Oregon Living 2024 – Blog #27 – Birthdays, A Hot Fourth, and a Yard Sale

 

Sunday, June 30^th., 2024…… Cat is feeling ok this morning. She says she loses energy easily but today was ok. After we walked the girls, I went out and got us breakfast and coffee and chai tea, while she fed the dogs. I noticed that Shawn’s latest estate sale is still going on and they have a sign saying clearance today. So, I mentioned that to Cathye and she left early for church so she could go check it out. I want to finish mowing today so we will plan on that when she gets back. I went out and reattached the bagger to the tractor we just got back so we can pick up the grass from the lawn. When I finished that, I decided to just go ahead and start in on my side of the driveway.  I got that finished in quick order. We are caught up on the thickness of the grass now so I can set the blades to 2 ½” and not get a lot of grass for the bagger. That makes for less trips to dump. That meant I got finished quickly, so I started in on Cat’s side. I just kept going and finished that part too!  I hosed off the mower and came back in to the house. When Cat got home she found me in the same place - in my chair. She said, “That’s where I left you”. Then I told her I was done with all of the work. She said she didn’t notice when she drove in. She was disappointed but happy at the same time. She was ready to mow but now didn’t have to!  We lounged around for the rest of the day.   

Monday, July 1^st., 2024……  Gym and breakfast this morning. Cathye is still not well so she takes it super easy when she works out. She goes in for her echo later in the week. Finally! The weather is starting to warm up a bit. They say it will be in the 100s later in the week, but right now it’s nice. Probably will get to 79° today. Cathye will be taking the Shasta out on Wednesday for her girl’s outing at Pioneer Park in Brownsville. They have been doing this for a few decades now, just a smaller group these days. It would only be three campers, but they expect to have a bunch of people come on the 4^th. So, today, she spent some time getting everything ready. I put in a new battery last week so she will have lights and such. There are no hookups at the park. We checked her propane and found the tank is low so she will plan on taking it in later. I had to repair the canopy mounts that pulled out when the wind picked up last week. But that was a quick and easy fix. I got some of the things out that she will be taking on her campout – fire ring, chairs, tables, etc. – and started putting those in her camper shell. That was about it for the day.     

Tuesday, July 2^nd., 2024…… Nothing on the agenda for today. Cathye went off to Walmart to pick up things for her outing, plus things for me to eat while she’s gone. The Senior Center is closed so no class today. Weather is getting up there. Temps in the 90s now.  

Wednesday, July 3^rd., 2024…… HAPPY BIRTHDAY BILL!  (and BRIAN!)  I have to apologize to Bill for not calling him all day. Usually we call and sing to him so at least he was spared of that!

I had a ton of stuff to do today. First up was to get Cathye going. They (her and Lona) had decided to leave here around 10:00am and go get their places in the camping area. The park doesn’t let anyone in until this morning. Around 9:00am, Lona called and said she went early and the place was packed!  Apparently they had let folks in late last night or really early this morning. So, that meant we had to kick it in gear. I hooked up the trailer while she added the mirror extensions for her truck. Since we had 90% of it loaded, we got the ice chest and the rest of the items in and were on the road by 9:15am. Lona had saved a spot and Cathye pulled right in. We unhooked and got everything unloaded and set up. Once they were all settled, I left and came back to look after the dogs. Later, Cathye drove back in to make her 1:15pm massage appointment. I met her there as she was leaving and I was going in. She stopped back at the house and picked up a few things and also got Jama, who will stay out there with her tonight. I will go tomorrow after the yard sale to have a bite to eat and visit for a while then take her back before the fireworks start. I went over to Penny’s with the easy-ups and some more tables and helped them with a few things. They have most everything marked. We had a few things I brought over, including one of the old floor model radios (I did choose the smallest one!) to add. I don’t expect any bites but we’ll see. They were ready so I came back and fed Rylee and rested for the day.      

