July 4th 2011

The shopping was done, the prizes ready.  The decorations were up and the campground was packed.

It was July 3, 2011--the day of the big July 4th celebration at the Kampground.

The kids started off the day with patriotic kites and paint.

They painted and decorated the kites for a contest in age groups.

They got to show their kites off while "My Johnnie" judged them on their creativity.

This is the older age kids showing off their kites.

Many of the kids had never put a kite together or flown one.

This is the middle age group.

They thought it was great!

They were judged on who could get it the highest in their age groups.

Most of them continued to fly their kites and enjoy the thrill.

This took us to lunch time.

The golf cart parade was going to be at 4:30.  The carts were all decorated and the grand marshalls had arrived.  There were signs to put on each of the grand marshalls carts.

Then, about 3:00 pm, a strong storm front came through.

The sun was blocked out and it looked like 8:00 at night!  The wind came blowing through and mom was in Little Blue resting while we were in the Mother Ship.  The Mother Ship doesn't really do more than shiver slightly (unless hit by a canoe!), but I wondered how mom was doing in Little Blue.

She later told us that Blue was really noisy when the winds came, but didn't rock and knock her out of bed.  Good to know.

The roads in the Kampground turned into a river and the ground, already saturated, became a swamp.

We got the call that the parade was moved to 5:30.

At 5:30 I got the call that the grand marshall's cart was no longer decorated as the decorations had been blown off in the storm.  It was still raining, but we got word that we would be having the cookout and potluck up at the office and on the porch because blue sky could be seen and it was starting to clear.

At this point, my dad (the parade marshall) found out that my brother, niece and her children and nephew and his wife and child were about 30 minutes away and he decided to go to my other brother's house right away so that he and mom could spend time with them at their cookout.

Gman loaded them up and delivered them and their potluck dishes to my brother's house while I headed up to the office for the Kampground cookout.

The prizes were awarded for the kids.
This is the winner of the preschool through k group.  He got a bug collecting kit.  Can you see the frog on the front?  I mean, the Kampground is "all about the frog" you know...

All the kids got those glow in the dark bracelets too.  The parents lined up for those as well...

We all gathered inside to get our goodies.  It was packed with friends new and old and lots of wonderful food!!!!

Everyone was sitting wherever they could and all enjoyed it.

Gman made it back.  He is on the left.  He is talking to Harvey while he is waiting for He Who to cook more burgers and dogs so he could eat. 

Harvey helps He Who with the mowing and odd jobs around the Kampground and lives in a camper here.  He is also a dandy carpenter.  Does wonderful work!!!

This is Patrick.  He's such an angel...See his Halo?

This is Patrick's wife, Julie.  Can you dig the great earrings and necklace???? 

Just in case you missed them on my previous blog, I was also decked out for the holiday!!!!

The weather didn't bother Jeff and Julie who won the site of the month.  They were on their deck (that looks like a dock) that was all festooned with bunting and bows.

One thing that was good, the heat was gone and with the ground nice and wet, it was a perfect evening for the fireworks display.

This year it was accompanied by patriotic music.  I borrowed a set of CD's from my brother which I played on the stereo in my durango.  I popped them in, opened all of the doors and the rear and hit the volume.

I was told that people could even hear the music INSIDE of their campers!!!!

As the first CD was finishing, I thought it would just go back to the beginning. 

All of a sudden, Michael Buble' started belting out Hollywood.  Hey!  He's Canadian!!!!

We got back to American Patriotic music and just enjoyed the rest of the show.

Gman and I both agreed that it was as good as the ones that they always had in our hometown.

I was impressed!

Happy 4th all...hope you enjoyed the fireworks and day with us!!!

Now to get ready for the Harvest Festival and Chili, Soup and Dessert contest with jack o lanterns, costumes and fun in October!!!!

Mother of Invention Monday (on Tuesday)...Talking to the Mother Ship???

My friend, Kathy and I were up in the "city" to hit the store for something.

As usual, I went the wrong direction at the 4 way stop in town and pulled into a vacant parking area to turn around when we spied something winking across the railroad tracks. 

I stopped and we took a closer look. 

We decided that this deserved a detour on the way home and headed across the track.  We had to wind around the grainary and a few other oddities that didn't excite us enough to stop on the way to our big oddity...

This is what we saw...

