September Comes to an End.

By the middle of September it looked like I should be in Gatesville the 6th or 7th of October. Randy planned on coming by to hitch me up Sunday afternoon Oct 3 or after work Monday the 4th. I try desperately not to travel on weekends and if I head out too late, I run into the problem of the RV spaces being taken up with hunters. So the first of October seems like a good time to move. The temps were definitely getting cooler and the cooler mornings made excellent sleeping weather but also means it is time to head south.

It’s time to start sorting out, tossing out, packing up and getting ready to hitch up. This has to be the worse part of RVing, made worse by the fact that I'm a pack rat and I've been in one place since the end of May!

On Thursday, Sept 16, I went to the local college for the senior luncheon series. Wish I had known of that sooner! What a delightful event. Nice lunch and interesting speaker. Will definitely have to check into those earlier next summer! After seeing their adult series catalogue, there are several classes and sessions that sound quite interesting.

Friday the 17th I celebrated Constitution Day at That Place in Conrad pigging out on their prime rib – unbelievable! It was great spending time with Kathy & Jim – always enjoy their company and never seem to see them often enough.

The wheel turns, seasons pass and pass again, the circle stays unbroken. Bright Blessings for the Autumnal Equinox, September 22nd. My sister is the one to remember all of the holidays. She had an Autumnal equinox gift for me – festive fall pot holder and pot scrubber and some great candy!

Met Ingrid, Judi, and Sherri for lunch. Not quite knowing what was available as far as cafes/restaurants, we met at the McDonald’s parking lot at the I-80 exit at Williamsburg. We tried to find a 'happy medium' between Sherri in Des Moines and Judi in the Quad Cities. Decided on the restaurant across the highway. Got there at 12:30 and finally decided we needed to leave just before 5 PM! I laughed so hard my cheeks and jaw ached! Judi is funny as can be! I couldn't get over the fact that, with the exception of Ingrid and I, we really didn’t ‘hang together’ much in high school. We have all had a whole bunch of stumbling blocks along the way and we all landed on our feet! Now I can't wait to get back here next summer so we can meet more often!

Prior to leaving town, I emailed my sister with my route and expected time of retur. About the time I was leaving the restaurant, she called to see where I was (of course, I hadn’t told her I’d still be there at 5PM!) She called again about the time I was pulling into my drive. I'm soooo glad I'm here for her so she can have something to worry about!

I really need to find more time for days like this! I'll be back just before Memorial Day next year -- that gives us June, July, August, AND September! Gotta plan on more than one of these! And while making plans for next summer, I didn’t make it to the Bridges of Madison County and still haven’t taken a trip down the White Post Road. Next summer!

I became quite a coupon clipper. Coupon for $3.99 broasted chicken dinner at Haley's Deli is always a ‘clipper!’ And the weekly meat specials at Fareway’s meat market are also keeper coupons.

Little odds and ends of job get done when packing up. As I picked up my Trailer Cash bank, and the bottom fell out and coins went all over, decided it was time to roll them and cash them in. $35 in nickels, dimes and pennies. Then, after I get them rolled, I find that the bank just unrolls them to count them with their magic coin counter! I’ll remember that the next time!

Finally the shepherd hooks came down, potted plants dumped or trimmed back to save and transport and the little wren house cleaned out. I sure did enjoy my wrens. Need to get a taller hook for next year so I can see them from my window without have to stand up and look down to see them! The hooks were dumped at Bea’s house for her to store so I don’t have to cart them back and forth. They only get used in Iowa.

As September wound down and October was rapidly catching up, a professional garbage hauler was becoming a necessity! One of the tote boxes from the truck was nearly full of water so a whole bunch of unnecessary stuff had to be tossed out -- obviously didn't need the stuff anyway since I didn't know what was in there. The trash bags are accumulating both for the dumpster and for Good Will!