Sunday, January 31st

The end of January, hard to believe the first month of the year has past into the history books.
  I got up early today and woke Marg up in the process, although that was not my intent, she got going early in the day.  I made a decision to attend the church service in the RV park this morning and yes it shocked many people.  I just decided to attend to see if it would have the desired effect on me.  Some friends at church were giving me the: look who's here treatment and the pastor's wife came up to say they would likely be the cause of my not returning.  Pretty funny.  It was a very different service as it is non-denominational and pretty casual, in keeping with the nature of a vacation place.  At one point in the service they asked if there was anyone needing a special prayer and my friend Jerry put up his hand to ask for one for Vanessa.  Very touching and unexpected. 
  After Marg & I went out to do laundry.  We went to the one down by the Ace Hardware store again.  Marg likes the equipment there, both the type and the number of machines.  It is always busy, but not too bad, so she was able to get 3 machines running simultaneously, which reduces our time in the Laundromat.  I took a pocket book along, there is always lots of sitting time in the process.  My main roles are: packing things in, helping fold sheets, shirts on hangers and packing things out.
  After we went for a walk, over to Linda & Gary's to see their progress on installing a new floor.  He had asked to borrow a mitre box & saw, so I took it over there.  Looks like he is making great progress and will have a good result. They have a rescue dog, Sadie and she was looking for attention, so I scratched her ears for a while as she generally plays up to me for attention.
  Then, it was down to the happy hour for a quick beer and a chance to catch up on the latest.  One of the guys had seen the news item on the 5 snowmobilers who perished in the Valemont area this weekend.  I told them of our grandson being there snowmobiling and that being a source of considerable angst for Bill & Marg when she heard about it.  It was good to hear he was safe, those kinds of things are so tragic.
  Supper tonight was a bbq, some nice steaks and roasted vegetables.  we tired to eat a bit earlier as it was ice cream social night.  It I eat too late, I can't handle a banana split, well as luck would have it that was not the case tonight.  The only reason I have them is it doesn't leave room for cake, it's a dietary thing you know.  I always tell the lady who takes the money that we can't afford two splits, so Marg just has a sundae on Sunday.

Saturday

Went for an early morning bike ride, there were only 3 of us today.  We picked a new route and went mainly east, in fact well past Signal Butte and made about 8 miles.  The only problem with the route was the wind came up, so it was not only uphill, but we had a nice steady breeze in our face.  I can't believe Larry was up for this ride, but he led the way, so there we were.
  When I got back there were a couple of Marg's buddies here wanting to see what was wrong with their tablets.  One could not do anything with hers, the other could not access facebook. This was a great example of the unknowing being led by the unwilling and unknowing.  Then Marg went out back and brought the neighbour for reinforcements.  We managed to stumble on a video on the one tablet that wouldn't do anything.  It was lengthy and somehow she had 3 copies of it, so it took over 10 GB of space.  Deleted them and then rebooted and voila, it worked.  the other we messed with for a while and then said lets try the reboot, and the same result, it now works.  Go figure, the oldest strategy known to computer users, turn it off for a bit and then restart it still works.
  It was lunch and then we went out to a couple of building supply places.  Marg got some wallpaper that she wants to use on the kitchen wall over the counters here.  Sort of like a backsplash I guess.  A project for a rainy day & there are some forecast for next week, so we will see.  Elmer stopped in to visit with his former neighbours, so we chatted him for a while.  He knew Marg right off and I think he knew me and after a bit of chat did for sure.  He and Marg used to eat dates off one of the palm trees in the park & I used to kid them about getting together for a date.
  When we got back it was time for happy hour where there was a small group tonight.  Probably because a bunch were headed out to supper at the Chinese buffet on Signal Butte.  It was great food and I had forgotten how good, so really enjoyed it.  They had crab tonight, so Marg's appy was crab legs and garlic butter.  We had about 2 dozen from the park out for the dinner, so it was a fun night.  We rode with Kenny, he likes to take 2 other couples in his SUV, do a group thing as it were.
 

Friday

It was a nice day in the Valley, but as usual it started out cool.  The guys went riding today and we made about 8 miles, well half of us did anyway, the others went quite a bit further.  It was invigorating, but not certain how I would be if I had gone the long way.  When I got back Marg had company & then Lynette took her on the golf cart to water aerobics.  She said the pool was warmer than our bathtub and it was nice to get back with all the ladies in the pool.  While she was there, I went on line to get the tax department forms we have to file here for aliens with a closer connection to another country.  This is a form that keeps us free of the tax department looking for income tax and is necessary for anyone with a substantial presence in the US.
  When she got back we had some lunch and then Marg went out to the post office to mail our forms and then Fry's for some grocery specials.  I think then she went to Bells where she found a few things, I ended up with a couple pair of shorts and a shirt.  I believe she got a top as well.  While she was gone I went to borrow a ladder and put sealant on parts of the roof & carport.  We are expecting rain on Monday and we had some drips in the carport.  I had some left in a gallon pail and thought I should do some preventative maintenance.  By the time I did the clean up and got showered, Marg was back and we had dinner plans.
  I went to happy hour for a short time, it was nice to be back with the smaller group.  I got caught up on some gossip and then it was time to leave.  We went out with the Smith's, Bob & Shari this time, to one of their favourite restaurants, the Charleston.  It was very good food and a bit fancier than we normally go to.  Marg & Shari shared a chicken fried steak and I had one to myself and none of us could finish.  The shrimp appy was to die for.  The carrots with the meal were probably the best restaurant carrots I have ever eaten.  It was all very nice.
  Then it was back for the animal races.  Lots of fun, especially for Marg who won 5 out of 8, while I turned in a more modest result.  I thought I was losing my voice from the cheering and Gene Smith indicated that may not be all that bad.  LOL  Well the elephant won twice, so I was happy.
  Received some sad news from home about an old friend passing on Wednesday.  Our hearts are with Rose & her family at this sad time for their family.

Thursday

The day started early with the alarm going off.  I usually pride myself in not using an alarm anymore, but that's not entirely true because we have become accustomed to sleeping in, so need it for those must get up and at it mornings.  This morning it was the regular weekly road trip of the gamblin' gals.  They had a full car this morning, with 5 of them going off to the Fort.  There were no bingo winners today, but Marg said she came home even, including the cost of her lunch, so that's pretty good.
  For me it was off to the coffee and donuts.  I talked to Gary and his group and the subject of the pink bike helmet came up. They were all laughing too much to keep it a secret any longer, so I sort of got cleared, but Gary refused to believe that I was blameless.   Pretty funny.  Then the table I sat at got chosen late for donut selection, so never got an apple fritter, but it was all good.  The usual bunch of announcements and it was time to get on with the day.
  I went home and got all my pocket books together.  Larry had dropped of a box full of westerns and there were only about 6 or so that I had previously read.  I had a big bag of books that I brought from home that were read, so gave them to Larry in trade.  The westerns seem to be in big demand both here and at home, lots of readers out in the old west here, I guess.  After I took some Armour All to the trailer siding.  It gets pretty faded in the sun out here in the places not under the carport.  It helped quite bit, but time will tell. Then I got out the golf clubs and cleaned them all up.  They get a lot of use out here and well you need to keep the grooves clean, that sort of thing.  After that it was over to the pool room where our park hosted Eldorado on the inter-park tournament.  They had some really good players, but we prevailed winning 10 of the 18 games. I drew a really good partner, probably one of the best players in the park.  We ended up playing twice, so 6 games and we won 5 of them, accounting for half the wins for our park.  I would like to take the credit, but I mostly just tried to keep out of trouble most of the time.
  After pool I went back to trailer where I got some chairs for happy hour.  With the gamblin' gals being away, I guess Jerry B decided happy hour should be at his place, over by the swimming pool.  They were having a much larger group than normal, so everyone had to provide their own seating.   Marg got home just as I was preparing to leave for it, so great timing.  It was very well attended, there must have been 25 or 30 people there.  It's actually a bit of a problem with that many.  Everyone talking, so they can't hear well and talk louder.  Before long it is very difficult to carry on a conversation and there are probably 5 or 6 going on simultaneously.  Kind of makes me think of a gaggle of geese.  After supper we went out to Long John Silvers' where we had fish, shrimp and side dishes.  It was quite good, very different from home, but that's why we are here isn't it.
  A good day, but our thoughts have been pre-occupied with concern for Vanessa in the hospital.  Get well!

