Born To Be Wild

I've always loved this song! Not sure these are the correct words. Certainly not the ones I used to sing along with, but you know how that goes!  I remember one song Tim told me he used to sing incorrectly..."why's everybody always pickin' on me?" He used to sing, "why's everybody always pickles and meat?" LOL! I'm sure you can identify! 

I think of this song every time I'm riding with Mark on the motorcycle.

Born To Be Wild

by Steppenwolf

Get your motor runnin'
Head out on the highway
Lookin' for adventure
And whatever comes our way
Yeah Darlin' go make it happen
Take the world in a love embrace
Fire all of your guns at once
And explode into space

I like smoke and lightning
Heavy metal thunder
Racin' with the wind
And the feelin' that I'm under
Yeah Darlin' go make it happen
Take the world in a love embrace
Fire all of your guns at once
And explode into space

Like a true nature's child
We were born, born to be wild
We can climb so high
I never wanna die

Born to be wild
Born to be wild

Get your motor runnin'
Head out on the highway
Lookin' for adventure
And whatever comes our way
Yeah Darlin' go make it happen
Take the world in a love embrace
Fire all of your guns at once
And explode into space

Like a true nature's child
We were born, born to be wild
We can climb so high
I never wanna die

Born to be wild
Born to be wild

 Headed to Ruby Tuesday for a salad. Sporting my new helmet and jacket.

Beautiful evening for a ride after being cloudy and dreary most of the day.

Yup! That's a salad!

Back on the road and heading home.

Curves ahead!

Today I moved some furniture back into the dining room from the hall and living room. Then I went to Mark's work to fax my marriage license to the credit card people so they would change my name. Mark and I went to lunch and then I came back home. I worked the rest of the afternoon cleaning the wheels of an office chair that would no longer roll because of being wound up with all manner of debris.

Then Mark came home, took his shower and we hit the road. I'm loving riding a motorcycle! Guess I was born to be wild!

Thrifting

My bestie is back in town!  So we were together today!  But, I totally forgot to get a picture of our get-together!  Shame on me!  Ilene's sister from WV came back with her, too!  I went with them to High Point to drop Ilene's van off for some body work.  The insurance company provided her with a rental.  We went thrifting while we were there.  I found several things that I will be able to use in my organizing of the craft building.  Mark is making some L brackets for me to use between the joists for shelving.  I can't wait to get started on putting the shelves together!  Most of the shelving will be used for storing a lot of the books I have collected.

We ate lunch at Zaxby's while we were out.  After I got home, I sent Mark a text to see what he wanted for supper.  He wanted salad and soup.  So, I made a trip to Walmart because I also wanted to get some mums.  I got Mark some fruit to eat at work, too.  I stopped at the parsonage on the way back to the house to get some hanging flower pots to put the mums in and then stopped at Mark's work to give him the fruit.  He was working on the L brackets for my building, which he stayed after work to do, using some of the scrap metal that was at the shop.

After supper tonight, we worked on putting the molding down in the dining room.  Tomorrow I will begin moving some furniture back into the dining room from the hall way and one big piece from the living room.  One step at a time we are getting there!

At one of the thrift shops, Ilene saw this sign displayed near a rack of black dresses and a couple of red dresses.  I had to take a picture and send it to Mark (it was a black dress I wore to church back at the first of the year that opened his eyes to me).  He asked me if I bought the sign.  I had to tell him that it wasn't on sale, but I did look at the dresses to see if there were any my size.  Unfortunately, there weren't any for me!  I will have to make my own sign for him to hang or sit somewhere so he can think of me all day!  ;-)

Happy Early Birthday To Me!

My birthday is NOT until October 8th.  But, I got my present today!  You will see pictures below of the gift!

We wanted to take a road trip to the mountains.  Marrow Mountain State Park, to be exact.  So we left the house around 8:45 and stopped for breakfast at Kerley's in Welcome on Rt. 8.  Then we headed south to our destination.  It was about 65 miles from the house to where we parked the bike at the scenic overlook in the park.  We took advantage of the bathroom facilities, took some selfies and pictures of the scenery and then headed back home.

