Gone for Good, or Temporarily Missing?

So much for keeping up with the blogging.

It has been quite the summer, starting with the beginning of the trip to pick up Lady Rose.

Gorgeous George does not like to camp. He does not like to fish. He does not like to leave home and his normal routine. The Duchess and he have been together ten years now. When the Duchess was younger, she shared the interests of Gorgeous. But when Matt, Of Whom She Is So Proud (her only child), became involved in Cub Scouts, she saw things in a different light. And came to the realization that she has a need to sit in the middle of a forest, smelling the pine and listening to the animals call to each other. And her Soul has missed this and needs this to stay healthy.

Gorgeous George finds this stupid. And Duchess Lynnabelle has come to the sad realization that she has managed to marry the only two men in the state of Minnesota (her first companion felt exactly the same way) who are not outdoorsmen.

It is true. Opposites DO attract.

Back to the trip to pick up the Lady. Instead of using the appendage that God gave him to communicate with (which appears to work perfectly well at most other times), Mr. George decided he did not want to go on the trip. But instead of saying anything, he went into a two-year old Poopy Posture. Refused to help pack and sat at his drawing board with his bottom lip poking out. The Duchess responded with a Poopy Posture of her own (although done in the most mannerly of ways) and said he may as well stay home with the animals, as there wasn't any room for them, anyhow.

Totally forgetting that Gorgeous had the money to pay for the trip in his pocket.

It was not a good start, and things just went from bad to worse.

Lady Rose looks absolutely stunning, both inside and out. Pictures will follow in the next post. But, it became clear over the next few weeks that her mechanicals left much to be desired. What also became clear is that a large, heavy camper pulls differently than a small, light camper. The Duchess had never experienced trailer sway. And it is frightening. To see Rose bouncing, literally bouncing, from side to side, is enough to make anybody's heart rate rise to dangerous levels.

Luckily, one of the friends of the Duchess had a weight distribution hitch for sale. Whew. Between that and a sway bar purchased on the way home, all managed to arrive home safely.

On fumes, and with absolutely NO money, but all were safe. And mainly sound.

Fur Kids Are Just Like Human Kids

Piffle.

We were supposed to have left this morning on our way to pick up Lady Rose tomorrow. All the preparations were made. Since we won't have a camper to put anything in for the first leg of the trip (the leg to pick up Rose), we had to come up with some sort of idea for extra space for our Horse Team (Jeep Liberty). A visit to the store that used to be known as Northern Hydraulics, and POOF! We are the owners of a cargo carrier that fits into the hitch receiver. And will carry 500 pounds.

I pruned and repacked and pruned some more.....until I'm fairly confident we have the essentials we will need for a few days of camping. They are in four, sort of equal size, plastic containers. The additional accessories (chairs, Instant Set-up screen enclosure, etc) will fit on top of the containers and be held on with a spider bungee. Car is oiled, lubed, checked out and gassed up. Food ready to be packed. Clothes selected and in luggage. All set.

 But guess what? We are still at home.

Woke up this morning to the sound of Georgous telling me that he thought our Princess was sick. She had stopped halfway down the steps and relieved herself right there and then without making it outside. Not normal for her at all. So to the vet she must go.

Just like a human kid, it always happens at the least convenient time. But there's nothing can be done, except let Rose's foster parents know we are going to be a day late, and use today to rest up a little.

Trying to be philosophical, there are a bundle of medications this Duchess has to take on a daily basis. I haven't been sleeping well AT ALL, and figured it was due to excitement about actually getting Lady Rose, and getting to camp again with my buddies. Nope. Going through my meds, one at a time, I noticed I was missing one. That, as one of its effects, helps me sleep. When we tried to get it filled on Monday, first they said they could get me enough to get me through the week, then said they couldn't get me any until at least 10:00 this morning.

Between Roxie getting sick, and me not being able to get my meds, I figure there is a reason the Great Camper In The Sky doesn't want us leaving today. So I am going to try and take a nap to catch up on some of the lost sleep.

And look forward to leaving early in the morning!

Oh, Dell, Wherefore Art Thou?

