Oregon Living 2025 – Blog #35 – Family Time and Happy Birthday to me!

 

Sunday, September 7^th., 2025……  Today was mowing day. Cathye went to church first and I got out all of the mowers and got them ready. They are all now set up on battery tenders like the motorhome so they start right up. Except – that I forgot to put it on Cat’s last time!  So, I had to do a quick charge before she could use it. Today she wanted to bag everything to eliminate all of the dead grass on the lawn, so I attached the baggers to all three. We all made some serious tracks as we headed out to the burn pile many, many times to dump. We are expecting rain later this week so I’m glad we were able to get it done today! After Penny and I cleaned up the mowers the girls rested on the porch and I parked the mowers and came in too. We were done for the day.

Monday, September 8^th., 2025…… Today, Crystal comes to visit!  Her flight from Missouri gets in at 11:40am. I was up early and left to go to Albany for my doctor’s appointment. I did labs last week and this was the follow up.  I am still waiting to get authorization for an mri under sedation (out cold) so I can do the procedure. It needs to be done in a hospital and that is hanging up the process. Insurance doesn’t want to pay for that  She also went over my med list and we changed a few things and she added a few things. Prescriptions will be sent off. When I got back we went to breakfast at Kevin’s and then drove to Eugene to pick up Crystal. She will be here and at her dad’s house for a week. This is perfect because her dad’s birthday is in September so they will be here on Thursday, along with Corey and Vikki, Josh and Amy, Skylar, Penny, Cherrelyn, and Judy and Lynn to share all of our birthdays together. We stopped at the Hwy 99 diner for lunch then got home and rested for the day. Cathye made a chicken and potato crock pot dish and it was delicious!  Crystal went to bed early and we watched tv for a bit. We discovered that our spa is acting up. The motor is running loudly so we suspect it’s about ready to go. Bummer!  We’ll have to now search out a spa guy to come look at it and give us the bad news.  Stay tuned.   

Tuesday, September 9^th., 2025…… The girls decided that today they would drive over to the coast. Crystal used to live in Oregon but hasn’t been to the coast in a while. She and hubby Michael were there back when and found a place where they bought a stuffed animal for their dog that he really loved. So, they are trying to find that place if it’s still around to get another. They left around 9:00am and will be gone all day. I needed to work on last week’s blog and get it posted and then went on to my workshop. I also needed to stop by and pick up my new prescriptions on the way to the workshop. I got the Honda washed since Crystal said she will drive it instead of one of the trucks. The girls got back later and they had dinner. I had eaten so we were good to go. Tv and bed. 

Here are pics from their outing today!...

 

Wednesday, September 10^th., 2025…… Josh will be coming down later this evening, staying until Friday. Crystal took off this morning to drive down to Roseburg to spend time with her dad. Cathye has asked Justin and Skylar to come work in the yard today. Skylar trimmed back the grapevines while Justin weed whacked the flowerbeds and ditch. It looks great now! Later, Josh got here. He is set up in Cat’s office with the blow-up bed. He has brought his computer because he will work from here tomorrow. We had leftovers for a late dinner and visited until bedtime.  

Thursday, September 11^th., 2025…… HAPPY BIRTHDAY ME!  76 today. I don’t feel any older. Hope that doesn’t happen for a long, long time!  Cathye made chorizo and egg burritos for me and Josh (she doesn’t like sausage!). I love chorizo so of course I overate! Josh went in to work and we worked on the house to get ready for tonight. Cathye bought brats and hot dogs for me to bbq. Later, when Josh finished work, we brought Cat’s Spyder out. Josh took it up and down the block. It was his first time on one of these. He said he really liked it, just a different ride! 

Later, folks started showing up for the party. I had the bbq going and had everything almost ready. We had tons of food and everything was really good! Cathye bought a couple of cakes for the party. She even got me a special Reese’s ice cream cake! We sat around and visited for the evening. Crystal even got to see her grandkids for the first time! Here are pics from the night…

