Winter has come to Indiana. I know it's not as bad here as it is for some of you in more northern climates, but it's bad enough that I'm ready to head someplace much warmer. More about that in a minute.
If you were following our adventures last winter here at Mosey'n Millers, you know we arrived back home in Indiana mid-April. A lot has been going on for us since then.
Darlene launched right into an experimental year of gardening with straw bales. It was a resounding success which provided a lot of good, healthy food and occupied many hours of her time. She has already consented to hosting a meeting of the Indiana Organic Gardeners Association in her garden next summer.
I had a “to-do” list of projects around home and on the trailer to start on, but that got somewhat delayed. I got a job with a landscaping company located nearby delivering loads of mulch, other pick-up & delivery, and doing odd jobs around the business. I only worked part time, but it was enough to keep me out of Darlene's hair and support our camping & traveling habit. Sundown Gardens is a great place to work. I plan to go back next year.
On the days I wasn't working, I designed & built a kayak carrier to fit on the rear of our trailer. This, along with the bike carrier will allow us to take our two favorite “toys” along on our wither trips. In late July & early August we had a wonderful time on a 2 week trip to Custer, SD. The best part was that it was with my brother and two sisters (one couldn't make it). The occasion was the Sledrag Reunion, a gathering of cousins in the Gardels family. The sibs and 2 spouses fit comfortably into our trailer and my brother's. A great time was had by all as we renewed relationships with each other and with cousins, some of whom we hadn't seen since childhood.
On our way home, while camped in Nebraska, we got word of the death of Darlene's uncle. We parted ways from the sibs and headed up to St. Paul, MN to be with family, before heading back to Indiana again.
In mid-October we spent a few very relaxing days dry-camping in Yellowwood State Forest in Brown County, IN. Kayaking in the beautiful lake and hiking among the changing colors of fall made for a refreshing get-away.
November was time for Darlene to clean up the garden & put it to bed for the winter. I finished up all my projects and then started preparing for our winter get-away. Darlene exercised her passion for music by singing in the church choir. She loves that involvement in a great music program. This weekend is Christmas and the final choir performances for the year.
Winter has come to Indiana. There's snow & ice on the trailer solar panels and the kayaks. It's time to head south. We are prepared to depart a day or two after Christmas as we head to Texas. All ya'all come back to read about our trip south and our great Texas adventure.