PROLOGUE
Our next trip begins as soon as we get back from one and so it was this last year. Maintenance work inside and out went on over the winter months. A new dining room slide cover was put in place, the jacks were serviced, a new automatic door step was installed and running light sockets and tail light bulbs and sockets cleaned. The coach also went in for its annual visit and prevention checkup, this spring. When we got it home it was parked outside the garage and the packing began. That was mid April.
For our first time readers and for those with short memories I will refresh them with the following information. The two main characters in these musings are Onie and Pawpaw, Onie will also be referred to as Sweetie, Sweetheart, Sylvia, Aunt Sylvia, Navigator, Co-Pilot, Editor and Mom. Pawpaw will also be referred to as Tom, Thomas, Uncle Thomas, Driver, Writer, Yours Truly and I. And so, on to the…..
FURTHER ADVENTURES
OF ONIE AND PAWPAW
LEAVING HOME
Monday, May 16, 2009
This is the day the Lord has made and we are using it to get on the road, again. We rose at seven but the weather was so delightfully cool that we elected to go back to bed. We got up again at 8:30, made tea and Onie cooked steel cut oats, for breakfast.
When the oats were gone and the crossword was finished we cleaned up the kitchen and went in the house. Laptop computers were disconnected and placed in traveling cases and the desktop was turned off as was the printer and wireless router. A last minute check of other things was made and then the alarm was set and the door closed, until October. In the garage the small water heater was turned off. In the pump house the water well pump was disabled and the pump house locked. The shop was locked and the truck given a little pat as I passed by to start the coach.
True to form when the key was turned the Cummins responded with its nice starting roar. With the Cummins running, to come up to operating temperature, we began closing up the coach and getting it road ready. Drawers were double checked to be sure they were completely closed, doors were checked to be sure the retaining catches were engaged and closet slide doors were checked to be sure the catches were completely over the raised portion of the door fame. This would assure they would not slide open while we were under way.
With those checks out of the way the rear slide was brought in and then we turned our attention to the living room slide.
The plan to leave at 8:30 had already been slightly modified and now it was about to be modified even more. When the key was turned to bring in the living room slide nothing happened except for the quizzical look on Onie’s face. The writer tried it and still, nothing happened. Sure that it just a fuse the writer began checking fuses but no blown fuses were found. An hour later the slide motor was disengaged, the large crescent wrench placed on the bar that pulls in the slide and the little job of pulling the slide in manually was undertaken and accomplished.
It was now close to noon but we were ready to roll on to a local automotive shop to get a state safety inspection sticker.
We got to the shop and the guys were eating lunch. We waited a bit and one of them laid down his sandwich and came out to have me work the lights, turn signals, horn and windshield wipers. We passed. I gave him a twenty dollar bill, the inspection is fourteen fifty, and he went in to do the paper work and get our new sticker. He was soon back out to the coach, came in, tracking dirt, and put the new sticker on the windshield, handed me my change and then scampered back to his interrupted lunch.
At last we were ready to really get on the road and it was just about our normal leaving time, twelve thirty.
We took the back roads, nine forty six, and headed for Huntsville and the long stretch of concrete and asphalt that would take us north.
On forty-five north we settled into our traveling mode with the engine in cruise control and the tranny in overdrive. It was a great day to be alive and headed north. We were leaving behind us our comfortable home, the beautiful yard, the solitude and serenity of country living as well as our family, church family and friends. It would be some five months before we returned, now we were headed for more adventures, seeing good friends and visiting our church family in Sterling, Alaska.
Roads are kind of like the moods of people, subject to change, sometimes they are smooth, other times they are bumpy and some are really rough and unfinished. Today we had the smooth kind. As we headed north to Alaska colorful wildflowers filled the roadside and some fields.
As we motored along Onie served up lunch, salmon salad in a half of green bell pepper.
Before too long Dallas was filling the horizon. It was near four. We opted to go into downtown and take thirty across to thirty five. It was not a bad choice as the traffic was only bad to a country boy. I am sure the folks of Dallas thought the transit time of forty five minutes was great. We headed on north passing Carrolton where my friend Joe used to live. As we neared Denton traffic slowed to a crawl before grinding to halt. It was stop and go until we cleared the city.
Not too far north of Denton we crossed the Red River and were in Oklahoma.
