Happy Birthday Dad P, Rescue Transport and Christmas Decor

On Friday, Steve's dad was having a Happy Birthday.  We made plans for taking him out for lunch, But first, yes, first, we foolishly stopped for a tiny bit of Black Friday shopping at Menards.  It was crazy, but we got what we came for (more on that in next blog)  and waded through the lines of people checking out and got on the road to Waupaca.

We were a bit late to get to the planned place for lunch, and missed out on an interesting buffet with pilots at an airport.  We did not know he had planned that. Sigh. We will have to go that another time with him. Instead Dad P chose a nice little lounge in downtown Waupaca called Simpsons.  It has a very rustic appeal, great choice of foods on the menu and the waitresses knew Steve's Dad well! LOL

 http://simpsonswaupaca.com/

The staff was stoking a cheery fire in the dining area fireplace,
so great on wet damp icky day! 

We were seated nearby and had such a nice long lunch. There was only one other table of people in the lounge area by us, and the food was served in a very fast manner. We enjoyed a long leisurely lunch with lots of fun stories and laughter.  On our way out, Dad P was chatting about birthdays with the other folks who were also leaving.  The lady said a quote that we repeated a few more times on friday.....  

''IT'S NOT THE YEAR --- IT'S THE MILEAGE''    

 HAHAHAHA

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On our way back home, we swung by the International Headquarters of Wisconsin Sheltie Rescue to do a bit of help. We picked up a transport vehicle with five crates to help pick up five groggy sleepy drugged up dogs that had been spayed or neutered at the local vet in Chilton. They were so groggy that we carried each one out and placed them carefully in their crates and transported them back to the rescue.  It was fun to do, and give each one a snuggle and pat on the head.  Soon they will be in loving homes to be spoiled and cherished. Homes with clean beds, full doggy dishes and a fenced in yard to be safe.  Never to want or need again.  They have NO idea what a great life they have ahead of them in a few short days as soon as each one is adopted.

P.S. the dogs are only in crates for meals and sleeping,

they have safe indoor and outdoor play areas the rest of the time at the rescue

The Wisconsin Sheltie Rescue recently took in 23 dogs from Michigan due to a seizure of someone with wayyy too many shelties and they were overwhelmed. We helped with the unloading of each of the dogs on late Tuesday night with getting them safe and sound at the rescue. Once they were all unloaded and Lisa evaluated them, the real work begins for her. The Wisconsin Sheltie Rescue chapter takes over with the vetting and rehoming.  Also grooming and bathing and evaluating for behavior issues. The job of our group is to help by relocating them to homes with approved applications. Some of these approved applicants have been waiting a year or more for a rescue sheltie that fit their home, style, personality and needs.  If someone is interested in adopting, an application can gotten by going through this website: http://www.wisheltierescue.com/    If you are looking to donate to a good cause, please check out their website too. 

Tuesday I am going to help transport two more dogs to another vet in the area.  With all these dogs needing spay, neuter, dental and other health issues, the trips back and forth to all the vets need to be coordinated and we rescue volunteers are appreciated.   Someone did all of this for our dogs back when they were rescued, and now it is time for us to repay that kindness--- with helping to pay it forward.

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We had such amazingly warm weather on Saturday that we decided to start decorating the outside of the house. We had all of the decorations ready from the last three years, so it was easy to put everything up.  I even have the bows pre-tied in the exact sections of each scallop or garland. We have permanent hooks mounted on the house to hook them onto. I put those hooks on the first year and left them all in place. Steve takes care of the cords and timer while I arrange the garland and lights.  It was done toot sweet and we stood back to admire our work. 

Even the new little spruce tree I got for Mothers Day got some lights.

Once the lights were on the outside of the house,
we took a little break and then did the inside of the front porch.

Here it is all lit up in the early evening....

After a light supper (and a little nap)  I kept thinking about our tree.....  every year we always have done a fresh cut live tree. This year we are going to do something different.  Remember the blog post I wrote last summer???  Here it is:

 https://kareninthewoods-kareninthewoods.blogspot.com/2016/09/lights-and-de-lights.html

Last Christmas, we ended up paying $45 for a live tree and all the needles were falling off in just a few days. We decided then and there that we were going to give up on live trees, and switch over to an artificial tree for 2016.  Got a nice used one for $20 from Craigslist.

I have never cared for the looks of fake trees before. This one has real looking needles and is the right height and width for our livingroom.