Friday, September 12^th., 2025…… This morning Crystal and Cathye walked the dogs. I had to stay in the house because I had a wellcare phone call scheduled. That person never called! Figures! Crystal left to go back down to Roseburg. I gave up on the call and we left a bit later and went to the gym. Then we went to Kristi’s. Meantime, Josh finished up his morning’s work, then met us there for breakfast. After that, we said our goodbyes and he headed back up to Beaverton.  We had the day to ourselves. We did some yard work and rested and caught up on our tv programs for a bit. Later I got the call from the wellcare rep. She was nice and we got through the call with no issues. Turns out she was only given the date for the call and not the time. Oh well! Then, it was time to get dressed to go on ‘date night’!  Cathye had bought tickets a month or so ago to ‘dinner and a movie’ at the Rio in Sweet Home. They were showing Downton Abbey the final chapter and would be serving us dinner in our seats in the theater while the movie was playing. The menu tonight was beef and potatoes with carrots and peas and figgy pudding for dessert. We had gone when they did this two years ago (we saw My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 and had Greek food) and this time it was even better!  Now neither of us had watched the Downton Abbey series. I think I tried it once or twice but couldn’t get into it. Cat said the same. But the movie was well made and we picked it up pretty quickly and enjoyed it very much. After a nice evening, we made our way back home and went to bed. Fun night!  

Saturday, September 13^th., 2025…… Our plan this evening was to go to Sweet Home’s dance.  Cathye made brownies.  Since Sklyar scalped the grapevines, we had picked the rest of them beforehand. We packaged up some of those as well for the dance. Crystal got back from her dad’s and would be here until she leaves on Monday. Later, our caller, Shaun and his wife, Lila, got here with their trailer. They were on their way home from California and Shaun was calling in Sweet Home tonight and also for our new beginner’s class tomorrow night, so they had asked if they could park here for the night. They got set up and came in for dinner. We had leftover brats and stuff from the party. We also had some of the brownies too! Later, we met up with them at the dance. After we all got back here, Crystal joined us all on the deck for Fireball and snacks and we visited for a bit around the firepit. Fun night!    

 

Oregon Living 2025 – Blog #34 – A Great Holiday & Making Grape Juice

 

Sunday, August 31^st., 2025……  Today we had a few things on the agenda. First up (after another fantastic breakfast!) was the Club meeting. I was asked by the board on Thursday evening to kind of officiate as parliamentarian. The last meeting got out of hand and our poor Secretary barely got through it. Cathye knew that I was familiar with Roberts Rules of Order (even though I haven’t read it for over 20+ years). This Club doesn’t even come close to holding their meetings as I was used to over the years with the Rustlers and Camping Squares. I volunteered to help and also told them I would share the Rustlers Procedures Manual with the President because in it is an agenda that I used back when that worked well for order. Of course I will have to find it and pull it up from my computer so I can tweak it for this Club. Turns out (aside from the Secretary reading (and struggling through) the minutes of last month’s meeting, this meeting was much calmer and went quickly. I didn’t have much to do or say at all!  After the meeting, we headed over to the grassy area where Shaun called a “silo dance”. Tradition has it that the caller climbs to the top of the silo and calls for 20-30 minutes so that folks can earn their ‘silo dancer’ dangle for their badges. This year, Shaun said the rungs were too hot to climb on. Hey, this thing is way up there!  Here is pic from last year….

Besides, Lila was very nervous so she was glad when we convinced him to just call from the safety of the ground.

After the dancing there, they moved to the shaded area in the back yard and did some more square and round dancing. 

All of this time those who weren’t dancing went on to more water balloon fights and marshmallow gun fights and of course more quilting, sewing and card games. Later, we divided up the group  - some went off on an early hayride, while others waited for build-your-own individual pizzas. Frank’s oven does them pretty quickly (4-5 minutes with pre-made Boboli crusts), but with 20-25 people in line, it took a while!  Out of the pics we all took, we could only find this one which almost! shows him on the right sitting at his oven turning out the pizzas from those in line….

Those who ate would then go out on the wagon ride while the others got in line. There were talks all in line about maybe we should chip in to buy Frank another pizza oven!  I heard someone say that there were over 70 people here for the weekend!  After we ate, the others went out on the hayride. Others chose to play cards, which is what we did. After a few hours we headed in for the night.      

