OHH NOOO ! ! There are witches in my mailbox . What am I to do ? I found them there this morning , doing things they shouldn 't do ! ! How the witches got there , I haven 't got a clue . But they won 't be there much longer because I 'm sending them to YOU ! ! ! ! ! ! You 've been Witch Kissed ! Before the warts begin to spread , pass the kisses on instead ! When Ray arrived we took some things up into my attic , and brought down some tiny curtain rods . When I have time , I would like to make a few more little drapes for the HiLo , ones that I would want if I were doing to keep it . Some of Mindi 's dogs are arriving today , so we moved Snack 's cage into the middle room , she protested a little , she doesn 't like anything new . But Snack loves her ' house ' , and doesn 't want to be loose . She is very loving when I get her out to hold her , and put NutriCal and water down her , but she is happy to be back in her secure dark place . She is eating better . Yesterday , I heard a slight rubbing noise on my truck , sounded like it was coming from driver 's front wheel . Ray aired up all the tires , and did his car , too , while we had the compressor out . Then he walked beside it while I slowly drove it forward , back , around and around the front yard . I didn 't hear it this morning . We found a little fuse holder looking thingy hanging down near the wheel , so opened the hood and fastened it back inside . I hope that was it . We moved some stuff around and a shelf unit that was in the way in the RVport , as I can 't have the yard sale this weekend . So now I can get the truck back into the front part of the RVport , I hate getting into a vehicle that has been sitting in the TX sun , or birds pooping on it . We were washing the top window of the door on the HiLo , ready to put the last piece of solar film on there , when Sam , from down the street , came up with a check and said he wanted to buy my Little Van . It was made into a camping van by the Explorer MH company . It has a power couch that makes a queen bed , an ice chest , very fancy oak interior , and I had put a 12v TV in it . He had bePosted by Ray is going to be off today , as he is pressure washing . So I had earmarked this as the day to go into the next town , and dressed accordingly . AOL is closing down their Picture Album Storage , so I transferred my many albums to the place that AOL directed me to , Photoworks , with one click . I don 't like it , but I don 't do well with new things on this computer . AOL Picture Storage was so easy for me to use , and fast . Photoworks seems to take forever , I suppose it is because it loads all the albums with Java . I am used to AOL just loading the first one , and then I have a list I can click on to go to the one I want . I wish I knew which other picture place did that . So I fiddled with it for over an hour , before going into town . Picasa is fine , but I haven 't found out how access my albums from my laptop . I had a 10 . 30 appointment to get my hair trimmed at the beauty school , and it does look a lot better . She was very surprised how long my hair is when I let it down , said I looked like I had short hair . I wish I could have short hair like some folks , but it just sticks out like straight rats tails . If I have a perm , beauticians , no matter how much I pay , always fry it , and it is just one big frizz , then I have to cope with an afro unless I have time to get it set every week . Which I haven 't had time , or inclination to do since I retired . I did that for 50 years . I don 't often get to the south end of town , and the beauty school is in the same shopping center as the Goodwill store . Also in the same center is a great big bingo place so there are never any parking spaces , so I left the truck where it was and walked . I found something that I have been wanting for a long time , a big white toaster oven like my old big brown Black and Decker . I had that old brown one for 20 years , and it was great , but when my kitchen was finally finished with white cabinets , I wanted a white one . I had bought my present white Toastmaster at Foley 's and never did like it , especially as all the numbers wore off , and I am the only one who knows roughPosted by Another chilly , but not cold morning . Bobcat went out on the porch first thing , and I started sewing the mounting tape on two more pairs of drapes at 7 . 30 . Ray would be arriving at 9 . 00 , and I wanted to have them ready , if the HiLo Guy showed up . Two more windows done . We found a scratch on the trailer , and Ray sanded it , and painted it . Then I got out all the information and diagrams that I had gleaned off the web about greasing the HiLo 's pulleys , cables and guiding rod . I got out the Break - Free gun lubricant spray and some Lithium White Grease , and Ray got under the trailer and sprayed and greased everything he could find . Then he sprayed Break Free on the cables in the places inside . Next I went up in the other attic over the store room , Ray stayed half - way down the stairs , and I handed him any boxes of winter stuff that I had for sale . Thank goodness I had marked each box 's contents . So many comforters and sleeping bags that we had to get two playpens down to hold them all . I looked at all the boxes in the RVport , and said " No Way " , I just knew I wouldn 't have time to get all this sorted out in time for this weekend . So we went back to doing another job on the HiLo . The Formica on the counter next to the dinette had come loose . It is such a tight fit to get in there that Jay and I were going to redesign the table . Part of it had broken off , and it caught on you , every time you tried to get out of the dinette . We found some Formica that closely matched and