American Gypsies

Sweet Texas "Tea"

2009-11-11T11:26:00.006-06:00

Wow, we have now been in Texas for a whole month. We have been unemployed, employed, unemployed and employed again in that time frame. And that is all with one employer, the same one we came down here to work for. They are really struggling as to what and how they want to run a business in Texas, while micromanaging it from Colorado! We are currently just working two days a week, but I anticipate that will increase in the next couple of weeks.

In reality, the two days per week is actually perfect for me. I love having the rest of the week off to explore the countryside. This is an area of small towns and communities with lots of activities going on weekly. We have been to fairs, carnivals, street dances, chili feeds and auctions. We have seen the traveling Viet Nam Memorial Wall, tried several different restaurants, seen armadillos, wild hogs, deer, and oil rigs set up in peoples back yards! The lakes and back roads remind me of being in northern Minnesota, only in the summer time, year round.

At work I am developing recipes and menus. The owners want everything from scratch, (my kind of cooking!) This has actually been a lot of fun, as they let me experiment with their ingredients and equipment as well as order in any product that I want. I have increased their food sales by 75% just with my soups, salads and deli sandwiches, and am now working on fried chicken and biscuit recipes. I have a huge pressure fryer to work with. There is also the grill, a regular fryer, ovens, broiler, a holding oven and a commercial wok! I have ordered in hamburgers from several different sources to find the best. I have a great source for pork and bacon products. I am sure my kids are all very relieved that they no longer have to be my guinea pigs! Gene is working with me, mostly running the store and taking care of the bait, but will also come in and do dishes for me on occasion, as well as sweeping and mopping the kitchen floor as well as the store's. I will be teaching him how to scrub a grill next. He takes care of the tough stuff! Sweet tea is very big down here, so I am also experimenting with different versions of that as well.

This will do nicely for now! Life is good. Until next time......

Anticipating Another New Adventure

2009-09-24T11:27:00.003-05:00

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Well, as Autumn is now here, it is once again time to change the view outside my window. I am definately done with the freezing winds and piles of snow up here in the northern plains. Time to head south. Our original plan to head back to the friends we left behind in Georgia has fizzled, as Stone Mountain Park is struggling to get approval for any new workampers for this winter, and my anxiety was starting to take hold. I started investigating other opportunities through Workamper News, and actually found a great one for next summer, only a couple miles from our kids in Minnesota, but this winter still was looking bleek.

Then, out of the blue, I received the call from Texas. My Uncle Buzzy had called me last winter about a small fishing resort that he liked to frequent who was looking for help to run a small store/bait shop/cafe. He knew that I had previous experience working in both food service a and retail and had told the shop owner of us. I had spoken briefly to the sister of the owner who was currently running the shop, and she had told me of the cafe that they were adding, stating that they would probably need someone late in the summer or early fall. I had told her that we might be interested, but quite frankly, forgot all about it.

What a Godsend, (and yes, we had said our prayers). I thank my Mother for teaching me that prayers are answered. She has proved this over and over again in her life and testimony, passing it on to her children and grandchildren. Love you Mom!

Now, jobs were covered for the next year, all we needed was a truck large enough to pull our 5th wheel. This was a challenge. Not to find a new truck, but to sell our current one. It was only a 6 cylinder 1/2 ton, and without 4 wheel drive, it was just not in demand here in Iowa with winter coming on. Although the retail value was over $7,000, we ended getting less then half of that, but found another truck for only slightly more that was totally set up to haul a 5th wheel trailer. It was older, a 1994 F-250, but only had 120,000 highway miles on it and had been garaged for the last two years, as the previous owner was 80 and no longer snowbirding in the winter. He had added custom diamond plate trim to the box and two boxes for the bed. It is an unusually bright blue and I decided to name it "Beasty Boy Blue". I think the name fits well.

We are listing our freezer on Craigslist to sell, as we will need the additional funds for new back tires, (one sidewall blew out on the way home with it). This is our last big hurl, then it's on the road again, on a wing and a prayer. Gene has experience driving tractor trailer from the military, so I'm hoping that it is transferable to Beasty taking the 5th. Heading out next Tuesday, so we will find out!

Until next time......

