Today we went exploring and journeyed into Crossville in search of Stonehaus Winery and some Amish bulk stores. We were expecting something more along the lines of Messina Hof or Haak Winery, an actual winery with a tour and tastings, but it turned out to be more like an outlet store with a few grape vines out front. Still... wine tasting for free is fun for the whole family (well, the portion of the family that is of legal age).
And cheese. When Mike pitched the options for today, he had me at "cheese." The grocery stores around here have generic blocks of cheddar, sharp cheddar, monterey jack, and mozzarella. Don't get me wrong, I bought them... because they're cheese. But I miss bleu cheese, Havarti, and smoked gouda. I miss options. I miss cheese. I wanted cheese. I must have cheese.
GIVE ME CHEESE! *cough*
And so off we went. In search of cheese.
But first... lunch.
Cancun Mexican Restaurant. Sigh. Why do we try? At least they had margaritas and beer, although for the first time in my life I wanted to ask for more margarita, less grand maranier... what's happening to me? The salsa came in a carafe with two bowls, which I thought was neat... it needed lime juice, salt, cilantro and onion and it would have been a lot better. I made the necessary modifications. I think it was basically thick tomato juice with a little cumin and salt in it. Honestly, out of the three mexican restaurants we've been to, this was the best. That's all I can say.
And onto the winery.
Stonehaus was cool. They had cheese, if I didn't mention that earlier. Havarti with dill... bleu cheese... smoked gouda. Did I mention the cheese? They also had this amazing vidalia onion mustard. It tastes like the Snyder's pretzel pieces with onion and mustard, and I love those.
They also have wine.
Lots of wine.
We tried damn near everything they had. My favorite was the Orange Squeeze. I've never had orange wine. And they had musadine wine. Muscadine is a southern grape that I hated when I was growing up because it has a different flavor than normal grapes, very distinctive, and I hesitated to try it in wine form, but it was free right? So I tried it and it was very good, very true to the flavor of the grape.
They also have fudge. They get you coming and going. :)
For dinner we tried the Granville Marina & Cafe. The food was good, the view is amazing... they were just overwhelmed. There was so much activity going on, people just kept coming in, and they kept pulling tables into the dining room. If the lady next to us hadn't gotten up to make a trip to the salad bar, Mike would have had to ask her to move in order to get out. If they had just opened and had no experience running a restaurant I would have said okay... but they've been around for a while. And...
I wasn't that hungry. I originally wanted a loaded baked potato. They were out of baked potatoes. I ordered catfish, and for my side I ordered a fruit cup. The waitress came back to tell me they were out of fruit cups - I know how my friend Beverly feels now. So I ordered broccoli salad. She came back and told me they were out of broccoli salad. For fuck's sake... tell me what you DO have... I ordered water, took forever to get it. Mike never got his last beer. I had to get up and go to the register to pay, I never got my to-go box, I used the styrofoam container they used to bring my lemon slices and they couldn't find a top for it, so they gave us a large drink container. The atmosphere was completely different by the time we left. When we walked in it was a bright sunny day and people were in a good mood, there was plenty of room. By the end, you could almost cut the tension with a knife, I was so ready to get out of there. The table next to us was not happy at all, and as I made my way to the register - which was rather difficult given the proximity of the tables to each other - I saw a lot of dissatisfied faces.
On the upside, the catfish was good and might even pass my mom's sniff test. Which is rare.
Tonight there will be fireworks around nine. I think we'll be able to see it from here without venturing down the road. I keep forgetting it's 4th of July weekend... we are losing track of time being here.
Oh - and this kinda terrifies me.
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Friday, June 29, 2012
0033 - Rotisserie Chicken
I know how rotisserie chicken feels when it's on that spit, turning and baking. The back of my right calf felt just like that as we worked out in the 104 degree heat again this afternoon. We (mostly Mike again) got the rest of the building moved into place and it's done now. I wore more sensible clothes this time... sneakers instead of crocs... a short-sleeved shirt instead of a tank top... with my big floppy hat that inexplicably makes my hair smell like chocolate.
Since we didn't do much today I'll regale you with information about RV's.
