It’s rainy and cold and thank goodness.....it will soon be time to go! LOL! Looking forward to starting our journey the end of the month. DH goes back to the dentist to get his permanent crowns on the 21st and I go back on the 28th. Hopefully, all will go well and we can hit the road soon after. The weather forecast is promising some warmer temps next week. I hope so, we have sat here a long time and we need to re-pack the basement and DH has all that tire checking and stuff to do.

The other evening I awoke to some strange and yet familiar sounds. It was the sounds of someone walking on our roof......I sat up and noticed DH was not in bed....looked at the clock and it was about 5:00 am and raining. Now, what on earth would cause DH to climb up onto our roof top at this hour of the day? I debated whether or not to get up and go out and check, but decided my bed was just to warm and cozy to get out of......instead I said a prayer, “Please don’t let DH fall off the roof”, and I rolled back over and went back to sleep. At a more respectable hour and after my morning cup o’coffee, I inquired of DH the reason for his early morning climb. Apparently, while having a touch of insomnia he remembered he left the vent cap off the pipe vent for the toilet. He had removed the vent cap to inspect the pipe when we were having our ‘clogged black tank’ issue. He said he was afraid water might penetrate the roof.....so.....up he went. Poor Baby! Don’t worry I take ‘goode’ care of my man. I made him some sugar free banana pudding and banana muffins yesterday....in my nice warm, dry kitchen....HE! HE!

Yesterday was a very interesting day. When DH awoke, he quickly determined that it was time to empty the black tank......well.....it would not empty. It seems we had a clog somewhere. This is not a “Goode” thing. You see, here at the river, we are actually down hill and a fair distance from the sewer drop. We use a macerater to pump the black tank contents to the sewer drop. DH tried everything he knew to do to get the clog to budge.....including using a hose run down into the toilet....you can imagine what came up into the toilet bowl during this process......“Icky doodle!” Finally he decided he needed to go into town and get one of those goobers that plumbers use to unclog things....a snake.....meanwhile......I’m stuck using the ‘outhouse’ , but I’m not complaining.....it beats the heck out of a ‘tree in the woods’.

DH returns with a longer hose and the plumber’s snake and once again begins the process of trying to unclog our toilet. Just when we think it is never going to break loose......swish.....down it goes. DH immediately goes outside and turns on the pump and away all the nasty stuff goes......thank the “potty” gods for that one!

I did have some excitement while DH was away.......two beautiful “Boxers” (doggies) came running down our lane. They both stopped and looked surprised when they saw our fifth wheel. It was obvious to me that these two were lost. I went out and was greeted by wagging tails and kisses. I noticed they had tags and that the owner’s name, address, and phone was listed. It took some doing, but I finally convince the pups to go into our X-pen. Once they were secured, I went inside to call the owner. Now, by this time, I’m out of breath....so I’m breathing pretty hard.....the owner answers....“Hello” and I say, “Is this Josh” and he says, “YEs” and I say, “I have your boxers”........Now, what do you think he is thinking.......“You have my what?”, he says.....I quickly add, “your dogs”. I don’t think he believed me....he was at work and told me he would check with his girlfriend (who was at home) and call me back. Sure enough, girlfriend was out looking for the dogs......at this point he is very grateful that I have his “boxers”.....HE, HE. He sends girlfriend to collect the boxers and we all had a good laugh.......and the boxers are now safe, at home where they belong........Just another day in paradise......LOL!

Day of the Dentist.....here is how my sedation went....I was sent home with 3 prescriptions. I was to take the first pill the night before my appointment. It was supposed to help me get a good night’s sleep. NOT! I tossed and turned all night. We arrived at the dental office at 8 am sharp. They took me back and put me in.....’The Chair’. It was a very comfortable chair with a big, thick memory foam cushion. The lights were turned down low and soft music played in the background. Sounds nice...right? Next came the remainder of my medication. The technician ground the pills and added some type of a syrup to the mix. This mixture was then placed under my tongue to dissolve. The first sensation I had was one of being cold....my teeth actually started to chatter. The Tech told me that was normal and covered me with a blanket. It seemed to take forever, but I finally drifted off to sleep. Ok, this is all good. I’m thinking, ‘Beam me up Scotty’ and wake me when it is over. HA! Next thing I know a masked man (aka my dentist) is tapping me on the shoulder telling me they are ready to begin. He then proceeded to numb my mouth with about 6 or 7 shots of Novocain. Man, that hurt....to the point that tears ran down my face. Then the drilling began.....and although it didn’t hurt......it went on forever. Just when I though it was over, the dentist merely switched sides and started drilling all over again. This time it did hurt.....the Novocain had apparently worn off on that side of my mouth. So once again, out came the Novocain and that same old burning pain. Finally the hygienist came in to do her thing.....she and the tech had a discussion as to why she was not allowed to do her thing first.....I’m thinking, jeez who cares, just do your thing so I can go home. These two try to drown me, I had to sit up twice and cough up the rinse water. They keep telling me to breath through my nose. Yeah, I get that....easier said then done. Finally it is over and they load me up into a wheel chair and take me to DH. DH takes me home and takes very good care of me. Then the numbness starts to wear off....my teeth and gums are very sore and tender. In fact, although much improved, they are still sore today. I just can’t wait to go back and have my permanent crowns installed....LOL!