Actively Seeking Gratitude

2009-08-11T10:50:00.002-05:00

Image by Tattooed JJ - very busy via Flickr

Ok, so we made a start. No more extra added salt and a daily mini-hike. So far, so good. This week I am going to take my baby steps concentrated on mental health. I just made a deal with my husband this morning to look for at least 5 situations or events during the day for which we can feel grateful, and to share them with each other each evening. This should be easy for Eugene, as he loves going to work each day, playing with his water balloons, hosting his waterwars! He always has great stories of the new and returning people that he meets and entertains there. I will have to be more conscience in my daily activities, maybe even inventing activities that will provide satisfaction and/or eventful activity. Trying out a new recipe, applying for new positions for the next season of our travels, finding a new book, looking for activities to meet new people, etc.

The second will be to attempt to take every negative situation or activity I experience and flip the glass to be half full. Like in the photo, 'better then sleeping on a sidewalk!' What lesson can I learn? Have I walked a mile in the other guys shoes? What can I do to either correct the situation, or putting in enough thought to actually determine how I will handle the situation differently next time. These are goals that cannot do anything but improve my life. Wish me luck, while I work on creating my own!

Until next time.....

Shaking Out a New Spice of Life!

2009-08-05T13:23:00.008-05:00

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Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Definition of insanity; doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.
What you do is what you get.
Wish in one hand and s___ in the other and find out which fills up the quickest.

We have all heard them. We amusingly grin, then move on to repeat the same old routine of our daily activities. When was the last time you thought twice about them, maybe even considering these simple little window openings, a call to action!

Nothing happens by accident. There is a higher purpose to everything that happens in this lifetime. Sometimes we don't understand it at the time, but somewhere down the road, it comes back to provide an insight, a lesson. If we can keep this in mind, it can take a little of the sting out of the hurt, or the false pride from the lucky, yet unearned prize.

Anything worth having is worth working for. Although I totally believe this, I have been a poor performer in putting this to work in some portions of my life. I believe love, health and happiness are worth having. Although I have worked on love and happiness, I really have avoided my own health. I
do not take care of my physical body the way I should, and it is beginning to show.

Now I am not good at making major changes all at once, at least while being able to maintain those changes long term, baby steps are more my style. So..........today I resolve...........

I will attempt to implement two small changes per week. That adds up to 104 of them per year. As water retention has been more and more bothersome lately, today I resolve to take my salt shaker off the table. (I love my salt.....), but I will pick up some Mrs. Dash seasonings when I go to the store this afternoon. I will also walk my block once a day (small circle really, but more then what I am currently walking), regardless of the weather or any other excuse I can find myself making.

That's it for now. I will decide next weeks actions, next week. I will just allow myself to feel accomplished if I stick to these two things this week. I am on a roll!!!

Until next time......

Government Health Care-VA As A Rolemodel?

2009-07-10T23:14:00.008-05:00

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I accompanied my husband to the VA hospital in Des Moines today where he had an optometry appointment. He had also been able to schedule consecutive appointments to have a pair of diabetic shoes fit in physical therapy, and a new c-pap unit programmed specifically for him by the sleep clinic. I was incredibly impressed, as he was treated with such professionalism, by caring individuals who were empathetic, thorough and extremely knowledgable within their fields. He arrived exactly on time for each appointment and was seen immediately. Each practicianer took the time to review his records online and confer with him regarding the history that applied to the area he was being treated for. He was given detailed explanations on what procedures were being implemented and why, as well as how to utilize the various supplies and equipment that he was being issued.

I was equally impressed by a partial conversation I overheard by an orderly with the supply clerk, and although I did not catch the details, I heard the orderly question the clerk on whether something or the other was not a waste of resources. The clerk replied that it was something that should be brought up in their next staff meeting.

I wondered if this same careful evaluation of resourse management was taken by other medical facilities, somehow doubting it. Maybe, just maybe...our government knows enough about finding the right people to run an efficient and effective health care system after all!

Until next time......

My List

2009-07-08T08:02:00.004-05:00

Image by Grantsviews via Flickr

Three beautiful children, and their families
Three great step children, and their families
A husband of 21 years who's young at heart
My Mother, Father and Sisters
My Grandmother who's over 100 years old
My large pool of Aunts, Uncles and Cousins
My Nieces and Nephews
My friends in Minnesota
My friends in Georgia
My friends in Iowa
My friends on Facebook
An exciting lifestyle of travel and workamping
Sunrises and sunsets
My new home on wheels
An absolutely beautiful sunny day
The gift of laughter
A full refrigerator
A full gas tank
A smile on the face of a child
My sight
My hearing
My smell
My feeling
My taste
My intuition
My unique ability to adapt
My intellect
Hot and Cold running water
A private shower
Ice Cubes
...............never mind me, I'm just counting my blessings for the next time I'm feeling sorry for myself.............
A comfortable bed
A community of like-minded neighbors
My spirituality
Having enough to share
Potlucks
Green grass and blue skies
Animals
Trees for shade
Real mayonnaise
Strawberries
Cream Cheese
My garden
My firepit
My computer
Books
etc....
etc...
etc..
etc.

