Moving on Thursday

I didn't get around to posting on Thursday as we were busy moving campsites from one Kane County Forest Preserve (Paul Wolff Campground in Burnidge Forest Preserve) to another (Big Rock Campground in Big Rock Forest Preserve).

Before leaving Paul Wolff, on Wednesday afternoon, Carl did a little work on the receiver on the back of Gracie.

Since we think we've gotten most of the work completed on Gracie at this point, Carl had decided to put a two-receiver extender on the motorhome so we could put the bike rack on the back of Gracie. When we're driving around town, it is a little inconvenient to have the bike rack on the Jeep, even if the bikes aren't on there. We also think that the bikes might get a slightly smoother ride on the back of the motorhome compared to the back of the Jeep.

This means that there are two hitch receivers for the tow bar for the Jeep, and each of them had a bit of "play" in them, so Carl ordered two Hitch Tighteners.

Installing the first one...

Installing the second one.

Thursday, about noon, bikes on the back of Gracie and Jeep hooked up while Carl finished dumping the tanks as we left Paul Wolff.

Unfortunately, we weren't able to leave the Jeep hooked up... we were having some problems with the lights on the Jeep, and when Carl unscrewed the connector to check, he found a lot of corrosion and 3 out of the 4 wires pulled right off - so we need to replace that part.... another to-do! So, I drove the Jeep behind as Carl drove Gracie the ~30 miles to Big Rock Campground.

Some longtime friends of Carl and Sue's were meeting us at Big Rock Campground for a night or two of camping.

Beautiful sunset from Big Rock Campground on Thursday night

We enjoyed a campfire with George and Marty, Jim and Melanie.

Jim had some crystals that gave different colors to the fire - kind of blue...

... and kind of green.

 

So nice to visit with friends at the campground!

Wednesday around the campground

 Miss Kitty sure enjoys the sunshine!

We enjoyed a bike ride...

The path is made of screened gravel ...

In most places it is pretty hard packed, but some places it is rather "deep" where the sandy gravel has washed, making the biking a bit more difficult.

We also rode on a paved road (not in very well maintained shape) near the back entrance to the forest preserve.

The road went much of the way around this pond - and when we got to the end, there was another pond too... and there was a very "interesting" smell...

The bridge across the end of the small pond near where the not-very-well-maintained road connects with the main preserve road at the back entrance.

Informative label on the bridge

Safe for us on bicycles!

Some pictures from our day

I have a collection of pictures... so thought I would just post a random grouping of mostly unrelated pictures!

Miss Kitty *loves* Carl's desk chair. He has to be careful to check - even if he just got up for a moment, to be sure that he isn't about to sit on a "squeaky lump" in his seat. She is *very* quick about getting onto the chair as soon as he vacates it!

Some pictures from the sunset at the campground last night:

We are enjoying beautiful weather here in Elgin - it is almost always comfortable to be outside, sometimes we prefer being in the shade (during the middle of the day, sometimes it is hot in the sun), but it feels almost like fall weather coming on!

Carl had a doctor appointment today -- I stayed in the car...

Carl wanted to get a picture of both of us with the Huttons (we had visited with them last week but forgot to get a picture with all four of us) -- so we stopped by their house and Carl made use of his "selfie stick" to get a picture with us all.

Then we stopped at White Castle for burgers for lunch. This is one of Carl's favorite places to eat, and on his list to introduce me to while we're here in the Chicago area. Another item can be checked off the to-do list!

Afterwards, we stopped to see Carl's mom -- we again forgot to get pictures! We got some things sorted in her apartment so feel that we had a productive day.

Eye Surgery Scheduled

One of the big to-do's that we wanted to move to the "Done" column while here in the Chicago-land area was for Carl to have cataract surgery. He had one eye operated on 7 years ago, and the other has gotten to the point of being very annoying. He saw the eye doctor last week and the doctor indicated that he agreed that it was time to do the surgery, but, the person who did the scheduling of the surgeries was away for the week so it could not be scheduled until today.

Carl got the call today and got the list of things that need to be accomplished before the surgery. He needs to have a measurement of his eye done, he needs to see his general practitioner and be checked out for surgery, and the surgery needed to be scheduled. So... the surgery is now scheduled for 9/3 - not as soon as we were hoping, but at least it is scheduled. He has the other two appointments scheduled as well. He will also need to see the eye doctor again the day after the surgery and then 1-2 weeks later.

We were hoping to be leaving the area by 9/10, so, we may be delayed by a few days or a week or so, but... we're thankful to finally have this scheduled. And, as we often say that our plans are cast in Jello, so it isn't a big change for us at this point.