My opinion on sedation dentistry.....it sucks! Yeah, I was relaxed......I guess.....But I still had pain and discomfort during the procedure and I was aware of everything. The tech told me I wouldn’t remember anything the next day......wrong! It is 3 days later and I still remember every painful moment. Quite frankly, I think drinking a six pack before the dentist would be a better solution and a whole lot cheaper!

The bottom line is I’m just gonna have to ‘put on my big girl panties’ and suck it up! After all, I have survived stitches, broken bones, surgeries, and childbirth...... I can do this......well.....maybe.....

Gotta make this short.....DH is cooking up biscuits and sausage gravy this am.....mmmm! Just wanted to let you all know I survived the dentist....I'll tell you all about in the next post.....Sedation Dentistry.....I was not impressed!

It seems the monsoon season is upon us once again. The weather man is forecasting rain, rain, and more rain for the upcoming week.....along with cooler temps. I don’t mind the cool fall air, but I could do without all the wet! I was awakened early this AM by the sound of yet another branch hitting our roof. Thankfully most of the ‘falling branches’ are small, but they sound hugh from inside the fiver. Sometimes I think the squirrels are up there sawing them off......(when their not throwing acorns at us).....we have quite a playful and energetic group of the little critters here along the river. We are also seeing the deer almost everyday now.....such beautiful, sweet and gentle creatures.......God did good!

Just sitting here, in my easy chair, sipping coffee, and thinking about the day ahead. The ‘stick house’ awaits......but DH and I now see a rather large bright light at the end of the tunnel. The other day I actually ran into the daughter of an old friend who was interested in seeing our house. She came by and took the tour yesterday. We think she liked it.......wether she buys or not, it made it ‘official’ the house is ‘For Sale’! Yeah, we still are doing a few little projects.....but overall the house is looking great and ready for the buyers......oh, I’m expecting many buyers.....multiple offers......maybe even a bidding war.......nothing wrong with dreaming big ya know.......ask my DH, I have always been a bit of a dreamer..... My favorite line is “I’ve been think-in” and DH’s response, after he rolls his eyes and moans, “Here we go again”.......He just loves me! (and according to him, he just has too!)

Well, you know what they say.....“the best laid plans of mice and men”.....looks like I will be having some of my dental work done sooner rather than later. I picked up DH from the dentist yesterday and all had went well. The receptionist then managed to convince me that I needed to have at least some of my dental work done. So, long story short, I’m going under the drill October 7. It is not at all what I had planned, but it is also somewhat of a relief to have the appointment made. Are we paying too much for all this dental work? Yes, I’m pretty sure we could find someone else that would do the job for a little less. Several of you suggested we have the work done in Algadones, but neither one of us feel very comfortable with that idea.....fear of the unknown I guess.

Ok, so enough of the dental saga, today is a cool and crisp fall day. The leaves are starting to change into those beautiful brilliant reds, yellows, and orange. I just love this time of year. October is my absolute favorite month of the year....my favorite holiday is Halloween. Once upon a time, I used to actually lead tours through a ‘haunted mansion’. I had a blast! Grown men and women would cling to my robe, begging me to save them from the goblins and spooks that prowled those halls. I think the ‘mansion’ was actually haunted. Strange things always happened there. It was formally a nursing home and it was hugh.....it even had it’s own on site morgue down in the basement. It was quite an undertaking every year for all the rooms to be decorated and ‘spooked’. One of my favorite areas was in the basement. We actually made a swap done there. It was complete with water and a long wooden bridge and of course lots of spooky, creepy, crawlies. I loved that place and I sure do miss it. It has been retired due to a problem with---bats--yeah, the bats took over the attic and the droppings carry disease. It was going to cost to much to clean it up so the haunted mansion’s doors are closed forever.....more.....

Thanks to you all for your comments and concerns over our dental bill. One thing I didn’t add is that I am absolutely phobic when it comes to going to the dentist. I need to be sedated........no, I’m not kidding. My mom took me to what she thought was a very good children’s dentist. Unfortunately, he was an absolute menace. I still hear ‘horror’ stories from other kids, who like me, sat in his chair of terror! I was actually one of the lucky ones, as he never actually struck me. He always raised his hand to strike and yelled constantly, but he never hit me. I finally graduated from his dental chair to my mom’s ‘grown up ‘ dentist. He was not much better. He convinced my mom that he could handle the braces I needed on my upper teeth. I didn’t know then, but he had no clue what he was doing. He practically sat in my lap when he was installing them and then he always overtighted them. I was in so much pain after every visit.......and in the end he removed them to soon and my teeth moved back into the same position that had always been in. All that torture for nothing! Lastly, I’m difficult to numb. The Novocain always seems to wear off half way through the procedure. I’m just a mess! Bottom line is, DH is moving forward and having his work done....today.....right now as I type. Me, I’m waiting.......need to recover from his bill and then I’m going to talk to at least one more dentist before I go under the drill....LOL......thanks again for your comments and advice.....I’ll keep you updated on the dental saga as it continues to unfold........