog on each side and told them to sit. 30 seconds later, one of them gets up. I make him sit and stay. We did this exercise for about half an hour until both boys figured out that I wasn't kidding and they quit trying to get up. When I say sit and stay they both should reconcile themselves to the concept of submission. I'm not only alpha, but I control the food too. It was a good exercise, Meg needed the reminder also, he's been a little spoiled lately and doesn't listen too well either. The good news is: they are getting along just fine. Meg hasn't been too pushy, and they curl up together on the bench seat of the truck.
Well, this morning I've got to pack up and move further south. Gosh, I'm jonesing for a cigarette. It's hard to drink my morning coffee without one.
I'm thinking Abbeville, LA.
Thanks for listening.
MsAmber

I got 25 bucks and a cracker, do you think it's enough?

My situation reminds me of a Tori Amos song:
"I got 25 bucks and a cracker, do you think it's enough? To get us there?"
I had one of my meltdowns and was tired of being cold, and my water freezing up and the futility of my job and I decided to put in for an "indefinite leave of absence". I am headed to Louisiana. I said I'm going to head south and when I see a shrimp boat, I'll stop.
I picked up another dog - guess what kind... A blue heeler! How did you know?
I left Knob Noster Missouri and headed through Norman. I was in the parking lot when they opened. I did my out-processing paperwork and turned in a final expense report and drove off. I was out of there by 9:00 am. I stopped in Ardmore to visit friends and get a good nights' sleep, that's where I picked up "Spot". Spot used to be grandpa's dog but when he died, the dog wound up as part of the pack at Terry's house. They have too many dogs and Spot has some health concerns, so it seemed only natural that he would go with me.
I'm outside of Natchitoches (pronounced: Nak-O-Tosh)and I have green grass under my feet and I'm no longer frozen. I went ahead and paid to get the rig washed. I was sick of looking at the salt and grime from Missouri, so now I'm cleaned up and moving south!
Everybody wonders: Where's your plan? Do you have a Job lined up? What are you going to do?
My answer is "Nope". I have no plan. I have no job. I have no idea. I'm just going. I've always wanted to live in southern Louisiana, and I will figure it out when I get there. I'm on a tight budget, which involves quitting smoking. That's fine. Nobody but the dogs has to put up with my grumpy ass anyway.
So here I start my new adventure. I'm not scared, I know I can do it just fine. I have plenty of groceries and dog food, and actually I'm rather excited to finally be following my dream.
I'll let you all know how things are going.
Thanks for listening.
MsAmber

Another Beautiful Day Ahead.

It's freezing at night, but during the day it gets up into the mid 40s.
It's time for me to start packing up and stowing away the breakables. I got a little too spread out for my own comfort. The back of the truck is all unloaded, that stuff has got to go back in. I just have too much stuff, but most of it is necessary, to me at least. I have a generator, tool box, drill cases, hand-tool carryall, shop vac, hard hat, floor jack, four-way, spare tire, tow rope, air can, 2 gas cans, lawn chairs, tupperware tub full of flammables, charcoal grill, shovel, rake, shepherd's hook, walking sticks, tackle box, fishing poles, garden hose, concrete blocks, pop up cones, spare battery, 3 gallons of drinking water, and a tupperware tub full of automotive liquids (WD40, oil, PS fluid, Tranny fluid, coolant, wax, fix-a-flat, brake fluid, tube of gasket sealant, etc), and my ladder. I now have all the oilcloth tarps to pack also. The above listed items must fit into the back of the truck, neatly, and in such a way that I could get to any of them easily. Boy, it's a good thing I have plenty of imagination. I was thinking that I would leave all the concrete blocks here but one for the hitch. I don't want to waste the space or carry the weight in the back of the truck. I'm already hauling around too much weight back there with an 8800 pound trailer also. Time to start being kind to my drive-train.
Inside the trailer I have spread out too much. I have clear mini-lights strung all around; left over from the holidays. I have knick-knacks set out from when I was rummaging through my craft boxes. Things have gotten out of hand in here. I've always kept my place "no floatation" which means: if there were a big earthquake, nothing would fall and break. I've really relaxed on that lately. It will take me a while to get all this stuff squared back away.
I'm actually just sitting here enjoying my coffee. I'm not really inspired to jabber on about anything in particular.
I do spend 'way too much time thinking about things, though. I need to get out more.
You have a great day.
Thanks for listening.
MsAmber

Ok, I'm late posting this morning.

