The Conclusion

All three arrived safely this afternoon at 5:00 (Rex, Buddy, and the car). They drove for 12 hours yesterday and stayed overnight in Knoxville, TN. Today was a 10 1/2 hour drive to the Little Mulberry. So now we know how long it would take if ever we wanted to take off and drive to the Big City. I think I'll fly.

I was corrected today about "The Sequel." This is the third Ebay cross country trip for the guys. The true sequel took place a year or two following the original. It too was for a sailboat. It's location was Ohio. I believe the sailboat still lives at Buddy's.

I love my car! It is truly in good condition. The kids and I took it for a test drive after the guys crawled out from behind the wheel. They were stiff and red-eyed. Here they are resting after a home cooked pork chop supper. They were asleep at 7:30.

Rex and Buddy's Ebay Adventure: The Sequel

The original Ebay Adventure took place 5 years ago. Rex and Buddy drove from Texas to Oregon to claim a sailboat Buddy "won" on Ebay. The result was a dissapointment. The merchandise didn't live up to their expectations, and so they returned emptyhanded. But with a great story to tell.
The Sequel began this weekend. We bought, or made a commitment to buy, a Rav 4 located in NYC. The drive was farther than we had planned but the deal was too good to be true. I know, I know, if something is too good to be true, it probably isn't. We did it anyway. Much to my dismay the obvious choice for fetcher was Rex. I had to stay, and who else to join the fetch than Buddy. So Rex and Buddy left the mountain Tuesday afternoon in front of the ice storm headed our way. Thankfully their flight left on time Wednesday morning out of Little Rock. However there were delays in transit and they arrived in NYC 12 hours late. I waited for the phone call this morning to let me know if the car was a real deal. And the official/initial report is, it is. Rex called at 10am central time. He and Buddy were in the car, well pleased, and on their way out of NYC. Buddy is driving and his TomTom is navigating. I'll keep you updated....

The Freshman

Yep, that's me...a freshman. I am officially in my second week of school. It is so much more fun this time. I love being the oldest in my class. I love watching the young kids walk around in their stylish clothes and matching hair styles. I love being mistaken for a professor (when I wear my pearls). And I love that the class work isn't as challenging as I remember it. My most difficult class is Algebra, and so far I am able to keep up.

I am working very hard at impersonating my professors and teachers for my family and friends. What interesting characters they are. This also makes me wonder how my future students will impersonate me. I think I can take it.

I am not working very hard at homework. Up to now my only class that gives regular homework is Algebra. Which brings me to the muffins, or as we call them, fuffins (Savannah's word for them when she was little).

I am bored! This staying at home by myself is not for me. With the kids in school the house is so quiet. What was I to do? Homework was done, taxes were done, my to do list was all scratched out. I decided it was time to start going through all the frozen fruit from last year. It won't be long before it's time to start picking again, and I can't wait. I missed gardening last year because we spent the growing season in Ireland. We were able to get spring produce. The blueberries for the muffins were picked by Savannah and I at a local farm and the fuffins are yummy!

Hiking Around

Friday I spent the day with my neighbor enjoying my last day of "retirement" (before I become a full time college student on Monday). We drove north to hike down to the King's River Falls area. Our first stop was Spokeplant school. This is one of the few one room schools around here still standing. Our 81 year old neighbor has some great stories about going to school here. It's sad to see the schools falling. Maybe one day someone will restore them and find a use for them.



We enjoyed the smooth ride of pavement for about 50 feet when we crossed over highway 16. Back on dirt, we met some curious cows. They stared and stood their ground.
The trail down to the falls has been newly constructed. It's a beautiful hike along King's River and the falls are a treat at the end. We had our lunch listening to the water. I dreamed of diving off the rock into the pool below, but I'll save that for a warm summer's day.

Belated Christmas

After all the hustle and bustle of the Holiday season I can look back and honestly say, "I had fun." I do normally forget to enjoy the time and let the worries and stresses get to me. We had a fairly quiet Christmas. Our Eve and Day were spent here at home, just us, with a quick trip to town to visit Rex's parents. The day after we drove north to celebrate with his daughters and families. The following day we began to fill our home, as is the norm around here on the holidays. We had a full house for the next week, our population was at 12, with one bathroom. But we all survived and had fun. I wish I had pictures of the 3rd annual New Year's Eve pig roast, it was a great party. Full of music, laughs, and of course pig. My brother designed shirts for the event. Aren't they cool? (One day I will sit down with enough patience and figure out how to arrange pictures correctly on Blogger, for now please forgive my unorganized placement of my pictures.)