Rain and More Rain

We have mostly spent the past two days in the RV looking out at rain from the tropical depression, aka "Karen" that merged with a cold front that stretched from Buffalo to Atlanta.  We discovered the local Publix grocery store, a Costco and the nearby WalMart and replenished our supplies.  Believe it or not the toilet paper you use in an RV is only sold in WalMart!  We had not found a Costco to conveniently stop at since leaving Arizona.  Getting some standards we have missed was enjoyable and the freezer accommodated everything I wanted in the meat department.  We could not resist a bag of Hershey miniatures even if they were made in Mexico instead of Pennsylvania.  I was hard put to avoid buying a Snoopy (the dog) carved plastic pumpkin at Publix for Halloween, but after two weeks, then where do you put it?

The ants were out in force creeping up the water hose into the coach and trying to give Snoopy a run for his money for the cat chow.  Snoopy found them amusing, trying to play with them and eat them.  That brought them to our attention which was their ultimate demise.  Jim tracked down their entry point outside and we moved everything around in the kitchen so we could poison the rest of them but not Snoopy with his bowl safely up on the counter.  He decided to help by racing from the bedroom to the accelerator pedal and back again, sliding in a circle to a halt before crashing into the pedal to stare up at the dashboard as if defend that from the ants as well.  Luckily none were exploring that part of his world.  Snoopy did his best to assist me in washing the bed sheets and pillowcases as well during all of this too, so he is now crashed on the bed waiting for us to arrive.  I purchased a new blanket for the bed and it is so soft is feels like it is caressing our skin.  Evidently, Snoopy feels the same.

A very large flock of Ibis (white tropical birds with long curved beaks) were on the grass at our RV park today apparently consuming whatever the rain had brought their way.  Other than their activity, almost everyone else was hunkered down amusing themselves with inside projects with the weather.  The water is high here in the canals and marshes.  It is evident just how flat and low the terrain here is.  We learned there are wild alligators in the pond on the property so venturing near it is off the agenda.  I also learned that Spanish moss is not a true moss.  It is an epiphytic plant, which grows on another plant, but does not rely on the host plant for nutrients.  To use it for decoration, you should microwave it first to kill any "red bugs" that may be on it.  Nope, not going to try it after the ant issue!

I discovered a new website for knitting and crocheting.  I saw some crocheted miniature flowers on www.pinterest.com and followed it through to http://www.ravelry.com which is easy to use for free patterns once you sign in with an email address and password.  I really like some of the roses and lilies they demonstrate along with a granny square blanket that centers (literally and figuratively) around crocheted flower design.  There were even necklace and bracelet designs.  Check it out.

Tomorrow we get back on the road and head south to Jacksonville, FL and then on the following day to spend the weekend in Orlando.  This will be my first time in Florida in over nine years and we will spend about a month here south of the Tampa area hopefully to drier weather.  With the low pressure weather system passing through, we are both in the mood for a full body replacement to abate the aches and pains.  Short of that, it is a couple of Advil and stretching out in bed if we can get Snoopy to stop playing hide-and-seek behind the pillows piled on the bed that still need cases.