Spring is Here!

My taxes aren't finished, but Spring is here anyway! And it is welcome!

Yesterday, I gave my first flying lesson of the season, then went home and cooked some 'burgers on the grill.

Two sure signs of Spring!

One day last week, we cleaned up one flower garden. Yesterday, Pat planted some herbs and I picked up sticks from all over the yard.

More signs of Spring.

Last evening, we were invited to our neighbor's yard to celebrate her grandson's 6th birthday. We had s'mores.

Some lawns have been mowed, although that "treat" awaits ours. Motorcycles can be heard racing up and down our road. And frogs are croaking in the field behind us.

Surely Spring has arrived!

Comment!

Government Accounting

I, possibly like some of you, am working on my income taxes.

When I looked at the report which tells me how much Social Security I had received (Form SSA-1099 - Social Security Benefit Statement), I noticed that it was a bit difficult to understand at first glance.

Here's how it looks (numbers just used as an example):

Paid by check or direct deposit $7,000.00

Medicare Part B premiums $1,200.00

deducted from your benefits

Benefits for 2009 $8,200.00

The intended interpretation, I'm fairly certain, goes something like this:

"I got $7,000 Social Security last year!

And Oh, look!! I also got $1200 Medicare premiums!

The government gave me $8,200!"

Here's the way I would show it:

Benefits for 2009 $8,200.00

Medicare Part B premiums $1,200.00

deducted from your benefits

Paid by check or direct deposit $7,000.00

To this old head, this is a lot easier to understand.

But then again, maybe we're not supposed to understand it. I think it's called accounting "spin."

Politicians have a very, very, strange way of dealing with numbers, especially numbers which represent the dollars which we gave them or which are being spent.

Better get used to accounting spin; we're gonna see a lot more of it, me thinks.

Comment!

BAAAD News for Don & Dorothy

You might recall that Don and Dorothy left unexpectedly and rapidly one evening, as they had been told their house in Aberdeen, SD, was flooding.

The message was correct; here's proof:

By the looks of the picture, I'd say the water was about 3' deep in the garage. That, of course, completely flooded the lower level of the split-level home.

Having seen about 1,000 other homes in the same or even worse condition here in Cedar Rapids two years ago, I sympathize with them. There will be a LOT of work ahead for them and their neighbors.

The good news:

• The house certainly appears to be repairable. (It could have been even worse.)
  
  
• They have their trailer to live in while the house is being repaired.

Thanks for the picture, Dorothy/Allison. You can click on Comment! below to update us, Dorothy!

April 4th Correction!

Sorry about the errors above. Here's the word, right from the source. (But it is still BAAAAD news for Don and Dorothy, but not nearly as bad as I had painted it above. I assumed the picture was of their house.)

The picture you published is not our house. It is the guy across the road. You can see the back of our sandbags in the foreground. With the help of about 5000 sandbags and about a dozen pumps we have limited our interior damage to a couple of wet carpets in the basement. There will be considerable damage outside and in our outbuildings. We have continued to stay in the house to mind pumps etc. The water has now receded about a foot from the high point but we have at least 2 more feet to go. Drainage is very slow and I expect at least another month before much can be done. We hope to be able to progress to the point we can return to RV35 next fall but we do not know at this point.

Don Bogue

Comment!

Keeping Up With Karen

There is a great way to keep in contact with Karen and Bob as she undergoes treatment at M. D. Anderson and beyond. It's called CaringBridge.

This is a site designed to help folks who are ill or undergoing treatment to keep in touch with their friends and neighbors and vice versa. It is a combination guest book and newsletter, all available from that big computer in the sky called the Internet. And participation is free, although donations to keep the system going are accepted.

You will need to register on the site to view her section. All it takes is your email address and a password which you make up.

Once on Karen's page, you can check a box and you'll be sent an email each time Karen updates her page. It's a painless way to be kept in the loop of her activities.

Her website name on CaringBridge is "karenfoslien".

Some from the park have already posted messages in her guestbook. As we are now pretty much scattered all over the country, this will be a great way to keep in touch and encourage her and Bob as they proceed down a path with an undefined destination.

Here's the link: http://caringbridge.org.

Comment!

Home Safe & Sound

We were pleased that a few crocus were open to great us when we arrived home late yesterday, instead of snowbanks!

The first snow we saw was in a road ditch near Iola, KS—home of Bob and Joanne. the last (and most) we saw was along I-80 just east of Des Moines.

We went from Rockport 35 RV Park to Fredericksburg, where we stayed at the Lady Bird Johnson Municipal Park for $25/night with WES, subscription WiFi. This park is adjacent to the Fredericksburg airport, so we felt right at home!

Our plan was to leave there Tuesday morning, but the 24-hour flu or equivalent attacked Pat, so we stayed one more day and left Wednesday morning. That night, we stayed at the RV park at the Gainsville Outlet Mall, which is on I-35 north of Dallas. That is a great place to stay as it is both convenient and inexpensive: $15/night, WES, no WiFi!

Thursday we went to Chanute, KS, home of the Nu-Wa factory. They make HitchHiker trailers. I picked up a few parts at the factory and talked with a few of the people I'd wanted to meet for a long time.

Chanute has a convenient City Park for RVs. The first two night are FREE and $10/night after that, with WE. There's WiFi at the library.

Friday was the longest leg, 450 miles from Chanute to Cedar Rapids. Everything was fine when we arrived. The mail had been delivered, the basement was dry, the furnace was running, etc., etc.

Today we unloaded the trailer (mostly) and properly parked it.

We're tired!

Comment!

The High Point---

----of our trip home so far must be my visit this afternoon to Luckenbach, Texas!

After being there, I would guess that every biker who has ever ridden in Texas has been there.

My interpretation: It was a small town. In the mid-1900s, a guy purchased the town and turned it into a tourist trap which doesn't seem too much like a tourist trap. It's a huge parking lot, a petty good sized dance hall, a general store (he old Post Office), and a stage or two or three outside where you can sit, listen to music, and ---oh yes!---drink beer.

You can check it out for your self here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmY8M4cDdjg

We plan to leave Fredericksburg and head for home in earnest tomorrow morning.

Comment!

Our Season is Over

Our fifth season at Rockport 35 RV Park will end tomorrow morning. We're heading to Fredericksburg to enjoy the sights, sounds, and tastes of that unique city for a few days before getting serious about heading to Cedar Rapids.

We've enjoyed spending three+ months with friends from previous years and with several new friends. Friends and neighbors at the park, we love you!

Pat's style was crimped by her broken wrist. We're pleased that yesterday she was declared "a good healer" by Dr. Tucker and sent on her way—without a cast for the first time in six weeks. Hooray!

But she still managed to complete several small beading projects and make progress on a Swedish weaving project she's been working on for years. There's still enough left for next year.

I've kept busy, helping folks with computer problems, holding weekly "computer help" sessions, and teaching two classes on Picasa, a picture editing program. I've also tried to keep this blog interesting and useful. A few statistics: 56 articles and 52 photos published during our stay this season.

I especially appreciate the help provided by those who provided pictures, comments, articles, or suggestions.

Remember, after tomorrow, I will be miles from Rockport 35 RV Park and miles from each of you. The only way I can know what's newsworthy, interesting, or just plain happening is if someone lets me know.

If you'd like to read an article about what your friends are doing, don't you think they'd like to hear about your activities? Sure they would.

The only way that can happen is if you let me know! Just send an email, or even phone me. I'll appreciate it and so will your friends.

Comment!