Click for a Cure. 11 Breakfasts. Cleaning Coronado

I am writing this first part early, to remind you to click.

The 7 dogs arrived at 4.00 AM this morning, so I made 11 little breakfasts.

Talk at you again, later today.

Ray and I worked on the roof of the Coronado, there was a place where some sealer was lifting up, which Ray scraped off, and we will patch it with Eternabond. We really wanted to put some sealer on the roof, but there were dark clouds on the horizon, so we busied our selves with cleaning up some of the inside. The old geyser who had it, had strung extension cords under the carpet, through cabinets, all around Kelley's barn, and he had 3 6-plug bars in there. There are lots of outlets in there, so I don't know why. Ray manned the shop vac, and I 'womanned' the Upright Commercial Hoover. We didn't get finished as it was time for Ray to get his car out of the shop.

I have taken the dogs out several times today, and let them play in the back yard. I had Ray stay with them outside while I tended the cat's boxes, as I don't let someone's dogs out of my sight. I want to know where they are at all times. You never know, some silly sod might

have thrown a chicken bone, chocolate, raisins, grapes, or cigarette butt in my yard. All deadly to dogs.

Then I made 12 little dinners, including me.

It never did rain on this busy day.

Didn't Rain! Click! Coronado Roof Primed.

The day started out overcast and oppressive, like it was going to rain. The windows have been open and Bobcat was out on her porch for most of the day.

Ray did a little more titivating to the Mirage doors, but we were a little afraid to start priming the Coronado roof, as the online Animated Radar showed a bunch of showers coming up here from Galveston. I raked up some pine needles, and moved all the blocks that came with the Cororado. MaeMae sat in my late little dog's "work bed", she is a good watch dog, she will watch 'work' for ages. Then Ray had to go pick up Shay from work and take her to buy groceries.

So MaeMae and I drove down to Jay's to feed his fish. She looked for Jay, she looked for her "Mom", and as they weren't there, she thought that she might as well come back with me. Even though she is a little disconcerted with me, as she doesn't like her new prescription food. She thinks that I am a nasty person who is holding back on giving her what she wants to eat. Then I have to shove meds. down her twice a day, so I am not on the top of her hit parade. But she still follows me around like she did my late DH.

It was sunny after lunch and the radar showed that the rain had stayed down in Galveston, so

Ray primed the roof of the Coronado, and I was gopher while he was up there. At least it looks more presentable now. The reason the paint was coming off before was that some one had painted latex over oil-based paint. The pressure washer got most of the latex off, so we had to use oil-based primer, and we both got messy. Ray hates oil-based paint, but this whole job is going to be done with it.

Claudia did get the tubes out of her neck last night as she was breathing on her own, but she still isn't lucid. Probably all the pain meds. and such. She still has IV's for dispensing different drugs.

I am grateful for my good health today.

Claudia Gets Tubes Out. MaeMae has kidney disease.

DON'T STEP IN THE MUD !!

It has been raining all night, so the Houston News is full of pictures of flooded freeways, houses, cars under water, and underpasses. I drove the Puddle Jumper around the corner to look at the main road coming in here, and it was covered in water down at the bottom of the hill. I was supposed to go to the vet to pick up some prescription food for MaeMae, but I knew I would have to wait a while, or go the long way round.

Yes, when they did the blood tests on the Monday before little 6 lb MaeMae's surgery, it showed a problem with her kidneys. When she went back on Friday for her surgery, they took another $75 worth of blood, and the BUN was still not right. There was a message from the vet when I got home yesterday, and now they want to do an ultra sound on her, to find out what is going on.

Jay wanted to come up here, as he was waiting to be picked up to go to Houston for a three-day job there, where a tree went

through a lady's roof. I am up at the entrance to the subdivision, and people get lost in this 168 acres of little winding roads. So my house is easier to find. Now I will have to go to Jay's house at least once a day, to feed his fish.

As it was still raining, Ray and I worked in the workshop with the big doors open, cleaning the air cleaners and putting new "stuffing" in them. We also moved my big living room TV to see if it had come unplugged, as I haven't been able to get it to turn on for the last couple of days. It still wouldn't come on, so we just put another smaller one there for now. As the cars were under cover we managed to do another 'First of the month' job, and aired up the tires.

