When it rains it pours and pours and pours...

Well after many weeks of draught the rains finally came. We had big storms for a couple of days. One of them I was out in the mail vehicle in. Imagine being in a large tin can that someone is throwing rocks at. Believe me it was noisy in the hail that came. Then later that day, the tornado warning siren started blasting. I was just leaving my Aunt's house where I had quick run in to say HI. I decided to stay put for awhile. Then I looked at the street and here comes a large 4X8 sheet of pink foam insulation flying through the wind like a wind sail on the lake. Pretty windy and the clouds were so dark it was like it was 10:00 at night. It went over quick and we were all on our way again. BUT Monday it started raining in the late afternoon and did not stop until the next morning. 4 inches of rain fell in less than 12 hours. Poor Will his windshield wipers broke. I ran and bought him a new pair and left them in his car at work for him when he came out. I of course did not put them on for him. It was raining for cryin' out loud. Actually, I am not real sure how to put them on and it takes me a little bit to figure it out each time. I thought that standing in the rain working on them was probably a dumb idea.
When he came home that night he was supposed to go straight to his band practise, but when he got to the church the lightening and rain was so bad he drove right by and came home. That's pretty bad, because the only thing he misses practise for is his parents and even then he likes for them to come and listen so he won't miss it. Those guys sure have a good time and they are really getting better and better each time I hear them. It turns out that they lost power less than an hour later, so it all worked out for the best.
Jacob is back from Bible camp and had such a good time that he is planning on going back next year as a helper for the younger kids for the first week and then staying for the second week as a camper. Will and I were very impressed with the camp. Jessalyn is hoping to go next year too. This year she was a little nervous about it and then Grammy, Grampy and the cousins were here so it was easier for her to stay home. Our church plans on paying for any kid that wants to go that is here in Warrens. Much more likely to leave a lasting impression than vacation Bible school. Will is going to post pictures here pretty soon.
The Monroe County Fair started yesterday. I'm sure that we will try to take the kids at some point. They really like seeing the animals. It is a true fair with draft horses, cows etc. They also are having a horse-pull, rodeo, monster truck demo, etc. Good fun when you are a kid.
2 weeks from today the kids, my Mom and I leave for our anual camping trip over at the Greenlake Conference Center. Since our camper died, we are renting a cabin this year. It will be fun, I'm sure. I am looking forward to not having to lug all that stuff over there. They are cabins with 6 single bunk beds, table and chairs, kitchen and bathroom. Much easier. The campground even supplies the sheets and towels. We are going to eat simple and just have fun. For the most part we ride bikes around the paved park roads (the park is over 200 acres I think), we take a tram ride around the park, make jewelry at the craft area where they have rocks, stones, gems and beads and take long walks. The most fun thing for all of us though is when I take the kids swimming down at the lake. They swim and I sit in the shade under these huge oak trees and read. How relaxing! When Will comes over, he usually goes fishing and fishes for hours on end. I don't think he has really ever caught anything, but he has a great time just chilling out.
Sweet corn came in yesterday. I stopped and bought a Moseley dozen which is 14. They have the best corn around and we all ate pretty much just corn for supper! Probably not the most healthy meal I have ever fixed but oh so tasty.
Cranfest is right around the corner.....56 days or so I think. That means that it is time for our church ladies to start baking. We have to bake almost 500 pies. Then we let them cool, put them in special containers and freeze them until the fest. Then we take 300 or so of them and pull out the individual slices on the day before fest and box them up. I am working on getting more people in to help with the slicing process. It is usually great fun. Although, I am so busy right then with my "official" cranfest duties that I don't get in on much until late afternoon. If you can imagine a whole town suddenly filled up with about 1500 booths. The weeks before the fest we (there are 4/5 of us) walk around town with our handy 10 X 10 PVC pipe stencil frame and spray paint where each of the booths go. In the fields where the flea market goes we use that little measuring tools with the wheels on them to mark off the booths some are 100 feet long. Want to try something interesting? Try walking in a straight line over a bumpy field. We get laughing sometimes at the crooked lines. Anyway, we mark them off and have a 30 something page map that we use. Then when they get here there are always difficulties and lost people. Set up is exciting and frustrating. But we all love Cranfest! I average about 3 hours sleep per night from Thursday til Sunday, but I wouldn't trade it for the world.
The Travel Channel will be airing specials on Wisconsin during the months of August and Sept. and the Warrens Cranberry Festival is the feature event. Hope you catch some of it. We are also pleased that the travel channel in the United Kingdom is doing a special on us. It's a hoot when they call from all over the world. Who knows how they heard about us.
Well time for swimming lessons and then we go pick up Will's car from the shop (new axles $$$$) Hope you all have a blessed day.
dea

Well the fun's over...