I worked on making a few necklaces and earring sets last night, and watched "Steel Magnolias" on the Oxygen Channel. I invited Andrea over but she was a little drunk and talked through most of the movie. Still, she managed to make a necklace and a pair of earrings that turned out quite nice. I've been just hanging out this morning, I finally made myself a bowl of corn meal mush with orange marmalade. Mmm Mmm good.
I was too confident that the temperature outside would stay above freezing so I turned off the faucet in the bathroom. It froze up overnight and I have no water in the bathroom. Maybe it will thaw today. I should have checked the weather. There's no excuse for being that careless when two clicks on the computer would have let me know that another cold front was moving in. It was just so nice and pleasant outside yesterday. I had the door open all day until about 9:30 last night, that's when I started to feel a chill.
Today I must load up all the laundry and drive to Warrensburg. It's 9 miles. I keep thinking that I would like to find an electric wringer washer. The method being: fill it with soapy water and let it agitate the light coloreds, then wring into a rinse tub, then wring into a second rinse tub with fabric softener or bluing, then wring and hang. Then put in the next darker load and repeat. It's so water conservative to do it that way, because you re-use the soapy water and the rinse waters. The only one you may have to change is the first rinse when it gets too soapy. You can do all your laundry in one day, and keep adding a pot of boiling water to the washer when it's level goes down. You know, usually I spend $15.00 in quarters at the laundromat and drive 18 miles round trip weekly. A wringer washer would pay for itself in two months, and save a lot of water. I can get my mean water usage down to 3 gallons a day if it weren't for laundry. That's bathing, dishes, flushing, and drinking/cooking. 3 gallons a day is not bad. I keep thinking to myself: what if I had to hand-carry my water, how conservative would I get?
One little obstacle is that some of the RV parks I've stayed in don't allow clotheslines because they look bad. Shoot. Because they "look bad"? Gimme a break. I'm not doing my laundry that way because I'm unemployed and destitute, it's a choice. That is just as bad as covenant-controlled communities. I really have a problem with that concept also. I know people who have to show a paint swatch to the community controller to get approval to paint their houses, and what's funny is: the paint color has to exactly match their palette of approved colors. Not beige, but "linen beige". Too hilarious for words, and definitely not something I would ever subject myself to, I don't care how wealthy I could become.
Well, it's nearly 11:00. I need to dress and motivate towards the laundromat.
You have a great day.
Thanks for listening.
MsAmber

Today is gonna be a great day.

So far this morning: I did the dishes, put the dining table back up, watered the plants, cleaned the stove, and rearranged stuff on the tables.
I have a little dwarf statuette on a shelf who turns himself when you're not looking. It's funny in a creepy sort of way. I turn him to face into the room. Two days later, he's facing his buddy to the right. Oooooh. Spooky. Ha ha.
It's perfectly pleasant out this morning. It's overcast, but the air is nice. I have the doors opened for some fresh air. I'll vacuum and sweep later.
I set the dining table back up because I want to make some more jewelry. This time I'm going to make a few pieces to sell. If I hang on to them, I can sell a few sets before Valentine's Day. I have a bad habit of just giving them away.
Tonight at 8 on the Oxygen channel they are playing "Steel Magnolias", one of my favorite movies of all time. I'm really looking forward to popping some popcorn and maybe I'll invite Andrea from next door over, I've taught her to make jewelry also and she just bought herself a bunch of tooling and beads, this would be a great evening to break them in. I need to quit being such a loner and share ideas and feelings with another woman. I make my own loneliness sometimes because I'm such a hermit.
Well, I think it's about time to run through the shower and get out of my nightclothes.
You have a great day!
Thanks for listening.
MsAmber