My friend Rob suggested something concerning our RV that I didn't understand at the time. He said it was going to sound weird, and it did... he said he got a clear hose to drain the black water tank, that it's good to be able to see when you're done. I got his point, but the ick factor, and the fact that we had already purchased a red shitter hose meant that I kept it in the back of my mind for future reference but didn't act on it.
Then came the day that we started to drain our own tanks. It was still nice not to have to see what was coming out, but at the same time, Rob's point became clearer. Instead of a new hose Mike found a fitting that went between the attachment and the hose, and it was clear with a spot for a water hose to screw into when you want to flush the tank out.
Aside from being able to tell when it's done draining, it helped us in an entirely different way. They had mislabeled our tanks down below where you pull the levers to open the valve that empties the tanks. Seeing what came out, we realized that when we thought we were draining the black tank, we were actually draining the bath water and washer/dryer tank. The black water valve was labeled as the bath tank and vice versa, but the galley tank was correct. So we relabled them. If you don't own an RV you probably don't understand the importance.
First off, there is a meter in our control panel that shows us the levels of all the tanks. The bath tank gets full quick because that's also where the water from the washer/dryer goes. I figured out something was wrong when that was full, there was water standing in the shower, but I swore I drained the tank.
Secondly, and most important, you always empty the black tank first, so that all of the nastiness goes out the hose and then it is followed by the "grey water" which is cleaner... the grey water is bath and kitchen water with no human waste in it. This cleans your shitter hose a bit and I think it also helps create a vacuum that completely flushes the black tank.
Tonight I made chili cheese fries for dinner, or maybe it's fair to say I threw them together since I didn't cut the potatoes or make the chili. I grated the cheese and mixed some garlic salt into the sour cream if that impresses you. :) They were delicious. Then we had strawberry shortcake for dessert and I used cinnamon sugar to macerate the berries. Now we're watching a Tom Selleck movie, he did several based on Louis L'Amour and we bought a 3-pack. We love Tom. It's an odd paradox for me... he's incredibly good looking, but I don't drool. When I see him in a love scene it doesn't seem right to me. Weird, huh?
We went to a different grocery store this afternoon on our way back from Mark's. In some ways I liked it better, in other ways Foodtown has the advantage. Neither of them has jalapenos or leafy lettuce... that's okay, I have my AeroGrow on the job. I'll have arugula, red leaf lettuce, jalapenos, black krim tomatoes, rosemary, basil and... I have forgotten the seventh thing I planted... it'll be a surprise I guess. Can't wait to have my own produce at hand. I'll transplant the rosemary, it gets big, the rest I guess will stay where it is. This is my first time, I'll play it by ear.
Oh, and feel free to comment, that's what makes a blog worth writing. It helps keep people up to date all at once, but interaction is what makes a blogger happy. I miss my 'tribe', only a couple remain from my original blog. Most of the people who read this know either Mike or I... it's kind of lonely out here even though there are nice people around I miss familiar faces.
Oh, and I added some Amazon stuff to the sidebar. They pay referral fees if people come to them through this blog, every little bit helps.
Since we didn't do much today I'll regale you with information about RV's.
My friend Rob suggested something concerning our RV that I didn't understand at the time. He said it was going to sound weird, and it did... he said he got a clear hose to drain the black water tank, that it's good to be able to see when you're done. I got his point, but the ick factor, and the fact that we had already purchased a red shitter hose meant that I kept it in the back of my mind for future reference but didn't act on it.
Then came the day that we started to drain our own tanks. It was still nice not to have to see what was coming out, but at the same time, Rob's point became clearer. Instead of a new hose Mike found a fitting that went between the attachment and the hose, and it was clear with a spot for a water hose to screw into when you want to flush the tank out.
Aside from being able to tell when it's done draining, it helped us in an entirely different way. They had mislabeled our tanks down below where you pull the levers to open the valve that empties the tanks. Seeing what came out, we realized that when we thought we were draining the black tank, we were actually draining the bath water and washer/dryer tank. The black water valve was labeled as the bath tank and vice versa, but the galley tank was correct. So we relabled them. If you don't own an RV you probably don't understand the importance.