Monday, September 1^st., 2025…… Last day - and another breakfast! I was ready to go back and get ready to leave but we hung around for a while and visited. After a bit, we started breaking down the tables and getting things set up to be hauled back to the barns. I helped with one of the two canopies before leaving. The other one was going to be used for those who were spending the rest of the day there. We needed to get back so Cathye could get her dish prepared for her picnic later in the day. Her and her girls always go to Pioneer Park in  Brownsville for Labor Day. She left in the car with the dogs and headed home, while I drove to River Park to use the dump station there before heading home. When I got back, I backed the motorhome down the driveway and we unloaded most of it. Cathye left for her day and I rested for a bit, then went back out and affixed the battery charger wires to the starter batteries, then backed in into the garage. Now I will be able to hook up the battery tender without having to open the engine bay.  Once I got parked, I could open the slides and get to the laundry and such to bring into the house. Later, when Cat got back, she brought me a plate of goodies which would be my dinner. We were done for the day and weekend! Here are pics from the great time!

Tuesday, September 2^nd., 2025…… Nothing on the agenda today except for my workshop. We didn’t have too much to eat in the house, so we headed for the gym first, then to Kristi’s for breakfast. They were surprised to see us on a day other than Thursday!  Before class, I helped Cathye pick the cherry tomatoes that had ripened while we were gone!  We filled up a large colander and I grabbed a bunch to bring to the workshop so folks could help themselves. When I got back, we ate a light dinner and relaxed with tv and the spa before bed.  

Wednesday, September 3^rd., 2025…… I was up and out this morning to get breakfast and coffee and also stop at Wilco to pick up electrical plug connectors for that 100’ cord I used this weekend. This was a newer style connector and had push and twist electrical connections. But I found that when I tried to attach it to the cord, I couldn’t get it to stay fastened. My cord is heavier than the connectors can handle. No worries – I can use them for other cords when needed. I spent the rest of the afternoon catching up on my taped races from the weekend. We watched and got caught up on America’s Got Talent before calling it a night.

Thursday, September 4^th., 2025…… This morning we couldn’t go to the gym because I needed to go with my sister to Corvallis for her consultation. She is looking at shoulder replacement surgery and wanted an extra ear to help get everything understood. Cathye and I took the dogs out and then she fed them, while I left to go pick up Penny. Cathye needed to stay home because she has a window cleaner coming today to do all the windows and screens on the house. We stopped at Wisecracks in Corvallis for breakfast before going to her surgeon’s office. The visit went well and she found out she is a great candidate for the replacement and that it will be worked on to schedule. Looks like some time in November. Meanwhile, the window guy was a cancellation and they rescheduled for Saturday.  So, Cheryl came over and they picked grapes. Cheryl brought her processer and they spent the afternoon making juice. It was too hot to transport so we will deliver some to her in the next few days.   

Friday, September 5^th., 2025……  Nothing on the list today. We slept in a bit, then got up and out with the girls. I had leftovers from breakfast so I was good. Cathye’s appetite has been non existent so she wasn’t hungry this morning. We worked out in the shop garage today. Cathye went through some boxes of material and sewing stuff. She is looking to host a pumpkin making party here soon and wanted to get stock together. I went off and got two more connectors, this time from another store who had what I needed. Later, we drove over to Mike and Chery’s to deliver some juice to them. Once we got home, we were in for the day.

Saturday, September 6^th., 2025…… HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHERYL!  Our friend, Grace has offered us her grapes as well for juice so today Cathye decided to go over there. She and Cheryl met at Grace’s house and got grapes and Cat brought Grace’s juicer to make more juice. Meanwhile, I was assigned to babysit the window washer. He is 22 years old and is trying to establish his future. He has a truck with his company on a wrap. He turned out to be a very personable young man. He went about his business and did a very nice job!  I paid him and got a couple of business cards because I would refer him to anyone in the area.  When Cat got back, she said she took Cheryl to Kristi's for ice cream.

She spent the rest of the afternoon making more grape juice. We didn’t have any other plans for the evening so we relaxed and caught up on more tv programs.

Oregon Living 2025 – Blog #33 – A Safe Trailer Delivery and a Very Happy Girl & Farm Time!

 

     

 

Sunday, August 24^th., 2025……  Tony was due in to the high school in Dixon this morning to make the trailer delivery. Michael called to say that he spoke to Tony and he has an issue with getting paid. I had previously arranged with the shipper to pay via Venmo but it turned out that Tony doesn’t use Venmo!  Long story short - we worked it out to get him paid (thru Zelle) and all was good. Later, when they were unloading, we were on a zoom call with Michael and Crystal so we could see her pull in to first see the trailer!  Needless to say she was surprised!  And very happy!  Later, they hooked up and took the trailer back home.

