Better but not great!

August 7 - My eyes are a bit improved today!  This is going to be a long ordeal!  Bill’s scalp

Whole face is swollen

is better but now for getting the rest of him better.  The anti-itch stuff only lasts about 3 hours so we both get up during the night and then that wakes each other!

We had planned on going to Shipshewana today for the flea market and lunch but with so little restful sleep we knew we did not want to make the drive.  Instead, I made waffles for breakfast, we got showered and dressed, did a load of laundry and left for town.  First stop was Muskegon Glass to pick up the new slide part for our screen door.  Then we went to Meijers for more Gold Bond cream and Scrub wash for the poison ivy.  I asked about something to help with the swelling under my eyes but the pharmacist said there really wasn’t any on the market, just use cool compresses. 

We decided since we really enjoyed our dinner at Hearthstone to try it for lunch.  I had the Pork Belly Panini and Bill had a multi meat sandwich.  Both came with homemade chips, yum!  They also brought fresh dinner rolls with garlic and Italian seasoning.  So we both only had half of our sandwiches.  Lunch for another day.  The server told us to try getting Lamb’s Ear (a plant) and make a poultice for the ivy.  She said her brother in law uses it all the time and gets great results.

So we stopped at Lowes and got the plant, then stopped at Wal-mart and got more alcohol to keep in the truck.  We are trying to keep our hands free of ivy oil!

Got to the movie right on time.  Saw Denzel Washington in Equalizer 2.  It was not as violent I don’t think as the first one.  It was kinda emotional in the end.  We enjoyed it and it was $6 movie day and hardly anyone in the theatre, so that was nice.

On the way home we stopped at the post office to mail a package and get some stamps.  Then at Meijers for strawberries, grapes and salad mix that we couldn’t leave in the car all afternoon. 

It was a nice day out until the minute we got home then it started raining.  We had bagged up the rest of the used towels, sheets, clothes and our work shoes and Bill took them up the campground’s laundry room while I cooled my eyes, made meatloaf and caught up on our expense log.  While he was there Jean told him we’re not allowed to put our toaster oven out with a sale sign and we’re not ti ask campers to save their cans/bottles for them.  Bill told her we never asked anyone to but one lady when she realized we were separating them offered to save them for us.  Then she told Jean.  I can’t wait now to get out of this place and I’ve mentally written my letter to them.  I hope they fine the ideal workers next year as I don’t see how anyone could function but so well here being micro-managed!

OK, moving on!  Bill texted when he was on his way back and I put some canned whole potatoes on to brown in butter with sale and pepper and broccoli in to steam so we ate pretty soon after he got back.  We had more cobbler for dessert.  Oh, and I had 2 glasses of wine, was considering a 3^rd but then I wanted to post my blogs tonight so thought better of it!

Bill did up the dishes and put most of the laundry away and we are settling in to read for a while.

What a day! The proof is in the pictures!

August 6 - The good news is:  I’m not blind!  The bad news is I looked like a monster and

8AM today

could barely see out of the tiny slits in my eyes!  I knew during the night I kept scratching behind my left ear and my right cheek.  I had trouble sleeping due to the 2 areas.  I had not thought about what I read on line that ivy in the facial area can cause swelling and puffiness around the eyes.  I was SO much more than puffy! 

I woke Bill and he was a little shocked but said we need to get to Urgent Care.  I had no peripheral vision through my tiny slits.  I told him not to leave stuff in the middle of the floor because I would trip.  I now had break outs on my left and right jaws, behind my left ear, at my hairline on my forehead but no more on my arms and legs.  Thanks goodness,, this was bad enough!