First off, there is a meter in our control panel that shows us the levels of all the tanks. The bath tank gets full quick because that's also where the water from the washer/dryer goes. I figured out something was wrong when that was full, there was water standing in the shower, but I swore I drained the tank.
Secondly, and most important, you always empty the black tank first, so that all of the nastiness goes out the hose and then it is followed by the "grey water" which is cleaner... the grey water is bath and kitchen water with no human waste in it. This cleans your shitter hose a bit and I think it also helps create a vacuum that completely flushes the black tank.
Tonight I made chili cheese fries for dinner, or maybe it's fair to say I threw them together since I didn't cut the potatoes or make the chili. I grated the cheese and mixed some garlic salt into the sour cream if that impresses you. :) They were delicious. Then we had strawberry shortcake for dessert and I used cinnamon sugar to macerate the berries. Now we're watching a Tom Selleck movie, he did several based on Louis L'Amour and we bought a 3-pack. We love Tom. It's an odd paradox for me... he's incredibly good looking, but I don't drool. When I see him in a love scene it doesn't seem right to me. Weird, huh?
We went to a different grocery store this afternoon on our way back from Mark's. In some ways I liked it better, in other ways Foodtown has the advantage. Neither of them has jalapenos or leafy lettuce... that's okay, I have my AeroGrow on the job. I'll have arugula, red leaf lettuce, jalapenos, black krim tomatoes, rosemary, basil and... I have forgotten the seventh thing I planted... it'll be a surprise I guess. Can't wait to have my own produce at hand. I'll transplant the rosemary, it gets big, the rest I guess will stay where it is. This is my first time, I'll play it by ear.
Oh, and feel free to comment, that's what makes a blog worth writing. It helps keep people up to date all at once, but interaction is what makes a blogger happy. I miss my 'tribe', only a couple remain from my original blog. Most of the people who read this know either Mike or I... it's kind of lonely out here even though there are nice people around I miss familiar faces.
Oh, and I added some Amazon stuff to the sidebar. They pay referral fees if people come to them through this blog, every little bit helps.
Thursday, June 28, 2012
0032 - It burns.
Our building was dropped off today. The driver has a thankless job... not only does he drive the truck, navigating whatever the local area throws at him, but he also helps unload the materials. If we had a forklift it would have been easy peasy.
We did not have a forklift.
The three of us unloaded it piece by piece. In the blistering sun. Unfortunately there was some rational reason he presented at the time which meant we had to unload it on the side of the truck that was furthest from the spot Mark wanted us to actually store it. So we had to move everything we unloaded from one spot to the other. We did about half of it (we being mostly Mike) and will have to return tomorrow to finish up. Mike is sore, I'm red, I have a feeling that neither of us is going to sleep comfortably tonight.
That took up most of our day.
We had a good breakfast while we waited for the driver to show up. We're slowly but surely finding more restaurants to choose from. I would like to cook more, but sometimes it's too far to return home. I still want to try Clippers... food, hair and fun. :)
We had lunch at the local pizza place - finally a meal that made me happy. I would have preferred fresh, over canned, mushrooms, but overall it tasted good. After we finished up, our realtors/friends came in for lunch so we stayed while they ate. We learned a lot about the local real estate. Mike had just called about the property we're interested in, and they had some good suggestions for us to look into. They're good people and we're lucky to have been referred to them by the nice lady at H&H.
It's nice to have a somewhat slower pace to life, not feeling so rushed all the time. Although... I do feel rushed in some respects... but what I mean is, I'm free to actually spend time with people and have conversations instead of attempting to fit it all into a lunch hour.
I guess today is Thursday... I'm losing track of the days. Oh well.
We did not have a forklift.
The three of us unloaded it piece by piece. In the blistering sun. Unfortunately there was some rational reason he presented at the time which meant we had to unload it on the side of the truck that was furthest from the spot Mark wanted us to actually store it. So we had to move everything we unloaded from one spot to the other. We did about half of it (we being mostly Mike) and will have to return tomorrow to finish up. Mike is sore, I'm red, I have a feeling that neither of us is going to sleep comfortably tonight.
That took up most of our day.
