Angola, IN Visit

To the dentist.....Everything ok...to the lawyer to get a copy of my tenant/renter agreement for my house--rats!--closed for lunch, and the right person not available to get me my paperwork, over to my former neighbor's to catch up on neighborhood news and say hello--she babysits BEAUCOUP kids and it's always fun to go see them--lots of babies and toddlers to get a baby fix...The kids peppered me with questions because my first name is the same as their babysitter's. One little boy is the son of the people renting my house, so he says to me, "I know your REAL name, it's Jeannie Sparks!" like he knew a BIG secret. I said, "Yep, that's right!" He proceeded to call out my full name every couple of minutes until I left, much to the amusement of the other little guys and girls sitting at the table eating lunch...
          "Hi, Jeannie Sparks! I live in your house, Jeannie Sparks!"
          "I know you do!"
          "Bye, Jeannie Sparks!"
This gal is a fantastic babysitter. They've outfitted their main living quarters to be totally baby/toddler friendly and inviting for children. Huge play areas, tons of toys, books, and games, and lots of active play equipment. I don't know how many she takes care of on a daily basis, because it varies from day to day, but it's a lot! I could never do that, even though I love little kids, the energy level just isn't there any more.....

In having conversation with my neighbors, I discovered they'd like to buy some of my stuff in storage, so off to the storage shed to try and find stuff....ugh! Dark black plastic bags hiding everything we couldn't fit into storage containers...Found the TV, but not the cords and the remote. Then I find the remote in a bag WITH the instructions, but no cord. Took half the stuff out of the storage shed, discovered lots of stuff I didn't remember I had, tried to find some long sleeve shirts for Eldy, no luck--and finally found the cord. Story of my life--a little disorganized....(A LITTLE?????)   Hush!  You know how hectic it gets when you have to be finished moving out of your house and the people are ready to come in? Shove whatever you can and whatever is left in plastic garbage bags and schlep it over to the storage unit. We'll  check it out later! One year later, and here I am. Can't find anything in there!  Back to the neighbor's house and set up the TV to see if it works....Yay! Success! She's going to buy it! Visit a little more then off for a hike......

Before I left town, I wanted to revisit one of my favorite places in Fremont, IN right next to Angola IN, I-69 and the 80/90 Toll Road....Ropchan Nature Preserve....a beautiful woods with acreage set aside by Acres, a conservation/land trust group in this area that protects nature and land acquisitions for future generations and nature lovers---There are at least three different hikes of varying lengths at the preserve. I used to walk this preserve about three times a week when I lived there, usually a 2 1/2 mile hike and that's what I did today......I ALWAYS see deer in there or at least signs they have passed through recently..

Today, I just saw one and he scampered away before I could catch him on the camera......The preserve changes from meadow to forests, there are little streams and bridges to cross, and almost every year the Boy Scouts perform Eagle Scout projects there such as walkway improvements. It's a beautiful place and a wonderful place to hike.

Saw some interesting mushrooms......When you're retired, little things like this start capturing your attention....You can't say I need to get a hobby, I have lots! (Yup, this woman has more hobbies than most people I know all put together! says E.)

Time to head back to Elkhart to see what Eldy's been up today on his own.....No special plans for tomorrow yet...We'll see what Eldy has in mind...Stay tuned!