Thursday, July 4^th., 2024…… HAPPY 4th of JULY!!!  I was up and going before 6:00am. I walked and fed butthead and then made coffee and headed out for the day. We got the tables set up and the easy-ups out. We only used one today. The sale started slowly. The weather is now super-hot so we’ll see what that will do to sales. But they came! 

While we were working the sale, Cathye sent me a pic of the girls in their matching jammies!

Back at the sale,

we found it was pretty busy at times and prices were right so folks bought things. In addition to all of Sis’s stuff, and my stuff, her neighbor had a lot of stuff there and Jody had a couple of small items she brought. So, we kept separate track of individual sales throughout the day. She had posted and made signs and each said 8:00am-1:00pm, anticipating the hot weather and the holiday. So, we closed up at 1, and brought the tables back in the garage and called it a day. I came back home and loaded Rylee in the Buick and headed over to spend some time with the campers. A lot of family and friends made a good crowd this year. I think I counted over 25 folks.

 

Later in the afternoon, we brought Rylee down to the river so she could cool off a bit. I only had my sandals so I stayed out of the water this time. But Cathye took her out for a swim..

After we ate, I scooped up Jama and Rylee hopped in and we headed back home for the evening. It was rather quiet here – until the Cheadle Lake fireworks show started (around 9:50pm). It lasted probably 30 minutes and I had already gone to bed. Rylee did ok and Jama was good too as long as she was cuddled up next to me in bed! Once everything quieted down, we were all fast asleep. Meanwhile, Cat and the girls enjoyed the show at the park…

 

Friday, July 5^th., 2024…… Since it was super-hot at the campground, most everyone was going home today. I was up and going and was at the sale around 7:00am. It was slow again. We saw that most of the early birds were seniors – who didn’t party last night! That was ok – they got first pick today! Cathye called a bit later and told me the folks in front of the trailer were packing up so she could get her truck in and get hooked up. I left the girls at the sale and went down to help her get the trailer hooked up so she could break camp. She drove back home and pulled in so she could unload. I would back it out and park it later in the day when I got home. Cathye came in for the day and I went back to the sale. Later, Cathye came by on her way to go to her Echocardiogram appointment. Then she will go over to Cheryl’s blueberry stand to get some baked goods that were only there for today. Since we have berries coming in right now, we didn’t need any at this time. Right at 1:00pm, we called the sale. It took some serious effort because it was so freakin’ hot, but we managed to get things separated. Some of her neighbor’s stuff went back to them, some stuff Penny took back, some stuff went to a donation pile which will go in tomorrow, and the rest we left on a tarp with a free sign on it. I got most all of my tables loaded. I left a few that they will need for boxing up stuff. I also lost an easy-up to the wind. That’s ok – it was already damaged and only had this one time use anyway. I dismantled it and threw the fabric in the trash. I will take the frame home and put in my recycle bin. I left and came back and rested. I hit my wall as we were packing up so I took it easy the rest of the day. As did Cat. Tomorrow morning, when it’s cool, I will unload both trucks. Needless to say, we were both tired from our day and went to bed early.         

Saturday, July 6^th., 2024…… We slept in a bit then were up and going. The weather is really nice (70s) when we go out with the dogs. After breakfast, I went out to unload the vehicles, while Cat went out to pick blueberries. We have six bushes out there. Bushes number 3 (Liberty variety) and 4 (Reka variety) were the ones we replaced from Berkey’s farms. This morning, Cathye picked from our bush number 1 and said she will go out tomorrow to do number 2 and 3. The Rekas haven’t come in yet. And 5 and 6 aren’t hearty producers. She got ½ a gallon today 

and expects more than double that from the Liberty tomorrow. Once we got all of our chores done, we called it a day so we could rest and recover. We both stayed inside. Temp got up to 95° out there. Forecast is for 102° tomorrow and Monday and 104° on Tuesday! Yikes! The good part is that the temps really drop at night (in the high 50s and low 60s). Plus it doesn’t get really hot until the afternoon, so we can get chores done early and we’re good.  Later in the afternoon, we met up with Cherrelyn, Penny, and Jody at Pizza Schmizza’s for drinks and dinner. It was nice and relaxing. Oops, no pics! After that, we came home and Cathye went out and watered her flowerpots. I haven’t yet ran any drip lines to them so she does it by hand. But she says she likes tending to them. She’s happy with all of the flowers we have going now!....