We had a good breakfast while we waited for the driver to show up. We're slowly but surely finding more restaurants to choose from. I would like to cook more, but sometimes it's too far to return home. I still want to try Clippers... food, hair and fun. :)
We had lunch at the local pizza place - finally a meal that made me happy. I would have preferred fresh, over canned, mushrooms, but overall it tasted good. After we finished up, our realtors/friends came in for lunch so we stayed while they ate. We learned a lot about the local real estate. Mike had just called about the property we're interested in, and they had some good suggestions for us to look into. They're good people and we're lucky to have been referred to them by the nice lady at H&H.
It's nice to have a somewhat slower pace to life, not feeling so rushed all the time. Although... I do feel rushed in some respects... but what I mean is, I'm free to actually spend time with people and have conversations instead of attempting to fit it all into a lunch hour.
I guess today is Thursday... I'm losing track of the days. Oh well.
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
0031 - Organized
Yesterday we had to move to another spot at the RV park. There is a guy who has been coming to this place for the past eleven years, and we were in *his* spot. Not having met him, he sounds like a total douche... he owns an RV, but flies someone in to park it and set it up, then she comes in once a week to clean it for him. I admit Mike does the lion's share of the work when it comes to the RV, but that's because I don't know how to do them yet. I have been trying to help as much as I can because I want to know how to do it. I'm starting to get the hang of it... of course now we're not moving around as much so I'll probably start to forget.
After that we went to see Mark, to pay him for the temporary electric pole he built for us. Finally got to see it, it was a beaut. We're going to keep it so that we can use it when we get settled, no point in selling it with the land, it's $800 that we won't have to worry about in the future. He told us about some property that was nearby, for sale, but not publicly, then he took us on a tour of it. It's close to 80 acres for around $3k/acre, but the guy trades too, so he may be willing to take our land as a downpayment and then owner finance the rest. The road going back to that area is good... two lanes with a center stripe. Mark brings his heavy equipment in and out all the time, so an RV should work. The road going into the land would need to be cleared and graveled, but the land itself is amazing. As Mark was talking about what he'd do with it if it was his, I could clearly see the pond, the clearings, etc., and there are footers for a cabin already in place. It needs some cleanup, but there is also marketable timber that we may be able to sell to offset some of that.
Mark owns most of the property around it and is like us, he wants to keep people at a distance, so he was explaining that with the hollers around it, and him owning land around it, no one is going to come in and build and it will stay secluded. There are several springs on the property, and a waterfall supposedly. And the best part, other than having a kickass neighbor and everything else I've just said, is that it's on the Cookeville side of Gainesboro, so it's only about 15-20 mins to a larger town if we need something, or want to eat at a restaurant like we're used to.
Speaking of which, we went back to Char for my birthday. We'd gone there last time we were here but Mike had just had gallbladder surgery and we ended up in the ER. We were both looking forward to going back because the leftovers we got were amazing. We weren't disappointed. I had ribeye with bleu cheese and a baked potato. Mike had a seafood pasta with a lemon cream sauce. Both were delicious and enough for leftovers today.
Then we went to Verizon to get Mike a phone that might at least work sporadically around here. AT&T just wasn't cutting it. They claim to have a 'moderate service area' around here... bullshit, they have no service whatsoever. The representative I spoke to - before I even mentioned cancelling - told me that I had a contract and I couldn't just cancel without paying a termination fee. The supervisor said almost the same thing, except he offered to split it with us. So it cost us around $85 to cancel and it was the first time I have ever been disappointed with AT&T. Up until now, everyone has been awesome and I have sung their praises, so I know it's just the one guy and not the company, but I'm still a little miffed. Part of the contract is that they provide us service, not feed us bullshit and tell us to get a signal booster for the house that will "help." I don't feel like we should have to pay anything to cancel.
This afternoon we emptied out the belly of the beast and finally organized our things. We'd just sort of shoved everything in there when we moved because we were short on time, and ever since we've been on the move or busy doing something. Now food is with food, RV stuff is in its own bin, electronics have their own box, etc. It's much better now, and I was able to clear the space around the dining room table because I could move stuff into storage. Tonight we'll sort through clothes and figure out what we can swap out, room is tight in the closet and drawers so we need to make choices.
