About a month ago our interest in camping again was piqued by looking at some new fancy campers. We decided to pull out our camper, pop it up and see what was what. We have not camped in three years and the camper has been closed up since then. We popped it up and found that we had a project. Water had seeped into an outside storage door and rotted the wood on the back of the door, consequently the whole camper smelled damp and musty. So bit by bit Jim has done the repairs and the both of us have cleaned every surface from top to bottom. Cushions have been shampooed, curtains washed and hung in the sun to dry. Most of everything that had been stored in the camper had to be thrown out because of the musty smell. Leaky hoses have been replaced. Today Jim installed a new faucet. Tomorrow Jim and Zach will open, set up and clean the awning and we will then bring it to an upholsterer in New Haven to have a rotted zipper replaced. All of our work has paid off and we are ready to hit the road. In two weeks we will head back up to Maine for a week by the shore here .

Early this morning Jim began working on the installation of the new faucet.

Like trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. He did it though. What a handy guy. Plumber, electrician...you name it and he can fix it. He has a garage full of the ancient tools of his Grandfather and he USES them.

All clean and fresh.

Comfy and ready for a beach vacation.

Lighting up the old Coleman lantern.

We had this sign made many years ago. As many seasoned campers do, we hang it at the entrance to our camp sight.

On our way to the southern shores of Maine. In just a few weeks I will be immersed in as they say in Maine..."life as it should be".

Random Sunday

It is a cloudy, warm, drizzly day here in Connecticut. A welcome relief to the blaring hot sun and high temps of last week. I have the need to dip myself in the water of a cool pool, or lake or ocean. I crave it. We have a big tub, but trust me it is just not the same as a cool float in a decent body of water. Not even close.
Kate joined us for church this morning. It was so great to have her sandwiched in between Jim and me in the pew. I heard her sweet voice join in as the congregation sang a great song and my heart filled with happiness. Life is so much sweeter when you are a follower of Jesus Christ. That is all I want for my kids, because that is how they will know true contentment. How they will be able to weather the things that life dishes out. I know because I have lived life both ways. Anyway, she has to find her own way and I have faith that she will. Not just because it's how she grew up and it is what Jim and I know to be true. Do you know that Kate will be 26 this coming October? She still calls our house her home. I count that as a blessing. Soon enough she will be out on her own, but until that time comes...I am so happy to have her here.
After church, Jim pointed the car toward Starbucks and we all got our favorites. Kate looked up my favorite drink and found out that it is 200 calories. No whip cream and made with skim milk. I am sad...I thought it was a low cal treat!
Kate wanted to go over to the cemetery where Jim's parents and grandparents are buried. She likes to do that. We reminisced as we drove through Trumbull and Stratford and she recounted many of her memories of her Grandma. I used to think that visiting a persons gravesite made no sense, after all they are not really there. Now I see how it really helps keep them fresh in our memories and remember how very much they meant to us. It is bittersweet for sure, but it is a good thing.
We are all home now. Jim is outside working on our camper and I am gearing up to finish off the weekend cleaning. I hope you all had a great summer weekend!

Fun Saturday

Did you know that Jim and I have a retirement plan that includes buying a big RV and traveling the US of A and seeing some sights? We do and we will.

Every so often we take a drive out to our local RV dealer and see all of the newest and fancy campers. And then we talk about our big plan and dream a little. We did just that two weekends ago. Kate came along for fun.

Trailers are amazing these days. All of the comforts of home on wheels.





So many to see. We start with the smallest ones and move up to the ones that cost as much as a house.

We look at the "drivey" ones too (motorhomes). Here is Jim checking out a big "rig".

We really liked this model. Passport Ultra-light. It is definately towable and affordable. This was it's back bedroom. 3 bunks and a couch that converted into a bed.

Master bedroom

That is a flat screen TV that flipped around so you could watch it in the bedroom if you chose to. Amazing!