Finally it quit raining, and the water on the road went down, so I could get MaeMae's new diet food, and a couple of things from Krogers. MaeMae even ate some of her new food. She had better get used to it, as that is what she will get for the rest of her life. How dreary! I will have to find out if there are other brands, as I can't see her eating the same thing day after day.

Claudia's neighbor had been to see her early this morning, and she is still sort of out of it, and will be having the tubes taken out tonight, all going well. He let Jay into his mother's house to get some perishables out of her fridge, as she will be in hospital for at least another 7-9 days.

Now it is a sunny, warm day.

Claudia's New Liver Donor.

Oh, what a sad day it must be for the wonderful folks who donated their 13 year old daughter's liver. She was killed in a car accident yesterday.
Whoever they are, I and all of Claudia's family thank them more than they could ever know. What a wonderful thing to do.
It must have been a spur of the moment decision, as no one expects their daughter to die so suddenly, and she wasn't old enough to have it on her driver's license.
Their generosity might have saved some one's sight, someone else might have got skin, another a heart, 2 others a kidney each, 2 others could have got a lung each, another a pancreas.
I am sure nothing salvageable went to waste.
The waiting lists are long for transplants, and about 20 waiting people die each day.
Please sign the back of your license.
You can save several lives, just think what a difference that can make to their loved ones.
http://www.organdonor.gov/donor/index.htm
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/organ-donation/fl00077
Another valuable alternative, and your cremation is FREE:
http://lifequestanatomical.com/?gclid=CP-mvbSIkpoCFQObFQod5x89FQ

I wasn't trying to be morbid, death is a fact of life.

Claudia is in ICU, and still out of it. It will be great to see her as her old vital self, instead of the mostly bedridden person she has been for these last many months.

We managed to get the worst places on the Coronado primed before Ray had to stop as we had to go get a sewer machine in my van, for him to unclog a neighbor's main drain. Then I returned it and remembered to buy the cat food that I really wanted, from the next town.
Then the rains came. Muffie was picked up, so now there is just Bobcat, MaeMae, the foster cats and me to watch the rain pouring off the roof.

Also, I was getting the Dog Room ready for 7 doggie boarders today.

Claudia Getting New Liver. Cleaning Coronado.

11.00 AM
They have another liver, so I had to rush down there to pick up Muffie and MaeMae, as Muffie's "Dad" is driving Claudia down to the Medical Center, Houston.
We are sorry that someone had to pass away for Claudia to get this liver, but we all pray it will be a "All Systems Go", this time.

Talk at ya later.

5.00 PM

I just got the call from Muffie's "Dad". The liver is a good one, and the 14 hour operation will start this evening between 6 and 7.00 PM. I hadn't realized that it took that long.

Thank you so much for your prayers and good wishes.

Life goes on, so Ray and I concentrated on getting the Coronado looking better, before someone complained.

The weather is great, but very windy.

The brown parts are not rust.... it is brown paint.

Then someone painted yellow over that!

Ray scraped off the loose paint, pressure washed the whole trailer, then scraped off more loose paint.

It should be ready to prime tomorrow.

We have had enough for today.

Moved Trailer here. "Old" Jokes.

Instant Old Age.

Bobcat was happy to be on her porch early this morning as it was nice and warm out there. She likes to be out there and watch the sunsets, too.

I really don't know where today disappeared to, just as I was printing out the directions to go to a baby shower, the phone rang. He wanted to move the vintage travel trailer here today, not tomorrow, so I didn't get to the baby shower.

I drove over there, as I had the keys, and I wanted to watch to make sure they didn't damage the 62 year old vintage trailer. It had been up on blocks for several years, and we loaded them in the Puddle Jumper, so I could re-block it here, if I wished.

I had to come back here and get the right size ball for his truck. The tires were still holding air after all those years, and he backed it into my side drive all the way back, so it is mostly hidden.