cut it to fit . Yes , I know we should have stuck it on there first and then routered it , but we didn 't want to have to clean up the mess from the router . So we cut it with a sharp utility knife , and laid a cut belt - sander belt flat on a table , and sanded any burrs off the edges that way , to make them even . We Contact Cement - ed the front piece back on again , and added our piece around the left corner . You would have to be looking for it to see that it isn 't the same . Put tape on it for now , as we can 't clamp it . Bobcat just stayed in the sunny places on the porcPosted by It was cold this morning . First thing , Bobcat went to the screen porch patio door to go out there , so I opened it , and she decided that wasn 't a good idea . I wasn 't going to let her out there anyway . She sure did enjoy sunbathing in there later on in the day , though . The guy who is supposed to pick up the HiLo emailed and said he couldn 't make it this Wednesday , and would come the Wednesday after , so that put me back to Plan A . I had got some time off from one of my jobs as I wanted to have a yard sale this weekend to get some of this stuff out of the way . It takes days to get ready for it . I was going to call Kenya to find out when she was bringing my yard sale tables back , but she called me about the little black Pepper kitten . Her big yard sale is this weekend , Gee , I thought it was the one after . So she wanted to keep my tables . I told her that Snack , the cat , wasn 't eating , and that I had given her water and NutriCal in the side of her mouth , to keep her going . Kenya , said I should cage her in a dark place as they feel better that way , until they feel at ease . Oh , and she wants me to start the three day worming on Pepper . I had been putting that off , as I was busy with the HiLo . This is Pepper playing cat - n - mouse with a computer mouse . She is only locked up at night , the rest of the time she is playing in the dog room . Ray arrived and we got in gear . First " Snack " had hidden in that same place that Kashy had hidden , and wasn 't eating . We had to stop traumatized cats from getting in there behind the table - cupboard that holds up Pepper 's cage . It is so much easier for me do things when it is high up . We got the cage down , and I found a piece of paneling , and screwed a 1x1 " on the wall , and screwed a piece of paneling onto the side of it , so that they couldn 't get behind there any more . I didn 't want to screw the paneling on furniture , as I can always fill up those tiny holes in the sheetrock with some spackle . Next , we got my electric mattress pad down from the top of the linen cupboard , as I don 't climb on step laPosted by Another chilly morning , long sleeves required . It didn 't even reach 70 deg . today . The wind is blowing from the north right across the fields behind my house . It is going to be 34 deg . tonight . Ray unpicked a couple more mounting tapes off the remnants of the old drapes , while I copied some instructions off the Yahoo HiLo Group . I thought we might get to grease the HiLo cables today , but time just flew by , and maybe we can get it done tomorrow . Ray mowed , while I sewed the mounting tapes on two pairs of drapes . Everything went wrong . The needle broke and the bottom adjustment on the sewing machine slipped . That caused the front side of the sewing to have skips and loops , so I had to unpick it . Finally got the right adjustment on the machine and was sewing away , and found one of the drape carriers had slipped out , so had to unpick that part of the mounting tape , and sew it back on again . Bobbin ran out of thread , and the bobbin winder didn 't work right , and got the thread so messed up on it that I had to get another bobbin , and wind it on another machine . Then I couldn 't get the needle re - threaded , the thread just had a mind of it 's own and wouldn 't go through the hole . But I finally got it done , with a struggle ! I had finished the door drapes yesterday , as they go on a rod , which we mounted . Ray was having problems outside , too . The spin - wing - nut and bolt that holds the lawnmower handle in the up position , came off , and he couldn 't find the bolt . He tied it together with some rope as he was nearly done . We have to fold the mower down to get it into it 's ' garage ' . We got the two pairs of drapes on their mounting strips , and anchored them at each end so they wouldn 't slip off . Behind the cabinets , we put in screws with a stubby screwdriver , but tacked a staple where the pneumatic staple gun would reach , on the others . Two more windows , and a little drape to go over the back window where the AC is , and it will be done . I found a bolt that fit the wing - nut on the mower . That will hold it together for now . Ray wanted to Posted by When I woke up I found out that my ' world clock ' tried to fool me and was an hour wrong , as it didn 't know that Daylight Savings Time had been changed . So I had to put it on Pacific Time so that it would be right . But , of course , my battery one was OK . Another nice day , it went up to about 80 deg . after a chilly start . I fooled with drapes most of the day . I got the door drape made and ready , as it goes on a rod . The window ones still have to have the mounting tape sewn on . I taped this one up on the window to see what it would look like . Then I gathered some more green fabric , pinned and taped that over the right half of the window to see what it would look like . I sent a picture to the supposedly future owner and asked if they wanted that extra ruffle , and thank goodness he said leave it be , as he wants to pick it up on Wednesday . Due to the problems I am having , I was advised to do a complete re - install of AOL . I followed all the directions , except the last part about restoring AOL Saved Files , as the places they wanted me to click on , weren 't there . So the years of my collection of My Favorites , mostly about RVs , have disappeared . I hope an AOL tech will tell me how to get them back . Shay 's sister brought me a big , smokey - colored female ( spayed ) cat named " Snack " . The previous owner had her for 5 years , and for some reason can no longer keep her . I couldn 't uproot any pet of mine like that . Poor thing . So Snack is quite traumatised and is hiding in the closet in the grooming room . Shay 's sister said that she will do that for about a day , and then she will come out and be sociable . I usually leave the black kitten loose in there during the day , but I had to lock him up for now , until they get to know each other . I am thinking about " Pepper " for a name for the black kitten . This is getting old . . . . Tomorrow another drapery day . It was chilly last night , and this is the first day I have worn a T - shirt instead of a tank top , since last April . I started sewing early , about 7 . 30 . I found a gathering foot in a box of attachments from previous sewing machines . I tried it out , and it worked well , so I got the green part of the door drape gathered , and sewn onto the white part . I had a couple coming to look at the Little Van at 10 . am , but they were late as there was some tie - up on the freeway , so I kept on sewing . They loved the van , said what lovely shape it is in , he tried everything out , and he drove it several miles , but we couldn 't agree on a price . He says it is listed on Kelley 's , but I never could find any camping vans on there , so I have to go with the NADA on it , and I am asking a $ 1 , 000 less than book . He even called me about an hour later with a counter offer , but it was still just a little bit less than what I am prepared to take . Tomorrow , someone else is supposed to look at it , if they show up . Jim came up on his golf cart while they were here , so he could tell them the details of the work he had done on it . He came to tell me that we needed lenses for the HiLo running lights , and he had found some over in Cut - N - Shoot , TX . I knew exactly which store he was talking about as my late Johnnie got all his parts there , as his shop was in that area . I said I would be parts runner , after lunch . I went to get the lenses in the Puddle Jumper , with no AC , and I wished I was wearing a tank top after all . The sun is low , shines in the windows and makes the car hot . I didn 't see anybody driving with their windows down , which surprised me as it is really a lovely day . I took the lenses straight to Jim , we snapped them on , and he drove my truck and the HiLo here , and put it in the side driveway for me . As he was backing up I could see one brake light wasn 't working , so we got out tools , new screws , and a bulb from my workshop , and we fixed it right here . One problem that we encountered yesterday was that when we had moved the spare tire over to maLakeConroePenny , TX It started out at just over 40 degrees today , so when I went to pick up Jay there were folks riding around on their golf carts wearing sweats with the hoods up . He wanted me to pick him up again today , as his mother was still in the hospital , so I did . MaeMae rode down there with me . She knew where I was going as soon as I put on my fanny pack , and danced and twirled with excitement . I just take it , not my purse , when I am in the subdivision , as it has a little pocket for my cell phone , and pouch for my house phone . You know someone is going to call the house as soon as I drive a few houses down , or when I am just coming back into my driveway . I also keep a few little tools in my fanny pack all the time . When we are working , Jay or Ray will say , Let me ' see ' ( TX expression , meaning ' use ' ) your tiny screwdriver , or pliers , or ratchet stubby ( with 6 different bits ) , needle nose pliers , tape measure , or any of the other little things I keep in it . It saves us ( me ) a walk back to the workshop . I knew I had to get the drapes done for the Hi - Lo , that was my main item for today . I had already figured out which panels to use for which windows , so Jay held the folded panels so I could just run the scissors down the folds . I didn 't really have anything for him to do today , as I can 't be outside telling him what to do next and watching him , and inside making drapes at the same time . So I put him to work with a seam ripper undoing a green valance , in front of the living room TV , while I sewed the side hems on 8 drapery panels . It was easier to just ' press ' the hems , and sew them , than pin them . Notice , I didn 't write " ir * n " , as I didn 't want to have to wash my fingers . That is the same as the " w * rk " word . I still have to sew the mounting tape on all of them . Jim , the mechanic , picked up the Little Van to made a repair to one of the power locks that wasn 't quite right , and check the AC . Anyone looking at it is going to want working AC in TX , even in Oct / Nov . ! ! I am supposed to have two couples coming to see it this weekend . ThenLakeConroePenny , TX Jay wanted to go into the next town with me , as his mother had to go into Houston for some more chemo . He can 't stand his own company . Another Thursday that I did my Wednesday shopping . I got what I needed and we bought a few things at several thrift shops . I got a lovely big pastel floral Monet - like painting , for $ 1 , but it was the gilded wooden frame that I wanted . Some red SAS shoes , and oh , are they comfy . Beige slacks to go with my beige , white and black top with zebras on it . Jay got jeans and shirts . Just a bunch of little stuff . We had lunch at Taco Bell . A new JC Penney 's opened up here a couple of weeks ago , and they had those ' bullet ' smoothie , mixing machines on sale for $ 19 . 