Oklahoma is the home of the red man, red ponds, red rivers and red streams. Not surprisingly it is also home to red cows. One must surmise that the red cows get there coloring from the red water. There were a very few cows that had some white on them which told the writer that somewhere there must be a clear spring that these cows drank from and it flushed the red mud from their hair.
A call was placed to Sidney Johnson, a friend of ours in Conyers, Georgia, regarding his departure time. He and his wife Barbara are meeting us in Iowa to hunt mushrooms. Then we called McLains RV Sales and Service in Oklahoma City about having a look at the living room slide. They said they could have a look at it at nine in the morning. We told them we would be there.
The road was now going over some respectable hills and the pastures were displaying their red rocks and wildflowers. The beautiful weather continued to hold. The Cummins and Allison were performing flawlessly.
With the sun on the horizon we pulled into Oklahoma City at eight. We went to the Flying J where we fueled up. Onie removed bugs from the windshield and front of the coach while yours truly tended the pump. Diesel was just $1.99 a gallon.
Fueled and debugged we pulled over into one of the long parking spots that Flying J provides. We shut off the engine and Onie began preparing supper. We would spend the night here. After the supper dishes
were cleared away we opened some ceiling vents and went to bed. It was nine thirty. We had traveled four hundred ten miles at an average speed of fifty eight point five miles per hour.
MOTLEY CREW
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
We were up at seven thirty.
Liberty toast and hot tea broke our fast before we headed off to McLain’s RV where we arrived at ten minutes til nine. We waited outside the locked gate until five after nine when it was opened and we drove to the service area. I talked to the gentleman I had spoken to yesterday and he informed me it would be at least three o’clock, perhaps later before they could even look at he the slide. I thanked him, for nothing, and left.
Onie had located another repair shop just a couple of blocks away. I had wanted to go to McLains as they were also a Camping World franchise. That of course was a mistake.
The other shop, Motley RV Repair had opened at eight. We pulled in and were greeted by a nice young man who inquired as to what our problem was. It was explained. Inside a work order was completed and then work began.
We had disconnected the toad, aka the Subaru and or Forester, and Onie took it and headed for the nearest Wal-Mart, to shop for fresh vegetables.
The writer went into the customer lounge where he rested and read.
In the lounge there was a story of the Oklahoma Rose Rock as well as a free rock. I read the story but skipped the rock.
The Rose Rock is a natural crystal of barite and sand formed in central Oklahoma. Iron Oxide causes the reddish color. A Cherokee story tells of the tears at the “End of the Trail”, which refers to the “Trail of Tears”, being transformed into Rose Rocks. Unique to the state, it is Oklahoma’s State Rock. More information is available at Timberlake Rose Rock Museum, P. O. Box 653, Noble, Ok 73068.
Work on the coach was finished at eleven thirty. They had checked the batteries, checked the switch at the door, replaced female and male connections there, replaced a board in the back inverter compartment, adjusted a fuse holder, checked the slide motor and
wiring and told me about the repairs and an anti-billowing device for the living room slide. Long time readers will remember that we have had many problems with the living room slide cover unspooling or billowing in high winds. I was happy to have a solution in hand and it only cost twenty one dollars.
With Onie holding the ladder the driver installed the part while the repair bill was being totaled. Hopefully the billowing problem had been solved.
We paid our bill, thanked the folks for their hospitality and work, hooked up the Subaru and got back on IH40. We were eastbound and down at noon. This stretch of forty has a horrible road surface and we were quite shaken by the time we turned north again on IH 35.
On again we slipped along noiselessly, finally leaving the outskirts of “The City” behind us at twelve thirty.
The radiant sun shone brightly on the steeper hills as they passed under our view. The wind was increasing but the anti-billowing device was doing its job and we rode along comfortably in the knowledge we had fixed a long time nuisance.
The Cummins purred and the Allison hummed making music as we wended our way to the land of the midnight sun.
A couple of dead deer and a turkey gobbler caught Onie’s eye as we passed by them and before we saw the last mile marker in Oklahoma, two thirty one.
Leaving the “Sooner State” behind us we entered Kansas where IH 35 becomes a toll road. Now some folks have a problem with toll roads and on occasion I have been known to carp about them but this was one fine road. It was ultra smooth with but a few entries and exits. It made driving effortless.
