Wednesday.. The time, When you REALIZE, this life DOES end.

 This is Arlington Cemetery, many of these  buried here only had minutes to realize life ends.

Sherry and I once worked in the Bureau of Naval Personnel. That building overlooks this cemetery. WE had lunch on the grass many times overlooking this scene. I did think of death of course, but mine was in the future, so I did not think of my passing back then.

SO for now:

Procrastination is normal for us humans methinks. Such things as, 'Our car needs washing, I’ll do it tomorrow!'

I need to lose a few pounds, I am going to check into a good diet schedule, next week.

I mentioned here before the time my dad’s eyes were opened by an attorney. I am repeating that: Once my dad went to an attorney in our hometown. He said to the Atty, “I have decided I need to make a will in case I die!”

He said the attorney looked him in the eye, smiling and said, “We need to get this straight Reverand, the statement is NOT in case I die, it is WHEN I DIE!”

So today my point is, as I added numbers to my age every Birthday it was not until I started to see 80s in that number before I faced facts. ‘Hey, over 90% of the people I knew growing up, are DEAD!’ My family that lived to know adulthood, 2 brothers, 2 sisters, mom and dad are GONE! Sherry is the same, family gone!

Sherry just said as she looked at the RV’ers in this large RV Park, “WE used to be in the younger group here, now we are the oldest.”

Believe me, even right now, I feel in my mind I am 17 years old. My only med or supplement is a one a day vitamin. Funny this container says Men’s One-A-day.  Now boys and girls have different one-a-day vitamins, (I just learned that). All this time I thought one-a-day was one-a-day. LOL

Sherry & I see our age group leave us on a regular basis.  Just in the past few weeks Sherry has lost 3 or 4 of her graduating class.

This is not meant to be a negative or SAD post, just factual.  In your life you have aims and goals, plans & hopes, do not put them off. If you really want it done, DO IT!

I have only a couple things left to do. (I’ll get to them later!) Then I will be ready. Not procrastinating of course, LOL

Nite Shipslog

PS.    Hoping your Christmas is BRIGHT! IT IS HERE!

Tuesday Gimme more!

 

 

For today:

This will be short (I think).  We just go a call today saying the coach we were buying needed some work, and the delay might be a week due to the holidays.

Sherry and I had discussed that, this was not the best time to make a big purchase, but we started it so we will roll with the punches.  LOL

If you write a check or make a charity donation in writing, expect to hear back from them and many others, to whom they have shared your information.

Now some of you guys know we do not use a home address for our mail because we are gone too much, so we use a mail service.  When we are close to the server, we pick it up rather than have the send the mail to us. Therefore, we do not get mail daily as we grew up doing.

So today we dropped by our mail service to get the mail. I am not a mean person, we gladly give to church work and other charities.  At times our gifts go directly to individuals who are having a tough time.

Lately we have lost loved ones and their desire was instead of flowers give to a charity. Hospice, Salvation Army, Wounded Warriors, etc,  Well today our mail was loaded with requests from charities; some we have not given to lately along with one or two we have never donated to. Then of course the ones we gave generously to. One sent us a small ‘real’ check. One sent us four nickels.

I don’t like how I feel altogether, but my impression is the letters are saying, “This was good bro but gimme me more!”

 

I am one that  when I feel impressed, led, or guided I give. I understand and appreciate charities; the most are doing a great work. I do check on some before I give and I avoid ones that give their ‘CEO’ or leader more than the intended receivers get.

So today no letters were answered, but I did whisper a thank you for their gift to me.  I will not deposit the $2.50 check. I will save the nickels for the ggrands in my coin collection.

WE are still smiling; hope you all have a great Christmas.

  NiteShipslog

PS:

WE are getting this coach ready to turn in for consignment. I little tired…

Monday…. WE're getting another one! (Most likely this will be the last!)

  Picture of the day:

The above from the early 1900s inspired our lives today.

NOW, for today:

(We have hit a couple bumps in this purchase, but still are expecting it to go thru....)

I hope to drive a coach about two more years; it is not logical to think of driving after my 90th Birthday.  So, unless I start aging backwards, this will be our last coach. I want to travel the last two years in something we will enjoy. SOOOOOOO we are buying this:

 

If all goes well, we will close on the unit next Friday. It will be our BIG after Christmas Present. WE have had 26, 37 and 38 feet units. This one is a ‘little’ over 40 feet. Yep. This one is a BIG’UN that is for sure.  Here are some more shots of the unit.  It is a Holiday Rambler, it is older of course, it is a 2004 unit. 

 WE thought and said, it was not wise to spend a lot$ just for 2 yrs. Son Mark said, "But dad the resale value will drop."  My answer, "I figure that will be my sons' problems." LOL 

Below is the Living room and dining areas

These two are cool, that is a fake fireplace that is electric heat methinks.

The Kitchen  above is missing a cab. door I have made inquiries about that. If the door is not hidden in the coach somewhere I will have one made.  AND that black thang is a BIG residential refrig with and ice maker.  Sherry be happy because she is an ice-a-holic.

