Zeroing In

Well I've been gathering up what I think I need for the summer.  I paid the lawn guys and RV storage rent ahead and everything else is taken care of through credit cards and on-line payments.  Both our license plates will expire 9/1 so we will need those stickers as soon as we get back.  Gerre has our insurance info copies and signed checks.  That will allow her to send off the registrations when they arrive and the stickers will be here when we get home.  The Estimated Tax Coupon is packed.  I was in France 4/17 so that payment was a few days late since we didn't return until 4/19.  Hmmm ... I wonder what a 2-day penalty is?  Note to Self:  Check with Tim Geithner.

My niece had called after their visit here and asked us to go back to one of the antique stores to get a lamp her husband had admired.  Ted did that and I had to buy a box to pack the Tiffany-style shade.  It is a foot high and two feet across.  They also wanted Hubble & Hudson pancake mix that they enjoyed while here.  Then their daughter-in-law announced their baby due in October is a girl and the shower is after we leave Cincinnati.  I went off to get a present so I can leave it with them for the shower.  Check, check and check!

With three daughters and three granddaughters, there is a lot of shifting around of clothes so I gathered what needed to go to Michigan and that is ready.  Up next will be our clothes.  We take bang around clothes and nicer for visiting and church.  We also carry Ted's suit and a good outfit for me ... just in case.  In 2009 Ted's nephew was killed in a motorcycle accident and we had to leave the RV and travel to the funeral.  We were glad to have the proper attire with us and our carry-on piece of luggage.  We travel with that in case Ted has to fly somewhere for work.  Each year we seem to remember needing a little bit more.

The last thing I do is pack the food.  I take everything that is in the refrigerator and freezer making sure we have something for our travel days.  Once we stop for an extended period, I go to the grocery.

With busy Wednesday over, Thursday I headed to the country club for the Installation Luncheon for Newcomers.  There was a nice turnout and the speaker did an excellent job detailing her food and travel journalism career with just enough personal stories to make it fun and interesting.  With food prices escalating like they are, it is getting hard for the club to hold the line on the price of the lunches.  An increase may be needed for next year. 

Ted was asked to shoot in a charity event for Elves and More on Friday, a group that provides hundreds of bikes for children at Christmas.  We had no idea when he would be home so I went to Wind Down by myself.  Turns out there were lots of us without our husbands for different reasons and we had a good time sitting around the kitchen table.  These events can get quite crowded so if you are lucky enough to get a seat, you usually keep it.

Today we will be preparing for Ted's last league luncheon that will be held tomorrow and we'll go to church late this afternoon.  While he is off doing that I will attend Dining Out.  Mary Ann is a recent widow so she and I decided we would be each other's date.  With Ted not showing up twice in one weekend, the rumor mill may start!

Next week is busy everyday but Thursday and Saturday.  Since we intend to pull out early Sunday, I'll be very busy those two days tying up any loose ends.

"There is only one thing worse in this world than being talked about and that is not being talked about."   ~ Oscar Wilde