Wednesday, January 27th

Got up to an alarm this morning so I could make it for golf at Apache Sun.  It was a bit chilly, must have been cold last night as the first fairway in the shady spots had frost in the grass.  It was so cold I had to wear a light jacket on the first hole, but by the second one it was too warm for the coat.  One of the ladies from our park rode out to the course with Gerry & me as they only have a motorbike.  Gerry played very well, me I played better than average, so it was a good day.
  Marg slept in a bit as we had a long day yesterday.  Besides it was too cool to go for water aerobics, but she had some visitors, to keep up on the park stuff.  I think she vacuumed and generally cleaned up When I got back, Marg made lunch and then went out for a few things she needed.  I think to Ross's & Kohl's, so a couple of her fav's.  I got a shirt out of it, and she got a purse, so she enjoyed some success.  Best of all she drove herself and it's all the way down to Superstition mall, quite a hike from here.
  After lunch I went and played pool for a while.  Ended up getting there a bit late, so played with some guys I normally don't play with.  One of then is from Lethbridge and he is likely one of the best players in the park.  At the end I played him one on one for a few games and managed one win, but it was when he scratched on the 8 ball, so no big accomplishment.  If we ever get all the really good players together on tournament day we would likely be.... well then where would the players at my level be? 
  After I made it back and we had a visit from one of the Smith family, not the branch of the family we would like to have here for a visit.  LOL There are quite a few of them here. After we went down to the hall for hamburgers.  Gary and his crew cooked burgers tonight which are always good.  The place was pretty full the whole time we were there.  While we were there, Marg invited two other couples home for coffee and a few cookies.  She served shortbread that she brought down here & it was very good.  I think for one of them it was his first taste of shortbread.  Pretty unusual for a senior, but I guess it depends on who you hang out with.  She also had girl guide cookies.  One of the park managers granddaughters sells them every year and always comes to our place.  It was pretty funny, she said to her grandmother that she always gives this lady [Marg] a hug.  Of course Marg always buys a couple of boxes and generally gives her a dollar for herself.  She's a very nice young girl.
  After all this it was poker night.  I think I may have broke the jinx and had a pretty good night.  I don't count it, but get a feel for how heavy my little bag of money is.  We had 7 guys and while we were playing a couple more came in to check, so we are almost at the 2 table level again.  It's kind of a fun thing, always good for a few laughs.

Tuesday

It was chilly last night, not freezing water chilly, but the cool air carried through the morning with a good stiff breeze off the mountains.  I was surprised as 5 guys showed up for our morning bike ride, so with me that made a 6 pack, LOL.  We headed out and Larry said it was going to be too much for him, so headed down Ironwood for an alternate route.  Four of them went out to Idaho, while I stayed with Larry riding about 3 miles today.
  When I got back I finished the report I was writing on the financial affairs of the tenants association in the park.  These guys call it their audit, but for many reasons, it is simply a look at the books and a resulting commentary.  Anyway I delivered it to the president and treasurer for their use in dealing with the board.  Took me long enough, but I had trouble getting to it, just too busy.  I had a couple of distractions like the visitor I had wanting to put a picture on FB with Gary and a pink bike helmet.  That kind of boomeranged on me, in spite of denying responsibility for it, while Aaron got off with it.
  By that time, Marg had some lunch on and we took a moment to ourselves.  After lunch Marg had to go for some groceries, mainly to make the salad she committed to for the pot luck tonight.  It was the same one she took to the turkey deep fry, where it received many compliments.  It turned out a little more complicated and she had to make a couple of stops to get everything she needed.  Then there was the time at home to chop it up and mix it up to go out.
  Me I played some pool this afternoon.  It started out just 2 of us, but we ended up with 4 playing.  One guy was new to this group and it turns out Dale has played before, in fact it was quickly apparent he played very well.  After a couple of lessons in humility, I left to get ready for the party.  It was Jim's birthday and Beth had invited a bunch, combining it with a pot luck, ergo the salad.  It was a fun event and Jim was genuinely touched that so many came to wish him well.  He's a good sort, so no surprise to anyone but him.  I got a bit of a hard time about the pictures on FB with the pink helmet.  I was at the end of the food line & it served as a refresher on why we don't usually do pot lucks, but made an exception to be there for Jim.  If you have to ask why we don't do them, it's hard to explain.  The good stuff gets picked over very quickly, by people who heap their plates, after bringing a minimal contribution:  e.g.:  potato chips [crisps] or crackers & cheese, etc.  It that sounds like so much sour grapes, that is because it is.  LOL  It was still a nice event and a good sub for happy hour.
  Then it was off to bingo. 

It was nice because Gerry & Deb came from Phoenix to play, their first time this winter.  We always sit with the same people, so it was enjoyable.  The caller is Richard & he is quite popular in the park.  Marg & he go out for a smoke during intermission and as a result she knew it was his birthday on Thursday.  Knowing this, she bought a decorated cupcake and a card for him that she had our hostess announce and present.  Then everyone in the room sang happy birthday, pretty cool.  Almost forgot, Marg won twice and Deb won one, but she had to split it.  We always split with Gerry & Deb when they come, so even with that we came out OK.  Had a few laughs and that is why we are all here.
  After Gerry & Deb stopped in for coffee and a cookie, then off for home.

Monday - Robbie Burns day

Got out for an early morning bike ride, there were 6 of us this AM.  The conditions were very good, no wind and it was a bit cooler, so a good day to ride.  We made it down to Mountainview road and back.  Larry said it was 8 miles, but my odometer showed a bit more, good workout regardless. 
  When I got back my charming wife had baked rolls and we had them with eggs.  A nice way to start the day.  Had quite a bit of company as soon as I got back.  Gerry was looking for short tees to make roadrunners and Aaron was looking to put a picture on FB.  He had a pink helmet on Gary's bike and wanted to make a funny comment, so got that done.  In fact he came when I was in the shower, so Marg and he had a nice chat while waiting for me to emerge. 

 By then it was on the road to play at Encanto.  Gerry had a tee time for us and I took a different route, staying on the 202/10, then north on 7th street to his place.  I think it went much better than the 51, so will likely go that way from now on.  It was a nice day for golf and the course wasn't too busy, so play moved right along.  We were paired with an elderly couple from New York, here to visit with their daughter and her family.  Gerry had a good game, mine was a little more like average.  I did have a few good holes, or shots that will keep me returning.  I renewed my golf loyalty card and seasonal golf cart use, so am good to go with good rates.  I finally accumulated 20 points [10 games played], so was given a complimentary pass for my next game there.  Gerry must have been given his last week and apparently thought it was part of his payment receipt & thinks he threw it out, so the air was a bit blue for a while.  The day turned out sunny & warm, a great day to be out and about.
  Meanwhile back at the park, Marg went visiting and caught up with a few people she hadn't time to visit with until now.  She spent some time trying to rearrange the furniture in the trailer, but gave up saying all it accomplished was she cleaned all the floors.  After she went to happy hour, apparently there was a birthday in the group and one more again tomorrow. 
  My new route home got me back about a half hour earlier and Marg had supper in the crock pot.  It wasn't haggis, it was very good.  Had a wee dram of scotch and toasted the immortal bard, Slainte! 
  LANG MAY YER LUM REEK!
 