Everyone has left now and Jessa and I are alone......sigh. Actually we both decided that we would go back to bed so we did. She has been sick and I am very, very tired so we excercised our summertime option of sleeping in.
We all, I think for the most part had a wonderful time while Will's parents, Mindy and Paul were here. Unfortunately due to the hot weather many of the things we planned to do with them just were not possible. You cannot canoe in 3 inches of water (Kickapoo River). You do not want to ride bike on a 26+ mile bike trail when it is 98 degrees. Bon fires are impossible when there is a burning ban on due to the draught. SO.......we did as many things as we could. Poor Mom D. and Jessa were sick. They both gave it a valiant try, but it is so hard to move around when you are sick coughing etc, let alone go off and have fun. I hope that Mom gets better soon!
I think the one that is having the hardest time dealing with them being gone is our cat Gidget aka Stinky Pete. She is our cat that stays outside all summer BY HER CHOICE. She hates being inside in the spring, summer and fall. She even wants to be outside during the winter although that white stuff gets into her paws and she hates it. When the first snow actually falls on the ground and stays, she always comes in and yells at Will and I, loudly and ALL day. Then she decides to just stay inside because it is cold and white. She pretty much hibernates all winter until the thaw. The minute it's warm enough she is back out there. Right now she is sitting pitifully on the steps of the camper waiting for Betty to emerge.
Our other cat Gabberdean has come out of hiding with the empty house. She is a very shy cat and all of these people being around all the time was really traumatic. She didn't mind when there were just 3-4 in the house, but any more than that and she was nervous. She also became very ill. I have her on meds and she seems to be much better.
Our last and final hermit crab died while they were here too. Tiny was the last of 4. Quiet little guys they all just died away one by one over the last 5 years. The strange things about hermit crabs is that you never see them without their shell, but when they start to die they come out of their shell and die naked. I feel very sorry for them in that. I don't know how long they are supposed to live, but I would imagine that ours outlived most of their buddies they were sold with. They are pretty much a disposable pet for most people. We enjoyed them and now I'm going to enjoy not having to deal with them.
I worked 9 out of the 14 days that the folks were here. My pocket says that's great. My heart says "I wish that I didn't have to". I know that they enjoyed Will and the kids and that is the most important to me. It was even too hot for me to really cook anything great and spectacular. Mostly we grilled out. Mom D. cooked some great dinners for two nights and I enjoyed the leftovers as did Mindy(I think she had creamed salmon on potatoes like 5 or 6 times). Their last night here I made cherry cobbler and we had it warm with icecream.
We have up here a restaurant that is two restaurants in one....an A&W and Long John Silvers.
The adults and Mindy have fish and rootbeer, while the others had burgers, onion rings, chilifries and rootbeer floats. Paul came over and told Grampy that he didn't think he could finish his float and Dad told him to bring it to him when he was done (you know Al could never turn down a float!) We looked back at Paul 5 minutes later and he had finished his burger AND the float. He said he's not sure where it went but it kept going somewhere. There is just something about an A&W rootbeer float.
Now things will sort of get back to normal especially when Jacob gets back home. At least for a time that is. My other family reunions are this weekend. Then hopefully a trip to Rockford with the kids and my Aunt to see the stage production of Beauty and the Beast or else a trip to the Milwaukee zoo. Or maybe both of those. Camping for me and the kids at the beginning of August. Hopefully another adventure before Labor Day and then school starts and for the grand finish Cranfest. Well of course there is Thanksgiving and then Christmas Eve at our house with our closest 40-80 friends. Well, I think maybe things don't ever get "normal" here. But oh what fun we have!
God bless.

