The Clean Up

And so it begins:  The Clean Up.  When someone dies, you have to clean out all their possessions. You have to decide what to keep, what to sell and what to give away.  And its always a mess.

Some times you will have relatives who are fighting over things.  That happened with my grandmother.  When we cleaned out after Mom died, I got first pick and then everyone else got to fight over it.  But most of her stuff went to good will.

ESM has already started cleaning up a lot of dad's stuff.  He was kinda a hoarder.  He had a lot of junk! Their living room was all his stuff.  And whenever ESM would bring something home to put in the living room, he'd snort and make fun of it.

ESM is also making plans to sell Dad's truck and the RV.  I'm going to miss the RV.  We had a lot of fun on the trips we would take. Some day I will have one of my own!

This weekend we will be cleaning out the truck and the RV, deciding what to keep, what to sell, and what to give away.  Its going to be a long weekend, full of dust and memories and tears.

I don't know that I'm ready to face the clean up.  There won't be any family drama as its just me and ESM (Jakes might help if he comes this weekend).  But I don't know that I am ready to face the memories, the decisions, and the tears.

I completely understand WHY we have to get this done as quickly as possible.  ESM has to get her budget figured out.  She also is the one that also has to sit in the house and stare at his stuff and be reminded of the loss of her husband. I can go home and put all that out of my mind.

So I will suck it up and help ESM get her life organized as much as possible this weekend.  Bring on the tissues and Benadryl!

Jakes in the Lake

For the 4th of July we went camping with the GParents in the RV.  We went back to the same campground we always have gone to for 4th of July.  Its a nice, family-animal friendly place with fireworks and special events throughout the weekend.  It was very relaxing once everything was set up.

The RV on our site.

We were the first camper you saw when you entered the campground.  I didn't like this spot as much as others we had.  There was a lot of traffic and not as much shade in the afternoon.  I prefer to be further back under the trees a bit.

On Saturday there were fireworks.  Since we had the first spot, we were in the best spot to watch them.  It was a little chilly so Dad stayed in the RV with the dogs to watch them.

Oscar dressed up for the 4th.

Jaxon kept an eye on things from the front seat while Oscar hid under the covers

And Jakes dressed up for the evening too.

Jakes in the Lake

Jakes went to the lake first thing.

It was HOT on Thursday so once we were all set up, Jakes hit the lake.  I think I joined him, I spent many afternoons in the lake so they all run together.  The lake was like bath water, very warm!  But we had fun anyway!

here's the family.  Dad and ESM coming back from the store.
Jakes heading up the hill on his bike.

One of the best things about the campground is sending the kid off on the bike, knowing he will be safe.  The place is small enough that every 10 minutes or so, Jakes was zooming by our site on his way around the loop.

Jakes and G-pop setting up the tripod for cooking dinner

Jakes was a big help around the camp site.  He helped G-pop hook up the camper to electric, sewer and water.  Helped to level the camper and helped ESM and I put up the awning.  Then it was time to teach him how to be a chef over the campfire.

Laying the wood just right.

Checking to see if they are ready to be flipped.

All in all, it was a lovely, long weekend and I would do it again in a heartbeat.

They're BAAACCKKKK!

Before Memorial Day, my parents and Kathy left in the Beast for a trip to Florida.  One of Kathy's daughters lives in Miami and had been bugging her to come and visit. So off they went!

They took their time driving south, stopping in South Carolina and Jacksonville, FL.  They landed there just in time to set up camp and take shelter from Tropical Storm Bertha.  Everything was fine during the storm, just a lot of rain and some wind, nothing too scary.  They didn't have electric but they did have the generator.




Kathy getting her seat

 After weathering the storm (literally!) they continued south to Miami.  Once there, Dad and ESM dropped Kathy at her daughters and then set up camp for the rest of the week.  They didn't really enjoy the park they were in.  The Wifi didn't work all the time, the pool wasn't open much and the general upkeep of the park paths and such just wasn't kept nicely.

Kathy enjoyed her visit with her daughter and they eventually had to pack up and head for home.  The trip back was much better, no tropical storms or other major issues.




Start Your Engines!

 They backed down the road about 8 pm last night and the dogs (Jaxon and Kathy's babies) went NUTS!  Lots of wiggly butts all around.  I was happy they are home because I don't have to take care of Kathy's zoo anymore.  But I did miss them and am glad they are home.  The Compound feels complete again.

Tonight I'll have to help unload the camper.  But they are HOME!

He's A Popsicle! and other fragmented thoughts....

AZ has been back for about a week now.  He's all settled in the house.  We're both getting used to sharing space with another person.  Poor thing has been cold for a week!  He was complaining this morning about how cold it is.  I think it was in the high 40's which for this time of year is not cold.  I've been teasing him about being a Popsicle.  Before I left for work this morning, I made sure I tucked an extra blanket around him.

Work is picking up a little bit.  I have several applications to write and lots of boring reading to do.  Actually, what some may consider boring.  I've been fascinated by the stats I'm reading.  The scary stats!  It always amazes me the number of people who are involved in drugs and alcohol abuse.  And I work in the field so you would think I wouldn't be shocked, but I am!

The Parents are planning a trip in the camper.  They are going to head to Harper's Ferry for a long weekend.  I hope they have lots of fun and don't get into too much trouble.  They are going to travel and camp with  friends who are experienced RV-ers so I won't worry too much. 

My Scentsy business is starting to pick up.  I've had some good sales at work and have gotten a couple of parties booked.  I'm also planning lots of open house parties at my house to introduce the new products!  I'm excited to make this work!

My plans for the weekend are to get Jakes, clean the bathroom and relax.  I might wash my car now that AZ is safely here and I don't have to worry about creating storms that could endanger him!  Oh and get my flower beds ready for flowers!