We sent them a few pics of the trailer with the lights on it and the canopy out so she could see how it goes together. She said they are going to be taking it out this Labor Day Weekend!  

Monday, August 25^th., 2025…… We were up and going early this morning. It is hot already! We went to the gym and then breakfast and then stopped on the way home to get the truck washed. Later, I headed back to town to Harbor Freight to get another drop hitch for my truck. It seems I have lost (or loaned out) the one I will need to pull the trash trailer to the dump. Cat has already got it pretty much filled. I will add some items and we will take it later this week. The rest of the day was spent inside where it was cool!  

Tuesday, August 26^th., 2025…… HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARIANNE! We will be going to Red Lobster later today to help her celebrate. But first up we needed to get to Walmart to pick up stuff for the campout this weekend. We got that done and then I headed out to our trash trailer to cover it. We left and headed over to Sweet Home to the dump. It was easy in and out and we were back home in less than an hour. We parked the trailer and came in to rest. Later, it was time to shower and change and drive up to Salem to meet up with the group for Marianne’s dinner. I think we had 12 there to help wish her a happy birthday.  

Wednesday, August 27^th., 2025…… HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAMIE!  We ran some errands this morning then headed over to pick up Jamie to take him to lunch. He loves Abby’s pizza so that’s where we went.  

When we got back, we loaded the motorhome because we want to leave tomorrow morning.   

Thursday, August 28^th., 2025…… We went off to Kristi’s for breakfast then I moved the motorhome out and we finished getting it ready. Frank and Marianne live maybe 20 minutes out of town on Frank’s boyhood farm. Cathye drove the car because we were leaving the dogs at home for now because we both have to come back to town anyway for our massage appointments. We got the rv parked and plugged in. I asked Frank for a place with a dedicated power source because I thought I would be popping a breaker and I didn’t want to take out the other rvs as well. He found a spot. It wasn’t level but it would work!  

Later, we left and Cat dropped me off for my massage appointment. She came back later and I drove back home. Later, I headed back and picked her up and we came back home to grab the dogs and some more stuff before heading back over. We will be there until Monday morning. We had 3 or 4 more rvs come in today. More tomorrow. Frank and Marianne host this Labor Day Weekend every year and it gets bigger and bigger!  We put up the canopies and brought out the rolling cook system. Frank brought out the trailer we use for dancing at the parade. It also is used for the hayrides. Tonight we each had our own dinner. Tomorrow it will be a regular potluck. Saturday is spaghetti and the fixins and Sunday it will be individual pizzas that Frank is cooking in his portable pizza oven. Sounds yummy!  We played cards until it got too dark. They put a light under one of the tarps and most folks moved over to join in. But we were tired from the day so we went to bed early.       

Friday, August 29^th., 2025……  Even with the motorhome tilted down to the back, I slept well. We got a knock on the door and when I got up no one was there!  I called frank and he said he came to get us for breakfast. I showered and went down. Cat joined us later. The rest of the day was spent putting up more canopies and moving things around to make room for everyone. Later, we had spaghetti with tons of sides and desserts. Cathye made brownies for both meals so we had it pretty easy. More games. They even have a quilting group who sets up machines and such and they work on their projects together.  Later, Shaun brought out his projector and they showed Twister 2. Cathye got tired and went in. A bit later, I had to call it because I was getting bit by mosquitos. I had already got it twice from yellowjackets and didn’t need any more itching and welts!   

Saturday, August 30^th., 2025…… Today was more of the same. The kids brought out the kiddie pool and used it for water balloons. But of course Rylee thought it was her play toy and got in their way for her cool off time! 

Later in the evening, Frank brought out his huge Oliver tractor and some of us went for a sunset hayride. Frank is really good in letting the kids partake in everything. They get to drive the gator and tonight, Marlena got to drive the tractor, while the rest of us sang songs and got pics with the sunset in the background!

Cathye’s new Facebook page photo:

 

We had the big ole spaghetti dinner with garlic bread, fruit, dessert, etc. This Club goes out of their way to bring yummy treats!  We played cards and then after it got dark, we sat out for a while and then came back to the motorhome to watch a little tv then went to bed. I didn't sleep well at all last night so I was ready!   More next time....!