Steve brought in the stand and piece number one.... hmmmmmmmmm shaped kinda funny huh?  Not really a stately Christmas Tree.

after a little fluffing up
and letting the branches drop
 (they are hinged and already attached to the trunk)

He brought in section two
Now that looks strange. Kinda woman-like?
Could be an interesting Christmas Dress?

ahhhhh ruffled up the fluffles

this is kinda looking like Cousin It from the Addams Family?

Here comes my Brawny Lumberjack in his red plaid flannel shirt
to add the top section!
9 feet up but he is tall enough to do the job.

Star on top just touches the ceiling.
Yup.. it's a TREE!!!!

 I really like this one because it is narrow around the base
and doesn't spread so far into the livingroom.


''Don't smell like no tree to us''

We were just going to let it set for the night...
but someone had to start putting on the lights.
 (bit blurry but he was moving so fast!)

At 9:30 p.m.
Someone decided we needed MORE lights...
and a new toaster he found on sale.

We got the new LED lights home and they were TOO bright! Our original lights were from Menards four years ago and are LED but more muted and softer than the ones out on the market now. Menards no longer carries the ones we have had for the last four years. Steve just had to rearrange the ones we have to make them go far enough,  and I will return the new ones he just bought.

I found a lovely hand crocheted tree skirt a while back at a thrift shop.

I didn't use it with a live tree because of the sap and water which would stain it.

I hope the person who worked so hard to create it 

is happy it is going to be used and loved and cherished again! 

Last night I added the decorations.

Steve likes his lights because he can change them from multicolored
to all white with a click of his little remote.
Yes, remote controlled tree lights.  Sigh.

(he can also make them flicker, flash, fade from one to the other etc.)
Know as:  *Guy Holiday Entertainment*


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In my next blog, I will write about the thing we just HAD to go and buy at the Black Friday sale....

Family Treasures

I have a wonderful treasure in my life.  My father-in-law Paul is such a dear heart.  Since losing both my dad and my step dad in the past year, I consider my time with him even more precious. I think he feels the same way....  heh heh

Saturday he invited us out to a great lunch at a favorite restaurant... it was to celebrate my birthday.  We had a nice time together to eat and chat in a peaceful room without a lot of folks around after the lunch hour passed.  Afterwards, he had tickets for the three of us to attend the Sweet Adelines and Fox Valley Chorus performance at the Fox Valley College.

It was such a fun concert. All of the gals dressed up in halloween costumes and interacted with the audience on many levels.  They conducted a harmonious concert of silly numbers but high energy and kept a theme going along with all of the songs.  The grand finale recap of Michael Jacksons THRILLER was fun and silly... not quite the same as the old Mtv video, but full of pep that gals of that age could muster up.