After a quick apologetic call to the baby shower mother-to-be, I quickly drove into our town with Ray. I hadn't had it on my list, so I had forgotten to get the foster cats their food in the next town, yesterday. Ray needed to get Shay some cigarettes in town, too. His car is waiting to go in the shop for a water leak, so he tries not to drive it. We went to the feed store, as I thought that they might have some cat food that wasn't mostly corn meal. They did, but not really the quality that I wanted.

Ray bought a 35 lb bag of wild bird food. We must feed all the birds for miles around here. I think that

is what Bobcat likes to watch from the porch. We get all kinds, from bright Blue Jays and beautiful Red Cardinals to all the little brown birds too. Orange Glow, the outside cat, has never tried to hurt them,

and Blackie knows that they are off limits ever since she presented us with one.

I see from the map that I have readers from all over the world.

It amazes me that folks would want to see the daily doings of this old lady. Thank you.

Little MaeMae is doing well after her surgery. Her little mouth is sore, but she seems to know that the medicine makes her feel better, and doesn't hide from it anymore.

Good! We are ready to start cleaning up the trailer tomorrow, now that it got here today.

Door. MaeMae to Vet. Do Not Call. Puppy Mills.

Yesterday afternoon, Ray came over and applied the second coat of paint to one of the cabinet doors that we made.

This morning it was nice and warm when I got up, but I couldn't let Bobcat go out on the porch as I had to take little MaeMae for her surgery. I gave the cats their breakfasts, then drove down to get MaeMae. She was still fast asleep so Claudia had to get her out of her bed. She was still sleepy on the way to the vet, so she didn't whine to be up in the driver's seat. That is my late DH's fault, he used to let her help him drive. I transport animals properly, she was crated and seat-belted in. She knows she can't pull that stuff with me.

After I dropped her off, I went into the next town. I had some things to return, and buy, at WalMart. Then next door to Lowes who now sell automotive paint, if you don't need a specific color number. I get so tired of having to run to the six different auto parts stores, just to get a can of Duplicolor at each store. They usually only have one can of the color you need at each store! This time I needed white that didn't have to match something that was already painted, so I bought a bunch of it, and auto primer. We are going to need it.

As I was near St. Mark's Thrift Shop, I bought a big shell shaped dish for my bathroom, a cat dish, a little cutting board, a white cotton top, and a gray/pink plaid fleecy cardigan for next winter, all for an extravagant $4.50.

A lady came to buy the big dog carrier that Snack loved so much. Now that I have the two big cages in the cat room, I don't need it any more. They are loose playing all day, and they can see me through that big window beside their cages. But I do cage them at night, so they will get some rest, and not eat each other's dinner.

Then another lady came to pick up the storm door she bought yesterday.

I thought I could take a quick nap, but no!

Just as I was dropping off, I get a sales call even though I am on the Do Not Call List. https://www.donotcall.gov/register/reg.aspx I always get the company name when they do that, and report them to the Do Not Call site, so they will get fined.

By then it was time to get MaeMae from the vet. Again I had to hang around there for an hour, waiting my turn, as it was pick up time. She was still a little groggy, but I got her safely back to Claudia with all the instructions for her care. She had six teeth extracted, and a little tumor taken off her eyelid. My late DH spent $400 on her teeth, and Claudia has spent quite a bit on them before. MaeMae was born in a puppy mill, and her mother didn't get the best of care or food while she was pregnant. She was bought from a pet shop by Claudia's daughter, then four years later she gave us both her poodles, MaeMae, and my late beloved little best friend, Levi.

MaeMae is smart, when she sees us getting with those medicine bottles out of the fridge she runs under the bed. But she was too dopey to do that tonight. Claudia is going to have to pick her up before she goes to the fridge, and not let MaeMae go until she has had her meds!

Now if you need another thing to help save, the African Queen needs help, too. http://blog.rv.net/2009/04/african-queen/

Finally, when I got home, Bobcat got her 'porch fix' for the day.

Well, I Bought It, As if I Don't Have Enough To Do.

Another great day where the windows can be open and just the screen door to the porch closed, letting fresh air through the house. Bobcat was happy to be out on the porch.