Saturday

A little late on the post, a result of being up a little late last night.
  Got out early in the AM for the Saturday morning breakfast in the hall.  Great way to start the day with pancakes, bacon, eggs in the company of some nice people.  It was a bit of a park sale morning, so we went to one just down the street at Mountainview where we never got anything, but did catch up to some people from our park.  Picked up Jerry & Pat and then made it on to a second sale at Raindance where we also drew a blank.  We stopped at a couple of others, but success eluded Marg, although she came close when she just missed out on patio chairs by minutes. 
  After that we went out to the Mesa market where we toured the east half.  It seems we never get there because we always start at the west side and we generally run out of steam before we see it all.  Marg got a nice pair of capri pants, so was pleased with the effort.  She also picked up a bug zapper and then we stopped to get a cell phone cord.  It was pretty funny, our next door neighbour in the park came in just as I was paying asking the clerk what he charged me, then giving me a better price.  Thanks Bob.  When Marg was making her purchase and talking to the salesperson, she got an interesting insight into their perspective on us Canadians.  They all seem to be aware of the week Cdn dollar and are experiencing noticeably lower sales this year, even with the local economy picking up.  By that I mean one of the ladies in the park went to convert money last week and paid $1,500 Cdn for $1,000 U.S. and that has impacted the way we look at things this year, so I guess it's not just us.
  By then it was lunch time, so we left the market, stopping at Taco Bell for a change of pace.  We thought of Katie as this was one of her fav's when we were in Florida & even here for that matter.  Marg had some kind of combo that was interesting & pretty good except for a srirachi that was surprisingly hot.  One bite was all either of us could handle. Note to self, avoid that next time.  We like Mexican food, but it can be a little more than we can handle at times.
  Had some company in the afternoon for a cocktail and then supper in the unit as we were going out. 

There was entertainment in the hall last night and we had tickets.  It was Ron E Cash and he is always popular and a good time.  We sat with a group of friends and had a few wobbly pops.  The organizers had a few tricks up their sleeves, like when Gary came and sat on Marg's lap and the barrel races they rigged, so that I would be a competitor using a fake hobby horse while carrying a raw egg on a spoon.  Then of course there was the always popular round dance with Gary in the middle surrounded by ladies to the sounds of Kalija [spelling?].  It was a great time, we certainly danced more than we have in a long time and just a fun evening.  Just a bunch of Seenagers living the good life.

Friday

Got up early because I had committed to help Lynette with the battery in her golf cart.  It was wild, a terminal on one of the batteries melted down and the bolt came right off the battery terminal.  Luckily I brought the connecting cable because the guy at the shop said that was the reason, it wasn't wound tight and the loosely twisted wires caused it to over heat.  Got back and put it together, so she is mobile now.
  It was windy, so didn't think the guys would ride bikes this AM, but on my way home from Lynette's I saw Gary go by on his new bike.  As he has not rode with us yet, I hurriedly got on the road and caught up to him.  He was right by Garry W's place, so we picked him up as well.  IT turned out he was looking for someone to ride with, but assumed it might be too windy.  Anyway we made about 3 1/2 miles today, which is lots for a day like that and for a guy on his first ride.   I quit early because I had to golf a couple of hours later.
  Marg had a shopping day with Karen.  They went out to some places she had not been and a few stores she doesn't normally frequent.  They even went out for lunch and surprise, surprise, Marg had a salad.  She did come back with a small side table, which was fortunate as she had been looking for one for a while. I think they got back shortly after lunch and then she went out for some groceries to Fry's.  Not certain what all that entailed, but it did include a nice apple pie, so apple pie & ice cream for dessert at supper.  After she got back, she went for a walk around the park and made her usual stops to visit, oh yeh, she got the mail.  It seems our mail is coming much better this year, I'd like to think the card I put in our mail box at home is helping with this.  Supper was in the slow cooker, her way of dealing with an uncertain timing.
  I played golf with one of the park regulars, Gene and a couple of new guys: Mickey & Vern at the Links at Queen Creek, my first time at the course. It is a very nice 18 hole course and pretty reasonable at $42 for golf with a power cart.  A well laid out and designed course, but more than challenging enough for me, lots of ducks and geese.  I started well, but struggled on the front nine, but was able to get it together on the back nine.  The guys were good to golf with and it made for a pleasant day.  Well I did lose a couple of balls in the water, but that's nothing new for me, what's a game without a couple of penalty strokes.  The game played pretty well, I believe we were about 4 1/4 hrs.
  After supper it was the animal races.  Sadly the elephant only won once, so a poor night for yours truly.  I think Marg won a couple, so did much better than me. We were a bit late getting there [after the 3rd race was run], also unfortunate as I was to help Clyde as MC because Gene was away.  After everyone places their bets, there is a lull in activity while the gals calculate the odds, ie: what each animal will pay on a win.  During this time Clyde has traditionally told jokes & then Gene came forward to alternate with him.  I had a bunch of jokes prepared, so was able to step in.
  It seems there was this guy named Odd.  He suffered from people laughing at him and from ridicule all his life.  He decided to die incognito.  How you might ask, well by not putting any markings on his headstone, just leaving the name blank.  It seems this was unsuccessful as people were often heard saying as they passed by the unmarked headstone -  That's odd!.
  It was a fun night and a warm evening made for a nice walk home.
 

January 21st, a Thursday in Arizona

We were off to an early start this morning as the gamblin' gals were again in action.  They picked up a new member and today the car held 5 ladies seeking adventure and fortunes.  Sue had not been to a casino bingo previously and at the end of the day told them she was hooked on their group and shared their idea of fun.  For me it also meant an early morning, mainly so I don't end up making the bed, Hah!  Anyway they had a very good day as it turned out, bringing home over $900 in total winnings between them.  When Marg arrived at happy hour, she was all smiles, so I knew right away that she did OK.  It turns out she made a bingo on some new design and won a $400 payout.  The slots were not quite so kind to her, but overall a happy day!
  I went to coffee & donuts and took my camera along.  We were pretty fortunate and got an early draw, so the selection was still good.  I was busy trying to get pictures and then sat with the regular people.  There was lots of news at the meeting, the hot topic being the impending election of officers for the association.  One of the ladies from golf was thinking about letting her name stand, so I introduced her to Kenny so she could get a feel for what is involved and as election chairman he could determine whether she is eligible.
  After, I finished the gaps in our eaves to keep the birds out of the insulation.  I think I've had Larry's ladder for about a week & was getting self-conscious, so was glad to return it.  Not that there was any panic as he doesn't do ladders any more.
  A quick lunch and then I went to the pool hall to sign up with the guys going on the inter-park tournament.  We had a road trip today, going to Raindance. In the past they have been good competition, but it was pretty one-sided today.  I partnered with Bob and we won all 3 games, the last of which we beat them badly.  I think the other park only won 2 or 3 games of the 18, so it was a rout. 
  I went to happy hour at Jim & Beth's, they moved it today because of the gamblin' gals being away, so didn't want to have it at the house of one of them.  At the end of happy I got another job for early tomorrow for one of the gamblin' gals.  We swapped tall tales for about an hour and then made our way out to supper at Ihop. Coincidentally, Jim & Beth had the same idea and were seated at the next booth, pretty funny.  I changed it right up & never had the 2x2x2, a big change in my life.  LOL  Marg did as well, she never had her usual, but had a breakfast for supper option.
  On the way home, I filled the truck up at the Circle K on Signal Butte.  The pump price was $1.71/gallon, but I got a 20 cents a gallon discount with my Fry's loyalty card, so $1.5/gallon.  I have not seen fuel that low for a long time, for you Canucks, that would be 40 cents/litre.
  When we got back to the park we went for a stroll.  It was dark already, but it was nice out tonight.  Marg wanted to meet up with Karen to find out what the timing is for their plans tomorrow and on the way we had some visiting to do.  I think that means I am making my own lunch again.  One of her friends chose the opportunity to share some big news with her, but then swore us to secrecy until they can tell their children.  Then another friend came along to tell us the news at their place.  Then the Patti [another of Marg's friends] came out as we were meeting in front of her place and got to talking with the other ladies.  By the time they were done, Marg had another lunch commitment.  If this keeps up I may get good at making my own lunches.  She certainly keeps busy here in Carefree Manor.  Then it was back home as I had to do some research to get some jokes for tomorrow evening that I can tell during the animal races, because Gene will not be there and they need another filler.
 