It looks like a typical house, right? 

But look more closely...

We noticed that there are floodlights on the porch--in the middle of the day.

Hmmm...

Closer still...

We noted that lined up on the porch are stationary bikes.  Many of them.

And the one on the right has a tube through it with some silver metal things on each side.

Are they making electricity to light the floodlights?

Hmmm...

We drive on and see a pile of flotsom and jetsom which includes bikes and bike wheels????

This person must LOVE bikes...of all sorts!

We went around to the side (front???) of the house and see this...

A bunch more of the metal things in all shapes and sizes.

And more flood lights...

And ladders...

Let's look closer...

Now, normally if I saw ladders like this, I would suspect that the roof was leaking.

This roof looks new and in good shape. 

So what is the deal with the ladders????

Do they have anything to do with the shiny whirligigs???

And look at the shapes of the whirligigs...all kinds and some are on posts.  Metal posts.

See the house number on the porch?  Can you tell what it is made from?

It's a ceiling fan blade!!!!

This person is obviously a recycler...

Next to the house is the garage which has a carport to the side of it.

Out in front of the garage are more of the whirligigs on metal posts.

Then we looked inside the carport...

Look on the ceiling of the carport.

It is literally FULL of metal whirligigs!!!!!

They are hanging from the ceiling, on the walls and all over the floor and everything that is inside.

Then, we noticed...

The giant tower.

With Whirligigs all around the base and we felt we knew the answer at last...

Communicating with Mother Ship!!!!?????

July 4th Preparations...

The 4th of July is a big celebration at the Kan-Do Kampground where I am parked.
In preparation for the big day, I decorated the "square"...

At the corner, you can see the "street sign" area with a bench to relax on and enjoy nature.

Along with the permanent hostas, I placed a basket of flowers on the rock filled with red wave petunias and marigolds topped with a flag.


Behind the Hostas, I planted a metal sign of stars which was spotlighted at night with the solar lighting.

The new flower bed started at the end of last year with a log and some fresh gravel.  I had a birdhouse--called a bird condo--which I placed on an old table leg.  It is anchored to the electric box for the camper which I painted black so it would disappear. 


It is sporting a galvanized watering can of sunflowers lit at night with a small solar light.

There is also a small garden flag with a cow holding a flag in a field of daisies.

This year, I put in a ring of rocks and some good quality dirt.  This turned out to be my pink flower area. 

In the spring when I went to Callaway Fields to pick out some plants, they had a confetti geranium that was a hot pink color.  It really drew me to it, so I decided to take it.

By accident, I had a pink geranium from last year that wintered over in Tom and Nina's greenhouse, so It joined the Confetti along with a black eyed susan (from Nina's garden) and a little green ground cover that has tiny white flowers.

After mulching, I placed a frog and a small glass globe.

For the 4th, the birdhouse sports a flag from the chimney and there are red white and blue metal stars in the flower bed.

Inside of the fence, I started with a blue checked  vinyl tablecloth topped with a red pot of maragolds with a white star.  Two citronella candles underline the holiday.

It is topped off with a birdhouse "Bait Shop".

I have a basket filled with red wave petunias along with marigolds.

I was told that the marigolds would keep the squirrels and bunnies out.  They kept digging my plants out and I would find the dirt and plants on the ground.  ARRRRGGGGHHHH!!!

So, I was willing to try anything. 

The marigolds helped but didn't alleviate the problem.  I guess they like the moisture pellets that I put in the pots to help keep the plants hydrated.

My newest approach is to add a pinwheel that twirls in the breeze a vaying speeds according to the breezes.  This seems to have helped.

The ring around the tree ( my main flower area) sports a patriotic garden flag, stars and a patriotic birdhouse in the star.  This is aside from the cowboy boots that hold the yellow sunflowers, the red gazing globe the samll red glass torch and the hummingbird feeders. 

The flowers this year are red geraniums (also overwintered in Nina's greenhouse from last year), red spreading petunias, red wave petunias, black eyed susans and one tomato plant that Nina had left over from her garden.

You can see in the back there is another torch and a small birdhouse.

There are solar lights all around as well.

Even the squatters (that showed up while we were gone to Kansas over Memorial Day) were sporting patriotic gear.

Tank was helping me decorate and I think he knew I was unhappy with the damage from the rabbits and squirrels.