Until next time.....

Therapeutic Relaxation

2009-07-06T17:44:00.003-05:00

Image by millzero.com via Flickr

This blogging has actually become quite fun! It is kind of like thinking out loud. I feel like I have found a great outlet for all of my passions, frustrations and ideas alike, only wish I could have found it long ago.

I am somewhat of a soloist with my thoughts, sometimes feeling like I have come up with a really original idea, or a very unique way of looking at a situation in my life, but not really sure with whom I should share it. Now I just share it with my blog. How therapeutically relaxing it has become. All I need to do is to write it out, and whether someone else agrees or not is no longer an important part of sharing it to me. If someone else can align themselves or something in their lives with my thought process, I am glad that they got something out of it, but it is basically for clearing my own mind.

I find myself stockpiling different ideas that I come across in everyday life to share with my blog. I feel like I have found a new best friend! It listens intensely, remembers from post to post and never judges. It only shares my secrets with those I choose to share them with and never talks behind my back. The best part is that it doesn't even charge me for clinic visits!

Until next time......

My Find is Hubby's Delight!

2009-07-04T09:17:00.005-05:00

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After finding a beautiful new good quality electric fry pan at a garage sale yesterday, I bought it for $5.00, brought it home and couldn't wait to try it out. But what to make...........hummmm! As I checked out the refrigerator I found some thawed chicken breasts, some left over broccoli and a bag of shredded parmesan cheese that needed to be used up. So I started in!

I breaded my chicken breasts with cracker crumbs and fried them up in a little olive oil. I removed them, added a little butter, onion, garlic and the chopped up broccoli. Then I deglazed the pan with a little white wine that was just sitting there, and after cooking it down a bit, added a can of chicken broth. Now this whole time, I am checking out the fridge for other throw ins. I debated about adding the cream of chicken soup, but decided to use up the half and half instead. Then I mixed in the parmesan cheese.

I sliced up some left over ham and added a slice over each chicken breast and a slice of swiss cheese over that, then added them back to my sauce, covered the pan and set it on simmer. As this cooked, I realized I was going to have a lot of left over sauce, so I found a half box of shell macaroni in the cupboard and boiled it off. When the chicken and sauce were just about done, I added a can of flaky biscuits around the edges of the pan, sprinkled them with some grated parm, put the cover back on and continued cooking for 10 more minutes.

After removing the chicken and biscuits, I combined the macaroni with the sauce and we ended up with a fabulous "Chicken Cordon Bleu ala Broccoli Pasta Alfredo" dinner with only two pans to clean up! This one was too good NOT to share! Bon Appetite!

Until next time.......

God has Blessed America

2009-07-03T20:29:00.004-05:00

Image by ohad* via Flickr

Tomorrow is the 4th of July! As I am able to watch the fireworks from the windows of my home, I have to be extremely grateful that the good Lord blessed me with my birth within this country at this time in history.

Even with the problems we are experiencing with our national economy, we are still the luckiest people on this earth. I believe that too often, our rich and fruitful homeland is too frequently undervalued by her own people. Not only do we have a vast choice in the type of climate and typography where we choose to set up a domicile, our food choices are plentiful, we have a great medical community and we have plenty of people who choose to share via hundreds of charitable means that help others in greater need. Our educational opportunities are outstanding for anyone choosing to seek them out. And our wonderfully brave children, spouses, sisters and brothers are fighting overseas at this very moment to attempt to not only preserve our great way of life, but to provide for others the opportunity to enjoy the same freedoms and blessings that we sometimes so callously take for granted.

Could you possibly imagine being the child of a third world county, where drought and famine dictate how you lived your life, in total survival mode?

God has blessed America, may we remember to give Him thanks!

Until next time........

Georgia On My Mind.........

2009-07-02T16:45:00.005-05:00

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We have just confirmed our return to Stone Mountain in Georgia this October and I am really looking forward to it. This area was absolutely beautiful, and the people we met there were the most hospitable, kindest folks we have encountered in a while. The campgrounds overlooking the lake and the mountain itself are a spectacular view.

Located right outside of Atlanta, the location was perfect to be able to engage in any type of recreational activities imaginable. There was way too much to see for just one season. I really hope to get to the zoo, as well as some shows downtown this winter.

