Rain, Rain Go Away

You can’t leave footprints in the sands of time if you’re sitting on your butt.  And, who wants to leave buttprints in the sands of time? 

Until a few days ago this area had some gorgeous May weather.  We’ve seen lots of sunshine and been able to enjoy being out of doors.  However, all of that has changed and we don’t like it one little bit.  We’ve had a little bit of rain, then we had more rain and now we’re having barrels full of rain.  The worst part about that is there is no end in sight. 

When will it ever quit?   Duchess even makes her outside trips pretty fast.  She’s not going to hang around and get soaked.  We really can’t blame her because we want them fast too.  Obviously, we’ve had to come up with a few inside things to do.

Our motorhome has just had a thorough going over.  Terry was originally going to rewire the motorhome himself.  Remember when he drove away and forgot to unplug the electrical cord?  However, with all the rain, he decided to let the mechanic put it back together since he had an awning to pull it under.  We have the best mechanic in this area and he has quite a following for a reason.  He fixes just about everything, knows a lot and charges about half what the other places do.  His bill isn't by any book but by his actual time.  Then, if it took him too long, he won't charge you for that part. Best of all, he’s downright honest.  Our bill for the 2 1/2 hours he spent working on the motorhome was $150!!

When we picked up the motorhome we dropped off the Jeep Wrangler.  We wanted him to go through it and make sure it was also in tip top shape.  That’s where it’s at now.  After he’s through with that one in goes the Jeep Liberty since it's due for an annual check-up too. 

I'm still trying my hand at wood burning.  Terry's trying his at wood burning and a little leathercraft.  These are definitely things we can do out of the rain.  They say practice makes perfect.  Actually, I’m not so sure about that.

Another thing I've been spending some inside time on is analyzing all these DNA matches I have made.  It’s amazing how many people I have connected with that I’m related to someplace and at sometime through shared segments on our DNA.  I love a good mystery and right now I have several hundred of them. I’ve tracked down some very close relatives using DNA matching on specific chromosomes.  To me that is exciting and very time consuming.   It'll even get more exciting when Terry's DNA gets finished as well as my brother, Marv's.  Who would have thought we would be using this method to to work on genealogy so many years ago?  Glad it’s raining outside so I’m not torn to go outside and play. Right now I'm trying to figure out if I'm related to myself.

Having our DNA done isn't all about ancestry.  Well, the original reason was about that.  There are three main sites for having it done.  They are Family Tree DNA (FTDNA), Ancestry and 23andme.  There are a lot of differences between the three.  I know because I've had mine done on two and my brother's, Bob, done on the other.  I believe the best by far is the 23andme.  In addition to the ancestry and ehtnicity, your DNA is also analyzed for health and inherited conditions plus traits.  Once the DNA is done, there is still another site that all three sites can use for comparison. 

I received a couple boxes today of supplies I had ordered for our western themed family reunion.  No matter what you order, it’s always fun to get the package and see what it really looks like.  Sometimes I’m pleased and sometimes not so much.  This time I was very pleased.

Check out these packages of signs.  They're really pretty good quality for the price!

Then, we have another box of bags, kiddie stickers, plastic barbed wire, pony express bags, confetti, badges and even a cowgirl vest to wear.

Yes, it's definitely fun getting packages in the mail.  It’s not so fun discovering you ordered something else online only to find the same thing at your local Albertson’s for less than you paid to get it shipped to you. From Walden Farms I ordered a couple salad dressings, ketchup and barbecue sauce.  The reason I ordered them is because I had looked at other stores for similar items with next to nothing calories and hadn’t been able to find any.  These have no calories and no carbs.  Better than that I even liked the taste!!

Have you ever noticed that less is more?  If you don’t want sugar added, they charge you.  It doesn’t matter what it is.  The less that goes in, the more the cost.  That certainly sounds backwards to me.  

‘Tis life on the road.