The World is Really a Small Place

How many times in your life have you uttered the words "It's a small small world"?  Let me tell you something, in the last year I have said it many many times and each time I get goosebumps. It amazes me so much that with a world population of 7,000,000,000 we continue to 'bump' into people with some form of connection to us, our life.

It's a small world after all.....

We are all but dots on one part of the hemisphere, yet we can travel to another country, pull our fifth wheel into an rv resort which we have never before entered, walk around the park and find someone from our own city, who just happened to be there the exact same week as us.

Earlier in February of this year, Bill and I volunteered to help out at the London RV show, as CanAm friends. The staff are great and treat us very well. We found ourselves posted in a brand new 2014 Prime Time Crusader fifth wheel. Aha! Something we could talk about with a bit of expertise since we had previously owned a fifth wheel Cougar and currently sport our Jayco Designer fiver. It was an enjoyable couple of days and so easy to talk to people about our experiences, people who have never owned a trailer before. However, on the flip side, we met a lot of seasoned campers with stories of their own.

Prime Time Crusader

We mentioned a couple from our London neighborhood who had never camped before but bought a new truck, a new 40' fifth wheel toy hauler, sold their house and left in October 2013, full-timing. We regretted not having exchanged names and contact information while shopping their "Last Call Garage Sale" because this would have been a great learning experience for us, to follow them on their first journey south. Lo and behold, someone who stopped to chat, soon filled in the blanks. Not only did they know the couple, the two men worked together at the London city bus lines. Goosebumps.

When you consider that Canada and the U.S. alone total over 358,000,000 inhabitants, this is astounding and a wee bit freaky!

Site #10

Last weekend, we loaded up our fiver after a crazy hectic work week. The weather was so fine that we didn't want to miss a great opportunity to visit our home park, Rock Glen in Arkona. We really needed to chill out and relax!




We arrived Friday night around 5:30, just a short hour jaunt from home. By the time we got set up beside George and Suzie, full-timer friends of ours, (that was no surprise, we knew they were there) we were introduced to Rob, Pat and Lady Girl who were parked behind us on the bend. 

Before we retired for the night, I noticed that their licence plate read a surname that I recognized. Not a popular name in our area but one we definitely were familiar with. So, the next day at happy hour, I asked Rob where they were from and if they knew my former brother-in-law with the same name who passed away in 2002. Mind you, we'd never met these folks before. How strange and cool it was that not only did they know him, but their sons played hockey together!

I had to call my sister and get an update on a few of the family members so I could stretch the conversation out a bit further. They live in Durham, which is where my sister now has property with her husband and where Bill and I will be calling our summer home, once we join the full time world. What are the chances? Twilight Zone? Dodododo.

Lady Girl  making full use of the chair provided

Today at work, we had a group from Mark's Work Warehouse come in for our staff, custodians, electricians, painters, maintenance and warehouse, to choose their allotment of uniforms for the upcoming year. Our Board provides us with this service and so we gladly take advantage of this clothing opportunity. A chit chat ensues, just out of the blue I mention to one of the gals that we will be retiring in a couple of years, selling everything and going full time. This always intrigues our friends and co-workers. This lady, whom I never met before, had helped me choose my safety shoes earlier. Sweet little black and pink high tops! Very nice person to talk to.

When Bill went to choose his pants and shirts, he continued on the conversation with her. He took it a step further and mentioned the blog we follow of George and Suzie,  http://geosuzie.blogspot.ca. She wasn't familiar with this blog, but said she was familiar with Plattsville as well, and asked what was George's last name. Here is where it gets silly.  She knew the restaurant that George owned and operated, and not only knew George and Suzie, she attended their wedding!!

1993

2014

Okay now THAT is unbelievable! I rushed back to get her name because the coincidences were just sending my brain in a tizzy. Her name is Jane, and without invading her privacy, I will trust that George and Suzie will know exactly who I mean. They have bought a truck, sold their home 9 days after their last child got married and bought a condo and a fifth wheel trailer, Their plans are not to full time, as of yet, but the pure joy in her face that she no longer had to look after a 5 bedroom home,  pool and yard was fun to watch. We exchanged pleasantries as I left with a promise to meet again next year for our next order, both of us shaking our heads in disbelief at the "small small world". 