One of our neighbors is in the process of packing up and leaving. I don't know details and don't need to know, but I have enough info to realize it wasn't their choice. They were cool people and we enjoyed talking to them, they had a campfire this weekend and invited us over to sit around and talk to everyone. The guy was a spitfire and liked to joke, he'd always say something to me that was sexist (jokingly), and I'd flip him off, and he'd laugh. Good people, I wish them well.
Dinner tonight is sauerkraut and sausage (jalapeno cheese sausage from Froberg that we had in our freezer). Then more organizing. I'm losing track of the days but I think it's Wednesday. We don't really have plans until Monday except that our building will arrive sometime soon. Mark is letting us keep it at his place until we sort things out. That's another reason why that property would be nice... it's nearby, hahaha. He's also going to ask around to see if anyone wants to buy it. If we can sell it, we can put that money into a pole barn, which would actually work better for us anyway. Can you tell I hate that building? Well I do. I would love to be rid of it. I've seen several farmers storing their hay in that type of building, so maybe we can find someone wants it and it will be a win-win situation for both of us. Here's hoping.
After that we went to see Mark, to pay him for the temporary electric pole he built for us. Finally got to see it, it was a beaut. We're going to keep it so that we can use it when we get settled, no point in selling it with the land, it's $800 that we won't have to worry about in the future. He told us about some property that was nearby, for sale, but not publicly, then he took us on a tour of it. It's close to 80 acres for around $3k/acre, but the guy trades too, so he may be willing to take our land as a downpayment and then owner finance the rest. The road going back to that area is good... two lanes with a center stripe. Mark brings his heavy equipment in and out all the time, so an RV should work. The road going into the land would need to be cleared and graveled, but the land itself is amazing. As Mark was talking about what he'd do with it if it was his, I could clearly see the pond, the clearings, etc., and there are footers for a cabin already in place. It needs some cleanup, but there is also marketable timber that we may be able to sell to offset some of that.
Mark owns most of the property around it and is like us, he wants to keep people at a distance, so he was explaining that with the hollers around it, and him owning land around it, no one is going to come in and build and it will stay secluded. There are several springs on the property, and a waterfall supposedly. And the best part, other than having a kickass neighbor and everything else I've just said, is that it's on the Cookeville side of Gainesboro, so it's only about 15-20 mins to a larger town if we need something, or want to eat at a restaurant like we're used to.
Speaking of which, we went back to Char for my birthday. We'd gone there last time we were here but Mike had just had gallbladder surgery and we ended up in the ER. We were both looking forward to going back because the leftovers we got were amazing. We weren't disappointed. I had ribeye with bleu cheese and a baked potato. Mike had a seafood pasta with a lemon cream sauce. Both were delicious and enough for leftovers today.
Then we went to Verizon to get Mike a phone that might at least work sporadically around here. AT&T just wasn't cutting it. They claim to have a 'moderate service area' around here... bullshit, they have no service whatsoever. The representative I spoke to - before I even mentioned cancelling - told me that I had a contract and I couldn't just cancel without paying a termination fee. The supervisor said almost the same thing, except he offered to split it with us. So it cost us around $85 to cancel and it was the first time I have ever been disappointed with AT&T. Up until now, everyone has been awesome and I have sung their praises, so I know it's just the one guy and not the company, but I'm still a little miffed. Part of the contract is that they provide us service, not feed us bullshit and tell us to get a signal booster for the house that will "help." I don't feel like we should have to pay anything to cancel.
This afternoon we emptied out the belly of the beast and finally organized our things. We'd just sort of shoved everything in there when we moved because we were short on time, and ever since we've been on the move or busy doing something. Now food is with food, RV stuff is in its own bin, electronics have their own box, etc. It's much better now, and I was able to clear the space around the dining room table because I could move stuff into storage. Tonight we'll sort through clothes and figure out what we can swap out, room is tight in the closet and drawers so we need to make choices.
One of our neighbors is in the process of packing up and leaving. I don't know details and don't need to know, but I have enough info to realize it wasn't their choice. They were cool people and we enjoyed talking to them, they had a campfire this weekend and invited us over to sit around and talk to everyone. The guy was a spitfire and liked to joke, he'd always say something to me that was sexist (jokingly), and I'd flip him off, and he'd laugh. Good people, I wish them well.
