Hello Gal Pals!
November is coming to a close and winter will be here soon! Hope y’all are doing well. After an extremely hot summer, I’ve been relishing in this cooler weather; taking advantage of every moment! Running behind as usual, so doing a little catching up here from earlier events.
At this time however, I’m recovering from a bad fall I had last week. It was just a little bit frosty, but I did not see the black ice on my steps. I fell on my knee very hard…the same one from a fall about three years ago. Not good! Nothing broken thank God, but am still moving very slow. PLEASE be very careful when it freezes the slightest bit! I will forever remember this valuable lesson!
The pic below was from my last mini adventure day trip to the Appalachian Herb & Handcrafter’s Festival in Grayson, KY...great day!
Greetings from The Road!
Surviving the Flood!
I’m so very grateful to be writing these words and am able to say I survived the Flood of 2025! My home base is located in the Appalachian region where February brought a flood of historic proportions that included massive property damage, loss of homes, businesses and sadly…the loss of several lives. See video here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVrB6D7vNlsSummer saw the horrific Texas flooding that took so many young souls at that summer camp…it shook all of us I know. Continued prayers for all those affected.
Avini Affiliate
Just a few products from Avini Health As you may have heard me mention in ‘My Favorite Things’ video 2024, I am now affiliated with Avini Health Care-Advances in Natural Healing. I love everything I have tried and highly recommend their products! If you would like to make some extra income, earn free products, and help people at the same time, you too can become a referrer and make commission on orders!,..or you can just become a happy customer; enjoying awesome health & wellness products. For more information, you may email me at: cvargo66@gmail.com. Check out the website here: http://www.avinihealth.com/clv
Weather Issues Continued…
So…I had a winter trip planned; this one in February, to the Great American Outdoor show in TN, along with a newly discovered campground nearby that I was really excited about, but the day after floodwaters started to recede, we got another round of snow, ice, and freezing temperatures. There’s no way I could make it due to roads, dangerous travel, and my pet/house sitters not being able to get there. I hope to attend that next year.
Doggie Illness Miracle
February was a very rough month; as my oldest dog, Gracie, was diagnosed with kidney disease. She had stopped eating, nothing appealed to her, and the prognosis was grim. I started her on Cell Defender, one of the flagship Avini products, and amazingly, she did a 180 turnaround! She began eating, gained a little weight, and returned to her 13 year old self.
Gracie (back), River (front)
In July, I had her bloodwork done again, and it confirmed her improved numbers! The vet and staff were actually shocked. Here we are nine months later, and although she needs to gain more weight, she is doing well and along with my River Pup, we celebrated her 14th birthday in September! That’s a long life for a dog. I don’t know how much longer she will live, but I do know that she is not where she was in February and so far has not gone through what they said she would. My prayers have been answered because I’ve had this much more time with her in much improved health. These Avini products work on animals as well as people!
New Project Launched!
In March I finally launched my music page on Facebook….Catrina Vargo Music! See page here: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61573930871926
After writing songs for years, I finally made the move to do something with them. I always wanted to, but life seemed to constantly get in the way. Now that I am of a certain age, I feel compelled to do it before I die! I’ve always played and sang with family and in church, but stepped out a couple years ago publicly sharing my music. I enjoy playing gigs here and there; getting exposure to my songs, but my main goal is to get some recorded by professional singers.
Dream big or go home I always say! Whatever happens, at least they’ll be documented and digitized so my music go on when I’m gone. Then someday my granddaughter can look back and say “Wow, my Mamaw Cat was cool!” Check out the music page. I would appreciate your support. See video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mthoBrsW09c
South Carolina Adventure
One of the most relaxing trips I’ve had was earlier this year at Croft State Park just outside of Spartanburg, SC, where I camped on Craig Lake; enjoying beautiful views and my kind of neighbors. The weather was amazing, and a simple electric hook-up hack I implemented in the Mini-Ett last year made everything easier and saved so much time. See video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YmLxD0WPi0
My favorite part!
Between afternoon napping and evening campfire staring, I hiked a couple trails, exploring the old Foster Cemetery and discovering ruins of a historic hotel and bottling plant along White Stone Springs. See video here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3LkAnSDDF4
Coming Up…
In order to move this blog along quicker and be more consistent, I’m trying to shorten these posts so I’ll stop here for now. A few topics coming up next time will include: More adventures and product reviews, exciting literary & music news, campgrounds of convenience, website upgrades & more!
If you haven’t already, please SUBSCRIBE to the Gal Gone Camping YouTube Channel. The next video will be my annual ‘Favorite Things’ gift ideas! Check out the Facebook page for all kinds of cool stuff and photo dumps. Subscribe to the Blog here on the website if you can…there’s been an issue with it going through…that’s on the ‘fix & upgrade website’ to do list I’ll tell you about later.
Happy Thanksgiving y’all, and remember…Don’t Wait to Live!
See ya down the road,
Cat