pics redux

Here are the pics I posted last time when I still thought that copying them from word to here would work. Mom, Dad, Mindy, and Paul are still here. Jacob has gone to Bible camp. I hope he's having a great time. We were kind of concerned, his hopes were up because of all the friends and family that were supposed to be going too. Unfortunately, for different and various reasons, he wound up being the only one going. He was concerned when he left.
Dad is in the living room with me watching Patrick (David "Link"s" Youngest) and Paul play video games. It was cool this morning finally so we made them play outside but the heat is back now so it's everyone inside for games. Mom, Mindy, and Jessalyn are in the camper playing board games. Funny how we divided up according to gender.
Well, the air conditioner is cranking up in the window and its just after noon; think I'm gonna take a nap!
Stay cool!
#'s 6:24!
Will

Just some landscaping is all that's needed

The three nicest looking things on my property: Dad's Camper, Dad's Car, and Dad. Just ask him! :-P

Dad camper and rake.

OOPS!

Oops! I guess my thanks to Joel was premature. For some reason, some of you are unable to see my pics with the new way I have of posting them. I can see them just fine and they come up everything I just "check" my blog, so I had no idea some of you can't get them. My apologies. I will do what I can to repost those pictures the "old" way (sigh). I apologize again for any frustrations I may have caused (you & me!). Thanks to all who let me know about the troubles. The sooner I know these things the sooner I can fix 'en!
We still haven't had any rain. Please see below for my unprofessional opinion of the weather channel. The "Floridians" that are here are threatening to go home where its "cooler". I figure it probably will be cooler once they take their heat back home with 'em! :-P Honestly though, I would gladly put up with the heat for their continued company.
Please pray for us. It would appear that my mother and my two kids seem to have come down with some kind of cough/hack. I know that the last couple of nights even I have had a tickle in my throat. We don't know for sure what it is; I'm hoping it's just because its "dry". Deanna, Dad, Mindy, and Paul seem unaffected (Thank You Lord! Amen). Perhaps this time the weather channel will get it right and we will really get some rain by Monday. Please Pray, we could really use a nice light rain for about a week at least. Well it is terribly late and I have to get up at 4am.
Numbers 6:24
Will

Finished Camper

Hey, I realized that I never did post a “finished” picture of the camper. Of course, we really aren’t done. It’s like a house; are you ever really “done” with it? Mom and Dad are still here and we’re keeping busy. Dea and I still have to work but the kids are getting some really good “quality” time with their grand parents and their cousins. We’re going to have 5 kids running around here today again. My Brothers’ “young-uns” Mindy and Paul, Dea’s Brothers’ youngest Patrick and then of course Jacob and Jessalyn our two very own “Sesame Street Monsters” (cute, cuddly, sweet, and well meaning, but monsters just the same!)

It should be an interesting day.

We’ve been in a drought for some time here in Wisconsin. It was made worse by those silly Floridians. They deny it but I know they brought all that Florida heat with them. I had to actually install the air-conditioners for the house the other day. I haven’t had to use them for the last two summers! I think the guilt of the “Floridians” (Mom and Dad) is getting to them. Somehow they managed to get that hurricane to last long enough to bring some rain up our direction, if it doesn’t “piddle” out before it gets here. The weather channel says we should get some rain this afternoon. Of course you have to realize that the weather channel doesn’t really believe anyone lives in Wisconsin; so they just make it up as they go along. (Well! It Sure Seems Like That To Me! :-P )

Dad has just come in and announced that we need to replace the screen that he and I just replaced a couple of days ago. Frankly I don’t understand why we have to fix it again. I mean, so what if one whole side of the screen is ripped out? (sigh) So, I need to go.

I have to say a special Thankyou to Joel Hayes. He called me about some tips on posting pictures to his web page/blog. While I was telling him how to do it, I also was explaining that I use Microsoft’s Word to type my drafts and then copy and paste to our “blog” posts. He then suggested that instead of the rather long involved process of posting pictures that I was supposed to be helping him with, we could just put our pictures in our Word Doc and then copy and paste them! It works! What a Twerp! Here I was so proud of how I figured out how to do this and the guy who is supposed to be asking Me how, tells me a better way! The Nerve of that guy!

LOL I’m just kidding of course. Thank you Lord for another wonderful lesson in humility. And thank you Joel!

Iola WI car show and Hi Uncle Dan!