While she was out enjoying that, I stayed in the house and kept cool for the day. Tv and then bed. We haven’t adjusted the spa temp yet and it’s just too hot right now to use.       

Oregon Living 2024 – Blog #26 – Party Time and More Mowing

 

Sunday, June 23^rd., 2024…… Today was the big day!  We started out with a run to get donuts. Ok, two runs!  Last night we discussed the morning meal and the subject of Sugar Vibe donuts came up. There was mention of a donut run but no one volunteered. So, this morning I took off at 6:00am (and saw these guys off the road…) 

 

to go there and also to Walmart for ice and water. But when I got to Sugar Vibes, Mike’s truck was already parked outside. I surprised him when I walked up behind him! He bought the donuts and I headed on to Walmart. So now we had had leftover biscuits and gravy and donuts to snack on.  Later, I got all of the drinks out and in coolers and put on the deck.  After that, some of us played cards while some rested. We were ready! A little before 2:00pm, people started showing up. I had moved the Honda out and the others were in the garage, so people could park in the driveway behind all of them. I cordoned off the septic tanks but allowed parking on the lawn next to them. They went double deep there too! As more folks came, I managed to get them all parked so most could get out when needed. Not counting us and the campers, I counted 17 cars!  I had all of the drinks out so we had plenty of room in the garage fridge for all of the food folks brought.  The party was on!  We played games, and sat around and visited for a bit before I fired up the bbq and got going. Shaun volunteered as sous chef and we got the burgers and dogs ready. With all of the great food everyone brought, I think everyone had enough to eat!  After that, we cleared up and we started the Club meeting. This meeting was the end of Wanda’s term and the start of Signe’s term, so they transferred responsibility going forward.

 

After the meeting, we cleared the deck and Shaun called for us!  We had two squares who danced. 

Cat and I had decided to order special dangles for those who danced at our event. It will say “Terry & Cathye’s Deck Dance 2024”. I have to contact our local badge guy who will help me with design. After the party, with all of the cars out and gone, we all started stowing the tables and taking down the awning.  I had them leave it on the lawn so I could separate all the pieces and get each awning back in storage. After that, the guys started unhooking their trailers and 5^th wheel. Shaun and Lila left first because they had to stop at the dump station on the way back. Plus they live the farthest out and both will have to go back to work tomorrow morning. Mike and Cheryl and Frank and Maryanne left too. That was the last of the duties for us. I will bag the games and get the drinks put away tomorrow. Long day and so much fun!      

Monday, June 24^th., 2024…… Back to our routine this morning. Almost! We decided to skip the gym and stayed home and ate the rest of the breakfast leftovers. I think it took most of the day with us hanging around just vegging, but we did get the awnings put away. There was still ice in the coolers so we left the drinks out for now. I sat down at my desk and drew out some ideas I had for the dangle. I called Sqdini and talked with Bob. I bounced my ideas off him and he said it sounded good and to send them to him and he would work with it. Later, we ate leftover burgers and hot dogs and potato salad and cake. Tv and spa and an early bedtime!   