I had an appointment at 8.30AM to see my former trailer, now for sale. He was talking about hauling it across the scrap metal scales, and I couldn't let that happen. No, I will not be able to do the total restore, but I can at least get it looking better, and make sure it gets a new good vintage-trailer-loving home, just like re-housing my SPCA foster fur kids in good loving homes.

It didn't have a shower, so I had installed a bathtub under the corner bed in the back bedroom, years ago!! The vanity is just inside the back door, across from the toilet. In the years since I have seen the inside I found out that people do some weird things to RVs!! They didn't put the water heater under the kitchen sink, where it was, they stuck it in the pantry!! For some reason, best known to themselves, they removed all three roof vents and blocked them off. So now I have to find some like the orginals, and repair the birch paneling on the ceiling. I will get the roof and ceiling done, I hope, and let it's new owner carry on from there. These are pictures of the way it is now, a 1947 Westcraft, Westwood Coronado.

Here are pictures of what Craig Dorsey did to his:

http://www.vintage-vacations.com/my47westcraft.htm

Then a lady came and bought a storm door, so that is one more thing out of the way.

So it is a buying and selling day.

Door. AC. Vintage Trailer. VentVisors.

It was lovely on the porch first thing this morning, but Bobcat would not go out there until she had her breakfast. So I fed her early so that she would stay away from under my feet. She walks around with a stiff-legged swagger, like a muscle bound man, when she can't have her own way.

Ray caulked the seams where the trim and insert were glued to the larger Mirage cabinet door. The other door needed a tad more gluing, so it is back under weights in the workshop until tomorrow. He also got the first coat of paint on the larger door.

The "new" AC shroud was almond, and it didn't look right on a white RV, so Ray gave it a couple of coats of white paint for plastic. It looks so much better.

Jay called me to go down there to give MaeMae her medicine. Claudia had fallen out of bed last night, and wasn't able to do it as she is so bruised. I drove down there and popped MaeMae's meds down her. Jay also told me that my old travel trailer was for sale.

I had bought this aircraft built 1947 trailer in Kansas in the 60's, and towed it to TX with my Olds 98 wagon. I sold it some years later, in Dallas, but it wound up in this same subdivision several years ago. How is that for coincidence? Jay wanted me to buy it, put it on his lot, so that he could stay in it, as some folks wanted to rent his house. He said he would work on it for me. Fat Chance!! He has no knowledge of restoring vintage trailers, and I don't have time to be there to watch everything he does to it. If I buy it, it will be worked on right here, done with the right materials, with precision, not his slap-happy "it'll do" attitude. I really don't need any more work, as I still have my 68 Venture Motor Home to clean up and sell, but I did leave them my number, as I hate for it fall into the wrong hands.

While I was gone, the mail lady delivered this long package, I knew exactly what it was. As the Aerostar is a "keeper", I had ordered VentVisors for it. Ray and I installed them right away. They sure do keep the sun out, and I can leave the windows down on each side to let the heat out when it is parked in sunny parking lots. I have seen windows blow out of cars here, from the pressure, if left all closed up in the TX heat.

A lovely sunny day.

Doors. De-winterizing. Meet Ex-Employee.

Another lovely Spring day here. It is a shame that Summer is not far behind. Normally there are two seasons in this part of TX, but this unusual Winter has given us a third.

Winter, Spring, and July/August.

Ray and I de-winterized the house. Took the covers off the northern soffits, took the covers off the roof turbos, washed and put away all the plant covers, and generally got things ready for the hot weather a-comin'. It was warm this afternoon and I could hear the attic fan a-goin'.

We glued the inserts on the Mirage cabinet doors, and they are weighted down for the night. Then we turned out attention to the Mirage's little power vent fan, and there is no way that the fan blade the RV store sold me will fit it. We had the top off and tried everything, but maybe their blade or my fan is an oddball. So back to square one on that.

I had seen an RV in an impound lot that a friend of mine might be interested in, and went to track down the owner of the lot. Turns out the wife of the owner was an ex-employee of mine. Way back in the 80's I had a Mini-Golf, here in downtown Willis, and she worked for me after school. We also sold Sno-Cones, etc., so the kids loved to work there.

