Cotton Hill (COE) - 12/28/20 - 12/31/20 (#2)

2nd trip under our belt(s). This time it was to Cotton Hill CG in Fort Gaines, GA (on AL/GA border) - about 2 hours from the farm. Our first time at a COE (Corp of Engineer) park. Almost all are on some type of water (river, lake, etc) & very affordable.

We spent Christmas Eve w/the In-Laws (including our BIL from ATL). Then had Christmas w/my family at my niece's house. Drove to the farm on Christmas night (freezing cold for the next 2 days). We prepared the camper the next couple of days & headed to camp on Monday the 28th. Weather improved to very tolerable, warm temps. 

Campsite #15 (FHU) which was listed as an extreme angle on the driveway, down to flat level pad. They weren't kidding when they listed as extreme. Got in w/just a little scrape on the back passenger side stabilizer bar. Other campers came in the next day & couldn't maneuver their rigs to get in the 2 vacant spots next to ours & had to move to alternate sites.

Took our time setting up w/o any issues. The site was on the water (Walter F. George Lake) huge & very private. 

Driveway was much steeper than it looks here.

A friend that I 'met' on a FB RV Campsite review page was also there a few sites away. After we got set up we went over to say hello & actually 'meet' before they left the next day.

We brought firewood as well as fat lighter & fire starters this time. Absolutely no issue with starting our fire each evening around 4:00p.

Just one angle of our 'back yard'

The next day we took a walk around whole CG. I think there are 90+ sites. Fished a little & basically just relaxed. Which btw, Greg is having a hard time doing. He's so used to going full speed ahead that it will take some time for him to get in camping speed, but he'll get there.

We walked the nature trail (about 1.5 miles) the next morning. 

Just hanging out in the woods.

Then went for a drive around Fort Gaines. Drove through George T. Bagby SP where we saw a family of deer. 

Turned down one road to see the Dam & found ourselves in AL. Dam was closed so we decided to drive over to  Kolomoki Mounds State Park (will stay there in the future). Then headed over to Bluffton, GA. Interesting history of the town. Went to White Oak Pastures General Store to get lunch (grassfed burger).

On the way home we saw a sign for a Pioneer Village. Never found the village but saw this barn quilt on the end of a house. I hope to paint a few of these for our farm buildings.

Got back to camp just in time to start the last fire of the trip & got this pic of Nelly contemplating whether or not she likes camping.

Met a few of the other campers when Greg saw they were having trouble starting their fires. He gave them each some fat lighter & a couple of my homemade fire starters.

Overall, we loved this CG! So much quieter than Ocmulgee. Will definitely be back. Here are a few additional random pics (Note: all taken directly from our campsite):

Just a lady taking her cat for a stroll.

Close up of new header pic

Additional Notes: Three nights - good.Very quiet, beautiful sunsets, warm (always keep a pair of shorts & flip flops on hand), Janine (Rick) / FB; NY Couple (FT for 4 years) & Vicki & Kathryn (alternative lifestyle couple). Campers love dogs!

Our First Camping Trip - Little Ocmulgee (11/27/20 - 11/29/20)

We purchased our camper (Flagstaff 25BDS) in July 2020 and spent the next few months 'outfitting' it. New tires, shelf paper, sheets, towels, dishes, utensils, hanging racks, etc. It's approx. 26' with Murphy Bed, dinette, decent sized kitchen & decent size bathroom & couch when Murphy Bed up. Lots of storage in general, but no overhead in kitchen. Just going to take some getting used to. 

We decided on Little Ocmulgee SP for our first trip. It was sort of a halfway point from FL --> GA, where we want to store it.

Arrived on Friday, after Thanksgiving. Back-in site #6, FHU. It was a bit unlevel & was our first time setting up. But, we got it done. Went for a short walk around the campground w/Nelly.

After dark, we walked around looking at the Christmas display they had set up just a short walk away.

There were a few others doing the same.

There were many families & lots of kids. Since we were near the entrance there was lots of traffic ... vehicles, foot & bike. It quieted down later in the evening.

They had cable hookup so we watched a little TV & called it a night. Woke up the next morning to rain. Went to turn on TV to see weather & coulnd't find the remote ANYWHERE. Finally decided it had fallen down a crevice when we put Murphy Bed up. Put bed back down & still couldn't find it. Had to empty an outside storage compartment & remove a couple of panels to get it. Note to self, always know where the remote is before making bed.