WE haven't had a refrig like this even in our homes. Nice!

It does have a king size bed.  I hope we like it we have never wanted one...  Shucks, I guess we will have to buy king size sheets!!

 I will let you know how it drives after Christmas, if I can get it back to the RV park.

I about forgot:

Above my seat, She says she doesn't plan to drive, but this is her seat. below

Nite Shipslog

PS:

YEP,  Sherry and I are Gypsies…  we now have a BIG(er) tent!!!! .........MAYBE!!.......

 I guess we are in our lifestyle…. ;-)  

Sunday…Just STUFF!

 Pic today:

A little decorative over kill

SO for now:

Everyone has limits, but certainly not everyone has the same limits. My Ice cream dish, or bowl has a limit, called Max. Sherry’s? less than half of my serving.

Then there is my $5 USMC tattoo, just one I have never regretted it. I have had friends who got too many 'tats' and had some removed. One was my limit.  In my opinion some folks LIMIT was reached long ago, but not my problem, but I get a little squeamish at facial tattoos. That is way past MY limit. LOL

Again, not my business, but I have never been pierced even for earrings; but I get a little unsettled when served at a fast-food place or restaurant by someone with a ring in their nose, tongue or lips.  Again, that is their choice, but way out of my bearings.

Stretching is a little out of my limits too, I see this:

And get squeamish, reminds me of things I saw in school from way back in the brush in Africa:

In school I remember thinking how do they eat or..... ....  ........ kiss? OUCH!

 

And then My mind asks WHY?

Truck high 

But someone loves it enough to spend hard earned money on it. but then maybe folks asked WHY? I guess in the 50's when I lowered my car in the rear, daddy asked WHY?  LOL

 Anyway, do things today reach limits in your mind?

Oh and finally, I might show our next RV tomorrow...

Nite Shipslog

PS.    AGAIN. Just THANKS for stopping by, I like you!

Saturday.. What was NOT and now IS,,

 Picture of the day:

Options, go back and get a horse to help pull, or a shovel and wait until it dries up some. It is stuck!

 So, for today:

Susan K, over at ‘thecontemplativecat’ posted an entry lately concerning life and her family. How she was raised on a farm and now in southern California (I think) looks back at life and its changes.

As I read that I smiled at many things that I remembered much the same. Especially how rural roads in our locations were seldom paved and there ain’t a more nasty thing than a muddy road in central NC where the ground is much RED MUD.  Slicky, sticky, and nasty. LOL

Growing up I was not allowed to go to the Show (movie). The Show was a sin. STRANGE that; how we changed.  Just last week, in our church the pastor was telling of his favorite movies (same denomination). (?) BUT as a boy I had to sneak to see a show enough to learn how much fun it was to see the Sat. morn cowboy movies (Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, etc).  The Movie had a Serial and a cartoon. The cost was a dime to get in; popcorn was 15 cents and a drink was a dime. So my Sat morning max entertainment cost was 35 cents. Many times I could only come up with the dime to get in. LOL

Many Americans had a tough time in the USA.  Some were treated terrible.

Did you know for many years women could not vote or hold public office. In 1869 only the state of Wyoming (I think) allowed that. Odd too was that Blacks were allowed to vote before women were.

I grew up in a segregated world. We white kids down south never questioned that, it was ‘the way it was’. You talk about a surprised Southern world, the production of a movie called “Blackboard Jungle”. We saw a school with black and white kids in the same classrooms, WOW.  Unless you experienced that, you CANNOT understand the shock.

I can say this, in our home, EVERYONE was considered the same, God’s children. My mama and dad were raised in an even more segregated era BUT, I heard my mama say many times. “I will never understand how we Christians gladly send money to Africa to help black people, while here in America we have people who will not even sit with them on a bus.” Our public busses forced the Black people to sit in the back of the bus. Examples: Claudette Colvin and then Rosa Parks!

Have you noticed any earth shaking changes in your time or where you were raised?

Nite Shipslog

PS:

Some folks say Sherry and I are Gypsies…  I guess we are, in lifestyle…. ;-)  

Friday..The heck with rules!

 Today's Picture:

SO for now:

What kind of driver are you? Do you try to stay close to the speed limit?

Yeah, some rules are tough.  I am sure most of you have no problem with the “DO NOT SPIT ON THE SIDE-WALK!”

Now to one that seems to put a burr under many saddles: “LEASH REQUIRED FOR ALL PETS!”

Now I will admit in my growing years up to my 20s in our area of the country very few leashes were around and NONE were required.  So it has been hard over the years for that to phase in.

BUT at times a leash isn’t enough; believe me if you are ever attacked by any attack dog, and I was, you change your mind and think that some dogs should not be allowed outside except in a 10 ft high fence. The Pit dog that attacked me was on a leash, and drug the lady owner 20 ft. to get a nip on my chin, neck, and lacerate my arm before she had control. I was on a public road just taking out the trash.

I have heard in RV parks, “My dog does not require a leash, it is trained.”