Wednesday, Jan 20th

Started the day when Gerry showed up to make the trip down to Apache Sun for golf this morning.  We were the last group out and played with the group organizer and her significant other.  I thought everyone played well and we had a good time.  For my part I started out with a par on the 5 and a par on #2, then it went down hill.  In the end the score was OK and it was a good game.
  When we got back, Marg was just coming back from the hall where she and a group of ladies had just finished chopping all the veggies for the big Turkey soup dinner tonight.  It's really more like a stew it is such a hearty soup.  It is one of the free events that are put on by the tenants association her in the park, so is very well attended.  They went back in the afternoon and started it all cooking to have it ready for 5:00 when everyone showed up.  The ladies did a great job on it and received many compliments from the diners.  Some of the ones I heard thought it was the best one of these yet.  My only part in it was to help carry the huge pots to the front and then I delivered some to one of our shut-ins in the park.
  While the cooking was going on I played some pool this afternoon.  The place wasn't as busy as yesterday.  I played one the guys I have lots of fun with and we came out about even in the win/loss.  I think I will be playing in the inter-park tournament tomorrow.  One of the ladies in the park gave me a nice graphite pool cue.  It belonged to her husband, who had passed away and she wanted a player to have it.  It's a nice cue, very light and a bit short, but a good one that I was glad to accept.  Her mother had given us a remote car a few years back for Daniel and she said that even if I didn't want it that she was comfortable with me picking a good home for it, with someone like Daniel.  Pretty neat really.
  Supper, of course was the turkey soup and it really was very good and filling.  It was interesting to see all the people going back for seconds and then taking a bowl of it home for the next day.  That is about as strong an endorsement as people could make on the quality of the soup.  She said they even got compliments from the person who made it last year.
  After supper it was clean up, always a big job.  It went much easier with everyone pitching in, so a good crew to work with.  There were only the cooking pots and serving tools as everyone has to bring their own drinks and bowls.  When we finally got home, Marg drug out all her laundry stuff and the hamper which we took down to the laundry in the park.  I helped get her there and then went to play poker.  It was a poor night for yours truly at the poker table, but it was a good time.  When I got back Marg was steaming the clothes and getting them put away, so she had a real productive day.  I think she wanted to get it done so it wouldn't be on her mind when she goes away for the next couple of days.

Tuesday, Jan 19th

Probably the nicest day yet in the Valley of the Sun this winter.  The sun came up in a cloud free day & started delivering it's warming rays to the snowbirds desperate to celebrate their good fortune in the sun.
  My morning started with a quick trip to Bob & Shari's with my truck to help taking all the chairs and tables back to the hall after last nights deep fried turkey feast.  I thought Bob would be short of help, but was pleasantly surprised when about a half dozen guys showed to help him put things back.  As a result I missed out on the morning bike ride & is seems our numbers are increasing.  We are up around 8 or 9 riders now, although they don't all show every day.  We are thinking of splitting the group to minimize traffic problems on the ride.  There will likely be some natural selection happening between the long & short distance.
  While this was happening Marg & Linda met with a group of ladies to chop vegetables for the turkey soup.  Unfortunately the buyer here [there is one guy who mainly looks after this] never bought the vegetables, so they had to reschedule for after lunch.  It was kind of fortunate as she was able to go to water aerobics for the first time this winter.  She really likes this and although the lady who organizes it was sick, but they know the drill well enough that they were able to continue on and her morning was good.  Me, I worked on the eves around the Az room.  The birds have been pilfering insulation for their nests, so I have been installing a mesh to keep them out.  Almost done, but working on a ladder is tough on old guys, so I quit for lunch.  While I was out back there were two guys from Mediacom fixing the cable.  Funny, this morning I had called to complain about the intermittent tv & wifi service and they never knew that service was being done here today.  I am scheduled for a service call for the same problem tomorrow.  I almost called to cancel, but it's not quite right yet, so did not.  Doesn't seem like a very good system over there that they just send guys to the same line for the same problem.  I mentioned it to the guys and there response was that they couldn't do anything without a work order.
  After a sandwich, I left for my commitment.  I had agreed to meet with the tenants association treasurer to review the prior years financial results and reporting.  They like to call it an audit, but it is anything but.  Hard to get them to understand the implications of referring to it as such, but it has implications on the level of detail and the fiduciary responsibility the auditor assumes.  None of which I will accept, so we just kind of carry on.  In the end I write a one page report for the board and it leaves the tenants a warm feeling.  The treasurer like it as well, says he feels like it clears the air on what he is doing.  While I was doing this, Marg and the vegetable choppers of Apache Jctn completed their task with the recently arrived vegetables for tomorrow's big soup day.
  After the review I went and played pool for about an hour.  One of our oldest residents who has moved on was there.  One of the guys goes to pick him up periodically and well all enjoyed playing with Elmer, so I wanted to see him.  Actually I would like to have played him, but there were already 3 other guys he was in with, so I played at another table. Played well for me and won about as many as I lost, so it was all good.  Near the end I pulled of a win against two quite good players, but only after hooking them on the 8 ball twice.  Jim's comment was - I guess it pays to play that way, to which I agreed.  I always believe defense is as much a part of the game as offense, so agreed with him.
  It was happy hour, so Marg fixed up a caesar and I with my beer went for a part of an hour.  Some interesting stuff, mainly at the gals table.  We talked about haircuts and the bike ride and other important stuff.   Oh yeh, I told Larry I was still using his ladder and he was not concerned as he no longer gets on it, so told me to take my time.
  It was back to the trailer for supper.  It was fortunate that Marg had it in the slow cooker, so we were eating as right away and it was very good.  She is pretty organized, especially on Tuesday because of the hall bingo at 6:30.  Bingo was good, started off with a win on the early bird game.  This is a good payer, $85 tonight so we were ahead right from the start.  We were both close a few times, but alas that was our only win.  Gave the money to Marg to take when she goes to the Fort, sometimes lucky money brings luck again.  Fingers crossed.
  Big change in our readership with the United Kingdom showing the highest numbers, followed by Canada and then the USA, not sure who or why, but interesting none-the-less.
 