It cleared up fairly early on Sat. so we went for a hike on the nature trail. Beautiful, wore a flannel shirt over my tee-shirt but had to take it off about 1/2 way during the 2 mile hike. Also walked down to take a look at the dam & passed by 8 or 10 cabins right on the lake. All looked well kept & nice & large.

Later in the afternoon, took Nelly out for a more thorough walk around campground, to scope out any future sites.

We had not brought any firewood with us but a nice gentleman we met while checking in offered what they had leftover since they were leaving that day. We hadn't brought any kindling or fat lighter either & the wood was wet so Greg chopped one of the logs into smaller pieces but was still having a hard time lighting it. He had some 2 in 1 oil (I think that's what it's called), that helped a little bit. Then he had the idea to get the bacon grease we had leftover from breakfast. Wiped out the container with a paper towel & viola ... fire! 

We didn't burn all the wood we had been given so we 'gave it forward' to one of the other campers.

We left on Sunday morning to yet more drizzle. Got everything packed up to head to the farm. Since we had full hookup we were able to dump before we left. Got to the farm, got it situated & left to go back home to FL.

Overall, it was a great first trip but realized 2 nights is probably not enough to fully enjoy.

Additional notes ... Maverick across the way, lots of traffic that didn't seem to belong to the campgound & Cheech & Chong somewhere in the park.

2020 Update

No post from me in 2020. Don't want to re-hash that year but I do want to document/update from when I last posted in 12/2019. Sorry it's a long one, that's what happens when you only update once a year (that's going to change this year though!)

My last line from that post ...

"And here's to hoping that 2020 will be better than 2019."

Little did I know what would happen. Things were okay for us on a personal level. I had a new reason not to go shopping (I don't like to shop), I already had in stock, many of the things that got bought up, so didn't have to go out & about any more than I needed to. And, I actually enjoy staying home, so I did, for the most part.

Greg's business was condered essential, why, I don't know. He sells & services commercial lawn equipment. Don't ask me why the government thought that it would be essential to keep lawns manicured. He stayed open & thank goodness, no medical casualties for him, his employees or many of his customers. Unlike many others, his business actually thrived & on the financial front we were ok. He actually never opened on weekends during the summer like he would have in years past, so that gave us more free time than normal for that time of the year.

We came & went to the country house every other weekend & maintained distances. Not hard to do up there. A couple of weddings were cancelled & funerals were kept to graveside services. Speaking of funerals, one was an elderly aunt w/renal failure & the other a younger relative (Mom's side of the family) that had gotten in an accident & died from complications later. The medical authorities tried to classify both as Covid even though they weren't. I was told that the hospitals receive extra "pandemic" dollars if they were classified as such. Not right, in my opinion, but gotta keep those numbers up in order to keep the money coming in.

My sister, a hairdresser, did develop Covid but thank goodness it was a mild case & she recovered. She actually got it from a customer who also recovered & no other customers got it. She & her husband quarantined & she did what the Dr. told her & she's now fine, just a bit of lingering tiredness. My niece who is an RN in a hospital has been unaffected thus far. She actually changed jobs to work in the surgery ward so that keeps her away from the 'general' patients.

My brother-in-law drives a truck for a grocery chain & niece's husband works for a HVAC/Fire Security company & both their jobs were essential. So the family fared ok as well.

My FIL was still in LTC w/MIL staying w/him. She actually got clearance to stay & come & go like an Employee. I believe this was due to the fact that she did many of the things for FIL, like getting his teeth & hair brushed, face washed, etc. that freed up the nursing staff to spend that time with other patients.

However, FIL kicked her out of the facility in April, due to his worrying about Covid spreading in so many LTC facilities. She didn't like it but home she went, to the new house that she had never stayed in. Rough situation for her but we felt it was also the right decision. I went to the store & got her stocked up on essentials that could last her for a couple of months, so she wouldn't have to go out & about. 

In the meantime, we were already working on getting FIL out of the facility. That took the next couple of months, getting everything ready ... daily medical care, supplies, wheelchair, hoyer lift, etc.

He came home in June of 2020. Rough couple of months. But, by around Sept., they had found the right care giver (after going through 5 or 6 (FIL isn't the easiest person to get along with)). She is actually helping him more than any of the staff at the facility & he has improved a great deal. Even w/o the use of his left arm he can assist in getting in & out of bed w/o a lift & can stand/walk/shuffle with assistance. He still needs help with personal care & therapy but it's a whole lot better than it was June, July & August.