Tuesday, June 25^th., 2024…… The weather is terrific here now. Temps in the mid to high 70s except for the cloudy days where it’s in the high 60s. Both are great! The plan this morning was to go to breakfast at Roger’s in Albany and then stop by the bottle drop to turn in our cans and bottle recycling and then go on to the battery store to replace Cat’s battery in the Shasta. BUT, Cat got a reminder that we had haircuts in 15 minutes! We barely made it!  So, we would have to put all the rest on hold until tomorrow. Later, we left for the class. Cathye barely danced because she was playing phone tag with someone working with Jamie’s health care. When she did dance, she was exhausted. The girls at class noted this and suggested she go to urgent care. I dropped her off and went home to feed the dogs. She texted later and said they ran labs and vitals and she was waiting for the dr. It took a while because he wanted to see the labs, but said there was nothing conclusive. He would call back later and say he reread everything and said her potassium was a bit low and to eat a few bananas and avocados to help that. He said she was ok to wait until the upcoming echocardiogram next week which will hopefully help find out more. Oh well! I sure wish she felt better.       

Wednesday, June 26^th., 2024…… Nothing on the schedule today. Cathye had a good night’s sleep last night and was feeling ok. She went with me to walk the girls this morning but since we didn’t have anything, we had another lazy day at home. I heard back from Bob and we are good to go with my design. He said it will take a few days and then he will mail them to us.  Later, I went out with the zero turn to try to clear a path out on the perimeter of the field. We have a tree down out there and it’s hanging over where the guy will be mowing later this week. My plan was to cut it in firewood size logs and drag the rest of the brush to the burnpile. So, I got out the truckster and we went out and started in. I have a new DeWalt pole saw and that made it pretty easy work.  We made 4 trips in and out with brush and firewood and now the path is cleared for the mowing on Friday. We were done for the day – or so I thought!  Cheryl called and asked if Cathye wanted to go with her and her sister and Mike to Spirit Mountain for the evening. They came and got her around 3:00pm. I hung around the house and later, fed the dogs and fixed myself dinner. For me, it was tv until she got home. For her, it was a relaxing fun evening. No, she didn’t bring back any money but she said she had a relaxing time out!    

Thursday, June 27^th., 2024…… After walking and feeding the girls, we headed out for the morning. We had plenty to do. They had the gym closed for parking lot resurfacing so we went straight to breakfast at Kristi’s. After that, we drove to Albany and dropped off the recycle bottles and cans, then went and got the battery for the Shasta. It’s a special AGM style and was VERY expensive!  The last one lasted 10 years, so we hope this one will too. Once we got home, I installed the battery and checked that everything was working. Once that was done, we came in and relaxed with the pups. We need to mow but neither one of us could drag ourselves out there today. I spent time working on trying to catch up on this blog and Cat relaxed and watched tv and caught up on Facebook. Later, I got a call that our mower was ready for pickup. Good news – it is covered under warranty!  It was too late for me to get down there to pick it up today so we’ll add that to our list for tomorrow.  I got a confirmation text from Mark, saying that he would be here tomorrow with his tractor to get our ‘west 40’ mowed.    

Friday, June 28^th., 2024……  A busy day. I was up and going while Cat slept in a bit. She is still struggling with exhaustion. She is going today for an hour of biofeedback treatment. It’s sort of an electrical charge. I don’t understand it but she wants to try it. Ok, it’s later now and she’s back. She says she feels great! Not sure how long that will last but we’ll see. While she was out, the urgent care doctor called again and said they found an anomaly on her ekg. He conferred with her primary doctor and said someone would be calling soon to schedule a stress test. Finally!  While she was gone, I needed to stay and wait for Mark to come with his tractor to mow the field. I doublechecked his text and saw that he would be coming around noon, so that gave me time to hook up the trailer and go pick up the mower. That went well and I was back home in no time. He said that the pto clutch was burned up. He has never seen one do that before. But, it was covered under warranty so he got paid for his work. I unloaded it and waited for Mark. It was right at noon when he started in. We hung around the house until 6:15 before we were picked up by Cheryl and Mike and headed out to a Luau dance in Springfield. But I had paid Mark and we would finish and go. The dance was really fun. This is my favorite dance floor! It is cork and has a polish on it but is still smooth enough to slide your feet on. We had a good time and got back home around 11:00pm and went straight to bed. Cat was just a little tired. Must have been all that electricity charged in her!     

