Monday, January 8, 2024

I Keep Saying I'm Back....but then I'm not.

 I keep saying I'm going to start blogging again, and then I don't.

This brain tumor sure made things difficult. I keep thinking that I'm doing well enough to start back to my previous hobbies and chores and then I just plum can't.

So here I am, starting again. Here's to never giving up!



Tuesday, August 4, 2020

The Decision to Enter Society During Covid 19

Living in the world of Covid-19 is challenging for families around the world. Isolation for children and parents starts to wear on us all as the virus rages on.

Deciding when to enter society is not always an easy decision.  There are many factors that need to be considered such as:

1. Does someone in your immediate family have underlying health conditions?
2. Is the quarantine causing a lack of income?
3. How prevalent is the virus in the local community and surrounding areas?
4. Is the isolation having an excessively negative impact on the members of the household?

Quarantine and isolation can teach our children lessons that can only come through difficult times. There are important life lessons that can be learned through this pandemic. Make sure that you take time to involve your children in the conversations and research you do throughout this monumental time in history.

We are in the process of transitioning from quarantine to public life. My concerns are my breathing issues, COPD, and being exposed while I have other health issues that may influence the severity of Covid-19 exposure.  My mind says the kids need to get back to regular life and then my heart says I don't want to risk dying so they can attend a couple of campouts and playdays.

Fear can grip us but reality can guide us if we let it. I am supposed to travel out of state to see one of my children who is married.  I want to see them this fall but I also want to see them next year. Impatience and shortsightedness may influence not only my immediate plans but may also put a complete stop to my future plans if I should die.

I'd like to see a better treatment plan for the coronavirus before I enter back into society fully. The science and doctors do not have a proven and consistent treatment plan as of yet and I don't want to be a guinea pig for them.

So, in conclusion, I don't have the answer yet, we are taking it a day and event at a time. I need to focus on all of us staying healthy and doing all we can to build up our immune system so we can be prepared for all illnesses that enter our lives.


Sunday, March 15, 2020

Respect Each Other's Health



Some say this virus doesn't infect children so why quarantine them? And while there is some truth to that statement the flip side of that coin is this...

Many of those same children live with their grandparents or have connections with others who have underlying health conditions.

At the least, unnecessary activities should be postponed until the end of May. At that point, we hope the worst of the situation will be passed and many extracurricular activities can resume without risking the health of those we love.

Wash your hands, cover your cough, don't go out sick, call your elderly loved ones, and be ready to help those in need.

Pray and ask God to intervene.



Sunday, July 28, 2019

Is Our Camper our Home?


As we sold our home and either gave away or packed up most of our belongings I reminded myself that my true home is with the Lord.  There are so many worldy good that we grow attached to but yet in the long term view of eternity, they have zero or little value.

I don't believe we should go extreme in any direction.  God blesses us with things that we can enjoy and use to make life easier. I have a bread machine, two mixers, washer and dryer, curling iron, and other items I could live without.

I'm not a minimalist, one of those people who think it is wrong to keep things that you might not use every six months. But I'm not a horder either. I like my pictures my kids drew when they were two and I can't get rid of my high school basketball jersey.

Whether we have a lot or little
Whether we live in a camper or in a mansion

Our true refuge is in the Lord
Our true home is in heaven

When we have to leave things behind or give things away to move into a camper - I encourage you to tell yourself what I told myself,

"I can't take it to heaven, so it really doesn't matter if I have it."

Put your focus on your heavenly refuge - in Jesus - here on earth and for eternity.

Wednesday, October 4, 2017

American Beach Shark Dangers - a little too close for comfort

The entire family was playing in the surf. Two kids were swimming in knee deep water. Three others were out further with the boogie board and duckie inflatable kayak.

My daughter-in-law and grand baby played in the sand and waves.



American Beach is on Amelia Island.

Amelia Island is the southernmost island in the string of barrier islands extending from South Carolina to Florida.  It is also the north-most city on the Florida east coast. Amelia Island is approximately 13 miles long and 4 miles wide - yet feels much larger with all the activities available.

This particular day we were swimming at American Beach.  (refer to previous post)  I thought we were well versed on the dangers of sharks having lived by the beach numerous times in our Navy career.
BUT I WAS WRONG

The birds swooping for fish should have been a signal.

The dolphins feeding should have been a signal.

The small fish jumping out of the water around us should have been a signal.

So when my daughter-in-law shouted for us to get out of the water, I was some what surprised.

Fishermen were along the beach with their poles set up in the sand and the line stretching out into the deeper water.  To be honest, I don't think this should be allowed around swim beach areas.  So, we made sure to stay what we felt was a safe distance from them.

The story we heard was that the fisherman found a dead shark and was dragging it back into the water.  It wasn't one he caught according to this one person, but I don't always believe the story from one random stranger, so who knows.

The small fish. The dolphins feeding.  Dead shark in the water.

This must have drawn in the feeding sharks.

To read the whole story go to our online magazine! www.thelemonadedigest.com



http://www.fbfl.us/index.aspx?NID=569

Tuesday, August 8, 2017

American Beach, an African American Historic Site


Our family took a morning trip to American Beach, on Amelia Island in north east Florida.

The beach was beautiful with soft white sand.  Numerous shells dotted the shore for our kids to seach over.  A small sand bar appeared when the tide went out further.

This day we had blue skies and medium sized waves. I was actually surprised by the size of the wave, some had a little curl in them.

It was a very quiet beach, only two other cars there.

We all enjoyed body surfing, boogie boarding, and playing in the sand.  My grandbaby came along and crawled over the sand and into the edge of the surf.  This wasn't her first time to the beach so she crawled through the edge of the waves like a pro!