Hello! From Iola Wisconsin! Well, not really, we’re still in Warrens but I have a few pictures from the "33^rd Annual Iola Old Car Show and Swap Meet "
This is the third trip I’ve made to it and the 2^nd that I was able to go with my Dad (the true “Car Nut”). He took most of the pictures (and no, you are not going to get to see all of them; there’s a 120 of ‘em!) I only got a few because I knew that Dad’s camera could hold a lot more than mine, so I waited for the ones that really captured my attention or made me catch and hold my breath. There really weren’t many. Don’t get me wrong, there were easily a thousand fantastic cars there. Its just that when you are in that kind of company you really have to be spectacular to stand out or at least have some kind of sentimental attachment.
The last couple of years there were many, this year not so much. Maybe I’m just getting spoiled. The highlights car wise was a real live honest-to-goodness Tucker. One of only 48 left and of course one of only 51 ever made. I never thought I’d get to see one in person much less see one outside under a tree with the owner (a young guy in his late twenties!) standing next to it, rag in hand wiping the bugs off from where he’d driven it!!! He doesn’t drive it far but he said he drives it as much as a hundred miles from his home for a car show or two. The other big highlight for me was a pair (!) of 55 Plymouths. My Dad had a convertible 55 when he met my mom and I have never seen one in person. I had seen a few pictures but had never been able to find one. Then, just as we were getting ready to leave this guy pulls in with two of them on a trailer in real nice shape. Neither car was a convertible but they were two-tone in such a way that I could imagine what Dad’s looked like. Dad’s was red and black and one of the two we saw was red and white. Very fine cars. Being able to see them with my Dad standing right there was the exceptional pleasure. That was the real “thing”, the real reason that it’s such a fun and great trip; Dave (Dea’s Dad) and my Dad walking around talking about these great old cars. It really helps to put a real perspective on the times when these cars were all that were on the streets. We brought Jacob and his cousin Patrick with us. No kidding, the two “Old Guys” (I use that term with the utmost respect!) were acting more like kids than the kids were! You really should have seen them! One would see something and head straight for it while the other would spot something and stop to look at it. Neither one would say anything to anyone as to what they were doing. It was a hoot. Me and “The Guys” (Jacob and Patrick) would stand there between the two grandpas as they wandered off in opposite directions and laugh. Really, we were all pretty bad. The “Grandpas” really wanted to look at the really early cars up to the mid fifties. I was into the early and late 60s and a few early 70s while Patrick seemed to only be interested in dune buggies and motorbikes, scooters, and mopeds. Jacob wanted only to find a 63 VW “Herbie”, (and no, he does not like the new movie. In his words they didn’t even get the music right and every thing else was wrong too!) and a 39 Dodge or anything that might have to do with one. Grandpa (Dave) has given him the ’39 Dodge “Deluxe” that he took his wife to the hospital in when she was in labor with Deanna. It is going to need a lot of work and time and money. I have tried to tell Jacob to start with the finding the “money” and everything else will fall into place. We’ll see how it works out. In any case we have yet to find one, but we did see a 38 Dodge and we wrote down the owners name and number. Perhaps we’ll be able to find parts through this gentleman. I once searched the “Hemmings Motor News website for “39 Dodge” I found only one entry. A whole running car in Penn. That was a while ago and I certainly didn’t have enough money to buy it then and quite frankly I don’t have it now… Annual Iola Car Show and Swap Meet.

It’s a beautiful sunshiny day with a wonderful breeze blowing. I, of course, am inside writing this! But I needed to get this blog out and to get some lunch, so I thought I’d kill two birds with one stone. The kids (Paul, Mindy, Patrick, Jessalyn, and Jacob are all in the other room watching and playing video games. I would normally object to that on such a nice day but they are all getting along so nicely at the moment and they were all outside for the morning.

Mom (aka Grammie) is floating around somewhere. I will have to go find her in a minute. I haven’t been able to spend as much time with her as I would like and now with the Hurricane seemingly aiming for their house, she’s a little restless to say the least. Lord, we do ask for your Peace, Your Wisdom and that Your Blessings be poured out on us and all who are affected by this hurricane Amen. I think the next thing I will do is check out Rachel’s website and see if she has anything to say about it (she is, after all in Fl.). Doing that should help me get some more perspective on how to pray. In the mean time I trust the Holy Spirit to interpret my “moans and groans”.