Monday, January 18th

The day started out cloudy and a bit cool, but warmed throughout the day and became quite nice. 
  The guys showed up early again, but I was ready for them, so it was on the road at 8:45.  There were 5 of us and we made 6 miles today.  A good workout, but a little easier on me than yesterday.  We are hearing about other people who want to ride, in fact one bought a bike, another has his out of the shed; should be interesting.
  Marg had gone out to get what she needed to make stuffing and a salad for tonight.  We have been invited to a gathering at Bob & Sheri's on the next street for supper.  It started out as a plan by another Bob to deep fry a whole turkey and went from there, adding a ham and a roast pork loin and then all the fixin's.  In the end Marg made a version of a Greek salad, she calls it a modified salad.
  While she was doing that I went for a haircut.  I went back to the shop I have been patronizing for the last 3 years and lo & behold, the place had changed hands and the Mexicans were gone, replaced by Chinese ladies.  This is a serious problem, find a new barber.  In the end I went to Walmart and got it cut.  The lady who cut it did a nice job, Marg was happy with the outcome, so that was good.  I'm not sure if you get the same person or just who is next, but that is a problem for another day.  That was luck, I've had some pretty bad cuts out here in prior years.
  When I got back I went to play pool for a bit.  There were about a half dozen guys there and had some good games.  I played well enough to about break even on the win/loss count.  The really fun guys were not there today, but it was still all good.  A bunch of ladies were in the pool doing water aerobics this morning, but Marg only found out after they were done, so missed out.  Plans for tomorrow are likely to be there.
   When I got home I had a call from Pat who wanted to use my power mitre saw. Earlier he had talked about cutting some trim pieces, but he showed up with a load of 2x6 that he wanted cut to length for decking on the landing and the stair treads.  Set him up on the end gate of the truck and he cut them right on the front street.  Seemed to work out and most the sawdust stayed in the truck box. 
  By then it was happy hour, so I went down to have a quick beer with the guys.  Oh yeh, and to take a pork chop to one of Marg's friends.  She lives alone and we had an extra from last nights bbq, so she sent it for her supper.  I think there must have been something pre-arranged as she was not surprised and seemed happy to receive it.  We all had a bit of a surprise as a couple who were in the park last year showed up.  It turns out they tried to get a space in Carefree, but it is full for the winter, so they took a spot in a nearby park.
   We headed over to Bob & Shari's for what I was calling the boiled turkey, well deep frying is a form of boiling.  Anyway it was very good, certainly better than I expected very moist.  The variety of food was amazing and Smitty [it was his brothers place] had made is famous dutch oven desert.  As luck would have it I got the last little bit, but enough for a taste and it was a peach cobbler that was very good. 

Sunday, January 17th

  Pat was at the door early today to go riding, I was still in my pj's.  Threw some clothes on and went for the morning ride with him and 2 other guys.  It was a nice day for a ride, a bit of wind in our face going east and with Larry missing, they picked up the pace some.  It made for a tough ride for yours truly on that leg of the journey, but the return trip was all the more enjoyable.  It turned out they went all the way today, but I cut off at Mountainview and returned on my own.  That gave me just over 10 miles and I was dead beat.  I think the other guys had 4 or 5 miles longer on their ride.
  The Sunday paper came an that is a coupon clippers windfall, so we clipped a few of the good ones.  The highlight for me was the Harbor Freight one has the free tape measure again and I am down to 4 of them in the shed out back.  Marg got a handful, not sure which ones appealed to her, but there was some for Ruby Tuesday & she loves the salad bar there.  We went out for some new spikes for my golf shoes and I ended up with a couple of pairs of runners.  We stopped at Big 5 and they always have sports shoes on special, one pair was a really good deal, while the others were just a good deal.  When I got back I put the spikes in to make sure they were the right ones, as there are so many different kinds now.
  We had a sandwich and then it was time for the Celebration of Life.  We lost 9 people from the park in the last year, an unusually high number.  Considering there are only 150 stalls in the park, almost everyone had a someone they knew that could be counted among them, so it was well attended.  It was pretty much organized by Shari and several people including the pastor assisted with the function.  Some of the ladies baked a few things to have with coffee or tea after and they had a chance to visit after.  It was nice to see the park owner, Atmore at the function as well as so many of the residents.
  It was a much nicer day and was quite a bit warmer in the sun.  We needed water for the water cooler so went out for that.  They have the sales dispensers all over the city and with the cooler, we are now using 5 gallon bottles.  This is much better than the smaller ones, requiring fewer trips.  Later in the afternoon we went for happy hour at Johnsons.  It was a smaller group today, which most of us like because then you can actually visit with others.  I filled Larry in on the ride today and that it was his fault for the fast pace and long ride and that I am recruiting more old fat people to ride with us to slow the leaders down.
  Supper was a bbq affair and was good.  Marg refers to these as our joint effort, although all I do is stand in front of the grill and make sure stuff doesn't burn too bad.  It also gives me an opportunity to visit with the neighbour behind us as he does a bit of the same.
  Ice cream social tonight and I paced myself at supper so that I could have a banana split, while Marg stayed with the ice cream and cake.  We had the opportunity to meet some new people in the park there and chat with them a bit.  One couple from Maine were quite interesting - translation - he is a hunter and got a moose this past fall. 

  Checked the powerball ticket for yesterday, only one number & no powerball match.  Marg re-invested the winnings from last week, well you never know.  Sometimes lucky money brings other winning money, well that was the thinking.  It now appears that was flawed logic.

Saturday - Jan 16th

An interesting day.  Started off with breakfast in the park, have not done this for a while and it was great.  Got there with the early group and a had breakfast with friends, while Marg had time to get ready for the day.  The pancakes were good and although I would like to believe mine are better, they were probably about the same.
  After 3 ladies in the park joined Marg for some yard sale adventure.  There were two parks listed as having yard sales today, so we went to Rock Shadows & Rancho Mirage.  The first was OK, but the second was the one that got everyone out and about.  It's a large park and is pretty much mobile homes rather than rv's, a very nice park.  The ladies prowled around and each got something they took a fancy to.  I pretty much sat in the truck and read my pocket book.  After they all got back we drove around a bit looking for a unit that had something Sue wanted a second look at, but it seems it sold after she left.
  Back at the trailer, Marg baked brownies.

  She had some small cupcake type holders and that she made them in and sprinkled chocolate shavings on top.  They look awesome.  They are for the celebration of life tomorrow, so no I didn't get to taste one.  Earlier I posted the two notices of the celebration, so with any luck there will be a good turn out for it.
  After a bite of lunch I went to play pool.  There were enough guys for 2 tables and we played for a couple of hours.  For some reason the balls were dropping pretty good for me.  We started with one tables, so I went to the second, even though I would have preferred to play with the first one.  It is kind of an understanding that we try to accommodate everyone, rather than just playing with the guys you want, so that it doesn't become cliché or exclusive.
  The latter part of the afternoon we headed out to the Arizona Opry.  We had tickets and the show tonight was the variety show.  It was good, to me better than the country show.  Nancy & Lynette rode with us [2 of the gamblin' gals] and we all got to sit together.  The food was good and as usual I ate the chocolate cake as an appetizer.  It is a long standing thing they actually encourage and it makes certain you always have room for desert.  Probably 3/4 of the guests do the same.  It turned out one of the Barleen twins had a divorce and her husband was a large part of the entertainment, so had left the show.  This caused a bit of speculation or concern, but I think it was  good example of the show must go on and certainly did.  It was after 10 when we got back home and everyone seemed to have a good time.
  The weather was overcast, but still pretty good, although a jacket was nice.  Everyone is talking about it and looking forward to next week when it is supposed to get warmer.