Wheat fields appeared as soon as we entered Kansas and they were mostly green but some had tan awns. Creeks ran clear but the cows were black. Perhaps they didn’t drink the water.
As the day wore on the wind increased and the coach began to rock and roll.
Onie served up bell pepper and salmon salad for lunch as we rolled on.
We got off the toll road at Emporia but remained on IH35.
A call was placed to Sidney. He was in Illinois and would meet us in Eagleville, Missouri later today. We talked to Kurt. He was busy putting in the drive at his new place in Sterling. Then Darwin called, the mushrooms may be gone as it was eighty two yesterday with thirty five mile per hour winds. Mushrooms like cool humid weather. A call was made to Eagleville RV Park. They had a pull thru for us, with full hookups.
The sun coming through the driver’s window told us it would soon be gone and with its passing the temps would be falling. It had been cool for the most part during the day but we had run the dash air conditioner a couple of time when things got a little warm in the coach.
With the coming of evening we kept a sharp eye out for deer. We have no desire to harvest a deer with the coach.
With darkness closing in we pulled into Eagleville at eight fifteen. At the park we leveled up, put out the slides and then hooked up the land lines. We had come four hundred sixty miles since leaving Motley RV at an average speed of fifty seven point five miles per hour.
Shortly after we were hooked up Sidney and Barbara came over. We played Skip-Bo until eleven. When they left for their motel we had a snack and got ready for bed.
With the outdoor temp at sixty five we opened the roof vents, some windows, turned on a fan and went to bed at midnight.
A REAL BLOW HARD
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Hard as it is to believe we were up at six.
The sun was shining brightly. It was fifty seven, inside and out. We went back to bed.
At eight we got up again. It was sixty two.
The driver started the tea while the navigator started breakfast, sausage and biscuits. The writer, sure it was to be a good day with such an auspicious start, sat down to make a few notes while the biscuits baked.
With venison/feral hog sausage links steaming on a platter and the smell and sight of fresh biscuits on the table the writer quickly closed the laptop and took his seat. Biscuits were buttered and a generous helping of figs were added and it was time to let the feast begin.
When there was absolutely no more room left for sausage, biscuits, figs or tea the driver went out to flush the holding tanks and fill the water tank. Inside Onie got the kitchen clean and readied the Marlin for another day of travel.
With the Cummins warming up, at ten, we called Sidney and told him we were ready to head north. He said he would be waiting for us at the freeway. True to his word he was there and fell in behind us as we entered the north bound traffic.
A very short seven miles brought us to the Iowa state line. We were greeted by more wheat fields and land that was flattening out. With flatter land came increasing winds.
Still on IH 35 we drove into Des Moines. Forty five minutes later we drove out having seen only moderate traffic.
Now for the first time in several hundred miles we changed highways and took Iowa 141 west. It is a two lane road with narrow gravel shoulders. The winds increased by the minute and the Marlin rocked and rolled under the onslaught. Driving became very intense and speed was reduced to minimize the rollover risks. The new anti-billowing device was getting a real workout and held fast until a particularly strong gust hit the coach at which point it failed. We pulled over as soon as we could, barely being able to get off the pavement, and went out to have a look. While we stood watching another strong gust hit the coach unspooling the cover over and over. It was obvious that we would have to resort to our previous tactic of using electrical ties to secure the slide cover. The ladder was taken from the basement and with Sidney watching for traffic and holding the ladder the slide cover was secured.
Back on the road we held our speed to forty five to fifty miles per hour as we were constantly being buffeted by the strong winds.
The winds followed us as we pulled into the office of White Rock Resort, near Coon Rapids, where we stopped at the office and asked for directions to the campground.
A drive down a dusty gravel road took us to the campground where we parked next to some large trees.
Just to the rear of the coach the Raccoon River flowed.
Once the jacks were down, we were level, and the slides were out Sidney and the writer sat off to hunt morel mushrooms. While the coach had been rigged for camping Darwin had come by and taken Sidney to where we could hunt the morels.
The ladies elected to stay at the coach where they visited before taking a walk.
Sidney and I got in his truck and headed off for mushroom territory which in this case is moist creek bottom below steep hills. Once there we got out and started the descent into the bottoms. The weeds and grasses were taller than last year and made it more difficult to see the morels but we looked long and hard. We got back to the coach and the girls at five o’clock. We had enough for supper to go with our ham steaks, corn on the cob and salad but there wouldn’t be any left over for later.