Dad has run into town to get me a new air filter for my push mower. I have a weed eater and a riding mower that work fine but the push mower isn’t too pleased with any idea of having to work to earn its keep. We don’t really need it but there are a couple of areas that are too small for the rider and too large for the weed eater. So I really hope he can get that going. It’ll save a lot!

Dea is at work. She just called a little bit ago to say she was sitting in the shade with a sprinkler spraying her through the window of her car. I told her I thought that sounded refreshing but she didn’t seem to think so. I guess someone was watering his or her mailbox…

Well, I need a nap. I think I actually might get one too, but I will have to wrap this up first so: My mom bought my wife a coffee cup it’s a beautiful Delft-blue(?) looking thing but it is completely microwave and dishwasher safe. It says:

Numbers 6:24

Will

PS: My Mom wanted to say a special “Hello” to her brother Dan C. Of course I don’t want to be left out either so “Hi Uncle Dan!”

Peace

"Tagged"!

Hoo boy! I’ve been “Tagged”! Joel Hayes, one of my greatest childhood friends has “Tagged” me on His Web Log (See the Link on the right!) to write the five things I missed the most about my childhood.

First, let me mention that Joel made reference on his “blog” to when we were in Naranja Elementary School together. We both were in the “school patrol guard” (insert sounds of awe with music that is both pompous and gallant). I actually still have the bright orange safety helmet/hard-hat that was issued along with our orange belts. I no longer have the belt, but I gave the hat to my son when he was in the fifth grade. One of my favorite adult memories was getting to tell my son all about the things that poor hat went through. Right down to how it got the crack in the top of it (rock fights. We felt that as guards it was certainly our duty to fight back…). I think for a good minute there I actually had my son’s whole attention.

I have always been terrible at picking what my “favorite” is. Music? I like it all. Some types and artists more than others but I can’t pick a favorite. It’s pretty much the same thing with memories. How do you just pick five? I certainly have dozens and dozens of fantastic memories as a kid. How do you pick just five of the best? or just five of the things you miss? Deanna can probably tell you better than I; because of how many times she had to listen to me reminisce. (Isn't it interesting how you can remember a story so well and not remember how many times you told it to the same person?)
I remember the House in Naranja (south of homestead Fl.) It had this mural painted by my mom on the front with a fish in it. I can’t really explain it. It was a fish like the Christian symbol without any letters in it. I don’t know for sure if that was what it was for but I always assumed it was.

I remember this fantastic one of kind carpet that my mom actually made out of carpet pieces cut into squares. It was awesome for playing with our toy cars. We used to have this fantastic cherry tree in our side yard. It was huge! Oh not as tall as the big palm tree in our front yard, but it was wide and chock full of cherries. I don’t ever remember making myself sick from eating them but then, I don’t understand how I didn’t either. One year our Dad cooked a steak out on the grill and he took one of the branches from the cherry tree and put it in the fire. “The Best Steak Ever” we all agreed and to this day still holds the title simply because of the memory. Give up trying. It simply isn’t possible to make a steak any better.

We use to have this really great dog named Miki. Like the “Steak” give it up now, it isn’t possible to have a dog that was any greater. He wasn’t even my dog; he was “Dad’s dog” and we were simply Dad’s property to be protected and tolerated and even played with but there was no mistaking that He was Dad’s dog first. Miki was part Shepard, part Collie, and rumor has it there was some beagle in there too. He was a “mutt” and he was American! (Thank you Bill Murray). I have so many stories about that dog I could be here for days. Lucky for you I don’t have the time right now…May be later?

We went to Holland when I was almost ten. We had to leave Miki behind and we were going to be gone for three years. The possibility of ever seeing Miki again became very slim. The same for all the great friends I had in Florida. Like Hewlester Samuels. Whenever I watch any of the old “Fat Albert” cartoons I keep looking for Hewlester. He was a fantastic friend and such “Character” that you just knew that someone would tell a story about him on T.V. Or at least use him as the basis for some T.V. comedy.

Those three years in Holland are certainly among the best of memories. They used to have this old mansion that was all boarded and closed up. It had an actual-honest-to-goodness “moat” around it. I mean how cool is that? The bridge across wasn’t a “draw bridge” or anything but that’s just as good, because under that bridge was a way into that mansion that we weren’t supposed to know about! I understand that they have rebuilt that mansion/house and I’m glad.