88 , so I got one of them . They take up so much less space than a blender , and do so much more , so they are great for RVs . Then took Jay home . I spent the afternoon replying to emails about things I have for sale , and measuring which drapes I could make out of which parts of the fabric that I had sewn already to the right lengths . I made arrangements to have Jim , the mechanic , check something on the Little Van , as I have two batches of folks coming to see it this weekend . Also to get him to pack the wheel bearings on the HiLo , as it 's new owner is supposed to pick it up this weekend . Jay 's mother was kept in the hospital , and so he wanted me to go get him , and his mother 's dog , and cook for him . He brought shrimp and Chinese noodles , and I supplied Chinese veges . Then I took him home , but kept MaeMae here . She doesn 't like to be with him when his mother isn 't there , as he will probably start drinking , so she wanted to stay here . The little black kitten is doing fine , but I still worry about his litter mate over there at Kroger 's dumpster . Still can 't find it , I hope someone is taking good care of it . Just a messing about day . Jay called at 7 . 30 this morning , and asked me if I had any trash , as their trash day is different from ours . I knew it was just an excuse to call , and that he was calling from his house , and not his mother 's . There is a buzz on the line at his house , so I knew he had been " thrown out " . So that meant he was lonely . He wanted to go down to the lake with me when I fed the ducks and fish . So we went to the lake . I took pictures of the ducks and the lake with my camera phone , but they came out all blurry . Then Jay wanted to come back here and work a bit . By the time we got back here , Ray was just getting here , too . Jay made some brackets to hold up the back window that is over the AC . Ray wrestled with the puzzle of the contraption that holds the propane tanks on , including the automatic switch - over . I found a big wing nut , a big bolt and washer , to hold it all together on the ' Allthread ' . We hadn 't found that box of HiLo parts , so we had to piece it together with what I could find . Then we all wrestled with getting the original curtain tracks back on the walls over the windows . Ray helped by using my seam ripper and getting the old mounting tape off what was left of the old sun - rotted drapes . I will have to sew that on the new drapes . After lunch I was outside and Ray said that someone had dumped two little kittens off at the dumpster at Kroger 's Grocery , and asked what could be done to help them . I loaned him a carrier and he went to get them . Unfortunately he could only find this black boy , and couldn 't find the silver one . See him smiling as I am petting him ? Black cats have a scary future at this time of year . There are some terribly wicked people who do horrible things to them . Americans think that they are ' bad luck ' . Europeans think that they are ' good luck ' . But none of the rescue groups offer black cats right now . I got the kitten comfy in my big cage with food and water . I might have it for a while , as it is black . I do wish Ray could have found it 's litter mate . I shall worry about the little silver one , thPosted by When I let Bobcat out of her carrier in the living room yesterday evening , she walked around like a drunken sailor for quite a while . But she kept on sitting by her food bowl , she was ravenous . I knew she shouldn 't eat too much after the anaesthetic , so fed her small amounts at intervals . I have to put some ointment on her chin twice a day , and you know that is going over like a lead balloon . She seems to know it is about time for me to do it again , so she thinks she is hiding , but I know where she is ! Talk about emus putting their heads in the sand so that you can 't see them . If she was feeling up to snuff , she would be emailing all her friends and telling them about her " operation " . LOLRay and I just titivated and tinkered with the HiLo . We did some more cleaning here and there . Some time ago I had started to tape up the metal strip between the white and beige , as Shay was going to paint the beige . Other things happened and it never got done at that time . We were all so busy with getting other RVs ready , it got forgotten . Oh , boy was that tape difficult to get off today . Ray and I took turns cleaning it with Goof Off , and a green scrubby . I know my fingers are sore . Seven screws on the outside had rusted and left rust marks on the white part of the trailer . Not bad after 40 years . Ray took them out , cleaned the area and put new shiny screws back in . As it is a vintage trailer we have to use screws like the originals , and a square head bit . There were a few scratches on the white paint , the part that we hadn 't painted , and there were screws there that we didn 't want to get splattered with paint . So we dabbed vaseline on the screws with an artist brush so that the paint wouldn 't stick to them , and spray painted the scratches away . Just little things like that , make it look so much better . The tongue had been painted with Black Hammered paint a long time ago , and we started to get the propane tank rack back on . We couldn 't find the original bolts , but I finally found some that fit , in the shed . Everything that was tPosted by The day started out chilly , but the sun was shining , so it warmed up quickly . Bobcat doesn 't even want to go out on her screen porch and watch the sun rise , and isn 't eating as well as usual . I called early this morning , and they have a temporary vet at our vet 's office . I found out that our late vet had taken a bunch of barbiturates , and turned on a generator in his garage . Bobcat 's appointment is for 11 . 