The history of American Beach is what I consider disgusting.  It is shocking to think there was a time that African Americans were only allowed to go to this beach in Florida.

Segregation in nature even.  

What did people think would happen if they went to a beach where an African American was?

It was founded in 1935 by the Afro-American Life Insurance Company (AALIC).  They purchases 33 acres at the beach to provide a safe place for Afro-Americans to enjoy.

The president of AALIC, Abraham Lincoln Lewis, named the beach American Beach because they felt that in the United States beaches should be open to everyone.  (For more info click here)

Our family enjoyed our day in the water and sand.  After, we had a picnic in the covered pavilian that gave us all a break from the hot sun and heat.  There are showers and bathrooms to clean off the sand before heading out for an afternoon nap and another adventure tonight!

We are doing a study on segregation with our kids for home school. They are writing essays, studying vocabulary, history, maps, etc.  One child is writing an article for www.thelemonadedigest.com There are a few links below.



https://www.nps.gov/timu/learn/historyculture/ambch.htm


Tytus' first trip to the ocean outside of the womb LOL

Grandbaby at the beach with us!
https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/brown/brown-segregation.html

Abolish as per https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/abolition

the act of abolishing a system or practice or institution (especially abolishing slavery)

“the abolition of capital punishment”
Synonyms:
abolishment
Type of:
conclusionendingtermination
the act of ending something
Segregation as per Google search
seg·re·ga·tion
ˌseɡrəˈɡāSH(ə)n/
noun
noun: segregation
  1. the action or state of setting someone or something apart from other people or things or being set apart.

    "the segregation of pupils with learning difficulties"
    • the enforced separation of different racial groups in a country, community, or establishment.

      "an official policy of racial segregation"
    • GENETICS
      the separation of pairs of alleles at meiosis and their independent transmission via separate gametes.
      plural noun: segregations

http://www.blackpast.org/aah/american-beach-jacksonville-florida-1936

Tuesday, January 24, 2017

Drama and Problems

One of the things I love about full time travel is that when things aren't good somewhere....we can leave.  Pull up the jacks, hook up the camper and pull out.

Life is short and when we have to deal with the negativity, drama, rudeness, and selfishness of a spoiled and entitled society it makes a camping spot in the mountains even more appealing.

There are days I want to disappear and forget the internet, news, problems, drama, and anything that is petty and unfruitful.

Yet, sometimes we have to work through it. Running isn't the answer and facing that conflict or issue is what is required.

Balance is necessary in full time travel as in all of life.  Right now I'm ready to call out the Army against a few people who lie, steal, cheat, and take from my family and I. Then the other side of me wants to shut everything down to the outside world, some days I just can't take it.

So is the dilemma of a full time travel....when to leave and when to face it head on.  It can take courage to do either.


Saturday, January 21, 2017

Winter Break

I've been spending a lot of time on the couch.  Eight years without one - sure makes me appreciate the soft, cushy, cozy couch in this cabin.

We gave up the couch in our camper for a large table for our family to eat at together.  The typical 4 person dinette wasn't going to be big enough for our this family of eight so we gave up the comfort for the family bonding that eating meals together brings.

Now....I'm a couch bum and I'm not ashamed.  I've even slept on it many nights..... and I plan on enjoying it everyday until we leave :)


Monday, January 2, 2017

Home School Lesson They Will Never Forget

Our kids have participated in Royal Rangers and Missionettes long before we began traveling. Now, I do most the teaching as its hard to find a church near us that does those programs.

The lesson tonight was about meal planning and healthy eating. We were discussing cooking methods and I thought it would be a great opportunity to discuss cooking meat thoroughly.

I was in the military so the method - "SHOCK AND AWE" is a regular teaching method I use.

So, I Googled worms in meat. We proceeded to look at photos of worms in people that were caused by under-cooked meat.


I didn't show them all these photos since so many of them are beyond nasty. But, the ones I showed them made their point.

Tytus couldn't even look!



Tytus, age 7, and Josephine, age 9, were so disgusted they had to cover their eyes.  Josie kept trying to walk away as Naomi (my 15 yr old), and I laughed. 

This is when I remembered the video going around on facebook with Snoop Dog and how hot dogs are made.

We did a little more searching and found these...


The fun of home school 24/7





Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Break from the Camper

It's been over eight years on the road, starting with 

5 kids

then having a baby makes 6

the oldest gets old enough and moves out on his own with his new job

the second oldest gets a full time job in Missouri and moves out on her own

4 kids still at home

now only 6 in the camper

While we still love traveling full time it is nice to take a break now and then. Down from eight people, it's still tight quarters in our 42' fifth wheel.

There are cabins here and there that rent by the month during the off season.  Some are furnished with all household items that are used during the in-season.

While I don't want a break from the camper every year, it has been nice to take one here and there and stretch out a little.

The kids enjoy bedrooms and I am completely spoiled using the microwave, coffee pot, and toaster all at once with out blowing a breaker!  It's a miracle!!

Taking a shower and running the water in the kitchen - no screams from the shower turning cold!

A refrigerator that can hold enough food for a week!

There are many benefits of a house that I have grown to miss, but not enough to buy one!

Some people ask where we are, and to be honest, I won't tell. Because next year we may want this cabin again....don't want to share!

I purchased a tread mill to try to get the extra weight off. When we move back in the camper I guess I'll give it away.

Our table and Christmas tree. It's nice to have the extra room!

Our own bedroom with no bathroom in it and a lock!

A nice big kitchen for lots of baking!

Last time we were here most of us put on 10 lbs with all the fresh bread and good food!
Four burners, big fridge, and an oven - great to be the chef again!