It's Been A While.

Haven't blogged in a long while...about a month. It's been a rough month. We've been dealt some blows but we're not defeated.

I got really sick about the time Derron flew the winged tube of pestilence back from NOLA in early May. Thought I was going to die. Wound up having to visit an Urgent Care facility when our insurance provider threw a whole lot of roadblocks in our path -- that will be remedied shortly. I am a lot better now but still coughing now and then.

But there have been some good things happening too. Derron got a job about 3 weeks ago. He's doing IT Help Desk Support for the Salem-Keizer school district. The drive to work is less than 10 minutes...and his office is right around the corner from a Magic Cards store, a game he loves playing. He's been playing on Thursday nights with a bunch of other geeks.

We've also found an awesome realtor. We started out with a married team, the Kings, but they have yet, after showing us 2 houses we lined up, to send us 1 listing. Holly found me online and started sending me listings. At first I found it a little rude, but then I found a place I wanted to see in Independence and contacted her. Imagine Penelope from Criminal Minds. She's awesome.

Yes, we have decided for sure that we want to live in Independence. We even have the house picked out -- 3 blocks off Main Street. It has a great yard for the dogs and a large swath out front that Derron has already identified as a perfect landscape for his Halloween and Christmas tableaux. The neighbor across the street is a retired Marine and flies a Marine Corps flag...Derron is already planning to fly an Air Force one over ours. That should make us popular in the neighborhood!

We spend a lot of time in Independence already...the dogs love the dog park and Riverside park (well, mainly the boat launch), we are in love with Lionshare Bakery and the Hops and Barrel House, and have spent more than a few Saturdays at the small Farmers' Market. That said, last week we went to the Farmers' Market in Salem --- oooooooooh. The food choices! I had this little yeast pastry of sorts stuffed with egg salad. It was awesome! While walking out this guy asked me if I liked maple...say what? Maple happens to be my all time favorite flavor. I bought a Maple Bacon Whoopie Pie from him. So good...but so sweet. Derron had the most luscious brownie I have ever tasted.

I am still job hunting but more and more good prospects have been cropping up...so I've not lost all hope. I spoke to Holly's preferred lender yesterday and found out I don't have to make too much for us to afford the house we want...in fact I have to make only a pittance. That took a huge load off. Guess it does help to not carrying a lot of debt!  So we're considering my taking an hourly wage job just to get out of the RV and into the house...and then keep job hunting for that perfect job.

We decided after hearing from the lender yesterday that we needed a night out. So we headed to McMenamin's Boon's Treasury, a local pub, for a bite to eat. I'd been there before and had the best appetizer in the world...Scooby Snacks - mini corn dogs. Who doesn't love corn dogs???? Ok...bad pic...there were a whole lot more of them in the basket before I snapped this.

They make lots of good dipping sauces for fries and tater tots (yes, I said tater tots). I chose the Sriracha Mayo. Yummmmmm.

Derron had the Boon's Treasury Burger - Bacon, Tillamook Cheddar Cheese, Grilled Onions, and Hammerhead BBQ Sauce. He looks like he's falling into a food coma in the pic below...

I had the Tuna Salad Sandwich. Normally I don't do tuna out because I am really picky about tuna salad. But this one was good. Not great, but good. It included creamy albacore tuna (normally I do chunk light because albacore can be so dry...this one was a bit - but I brought home the second half and will add a little more mayo for moisture), celery, red onion, and fresh dill. I've never had red onions with tuna salad before but will definitely use some the next time I whip up a batch.

I also brought home a Black and Tan Brownie -- too stuffed to eat it there. It was very yeasty tasting, just what you'd expect from something made with Guinness.

Well, believe that brings things up to date. The dogs and cat are still doing well but all are really itching for more space, a change of scenery, and all their stuff back! So are we! Maybe by the next time I blog, I'll have an update on that!

Just Talking...

Derron's home from Louisiana. House is all packed up...he took care of some car registration issues, dropped off keys with the Realtor, requested well and septic tank inspections, had dinner with our neighbors, the Carters, and got rid of some recyclables that had piled up. He's happy to be home.

While he was gone, Gracie killed two more shrews...she's up to 6 (2 more since he's been home). She hunts all morning, no doubt in an effort to get a fresh one for daddy! Then she comes in for a drink of water, a nibble of kibble, and a very quick nap. Then it's back out to hunt some more.

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Life sometimes throws you a few curves...much upheaval last week and this week. Not all of it pleasant, but I believe I am on the right road...and able to concentrate better on what's important.