We had the best time exploring the actual historic town of Stone Mountain, as well as participating in the activities of the American Legion in Snellville. We met a lot of friends both in and outside of the park, and were invited to house parties and potluck get togethers that were fabulously fun.

Eugene was able to find a cute little place right outside of the park gates to play in a pool tournament every Monday night, where they served up a great Chicken Cordon Bleu, and if you're lucky enough to receive an invitation, the greatest Thanksgiving buffet you could imagine.

Until next time......

Captain Kirk vs. the Borg......

2009-07-01T12:07:00.006-05:00

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There is a kind of lame application on facebook called 'Six Degrees of Separation' which I had read through a couple of weeks ago and although it was very elementary, the thought has stuck in my head. With the internet and all of the new social sites out there, the chances of getting to know hundreds of people from all over the world is right there in front of you.

Is it a coincident when we run into others who share a friend from another area of the country, or as I did, find out that my husband's cousin was my best friend from 4th grade? Wouldn't you be surprised if you just traveled 1000 miles from home and the first place you stopped upon arrival, you are served by a gal from your home town? These things happen to me all the time.

I have to wonder if there is some sort of spiritual message that is being passed through these chance encounters that is written in code. I do believe that we are all just a small cell in the body of life, and that it takes all of us put together to make this world work. I think it will take this message to be understood by all of humanity to bring about the second coming of Christ and Heaven on Earth. Do you suppose we are getting closer?

I can remember watching an old 'Star Trek' episode where Captain Kirk was being assimilated by the Borg. When I first watched it, I thought how horrible that would be. To be a part of everyone else's thoughts and feelings with no individuality? I guess I have evolved over the years, as today I could see so many advantages. Just the shared knowledge alone would be fantastic. The shared experiences, the love for one another, the ability to totally understand just how and where another's personality developed into what it is today would be a joy to behold in my book. To be able to share your own love and understanding when another was in need would be a cherished gift.

For now, I will continue to watch for the coincidences~

Until next time...........

So What Next???

2009-06-30T16:24:00.004-05:00

A couple of weeks ago here in Iowa, Mother Nature decided that it might be fun to see how many eggs she could fry sunny side up. The temps went up into the 90's and the humidity followed it almost as quickly. The heat was stifling during the day, and was bringing in big storms, some of which were even spawning a way to close tornado, come evening.

The combination started to play havoc on my back, but this had happened a couple of times previously over the last couple of years and I was able to get relief utilizing a lidoderm patch. I made my doctor's appointment, got all my medical records together, showed up and told this very charismatic doctor my problem, showed him the empty wrapper from my previously used patches, and bing, bang, boom.......I was in and out of there within 15 minutes with my prescription. Problem solved, or so I thought.

Unfortunately, my insurance company denied payment for the patch, stating that they would only approve this patch for a "shingles" diagnosis. To buy it myself would have cost $450.00 for a months supply. Of course the courteous client representative told me exactly how to appeal the decision and even encouraged me to do so, since this medication had helped me in the past.
I followed that recommendation, recontacted the doctor to tell him what was going on and he gave me another prescription which worked for the pain, but put me to sleep, not allowing me to work the hours I was being scheduled for. I was restricted to a 5 hour work day for the next two weeks to get this resolved.

Okay, so this still was not the end of the world. Others working in my area, (I am in the park bank this year), worked shorter hours due to other jobs, family obligations, dates, etc......and it was only two weeks. When I had originally started out, I had put in 7 days a week and worked double shifts to help them out, I was sure it would be tit for tat. Oh was I wrong.

I was immediately hauled down to the human resource office to meet with the Manager as well as my immediate supervisor. She was obviously mad, stating within the same sentence, that she could not change her schedules for me, but that she probably wouldn't even replace me on the schedule. WHAT???? Then she stated that had she known that I had a back problem, she would never had hired me....... Has she never heard of the AMERICANS WITH A DISABILITY ACT? So I turned to the HR Manager in total disbelief (As that last statement alone would have been enough to file a discrimination suit on), and told him, "Look, I'm not filing a work comp suit here!" I was totally shocked with the response, "Well we don't want it to get to that point." WHAT???? Another totally inappropriate response.

Now this is a large employer, maybe upwards of 5-600 employees. Maybe as a Vocational Counselor in my previous life, and having the appropriate training and experience, I am a little overly sensitive to such blatant no-no's in this field, but I really had a hard time believing that they had never had any training along this line. I mentioned the ADA at this time, and obviously someone checked into something, as I was called that afternoon, requesting that I come back to work for the five hours.