A local, Charles, came by and showed us his catch from the Raccoon River, five nice catfish. He filled Sidney and me in on the finer points of fishing this river.
Charles with Barbara
He had been gone but a little while when Darwin came by to visit.
When Darwin took his leave, Sidney and I got out the small charcoal grill we carry, put some charcoal in it and lit it up. When the fire was ready we put the ham steaks on.
With supper over we settled in the coach to play Skip-Bo. While we had been going in and out of the coach a few gazillion bugs had managed to get in also. We got out a bug strip and hung it from a light fixture where it soon accumulated the majority of our un-welcomed guests. By some fabulous stroke of luck the girls managed to win two games but they did admit they had most of the Skips in the deck.
With the stroke of midnight still echoing throughout the valley Onie and I retired to our bedroom and Sidney and Barbara settled in the living room on the foldout couch.
It had been another wonderful day. Outside the skies were clear and the stars were beaming down their light through the cool night air.
A WALK IN THE WOODS/BAMBI
Thursday, May 21, 2009
What time Sidney and Barbara got up is unknown to the writer but he and Onie got up at eight.
Tea and buckwheat groats with, strawberries and walnuts were enjoyed for breakfast.
With the flavor of the last bite still in our mouths we headed off to hunt more mushrooms, for an hour, at ten.
A light breeze kept things cool.
Onie and Barbara enjoyed a morning walk, following a small primitive road that wound along next to the river, visiting as they ambled along, noting the different trees, wildflowers and birds.
The hour Sidney and I were to be gone had been stretched somewhat by the time we returned at one. We had walked three or four miles on terrain that was even more rugged than that we had hunted yesterday. In one spot Sidney had to crawl up a hill on his hands and knees. The writer had avoided that particular area as it looked barren of morels, After about two hours we were in a mood to call it quits even though we had only a pound or so of what we sought. As we turned to head up out of the creek bottom we had an epiphany which led us to stay an hour longer and increase our bounty by two or three fold.
Spending time in the woods is always productive in producing a peaceful and serene feeling in addition to showing, to those who are looking, many wonderful sights. Climbing out of a deep drainage where we had been gathering morels the writer saw an object some hundred feet distant lying next to and behind a tree. Nearing the tree it became apparent it was a whitetail fawn. Nestled in leaves next to the base of the tree the fawn, still with white spots on it, lay very still as the writer softly approached to within ten feet. The liquid brown eyes followed my every movement and the ears moved ever so slightly to follow the small sounds my boots made as I eased along. Momentarily stopping I marveled at this beautiful wild creature that was so near by. It’s mother had undoubtedly placed it where it lay and it instinctively knew not to move until she returned. Slowly turning I backed up the hill, watching the fawn, until I was some fifty feet away when I turned and began walking forward. At seventy five feet the fawn was almost indiscernible from the leaf bed it lay in. At one hundred feet it had disappeared from sight unless one knew exactly where to look. It had been my lucky day to be at that exact moment to see the fawn. When the doe returned she would undoubtedly catch my scent and move the fawn.
After the walk back to the coach we were hungry and the ladies laid out some snacks for us. We sat at the picnic table under the trees, in the shade, relaxed and regaled the fair damsels with our tales of daring do.
When the snacking and telling were done Onie and I went for a walk, passing the coach,
the river,
the cliffs where the cliff swallows live,
and some tent campers.
Sidney and Barbara sat and visited under trees at the picnic table.
Supper was sliced tomatoes and avocado, fried catfish that Charles had brought by, and Brussel sprouts.
Skip-Bo followed at eight followed by bed at twelve. The guys had managed to win two games before the night was over and bedtime had come. With the fading luck of the ladies the temp faded too, cooling off quickly, dropping eleven degrees in three hours and pegging at fifty five at twelve. With blankets pulled high we were quickly asleep.
MOVING ON
Friday, May 22, 2009
There were no early risers this morning with all four of us getting up around eight.
Steel cut oats, walnuts and honey as well as hot tea served as breakfast.
The weather was still cool but not so cool as last night.