Saturday, June 29^th., 2024…… Today was mowing day for us. Penny has Jody coming in today so we needed to start a little early. Problem was only the field would be dry enough at 9:00am. So, we all concentrated on that for today. We got it all done in record time and left the mowers out for the next day when Cat and I will tackle the lawn. Since I have the irrigation system shut down for mowing, Cat had to water the flowerbeds by hand. Her raised bed is looking good!  We’ve already had strawberries from there. Marionberries are doing well and tomato vines are getting big! We spent the rest of the afternoon resting. Around 4:00, since we didn’t have lunch, we decided to feed the dogs and head over to The House of Noodle in Albany for a nice relaxing dinner. But before we left, Rylee started barking out the back door. She must have seen the wind pick up the awning on the Shasta and throw it over the top of the trailer! So, we had to go out and do damage control. There were two brackets that came out but no other damage. We cleaned up and left.  We pulled in the drive at the noodle place and saw that they are open from noon to 3:00pm for lunch and then reopen at 5:00pm for dinner. We had to sit outside for 15 minutes. You’d think we’d be the first served when we went in. But, nooo!  They had a large party trickle in and they worked on them. Even some folks who came in behind us got their orders in before us! They were almost done when our food finally came out!  Was it worth the wait? You bet! Cat had pad Thai and I had drunken noodles. Kind of new to our palettes but boy, it was tasty! We forgot about the poor service. While we were there, Penny texted and asked if she and Jody could come over to pick up some tables for their upcoming yard sale. They want to organize and the tables will help. When we got back, we played with the girls and watched tv until spa and bedtime.       

Oregon Living 2024 – Blog #25 – Party Week!

 

Sunday, June 16^th., 2024…… HAPPY FATHERS DAY!!!  It would be a busy day! We were up and going early. Cathye made breakfast burritos while I walked and fed the dogs and went to Starbucks for coffee. A bit later, the boys loaded their bikes and drove back up to Black Rock for another mountain bike adventure.  They will be back before 4:00pm when I throw the steaks on the grill.  Meanwhile, Cathye went to church and I had the house to myself. I relaxed and watched a couple of my taped races and got caught up from yesterday. More being taped today but I most likely will wait until Monday to watch those! Penny and Cherrelyn came over and we started drinks and I fired up the grill. This would be the first time I have used the grill with the new burners and grill top. I guess it turned out well because all of the steaks I cooked seemed to be enjoyed by all. We had the sauteed mushrooms as a topping and Penny brought a canister of cheese she bought from the Northwoods Inn in SoCal which we used for the potatoes. She also brought a triple berry cobbler. Needless to say, we were stuffed. They shared some pics and videos from their ride,

and then Steve entertained us again until everyone went into a food coma and the party broke up. Tv until bedtime. 

Monday, June 17^th., 2024…… The kids have decided to take the rv out and head up to Washington. Randy has heard about and researched a few mountain bike trails up there and is anxious to ride them. They will drive today and stay overnight tonight so they can get a full day’s ride tomorrow. But first up was the gym. We walked and fed the dogs and headed out. Once we were done, we met them at Appletree for breakfast. Cathye remembered that she had a 10:00am appointment to take the Buick in for service (oil and filter change) and she had missed it. So, we scurried back home and she went to drop it off. She called me and said she told them, “I’m here for my 11:00am appointment”, and they never batted an eyebrow, just took the car in. Whatever works!  I picked her up and we came back to see the kids off. After that, we kept watch on the grass. It was overcast today and we needed the sun to come out to dry the grass a bit so we could mow. The Club party is Sunday, but we have three rvs coming on Thursday and Friday, so we need to get the area cleaned up in the next few days.  

Tuesday, June 18^th., 2024……  We are still busy today trying to get everything together for the folks coming on Thursday and for the party on Sunday. We did a lot of clean up around the house and yard. I think we are ready – except for the mowing. Still too wet. Maybe this afternoon after we return from our class.