I cherish these times together and love the old stories of when Steve was a boy.  It gives me glimpses into the man that I married. Seeing his father now in his 80s is like seeing parts of Steve, perhaps 25 years from now.   Thank you Dad P, for showing me a kindness and love that I never had from my father-in-law in my previous marriage.

~~~~~~~~~~

A while back, we were at his house doing a few odd jobs and projects.  That is when Dad P gave me a treasure!  HE BEQUEATHED to me a very precious family heirloom!

Yup... I have been given a TREASURE!

Back up the story a bit:  A number of years ago I had admired a little childish pottery item set on the windowsill over the kitchen sink.  My wonderful mother-in-law, Mary Ann, rest in peace, said it was made by the little tiny hands of my very own Steve!  She smiled and said it has set on the windowsill for all these years. It gave her such pleasure to see this little thing he made with his own tiny hands.

It is a TURTLE! 

(can you tell?) 

The Artist even signed his work! 

Steve said he was in second grade when he made it. 

Probably 7 or 8 years old.

 How adorable!!!!

I asked Dad P if perhaps he could leave a note somewhere, instructing the family that someday I would love to have that little turtle.  He said to take it NOW.....   Oh My!  

I wrapped it carefully up in paper towels and took it home as if I was carrying the bounty of Fort Knox!   Yes.... the Pfundtner Reptilian Art Sculpture was soon to grace the illuminated glass shelf in our dining room china hutch!  LOL

Yes, he is a Family Treasure.

  So is my father-in-law. 

Thank you, Dad P. 

Meeting other Safari Owners on the Road

Last weekend when we were heading up through Escanaba, MI for my newphew's wedding... we happened to stop at Walmart for a couple things before heading to Gladstone. We pulled in and saw another Safari Motorhome parked there!  We pulled in behind them and had two things to pick up in the store.  When we came back out, we saw the owners outside their rig, walking their dogs.

We introduced ourselves .... Their names are Lu and George and they are from Canada.

So we chatted for a bit... it's so nice to meet other Safari Owners around the country.  Our rigs are now approaching the 19 year mark, so they are considered "vintage" I should think!  haha  But we still see a lot of them on the road, going strong.

Soon we were showing the insides of each other's motorhomes, comparing dings and dents, and sharing stories of repairs.   Their large glassed in shower features an etching of a big lion...   and I especially liked the reflective grid over their florescent light fixture in the kitchen.  It was like little golden tubes of metallic plastic that diffused the light and made a pretty pattern. Very retro.

They had two dogs on board, as did we.... and we both remarked how nice it is to travel with the family pets inside and part of our lives.  We then examined our back custom painted murals that Safari's are famous for.

We told them somewhere on their mural is a small hidden animal.  The Dame brothers were artists who painted each mural at the factory as coaches were ordered.  Here is a website link to more info if you wish to read about them: http://www.arcatapet.net/travel/murals.cfm

(We couldn't locate their "hidden animal" but I am sure they will keep looking) 

Here is a photo of the back of our rig, with our tiny mouse highlighted ....

We had to say our goodbyes and get further on up the road to our nephew's wedding location in Gladstone.  So we exchanged emails and informed them about our Safari Group on Yahoo to join up and interact with other Safari Owners.  https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/SafariCoaches/


This weekend we have our rig parked at Columbia Park in Fond du Lac on the shores of Lake Winnebago. Our patriarch of the Pfundtner Family is here with us.... Steve's Dad, Paul.

He has a Rexhall RexAire motorhome ...  he pulled into the site next to us for the weekend.  I told him from the front of his rig reminds me of the little ladybug rides at the amusement park with the little antennas hanging down over their faces!  LOL

We were able to pull into our campsites so we face each other, and enjoy our sites by using the area in between our campers.  Soon our awnings were deployed and our lawn chairs placed outside. Let the weekend begin!

Last night after dinner, we set up the tv outside of the rig so we could watch the Packer Game.  From time to time the larger tv signal would cut out, so we had the smaller one next to it as "stand by" haha.  They are both the same brand of tv, but the smaller one we keep in the bedroom seems to pull in stations better.

The tv reception in this area is quite spotty, and it comes and goes.  We were pulling in signals from Green Bay which is 50+ miles away.  Not too bad for our tiny Jack King antenna on our rig.   At least we got to watch the game!

We had a few fellow campers who couldn't get the signal at all in their rigs, stop by to check the score or watch a few good plays.

Even though it was only a preseason game, we got to watch our favorite players in action, and see a few of the new guys putting on a good show.  The team roster final cuts are coming at the end of the month, and we want to see who stays and who goes. They won, over the Raiders, 31 to 21.

And this is how I enjoyed my Packer Game....

This morning is kinda cloudy and hazy, but it is going to be hot and humid again. We are happy to be camping with electrical hookups at this park.  We are able to use the air conditioning in the rig, especially later today.

Steve and Pa Pfundtner headed into Fond du Lac for a few items at the RV dealer and are going to do some RV maintenance this afternoon.    I think I am going to crank some socks.  Ahhh the camping weekend life!

Family RVing, Doggers, and Quilting

Start with some RVing stuff.... our family is on the road, and we hope to be soon too!

Steve's dad Pa Pfundtner is out and about on his extended vacation in his motorhome.  He and his doggy co-pilot, Nicky, have been exploring the warmer southern states for a few weeks.

