Sometimes we look at sights in nature but don't really see. While hiking in the woods the other day, it became a realization that we need to open our heart and eyes to see the beauty of the simple things in nature with each season. There is so much order and purpose in His creation. God has given us awesome beauty in this world to see and enjoy... if we would but stop to see and feel it. Join us as this blog is about stopping to see the real beauty around us...to touch and feel it... "Through the Lens".

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Tuesday, May 9, 2017

Missing Our Buttons and Other Stuff

Yes, we are still alive and yes, we are still full-timing in our Ollie!!  I know some might have thought we would have come to our senses and aborted ship by now....nope not us!!    There just hasn't been a lot of excitement going on...well not much anyway.
                 

These fellows come near our campsite almost every afternoon

We are missing our buttons!!  You know that wonderful button you push and your awning goes out and you push a button and the awning retracts.  Yea, that one!!  We don't have that button.  Why would we want a button that would take away the fun of getting out and working those muscles?  Our awning is manual...nothing is manual anymore except our awning.  What were those folks at Oliver thinking anyway!!

It happened innocently enough.  The little end piece on one of the poles that extend the awning just snapped.  


Hey, any of us can snap can't we??  Well that is exactly what happened to this end of our awning pole.  We called Fiamma and they were on it immediately.  So our little "thingy" part on the end of the pole is making its way to us as I write this.  Problem fixed!!
                    
 The next button that we miss is the one we pushed that sent our automatic Winegard Slimline Satellite Dish up searching for a  satellite so we could surf through channels discovering that there is nothing really worth watching on TV.  This awesome button lived in the cabinet of our Dutch Star.....boy those were the days!!  But think of all the fun we missed going outside and starring at the sky??

It happened innocently, again!!  We currently have the Winegard Carryout G2+ and it was working beautifully!!  
           

We could surf through channels to our hearts content....until Wednesday.  On Wednesday it all stopped and the TV screen told us our satellite couldn't find that special satellite in the sky.  So Mike got busy trying to track down the problem.  It seemed strange that the TV was receiving stations one day and less than 24 hours later....nothing.

The first thing Mike did was move the Winegard around in case a limb or leaf had gotten in the way....nothing.  He moved the Winegard everywhere, really, everywhere.  We even moved sites to see if that would help....nothing.  Our campground is pretty woodsy so we decided that while we were hooked up visiting other sites we might as well drive up the road to a very very open parking lot.....nothing.  So we came to the conclusion it wasn't a tree or leaf, nothing was blocking the satellite.
Looking up from our site, the trees are awesome, but they block the satellite


The problem could still be something wrong with the Winegard itself, the SWM840 which are additional pieces of equipment we bought in order to be able to use our Direct TV Genie receiver.  This receiver would enable us to record shows like we did when we lived in our house.  The suspect in this, with us non-technical folks, is that it just might be the SWM840 since it gets mixed reviews.  In other words, there are people out there that have tried this combination of Genie and SWM and didn't like it or even worse....hated it.  A call is in to Winegard and we, hopefully, will narrow down the problem soon.
                      

A new receiver that works with the Winegard G2+ Carryout that doesn't need a SWM to function is probably going to be the solution.  So no more ability to record a show.  Oh well....life goes on.
              
Mike gets his epidural shot this Wednesday.  This is the shot for his cervical stenosis and pinched nerves.  We are prayerful and hopeful that this shot will relieve his pain and he can avoid surgery!!
Prayers please!!  No more doctor appointments (for awhile) and no more physical therapy so we are free for several weeks!!
                 

In a few days we'll be heading to Hiawassee and the north Georgia mountains to an "Egg Rally."  more on that later.  We will explore around in the mountains a bit to enjoy the beautiful scenery and cooler temperatures.  Got to be back by the end of June for the next round of doctor appointments!!  Sigh!!

Stay well, stay safe and safe travels!             


The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.   Psalm 19:1

11 comments:

  1. No buttons here either, Manual tripod dish , and manual awning.
    Good luck with you satellite dish.

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  2. You know me. I hate it when my "stuff" doesn't work right ... So I feel your pain!! Hope that shot works well for Mike and that you guys can really enjoy the next several months seeing what there is to see!

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  3. Hope the shot works at relieving the pain. Sometimes the doctors make appointments just to keep you around for monitoring they say.
    Be Safe and Enjoy!

    It's about time.

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  4. We do get used to all these things that are "supposed" to make life easier. Don't we?

    I finally broke down and ditched my flip phone today for a Smart phone. But I ain't that smart. Could not figure out how to answer it. Kept hitting/pushing the green phone icon. Nothing. Went back to Verizon.... oh, I have to swipe it. Dang.

    Our rig was in the shop for some warranty work. (Not the roof or awning.) Bottom line, their mistake. Now we need a new roof or awning. Getting a new roof and new awning. For once, not our fault. And it does have a button.

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  5. Enjoyed this post about buttons! Everything we have is manual, and no satellite. We wait until we have Wi-Fi and then I watch my series on acorn.tv. British and Aussie series. If we occasionally hook up to cable I do enjoy tv.
    Sorry about the shot. Prayers that it works! You can pray that my appointment tomorrow afternoon will help my hip pain! When we return to northwest next week we will have our round of six month checks.

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  6. Hope the shot works.
    See you at Hiawassee!

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  7. I get frustrated when things don't work as they should. Hope everything gets sorted out soon. See you at Hiawassee. Yeh!!

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  8. Great post....funny how things we lived without, now are must haves in our lives. :))Magnificent Sunset! Positive Thoughts and prayers that the shot fixes the nerve problem...Safe Travels to your Egg Rally..Horst sends

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  9. What a cute post. So nice to read that y'all are taking the little "button" set backs in stride.
    Oh dear. I am not sure we could live without recording our shows...or should I say my shows. Lol.
    We are praying for Mike and great results. Prayers for pain relief and continuing to enjoy the "good life."

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  10. You've shared some lovely photos. It's always something with an RV but I'm always thankful when it's little stuff. Hope the shot helps ... been there, done that, and I'm so glad I never opted for surgery. Prayers!
    Ingrid @LiveLaughRV

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  11. Hi! I just found your two recent comments in my awaiting moderation area of my blog. I don't understand why they didn't go through automatically. I have one other persons whose comments don't automatically connect also. Beats me why they don't!

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