Friday, Jan 15th

Started the day off with a bike ride.  It has been chilly at night and although warmer during the day, about 10-12 degrees below normal.  For me this means, no short pants yet and a coat on the morning bike ride.  It was nice that Larry is back on his bike, as it has been about a week since his fall at the service station.  We stopped and picked up Gary, so just 3 this AM. We took a short route, only made about 3 miles as Larry was not feeling up to much more and we never leave anyone to go back on their own.  The only exception is in rain where it is every man for himself.
  As a result I was back early.  My hands were pretty cut up from the vent stops I was making, so I sprayed sealant on some of the leaks on the carport.  There were a few areas where it dripped badly in the rains last week.  There was also a small roof leak, so I applied a special coating to an area at the front of it.  I also had some gutter to clean out as it was caked with mud, likely from the dust storms this past summer.
  Marg went out and cashed the big Powerball ticket.  It turned out our $8 win was double that because of the options we had chosen, so $16.  Instead of cash, she took a $15 ticket for Saturday's draw and the dream lives on.  $1.5 billion is an insane amount for a prize, we would be happy with a normal win or a piece of one.  The only winners in Az were million dollar winners, well that's not chump change, we would do nicely with something like that, so we are back in the draw.  She also stopped at the Superstition Farmers market for veg & potatoes.  In the end she came home with some great produce for $11.
  When she got back we had a bite of lunch. We also tried to sort out our calendar.  We are starting to get too many commitments to leave it to memory, so started putting them on our calendar and on the phone calendar.  I'm not sure why, but that seems to be the way it ends up here.  How busy can it be, well we are booking in February now.
  After lunch Marg had a friend stop in.  She & Marg have buddies for quite a few years now & she is quite hilarious/serious.  What a combination.  Anyway she is organizing a small group gathering [38] to have deep fried turkey on Monday & Marg wanted to clarify what she is contributing to it.  There is also a celebration of life on Sunday.  Quite a few people in the park died in the last year and given we are from such a wide geographic area, the residents here don't get to deal with it in a comforting way.  This is just one of the downsides to retirement, everyone is getting old.  Anyway there has been quite a bit of question on where and when, so I made her a couple of posters for the event.  She also needs pictures of the departed for the event and I always seem to have some , if it is someone who we have done things with.  This was the case with Bud, he was always at happy hour and came by often during out renovation, giving us his official building inspector approval.  That kind of became a standing joke.  Anyway we managed to print off a couple for the event.  There was also a lot of other stuff discussed, that I really didn't follow, but the ladies seemed to be satisfied with the outcome.
   Supper tonight was out with Binger's & Blanke's for all-you-can-eat cod.  We went to a different restaurant this time, Dirtwater Café.  We have been there a few times with the Blanke's, but it was a first for the Bingers.  It is a regular routine, Kenny almost always drives, picks us up first, then Bingers.  Marg & Doris sit in the 3rd row seats, Bingers in the rear seat and I always get the passenger seat up front with Kenny.  The restaurant is always busy, but as usual we went to the patio part where they have a singer; country & western, as you would expect here.  The cod was very good, the beer was at happy hour prices, what else could you ask for?  When they say all you can eat, they expect you to eat fish like a seal.  They brought our meals and before we were done a platter of fish, minutes later 3 plates of fries, then shortly after another platter of fish.  I was one of the early quitters at 5 pieces of fish.  It was really good, the entertainment good & the company good. 
  After we got back, it was out to the animal races.  I picked 5 out of 8 winners, Marg 4 tonight.  It helped that the elephant won twice as I am a charter member of the Elephant Lovers of Apache Junction, LOL.  It was well attended and a fun evening.  While there Marg made plans with 2 or 3 ladies to go garage sale-ing in the morning, so you know who will be the designated driver so that they can scoop and run.  Should be interesting.

Thursday

Up for an early start again as Marg went with the gamblin' gals to the Fort.  It was another pot day feature and the ladies all wanted the pot of the day, so no holding them back.  These pots have them switched from Wednesday to Thursday.  Not sure what will happen when the pot cupboard is full though.  Anyway this is a bigger one that could boil potatoes or something like that.  It was a pretty good day for the gals.  They took a 4th person with them, but only the 3 regulars won today, which in itself is neat, it's uncommon for all 3 to win.  Marg's big take home after expenses, including lunch she said, was $138, so a good day.
  I went to coffee at the hall this AM.  The park owner was speaking about the changes that were made and went on at length about the difficulty of making them.  I don't think he gets along with city hall and everything seems to be more difficult than it should be.  He spoke about the walking track and all the plantings around it and his vision for it.  For me the highlight of the whole event was getting an apple fritter to go with my coffee.  I left early as I thought Larry was going riding this AM, but apparently not.  He has been slow recovering from his fall at the service station last week.
  After a bite to eat, I left for Gerry's place.  I picked him & his friend Richard up to golf at Encanto today.  We got paired with a 4th person who although a decent golfer was as slow as molasses.  The groups in front of us were backed up and slow as well.  For several holes we were 3 foursomes at the tees, so lots of waiting.  It took well over 2 hours to play the first 5 holes, arghhhh!  In the past Gerry and I have played 18 holes there at between 3 1/2 - 4 hours, so it was painfully slow.  When we got off the course at dusk, it was on hole #15 & the course was closing.  The good news was my score was low for 18 holes, LOL.  The course was in nice shape and good to play on.
  Traffic was heavy on the 51 coming home, pretty much bumper to bumper at 3 - 15 mph and lots of stopping.  Fortunately that is only the first 3 miles and it moved along nicely after I got on the 202 around Tempe.  When I got home, Marg had a nice surprise, supper was on the table and I was getting pretty hungry, so a great welcome home.
  Marg went to happy hour, surprisingly no one missed me, LOL.  The topic was mainly about how busy everyone's schedules are for the coming week.  Lots of activities in and around the park that people are participating in.  I guess Kenny's golf cart got bumped by one of our neighbours and needs a bit of repair, so that seemed to be a hot topic as well.  I'm sure he will fill me in tomorrow.

Wednesday

Golf day, was up early and Gerry C came by to golf with the group from our park.  All of the tee times were spoken for and we were fortunate again, being in the first group out.  It was pretty chilly last night, so they had put the sprinklers on to get the frost off the greens and tee boxes.  The result was quite good, but we had a lot of slush in the grass on the fairway of the first hole.  How much, well we were about 2/3rds of the way to the green and having trouble with our footing.  I checked the soles of my shoes and had built up almost an inch of ice on my spikes.  I knocked it off, but by the time we got to the green had to do it again.  The ice/slush was just in the shady parts of the fairway and by the end of the second hole it had all melted.  I blame that for my terrible score on those two holes, LOL.  It was warm enough otherwise as the chill from the evening dissipated. 
  When we got back, Gerry's wife Deb and some friends of theirs were at the house, so we had a nice visit and by then it was lunch time.  It is their friends first time in this area and they seem to be enjoying it.  The guy is golfing with us tomorrow, so will get to see them again, he is a hunter, so should have lots to talk about.  It was nice to see Deb walking on her prosthetic leg, it has been a struggle for her.
  After lunch, Marg went to Bashas for a few things, came back with the nicest New York steaks as they were one of the many specials she went to look at.  Sometimes the beef here is good, but other times we have found it tough or not what we are accustomed to in Alberta. The price was certainly better than anything we have seen in Alberta in a long time.
  I stayed home and worked on a problem with the eaves over the Az room.  The Styrofoam blocks I put in to keep the birds out of the insulation had blown out this past summer in the wind storms.  This gave the birds an opening to take bits of insulation out for their nests or potentially build a nest in the openings.  It doesn't appear that they have done a lot of it, but I need to close it off.  The fine mesh I fabricated the inserts out of will both keep the birds out and allow for air circulation under the carport.  We'll see how well it works in practice.  Made for a tough day, working on a ladder after walking at golf this AM.
  Happy hour came along and it was back at the Johnson place again.  That is the regular happy hour gathering spot.  The talk of the day their was a couple who had to make an emergency trip home this AM because their son had died yesterday.  Pretty sad!
  Supper was the NY steaks and baked potato and it was great.  The steaks bbq'd up just fine.  Marg bought some thinner as well as thicker ones, so I cooked one of each.  That way she got her well done and I got a med rare, both done at the same time.  Pretty clever of her.
  After supper it was poker night.  We had a couple of new players, so played with 8 tonight.  I played a lot of hands before I won the first one, so was down most of the night.  It seems I had a bit of a come-back towards the end and while I don't count at the table [like the old Kenny Rogers song], I think I came out about even.
  The weather really warmed up today and around mid-day was very nice.  The forecast looks pretty encouraging with more normal temperatures in the 14 day forecast period.