You can see here that he spied one of the little minxes.

Can you see what he is looking at?

Here, let me help you see it--see the bunny under the yellow arrow???

Tank really wanted to go play with him!!!

This is Tao. 

We love pugs, so I had to take a picture of him with his black face and black stockings.  His people were staying two campers over from us for the weekend.

Tao was a little concerned and was barking at my golf cart here.  His humans said that he does that with leaf blowers, lawn mowers and now golf carts!  Is that cute or what????

This is the golf cart all ready for the parade.

Mom and dad came over on the 4th to be the Grand Marshalls of the parade and this would be the one to carry mom.

Dad would drive Drew's cart and Drew would ride with him.  That cart was decorated very similarly.

My flag is in the background.

Finally to me.

I found these earrings at Wal-Mart and Kathy just had to snap a picture of them.

My nails caused quite a stir too.

I enjoy doing wacky and strange things with my nails (which are real btw.  And yes, I do use my hands to dig, do dishes, clean, work on the camper including emptying the black water, wrangle dogs, etc.  I don't pamper them for sure!!!!)

I saw this nail polish from Sally Hansen. 

You put on your normal polish and then put the Sally Hansen Crackle polish over it and it turns out like this.

It took me FOREVER to find it!!!!  The local Walgreens sells it as fast as they get it in and I kept missing it.

I read online that OPI and China Glaze make crackle polish too, so I tried to get some of that. 

No dice--all sold out!!!!   Finally, I found some at the Walgreens in Wentzville and my patriotic look was complete!  Yay!!!!

I topped it with a sparkly hologram topcoat which really made the colors pop.

My thumb has hologram stars and sparkles as well.

I was going for a kind of flag look.

How do you decorate?

Canoes Are Just The Beginning...

If you missed my Canoe post, check it out now and then read on...

There are no pictures for this one.  There really are no pictures FOR this one..

There was a camper who stated that she had such a boring life, there was simiply nothing to blog about.  I had laughingly told her that I didn't have that kind of a problem--there are PLENTY of adventures in my life!

Oh Boy!

The canoe happened on Saturday.  Father's Day was Sunday.

Father's Day dawned sunny and lovely with the forecast for high 80's and humid. 

I headed out to church after which I planned to take my dad and mom out for Father's Day.

Gman was out of town on business, so it was just me and my brother's family to take dad out.

My sister-in-law was recovering from knee surgery (which she emphatically denied me the pleasure of photographing the wicked looking knee of many colors and about 40 staples--Darn!). 

She had knee replacement about 5 years before and it had never worked properly since, so they went in to debride it with the possibility of another replacement. 

Thankfully, it didn't need the full replacement, but the incision was just the same as a replacement and with the extreme swelling afterward, it caused her to deal with not only the incision, but blisters covered the knee--both front and back. 

Okay--I admit it--when I saw it, it was so many colors that I sucked in my breath and said "Oh COOL!" which garnered me a rather sanguine look from her! 

AND the denial to allow photos...

After church, my brother called his wife, Nina, who said she wanted to try going out for father's day if we could stay close.  We all agreed that we would go to a local establishment so she could enjoy the day and not have to be out any longer than necessary.

Tom took off to pick up his wife and I took mom and dad to head to the restaurant. 

As we drove, I noticed it seemed rather warm. 

After a while it seemed HOT.

Then we noticed that only hot air was coming out of the vents. 

It appeared that the a/c had quit working. 

Time to go old school and roll down the windows.

Mom HATES the air hitting her, but...

The waitress who must have been new because she couldn't even get the drinks correct--uh, 2 unsweetened ice teas, 1 diet drink, 2 waters--NOT rocket science here...

The appetizers came after the salads and just as we took the first bite, the meals arrived. 


I took the parents home in the warmish Durango and headed back to the campground.

Monday, I was to take my sister in law to the doctor for removal (after an extra lengthy 20 days due to the blisters) of her staples. 

We took their Jeep since my Durango didn't have a/c.

Off we went and got just past the town about 16 miles away. 

The a/c decided to crap out!  Seriously?????

As we were noticing this problem, I noticed a police officer in the median looking for speeders just before the Forristell, MO.  As it is not my habit to speed, I ignored him.

Just as I noted the officer, the engine of the Jeep blew!!!!! 