I really have nothing but the best memories from there. We use to go for drives to see if we could “get lost”. Dad would always say “his nose would tell him which way to go and which way to get home” We got to cross the English Channel on a Ferry. I got sick the one time and I still think of it as a great memory. In three years we made so many friends. We still talk to some. Henny, Nanny, and Dave: I say a special Hello to you! Nanny left a wonderful comment on one of my earlier postings; make sure you read it!

I remember the flight back from Holland. Just as traumatic and yet just as wonderful as the trip over had been. Mostly though, it’s that when we got back and got settled, we actually got Miki back. After three years living with some other people and their dogs, Miki was still “Dad’s Dog”. Hewlester Samuels was still there too! Then there were these other friends to make. Like Joel Hayes and his family. I remember climbing this dirt hill in front of his house and we could see the rain coming. In South Florida it’s like that. Only, its not really rain. It doesn’t ever really rain in south Florida. It either “sprinkles” a little or it just flat out “Pours”. The sun could be shining and bright and less than a hundred yards away it would be flat-out-pouring rain. I remember Joel and I racing to try to make it to the house before the rain got us. I don’t think we made it, but honestly I don’t remember. I just remember “running from the rain” and the laughter when we got inside.

I remember their dog “Muggins”. Not shall we say the brightest dog on the block. But that really isn’t his fault. You see there was this other dog next door that really was in fact, the “brightest dog on the block”. Maybe even the state. Yeah he was probably even smarter than Miki (just not greater! LOL). This is a dog so smart that you don’t just tell him to “go get a ball”. You tell him what color ball to bring… and he does! I only bring these two dogs up because we would play “fetch” with both of them at the same time. (Joel You are Going to Have to Help Me here: What was that other dog’s name???? Oh well, I’ll probably wake up at two in the morning screaming, “That’s it!”) Anyway, this other dog would run right beside Muggins and slowly push him sideways, away from the ball and… (There is no way you are going to believe this…) and… into a tree! While poor Muggins was trying to recover from running head first into a tree the other dog would then run off and get the ball first and bring it back! This happened more than just once so it wasn’t just a freak accident! (See, I said you that you wouldn’t believe me…)

I don’t know how many memories that brings us to, but again I ask: How can you pick just five? I have a better question though; what constitutes a “childhood memory? I mean, if I’m still acting childish then don’t my memories now count? At what point is a memory no longer a “child hood” memory. Here is an example: You have a bunch of High school kids shooting so many spitballs that the wall is literally covered with them…Then, you have all these high school kids crammed into this tiny little office to be chewed out by a teacher who was having a very, very difficult time keeping a straight face. I think he really wanted his scolding to sound much more severe but he couldn't do it without cracking up with laughter. We were High school “kids” not children, yet, we were certainly acting like children and it certainly is one of many of my favorite child hood memories.

1. I miss only having to worry about being home before dark.
2.I miss having all day to do whatever you want... and it still wasn't enough time
3. I miss being immortal (I didn't think I would live forever, I just didn't think I would die)
4.I miss having a future that included the possibility of growing up to be president or an astronaut or both!
5.I miss the Energy!

RV Park Today!

Well, its time for the next installment of “RV Park Today!” LOL. I had to work my three 12 hour days at Cardinal Glass so I haven’t had a lot to do with the work here at the house nor have I had the time or energy to give you the proper daily updates and pictures.

My poor parents who we’ve been doing all this for, have had to go days without pictures. When I talked to them the other night they seemed a bit… well… antsy. I of course, being the cruel natured beast that I am, have almost enjoyed playing out the suspense. Now, I bring at least some of that suspense to an end.
I have to apologize for the pictures. I had to enhance them digitally so that you would be able to see what was going on. I took the pictures at sunset. The light at that time can make for some wonderfully dramatic pictures, but not if what you are going for is detail.
In a lot of the pictures below you will notice Seth, a very nice young man who is a wonderful Christian and an extremely handy fellow to have around. The reason for more than a couple of the pics is for a certain, wonderfully sweet, young woman down in Australia that has captured his heart. (Sorry ladies, He’s taken.). She left a comment the other night so I thought I’d give her a few more pics.
After my afternoon with the excavator Seth came in the next day and leveled out a load of gravel and road base. Then, he dug four holes with a post-hole digger at a sideways slant. The holes were dug almost as deep as the diggers are long. At the top of the hole he placed square wooden frames and then poured five bags(!) worth of cement into each of the holes and frames. The effect of which is that the cement forms a sort of hourglass shape. Into the still liquid cement he placed a rebar loop. These then became anchors to hold the camper in place during some of the strong winds we can have here.
The next day Seth towed the camper into place. To tell you something of Seth’s character; when I got home, I asked him if the camper was straight and even with the garage next to it. Instantly, as if he knew the question was coming, he replied “to within a quarter of an inch”. I told him I couldn’t be any more demanding than that.
We are going to be placing some insulation and skirting around it and installing the proper power receptacle and then I believe we will be finished until my parents can arrive and make some decisions as to how they would maybe like to finish it out.

