The Good News and The Bad News!!

The good news is that I made it home after 5 hours of horrible California traffic.  Thank goodness most of the construction has been completed, not that it made any difference.  Whose idea was it to repair the roads and not the part that goes under the overpasses??  How kooky is that??  After driving 8,953 miles to Bar Harbor Maine and back, I have to say that California roads are the very worst of any state!!  With maybe a couple miles of exceptions, our highways are atrocious!!  Yes we have lots of traffic, but doesn't that mean more taxes to get the roads fixed??  Okay, I've said my peace!!  Getting home was a double edged sword however, because the BAD is that I spent 4 hours vacuuming half the house, just enough so I could relax ... sort of.

The first to be unloaded was this magnificent piece.  I know, I'm crazy, but this headdress is the bees knees as far as I'm concerned!!  I'm Cowboy and Indian all the way I guess!!  It's made by Mr. Krause ... a nice German name!!  He's full blood Cherokee and many moons ago was adopted as a baby by a nice German family.  When he got a little older, they insisted he go back to his tribe and learn their customs ... which he did.  Since then he has been making these spectacular Cherokee beaded headdresses, among other things!!

One more BAD ... I instantly noticed how much "stuff", or rather "junk" is everywhere.  When you live minimally in an RV for an extended period of time, you sure notice all the stuff that needs throwing out in your house!!  Unfortunately, I inherited my mom's propensity to keep everything.  Here's a little hall tree I found in Albuquerque to catch my keys and purse as I walk in the door.  No more throwing everything on the island in a big pile!!

I unplugged all the drains and unwrapped the bathrooms ... nary a problem one!!  YAY!!  Of course the house smells musty, but nothing like it did last time when I was only gone 4 months.  With my new Scentsy going full blast and all the windows wide open, it should dissipate soon.

The dogs when bananas when I let them loose in the back yard.  It took Cooper one second to realize he could run loose ... and boy did he take off like a shot.  On his first run-by, he sideswiped Jessie and the horse race was on!!  They DO love my back yard much better than being cooped up in the rig.  I think I need to find a few empty dog parks so they can run more!!  This piece of beautifully carved bannister is from a house in Gettysburg ... it doesn't have a permanent home yet!!

Hahaha I just wanted to see if you were awake by throwing in a kitty picture!!  The puppies and I are still on Central Time ... or is it Mountain Time ... anyway, we've been up at 4:00 am for the last week.  Guess that number is going to stick around for awhile.  This is the Chance kitty, Snoopy.  Yes she's on the counter, isn't that where ALL kitties live??  Patty was making some ice cream and cake flower pots for granddaughter Laila's birthday!!  Snoopy thought they were a hit!!

Since my house-sitters always feel vulnerable with an entire wall of windows in my family room, when I saw this solid oak (I think) tri-fold screen, I thought it would be perfect.  VERY heavy, it took me some time to get it unloaded and in the house!!

So for now I'm home ... good for the puppies, bad for me with all I have to do.  The mobile "Buzzard's Roost" needs an oil and filter change, the slides adjusted, the jacks cleaned ... and on and on.  I don't have much time to get repairs done, as I will be off again soon to help create the floats for the Rose Parade ... then the rally in Indio where ice cream will be the words of the day ... Yuma ... Quartzsite ... and a quick tour of Arizona before returning to get ready for the Continued Great Adventure next summer!!  Whew!!!  Maybe I'll rest a day or so!!