30 , so we won 't get much done on the HiLo today . First we put some spot putty on the places that needed it , so that it could be drying while we did the door seal . Here is the old ratty door seal and the new one . I pried open the folded metal apart where the vinyl goes in , and folded the vinyl around the specially formed rubber wedge that goes in it . To keep it all together , I ran a quick hem on the edge with the sewing machine . We put the vinyl in between the folded bar , and made new holes through the vinyl with an ice pick , and Ray riveted it back together , then we screwed it back on the door , with it 's mounting plate . Then we taped up the off side of the trailer , and painted the bottom " Cashmere Latte " . It was time for me to take Bobbiecat for her appointment . She meowed two little protests on the way . Being in the truck means " Vet " , if she had been in the motor home , she would have been quite happy , as that means " Camping " . She is a happy camper , and has been to eight states . She was good while the temporary vet examined her , and he confirmed what we already knew , that she has an abscess , but it is not a tooth . He said she could have been bitten by something . Bobcat had to stay there so that she can be anaesthetised , have it lanced and cleaned . He will give her an antibiotic shot and a shot for pain . It would be too difficult , and cruel , to try to give her oral medications . So I came home , made some lunch , changed sheets , did laundry and wrote this . It felt very strange being in the house all by myself . Most of the time Bobcat is just laying somewhere sleeping , but this is the first time since we built this house Posted by It was chilly in my bathroom when I started to get ready this morning , so I turned on a little plug - in heater for the first time this season . It turned out to be a warm day . Ray and I started work later , as it is Sunday . We wouldn 't work today , but we have to get done any little details that need doing to the HiLo . It 's new owner will be here to pick it up next week . So Ray works whenever he is available . My hair was still wet when we started , so I didn 't want to be outside right away . As it had been getting a little chillier at nights , this was a good time to get the oil - filled radiators down from the attic . This something that I cannot do by myself . I have the AC turned off now , and I don 't think I will need heat yet , except when bathing , but you never know . The wallowed out places where the awning arms attach , that we filled yesterday , didn 't work . So we had to go to plan B , and move them up 1 / 2 " . The thumbscrews that I had bought , as I couldn 't get wing - bolts like original ones , worked great . To be sure that they couldn 't back out and get lost on the road , we chucked them up in the vice , with that piece of the arm right at the end of the thread . Then hit them with a star punch a couple of times , that tipped the end thread of the screw over the arm just enough so that they won 't get lost . We had a place on the side of the trailer that needed some Spot Bondo , and when I got it out , the tube had hardened , so we couldn 't do that . So I bought some while I was in town . Then we unscrewed a bar off the bottom of the top door that has a padded place for when the trailer is raised to keep it sealed . Ray drilled out the rivets , and we will put new padded vinyl in there . So we have our work cut out for us tomorrow . Last night I noticed that Bobcat 's chin is swollen , I don 't have any idea what happened to her . She has not left this house or porch . Maybe she got bitten by some insect , and then scratched it . But she won 't really let me look at it . I went into town to the Dollar General and bought her some children 's liquid BenePosted by We started out with long sleeves on , but that only lasted a couple of hours , and we were back to tank tops . Ray and I finished the padding on the top sides of the gaucho and dinette panels . It does look a lot better . Shay said that it looks like it was done professionally . We operated on the wallowed holes for the brackets , and we were getting ready to re - install the awning arms , when we realized that the gold strip where they attach , really needed a touch - up of the shimmery beige paint . Here it is painted with " Cashmere Latte " . After a few light coats of paint , here it is ' unwrapped ' . We will install the arms tomorrow . A lovely , no AC day . This morning I was getting ready for Ray to arrive so that we could finish putting the vinyl and padding in the HiLo . I saw him outside , so I asked him what time he would be over here . He said " I told you I couldn 't work Friday " , I said " Oh , it 's Friday , I thought it was Thursday " . I had to look at the computer to see what day it is . I usually go into our town on Mondays to mail the aloe that has been sold during the week , but the Post Office being closed for Columbus Day got me messed up . So I made my Wednesday trip to the next town on a Thursday , and didn 't even know it ! So today , I spent time doing a few things around the house , and listed some more things for sale . But the biggest time consumer was the Live Chat on eBay . They just can 't seem to get the Shipping Calculator going right . One chat took 35 minutes and another I just ' exited ' after 57 minutes . Phone calls were coming in all day about some startling local news . A lot of us around here , and from other towns , go to our local vet , and he had committed suicide . He was young , 39 - 40 , a darned good vet , had a family , had just moved into a lovely new building , and he was always busy . I just saw him last Saturday when I went to get the Revolution , and he was standing there joking with a client . I wonder what made him do it ? Who are we going to go to , now ? My heart goes out to his family picured here . Gee , TGIF ! ! Yesterday evening I had opened the big workshop door , and dragged the freshly disinfected cage in there , as I didn 't want to leave it outside all night . It is not mine , so I am taking good care of it . But it sure was blocking the aisle . So before Ray even got here , I had disinfected all the surfaces in the middle room , ready for the cage . But before we brought it in , we did a bit of a spring cleaning in there . We moved my deep freeze , little 2 - door refrigerator , the two big microwaves that are stored in there , the table that the cage usually sits on , and swept and mopped in there . So now the middle room all ready for it 's next tenant . It will only be used in an emergency , but you never know when one will crop up . I knew we had to have the compressor outside to nail on the wooden trim that Jay had made to cover a scruffy place down by the floor on the side of the dinette in the HiLo . So as we were behind on our ' Once A Month List ' , we started checking all the tires while the compressor was outside . The HiLo , The Little Van , the little utility trailer . The big utility trailer just got those new tires on it within a month , so we didn 't check them . Then I drove the Puddle Jumper around to that side of house and we checked them , even the spare , which has never been on the ground in 193 , 350 miles . All the tires on everything , needed some air , so it was a good thing we did it . Then I nailed up the trim Jay had made , but I had to shave off a sliver on two pieces with the chopsaw to make the mitres fit neatly . But there was still one place at the top of the side of the gaucho that looked bad . Some of the veneer had been knocked off the edge , not by me . It is right at the door when you walk in so it really catches your eye . I remembered that I had some brown vinyl left over from another job , so Ray and I went up into my attic , and I found it right away . I thought that I was going to have to hunt through several boxes to find it ! I try not to go up those attic steps when I am on my own . Ray cut some 1 " wide luann strips , and Posted by About Oct . 14th . 2008 , written on 15th . Ray and I did a few odd jobs on the HiLo , hopefully getting it ready for it 's new owner . Gee , if I don 't write it down each day , I can 't remember what we did ! ! Oh , yes , Ray vacuumed out all the storage under the dinette and gaucho , while I wiped down the countertops and everything . While we had the gaucho couch / bed all tipped up we straightened up under there . This is where the converter / 500 watt inverter is , that I had hurriedly tried to use when the power was out to charge up my laptop . I had chickened out as it is square sine wave , not true sine wave and I didn 't want to take the chance on hurting my laptop , also I didn 't quite know how to use it . Ray and I found out that when it is plugged into one of the outlets above it , a light comes on , and then it will charge the battery . I had been attaching my little trickle charger that I keep in the B + , to charge it ! ! We got the inverter into the built - in wooden rack under there , where it seemed to be logical , so that the front of it is facing the opening door under the gaucho , and ran the cord up behind everything so it would be easy to plug it in . When I first got the trailer , Shay had cleaned it , but we could see that the door gasket on the fridge had never been cleaned with a toothbrush in the little grooves , so we got that done . Jay was supposed to have screwed the front awning arms onto the trailer , but the screws were coming out already . The slide bars on the front awning needed attention , too . The old wingbolts were rusty , and didn 't work right , that 's why we had a stick between the tongue jack and the awning , to hold it up . . . very hillbilly . I knew I had to go into town that afternoon , so I took samples of what I needed . The Post Office was closed on Monday , so yesterday was my Aloe Mailing Day . I keep a ruler with the different lengths of aloe that I advertise , marked on it , and went around measuring plants . I found the 11 " ones that I wanted , and then as a bonus I include 5 smaller offshoots or pups , so I found five 5 " Posted by When I was checking my emails this morning while drinking my coffee , I found out that the HiLo TT had sold on eBay . Not for the amount that I had it advertised locally , but still it will be one more thing out of the yard . I would like to keep it , but there are some things about it that are difficult for me to handle on my own . The dinette table is heavy for me to make into a bed , and the gaucho is awkward for me , too . Not so much the pulling it out , but to get into the storage underneath it . I love the big kitchen , power tongue jack , and hydraulic lift system . This is my third HiLo , they are really well made . Due to Ike , no power and all the Ike clean - up , I haven 't had time to finish the side drapes . Forunately , the Buyer sent a deposit and isn 't picking it up until next week ! But I swept and mopped the floor anyway . Kenya came and picked up the little isolation kitty , and remarked how much weight HE had put on . She has to take him to the Dr . tomorrow , hopefully for a clean bill of health . Yes , I was told it was a girl , and then I discovered that it is a little boy . Kenya