When we arrived at Urgent Care, they had kind of an amazed look!  Bill dropped me off at the door and I couldn’t even complete the paperwork since I could barely see out.  Some of the staff was the same as on Saturday and they remembered the jolly couple we

Bill's arm

were.  We were still jolly today, as being a grump about it wasn’t going to make it any better.  They booked us together so once we got a room we shared it.  We first saw the Nurse Practitioner, and she felt Bill’s scalp was a bacterial infection and called in the same doctor we saw Saturday.  Of course she remembered us!  She said it’s great to have fun people come in!  She agreed with the bacterial infection.  He must have gotten bacteria in the bathhouse and scratched his head.  So he got 3 prescriptions since his shot Saturday was good for a week. With the fast progression of my face issue, I got a steroid injection AND steroid pills for a 16 days. The dose starts large then tapers off.  This is one set of pills I’m not going to forget to take! 

We stopped at Wal-mart to fill the scripts and get compresses for my eyes.  I told Bill I was too scary to go inside so I waited in the car.  I took another photo of my lovely condition for posterity!

Then it was straight home and start compresses after lunch.  Bill left to take the truck to get the side steps put on that he ordered last week.  While he was gone I called and asked him to get more Gold Bond itch cream as it seemed to work pretty good.  Then later I called and asked him to get pet wipes to wipe down Molly’s fur.  She won’t get it on her skin but the ivy oil can stay on the fur (yes, I know she has hair, but it feels like rabbit fur, so it’s fur) and when we pet her we can get it again!  What an ordeal!  They didn’t carry pet wipes and Kam suggested we take her to Pet Smart or some place to bathe her.  She will NOT like that! 

I put the steaks in marinade and made a peach/blueberry cobbler for dessert tonight.  I can’t read for a long time so I got on the computer between tasks and compresses.  Bill got cotton balls and ointment on this run.

End of day!

When the time was right Bill grilled the steaks and the broccoli slaw, baked potato and cobbler where ready.  We ended up sharing the larger steak as well as the potato.  The steak was perfectly cooked and very tasty.  We usually eat our steaks out but these were very good!  Bill did up the dishes (well trained husband that he is), and I posted a couple of blogs.

I booked more of our stops for the trip home.  Looks like we will be home September 16.  Planning to stay the 16^th at Stephen Foster Folk Culture State Park and spend the afternoon and evening with our friends Bruce and Sharon.  Jean and Paul are coming in on Friday and will have a day with Bruce and Sharon but we’ll get to visit for a bit at least.

Oh, I forgot to update my findings with another .11 cents, new total of $1.99.

Lunch out and shopping done!

August 5 – Day off, yeaaaa!  We had no definite plans for the days so there was no rush to get up and moving.  Bill’s poison ivy is spreading.  Not good.  He itches all the time, all night, and had tried several creams in addition to alcohol and is taking the pills the doctor prescribed.  Maybe once it all kicks in he’ll get better.  This morning I still only had the 2 patches on the inside of my knees but later in the day my right forearm started itching and I broke out with 3-4 very small spots.  I tried alcohol and later cider vinegar.  The vinegar burns like the dickens, but works better.

Eventually we loaded up of recyclables for the week and went to Meijers.  It was very exciting as we hit our all time high of $21.80, making out total so far $58.20.  We did our dab of shopping and then decided to try the Hobo Tavern for lunch which is only a couple of miles away.  They had a crowd but we got right in.  Service was a little slower than Handsome Hobo but then it was Sunday!  Bill loved his chicken pasta dish and the salad looked great.  I had Beef tenderloin tips with Italian veggies and a mushroom cream sauce with mashed potatoes.  The potatoes had the skins on so that was good and the veggies were totally delicious!  The sauce was good but a little thin and for the most part my tenderloins were good but, a couple were on the chewy side.  Not so chewy that I left anything on my place!

Once we put our few groceries away I had a glass (or two) of wine and finished a book to send my sister while Bill took a nap.  I had taken steaks out to thaw for dinner but since we ate kind of late and I had beef for lunch we decided to finish off some things in things in the fridge.  Still had some raspberry jello pie for dessert so we were good to go.

Chesapeake Shores, one of our favorite shows, started back up tonight at 9, so we were front and center for the new episode.  Then we both read for an hour.  Behind my left ear was starting to itch a bit  and my eyes were getting red and puffy.  NOT a good sign!  I swabbed them all with cider vinegar (NEVER do your eyelids with vinegar)!  OMG that burned so bad!  I had to wipe it off as much as I could and it still stung a while!