On the way home we stopped for gas.  Mark checked his phone (as he did every time we stopped) and had received a couple of messages from his daughter, the ones he was checking his phone for.  She had sent a text to me which did not come through until 2:36.  Stinking reception!  We were checking for messages from her because she was bitten by a cat at work yesterday and woke up with her hand hurting with infection and she was going to go to the ER to have it checked.  Depending on what they did for her, she was going to possibly need us to drive her home if they drugged her.  Which is what happened, so when we got home we headed to the hospital to get her.  She had both of her kids with her and we stopped at Wendy's to get everyone food.  They ate the food in the hospital and then we took them home, Mark driving her car with her while the kids rode with me.

When we finally got home we were trying to determine what we wanted to do.  We had been out all day and now did not feel like doing the work we had planned on doing at the house.  So, we went to the bike shop in Greensboro.  And that is where I got my birthday gift!

When we got back to the house, I donned my new bike-riding helmet, jacket (less the lining) and gloves and we took another ride!  Yes, I think I'll keep the gear!  I really enjoy riding a bike!  Not sure if I will ever want to be in the driver's seat, but I am enjoying being a passenger!

And our trip begins!

I love this picture!

Headed up the mountain to the scenic overlook in the park.

Of course, there HAD to be a selfie!

We believe that is Badin Lake in the center of those mountains in the distance.

One lonely puff of cloud.

A little green lizard.

I couldn't believe that 2 1/2 gallons of ethanol free gas cost $10.00!

Capturing the sun behind the clouds on the way back from Greensboro.  I love being able to see the sun's rays!

Voila!  Here I am decked out in my new helmet, jacket and gloves!

NO!  I did NOT drive!

Have a blessed Lord's Day!

Eye-Popping

No plans for today after being out all day on Monday and Tuesday.  I got up, ate breakfast, worked on the computer, searched for ideas on converting the storage shed into a craft domain, made the bed, did a few things in the kitchen and then decided to go to the Goodwill in Thomasville, grab lunch at Arby's and go to Lowes.  However, there isn't a Lowes in Thomasville.  So I ended up in High Point, which is really only about 10 miles away, probably less, from our house going the back roads.  Lowes didn't have what I wanted.  So I came back home and went to Food Lion to get some needed ingredients for my tilapia recipe I was fixing for supper and some salad (citrus burst kit by Fresh Express).  I already had the sweet potatoes.

Here's the Baked Tilapia recipe I used from Taste of Home.  It was OK, but I wasn't crazy about it.  I will fix it again, however, because I bought capers especially for this recipe.  Do you know what capers are?  "Turns out, capers are the unopened flower buds of the prickly caper plant, Capparis spinosa, and they are native to the Mediterranean region.  Capers are normally pickled or salted.  Most of the jars you see at the grocery store are pickled capers."  You can read more about them HERE.  I found them by the olives.

Here's the fish, ready to go into the oven.  I baked it a little longer than 20 minutes because I had it in the fridge long enough for the butter to harden.

And, it was a lovely meal.  I REALLY enjoyed the Citrus Burst salad!  YUM!!

Sorry!  I had to add this picture.  Yes, that is one pop-eyed mouse that hitched a ride on the 4-wheeler when Mark ran Piper this afternoon!  He looks scared to death, LOL!  Mark can get a little crazy on the trails!  ;-)

Tomorrow I plan to finish my devotion for the Ladies' Meeting on Friday night and do some sketching and drawing some plans for the craft shed!  I'm itching to get back into my crafts!

More Paperwork

Today was painful!  I didn't have to wait as long as some of them waited, but I waited 2 hours before being taken care of at the DMV.  Plus, I couldn't get everything done that I needed to get done.  They changed my name and address using the document I got from the SS office yesterday.  Then I had another picture taken and a new license made, but I received only a temporary copy.  The actual driver's license will be mailed to me.  Something else that got done that I was not even thinking about was my voters' registration.  I will receive my new voters' card in the mail, too!

What I couldn't get done was getting my name and address changed on my car title.  I was sent to another office.  At least I didn't have to wait in a long line there!  I walked in and was called to the counter.  Not only did I get my title changed, I was able to pay the personal taxes due on the car!  Ah!  Progress!

After I left there, I went to another Goodwill store on the way home.  I got home just a few minutes before Mark got home from work.  I unloaded the stuff that went into the house, but the stuff that needed to go to the building for storage has to stay in the car due to the yard being so wet after all of the rain we got from the hurricane.  The stuff that is remaining in the car is the stuff I picked up from Ilene's today on the way to the DMV.  I got my lawn chairs, shepherd hooks for the yard and my canisters and bowls.