Our yearly Mother's Day campout is coming up shortly. Like this week. Whee! With almost thirty folks this year! Since I'll be short on cooking utensils and food (having just picked up Lady Rose on our way TO the campout), I asked if it were o.k. to bring the music. And perhaps make a few mix tapes (or more properly, mix CD's) for my dear friends.

I know I shouldn't copy music, but the vast majority of the songs on the CD would be considered in the public domain. I assume music works the same way as literature, that after a certain amount of time, it belongs to the public. Can't think of maybe one or two songs that are newer than fifty years. It's part of the Victorian deal.

Anyway, I found out that even though I have spent much, much money at iTunes over the years, I can only make seven copies of songs on CD. No good. Naturally, the CD burning software we owned I just threw out during one of my rare fits of cleaning. Which is why I try to avoid picking up the house whenever possible. (This is a lie. My home looks like a "before" episode of  "Hoarders" right now, and it is driving even ME up a wall. I cannot wait until I get all the camping stuff into the appropriate travel trailers, and can sell the rest so I can do a thorough cleaning of my home.)

Research, research, research. Finally found an old piece of software on the Dell site that looks like it will fit the bill. Cheap and without frills. And can be downloaded, so I'll have time to take care of things before the trip. Paid for it, and waited the thirty minutes it was supposed to take to process.

Mr. George and I drove out to get some final needed items for the trip, so when we got back I checked again to see if the software link had arrived. Nope. Checked the Dell site. I don't have any open orders. As a matter of fact, I don't have any orders at all. Uh Oh. This is starting to not sound good.

But "Chat" is open 24/7! So I'll just access it, and get all this foolishness taken care of! Except when I did get to Chat, it told me that Chat was closed, and the hours were Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. CST.

Listen, folks. Either you're open 24/7, or you aren't. You can't have it both ways.

Unless, evidently, you work in India..........

Lady Rose Will Finally Be Coming Home!

 

This is the best picture I have right now of the Lady. I'll replace it with a better one in a few days!

 

After many weeks of trying, even after my Gracious Glamper Pals told me how very easy it was, I have finally figured out this blogging deal, just in time to document the first days of Lady Rose and her journey.

It has not been pretty for Your Humble Correspondent. Word Press seemed to be the way to go. A truly wonderful YouTube video was recommended to me, and I got stuck on the third instruction. This should have served as a clue. Just as a nod to Corporate America, HostGator continues to bill your account (but they don't send you any bill) until you follow the exact steps to cancel outlined in their Terms and Conditions. I know, I know, it is horrifying, but I rarely read T&C's. So I had racked up quite a bill with them from the last time I had tried the blogging deal. Like $300.00. That I had to pay off before continuing on my way.

Things just continued to get worse from there. Finally, I had a blog online and was actually putting words into it. But, ever The Perfectionist I am, they were too small to read and the lines were too close together (once a Graphic Designer, always a Graphic Designer). After several evenings of research, I finally discovered that the only way to change font size with Word Press is to start messing around with code. And from there on, any instructions given may as well have been written in Ancient Peruvian Sanskrit. Didn't understand a word.

I have become what I once despised - a clueless Elder.

But here I am now, online and blogging just like the rest of the Proper Ladies. My Lady Rose has been away for almost a year, being worked on according to my instructions. I was supposed to have her with me LONG before now, but the Winter of 2012-2013 (or, as we are calling it in the Upper Midwest, "The Winter That Will Not Die") has interfered with a major snowstorm every time a pickup was scheduled. My health can take no more cancellations - this Wednesday we are picking her up FOR SURE!

The trip alone is sure to be equal to the Titanic's for sheer drama. Although I do hope we do not capsize in Lake Michigan. Our Family Chauffer, Mr. Gorgeous George (of the Not So Famous Lord Lawrence of Leadfoot clan) has stated repeatedly his objection to camping and nature. And after collecting Lady Rose, we are immediately heading to a camping trip with many friends. Neither of our fur children, Princess Roxanne or Sir Winston of the Bookcase, has ever been camping. Or on a long car trip, as far as we know.

So I may end up with much to blog about.

The Duchess Lynnabelle