BOOM!!!  Smoke everywhere!!!!

I veered onto the exit ramp and onto the shoulder of the exit near the top of the ramp where the engine stopped.

I asked Nina where the emergency flashers were as I didn't see them.  She told me after checking the manual.

So, with flashers flashing, I jumped out and opened the hood to see water and anti-freeze all over and the radiator hose blown off of the radiator--the hose wasn't blown, it actually blew off of the radiator itself.  (They later learned that the radiator had been broken at some point in the past and, shall we say, cleverly engineered back together so the radiator had to be replaced)

I jumped back in the steaming vehicle and called Triple A.

Nina called her son in law to bring another vehicle so we could get to the doctor to take the staples out.
The Motorist Assist guy came up to see if he could be of assistance.  Since I was on the phone with Triple A, I let him know we were fine and had a tow truck coming.  He kindly went to help with traffic.

VERY nice guy!!!!

Nina then called her doctor and was on the phone with them and I was on the phone with Triple A when the police officer that had been in the median drove up, blocking the intersection and then began to YELL at us and berate us for stopping on the shoulder of the exit ramp. 

I explained between his rants that the engine blew up and it was undrivable.  (Seriously???He couldn't see the smoke coming out and the emergency flashers and two old fat women????  Seriously???)

YOU HAVE TO MOVE THIS NOW!!!

I am on the phone with Triple A and a tow truck is on the way.

THERE IS NO TIME FOR TRIPLE A!!!!  IT HAS TO BE MOVED RIGHT NOW!!!!  I AM CALLING THE CITY TOW TRUCK TO TAKE IT AWAY!!!!

At this point I had taken about all I was gonna take from a young pup who was younger than my son!  Thoughts of Zsa Zsa Gabor began to dance in my head...

(some of you will get the Zsa Zsa thing and some of your are just too young...)

Me--Oh, I don't think so.

Eyes narrowed.

Mommy look on the face.

WELL YOU CAN'T JUST LEAVE IT HERE!!!

Tow truck is on the way, officer.

IT HAS TO BE MOVED NOW!!!!

Okay.  Do you mind if I push it?

YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO PUSH IT AND I DON'T PUSH VEHICLES.  THAT IS NOT MY JOB!

(Didn't ask him to now did I?)

Where does it have to be moved to?

YOU HAVE YOUR CHOICE TO BACK IT DOWN THE ENTRANCE RAMP THERE OR TAKE IT UP AROUND THE CORNER PAST THAT LIGHT POST, BUT IT HAS TO BE GONE WITHIN 2 HOURS OR I WILL HAVE IT TOWED.

Okey dokey.

Motorist Assist guy had been witness to this barage from the young pup and offered to help me push it.

Officer--Well, see if you can get it to start just to get it around the corner.

Me--Okay.

(No luck starting it--Duh!!!!)

Officer--I guess I could give it a little push, but you won't be able to turn the wheel without the power steering.

Me--When I learned to drive, we didn't HAVE power steering.  (Quick yank of the wheel--tires turned)
Officer--I guess you can...

He and the Motorist Assist got it around the corner to where the pup was happy.  Sort of...since he had something to prove to us old gals.

Officer--Give me your license.

(gave it to him)

Officer--This your vehicle?

Me--No, sir.  It is her's.  (pointing to Nina sitting there steaming and calling the Doctor's office to tell them we would be late--no problem said they--get here when you can and we will get you right in, Nina.  Did I mention she works in the ICU at the hospital?)

Officer--I need her license.

(I thought, why?  What's it to you?  She isn't driving.  She doesn't need a license and YES, she is on drugs--you would be too if you had 40 staples in your knee that is the size of a basketball, pup.  Want her to pee in a cup, to????)

Nina handed over her license and as I passed it to him, I looked at the picture and I SWEAR!  I have NEVER SEEN a WORSE driver's license picture!!!! 

SERIOUSLY!!!!

It was BAD!!!!

Later, Nina said she won the worst DL photo in the hospital when they had a contest. 

No kidding!!!

I just started to laugh and handed it to the pup.

Officer--What are you laughing at?

Me--Did you SEE that picture???  It is the WORST thing I have ever seen!!!  (ROFLPIMP)

Officer--Do you always treat your mother like this?