Trip to Urgent Care

August 4 – It was hard getting up this morning for another 8 AM day.  Not enough wind down time last night.  It’s also a challenge to go to work for someone who continually tells you what “tasks” you need to do.  I try to avoid going into the office and let Bill go.  I think this is going to be a REALLY long month for us.  I know it will be for me.  We hit the bath house first as usual and there were lots coming and going already, making difficult to cut off traffic and clean properly.  I only managed to clean one of the 4 showers.

We hauled several loads of trash as we made our way to the Cadillac and portolets.  We went back to try the showers again and I managed to get another one done and we had to empty the cans at the bathhouse again.  There are those who think that is better than putting their trash by the site post like they have been asked to do.  

Bill’s poison oak/ivy had gotten really bad and all over so I asked Jean if she knew of a Urgent Care but she didn’t.  I told her on our break time we needed to find one to try and get Bill something stronger than OTC cream.  She urged us to go when ever we needed.  So we left working at 10:30 and didn’t even change clothes just grabbed our wallets and left for an urgent care facility about 7 miles south of us.  They were not busy at all and he got right in.  The Dr. confirmed it was poison oak or ivy and gave him an injection, a script and commented that I’d be in next week.  That’s not too encouraging.  I have 2 spots on the inside of my knees that don’t itch at all so I don’t touch them.

We stopped at the office to see what time they needed us back and were told 6 – 10.  So we had a nice long break.  Bill did go out and ride his bike and picked up some cans/bottles for recycle. We had leftovers for dinner before heading back.  It was a long 4 hours!  Once Bill starts checking passes, I do continual bathroom checks, trash pick ups, chat up the guests.  We have a large groups on 2 sites that are the nicest folks.  We stop and joke around with them and they have 3 dogs and Bill takes them treats.  They produce a lot of beer bottles.  In Michigan when you buy beer and soda you pay a .10 deposit on the bottles/cans, like in the old days when I was a kid we got .02 for bottles.  A lot of people just put them in the trash or back in the boxes they bought them in and set them out. The Wal-marts, Sam's and Meijers have recycle rooms in their stores and give you a receipt to turn in for the cash or pay against your purchase.

Nothing exciting happened, but we do have a full house!  It was not as chilly out as it was last night.  Had our jackets on hand but didn’t need them.  Was glad to see 10 pm roll around.  Actually we left at 9:45 to freshen up the bathhouse.  I had done the Cadillac just before.  They had gone through a lot of TP in there.  Figure each site on that side had at least 4 people on it, and a lot of in tents, cabins and pop up campers that don’t have toilets, so with say there are 25 of those sites, that’s 100 people to use 2 stalls and a large percentage of those 100 are drinking a lot of beer!  So once we did our final bathroom check we headed home!

Made it through another day...

August 3 - Back on the 8AM bathhouse duty!  Today I mistakenly cleaned the wrong cabin and the other couple and Shaun got a little laugh out of the mistake, as I brought them the beer left in the fridge, but Jean either has no sense of humor or she’s not the kind of boss I would work for on a long term basis.  It was not as if I wanted to clean an extra cabin!  I knew I was cleaning either 4 or 5 and I asked the guy outside 4 if the people in 5 had left.  He said they left early this morning.  The door was unlocked and there were no sheets, towels or personal effects.  The only thing odd was beer and water   in the fridge.  I thought they must have had an emergency and left in a hurry!  I called out to the “gang” and asked if anyone wanted the beer.  Come to find out that the people did leave but other family members were checking in and they apparently left it for them.  So I had to put it all back, no harm, no foul!  Jean didn’t think it was funny and lectured me on taking the word of a camper.  I’m to only get check out info from HER!  Heil Hitler!

They asked us to work 6 – 10 this evening so the bathrooms would be checked an hour later!  So we had a 5 hour break.  I put a little table out with a sign on it to sell my old toaster oven.  Would be better than hauling it back to Florida.