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Was thinking this morning how much I'd give for a big bowl of gumbo. I have some gumbo base, but no room to do all the chopping required for a pot o'gumbo. And I don't have my trusty gumbo pot anyway. Also missing my two burner griddle. Oh, to get jobs, find a house, and get my STUFF!

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We went to the Independence Hops and Barrel House last night. We both needed a drink and a bite to eat. John, the bartender, stopped us at the door to let us know their taps were down...some kind of electrical problem. But they did have an assortment of bottled and canned beer and cider. Nothing really interested me so I went for some Knob Creek Rye Whiskey and water. Hit the spot. 

I ordered the warm artichoke dip. It was really an artichoke/spinach dip. Not that that's a bad thing, but I was really in the mood for artichokes. But it was good.

Derron stuck with cider and had a Barrel Burger. He said it was good but even more so once he added a horseradish mustard John told him about. John, by the way, was super nice...we'd go back for a draft beer just to say hi. 

If we wind up buying the house in Independence we really, really want, we may be spending lots of time at the Hops and Barrel...it's less than 2 blocks from the house! 

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We're still plugging away on the job front. Derron had what we thought were promising interviews a couple weeks ago but didn't get the jobs. Depressing but we can't let it get to us. He's applying for 3 more today. I have several applications out now, all with local non-profits. I am applying for a couple of state government jobs as well. 

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Life in the park is good...all the big buses that showed up when Derron was gone (with the exception of the one right next to us), are gone. The two lanes in front of us are empty. That gives us lots more open space to walk the dogs. We took them to the dog park in Independence yesterday and then for a walk to Riverside Park. Hazelnut headed straight into the river as she's always done. But this time she got a shock when she stepped forward and fell off the boat ramp. We're pretty sure she won't make that mistake again.

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We keep looking at houses (from the outside and online) in Salem but really have our hearts set on Independence. I think we both prefer its quiet pace and all the local food/drink/bookstores within walking distance. It would be a great place to get involved in the community as well. They have a very active Town Council, Historical Society, and lots of civic organizations. Something to think about for the (hopefully) near future.

The Move Progresses

Derron is in Louisiana now packing our worldly possessions into a series of PODs containers. Once done, they will be picked up and stored - for safe keeping we hope - until we have a place to settle into.

Derron took on a lot this week...he had to mow a very overgrown 3 acres, pack all the already packed boxes (about 100) into a POD on his own, pack a few more, renew the car registration (we can't do that here in OR until we've been here 6 months???), get a termite inspection certificate, pay a visit to Public Health and schedule a well and septic system inspection, drop off a Power of Attorney with the title company handling our house sale, and drop off various items at our realtor's office. He'll be completely exhausted when he gets back here very late Wednesday night.

While he's been gone, I've been on my own with the dogs. The first day was a bit rough...I have to walk the dogs separately because they're too hard to handle together. Hazelnut had gotten used to Derron walking her. She hates change so naturally she had some issues. Nutella was in fine form...acting out, barking at all the little dogs, and jumping and lunging at everyone.

They spent most of Saturday and Sunday at The Dog Bark. That certainly helped. Today, Monday, I'm on my own with them again. Seems they've gotten the message...and both have been really, really good.

Gracie, of course, wants to go outside every single second of the day...and that's fine so long as our neighbor's dog, Liberty, is not out too. Also, I tend to forget she's out there. On Saturday, I left her out in the rain for a while...so sorry Gracie. I rubbed her dry with a clean towel, which she surprisingly loved, and made sure she was warm.

She's missing Derron at night. She's used to sleeping near him. Seems she's decided Hazelnut is a fair substitute...as evidenced by the photo below.

Mystery Solved

We have been wondering about the field behind us. We thought maybe it was some kind of vineyard but we'd never seen one like it. While in Independence over the weekend, we discovered its purpose. It's a hops field! Evidently, Independence is the hops capital of the world.

Well it's been over a week since we crossed the Willamette River via the pedestrian bridge from West Salem to Salem. It was a beautiful day and there were many people out. Once in Salem, we walked to Riverside Park. Nice walk...good workout.

Nothing much else going on. We seem to spend a lot of time in Independence...where we hope to find a house sometime soon. We take the dogs to the dog park there, then walk them to Independence's Riverside Park. It's a good walk for them and us! Both the dogs like walking down the boat launch and wading in the water. Hazelnut more than Nutella, but both are happy to have a cool drink after a good walk. We've also been walking them up to Main Street from there to socialize them with the traffic -- not a lot in Independence, but more than they're used to. 

We visited the Independence Heritage Museum yesterday and had a nice long talk with Peggy, one of the curators. She's been in Independence for over 20 years and shared a lot of town history with us. She's also been involved with city government and various boards and commissions. 