I TOTALLY LOST IT!!!!!!  I mean, I thought I was gonna have to clean the upholstery for her I was laughing so hard!!!!

Me--Uh, she's my sister-in-law.  (snicker)  Been in the family for close to 40 years.

Officer--Guess you decided to keep each other then?

Me--Yup.  (Careful pup, that rod might actually be bending!)

Nephew pulls up with Nina's convertible and switches to the Jeep while I get out and Nina starts to hobble from the other side.

Me--Triple A has Okayed my nephew to stay with the car and he will accompany the tow truck and the Jeep.

Officer--I don't CARE what Triple A said.  Just get it out before 2 hours is up or it is getting towed by the city.

Me--K.  Thanks.  Gotta get the cripple into the car and get to the doctor to remove her 40 staples.

Officer--(shocked look towards Nina who obliges with a raised pant leg so he can gaze upon the loveliness of her swollen, multi-colored, heavily bandaged knee).  You WERE going to get her staples out.

Me--No we are going to get her staples out.

Officer--No, you WERE going to get them out.

Me--NO.  We ARE going to get them out

(back and forth a couple more times)

Me--Trust me.  The staples are coming out today!!!  (Nina muttering that they were coming out if she had to go get a staple remover kit and remove them herself--those buggers were coming out today!)
Off we drove (not speeding!!!  I swear!) and arrived at the doctor's office only 2 minutes late!!!! 

Can you believe it???  I was shocked!

Her staples came out.  She was relieved.

I was a bit uh, irritated. 

WHY do I always think of the snappy comebacks after the excitement is over?

Things like:
"Do you talk to your mother this way?"
"Ever need to go to the ICU????  Guess where she works?"
"Hold still so I can get a good picture of your face, badge and badge number, please."
"Isn't it Protect and SERVE???"

Oh so MANY things...

On Friday, my dad and I headed to the airport in dad's car to pick up Gman (since I had not gotten the guts to take it to Roger the mechanic--nothing scares me like a huge car repair bill!!!).

I get about 1 1/2 miles from the airport exit and what do I spy but red and blue lights flashing in my rear view mirror. 

I pull over.

Dad says, "how fast were you going?"

"I wasn't even close to speeding--I swear!"

Officer comes up and asks for DL and registration.

Asks if my address is correct.
Yes.

Then whose car is this?

I point to Dad and tell him that it is my Dad's car.

"Did you realize that your license plate is expired?"

"huh?"

Dad was too shocked to speak.  Hmmm...

"Yes--almost a year..."

Now I was too shocked to speak.

Every member of the family had been driving this car all over for the last year. 

Oye!!!!!

And, can you believe the officer didn't even ask for Dad's license????  I mean, after the experience that Nina and I had, I would have expected him to go for Dad's too. 

But no.  This officer was polite and professional.

Of course he was not a Forristell cop!!!!  Seriously--everyone in Missouri knows that you have to be careful around Forristell because the cops are vicious!!!  They don't care about the law--they ARE the law!

The officer gave ME the ticket in MY name.

Oye again!

We picked up Gman and made it home without further incident.

Dad's car now sports a current license plate.

Nina's knee is doing well this time.

Oh, and my A/C is now working the Durango.

The family felt I should bite the bullet and get it fixed rather than risk anymore of THEIR vehicles!

What was wrong with the A/C you ask????

A mouse ate the wire to the compressor.

But what else would you expect, right?  ;-)

Canoeing Anyone?

Early this morning (about 4:30 am) I awoke when my 160 lb dog jumped up on the bed and tried to snuggle under me in fear.  There was wind and rain and more than that, a thunk and the mother ship rocking back and forth .

This is unusual.  Not the wind and rain...the Mother Ship rocking. 

We have been in several storms that included winds around 65-70 mph both here and in NY and the most the Mother Ship has ever done was shiver--kind of a little vibration.  Mother Ship is a 40 ft Kountry Aire 5th wheel triaxle by Numar.  She is heavy--10,000 lb empty--much more (about 17,000 lb--or the equivalent of a couple of small cars of "stuff" extra) loaded--so she is pretty steady.

So, with Mother rocking and rain pelting and winds blowing and 3 pugs and one pony (or 160 lb mastiff/newfoundland named Tank) all vyeing for space under me, I turned on the TV and surpise of all surprises, my satellite was still working--kind of.   It was showing that we were under severe thunderstorms, but there was no sound on the local stations.  I had to just be content to watch the radar in the postage stamp size box in the upper corner and read the banner while the "paid presentation" played soundlessly.