said how it had helped her with her work load having me take care of him for a week . I will have to wash my blankies and cage with bleach water before another cat can go in there . Then all I have to do is watch out for Bobcat getting the ' sneezles ' during the next week . The Little Van is in front of the HiLo , and I needed somewhere to put it . The vintage motor home , " Pugsy " , was sitting halfway down a parking space and if moved back , there would be room for the van behind it . Because of circumstances , it would be easier to push Pugsy , than drive it . Jim , the mechanic came up here , and he got a board between Pugsy and my Dakota truck , and I tried to push it back like that . There was a little stump in the way , so my truck couldn 't do it . So Jim went home to get a better come - along than mine , and we were going to winch Pugsy back . He came back in just a few minutes with a Front End Loader following him . They were patching the streets with asphalt . LakeConroePenny , TX First thing , I had my coffee and read emails , replied and sent pictures to people inquiring about the things I have for sale . Then I fed Bobcat her breakfast , and fed the five poodles theirs . Gave Sheba her medicine . I usually lock three of the poodles up when they eat , as two like to take their time , and one will guzzle anything up if the others even look away for a second . But this morning I locked them all up seperately to eat . I mainly wanted Caesar locked up when Mikey came in . At 8 . 30 AM , I drove down the street , maybe 1 / 4 mile , and picked up Mikey , let him do what he had to do in the back yard , and locked him up in a great big dog carrier in the middle of my grooming room . Of course , when he came in , the other poodles all started barking . I took the others out into the back yard to do their thing , as they always seem to need to go out after they eat , and locked them all up again . I quickly tended to isolation kitty , held her , petted her , fed her , medicated her , locked her back up . I got out of my isolation gown , and scrubbed my hands . Dogs can 't catch it , but I don 't want to touch anything and give Upper Respiratory Infection to Bobcat . I let Mikey out of the carrier , up on the grooming table , brushed any tangles out of his ears , cleaned them , and bathed him . He is supposed to be white , but he gets so filthy from digging and rolling in the dirt at Sams that I had to shampoo him three times . I put him in a cage dryer for a while , so I could get another swallow of coffee , and check on emails again . I had more pictures to send . After 15 minutes I got him out of the cage dryer and brush / fluff dried him . I clipped his face , tummy , feet , and scissored his legs , cut his nails , etc . He looked so good , but he wears me out as he won 't hold still . Now , it was about 11 o ' clock , and I took him home . I took the other poodles out just as soon as I got back , and left them in their normal mode of loose in the grooming room . I had to take some Revolution down to where Muffy lives , also down my street , so I got that ready , quicPosted by I wanted to start grooming Mindi 's poodles as early as I could , but that wasn 't to be . I was on this computer writing a quick note to an aloe customer , when a friend IM 'd me . They have had a lot of problems , and a couple of deaths lately , so I couldn 't be insensitive and tell them I didn 't have time for them . You know how that goes ! So I didn 't get started in the grooming room until about 9 . 45 . I got Suggy and Punkie bathed , and brush / fluff dried , then I realized it was Saturday , and I had better get to the vet to get more Revolution . They close at noon , so I changed my top , shoes and also got some clipper blades together . There is a resale shop in our town , open Wed . to Sat . , and she grooms dogs on the other days at her house . One day I asked her where she gets her blades sharpened , and she said that she has a big flat sharpening wheel , and she does her own . She had told me that she would sharpen mine , too . Now , I don 't know how good she is , and there is an art to it , so I only took five . She quoted me a good price , but if they aren 't sharpened properly the blades just jam up in the dog 's hair , and won 't cut at all . We will see . I got the Revolution , and some more medicine for Mindi 's little old Sheba 's cough , and took the blades to the resale shop . I found some neat thingys to hold up my hair there , as I have to keep my long hair swept up , in this climate . I just can 't handle my hair when it is short , it sticks out all over the place like rat 's tails . When I called Mindi about Sheba 's medicine , I found out that her fabulous five would be with me for one more day . Phew , now I wasn 't so rushed ! I had gone one way to the vet and another way to the resale shop , trolling for gas prices . It seemed that with my Kroger Card , it was cheaper there , so I went back that way , as the truck needed gas . As I was no longer in a tail spin about getting the dogs done , I went into Kroger 's and found some more groceries that I needed . They have just about got all the shelves stocked back up after Ike . As often happens , there and at WPosted by Jay wanted me to pick him up so that he work a little bit . I dissuaded that idea , I can 't have him here , and groom too . He is too " needy " , and demands attention . I started grooming Muffie early , as I knew that Mindi 's 5 poodles were arriving about 10 . 