Dinner tonight is sauerkraut and sausage (jalapeno cheese sausage from Froberg that we had in our freezer). Then more organizing. I'm losing track of the days but I think it's Wednesday. We don't really have plans until Monday except that our building will arrive sometime soon. Mark is letting us keep it at his place until we sort things out. That's another reason why that property would be nice... it's nearby, hahaha. He's also going to ask around to see if anyone wants to buy it. If we can sell it, we can put that money into a pole barn, which would actually work better for us anyway. Can you tell I hate that building? Well I do. I would love to be rid of it. I've seen several farmers storing their hay in that type of building, so maybe we can find someone wants it and it will be a win-win situation for both of us. Here's hoping.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Monday, June 25, 2012
0029 - Goin' for a ride
We do a lot of driving lately. Well... Mike does. If you just look at the mileage it doesn't seem like we go very far, but with all the curvy roads and hills, it takes a while to get anywhere. Gainesboro is our hub, it's where our land was, and it is the nearest town with a grocery store, bank, etc. We have a little convenience store down the street and they have stuff to get you by, but if you want real groceries you have to go to Foodtown or Walmart. I'm trying to avoid Walmart as much as possible... at Walmart there always seems to be a hole in my pocket, and I prefer to support small local shops rather than putting more money into Walmart's coffers. Plus, if you go to Walmart... you chance an encounter with the people of Walmart... lordy.
Today we went to the electric company to get a refund for the money we paid toward having lines installed. Last week we went to the electric company, went to our land, then immediately went back to the electric company and asked them to cancel the work order. They use a third party to process their credit card payments, so it was a chore for them to refund my money, but props to them, they made the effort. I had to come in while the supervisor could take care of it. Took a while... we were there for about half an hour, but it was well worth our time.
Headed into Carthage to get lunch... we were looking for a mom and pop burger joint... none to be found. How can that be? There is a hamburger and hair shop on the way out of Granville, but we weren't near it. I call it Hairburger, it amuses me. I don't know its real name. We saw two Mexican restaurants... we chose El Rey. Did I not learn from our last trip? No, I did not. Carthage is a larger town - they have not one, but four buildings with the word "attorney' in the name. It sucked. I ordered nachos... what I got was a bunch of chips swimming in a thin cheese-like sauce and it was nasty. Mike got a dish that had a little bit of everything, it was also nasty. Truth be told it's my own damn fault... I could tell by the salsa that I was in for a disappointment. I have decided that if everything works out with the business we hope to buy, we will open a little store and I can make salsa and green sauce, can it in jars and sell it. It will blow everyone's mind. I'm not even that proficient, it's just that theirs sucks SO BAD. I even realized that if we get that business, we could get a food truck and serve lunches during the week and we wouldn't have to get anyone's permission, it would be our property. We could grow a garden and sell produce. We can sell fishing licenses. We can sell stamps. We can provide notary services. We can send faxes. We can run VolTac from there. We could do any-damn-thing we want.
After Carthage, we went to the bank and opened an account so that I can have local access to money, and the ability to write checks. I never got checks for my credit union account, and most people out here prefer cash or checks. Of course, checks that aren't local aren't necessarily worth the paper they're printed on, so that was another consideration. Of the places that accept credit cards, some have a credit card minimum, others charge a 3% surcharge. I get that but it kind of sucks because I'm not used to it... I prefer people to price their stuff accordingly and make that fee transparent to me.
Then we went to Foodtown. Foodtown is decent, I'm used to more selection, and I haven't figured out the rhyme and reason of their layout yet. My one complaint is that they don't have leafy lettuces, just iceberg. Well... two complaints... no Chobani. That's okay... I'm going to work on setting up my AeroGrow and I'll take care of the lettuce myself... the Chobani is a problem that can't be solved. (sigh)
We're trying to eat more meals at home... both because it's cheaper and better for us, and because we're tired of being disappointed by the local fare. I'm having to create menus on the fly, but that's okay because I like it. Tonight was jerk chicken with roasted broccoli and sauteed summer squash. We'll have Cherry Garcia ice cream for dessert in a minute. Used the little grill for the first time. It's good in a pinch, but I think I want a better one. A lid would be a handy thing to have, and it could be sturdier... wind was blowing, and if there was no charcoal in there, I was afraid it might tip over. That said, it did the trick, we were able to grill.
