Some paths run through the weeds before they get to the flowers.

Do not go where the path may lead, 

go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. 

Ralph Waldo Emerson 

We had our path all planned out...if not the actual driving path, then the path on which we would forge ahead with our new life.  Only one small, minuscule, problematic obstacle continues to stand in the way.  HOUSE.

Everyone loves it...but no one will buy it.  So, as September looms, I am reminded that I will not be entering a classroom, attending meetings, or getting paid.  Not that I am upset about any of it.  It is just a reminder of how long it is taking for us to begin on this new path.

The one thing I am thoroughly enjoying is the freedom I am experiencing.  My mind is moving at a mile a minute, so sleep has not been forthcoming without some sort of small, oval aid.  My creative juices are flowing which makes it painfully obvious how much I am lacking in certain skills.  

My newest passion, which has been bubbling at the surface for some time, is writing.  I just published my first article for an online site called Suite101.com.   Here it is...

When Your Mammogram Leads to a Lumpectomy

I hope to only improve, but now that I have, so they say, "popped my cherry," the words should come a little easier.

 If I could focus on only this, that may be the case, but I am also working on my other newest passion; beading.  I know next-to-nothing about making jewelry, but with Youtube as my guide, I am finding it to be quite fun.  Sadly, though, it has brought to the forefront how badly I need glasses.  (I used to wear reading glasses once-upon-a time).  Thanks to my $3 in CVS ExtraBucks, I was able to get a pair of 125 strength eyeglasses.  Which, of course, inspired me to make some beaded eyeglass lanyards.  Cause and effect people.

My hope is that at the very least, I will be able to use some new-found skills and talents to make a few Extra Bucks of my own.

And then, there's the man...

Throughout this summer, Steve has been working non-stop.  We have barely seen him.  Between working details for the East Providence Police Department, and helping a friend with his beer line cleaning business, daddy has been very busy. We love him for all he has done. It has been tough.  We are hoping the stress, lack of sleep, and long, long hours will be worth it.

 The path we are taking is not traditional or conventional; and it isn't scary.  I guess it should be; but, as my mom has always said about us, somehow, we fall into shit and come out smelling like roses.  Compared to the manure we could be in, this isn't so bad.  And the sweet smell of roses will be even more fragrant when we finally break lose and hit the road.

The fees can take a Toll!

Steve and Ian's trip is in full swing.  They are currently camped out in Hershey, PA at the Hershey Highmeadow Campground.  Tonight they are getting a visit in the park and will start tomorrow at the park before it opens.    As they drove out to Indiana to take possession of Eagle, Steve told me about the tolls they were paying along the way.  It is amazing how much money these tolls are, especially when you add a few more axles to the price.

We will have no choice but to take on these fees...it will not be worth the unknown situations we may encounter if we travel too far off the main highways...low bridges, narrow roadways, dirt roads, construction...so, we will purchase the EZ Pass to at least cut the price a tad (possibly), and get us passing through the toll booths quickly.

We've used EZ Pass before, and it is worth it.  (Sometimes people pass through the EZ Pass toll booths mistakenly and try to pay $2.00 to an empty booth and then set off alarms as they drive through!)  I have to take some time to look into discount plans...each state maintains its own EZ Pass system and I am not sure if the discount plans pertain only to your home state.

Here's how EZ Pass works:


When you sign up for E-ZPass, you open up a whole new frontier in convenient transportation. Instead of the inconvenience of coins, tokens, and tickets, E-ZPass allows you to pay tolls electronically as you pass through specially equipped toll lanes.

You can establish a prepaid E-ZPass account using your credit card, personal check, or cash. The convenient credit card payment option automatically replenishes your prepaid account. Check and cash E-ZPass accounts have a higher replenishment threshold and are replenished by mailing or delivering a payment to the E-ZPass Customer Service Center.

When you establish an E-ZPass prepaid account, you receive a small electronic tag that attaches to the windshield inside your car. Within the tag is an electronic chip that contains information about your account. Each time you use a toll facility where E-ZPass is offered, an antenna at the toll plaza reads the vehicle and account information contained in your tag. The appropriate toll is then electronically debited from your prepaid account. A record of your transactions will be included in your periodic statement.

Your E-ZPass tag is installed using fasteners that come with your tag. The tag should be installed approximately one inch below the top of your windshield above your rearview mirror. If there is not enough room above your mirror, the tag should be installed to the right of the mirror, approximately one inch below the top of your windshield. Be sure to read the E-ZPass Customer Guide that comes with your tag for detailed instructions on proper installation.

Some vehicles may require an external tag. Please refer to the customer application section, “Vehicles Requiring External Tags“ to determine whether your vehicle requires an internal or external tag.