00 AM . Muffie doesn 't hold still when on the grooming table at the best of times , and I didn 't want her to have any more excuses for wriggling . I was getting her Revolution ready , and she knocked the whole thing over , so now I have to go back to the vet to buy more . I just got her finished by the time Mindi got here , as she was late , as usual . Her dogs were glad to see me , but three of them looked like sheep that hadn 't been sheared . It has been a while since they were groomed . As it was nearly lunch time , I stopped for that , and laid down for a while to get the knots out of my back , then got cracking on Mindi 's . I mananged to get two cut down , and ready for their baths by the time Jay and his mother came to pick up MaeMae . Now I am waiting for their neighbor to pick up Muffie , so I don 't want to start on the third one . I have filled a waste basket full of cut dog hair , so I have had enough grooming for today . Tomorrow I will finish grooming them . I have already fed MaeMae and Muffie , but now I have to feed Mindi 's five poodles , Bobcat , and the little isolation kitty . Maybe even me ! ! No AC needed today . Jay 's mother and her neighbor were going to a casino for a couple of days , so her neighbor brought Muffie to be boarded , and groomed at 7 . 30 am . I had food to feed the ducks and fish , so I said that I would pick up MaeMae at Jay 's mother 's house on the way . Because his mother was leaving , Jay wanted to go to the lake with me . I had my new camera phone with me , and I thought I had taken some good shots of the lake , and the ducks and geese that came to feed . But I will have to study the phone some more , as I can 't find them ! Then Jay wanted to come back here , so I let him . I had told Sam that I would pick up his poodle on the way back here , as Sam wanted Mikey to be bathed when I had time . When I picked Mikey up Sam said that he wanted him to be groomed , too . I brought Mikey here , but then I realized that there was no way I had four hours laying around unspoken for , to groom him too . Just a bath and brush / fluff dry wouldn 't take but about an hour . I put his Revolution on him , and took him back to Sam , and said I would groom him on Sunday . I was already booked to groom Muffie , and she is a little sod to do , and takes a lot of time . I needed to get her done today , as tomorrow Mindi is boarding her five poodles here for 2 days , and I have to groom at least three of them while they are here . That is in between all the other things that I have to do ! As Jay was here , he wanted to work a little bit , and there were a couple of things that he could do better than Ray . We found some dainty RV size wooden trim as there are a couple of places that need it in the HiLo . We got that measured , cut , mitre cut , and dry fit it . Then we made a toilet lid for the HiLo . When I was in Lowes one day I had picked up a demo toilet seat for $ 1 . 00 . It looked like there might be a way to use the lid off it . Well , there was . We used parts off the original HiLo toilet seat where the lid was broken off , and used dowel through the metal rod from the one from Lowes . We had to kind of " scrape / drag / saw " a 1 / 2 " circle around the dowel in two places Posted by Here is my front door area that we cleaned yesterday . The gate is open so that you can see . Normally it is kept closed so that dogs will come out of the grooming room , down the walk way on the left side of the house , into the back yard . My backyard is on the north , and I am high on a hill with fields behind me , and there is a cutting north wind in the winter , so I didn 't want a door on the back . I have my back door on the other side of the house . Even in the heat of summer there is always some shade in my back yard . I have spent some of the morning and afternoon updating ads that I have on different sites . Then still trying to get this emailing albums problem fixed on this computer , and " Navigation to the page was cancelled " , and " This program cannot display the webpage " ! ! Seems to be since I had the new Windows XP put in it . I wish I knew how to fix this thing ! It was still chilly mid morning , when I went into Conroe to meet Kenya , but it soon warmed up and I had to run the AC on the way home . She had some eye drops for the little kitten that is in isolation in my middle room . It is a very sweet kitty , and loves attention , purrs it 's thanks , but I have to don a gown and gloves to hold it three times a day when I feed and medicate it . Hopefully that will not be necessary next week , after it 's vet check , and it can come out of the isolation cage . It is a clean , loving , pretty , fluffy , long hair silver tabby . I do hope that it gets a good forever home . While I was in town I got a few more things , and came home to struggle with this computer again . No work outside got done today . " Our perception of animals determines how we treat them , and whether they suffer under our dominion or not . Behind our perception and treatment of animals lie our needs , wants , values , and cultural and religious traditions . Until these are addressed and our perception changed so there is empathy , respect , and communication , the holocaust of the animal kingdom will continue . And those qualities or virtues that make us human - humility , compassion , and selfless benevolence - will continue to be crushed by arrogance , ignorance , and the selfishness of our species . " " What is man without the beasts ? If all the beasts were gone , man would die from a great loneliness of spirit . For whatever befalls the earth , befalls the sons of the earth . Man did not weave the web of life ; he is merely a strand in it . Whatever he does to the web , he does to himself . " ( Chief Seattle , 1855 ) The basic issue is simple : " The question is not , can they reason ? Nor , can they talk ? But , can they suffer ? " ( Jeremy Bentham , philosopher and animal rights activist ; 1748 - 1832 . )