Soon we'll be heading to Louisville to finish Mike's dental work. He's been having issues with his implants and it's hard for him to eat. It's supposedly a two hour trip from here, so we'll try to make it in a day, or if we need to stay the night we'll get a hotel room. It's not worth pulling up stakes for a day and trying to find a spot. Can't wait to eat at Red Star again. And Maker's Mark. Now THAT is good food... Maybe I'm a snob.
That was pretty much our day today. Phone is still frustrating... I can receive calls if I sit the phone in a certain spot by the bed. I have to put it on speaker phone though... if I pick the phone up and put it to my ear the call gets dropped. As we're driving I'll get a signal, and then mid-sentence I'll lose the call. Tried Skype and it was no better. I hear the person I'm talking to just fine, I apparently cut out. I'm glad we have internet, but that's not a solution all of the time... sometimes you do need a phone.
Today we went to the electric company to get a refund for the money we paid toward having lines installed. Last week we went to the electric company, went to our land, then immediately went back to the electric company and asked them to cancel the work order. They use a third party to process their credit card payments, so it was a chore for them to refund my money, but props to them, they made the effort. I had to come in while the supervisor could take care of it. Took a while... we were there for about half an hour, but it was well worth our time.
Headed into Carthage to get lunch... we were looking for a mom and pop burger joint... none to be found. How can that be? There is a hamburger and hair shop on the way out of Granville, but we weren't near it. I call it Hairburger, it amuses me. I don't know its real name. We saw two Mexican restaurants... we chose El Rey. Did I not learn from our last trip? No, I did not. Carthage is a larger town - they have not one, but four buildings with the word "attorney' in the name. It sucked. I ordered nachos... what I got was a bunch of chips swimming in a thin cheese-like sauce and it was nasty. Mike got a dish that had a little bit of everything, it was also nasty. Truth be told it's my own damn fault... I could tell by the salsa that I was in for a disappointment. I have decided that if everything works out with the business we hope to buy, we will open a little store and I can make salsa and green sauce, can it in jars and sell it. It will blow everyone's mind. I'm not even that proficient, it's just that theirs sucks SO BAD. I even realized that if we get that business, we could get a food truck and serve lunches during the week and we wouldn't have to get anyone's permission, it would be our property. We could grow a garden and sell produce. We can sell fishing licenses. We can sell stamps. We can provide notary services. We can send faxes. We can run VolTac from there. We could do any-damn-thing we want.
After Carthage, we went to the bank and opened an account so that I can have local access to money, and the ability to write checks. I never got checks for my credit union account, and most people out here prefer cash or checks. Of course, checks that aren't local aren't necessarily worth the paper they're printed on, so that was another consideration. Of the places that accept credit cards, some have a credit card minimum, others charge a 3% surcharge. I get that but it kind of sucks because I'm not used to it... I prefer people to price their stuff accordingly and make that fee transparent to me.
Then we went to Foodtown. Foodtown is decent, I'm used to more selection, and I haven't figured out the rhyme and reason of their layout yet. My one complaint is that they don't have leafy lettuces, just iceberg. Well... two complaints... no Chobani. That's okay... I'm going to work on setting up my AeroGrow and I'll take care of the lettuce myself... the Chobani is a problem that can't be solved. (sigh)
We're trying to eat more meals at home... both because it's cheaper and better for us, and because we're tired of being disappointed by the local fare. I'm having to create menus on the fly, but that's okay because I like it. Tonight was jerk chicken with roasted broccoli and sauteed summer squash. We'll have Cherry Garcia ice cream for dessert in a minute. Used the little grill for the first time. It's good in a pinch, but I think I want a better one. A lid would be a handy thing to have, and it could be sturdier... wind was blowing, and if there was no charcoal in there, I was afraid it might tip over. That said, it did the trick, we were able to grill.
