Just Chillin' at Lake Seminole

Our spontaneous trip to Seminole State Park was just about perfect.  The weather was cool in the mornings and evenings and the park was not crowded at all.

I realized soon after we arrived that for the first time ever, I didn’t think I had brought enough food for the four nights we would be staying.  I began to think of creative dishes I could make by shopping at the Dollar Store up the road.  (We said before we left that we didn’t want to leave the campground this trip and with the exception of one necessary trip to the nearby Dollar Store, we didn’t.)  I panicked too soon though.  I improvised by making one meal a baked potato with butter, cheese, and bacon bits and another meal breakfast for supper.  By doing that we used what we had.  It sure made unloading easier when we got home.

While at Joe and Judy’s we picked up about two-thirds of a bucket full of pecans.  We took them with us.  Bubba cracked and I shelled while we enjoyed the beautiful view of the lake.  (Didn’t have to worry about picking up pieces that dropped either!)  By the time we finished, we had two gallon bags of nice shelled pecans.  This was a fringe benefit from our time at the Work Camp.
We also took our hiking shoes and got some good walks in around the campground.  We read and watched tv in the evening.  It was very peaceful and very restful.

Our View

I heard from my brother while we were at Seminole that his cancer is back.  His insurance is through the “Affordable Care Act” which means he pays very high premiums and his out of pocket expenses are astronomical.  Because of this he has to wait until next year to have the necessary scans to find out what he is dealing with and what treatment will be required.  He got this news the night before his birthday.  I sent the following message to him in a Facebook post and I’m copying it here because this is a precious memory from our past.  He had not heard this story before.

A few weeks after you were born, Daddy was in a bad car accident. Some people came to the house to tell Mama and take her to the hospital. Some ladies stayed at the house with us. You woke up, started crying and one of them stood to go to your room. I stopped her saying, "I'll take care of him. He's MY brother." I lifted you from the crib and swayed back and forth with you in my arms whispering, "Everything is gonna' be all right. Everything is gonna' be all right." You settled down and went back to sleep. Soon our parents were back with us as Daddy's injuries were not serious.
All that to say I'm glad you showed up when you did. I loved taking care of you AND It took some of the focus off me!

Love and prayers for you little brother on your special day. "Everything is gonna' be all right."

Len and Me