Today Deanna’s Aunt Carrie (aka “Doll”) has taken the kids to see the 4th of July Sesquicentennial Parade in Tomah. Because of her work schedule she couldn’t come to the fireworks last night and the kids sure missed her. So today she is taking them for a couple of hours. I hope they all have fun! Later on we should be heading over to Dea’s Aunt Marge and Uncle Lloyd’s place for a family 4th of July picnic. Otherwise I hope to just take it easy today, as technically this would be what you would call my “Sabbath”. With my work schedule, you take ‘em where you can get ‘em.
Numbers 6:24Will

deep hole with wooden frame around it.

That would be the handles to the post hole digger. Notice how deep the hole is. Remember that the holes were dug out at a slant in all directions to give it an hour glass shape

there is a surpising amount of work that goes into four little ol' cement pads.

The frame is set at level and then the excess cement scraped off.

Cement tie down and turn buckle attached to rebar loop

Seth did a nice job of leveling the area and blending it in with my driveway.

You can see how the blocks were laid out to the four corners of where the camper will sit.

Everything well planned out and working together.

cement tiedown, concret & wood blocks and turn-buckle make a secure foundation

With white lattice and screen skirting you can see how it will all look when we're done; Lord willing.

Seth's truck, the camper, my garage and house, and the sunset.

The basic setting. We will probably bring in some more dirt to give them a little more room in front of the trailer. We will wait and see. You can see the drop off though and how much we had to raise it to give a nice level platform.

Hydrant, Power box and Seth

This is a pic of the power box and hydrant. Its also a pic specifically "timed" for Seths "Woman down under" ;-)

Seth, still working hard as the sun goes down.

We barely had time to plug in the trailer when Gidget (a.k.a. "Stinky Petes") tried to move in!

Seth, one of his trucks and alot of cement! Notice one of the wooden frames for the top of the cement "tie downs"

Where in the world is Warrens?

