Vertigo, Goodbye for Now, Laundry, Crochet Creations

Arrowhead Lakes RV Resort, Wapakoneta, Ohio

Well, Wednesday, Apr. 3^rd was indeed a different start to my day than normal. I woke up at 6:30 and Bill was still sleeping. By the time I decided to make the move to get up, it was 7:05. We rose together. He made it, I didn’t. By the time he’d come out of the bathroom, I was laying back down, half undressed, on top of the covers. I have been so blessed and careful not to have had this vertigo experience befall me all winter. (thanks, Kim for naming it – dizzy spells = blonde in some eyes)

                               

Bill covered me with my housecoat while I decided how bad it was and what I was going to do. I tried again after a few minutes but the room continued to spin so I crept back under the covers. Literally crept. Nothing pretty about that maneuver. I tried a few times after that during the next 30 minutes and Bill brought me water and a makeshift ‘tossup’ pail. He offered to assist IF I wanted to try and get dressed and come downstairs. Nope. This was the first time I’ve felt nauseous.

I was well enough at 10:15 to take a picture of Ken and Kim pulling out

I didn’t drink as much water yesterday and over the last couple of days, simply because it has been cold. Bad Patsy. Yesterday, I had a couple of vodka/orange juice drinks so I’m sure that added to this unfortunate upset. I was concerned that I was missing my morning walk on such a beautiful sunny day AND I was concerned that I would miss saying goodbye to Ken and Kim. On the other hand, I WAS grateful that it happened today, rather than tomorrow on a moving day.

See ya!

By 9:45 I was waking up so had dropped off for 30 minutes. Bonus! When I sat up, the room was still, my tummy was settled and I was able to rise and dress as if nothing happened. Almost. Bill made my tea and toasted a piece of rye bread for me and I sat in the chair feeling thankful. When I saw our friends coming to say goodbye around 10:15, it felt good to get up and go out for hugs. Kim suggested having some Gravol in the Suite to try next time.

It doesn't look like much from the outside
and this was taken from Murphy's USA fuel station

We said our goodbyes and off they went, headed for home. It would be about a 5-hour drive for them to home and also a while before we see them again. We wished them a safe journey. Bill and I wanted to do one more trip to the laundromat before crossing into Ontario, knowing where we’d be. Once I felt better, we had a lovely long hot shower each and drove into Wapakoneta. It is a mere 10 minutes away.

But this laundromat is spotless

This is our favourite laundromat EVER! It may be a bit on the pricey side and you do have to use their laundry card or your credit/debit cards BUT we love it. There is always someone on staff, constantly cleaning, sweeping and available to assist with the card system, which is unfamiliar to many. Not one machine was marked ‘out of service’ and all of the plentiful rolly carts are clean and in good condition.

Woops, someone got in the way!
I figured I'd at least make it interesting

After loading the two machines, Bill drove back home to do a couple of pack up things. I walked across the parking lot to Walmart. I was looking for one thing and found 3. I found a pkg of large buttons to finish off my 2 new scarves, the hair colour I use at an irresistible price of $2.97 and something for Cancun fell into my cart off a clearance rack for a skimpy $7. I was a happy camper once again and walked back to switch the loads out.

The two loads easily went into one super large dryer and we paid .25 for 30 minutes because you get a credit for using a washer. Because they are gas dryers, the 30 minutes was plenty, even for jeans. We drove to Murphy’s USA right there as well for diesel. Another bonus at $2.74/gal. Back home, Clemson was vying for attention so at 3:30 Pat and I took him around the back side of the park. Or rather, he took us.

So, forgive the goofy pictures of me
but I wanted to show you my scarves that I made
This one is versatile and can be worn as a muff for my neck

When I got back, Bill and I were both feeling hungry so we had a snack bar and I had a tea. It was mid afternoon so just a wee munchie was all that was necessary. Clemson informed Bill at 4:15 that he wanted his supper. Alrighty then! No way will we get him back on home schedule to eat. What a character we have! For our supper, I suggested making a hamburger stew and that would give us leftovers for another night or two.

Or it can be worn as a headband to cover my ears

At 5, I began getting things put together in my head, as I knew in Madame I.P. that it wouldn’t take long at all. Prep was the biggest thing, for a newbie. Once I started the sautéing process at 5:30 things went smoothly. I followed 2 recipes, one for the stew, improvising where I didn’t have certain spices or ingredients and one for the rice. I’d found a nifty metal pot that is perfect for Mdme I.P. (yes, I’ve named her).

And the big one as a shawl/neck scarf

You'll need blinders for this one
Bill took it for me, showing the neck scarf and the slippers
The hard part is that my patterns couldn't be worse!!!
Between the blanket, the sweater and the creations - oh my!

After the base was ready, ground beef browned, onions translucent, I placed cut potatoes in the mix. Her trivet went on top, then the pot with rice, water and oil. She cooked on Manual for 25 minutes after building up steam for about 10. I told Bill – This could be a disaster or this could be a treat, I’m hoping for the latter. Well, let me tell you. It was another I.P. success. The stew was awesome and the rice cooked better in there than in the rice cooker that I gave away to Goodwill. There is enough for at least one night of leftovers, perhaps two.

With all ingredients in the bottom of the pot

We cleaned up dishes and bundled up to go next door for a campfire. Bill had chatted with the neighbours to the south of us a couple of times since we’ve been here and today, they invited us and Rob and Pat. It was a nice evening after a nice day. The sun was bold all day long with a few later clouds and the temperature reached 58F. Tonight, it was 55F when we took our chairs over and met Deb and Steve. These folks live in Harrow, Ontario, near Windsor.

The pot with rice sits on top of the trivet

Steve didn’t have a lot of luck with his fire tonight but through no fault of his own. The wood that he got from the park was too green and wouldn’t catch, no matter what they did. We did enjoy their company though for an hour or so before it got too chilly to sit outside. Talk about a small world. Steve and Deb met acquaintances of ours from our home park back in Arkona, but they met them in Ocala and Lakeland, Florida.

And lifted out easily by the handle

The invite was appreciated and it was nice to have change in the evening but we were also very happy to get back inside our warm home. We had some Creamy Lime Jell-o (Lime Fluff?) and it was smooth and yummy too. I made sure today to drink water and avoid the alcohol so there should be no problem walking straight tomorrow. LOL

Two pots but a one dish meal

We sat and read our books tonight instead of turning the television on. I’m reading The Overlook by Michael Connelly (an earlier with Harry Bosch) and Bill has started End Game by David Baldacci. Both good reads. As a side note, I chatted with Kim (of Ken and Kim) around supper time and am pleased to report that they made it home safely late afternoon. I hope they don’t mind me passing that along to fellow bloggers.

This was delicious! And it will be made again.
Sorry for the lack of interesting pictures tonight
It was a slow day
Good night from Wapakoneta!

We’ve enjoyed the day (once I got going) and have very few things to pack up in the morning for an easy no-rush departure. I hope you’ve had a good one and the weather is being kind to you too.

Thank you for your visit!