Soon we'll be heading to Louisville to finish Mike's dental work. He's been having issues with his implants and it's hard for him to eat. It's supposedly a two hour trip from here, so we'll try to make it in a day, or if we need to stay the night we'll get a hotel room. It's not worth pulling up stakes for a day and trying to find a spot. Can't wait to eat at Red Star again. And Maker's Mark. Now THAT is good food... Maybe I'm a snob.
That was pretty much our day today. Phone is still frustrating... I can receive calls if I sit the phone in a certain spot by the bed. I have to put it on speaker phone though... if I pick the phone up and put it to my ear the call gets dropped. As we're driving I'll get a signal, and then mid-sentence I'll lose the call. Tried Skype and it was no better. I hear the person I'm talking to just fine, I apparently cut out. I'm glad we have internet, but that's not a solution all of the time... sometimes you do need a phone.
Sunday, June 24, 2012
0028 - So today is Sunday, huh?
Yesterday, in addition to perusing the local area, we finally got to visit Cyclemos. It's one of those things we've tried to do ever since the first time we came to the area, but they have odd hours and were always closed. I like motorcycles and it was interesting to see some very early models, including Mike's favorite - the Indian. They had about five of them plus Harleys and Triumphs and several I'd never heard of. All in all it was interesting, but my own personal *squee* moment was when I noticed a couple of American Pickers signs scattered throughout the place. I love that show. (Mike hasn't even read this yet and I can already see him shaking his head and giving me that look of disapproval that says, 'you just don't get it... they had Indians... you can't beat that with American Pickers' hahaha)
Music was nice last night. One guy, one guitar, and an audience of about ten people. I made the bbq potatoes and they turned out better than I anticipated... Manwich is not Joe's BBQ, but it was what we had. So we had dinner and a show and it was nice to get out and do things. Then our neighbors invited us to sit around their firepit. It was nice to just sit and talk with people and we had a really good time.
Today we perused commercial properties. We've found a couple that piqued our interest and could be viable without too much work. By that I mean we wouldn't have to renovate anything major or start from scratch... we take over, probably change a few things up, and "simply" keep it going. Yes, it will be hard work. Ideally we'd like to be our own bosses, make a decent living, and be able to set down roots here. For once we were pleasantly surprised by something we saw online and not the other way around, and the location seems good.
Made tuna helper for dinner and am watching A Dolphin's Tail as I type. We rented it about six months ago, paused it for some reason, and never got to see the end. Now it's on HBO for 'free'. I'm marinating chicken for tomorrow, jerk chicken. Forgot to get jalapenos and the nutmeg is in the belly of the beast, so I'm improvising a little, but I had most of the ingredients. Slap it on the grill and it should be tasty. Apparently my potatoes got a lot of notice last night and people wondered where they came from. If I could parlay that into a weekend gig here at the RV park that would suit me fine. I like to cook, people seem to enjoy what I cook, and if I get a good reputation, that could only help. :)
Music was nice last night. One guy, one guitar, and an audience of about ten people. I made the bbq potatoes and they turned out better than I anticipated... Manwich is not Joe's BBQ, but it was what we had. So we had dinner and a show and it was nice to get out and do things. Then our neighbors invited us to sit around their firepit. It was nice to just sit and talk with people and we had a really good time.
Today we perused commercial properties. We've found a couple that piqued our interest and could be viable without too much work. By that I mean we wouldn't have to renovate anything major or start from scratch... we take over, probably change a few things up, and "simply" keep it going. Yes, it will be hard work. Ideally we'd like to be our own bosses, make a decent living, and be able to set down roots here. For once we were pleasantly surprised by something we saw online and not the other way around, and the location seems good.
Made tuna helper for dinner and am watching A Dolphin's Tail as I type. We rented it about six months ago, paused it for some reason, and never got to see the end. Now it's on HBO for 'free'. I'm marinating chicken for tomorrow, jerk chicken. Forgot to get jalapenos and the nutmeg is in the belly of the beast, so I'm improvising a little, but I had most of the ingredients. Slap it on the grill and it should be tasty. Apparently my potatoes got a lot of notice last night and people wondered where they came from. If I could parlay that into a weekend gig here at the RV park that would suit me fine. I like to cook, people seem to enjoy what I cook, and if I get a good reputation, that could only help. :)
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