Yep, when we got home, it was dry enough to get it done! We still only have two mowers and bagged everything this time, so it took a bit longer than usual. But, it is now done!  I know it will grow out a lot between now and the party, but we don’t care - it’s good to go for now! We will wait until Saturday to put out the yard games. Nothing else on the agenda so we cleaned up the mowers and came in and relaxed for the day. Tv and spa until bedtime.  

Wednesday, June 19^th., 2024…… No mail today – Juneteenth! We fed the dogs and left for breakfast and then to Aurora. We stopped on the way to have breakfast at one of my favorite places – Covered Bridge Café – in Stayton. The plan was to go up to Goby Walnut Products and pick out the bar top we have been looking at. But, when we looked up their hours online, we found they were closed for the holiday too! Bummer. We came back home disappointed but at least we saved the drive up there! Plus, we had a nice breakfast!

When we got home, we needed to go to the store for a few more things for the group when they get here tomorrow.     

Thursday, June 20^th., 2024…… We were able to complete our Thursday routine – gym, breakfast and then made the drive up to Aurora. We found what we wanted and ordered it to be cut and notched.

It should be ready sometime next week.  We are excited to say the least. We easily got back home before the guys showed up. Frank and Maryanne pulled in with their 5^th wheel and Mike and Cheryl were right behind them. We parked Maryanne close to the house because she has mobility issues. We decided to have Mike pull their trailer all the way behind and around the rv garage. 

That would put them on the east side on the grass. That way, Shaun and Lila could park on the rv pad on the west side when they come in tomorrow evening.  We got everyone power and we settled in for the day. We had pulled pork sandwiches for dinner and played card games. They showed us 2500 and I taught them 7’s. It was a fun night.      

Friday, June 21^st., 2024……  Mike ended up going home late last night. He needed to drive his daughter to the coast today to pick up their granddaughter from summer camp and since it would be an all-day thing, he wanted to get an early start. So, it was breakfast for five this morning so we had breakfast burritos. My favorite!  After we ate, Frank and I got out all of the awning bags and we started in. Cathye and Cheryl helped and Maryanne supervised. We got everything up and then brought out the 2 16 ft. tables which fit nicely underneath the awning. I brought out all of our lawn chairs in case folks needed them on Sunday. Maryanne had made stew in a bag. They actually looked like Hershey kisses!

I got them on the bbq even though we didn’t know how long it would take to cook. Mike got back and Shaun and Lila got here. I got them parked and hooked up and then went back to the grill. They were definitely done! I would have liked to have them on for a few minutes less, but they were still delicious! The boys got back from their Washington trip and made it back in time for dinner too!  We convinced Steve to play a bit

then Shaun set up his equipment on the deck and called a tip to test sound. 

We got Steve up and taught him a few calls. He did great! 

                           These were taken from a video so they are a little grainy...

Randy has been around square dancing all his life and politely said, ‘no thanks’! After the dance, some called it a night. Others played cards.   

Saturday, June 22^nd., 2024…… This morning, the breakfast was eggs, and biscuits & sausage gravy. We had toast with homemade jam. All were very good! 

Later, we headed off to Brownsville. Since Shaun was calling today, he drove his truck, while the rest of us piled into our Buick. We were all headed to Pioneer Days at the local park in town. We got in and used Maryanne’s handicap placard to get close parking. We all spread out and walked around the grounds and enjoyed the day. They had many vendors and exhibits and entertainment on the stage. But we were there for a dance later in the afternoon. The Sweet Home club does this every year. The dance is free to all and they open the doors for visitors to come in and watch and see what square dancing is all about. Shaun did some basic calls whenever they had newbies in the squares. 

Did I mention it was hot! This rustic old timey room is used for barn dances and such but for us, it was just super-hot! So, we sat out more than we danced! When it was over, we headed back home. We had all eaten at the park, so all we did this evening was hang out by the fire! 

Some played cards later, while some called it a night.