He called from Kentucky last night and is going to hole up for a few days at a KOA there and watch the weather.  Looking for a good hole in the passing snow storms to sneak his way up into Illinois.  The problem is that in mid-winter, he now will be running out of campgrounds to overnight in.  There aren't any campgrounds open in the northern states to allow us northern travelers to get back home again.  The motorhome he just bought is not really set up for boondocking overnight without electrical hookups.  Otherwise he wears his batteries down too low with the furnaces running....   or he would have to run the generator all night to keep warm.

So I told him about a place we saw about 30 miles north of Bloomington, Illinois that is a Phillps 66 gas station at the exit for Menona at Hwy 17.  The station has 6 or 8 RV campsites open year round.   Nothing much in the way of beauty, they are in the parking lot next to the Burger King.   They are pull-through sites with 50 amp electric, water, even cable tv and sewer dumps.   So he will head there as soon as the weather opens up, hole up there for the night, and make the last dash into central Wisconsin to HOME.

Steve's brother Mark and wife Shirley just took off from Central Wisconsin pulling their travel trailer.  They are headed to California for a month, but took off as fast south as they could quickly to avoid the storms.  They made it safely to Mississippi and now can turn right and go to California.  Hope the winter temps avoid them around Texas and they can get to sunny California to enjoy some time away from this awful Wisconsin Winter.

We hope to get outta Dodge here mid month, about the 15th or so if the weather cooperates.  It was sunny on Sunday so we went out in the rig parked in the frozen snowy backyard.  With the sunshine coming in the windows helps to warm the interior, we kicked on the furnace for a bit and warmed it up to a comfortable level.

I had my clipboard, making lists and notes of things to be sure to pack, take along, or pick up at the store.  Had to double check what items are still in the rig and what items we might have pilfered and took into the house some time between November and February.

Both dogs came along to hang out... and Duke kept checking the treat drawer, hoping some would miraculously appear.  We don't keep any perishables in the rig to attract mice, so he was out of luck.  Finney is getting used to the rig, but didn't like the automatic steps that come out when we opened the door to go it.  That didn't set well with him, so we had to coax him and encourage him to go up the steps and get inside.  Once Duke bounded up the steps, little Finney followed, but hesitantly.

 Relaxing in the sunshine on the loveseat in the motorhome. 

Wonder what Finnegan is going to think of this house when it starts moving down the road???

We will bring along his doggy crate to ride in safely.  He travels well in the car and isn't motion sick, so that is good. 

Our first collie, Mustang, used to vomit and emit all his bowels and bladder each time we took him in the motorhome, even in his crate.  We finally got sedation meds from the vet to help him travel. He grew out of it or used to it,  after about 3 months worth of camping trips.  It wasn't any fun to have to clean up a big hairy dog in the shower and hose out his crate the moment we got to any campground.  Whew....  not to mention the stinky stressful ride..... 

When it was time to go back in the house, Duke dragged and lagged behind. 

He hates leaving the motorhome, and hates to come in the house when he has to leave it.

Soon soon soon old dogger, 

we will load up and head south! 

Speaking of vacation, I ordered some new vacation clothes! 

If you know me, you know I don't often buy anything new in the way of clothes, so I splurged and bought some fun stuff from http://theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/  Items purchased on this site are from "fair trade" companies which employ people at a fair wage.  The proceeds help to feed animals in rescue situations.  Each time you select something to purchase, you are told how many bowls of food your purchase helped to donate.  This was worth 96 bowls!  Plus their stuff is SO cool! 

The dogs are doing pretty good , and Duke is seemingly recovered from his stroke or seizure he suffered from last week. We will watch him close and hope he can enjoy one more vacation with us in the motorhome.  Finnegan needs to learn all the rules for being a "Good Campground Doggie" from Duke.   He will be a good mentor.

Finnegan is growing fast, but still thinks he should be a Lap Dog....

And here is a little video clip of how pesty a young pup can be to an old timer:

I worked on my quilt this week, and hope to get most of it done before the weekend sets in.  Then I can get the sewing machine and stuff off the diningroom table.  We have Chelsea and Clayton grandtots coming for the weekend while their mommy and daddy paint and install new flooring in their new cabin up north.  We will bring the grandtots up on Sunday and get a good gander (and some pics) of their new family getaway. 

I am adding some stitched leaves and vines along the dark borders of my quilt.... from what I learned last week at Pat Gaska's quilting class I took with Paula Stuplich (read last Wed post) 

On Monday, I ran up to Green Bay to help a gal with an 1898 Gearhart sock machine....  on the way I had driven past my old house and had to stop and take a pic.  I planted that pine tree on the right probably in 1986 or 87... it was about 5 feet high at the time.  WOWZER look at it now!

I am glad to say, we got the sock machine working just fine.  Turns out it was purchased years ago from a fellow weaver friend of mine, so we got it running just fine. I knew it would work again, just took a little futzing and putzing.   It has a happy cranking owner now who will soon be making warm wool socks too.

One other VERY exciting and disturbing bit of news was about our nephew, Christopher.   He and his wife and daughter live in Pennsylvania. On his way to work, some car ahead hydroplaned on the water, and a truck hit him, and then a semi truck stopped fast and hit that truck.  Christopher was able to stop behind the semi.  Whew..... but ... but.... another semi coming up behind Christoper was unable to stop in time!  He smashed into Chris's car, and mushed Chris up into and underneath the semi ahead!!!!  Like an accordian!!!

(I shake when I see these pics) 

TRUNK

And I am very happy to say, 

he hopped out of the window, 

ALIVE, 

and without a scratch!!!!!!