Winter - The Holiday Season

It seems that as we grow older it is becoming increasingly difficult to get everyone to meet at a common time.  After all, the children now are now married and they have responsibilities with their spouse's family that also require consideration.

So we do what we can, make what seems like never ending changes and strive to see everyone - especially the grand kids -  at least once during the holiday season.   And we try so hard to keep in mind that even though the times can be trying, we are most thankful for a healthy and safe family.

Some days I just want to pull the warm covers up over my head and stay in my toasty bed as long as possible. 

But the dog has other desires that require daily attention no matter what the outside may hold in store.  So I reluctantly get up to an excited canine of 8o pounds that is overjoyed to see me rise, get dressed and open the door for her.  She rushes out to see if the yard has been invaded.  Alas, after a scan of the yard, there is no sign of an invader and she then takes care of business and returns to the door awaiting re-entry and the forthcoming treat. 

Yes she is spoiled.  Loved and spoiled.  And she knows it.

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OMG! Summer is comming to an end...

I can't believe how fast this summer went by. Just yesterday was the 4th of July and summer was in full swing. Now everyone is getting prepared for the cold that will surely be here in December, January and February. Brr!

Do you remember wearing several layers of clothes just to take the dog for a walk? Well I can't forget the procedure to get dressed for the outdoors. Just yesterday we were at the store and my wife was getting items to decorate the house for fall and the celebration of Halloween followed by Thanksgiving. I actually enjoy these two events but Halloween is by far my favorite. I would be happy if Halloween was followed by Valentines day since it is the harbinger of spring and signals the ending of winter.

There is what seems like forever between Halloween and Valentines day when the days get shorter and shorter until late December when we begin to see the sunshine catch-up with the darkness and the grey skies of a Chicago winter fade into sunshine. I think we all rejoice when we get those first days of 50 degree temperatures and the sun begins to feel warm on bare skin. It is interesting to note that 50 degree days in the fall are cold and the same temperature days in the spring are warm.

The seasons change and we are powerless to alter the passing of time. All we can do is accept the inevitability of winter and get ready for it. Hopefully we will be prepared for the change so when it happens we can continue our lives and meet our responsibilities. The change can happen swiftly.

The Farmers Almanac is predicting that this coming winter will be very cold. I pray that you and your families will be safe and warm throughout the Winter of 2016-2017.

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Time to smile!

I have been away for awhile but now it is time to update this blog.

This summer has been hot and the tomatoes are growing like mad. Last year it was cooler and they were very skimpy. Now if we could just keep the damn squirrels away from the garden life would be much easier. We have winter squash, cucumbers, zucchini, and peppers. Three kinds of peppers - Habanero, Gypsy, and bell peppers. They seem to be doing well and we are hoping for a good yield so we can share with our neighbors.

Now that the political conventions are over I feel like it is time to relax and stop taking it all so seriously. So here is an image that will depict my current attitude and I hope you will agree. When I look at this I just want to smile too!

Have a happy 2nd half of summer 2016!

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Its Summer at Woodhaven Lakes

Wow!  It's like someone flipped a switch and turned on the heat.   We went from a wet cool spring into a hot beginning of summer.  The change in the Sun's angle to the earth makes the heat from that burning fusion reactor almost 93 million miles away feel very hot on the skin.  It is really nice because we are able to enjoy many 'summer' things that have been on the shelf since late October 2015.

 For those who may be following my blogs, Woodhaven Lakes is just about fully cleaned up from last years tornado that hit the south west corner of the facility.  And now we all get to pay for it through the ever hated - "Special Assessment".  Right now we are not sure just how much that will be but expect to see it published later this year.  They will most likely delay the "announcement" until after the best season of the park - Summer.

But the board still lives in the past and steadfastly refruses to step into the 21st century.   As an example - I have taken my concerns about the limited WI-FI access to the executive director on more than one occasion.  Her answer is always "People do not come to Woodhaven for WI-FI, they come to enjoy nature".  Obviously she hasn't met my grand kids.