To make a long story short, a couple other things happened that I would have fought like hell over in my younger years, but this was suppose to be a "fun" job, making less then minimum wage. I have resolved the problem with my insurance company, had my two weeks off to get into my new trailer, tract my family ancestry back to 'The Stingy Halfdan' of Sweden somewhere in the first century after Christ, and started this blog. I also had a great visit with my daughter, son-in-law and grandson. The temperature and humidity have gone down and are managable. I go back to work on Sunday.

This too shall pass. I just have to remember not to get excited!

Until next time........

And the Adventure Begins.......

2009-06-29T20:10:00.003-05:00

A year ago last April, after my hubbies unemployment ran out and with no suitable employment in sight, we packed everything we owned into a garage at my mothers place, grabbed our 1966 17 1/2 foot Aristocrat travel trailer and headed for Altoona Iowa on a wing and a prayer to become 'Workampers' at an amusement park called 'Adventureland'.

This was the craziest thing that I had ever even imagined doing in my lifetime. I mean, we weren't carnies. I had been a Vocational Counselor and Eugene had operated machines with his last employer over 16 years. Together we had raised 5 kids and now had 5 grandchildren. Our family thought we were having some kind of midlife crises, and I was quite sure that it was some sort of insanity, but thought about it as an extended adventurous vacation. Surely the labor market would open back up by the end of the summer. I knew I could be watching it online with my laptop.

When we arrived, we found ourselves only 2 of over 300 workampers, and most were our age or older. Of course most of them had motorhomes that made ours look like a little outhouse, but they accepted us nonetheless, bringing us into their 'tribe'. A whole gaggle of American Gypsies, and they seemed to be having the time of their lives. Eugene wanted to go out and buy a larger trailer, but I had just paid off all of our bills with the measly money we had in our 401k, and was not about to take on another payment given these circumstances. I made him promise me that we would not do that for at least a year, thinking that by that time, I would find him a 'real' job.

Eugene worked in games and came home every night smiling, telling tales of all the fun he had that day. He always carried candy in his pocket to give to kids who did not win prizes, so that they wouldn't walk away disappointed. He was loving this! I was working in the retail shops, selling everything from costume jewelry and bobbles to crazy hats which I decorated up with feather boas. I had a lot of fun visiting with the guests of the park, answering their questions and describing this new lifestyle. We met many new friends and attended and hosted many potlucks and campfires after hours. As our site rent was absolutely minimal, ending up at only $112.00 total from April through September, we were actually making it financially pretty easily. Upon speaking with our other 'tribesman', some of whom had been doing this between 10-15 years, they hooked us up with a magazine called 'Workamper News' where there were advertized jobs in this market all over the country. Most said that they just moved their rigs south for the winter, some to the same areas year after year, others never went to the same place twice, said there were too many places to see. All had great stories of meeting great people in great places in their travels.

I made one phone call from an ad in the magazine, and we had a winter gig in Stone Mountain Georgia, right outside of Atlanta. So much for the 'real' job. This was just too much fun! We hauled the little Aristocrat through Iowa, into Illinois, crossed a corner of Ohio, through the tobacco fields of Kentucky, the hills and valleys of Tennessee, over the Appalachians and into the beautiful state of Georgia. What a great experience.

Although Eugene was the only one working in Georgia, we met so many great new friends and had such a wonderful time, that we made arrangements to go back this next winter after a return trip to Iowa for our second year at Adventureland. He had spent three months helping the electrician get Crossroads, the amusement park, decorated with over two million lights ready for a "Stone Mountain Christmas". Then he worked access control, (security) for the man-made snow tubing hill until March. We now had year round employment, and a biannual scenic trip to look forward to. We took a totally different trail coming back to Iowa, taking us through Arkansas and Missouri. I love traveling!

Because I was not working, I spent alot more time in the trailer. It was really starting to shrink on me, so upon arriving back in Altoona, I started staulking Craigslist. By father's day I had found us a great 28 foot 5th wheeler, and bought it. Now we only have a half ton truck, so before we leave for warmer weather at the end of September, I will once again be online looking to trade our trusty (not rusty) Silverado for a 3/4 ton hopefully with a fifth wheel hitch already in it. We do like our previously loved trailer though! I now have a bathroom, a bedroom, and hot/cold running water. Try going without that for a whole year.

As far as the Aristocrat, although we had two offers to buy it, my daughter Crystal and her hubby and son came down to pick it up and keep it in the family. (Possibly only as a conversation piece).

Until next time.....