Later in the afternoon, we ventured into Monmouth, just up the road from Independence, for some ice cream. There's a little 'mom and pop' ice cream shop on Monmouth Avenue across from a small park. We ate ice cream and sat in the sun for a while. 

Derron has a second interview with the Salem-Keizer School District on Wednesday. We're hoping he gets it of course...but it would be nice to know sooner than later...he wants to go back to Bush and pack up the house before he has to worry about trying to do that while starting a new job. Most of the house is already packed up...but I need to arrange for PODS to be delivered and for some manual labor to help him. I am sure he's not looking forward to the work, but it will be nice to know our stuff is close by instead of so far away.

We found a house we both like in Independence...but we haven't looked at anything yet. I am trying to find a realtor so we can start compiling a list of places we want to consider. Main Street, or any street within a 3-4 block radius of Main Street, would be perfect since it would allow us to walk to everything -- the park/dog park, coffee shops/bakeries (there are two on Main Street), Thai food, 2 bars/pubs, Italian food (2 places), a used bookstore, the Civic Center, the library, and a cinema. Sounds ideal!

Weekend in Independence, OR

We have been in and around Independence many times. There's a dog park there...so that's our primary reason for going there. Recently, we discovered its historic district and have fallen in love.

Last night we ate at Mangiare's on Main Street. Derron had Chicken Parmesan and I had Gnocci in a Gorgonzola Sauce with Shrimp, Spinach, Tomatoes, Mushrooms, and Artichokes (I didn't see any artichokes though). We also had Caesar Salads and Dark Chocolate/Bourbon Pecan Gelato for dessert. It was a lovely dinner.

The wine menu was interesting. Lots of Oregon and Italian wines. No Barolos, but they do have a Barbera. Too pricey for me right now so I chose a Chianti instead.

Derron enjoyed the Chicken Parm and Ravioli. I would have expected cheese ravioli, but they were stuffed with meat. Not house-made (I asked the waiter).

The gnocci were light and so tasty...and house-made. Kinda weird...if you can take the time to make gnocci, ravioli is not much of a stretch. Oh well. The shrimp were perfectly cooked and the Gorgonzola sauce was soooooooooo rich. Not a meal you can have often, but once in a while.

This morning we took the dogs to Riverside Park bordering Main St. There is an amphitheater at the park where, in the summer, they show movies on Thursday nights and host concerts on Fridays. 

We walked the quarter mile trail to the dog park and back. The dogs were pretty happy. As we walked by, we noticed people setting up for a Farmers Market (the first opening of the year!). So we took the dogs home and headed back. We tasted some great cheeses from Full Circle Creamery -- all raw cheeses. We tried their 20-month aged sharp cheddar, a herb cheddar flavored with sage, rosemary and thyme, and a Diablo cheddar flavored with a locally made hot sauce. The cheesemaker, Brian, has a Bachelor's degree in Food Science from Oregon State University, and a Masters in Camembert...in Camembert! 

We then wandered over to the Lion's Share Coffeehouse & Bakery booth. I had the most magnificent chocolate croissant ever...and I can say that because I have eaten many a croissant on the streets of Paris...so I know my croissants. Derron had a blackberry scone and said it was delish.

The Kindness Of Strangers

Monday --

I thought I'd killed my two plants. Gracie has been horrified because, actually, they are hers. At least she's the one who has been caring for them. We left them outside in the rain too often, for too long, and possibly in too cool temps too. Anyway, I looked up some remedies online and set about to make things right. Just today, when Derron and I were taking a walk, I told him I thought I'd killed my plants. He swore he saw some new growth since I'd repotted them and put them in indirect sunlight.

As we were rounding the far end of the park, we stopped at a beautiful garden. We saw the lady that gardens there earlier when we were walking the dogs. She thanked us then for keeping the dogs out of it. She has beautiful tulips in bloom now. Anyway...as we were stopped at the garden, she came over to talk to us. I told her about my plants...she asked to see them. Derron got them out and put them on the picnic table. I did see some new growth! She recommended using some of her dirt and sand to replace the top part of the soil I'd used when I repotted them. How sweet was that...she even loaned us her gardening tools to use. I repaid the kindness by giving her the old pots. She has a ton of pots and said she always needs more...she finds plants in the garbage and brings them back to life.