The RV was gone, but my friend wouldn't have wanted it anyway, as I found out that the insides had been trashed. Whoever did the trashing didn't realize the value of those old Avions!

Grandpa found out that his 401K had turned into a 104K!!
So that was my day.

Groomed MaeMae and Vet. Starving G. Shepherd.

Another lovely tank top and open windows day. Better enjoy it, as summer is around the corner.

Ray came and we worked on the cabinet doors some more. I know you are tired of hearing about these cabinet doors, but it is a slow process to get them all just right and ready for painting. He also did some more to the Aerostar roof. He got the bad places all sanded and primed, so he will be painting as soon as he can.

Yesterday someone had called me and told me about an extremely emaciated German Shepherd, with a red collor, wandering around in our subdivision. When I went to Claudia's to pick up Mae Mae, I saw the dog. Oh, boy was he skinny, two very prominent hip bones.

I rushed MaeMae into my house and got Ray to drive me in the Puddle Jumper to where I had seen the dog. I was armed with good quality dry dog food and a leash. The dog was on a porch, so I called it and put the bowl of food down for it. It came over to the food and ate.

Ray was having a tizzy, he said don't touch that dog, he looks dangerous, so I backed off and we came home. The house had been vacant, and I thought maybe they left the dog behind... There are terrible people who do things like that. But I knew that I would be feeding that dog until I could figure out what to do with it. I couldn't bring it here, covered in fleas, and it might have something contagious.

Then I started working on MaeMae. The sore place under her eye had hair entwined in the scab that had formed. I couldn't see her being all drippy wet and cold in the tub for that long, so I just sat her on my lap outside in the sunshine, and we watched Ray sand the doors. I took some Co-ets,( like flat cotton balls), sterile water with a dab of Johnson's Baby Shampoo, and soaked it until it loosened enough to work with it. Poor Baby, she was so good, she knew I wouldn't hurt her for the world, and that I was trying to help her. Then I gave her a good bath, and groom. She felt a lot better.

I thought that I had lost something out of my fanny pack while I was messing with the German Shepherd, and as I was busy with MaeMae, Ray drove back down there, with some more dog food. Just as Ray was putting the food in the bowl, a man came out of the "vacant" house, and said that it was his dog, that he had just got the dog, and had just moved in there. I guess he doesn't realize that one can't just let a dog run loose in this neighborhood. But I will still be taking that dog some of my good dog food, he needs all the help he can get.

After lunch we routered a roundover on the outside of the trim, so that it would look somewhat like the original doors. Then we started glueing the trim to the doors. Tomorrow we will glue the inserts.

MaeMae's vet appointment was at 4.00PM, and I just got there in time. The lady vet said that the place on her face was due to a bad tooth. We had wanted her teeth cleaned anyway, so she has to go back on Friday for dental work after being on antibiotics for 5 days.

Movie "Earth". Baby Seals. Cabinet doors.

What a difference a day makes! Nice sunny, warm weather, and the rain has all run down to the lake.

Jay wanted to work some more on the doors, and this is how far we got. We made a new template today that is easier to work with than the smaller one. The doors will take some sanding, glueing and painting. Maybe they won't stand out like a sore thumb, made out of wood, where the others are fibreglass.


Ray did a few odd jobs, he installed the new sink drain, and 12v outlet in the Mirage while he was waiting for things to dry on the roof of the Aerostar.

About the baby seals:

http://www.kintera.org/cms.asp?id=738237&campaign_id=45754&msource=DR090308001&tr=y&enString=hhQGRDVzImLOLZMCLdLMK1NGJcJyEHRqPSRKNcNGIiJRIXNGLsF&auid=4752940

About the movie "Earth":

http://www.kintera.org/cms.asp?id=729185&campaign_id=146956&tr=y&enString=ffSCQxSrIkIKJTNuFbKILVMyHaIuEBSiPQRGN6NxFgKNJVMBKoH&auid=4715098

Yes, I should have read up on my "Tiny Urls" today.