Tuesday - Jan 12th

A nice day in AJ today.  I started off with a bike ride with 2 other guys from the park.  It was windy again, but not as cold as yesterday.  We had a head wind all the way to Idaho again & by the time we got there, yours truly needed a breather.  We made about 5 miles and that was good enough, for a change it wasn't me being the first to suggest returning to the park.
  Marg had a visit from her turkey soup partner and they went to talk to the people who did it last year.  I think they got a bit of a meal plan and recipe to go on now and the date is set for the big event.  It is generally a soup that is so hearty it is a meal in a bowl and because it is paid for by the association [it's free to residents], it is very well attended.  With the size of the park, that can easily exceed 100, so it will be a team effort.
  After showers & lunch we went out for a bit.  Oh yeh one of us dyed their hair, you can guess who. I was looking for a door, so stopped at Apache Sales, they handle a wide range of stuff for park models and rv's.  I found a couple of doors, but am still toying with the idea of pulling it apart and trying to rebuild it.  After we stopped at Home Depot and I got some fine mesh.  There are some gaps under the carport and birds get in there to steal insulation for their nests.  There are foam inserts for it, but the winds this past summer blew most of them out.  Also got some weed spray, all kinds of them start to show up after a rain.  Marg also picked up a few things, so a successful trip.

  We got back just in time for me to spray the weeds and then we went off to happy hour at Kenny & Doris' place.  They got a painting of their 1929 model T and wanted to show it off today.  It was very nice and a fun gathering.
  After it was supper where Marg dumped mine on my hands.  It was pretty funny.  I had put a shrimp [one] on her plate, so she decided I would have what was left in the frying pan.  I was just about full, so put my hands up so she couldn't put it on my plate & you can guess the rest.  We had a good laugh anyway.
  By then it was bingo time and although we were close and most of Marg's buddies won, we were donors tonight.  Another funny incident happened when we were buying our cards.  There was a strip of cards on the floor, so I picked it up asking the ladies in front if it was theirs.  One claimed it.  Later at our table, Joyce on the next table said she was missing a strip & heard I found one.  After some prompting from the woman I love, I went over and asked her about it.  The lady gave me the card, which I in turn gave to Joyce, but I told her the lady was reluctant to part with it and said I could have it if I wrestled her for it.  Then when I put her down, she said not good enough, it was the best of 3 matches, so I had to put her down again.  Well it was good for a laugh, about the only funny thing about bingo.
  Looking at out blog statistics, our largest group of views are from Russia, second largest is the United Kingdom, then Germany; while our smallest group of viewers are from the United Arab Emirates & Ireland.  Canada and the USA are both in the middle of the viewers on frequency.  Not really sure how entertaining my ramblings are, but and interesting statistic.

Monday - Jan 11th

  The weather continues to improve, a pretty nice day today.  the daytime temps are in the 60's, so it won't be long and I will be in shorts weather, but not there yet.
  Started out with a bike ride with 3 other guys.  We were missing a couple this AM.  Sometimes you see larger groups than ours of seniors riding.  Some even have the riding suit, but we are pretty casual.  The wind was blowing pretty strong this morning & combined with the uphill road to Idaho, I was ready for the rest stop there, brief as it was.  My riding companion has not been out the last couple of times because of some other problems, so there I am trying to keep up with the faster element in our group.  Fortunately one of the guys was out for the first time and he was ready to quit when I did and that makes me less self conscious about quitting early, so I made 5 miles.  Were you paying attention, there was the pace, the terrain, the weather to contend with & I am still riding.
  When I got back, Marg had the laundry loaded in the truck, so we went to the new Laundromat we are using this year.  Ron & Sue from Michigan were there as well, it was their first time using this one, same reason as Marg, not real happy with the in-park laundry.  Even though the place was busy, she was able to get all 3 loads going at the same time, which really shortens up the length of our visit.  Pretty funny when we were folding sheets, we got a couple of comments about the difficulty of folding the bottom one in fitted sheets.  Marg just said she does it the Martha Stewart way and I said it took me a while, but am able to keep up with her now.
  Got back to the park in time for lunch.  She made a couple grilled sandwiches, kind of like the ones the other day.  They were excellent anyway.  After lunch Marg steamed the pieces that needed it while I went to play pool.  There were two tables going and I played at the one with the more competitive guys.  The other table is the no hooking or playing the opponent too tough table, mainly because of one guy.  Can't believe how poorly I played, although in part it was due to the strategy of the opposition.  It probably seemed worse because I missed a few game winning 8 balls that should have been in the pocket.  It was all good and I need to sharpen my strategy on leaving the opposition tough.
  We got mail today, the first since arriving here.  Nice to see that the $140 we paid Canada Post to forward our mail is working.  I leave a sign card about our forward mail order right in our mail box at home now and it seems to work better that way.  Before it seemed they would not figure it out for the first 3 or 4 weeks and then we would get a big package of mail.
  We went for happy hour today and it was well attended.  Marg had put some chicken breasts with all the trimmings in the slow cooker earlier in the day so we were well prepared to eat as soon as we got in. 

January 10th

Hard to believe we have been here almost 2 weeks.  Time has a way of slipping away on us.

  The new Canadian flag is still flying high, so I guess I got it fastened well enough the other day.  It's a lot brighter than the old one and I have had several compliments, nice that people have noticed.
  It was a little bit cooler today, but the sun was out.  I went for a bike ride in the morning, it was only my third time riding, but nice to see the end of the rain.  We went for about 5 miles and when I said I was turning back, it was kind of funny, the other 3 guys did as well.  The wind was a bit cool, so not a good day for a long ride.
  We got the newspaper yesterday and again today.  It was pretty funny, when I ordered the paper I had given them our unit number from home [108], not the one here [86] by mistake.  When I called to ask why I wasn't getting it, this all came to light.  When I spoke with the guy who owns 108 here, he couldn't figure out why he got 2 papers, 2 days in a row.  Now that was a senior moment when I did that.  We read the paper and Marg clipped coupons, the Sunday paper is loaded with them. She said there were enough that it paid for the subscription, so a good deal.  After we had a nice lunch at home.  Marg made delicious toasted sandwiches today, so much better than going out.
  After lunch we went out to Burlington coat, one of Marg's favourites.  I took my pocket book along and waited in the truck, it was a nice day for that too.  She said it wasn't as good as usual & thought perhaps the stock was still pretty low from the Christmas shopping period and not yet replenished.  On the way back I went in to check out one of the sporting goods stores I usually frequent, but it was closed down.  Kind of surprised me as the economy is pretty good here.
  Later back at home we decided to bbq.  Roasted vegetables and some nice rib eye steaks were the menu and it turned out excellent.  These were some of the steaks we picked up at Albertsons the other day and they were very nice.  After supper it was ice cream social for desert.  For me it was back on the banana split, but Marg stayed with the sundae.  It was all good.