That's the "up" news of the week. Over the weekend I noticed my Microsoft apps were gone from my laptop start up screen. Seems when I upgraded to 8.1, they took a hike. So I spent several hours trying to figure out what went wrong. When I upgraded, seems the apps migrated to my Outlook toolbar. That's very helpful if I am online, but I wanted the apps back for offline work. Several more hours were killed trying to fix things. I wound up uninstalling Office 365 (biggest rip-off on the planet BTW), then reinstalling it. Fortunately it did not "take away" another one of the 5 installs I paid for...and in the process, Derron took the time to install it on his laptop as well...so now I don't have to lend him my laptop. Everything is good again, or at least like it was...

There's a progressive film series here in Salem. Tonight they are showing The Healthcare Movie. The writers/director will be there to answer questions afterward. We're going to get some Lebanese take-out and catch the flick.

Update on film news above: April Fools! Apparently I wrote the date down wrong. The movie is on May 1st. Oh well, we'll try again.

Wednesday --

We drove out to Silverton to look around. Nice little town...lots of restaurants, coffee shops, and bars. We also stopped off at Silverton Falls. Too chilly for a hike, but we'll come back and hike through the Falls when it warms up. Derron captured a couple way off pics...we hope to get closer later.

There's a little frog pond up by the RV Park office. Derron swears he's seen a frog there several times. We walk the dogs by there every now and then but until yesterday, never saw one -- when we were all together that is. But then...we were standing next to it while Derron pointed it out. I didn't see it...then the damn thing jumped into the water, scaring the bejesus out of me! Neither dog saw it...so Derron took a pic to prove it exists.

Looks like a frog to me...

Loads More Catching Up

So much to remember to say...

Derron has another interview scheduled! This one is with the Salem-Keizer school board. He's not heard anything back on the first two interviews and I've not heard about the one I had last week either.

Beautiful couple of days in Salem lately. We've taken the dogs on lots of hikes. We went back to West Salem park in the very early morning on Saturday. It was COLD. Also, the trail that runs around the upper side of the park finally dried out so we've taken them there several times. We did see another BUNNY by the way, but Nutella, the bunny hunter, did not. Derron's questioning whether or not she is really a bunny hunter after all -- reason we say she is, is because Basset Hounds were bred to catch rabbits...and Nutella is part Basset, maybe a different part. The dog run at the back of the park is dry again too so we've put them in there a few times and let them work out some angst!

Today was clean up the RV day...love these days. The dogs are at daycare so we opened all the windows and door and aired the place out really good. I Cloroxed all the surfaces, Febrezed all the fabric surfaces and Derron vacuumed. It's so nice to have it clean for at least a little while.

I also have Chicken Cacciatore in the slow cooker...yummo.

More and more RVs and trailers have piled into the park in the last few days. We were eating lunch a few minutes ago when Derron spied someone new driving in...there's so much fascination with each new arrival. What kind of motorhome/trailer do they have? Is it new? Do we want one of those one day? Derron just got back from dumping trash and said the "Corgi Family" (we refer to everyone by their dog's breeds...and everyone has dogs!) has what looks like an outdoor kitchen in their pull trailer. WHAT????

Grandma and Grandpa -- the owners of the ginormous bus beside us, seem to have gone for a while. The bus of course is still here, but their bikes and jeep are nowhere to be seen. Not sad about that...just wish they'd taken the bus too. Still wishing to have our view back.

Well like I said in an earlier blog entry, the bird feeders my sister gave us are a hit. The blue jays here are incredible...some of them have black mohawks. Gracie's had her eye on a couple.

Speaking of Gracie, Derron had her outside on her harness this morning - he ties her to the back of the RV so she can explore the reedy area behind us - when he came in he said..."I don't want to give Gracie any undue credit, since I'm not really sure what happened, but she may have killed a shrew." A shrew...a little teeny, tiny mouse. Don't worry...I will not punish her for doing what cats naturally do - maim and kill, in fact I am a little proud of her despite the fact that I can't stand to see any animal killed. I guess I should just be happy she didn't bring it in with her. Derron, BTW, disposed of the little fellow. No doubt Gracie will be looking for it next time she goes outside.

Other than hiking, applying for jobs, tracking job applications, reading, watching Netflix, we've not been up to much. We do stroll around the RV park a lot, checking mail, doing laundry, etc. The pool should be opening soon; they are sandblasting the inside of it today. The gym is closing again for a few weeks for some reason or another. We still have a few trails here we've not yet investigated but will do so soon with or without the pups.

We've also been checking out lots of Salem neighborhoods. Still not exactly sure where we want to concentrate...there's a cool house near Minto-Brown Island Park. We took the dogs to that park yesterday. It's huge. The dog area is not fenced so we walked the dogs on trails instead. It would be nice to live near a park like that but the house is up a steep hill and that doesn't bode well come Winter.