Progress!

Tonight Mark added the back rest, saddle bags and windshield to the large motorcycle.  Then we took it out for a spin!  I am really loving riding!

We have at least one little striped lizard with a blue tail, a skink.

Mark working on adding the saddle bags, etc to the bike.

We left the house around 7:30 and stayed out about an hour.  It was dark by the time we got back.

We had to get gas on the way home.

So, tomorrow my plans.....to go NOWHERE!!!

Paperwork!

I finally began the process of getting my name changed on the important documents, like my Social Security account, banking, mail and car.  I thought I would be sitting for hours at each place waiting to be the next customer.  I was pleasantly surprised, but couldn't do everything I had planned to do.

I started with the Social Security office.  The last time I was there, I had to wait 1 1/2 hours just to ask a question about my widow's benefits I receive monthly, which I found out that I get to keep collecting, even though I have married again.  The Social Security Administration site reads:  "If a widow or widower remarries after they reach age 60 (age 50 if disabled), the remarriage will not affect their eligibility for survivors benefits."  That was good news!  That means all of MY monthly bills will still be taken care of.  Things like my "health" insurance, which is only $220 a month instead of $1,000+ if I were to be added to Mark's insurance plan at work!  Also, things that already come out automatically like my life insurance, phone payment, etc.

Anyway, I clocked in at 10:04 at the SS office and was done by 10:31!  The only thing was that the name change for my new SS card doesn't take effect until midnight, and I was told I could not go to the DMV to take care of that name change and new driver's license until tomorrow.  I told him I was so glad to know that since that WAS where I was planning to go next!

So, I headed to the bank instead.  It took me as long there as it did in the SS office.  But, my name and address are now changed on my bank account and I have new checks ordered and a new debit card, which they were able to make while I was there.  I'm going to have to be very mindful of what I'm doing when I sign my checks!  After all, I've signed my name as Vicky L. Day for the last 42 years!  Signing Vicky L. Whittemore is going to take some getting used to!

After the bank business was done, I headed towards the post office to do 2 address changes.  One for the parsonage and one for Ilene's since I get mail at both places.  But, on the way, I made a pit stop at Mega Thrift.  I found 3 pairs of blue jeans.  Then I went to Arby's and got a Ruben and large tea.  I ate only half of the Ruben and saved the other half for Mark.

My next stop was Costco for dog food.  I also got some meds I always take.

My next stop was one of the Goodwills Tim and I used to go to every week not too far away from the post office.  I found a clothes drying rack for $5, a kitchen sink mat for $1 (brand new) and a pack of journaling cards for scrapbooking for $0.50!

When I got to the post office, the first thing I did was to make sure that was the post office branch that serviced the parsonage and Ilene's.  Then I completed 2 forms and was done with my errands for the day.  By this time, I'm beginning to feel hungry again, so I texted Mark to see if he wanted to meet me at Real Q (where we catered the reception from) in Wallburg for supper.  When he confirmed he would meet me there, I had time to run home and unload some of the stuff from the car and then went to the restaurant.

After we got home Mark's son, Michael, and family came over to bring us some fresh eggs.  They stayed for a couple of hours.  While they were here, Mark went through some of the pictures to give to him.

When they went home, we took the 4-wheeler out on the trails to see how much tree damage had been done.  There were some small branches down and a tree or so had fallen, but not too much work to be done.

So, it was a BUSY day, but I got lots accomplished!  Thank You, Lord!  Tomorrow I will go to the DMV and hopefully get all of that paperwork done, along with paying the property taxes for the car, getting a new driver's license and a new sticker for the car.

It was nice to see the sun today, even if only peeping out between the clouds.  This picture was taken as I left the SS office..

Then, as I drove down the road, the blue sky came into view!  How pretty!  How good to see the sun after all of the rain the last couple of days from Hurricane Florence!

Heading to the woods to check out the tree damage.

What a beautiful sunset I was able to capture through the trees!

And the clock is ticking towards bed time!  Have a great evening and blessed tomorrow! 💓

Safe and Sound

Hurricane Florence is alive and well in NC.  But I'm glad we live 4 hours inland!  Those who live closer to the coast are not doing so well.  There is major flooding.  Surprisingly, we have had a lot of rain today, but, so far we are not seeing the flooding.  And I pray we do not!