MIL continues to decline. Like FIL, her mind is all there but her movements, hearing, eyesight, etc. is rapidly declining. Much of it is due to the stress/demands that FIL puts on her. They've been married 65 years & he's pretty much always been like that. Nothing we can do to change that.

In the midst of everything, Greg was in the process of trying to complete the sell of his business. It got delayed several times over the summer & we were beginning to think that it never would happen. But .....

HE CLOSED THE SALE ON 12/31/20!!!!!!

He has to train the new owners for 30 days & after that he will be fully RETIRED on 2/13/21. It will most likely be quite the adjustment for us(me) but I think we are up to the challenge.

In preparation for full retirement (for us both) we purchased a 25' camper to do a little bit of travel for the next couple of years. We haven't been on a real vacation since 2011 & with Nelly (our pup), we figured it would be easier.

This is where I will document those travels so that's why I will hopefully be posting much more this year.

Whew, I'm done for now. Bring on 2021!

2019 - Not a good year

Last posted in February. Planted pecan trees & was looking forward to being able to spend the spring in GA. That didn't happen. Here's a recount of the last 10 months.

On March 3rd my 89 year old FIL fell while working in the yard. He suffered a spinal cord injury. It didn't sever but it was bruised, still very serious. He underwent surgery to stabilize the spinal cord so he would have no further damage. He has had several major surgeries over the years & has a very long recovery from anesthesia. This time was no exception.

He spent 6 weeks in ICU, lost a boat load of muscle mass which made (& continues to make) rehabilitation difficult. Then moved to a very intense Rehab hospital that specializes in spinal cord injuries. He spent 6 weeks there but he wasn't in the best frame of mind & didn't cooperate fully so didn't get the full advantage they had to offer. Plus, there were a few medical setbacks he endured as well. He was then moved to a regular rehab facility where he spent 4 months hoping to get well enough to go home. But, therapy was not intensive enough to help & he just kept getting weaker. He has now been moved to a LTC area of the same facility.

He can move his legs but can't stand, he has no use of his left arm or hand. He can move his right hand & can brush his teeth (if you put the brush in his hand) & can somewhat feed himself, if the plate/bowl is placed just right. You have to have 2 people (therapist) lift him using a Hoyer lift in order to get him out of bed into a wheel chair. He isn't able to assist, so he's basically dead weight when moving from one spot to the other.

He was working in the yard in preparation to sell their current home, because they were in the midst of buying a home in a retirement community. MIL decided to go ahead with purchase since the new house was equipped to handle a handicap situation. Greg & I basically remodeled the new house (new kitchen, new flooring, painted, etc.) in anticipation that he would eventually be able to come home. All is done except the bathrooms.

In the meantime, still hoping he would be released, we packed up their current home & moved 85 year old MIL into the new house (figuratively speaking since she isn't living there. Instead she is staying at the LTC facility, sleeping on a cot). She goes there to do laundry once or twice a week.

It gets worse ... My SIL came down from Atlanta several times to help pack up 35+ years of their 'stuff'. During this time, she discovered she had a leaking heart valve. In September she decided to go ahead & have surgery to repair. She had been home about 3 weeks & wasn't progressing as fast as all had hoped. On Oct. 20th she started having trouble breathing & before they could get her to the hospital she developed a blood clot & died. She was 61.

Her funeral was in S. GA & FIL was determined to attend the funeral. We arranged medical transport for him to get to there. It was a lovely but very sad service. FIL spoke from his wheelchair about how much he loved his daughter & wished it was him instead of her.

FIL still thinks he will go home even though he can't lift his head, roll over in bed or sit on his own, much less stand. He has to be lifted by staff to a wheelchair & back to bed after only a few hours. He has run out of Medicare to pay for therapy & refuses to private pay. He thinks that he can do the exercises on his own... he can't. We have filed for Medicaid in order to help defer living costs.

We made it through Thanksgiving. BIL came down & we got medical transport for FIL to come to the new house for dinner. We thought that might be incentive for him to start paying for therapy in hopes that he could eventually go home. But he is still insisting he can get better on his own.

He has weights & balls & bands to use to try to keep his strength in his right hand. MIL tries to help him each day but he isn't working as hard/long without therapy as he thinks he is. He really wants to stand & walk again (that's a good goal) but we keep telling him that he has to be able to roll over, sit & be able to pivot to a chair, basically on his own first. It just isn't sinking in.