I grilled burgers and pork chops with asparagus for dinner.  Broke down and baked a big potato to share.  Bill really enjoyed the meal.  I’m pretty sure it was the potato!  Finished up just in time to get back to work at 6.  First stop was the bathhouse and the Cadillac and then we did trash patrol until it started getting busy with traffic.  Bill’s new weekend job is checking car passes.  He sat a chair at the stop sign in front of the office and checked each car coming in.  I mostly continued to do trash patrol and periodic inspections and corrections to the bathrooms.

It got chilly out and I had to get jackets for us.  It was dark when we rode out bikes home after a tiring evening.

Where's all the fun???

August 2 - Back to work!

The best thing is the weather is beautiful and still cool at night and has been no higher than 80 this week.  There’s almost always a breeze to keep it nice out.

I had a bit of a surprise this morning when we checked in to the office after our 8AM ritual of cleaning the bathhouse.  Jean presented me with our electric bill!  Shocker!  I handled it with no surprise and once I told Bill he agreed we’d do no extra time as 48 hours of free labor a week should well cover the monthly electric bill for the RV.  I’ve learned a lesson, make sure the person on the other end knows we expect FULL hookup including FREE electric.  It certainly put a downer on the rest of my day!  It isn’t the money it’s the whole idea that we work for free doing some literally “crappy” jobs and they want us to pay for our electric.  Unbelievable!  Bill said he guessed they got crossed off our list to ever come back!  I debated whether to say anything and decided not to.  At the end of the season when I send my “thank you for having us “ letter I’ll let them know that was a first and they should make sure they let their free labor knows electric is not included.

Our days now are about 1 1/2 hours at 8, then back around 11 when the cabins check out, then back at 5 for 4 hours.  You can be sure we didn’t stay over at all.

Since we ate kind of late this afternoon I didn’t really want much to eat this evening so Bill was on his own!  We were both trying to finish books we were very in to, the end of our day was relaxing with a good book!

Peaceful day off --- for ME!

August 1 – Wow, it’s August already!  The summer is flying by as always!  I did not want to leave the RV today!  We’ve been out and about the last 3 days and we have 3 work days coming up and I need a day off!  After breakfast I put a load of laundry in that has to be hung up to dry.  It poured last night and started off a bit overcast but by the time I did the load the conditions were perfect:  nice breeze and sunny.

Bill took the mail up along with the trash and rode his bike for a while.  I’m sure he stopped along the way to talk to the owners and seasonal campers on site.  I called to track down the check I sent our electrician for the Kimberly house.  I put the wrong house number on the letter and was able to find a home number for the address I used.  I called and yep, they have the check and know the guy I wrote it to.  You’d think they would have called him or walked it down OR put "return to sender".  They didn’t say how long they had it.  The wife was unaware but the husband had it.  They said they would deliver it to him, so I sent him a text that they had the check and were delivering it to him.  Mystery solved!

Bill left after lunch for his MRI, Ace Hardware and Muskegon Glass.  At Ace he discovered he didn’t take his wallet so dropped off the screw I needed and left with his wallet.  Good thing he keeps change in the truck!  He got to his MRI on time but they couldn’t complete the MRI because of the leg twitch, which is one of the reasons he was sent for an MRI. 

I made a half batch of my molasses ginger cookies but my ginger must have been old as they aren’t very gingery.  They taste fine but I like spicy!  We will share some with Kim and Paul and Jean and Shaun.  I caught up on some journal entries but didn’t get around to posting any blogs.

Molly and I sat outside for a while.  She wasn’t happy out today, which was odd.  I got into a new book and could have sat until I was done.

I thought maybe Bill was lost as he was so late getting back.  He went and ordered more “stuff” for the truck.  Side steps!  Since Lowes didn’t have the plastic thickness we needed for the door piece he stopped at Muskegon Glass and they can cut the piece so he left it.  We should get it back on Monday.

It was too late to bother heating up the grill so I got George out and did hot links, corn on the cob and kale salad.  We had some cookies for dessert and both read until time for Bill’s TV show, “Condor”.