I have often heard that love is the universal language. Today, I entered “love universal language” in Google and sure enough…..29,100,000 hits. But, I’m not so sure that love is the universal language. Perhaps, instead, it is “May I help you?” I am thinking that because of what happened yesterday.

I was hooking up my trailer to leave the South Llano River State Park and was having one of those bad days where I just couldn’t get the hitch lined up properly. After nine tries, a gentleman walks up and speaks in perfect German to me. I knew exactly what he was saying.

So, do you reckon that “May I help you?” is the universal language……or perhaps is it instead……a dialect of love?

Suzanne

It’s been two weeks or so since I wrote about putting the hitch bar in upside down. Just wanted to let you know that I’m still here!

A couple of things slowed me down. One was taking care of a personal, depressing matter while I was in Florida……yeah, a divorce……husband decided that he didn’t want to be married any more. Just great. The other item is this darn cold that I managed to get about 8 days ago…..not that I’m counting…..but I am.

Anyway, I just haven’t felt like writing.

But, I’m on the mend now, and some interesting and fun stuff has happened since I last wrote. I traveled back to Texas, spent one week at home catching up, and then started another trip. This trip is a first for me. It is a caravan with 19 other Airstreams. And, we are traveling around the Hill Country of Texas to see the BLUEBONNETS. They are beautiful, and this isn’t even a banner year for them due to lack of rain.

I’ll write some more posts about the particulars of the trip. Right now, the group is in Brenham, TX, and we’ll be following the Chamber of Commerce routes that highlight the best places to see the bluebonnets.

But…..I have to tell this story about my mom. Both of my parents read the daily newspaper front to back, and they cut out stories that they think will interest me. They cut out the articles because they know that I don’t read newspapers. (Dad still can’t quite believe that I haven’t followed this family tradition.) Anyway, when I returned from Florida, Dad had two articles for me and Mom had one. Dad’s articles were both about Airstream trailers……one about this amazing guy out in Arizona who takes old Airstream trailers and refurbishes them. And the other was about a man who had saved a lot of money by not doing the remodeling that he had planned. He had changed his mind after purchasing an Airstream because he had seen the advantages of a simpler lifestyle.

Mom’s article was about a dating service.

Yes, two days after appearing in a courtroom and hearing my husband say he wanted out, my mom is handing me an article about a dating service. It was absolutely perfect. It hit my funny bone great. Of course, there is no way that I will be doing this anytime soon! But……the thing is……the dating service actually sounds like one that I would consider. They specialize in matching up folks who love pets!

Well, that’s about it for now. I’ll talk with you later.

(Still on-the-road......in Sebring, FL, now)

I know better than to ever say or even think “I’ll never do that.” After all, I am 57 years old. I know for a fact that a statement like that is just asking for trouble.

Then, why did just that thought fly through my head thirteen days ago? A fellow RV’er was mentioning that he was careful when installing his hitch bar. He said that he always made sure that it was right side up. I remember thinking, “I would never that.” I even remember thinking, “How could you possibly do that?”

Well, now I know how such an event can occur.

You’ll be glad to know that I discovered my mistake pretty quick. And that’s about all that I want to say about it!

See you on down the road.

I mentioned my greyhound earlier in the blogpostings so I feel that I need to tell you the sad news. During our stay in Sarasota, Paris' health deteriorated. She could no longer walk more than 50 yards. She could no longer stand for more than 15 seconds. She was having difficulty lying down or attempting to stand up. She was losing weight, and she didn't want me out of her sight.

Of course, she was a sweetheart through all this. She continued to make friends with all the RV people. We would take a short walk in the morning for business and then wait a bit til everyone was up so that she could take another walk and find someone to pet her. It was easy to find someone to pet her. She especially liked the colder mornings when I put her coat on........that coat brought her more attention.

But she kept getting worse and wasn't sleeping at night. So, I took her again to the vet in Sarasota who was so kind and gentle. I talked some more with this vet. She owns two great danes, and one is starting to go through this. As the vet and I talked, we both stayed focused on what was best for Paris, and neither of us could see any chance for pain relief and for walking around making friends.

I sure miss Paris. What a special puppy. I'm sorry to give you the sad news.

Suzanne

(Still on-the-road.....in Sarasota, FL)

I have left the boon-docking in Ocala and moved to Sarasota, FL, for the Florida Airstream Rally. The purpose of this Rally is to gather for fun and learning……and possibly purchasing supplies!

Oh what fun……walking through the vendor rows and finding just the right item. On my first day there, I found exactly what I needed to keep those mosquitoes out of my trailer. It is a special felt-like fuzz that blocks those pests from entering through the window controls. (I’ve been looking for it for a couple of years now.)

After purchasing the fuzz, I walked further down the aisle. And then I saw the booth that I really wanted to see. There it was……the weighing booth. I casually approached (keeping my fingers crossed the whole time) and inquired if there were still openings for getting weighed. Yes! Yes! Yes!

I paid my money and got my weigh-in times and my homework assignment.

I am thrilled. I am going to get my truck and trailer weighed. This is so important! This is so important! (Did I say that twice?)

As you can imagine, the weight of the tow vehicle and the trailer must be within specifications. Weighing at a truck-stop scale is good, but it doesn’t give axle-by-axle and wheel-by-wheel weights. The vendor at the Rally is going to give me that information!

I’ll keep you out of suspense. My truck and trailer are each UNDER the limits! And, all of my axles are within 100 pounds SIDE-TO-SIDE! This is just about the best news that I could have imagined. I can actually add a few pounds to the trailer and truck if I want. I just might bring my atlas back into the trailer!

So long for now.

Suzanne