The last park a man drove around looking for his dog that ‘ran out the door before I could lash him.’

BUT to be honest most people do follow that rule, just some flaunt it.

Do you follow the rules on the pill box, only one pill within a 12 hour period?

Now I have broken that rule ONE (or two) times. ;-)

One irritating rule breaker is the dude (or dudes) that takes a cart-full thru the line that says ‘10 items or less’ on the sign at the grocery store.

Is there a rule breaker that bugs you?

Nite Shipslog

PS.    AGAIN. YOU readers here are OK! I Just want to say thanks for being you and stopping by.

PS2: Today I saw a sign in an RV park.  “Caution, my dog flunked out of obedience school!”

Building

 

Today’s picture:

 

Samples of our rentals apts, condoes

BUT for today:

I read every day that there is a housing shortage in the USA! My head asks: “How can that be?”  AS most know, Sherry and I are Gypsies.  Since I was a small-time builder for a few years I take note as we circle this great country. We see houses, condos, apartment complexes going up everywhere we travel.

Our small town of Belmont, NC seems to add a hundred homes/apartments every month. Thousands a year. The traffic is now so bad many times we wait thru 2-3 changes before getting under a light.

Concerning occupations. As a builder my preference was the small 3 BR home. Now those are a thing of the past, it seems the min now is 2000-4000 sqft. I have probably mentioned it here. A house I built and sold for 80,000 many years ago was bought for $326,000 and remodeled with an additional $300,000.  That shocks me to the core that in our neighborhood that much money can be spent.

A house just 200 yards from the one we just moved out of rents for $2000 a month. 3 wage earners live there to afford the rent.

  I am blown away that I hear that more apartments have been approved by the city council with a projected rental of over $3000 a month. My mind cannot wrap around the salaries required to pay that, a car payment, CC pmt, insurance along with groceries. Boggles my mind.

Speaking of change. Belmont WAS a Cotton Mill town. Now some of those mills are now hundreds of apartments.  Below is the Chronicle Mill's transformation to apartments.

Yeah, I know, I still live in a world where a Pepsi/Coke was a nickel along with a nickel Milky Way.

WE still survive of course and paid the increase as the world of camping turned into RV’ing. When we started a campsite was $5 a night. WE know several now that get $85 a night. NOPE, we do not pay that much, we find the cheapest. WE pay yearly for certain parks. But we do pay $40-50 a night if we have to stay in a roadside park.

Sorry just running my mouth or fingers, LOL. Christmas is near and I hope you are ready for that.  God has been good to us and we, like the rest of the country, are surviving and living the best we can.

Take care and smile that we are still above the worms…

I hear that the best part about assisted living is that I will be able to tell the same joke every day… and it will be funny every time!"  ;-)

 

Nite Shipslog

PS: 

Be good to your neighbor they may need to check on you one day!

Occupations

 

My first house. I built this one completely by myself from digging the footer, pouring the foundation, plumbing, electrical, roofing to selling it. It sold with in 4 days upon finish, for $32,000.. After closing the buying lady asked, "Now Mr. Darnell, why did the house sell so cheap?"  I remember answering clearly, " Cheap? I made $10 and hour on this house!!"  Clearly my occupation as a builder needed some upgrading!!  LOL

SO for now:

As a boy I remember wanting to wear a uniform when I grew up. I admired my brothers, cousins and uncles in uniform. Moat boys at one time or the other want to be a policeman or a fireman.  Many want to be a train engineer. Most boys have no idea there are engineers other than train engineers. LOL

Over my long-life span (BTW I never expected to live to be near 90 yrs old) I have enjoyed many occupations.  But over the years I have learned of things I never even thought of before as an occupation.

When I saw a Greyhound bus driver I never thought his job  as it was. For some reason I thought he went from Canada and drove his bus to Miami Florida. I never pictured him being home every night say, in Charlotte, NC. I couldn't know he drove his bus to Atlanta, GA in the morning and then drove another bus back to Charlotte that afternoon; and was home for supper.

Since I had a brother and several uncles and cousins that drove trucks, I knew they started up towards NYC , then back south. Many times they were away from home weeks at a time.

Our friends Dal and Marian have a grand daughter who went to China as a teacher. While there she fell in love and married. She can come back to the USA, but so far her hubby cannot leave China. An occupation sure changed her life.

We have a nephew that worked in Afghanistan, while there he met a lady from Kenya working in a hotel. They fell in love and married. He now lives in Kenya. His wife and her daughter have not been able to gain the permision to travel to the USA. His choice of occupations changed his life for sure.

Occupations have redirected many lives, I applied or a job in Viet Nam once but did not get it.  Probably a good response, huh?

Has an occupation changed your life?  Someone you know? What is the strangest occupation you have been associated with?

Nite Shipslog

PS.    AGAIN. YOU readers here are OK! I Just want to say thanks for being you. Oh, in ref to my first house, when I was building that  house, $4 an hour was top pay, so my $10 was Super dooper! LOL