Mark and I have done lots of work on the house this week.  He finished putting the new tile and got the grout work done in the room that will be the dining room.  I worked in the kitchen mostly.  Cleaning and arranging the cabinets and rearranging them.  I also worked under the sink to clean up the linoleum and some of the areas that were bare wood.  I also took the rest of the tile that was left from the dining room and kitchen and put it on the floor of some of the cabinets.  I am still arranging and rearranging things in the cabinets.  There is more stuff in the cabinets than I really have room for.  I need to work on the storage bowls to get them more organized.  One day at a time!

We began the day with a home cooked meal and ate it on the deck.  Sausage, bacon, eggs, hash browns, toast.

Put some tile in the bottom of the cabinets.

New dining room floor.  Mark still has to seal the grout, but the grout is supposed to cure for a good many days before putting the sealer on it.  Then I will be able to start putting furniture on the floor, after he gets the baseboard back on.

Mark went through a bunch of stuff in the corner of the living room today while I was working in the kitchen.  There is still lots to do, but we have made a huge dent in it!  I will be glad when we can start thinking about decorating and furnishings!  One day at a time!

Rest and Relaxation

The last couple of days have been full but full of restful and relaxing activities.  Playing games, doing puzzles, going to eat, thrifting, staying up late and sleeping in.  That's what I call a vacation!

Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2018
Headed to breakfast at Melanie's in Boone, recommended to us by our dear friends Dale and Juanita Wallace.  Anywhere we go from the cabin includes a beautiful drive through the trees and winding roads along the mountains.

We chose to eat outside when we arrived at the restaurant.

Hungry man meal.

My meal, which Mark had to help me eat!

Loved these flowers vining up and around this tree!

Flowers still going strong for September.

Clouds as we head back to the cabin after breakfast.

A view of the cabin from below the deck.  There are actually 2 cabins here.  We are in the one on the right.

It has been wonderful to enjoy God's Word from the deck!

Mark trying his hand with my camera.

Totally relaxing!

Late lunch at Wendy's.

There is a lonely cabin/house way over there from us!  What a view they have!

A little chipmunk unwrapping a nut!

We stayed up late watching a couple of movies we brought with us from home.  That called for sleeping in!

Wednesday, Sept. 5, 2018
No plans again.  We stopped at the store while we were out yesterday and bought some oatmeal to fix for our breakfast, along with some coffee.  So, we didn't have to leave until we were ready for some lunch.  We stopped at a Goodwill on the way back to the cabin. Found some puzzles for $0.50 each!  Mark found a pair of docker pants and some tennis shoes to wear to the woods.

Eating oatmeal and drinking coffee on the deck

The leaves are changing here in the mountains.

Headed to lunch.

Zaxby's!

My fix for the day!

The black spot is a hawk flying over near the cabin on the other mountain.

A zoomed in view of the house on the other mountain.

Love the game, Skip Bo

One of the puzzles we got at Goodwill.  300 pieces.  Took us about 1 1/2 hours.  That would be a great cabin to vacation in!

One of the perks we received in renting our cabin is receiving a $50 gift certificate to the restaurant right across the road from the cabin, The GameKeeper Restaurant.  You can imagine the cost if you are given a $50 gift certificate!  We had reservations for 6:45.

Appetizer included a sampling of bison, emu, rattlesnake, rabbit and fries.  It all was delicious, but I let Mark eat the rattlesnake and rabbit sausage.

When the staff found out we were on our honeymoon, this was compliments of the chef.  Oyster mushrooms with wood chicken (?).  I ate it all as one bite.  Mark ate each piece.  The way I ate it was amazing and flavorful!

Mark's meal consisted of elk with all manner of mixed veggies AND bleu cheese mac and cheese!  It was delicious!

My meal was fettuccine with all manner of veggies and a duck confit!  It, too, was delicious!  Mark had to help me eat it all!

And, upon hearing we were honeymooners, they gave us a $15 gift certificate to be used on our anniversary visit with them!  :D

After dinner we went into Boone to see the Mission Impossible movie, Fallout!  It was really good with the exception of some language that could have easily been left out!  Typical Hollywood!

Yes, this is a selfie inside the theater.  Mark and I were the only 2 in this theater.

Wonderful days!  One more full day and then back home on Friday.