Upon our arrival at the campground, before shutting down the engine, the driver had noticed an intermittent squeal emanating from the engine compartment. Now, before getting underway again he listened to it once more. It sounded like and idler pulley or loose belt to him. At the worst it would be an air compressor pump. Whatever or whichever it is it will have to be fixed before we enter Canada as we don’t want a break down there. Well, we really don’t want a breakdown anywhere.
Ten o’clock found us back on the dusty road taking us back to 141 where we headed west until we got to 71 where we turned north, toward Sheldon.
We talked to Bill Hager en route and Cummins in Sioux Falls South Dakota. Cummins can see us Tuesday at seven a.m. We assured them we will be there.
The country side passed by showing us freshly plowed corn fields and some places where soy beans were just appearing. In the rear view mirrors we could see the pickup of Sidney and Barbara, the trailer in tow.
We were in Sheldon at one thirty.
After parking curbside we alit and hugs were exchanged with Becky and Christa.
Then we blocked the jacks so the refrigerator would work and plugged in to the house current.
Barbara and Onie stayed with Becky and Christa while Sidney and I went to the K-T shop to load building materials in his trailer. Sidney would be taking the material to Sterling where Kurt is building a new house.
Upon arrival at K-T we stopped in to say hello to Clint, Kurt’s brother, and Chris before backing the trailer into shop. There the back half of the trailer was unloaded to make room for the building materials. While this was being accomplished Barbara and Sylvia showed up. When the loading started they pitched in, helping load twenty two hundred pounds of ceiling wood. When the wood was in we reloaded Sidney’s things.
The four hundred pounds of Vidalia onions he had in the trailer were now placed in the Subaru. We would take them the rest of the way to camp where Sidney would distribute them.
The snow blower was left to load in the pickup tomorrow morning. We had gotten done in an hour and headed back to the house in a light rain.
We hadn’t been there long when proud Papa, Chris, brought over son, Brett, Becky and Kurt’s grandson.
Onie, Becky and Christa soon took possession of Brett passing him from hand to hand as each took their turn playing with him and entertaining him.
The writer held Brett but he apparently doesn’t like bearded wonders and fussed to be back in the softer arms of Onie.
Becky worked to finish up school things. School is over for the kids but she had an in-service day on Tuesday.
With everything going on no one wanted to cook or go out so we opted to order pizza and fried chicken. That way we could spend more time visiting as Sidney and Barbara would be leaving tomorrow to continue on to Alaska. Chris and Britney came by to eat with us.
After supper Britney went home and the rest of us played Skip Bo. In a stunning reversal of fortune Becky and Christa came from behind to win.
The house went dark at eleven something as we all went to bed.
Outside the light rain had turned to a steady downpour. Being tired but at peace we each slept through the storm and high winds that came before dawn.
GOODBYE SIDNEY
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Last night, after we were in bed, it had started off cool but with the passage of the storm it had warmed up
Onie and I rose at eight and showered. The rest of the house was already up.
Becky fixed tea and scrambled eggs, made toast and served it with homemade strawberry/rhubarb jelly.
At nine-thirty Chris, Sidney and the writer went to the K-T warehouse to load the snow blower. We had to unload the truck and then load the snow blower before putting everything back in the truck.
Chris washed the front of the Subaru, which had become grimy from road splash. This would let us put the cover on the front without scratching the paint.
With the truck and trailer loaded and the Subaru somewhat clean we headed back to the house.
Sidney and Barbara did a quick check of the room they had slept in last night, to be sure they weren’t leaving anything, then said goodbyes and headed north to Alaska. With good weather and no mechanical problems they would be at Castaway in six days. When they had rounded the corner we went back inside the house.
Christopher had come back with Brett and the ladies fed and played with him while Christa folded clothes
And Chris slept on the couch
Brett's dad taking a much needed nap.
Onie and I started making some spaghetti sauce for supper. I cooked and she chopped for me. As the sauce simmered some notes were made.
When Chris woke he left with Brett.
With the sauce finished Onie, Christa, Becky and I went to a local coffee shop for lattes and Chai tea. They didn’t have any blueberry scones.
We were back home at three but decided to go the grocery store for French bread before settling in for supper.
Back home once more Becky decided to mow the yard while Onie surfed the web and did more work on the spaghetti sauce, seasoning it to taste.
More notes were made to bring me up to date with recent events.
Becky had finished in the yard and had several bags of grass to go to the community compost pile. She and I loaded the bags in her car and headed out. Onie stayed home and made a salad for supper.