The good news ... his vitals are all good & his mind is sharp as a tack.

The bad news ... his mind is sharp as a tack. He is very insistent with each idea that comes to mind. His latest ... bring sit down bicycle from home, to the facility. He thinks a CNA can get him from bed to bicycle & he can do his own exercises. The problems ... 1.) CNA's aren't qualified to transfer him to any sort of exercise equipment, only therapists can do that & guess what, he isn't willing to pay for them to do anything.  2.) The facility isn't going to allow him to bring his own equipment from home. In the meantime, he is getting more frail each time we visit.

Of course, the once healthy MIL is beginning to have issues of her own so we're keeping a close eye on her.

Just taking it day by day. We are planning on going to the country this weekend then come back to spend Christmas Eve with the in-laws & then Christmas Day with my family & then back to GA for a few more days. We have several projects that we began at the end of 2018 that we hope to finish or at least make some progress on.

Hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas & Happy New Year. And here's to hoping that 2020 will be better than 2019.

The Right Tool

We ordered 20 pecan trees which were ready last week. Greg picked them up from Blackshear, Georgia to get them so we could take them to the Country House and get them in the ground over the weekend.

There are many varieties of Pecans but the person we bought from suggested the newer Excel variety because of their disease resistance & the fact that they made a good shade tree as well as a good sized nut. He has over 3000 trees that he makes a living from. Excels don't produce as heavily as some of the others but we mainly wanted them for shade on the property.

Doesn't look like much now. This a bundle of 5.

Our plan was to get as many of them in the ground on Saturday (1/26/19), as we could. We were originally going to use the hand held auger we own. We have a 10" & 12" bit for it.

We've used it for many projects & know that it works well in our hard clay, but also know that it can wear you out after just a few holes. So, we asked one of my cousins to come help.

Instead of the hand held auger, he suggested he borrow his Dad's tractor & use my Dad's auger bit which is 20". Much better.

While they were getting the tractor ready I walked the property to place flags where the trees were to be planted. If it wasn't in a place as a standalone tree we made sure to place them at least 50' apart to give them plenty of room to spread out.

Here's a few pics of the nanoseconds it took to dig the holes.

They got started around 11:00a & finished at 3:00! Woo Hoo. That sure wouldn't have happened with the hand held!

It was my job (& my cousins 10 year old son) to build the berms around each one. Sounds easy but it wasn't! As they placed the trees in the hold & filled it & packed it well, the leftover clay was quite hard & packed down around the tree. Some were easier than others but I don't want to 'work' another shovel for a while.

I then set up my watering system in order to give them a good drink before the end of the day.

On Sunday, Greg cut the tops as we had been instructed to do (ouch, that hurt to watch), put mulch in the berms (away from the trunks), gave them another good drink of water & placed 'sleeves' around the bottoms.

Looks kind of bare to me.

In the near future we will stake them to help keep them from blowing around too much. 

In the meantime we picked the last of the oranges. They are hard to peel but the juice is great.

We are expecting rain there this week & Greg will head back up this coming weekend to make sure all is well & give them another good drink.

I think we are done planting trees for a while. Just need to sit back & watch them grow. Fingers, toes, legs, eyes & knees crossed ...

Headed to my yearly Featherweight Quilt Retreat tomorrow .... Scrappy is the theme for this year.

The Wedding

And, just like that ... she's married.

Donut Wall

It was a beautiful venue, ceremony & reception. And, of course a lovely couple too. They are home from the honeymoon & settling in to a new life. I couldn't be more proud.

The Wedding Gift

My niece is getting married tomorrow. Here is the quilt I made as a wedding present for them. It was a kit I purchased a couple of years ago - Garden Charm. My first attempt at applique which wasn't an easy feat because of my wrist issues but I modified a bit & viola, I did it! I think I've finally graduated from Novice quilt maker to maybe Intermediate?

Queen Size but still couldn't get it all in the pic.

Closeup of center

Complete w/label.

It's doesn't match any decor she has decided to use and ironically the backing is actually a better fit. They are going to be living in a small one bedroom tiny house (my Mom's) & already has her white comforter set. She will undoubtedly store it at my sisters. I hope when they build a house she will find a use for it.

I also made a pillow topper, made w/leftover fabric, but it is waaaay to busy to be used w/the quilt.

I will finish this & use it on the island at the Barn Apartment & will make her another that is more toned down.

We've got a wedding to attend!