Suddenly it showed we were under a tornado WARNING--this means one is around in the county and has been spotted. 

Too late I thought!!!!  Mother was already rocking and had stopped rocking.

I went back to sleep. 

When I woke up again it was time to head to the campground office for our morning coffee and muffins breakfast club.

I slipped into clothes and opened the door, visions of Vanilla Iced Coffee dancing in my head, and saw this...

I don't own a canoe...

I closed the door.  After all, this is pre-coffee...

I opened the door...

Yep that's definitely a canoe sitting on my fence...or what is left of my fence...

The canoe's home is here...past Little Blue, across the street, past the golf cart on those blocks that the red arrows are pointing to...

See the red arrows pointing to the blocks on which the canoe usually lives?  And the branch on the ground by Little Blue?



This is standing about where the golf cart is parked and looking towards the Mother Ship...

See the silver colored fence post?  It used to be straight.  Until last weekend, it held our satellite dish. 

We had a problem with our reception so DirectTv came out to see about the problem and decided that the dish wasn't in the optimal spot and moved it.  Whew!!!!  Had it been on that pole, it would have been severly damaged...

See the silver colored fence post?  It used to be straight. 



From the looks of the carnage, it appears that the canoe took flight and hit that fence post, bending it, hit the tree, shaving a large branch off (which you can see on the ground here)

See the big branch that the canoe shaved off on the way through?

and finally, hit the Mother Ship about 10 feet off of the ground...

See the spot?

Here, take a closer look...

It actually went all the way through the side of the Mother Ship. 

Fortunately, it hit one of the framing timbers which kept it from going all the way through the inside wall of the camper, but there is a definite hole in the outer skin of Mother. 

Poor Mother!!!!  No wonder she was rocking!!!!

Johnny and He Who Takes Pity on All Campers In Distress removed the offending canoe to it's home, slightly worse for the flight, but still intact, along with the tree limb.

Note that my humming birds are still happy--one of the hooks with the feeders still being intact--only momentarily confused, they continued to eat, apparently oblivious to the carnage around them...

The humming birds are still happy...

So, I took a look around and headed for the office...I needed coffee and this would still be here when I got back, right???

Just before I left, a young lady of about 8-10 came up to me and told me she was so sorry to see that my camper was damaged and that my yard was a mess and things were broken.  She looked so stricken.  I hugged her and told her that it was okay because "things" can be replaced.  Everyone, including the dogs, were okay and that is all that matters. 

My wonderful friend, Kathy, was waiting in the parking lot with a huge vanilla iced coffee in her hands---knowing I needed sustanence...

I came home and started putting things back together.  Several things were bent--easily remedied by bending back semi straight--and I lost my rain guage, a glass torch, and a few of my solar lights.

As I was putting in the newly straightened hook and hanging the rest of my humming bird feeders (gotta take care of my birds!!!!) I looked down and saw that my tomato plant looked to be just fine...

When I bent down for a closer inspection, I noticed that the canoe left a few curls of orange behind on my rock...

And because he is in Cincinnati on business, Gman missed it all...

Don’t Sign Another Mobile Phone Contract

As some of you know, Gman and I coordinate Financial Peace University classes by Dave Ramsey.   Years ago I found Mary Hunt who is similar and has many great ideas for saving money while getting out of debt.  Here is one...

Don’t Sign Another Mobile Phone Contract
Don’t Sign Another Mobile Phone Contract


06/14/2011

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Cricket Communications. Here’s a nationwide service with high-quality coverage that does not require contracts and does not hide fees. Calling plans start as low as $35. You can get unlimited talk, text and web starting at just $45 a month. Learn more at www.MyCricket.com.



You’ve got even more options with companies such as MetroPCS, Straight Talk, Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile. Want even more? Do a Google search for “No-contract phones,” “Pay as you go mobile” or “Prepaid cell phones.” You’ll be amazed how many options you have. Just make sure you read the fine print, research thoroughly, and then go for it!



As for the money you won’t be spending on phone service in the months ahead, determine right now that you’ll divert it straight to savings. Now you’ll really enjoy the decision.