What a Turkey! (Sutherlin, OR)

Here are some photos of the animals that we seen around the RV park during our walks.  We see this mother deer with her two little ones all the time.  They seem to be quite comfortable hanging around in the yards....on people's decks, walking down the street...blocking traffic...munching as they go.  They were sleeping behind our site a couple of nights ago.

Mama with one of her fawns

You can see the turkeys in the background in the photo below.  Quite often we will see the turkeys, some jack rabbits, and the deer all hanging out together.  I wonder if they start partying as soon as we go around the corner?

here's the second fawn

Even the wild turkeys are pretty tame.  They certainly are entertaining to watch.  We have been within ten feet of them while they are busy looking for food.  They do prefer we keep moving.  If we stop to watch them, they tend to move away.

I heard Thanksgiving was cancelled this year...too bad!

Hmm, there's got to be a joke in this one.  I did not know turkeys sat on fences.  I also did not know they could fly up to 30 feet into the air.  I always thought they flew low to the ground for a short distance.  Learn something new everyday!

I think this woodpecker is trying to blend into his background!  I was lucky to be near the apple tree when he flew into it.  He was doing a lot of squawking when he landed in the tree.  Maybe he was telling us to stay away from his apples. 

On The Cutting Board

Okay, five of the six mug rugs are ready for quilting and embellishments.  I slowed down on my projects because we have been exploring the area, meeting people, and taking advantage of the nice weather to go for walks.  So, about the only time I am getting any work done is in the evenings. 

Here's the last one.  I'm hoping to make this one look like a vintage Shasta camper.  They are known for having a silver wing on the back of the trailer.  I thought pink would look better.....to match the door and stripe, of course.   I'll attach the wing after I sew the camper together.

Tomorrow's Veteran's Day and many restaurants are offering free meals.  Check online to see what is available in your town.  You deserve it!

Thank you for your service and have a great day!

Never Too Late (Patagonia, AZ)

Yesterday was Veteran's Day.  It's never too late to thank a veteran.  Hopefully, people thank a veteran when they see them.

Last year, I talked about my life in a military family.  I did not want to repeat myself, so I thought I would show some photos, posters, and links instead. For those who did not read my last Veteran's Day post, I have added a link for you.


Sites for donating quilts to Veterans and their families:

Quilts of Valor

Blankets for Deployed Daddys
The Army Baby Quilt Project
There are many ways to give to our Veterans:

Support Our Troops

Yellow-Ribbons - includes free quilt patterns

Source: Uploaded by user via Sandy on Pinterest

Source: Uploaded by user via Sandy on Pinterest

Source: flickr.com via Sandy on Pinterest

Source: starsforourtroops.org via Sandy on Pinterest

In Honor of Our Veterans

We see them sitting out in front of stores asking for donations in return for a red Remembrance Poppy.  We see them in the parades representing and honoring all Veterans.  And all too often, we see them honoring a fallen soldier as they lay them to rest.  They are our Veterans and they are proud to serve our country.

I am a daughter, granddaughter, wife, sister, mother, and aunt of Veterans.  I am proud of all of them.  Some served overseas while others took their duties seriously to serve their country on the home front. It is almost a silent tradition in our family. 

Both of my grandfathers were in the military during WWI. My father was underage when he joined the Navy serving on the USS Mississippi in the Pacific during WWII.  I never met my Uncle Bill.  He died in the Korean War.  He was 18 years old, but Mom would talk about him often.  He was her baby brother.  I know our family is not unique, there are many families just like ours with a history of many family members serving in the military.

My husband served for 27 1/2 years in the Air Force.  We rarely talked about the bad times to civilians.  They thought we had a glamorous life traveling around the world.  It was wonderful, but it wasn't an easy life.  Moving took its toll on the children having to leave their friends behind.  They barely knew their grandparents.  I was challenged to find work and make a home with every move.  I often took the first job offer because we needed that second paycheck no matter how small.  Moving costs never covered our frequent moves.  Housing allowances were never enough. We lived paycheck to paycheck.

 Our brother-in-law's 30 year retirement.

Deployments are especially hard on a young military family.  Children do not understand why one or both parents have to leave.  The spouses left behind have their work doubled while taking care of the home front and worrying about their spouse coming back home.

Our daughter and our granddaughter saying

 good-bye to Daddy being deployed to Iraq.

It is a shame that many young military families are using food programs like WIC (women, infants & children) to feed their children and signing them up for the school meal programs.  Medical used to be the best deal for a military family.  Often, they are asked to go to a civilian doctor and to use their Tri-care.  They are on their own for dental and eye appointments unless the family is overseas.  They are having a harder time than we did with the cost of living and yet their service members are still risking their lives to protect our country.

 Our son serving overseas in the Azores.

Don’t get me wrong, I would never trade in our lifestyle or our experiences for a civilian living in one location.  As a child, I saw more of our country than many of the civilian elders did their whole life time.  As a young married couple (18 & 19 yrs), I believe our military life taught us to take responsibility and to be independent.  We learned to rely on the military community for support and guidance instead of expecting our parents to fix our problems for us.  We did a lot of growing up during our first couple of years away from home.  

My brother and his son with our Mother.

If you happen to see a Veteran or a military family, thank them for their service, buy a Remembrance Poppy, or you can show your support anonymously with one of the many charities listed below:

Quilts of Valor

Blankets for Deployed Daddys

Support Our Troops

Yellow-Ribbons
These charities do not always ask for money.  Many ask for volunteers to donate their time to make blankets, care packets, or send emails.  My favorite donation was to spend one day gathering together with other volunteers to make quilts for children of deployed parents from our local base.  After 8 to 9 hours of sewing, we had made close to 40 flannel blankets.

The cost for our freedom? The life of a service member...we can never repay our debt, but we can show our appreciation by thanking them.

Thank You for Serving Our Country