Once you've installed your tag, simply drive through the toll facilities that offer E-ZPass. Please remember that not all lanes are equipped with E-ZPass, so you'll need to watch for E-ZPass signs as you approach the toll plazas.

Not all states have EZ Pass at this time...

I've looked online, also, for a website that lists all of the major US Highway Toll Booths...but there does not seem to be one such site.  I have found a few sites by state, so as I look, I will create a page with this info.  It will be a good resource in case anyone heads for a road trip.

Tick Tick Tick

So, Tuesday, while Ian was at soccer practice, I noticed a teeny tiny tick on his neck...deer tick.  The black-legged tick.  Removing it was neither laborious, nor upsetting, thank goodness.  The little critter was out...Marie Antoinette it was not. However, the entire episode started me thinking about what other individuals from the Insecta Class we would encounter on our travels.  Being reared in New England, we are quite accustomed to ants, mosquitos, wasps, hornets, spiders, etc...which, in their own ways are more nuisance than frightful.

Ixodes scapularis

Apparently, ticks will be residents in many of the states to which we travel.

Minnesota; Iowa; Missouri; Oklahoma; Arkansas; Texas; Kansas; Wisconsin; Illinois; Tennessee; Mississippi; Louisiana; Alabama; Kentucky; Indiana; Michigan; Ohio; West Virginia; North Carolina; South Carolina; Georgia; Florida; Virginia; Maryland; Delaware; Pennsylvania; New Jersey; New York; Connecticut; Massachusetts; Rhode Island; New Hampshire; Vermont; Maine

Whether it is a deer tick or dog tick, as they are commonly called, the recommended method used to remove it is fairly universal:

The best way to remove a tick is to pull it off gently, leaving the tick and its mouth parts intact. This can be difficult because some ticks cement their mouth parts into the skin. Every effort should be made to remove this cement if it does not come out with the tick. Applying heat, alcohol, petroleum jelly or fingernail polish to an embedded tick is not effective. The following is the recommended procedure:

• Use blunt curved tweezers or a thread
• Grasp the tick as close to the skin surface as possible and pull upward with a steady, even pressure.
• Do not twist or jerk the tick because this may cause the mouth parts to detach and remain in the skin.
• You should pull firmly enough to lift up the skin.
• Hold this tension for 3 to 4 minutes and the tick will back out.
• DO NOT squeeze, crush, or puncture the body of the tick because its fluids may contain bacteria.
• Immediately dispose of the tick. If you have any concerns, put the tick in a plastic bag and freeze it. If you get sick you can take the dead tick with you when you see your provider.
• Immediately wash your hands and the affected area with soap and water.

If you do not want to use tweezers, there are several products on the market created by those go-getters of the product world.  Here are a few,  all for around $5.00.   Note: I have never tried these products; I am a tweezer-gal.

cause id like to see you out in the moonlight 
id like to kiss you way back in the sticks 
id like to walk you through a field of wildflowers 
and id like to check you for ticks 

                                            

This site:  www.insectidentification.org/ has a great dichotomous key to help identify insects, or perhaps, arachnids, as the case may be.  (See left side menu).


And here is a great game for the family!  

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The First Trip

Back in July of 2000, Steve and I, along with Rosco and Chumsley,  took our first cross-country camping trip.  We traveled in a 2000 Ford F350 dually diesel king cab truck and towed a 1999 Challenger fifth-wheel. Yesterday, Chumsley passed away, finally joining Rosco after 5 years.  We will miss him, as we have missed Rosco.  Thinking back to this big trip we took as a "family" in 2000 with our first "kids," makes me even more certain that our biological children will thoroughly enjoy this experience.  We learned something new about Rosco and Chumsley on that trip...they did not need to be on a leash to stay with us.  Up in the mountains of Montana they ran and played but never strayed.

Here are some of those memories...

Badlands, SD

Devil's Tower, Wyoming

Narrow Tunnel, SD

Farm Lands, Iowa

US/Canada Border

Roberts Prairie Dog Town, SD

Mount Rushmore, SD

The First George W.

Campsite

Bison at the Sulfur Pots, Yellowstone Park

Forest Fire, SD

Sunset, Idaho

Bison contemplating the bath

Crazy Horse, SD

Grizzly, Yellowstone

Moose, Yellowstone

Hill City, SD

Reflection

View from the hot air balloon, SD

Emerald Spring, Yellowstone

Grand Hotel, Mackinac Island, Mackinaw, Michigan

Idaho Home

quoth the Raven, "Nevermore"

I couldn't see the actual line

Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Glacier National Park, Montana