I know this happens to everyone, A L L the time, and we are no exception, but I just wanted to share a few of our connections that have taken place over a very short time. My last blog was about turning 60, well this is one of the cool things about our life as we grow older. we appreciate the small things, yet in a world as large as ours, these things aren't really that small after all.

Enjoy your coincidences, your goose bumps!

Thank you for taking the time to read along.

60 Sixty Sesenta Soixante or 10 x 6

It all boils down to the same thing. No matter in what language you say it. It's a milestone and I'm on top of it. Not going to shy away, I'm going to welcome it with open arms. After all, it beats the alternative!

So, on Sat. Sept. 20th we opened up our home to close friends and family to help me celebrate. They came, they ate, they drank but most of all, they MADE MY BIRTHDAY a very special day.

Barely running around, here I am in 1955 with my BIG brother Bruce and my very first doll, Susie.

Probably 6 years old here on the Mt. Brydges farm

A special day in my life. It took me three tries but I found my numero Uno!

Clemson, looking adorable for the camera. Another special find in my life.

Life goes on, we play, we work, we travel, we love and then we love to travel etc. etc. 

And the day comes when we wake up and realize that we are our parents' age. It doesn't feel like 60 years has passed because I don't feel much different. When I realize that I have worked at my job for over 31 years, I have to shake my head because it has gone by, really, in a blink.

Thank you for sharing my life with me. Whoever you are, you make a difference.

Life is good, no matter what age.

Thanks for dropping in, it's wonderful to see you!

Intense Heat and Humidity Relief - for us ladies

There comes a time when no matter how ladylike we try to be, there comes a time to speak the truth!

This isn't a normal blog post. It might be embarrassing to some, outlandish to others but I sincerely hope it hits a funny bone in you at some point.

Most mornings when I get up, usually bright and early, I am well rested. No matter if it is the week day when I'm working or if it is the weekend when I'm not. I am an early to bed and early to rise person. Bill stays up later, doesn't require as much sleep and rises early as well, so we make a great team.

No need to tiptoe around in the morning, within the hour of his arising, I stretch, squirm, roll over, yawn and get up also. The mornings are nice, I like 'em.

I also like......er, love summer and the heat. So while a lot of people are grumbling about the sweltering heat and humidity we are experiencing here in London this week, I don't utter a word of complaint. I know what the alternative is and I don't want to hear about it, talk about it nor experience it any sooner than I have to! Bill and I do not tend to put our air conditioner on in the house, in the trailer too often. We have a lot of rotating fans and ceiling fans in our home and I have them running most of the time to circulate the air. It usually does the trick. Plus we save a heap on our hydro bill.

This week, however, my sleep has been interrupted. I find myself having silly fitful dreams and waking up three and four times through the night to thrash about in the sheets. No, this isn't pleasure, trust me, Bill is still sound asleep. I'm hot so the sheet gets pushed down, then I get a chill from the ceiling fan which I can't sleep without, up and down with the sheet, tossing and turning from side to back to other side to stomach. LOL, I just want to sleep!

On top of that I notice that my breathing has appeared labored these last few days. I'm trying to reach that wonderful 'full of relief' yawn.......and can't reach it. I want to take a nice refreshing deep breath and there is no satisfaction. Finally it has dawned on me. It's the humidity! So it is affecting me after all and I'm getting really close to complaining.

You know how you feel when you come home from work after wearing shoes and socks or tight fitting sandals all day? How it feels when you walk in the door and take them off? Well, this is like that.

Don't tell me you haven't learned this yet!

Ladies you will know exactly what I'm talking about. Tonight I couldn't get cool........I did the
normal things, came home, relaxed with my Kobo for a while, went to the trailer and opened up windows, only to discover it's no cooler out there, I made a very light and easy supper (nothing like corn on the cob, salad and toasted bacon and tomato sandwiches) watched the news/weather and discovered that we have one more day, hotter still. This isn't cooling me down!

Then it hits me!Alas! I have found some relief.

My sisters, Mom and I experiencing Freedom at its best.

I walk to the bedroom, reach into the sleeves of my sleeveless top, tug down one bra strap, two bra straps, reach to the back and undo the fasteners and pull the nasty restraint free. FREE. 

 FREE.

BLESSED FREE!!! 

Let me tell you, there is no relief like it after 12 hours!

Sorry guys, I'm sure you have your own means of comfort, ease, but this one is all ours.

Thank you for reading. I hope I haven't scared you away!! Come back soon!