Paronomasia

Have you ever heard of paronomasia?

From Dictionary.com:

 

I distinctly remember when I learned this word and its meaning from my eleventh grade English teacher. We had a couple of punsters in the class. Sister Kathleen said, "It sounds like a disease, doesn't it?" (to which we all nodded), and, with a significant look at the two punsters, she continued, "It is!"

Anyway, I have known a number of paronomasiacs through my life, and one of them sent me a number of puns with some explanation in an email, the contents of which I will include here:

Whether you love them or hate them, the Art of the Pun should not be underestimated as it takes skill to craft comical wordplay that can make people laugh and cringe at the same time. 

 

One group to master the art of funny puns, is the Indian Hills Community of Colorado, who’ve been making regular punny roadside signage to the delight of everyone … 

The man behind the jokes is Colorado native and volunteer at the community center, Vince Rozmiarek.  He made his first sign as an April Fools prank and has never looked back.

With the aim to make people laugh, Rozmiarek puts up a sign with a new pun or joke a couple of times every week.

“It is hard to keep coming up with material, but I do try.”

 

If you'd like to see more, I found this article online too: https://www.9news.com/article/life/style/colorado-guide/the-story-behind-that-punny-sign-in-indian-hills/73-560359663

A humorous tale

I found this several weeks ago while going through things in Miss Doozie...  I found it funny and thought some of my readers might find it funny too.

It doesn't have a credit or source, so I'll indicate that it is from "Anonymous":

God and Lawn Care

God: Frank, you know all about gardens and nature. What in the world is going on down there on the planet? What happened to the dandelions, violets, milkweeds and stuff I started eons ago? I had a perfect no-maintenance garden plan. Those plants grow in any type of soil, withstand drought and multiply with abandon. The nectar from the long-lasting blossoms attracts butterflies, honey bees and flocks of songbirds. I expected to see a vast garden of colors by now. But, all I see are these green rectangles.

St. Francis: It's the tribes that settled there, Lord. The Suburbanites. They started calling your flowers 'weeds' and went to great lengths to kill them and replace them with grass.

God: Grass? But, it's so boring. It's not colorful. It doesn't attract butterflies, birds and bees; only grubs and sod worms. It's sensitive to temperatures. Do these Suburbanites really want all that grass growing there?

St. Francis: Apparently so, Lord. They go to great pains to grow it and keep it green. They begin each spring by fertilizing grass and poisoning any other plant that crops up in the lawn.

God:  The spring rains and warm weather probably make the grass grow really fast. That must make the Suburbanites happy.

St. Francis:   Apparently not, Lord. As soon as it grows a little, they cut it - sometimes twice a week.

God: They cut it? Do they then bale it like hay?

St. Francis: Not exactly, Lord. Most of them rake it up and put it in bags.

God: They bag it? Why? Is it a cash crop? Do they sell it?

St. Francis: No, Sir, just the opposite. They pay to throw it away.

God: Now, let me get this straight. They fertilize grass so it will grow. And, when it does grow, they cut it off and pay to throw it away?

St. Francis: Yes, Sir.

God: These Suburbanites must be relieved in the summer when we cut back on the rain and turn up the heat. That surely slows the growth and saves them a lot of work.

St. Francis: You aren't going to believe this, Lord. When the grass stops growing so fast, they drag out hoses and pay more money to water it, so they can continue to mow it and pay to get rid of it.

God: What nonsense. At least they kept some of the trees. That was a sheer stroke of genius, if I do say so myself. The trees grow leaves in the spring to provide beauty and shade in the summer. In the autumn, they fall to the ground and form a natural blanket to keep moisture in the soil and protect the trees and bushes. It's a natural cycle of life.

St. Francis: You better sit down, Lord. The Suburbanites have drawn a new circle. As soon as the leaves fall, they rake them into great piles and pay to have them hauled away.

God: No!? What do they do to protect the scrub and tree roots in the winter to keep the soil moist and loose?

St. Francis:  After throwing away the leaves, they go out and buy something which they call mulch. They haul it home and spread it around in place of the leaves.

God: And where do they get this mulch?

St. Francis: They cut down trees and grind them up to make the mulch.

God: Enough! I don't want to think about this anymore. St. Catherine, you're in charge of the arts. What movie have you scheduled for us tonight?

St. Catherine: 'Dumb and Dumber', Lord. It's a story about...

God: Never mind, I think I just heard the whole story from St. Francis.