Relieved of the grass clippings Becky and I returned to her house to sit down to the salad, spaghetti and sauce and hot French garlic bread.
Later our friends, Dwight and Pam Pierce come over to visit. Dwight is the brother of Darwin. Pam brought homemade pastries with her. They were sooo flaky and scrumptious. They left at eleven.
We took our evening pills, brushed our teeth and crawled in bed at eleven thirty.
WE AREN’T VICTIMS
Sunday, May 24, 2009
A bright sun greeted us when we rose at seven. The cool, fifty seven degree, air drifted in through the open windows of the guest bedroom.
We went out to the coach to get ready for church.
After our breakfast; buckwheat groats, blueberries, walnuts and hot tea the driver went back into the house and started a load of clothes washing.
Writer and Becky ready for church
We met Becky back in the house at eight fifteen and five minutes later we were on the way to church, Sheldon United Methodist Church, in her nice shiny black BMW sedan. The service would be traditional, at eight thirty, and the later service would be contemporary. As one might suspect the majority of folks at the traditional service were older, however, there was a generous smattering of young families there with small children squirming on the pews. Marvin Lindley, pastor, brought a great message, “We don’t have to be victims” which was based on Paul’s attitude while in prison.
We were back home, at eleven ten, where we changed clothes and headed off to Kurt and Becky’s lake house at Spirit Lake in Minnesota. Minnesota and Iowa share the lake and a fishing license from either state is valid on the lake but the license must match the state where you launch your boat and take it out with the fish.
Along the way we saw several Canadian geese parents with their goslings, paddling contentedly on reed lined ponds. Becky mentioned that there are so many Canadian geese that they are becoming a nuisance and a threat to other birds. The writer made a mental note to advise Homeland Security of this threat as they, Homeland Security, don’t seem to think twelve million illegal aliens constitute a threat and they certainly do need something to justify their very expensive and ineffective existence. After we had left this threat in the rear view mirror we stopped at a flea market.
Several dozen vendors were set up under the shade of many large trees. We whiled away a couple of hours as we looked at one man’s trash and another man’s treasure. Becky bought three books she could use for school and Onie bought the three of us quarter pound hot dogs. We loaded them with mustard, chopped onions and dill relish before sitting on a bench to munch them down. The hot dogs were the only things we took away from the flea market.
Back in the car, headed for Spirit Lake, we saw more geese threatening our way of life, gliding about, unmolested just like the other illegals.
The lake house is truly in a beautiful uncrowded setting. Purple Phlox line one edge of the property along with some shrubs.
Onie with Phlox
We have been seeing Phlox for sometime now but couldn’t identify them. Becky says they come in the purple she has planted as well as a darker shade, white and other colors. They are both domestic and wild.
Becky gave us the cook’s tour of the house and explained it had been in the family for many years. She and Kurt had bought out other family members and remodeled and enlarged the place Now all the family members used it.
Becky and Tom relax on the patio.
Down at the boat dock Becky and I removed the cover from the pontoon boat.
When that was done we waited for her friends, Duane and Mary to show up.
When they arrived everyone boarded the boat and we headed out for an afternoon boat ride.
Perhaps an hour later Christa showed up and we went back to the dock to pick her up before continuing our ride. There was a nice breeze but the sky was clear and the sun was hot. Some of us applied sun screen to our face and ears.
After three hours of cruising we were ready to be ashore. At the boat dock Becky, Duane and I put the cover back on the boat and Duane raised the hoist, taking the boat out of the water.
Up the hill at the house we said our goodbyes to Duane and Mary before helping Becky close the house back up.
Then it was off to Arnold’s Park for supper. Arnold’s Park is actually a town that has grown up around an amusement park of the same name. The park, not large at all, was built many years ago and was saved from demolition by “Arnold” who bought it, restored it and kept it operating. It has a wooden trestle roller coaster, a carousel, a house of mirrors and a “crazy house” as well as other rides.
Seated under a portico enjoying appetizers and then sandwiches we watched a Far East ethnic wedding party which we found very interesting.
We left about six thirty for home arriving at seven thirty.
With memories still fresh the writer settled down and made some notes before continuing fleshing out earlier stories.
With allergies running rampant, along with a nose to match, the writer closed the computer about eight thirty, told the ladies goodnight and toddled off to bed.