They do not like to come to Woodhaven because "the WI-FI is really crappy".  It doesn't take a genius to recognize that the dependency on WI-FI is increasing rapidly covering all endeavors including education.   Am I supposed to stop taking on-line courses so that I can come to Woodhaven?   It seems to me that the management is stuck in the past and needs to take a pro-active infrastructure approach that includes expanding WI-FI access throughout the park, not just at the recreational facilities.  The current availability centers around three recreational centers and if your RV is within 300ft of one of these you are fine.  If not then you can "enjoy nature".

I hope this reaches the ears of other owners and creates a stir for more and better WI-FI access.  Lets Leap into the 21st century at Woodhaven Lakes.

Woodhaven Lakes - 2016 Update

We just made our first visit to Woodhaven Lakes located near Sublette, IL and wanted to update you on the recovery efforts from last summers damage from a tornado that happened on June 22nd, 2015.  Today is April 27th 2016 and the park has made major progress in the clean up efforts over the 9 months since the tornado.

The mountain of wood chips is nearly gone and I estimate that a dozen or two truckloads remain.  I believe that the target was to get things 'back to normal' by June 1st 2016 and great process has been made in the efforts to meet this objective.   Owners were given 1 year to clean up their lots of the down trees and other rubbish left from the tornado.   Most of them have done so but there still remains some who made the decision to 'walk away' or abandon their lots.  Most if not all of these were owners that did not have insurance and found themselves having to foot the bill to comply with the associations 1 year time limit on their own.  My experience leaves me to estimate that it may be less expensive to start over rather than to remove the debris.

But the prognosis is positive.  The park looks great for the most part and we had a very nice time on our first visit of 2016.  There are several people relocating their park model RV's to other vacant lots throughout the park. We have had two new neighbors so far this year from other parts of the park.  The process I've seen is that the RV is moved and then the repairs necessary are performed at the new location.  This methodology seems to work well and helps to get a fresh start after the RV is set into the new location.

 Well that wraps up my 2016 report.   If you are looking for a fun option for your family take a look at Woodhaven Lakes Recreational Park.

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Spring 2016

It is the first Monday of Spring 2016.  It has been an odd spring this year with 50 degree temps in February and 20 degree nights in mid to late March the weather is all over the place.   I have prepped my snow blowers (yep I have two) for their summer stowage.  I found a new 4 cycle fuel the does not contain any ethanol and is supposed to remain stable for over two years.   It is expensive but works well.  I put a quart in each tank and we will see how it works this year.  I will let you know when I get them ready for next winter.  Of course without any idea of what is to happen with the weather but I am hopping the cold is over for the year.

As for the weather this spring - It is weird!   Yesterday a high of 61 and tomorrow a high of 38.  It is a wild ride and will be for another week or two.  We are just holding on for May when it should stabilize and enter into a warming period.  We are getting real tired of the chill even though it is much warmer than last March.

As those of you who follow this blog know, we have an RV at Woodhaven Lakes Recreation Facility in Sublette, IL and we are getting restless to begin our summer ritual of spending time at our RV.   I really enjoy the mornings when the air is crisp and the sound of woodpeckers and owls are filling the air with their signature sounds.   With each passing weekend I become more anxious about visiting Woodhaven Lakes.    Just think about it - no Comcast, no AT&T Uverse, no land line telephones, and miles and miles of roads without a stoplight.  We are still close to civilization when we want it.

We do enjoy plenty of walking and the peaceful quiet of the woods except for the holiday weekends.  On holiday weekends the place is swamped with families out to enjoy their little bit of the outdoors.  The facility management is rigidly entrenched and unless you are from the Naperville area their meetings are not convenient.   This is why the views of the few hold sway over the facility as a whole  They think they are 'protecting' us just as other totalitarian bodies often do.  This is price owners have decided is the price we pay to enjoy the facilities as a whole.

I hope you will decide to take a weekend and come visit Woodhaven Lakes.  They do have facilities for prospective purchasers so give them a call and set up a visit.  At just over 2 hours from the majority of the Chicago area the drive is tolerable.

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