Catching Up

Haven't blogged in a few days...so this may read a bit like a stream of consciousness.

Derron and I had interviews today. Spent the week preparing and worrying over them. Well, Derron worried more than I did. Poor guy hates this kind of stuff. But we got through them and are hoping to make the second rounds, if there are any.

Wanted to blog about this the other day but held back. TOILET TROUBLE. This is no laughing matter. While we do have a great bathhouse in the park, it's not terribly convenient in the middle of the night...especially when it's raining or is freezing. Derron fixed it, Thank God! Then today, it overflowed. I was really terrified it was broken. Derron never gets up in the night to pee, but I do...fortunately he fixed it again. Whew...seems it was something I had done to the little plunger thingee.

Then as I was fixing dinner, and Derron was BBQing kebabs in the rain, the microwave crapped out. If you remember from an earlier post, we JUST bought this microwave because the one that came with the RV broke down right after we got here. We decided to eat and worry about it later. In the middle of our meal (and after Derron checked the circuit breaker, which was fine BTW), it came back on. Never seen that with a microwave ever.

We've had lots of good weather lately and I have to say it's really improved our moods. We also got new and improved harnesses for the dogs and BOY do our backs appreciate that. If anyone is looking for a good harness, go to Petco and get yourself an "Easy Walk" harness. The dogs do not pull anymore...not ever. It's a miracle.

I've been getting more involved in local politics. I will be writing a monthly newsletter for the Marion County Democrats. Looking forward to that. I am also in the process of signing on for a year long commitment with Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon. PPAO is the political arm of Planned Parenthood here in Oregon. The position, a volunteer one, is as a member of a county-based Leadership and Advocacy Team. The LATs monitor legislation, attend events, register voters, etc. PP is a cause I care deeply about so I'm thrilled to get more involved.

Not much to report on life here in the park. Couple of new people here and there and a couple folks have gone. I've come across a few that have been here before and come back regularly. Primary reason is they have kids in one of the universities here. Still waiting for the big dog area to dry out...most of the water is gone, although some remains on the trails. Not sure how much longer it will take.

We take the dogs to nearby parks almost every other day. Good for them and us. We went to the West Salem park Saturday morning. Very nice park! They don't have a dog park but they have some really nice trails that run along the river.

We had Indian food for our anniversary on St Patrick's day. Probably the best Indian food I've
had in a very long time. We had planned to eat at the Star of India but it was closed so we had to go to the Taj Mahal. I'd read some "iffy" reviews about Taj Mahal so was skeptical. But we were more than pleasantly surprised. The samosa dough was incredibly tender and overall they were fantastic. I had Chicken Korma...the best way I can describe it is as "bright". The flavors were so fresh...the onions so delicately sauteed, and the chicken was incredibly moist. Just fabulous. And the naan...I had some stuffed with potatoes and spices. Never had it before, I typically go for roti (or whole wheat naan). I will never go back to plain naan or roti again. I can't remember what Derron had but he cleaned his plate -- I brought leftovers home and got to relive the meal for lunch the next day.

Oh and we got two free days of doggie daycare!!!! Seems our first day was suppose to be free but no one told us...and they missed a day and said they'd let it go...who am I to argue about that??? Nice little gift!

So, now that job interviews are over for the minute, we plan on relaxing tomorrow...take the dogs to the park, and eat leftovers!