How about a bit of mush. Remember this past L O N G winter. It was not the greatest time in my life for a few reasons. After Jim's heart attack, I pretty much lived each day with the huge weight of fear hovering over me. Don't get me wrong, I was so grateful for each new day that passed that included Jim. Oh my goodness, so very grateful. But I was still afraid. I could not even imagine a life that did not include Jim. I just wanted to wrap him him in bubble wrap and put him up on a shelf and keep him safe. Seriously, I imagined that scenario. I was a bit of a mess. Thankfully, with God's help and alot of prayer, I have worked through most of that.
Anyway, on cold, snowy days as I would pull up to our house after work...I would imagine that it was summer...and there was Jim on the tractor...mowing the lawn. I made that image part of my prayers. If we could only get passed the winter and all of the medical bad news and I could see Jim on his red tractor...zipping back and forth across the yard...all would be right in my little part of the world. Simple and yet it seemed so very far away.
Well, as you may have guessed, my prayer was answered. I pulled up one Friday after work and there he was zipping back and forth. It made me so emotional that I could not see to drive and so I just pulled over and watched him for a few minutes. And then I thanked God.
Now, whenever I hear him start up the mower, I stop whatever I am doing and go to the window to watch. The sight of him mowing the lawn brings me to tears every single time and I think how wonderful it is to be in this moment with my husband. No candlelight and roses, but a noisy red tractor and the bright summer sun. Perfect.
This is a love story...Jimmy's and Patti's. I am so thankful for every single second.

Fourth of July

You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness. You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism. ~Erma Bombeck

My flag is flying today (we fly it everyday) and I am feeling patriotic. I may just break out in song...My Country Tis of Thee and It's a Grand Old Flag come to mind. When I was a kid we said the pledge everyday and then sang a patriotic song. I know them all, but my kids probably don't (note to self...teach my kids all of "the red white and blue songs" soon before I get too old to remember them) and that is a darn shame. Do they even pledge the flag in school anymore? My guess is probably not and that is just not right. Do kids even feel patriotic these days? I still get choked up at the National Anthem and I heavily subscribe to "One Nation Under God". I am happy that I am an "old school" American. I wish our country a big Happy Birthday today!
We celebrated up at John and Cassie's on Saturday and that was FUN! I am always happy when I get to freely hug my kids throughout any given day. It makes my heart happy to spend a day with John Kyte. He is all grown up now and our time together is much too sparse. Boo hoo! I was sure happy on Saturday tho... cause I got to spend some fun time with a bunch of my people. The ones that I love the bestest!
Zach and Tina came up from Ct with us.

Dan and Tara live just a stones throw away from J&C and so they came too!

John and Cassie picked up a squirt gun for Alex and some water balloons for fun and well we all felt the damp effects from those throughout the day.

An outside water spigot and these 4 spells TROUBLE!

The kids had some fun with a bean bag game...

Pretty ladies!

My boys

Time to grill.

It was so weird and kinda nice to have the kids do the grilling. Good job!

Time to eat!

Can you see Alex's t-shirt? He is going to be a big brother for the first time around Christmas.

Time for dessert. I made brownies and Cassie made some delicious white chocolate dipped strawberries and got some locally made fresh strawberry ice cream. So good!

My favorite shot of the day. So sweet. Snugged in his daddy's arms and a mouth full of chocolate. Can life get any better than a moment like this?

Before we knew it, it was time to say goodbye. Thanks John and Cassie for having all of us. It sure was a fun day!

I am off now to prepare our meal to celebrate the day. I am sure that we are having the same meal as many other families today. Barbecue chicken, corn on the cob, watermelon, and something chocolaty for dessert. Happy July 4th everyone!

Too much rain and not enough sun is starting to show it effects on my little gardens. The flowers are fading and the tomatoes look stunted. I did however plant some pots for the deck that are doing quite nicely. I needed to plant basil somewhere where little animals could not nibble...so I bought some big pots and threw in some other stuff that looked pretty to me at the nursery and voila. I think they look pretty good and I have more basil than I can use.