Will has informed me that I am to tell everyone a little about our area. Where to find us. What we do for fun around here and all that jazz.
Warrens is a typical Midwestern town of about 250 people, when everyone is home. The whole town is 5 blocks by 5 blocks or so. We have an "all purpose" store which carries about everything that we fondly call the "Warrens Mall". We have a post office, a bank and a fire department. They are currently building 2 more businesses that will sell Amish goods and craft type country stuff. We have a brand new Wisconsin Cranberry Discovery Center that is a 1 million dollar project to which the Warrens Cranberry Festival contributed over $500,000. This center/museum is occupying a 100 year old building right in the center of Warrens.
We have 3 churches in Warrens that all work together quite well. In fact, when we decided to establish the Warrens Baptist church in it's 120 year old building again the Catholic Church is the one that donated the beautiful carved piano that I play every Sunday and have for 9 years. The church had been closed for 10 years or so when the congregation moved into a larger building.
Now we are there and find that many, many people like to come and visit because it is the church that they grew up in or went to earlier in life.
If you look at a map of Wisconsin you will see one large Interstate Hwy 90/94 going from the southern end of the state by Illinois towards Minnesota to the north and east. When you follow that north you will see that 90 and 94 divide. That is where Tomah is and we are 13 miles north of Tomah. Tomah is known for being the town where the "I" divides.
The areas to the north, west and south of Warrens are hilly, but directly east of here it starts to flatten out and is not so hilly. This is where the majority of the cranberry marshes are. Warrens is the Cranberry Capitol of Wisconsin. The remaining area is rolling hills dotted with white and black spotted Holstein dairy cows. This area remains very populated by dairy farms. We still have cheese making companies all over.
The area south of town still maintains a large Amish population. We are used to seeing Amish buggies all over, but they tend to fascinate visitors. Rightly so they are fun. You can buy handmade Amish goods: rugs, candy, furniture etc all year round. They also sell some great produce during the summer.
In between Tomah and Warrens is a Clydesdale farm. This farm has as a stallion one of the "Budweiser Clydesdales". You can always tell when spring has finally arrived. All the babies at that farm start showing up. Of course the "little" darlings weigh 150 lbs or so, but they sure are cute.
Will and I live north of Warrens in a rural setting, although it gets more crowded each year. On the opposite side of the road from our house is a large forest and the wild life is abundant. Deer are very curious so we have seen many tracks checking out the changes that are being made here in the yard. Although we have not seen any (Jessa has though) there have been many sightings of bears lately. We have many types of cranes around here " Sandhill" and "Whooping" are the most endangered and cause lots of tourists to come hoping to catch a "peek".
The Native American Culture is a large influence on our area also. Many towns, rivers and areas boast Hochunk, Ojibwe and Chippewa names (Although I've been led to understand that the Ojibwa and Chippewa are the same tribe.)
Green Bay Packer Football is a way of life here. There is a huge rivalry between the Vikings and the Pack. Believe me people chose sides here and make it plain who they like. I had to get used to Packer Green and Gold instead of Garnet and Gold for our much loved Florida State Seminoles.
We have a very low crime rate in comparison to other areas for the most part. We had a crime spree in the month of June, but it was directly related to the drug scene in Chicago and also to a mentally challenged man who went off the wall and killed his father. Other than that there is hardly ever hard crimes for a lack of a better way to put it. We have our share of motor vehicle accidents, drunk driving etc, but the headlines on our local paper tend to deal with the school board and local highway construction. We like it that way.
I like this "hometown feel" with evening baseball games, benefits for locals where we have pie auctions. On Memorial Day there is a service to honor the veterans at almost every local cemetery and then here in Warrens you go to the Lion's club for a BBQ chicken dinner. Almost every local restaurant has a Friday night fish fry. We get together the first Saturday night of each month for family night at our church and just eat, play board games and talk. We have regular bonfires and picnics all year round with sledding parties and Christmas Caroling in the snow.
When I was younger I had a chance at a recording career and I am so glad that I turned it down. I realized that I would rather be Betty Crocker than Loretta Lynn. Being in Warrens makes it much easier for me to be the wife and mother that I am striving to be. I've got a long way to go, but I'm working on it. I go to church to work on making the almost 500 pies we make for Cranfest and I think to myself....I don't know that I would rather be anywhere else on earth than right there right then. The small town slow paced life is what I crave and need.
Of course, it is not all great in some aspects. If you want to go to a restaurant besides McDonalds you need to travel 45 minutes for the most part. If you want to shop somewhere besides Walmart it's the same. The hospital that we choose to go to is 30 minutes away. Sometimes we wait for hours for the snow plow to clear our road. Sometimes our state bird "the mosquito" can get to be bothersome. Sometimes the small mindedness of small town people can exasperate you. Tradition sometimes becomes not a time honored treasure but a refusal to try something new, just because it is different. People that you have known all of your life suddenly die and the hole they leave in the community is never filled. Change happens everywhere, but sometimes I think that it is harder to deal with sometimes in a small town than it is in a large community where changes happen often.
Today is our 4th of July Fireworks display even though it is the 3rd. Our local Warrens Fire Department and the Tomah Fire Dept cover each other's areas while the other fire dept puts on their local fireworks so we switch the dates back and forth. This year we are on the 3rd and they are the 4th. It really is a great display with many, many fireworks. It usually lasts over 30 minutes, with a huge grand finally. The kids are so excited they cannot sit still. Tomorrow my family will have their annual 4th of July get together with lots of the smaller fireworks. I hear through the grapevine that we are having homemade icecream! Want some? I'll tell you what......If you ever come and visit I will make you some homemade icecream....your favorite flavor. Add that to Bratwurst and burgers and life is good.
I hope you all have a WONDERFUL safe and beautiful 4th of July. Praise the Lord that we live in a country such as ours. God Bless America.