January 9th - Saturday

A busy day in the life of these two snowbirds.
  Our day started off early in the morning with an alarm that rang at 6:30 AM. For us that is early, Marg always says that time only comes once a day for her, but she is a trooper and got up for the breakfast crew.  She had a restless night and I would not have been surprised if she had not come at all.  Probably a testimonial to being a descendent of those tough pioneers in northern Alberta.
  This was our first working breakfast since arriving in the valley of the sun.  We had a new couple working with our crew and they were great and things went very smoothly this morning.  As usual I did pancakes and Marg did scrambled eggs.  We had some people who were looking forward to her normal fried eggs as an option, however because of our crew size and the number of diners, we had to limit the options and stayed with scrambled.  The breakfast attendance has been slow, probably because of the Christmas break and people being away.  Anyway we were advised to expect a light attendance, however we experienced the opposite.  We found ourselves making extra trays of bacon and pulling more eggs out of the fridge.  On the pancakes, I made an entire bag of Costco sized batter and it all went.  Well almost, I had enough at the end to make a very large pancake and as usual Harry ate it.
  When we got home, it was not much of surprise that we had visitors, first Kenny & Doris and then Jerry & Pat.  It started out as dealing with getting tickets to a concert next month that became a nice visit for a couple of hours.  After they left we went out to the flea market on Apache Trail.  We were delayed getting there as a woman driving a motorcycle was hit by a motorist and apparently died at the site of the collision.  There were police everywhere as well as the bike and car were still at the scene.  It was a big Harley and the car undercarriage appeared to be destroyed.  Hate to see that kind of thing.
  We looked around the flea market and I came away with a small vise.  I had been missing having one down here as they are so handy, but didn't want to spend a bunch on one, so with the deal I was able to make I have one that will do most of what I need.  While these guys will deal, they pretty much know the value of what they have and don't move to far off the asking price many times.  It was a slow day at the market, so that is usually a good day to negotiate.  On the way back we stopped at Harbour Freight and they had their big tent in the parking lot sale.  There were a lot of shoppers there and most of them like me, just buying the bargains.  I got some really good deals on some stuff I can almost use, so who knows, they may turn out to be useful at some time.  Oh yes, I got my free item, a small pocket flashlight. Over time I probably have had 6 or 10 of them, but they always seem to go someplace and I believe this is the only one I have right now.
  Got back to the park just in time for showers before going to dinner.  We were so busy we never even got to happy hour.  Patti had put together a sit-down roast chicken dinner at the hall for tonight.  It was something new and she wanted to try it and it was great to see it so well attended.  They had it set up as a bit of a nicer affair.  They had 2 maitre de's [wearing white shirts with bow ties] and we were greeted at the door with the ladies being escorted to the table.  All the help had yellow shirts and the tables were nicely laid out with all food being served at the table.  The starter was a garden salad with a main course of chicken breasts that were some of the largest I have ever eaten accompanied by mashed/gravy and green beans.  Desert was a slice of cake.  It was nicely done at a very reasonable rate.
  After dinner we went home, we are tired and it is starting to feel like Maui midnight.

January 8th

The rain finally let up, with only a few sprinkles today.  While they do need the moisture here, I am a little more selfish and would prefer warm sunny days.
  We went out to Total Wine today, so we could see what we are missing out on.  It turned out quite a lot, so we picked up some refreshments.  It was pretty funny as we never expect to run into anyone we know here, but John & Betty Simpson were in there.  I guess they are house sitting here and around for a while.  Got a new scotch to try out and it seems to be fine.
  After we stopped by Albertsons where they had some great specials.  We were most interested in the steaks, but got a few things as well as a powerball ticket.  The powerball is up to $800million, the largest jackpot ever and still climbing.  You know what they say, it only takes one ticket to win, so we have quite a few more chances than that.  Seems like an obscene amount of money, but even a piece of a prize that large would be something special.  The steaks were a great deal, we got some ribeyes and T-bones that look awesome.  There were lots of specials, so Marg picked up the ones that appealed. 
  We just got back and had a text from Bill to get him some powerball tickets, so we went down to the local circle K to pick them up.  Oddly enough most winners seem to come from convenience stores, so he just might have a leg up on the process..   By the time we got back it was time to go and do the prep work for the breakfast crew.  There were 5 of us to do it, so it went quickly and we were done in under an hour.  We should be ready to go in the morning.  We have a new couple with us and still have the couple that are going to their own team, so it should be a good group to work with.
  By that time it was happy hour, so we went down to swap tales and catch up on the news.  Somewhere in the process, Marg had agreed on dinner plans with two other couples.  We went to a bar/restaurant called the Dog Run where they had an all-you-can-eat cod special.  The place was jam packed and we had to wait a bit, but that gave us time for a couple of beer.  The fish was great and there was certainly lots of it.  The waitress was very friendly and kept hugging Jerry, it was pretty funny.  Kenny didn't tell us until we got there that the last time he was there, some gals were dancing on the bar, but it never happened tonight.  I kept a close eye Marg, but she never made a move to get up there, LOL.
 We were a bit late getting out, but after getting back it was the animal races.  They had a good sized crowd and we managed to pick a few winners and have a few laughs.

January 7th - Khristos Razhdayetsya

For all you followers of the Julian calendar & all my Ukrainian friends & family - Christ is Born or Merry Christmas.
  Wow did it ever rain here last night and today.  They are talking record territory in the Phoenix area and lots of snow up north around Flagstaff.  Only 20 inches of snow in Flagstaff yesterday, so not a record, but there was some other place that had 3 feet.

   The gamblin' gals were on the road today and went up to Ft McDowell where they play bingo and fill in the lulls with a few slot pulls.  With the rain, the other ladies were concerned about driving, so Marg took the truck today.  They made it there and back just fine, in fact she said there was hardly any water on the roads.  It turned out they have a special on their points system for Thursdays where you can get a pot, so all 3 of the ladies got a new pot.  In fact there is some pot they all want that is being offered next week, so Wednesday is out and Thursday is game on next week too.   Oh yes, Marg also won $300 in the bingo so she ended up winning both a pot and a jackpot.  She said make sure I said thanks for the bingo money Bill & Patti, its paying off.  LOL  I could tell it was good news as soon as she pulled up by the grin on her face.
   Me I stayed home and went to the morning coffee and donuts.  Got caught up on all the news in the park and had a nice apple fritter to go with my coffee.  Found out there that our breakfast crew has this Saturday, so another item in our agenda.  Got to visit with a couple of people that I had not seen yet this year, so it was all good.  Elections for the association executive are coming up and that is always a hot topic around here.  There are those who are concerned and those others of us who just don't want to get elected.
  After lunch I went to play pool.  The inter-park tournament was today and in the past our team has not been getting sufficient numbers.  We had 7 players today and the minimum is 6, so we were able to compete.  The partner I drew was a new guy in the park & it turns out he is from Alberta & a very good player.  It was a road trip to Mountainview and my partner & I had to play twice.  Our first 3 games Charley & I won all 3 and the second we won 2 of the 3, so we had an great result.  I was a bit apprehensive, not having played all summer, but managed to pull a few rabbits out of the proverbial hat when required to hold up my end.  I'm not sure how our team fared, but I think we were better than 50% overall.
  It was too wet to go out, so for the afternoon I hung around the house - no wheels remember.  I think it is Marg's new way to keep me out of the hardware stores.  Bill sent me with enough golf balls that I don't need to go to the sporting goods stores either.  Tomorrow we will likely go out, we still need to get to Costco and Total Wine.
  We ate in tonight.  Some nice bbq ribs and rice.  Finished off with bread pudding.  It was all very good.
 
 

January 6th, Ukrainian Christmas eve

  Our first birthday of the winter that we are missing out on, so we phoned Kassidy to give her best wishes on her 11th birthday.
It rained and stormed last night, like you would not believe.  The rain came down in buckets and we awoke to the news being filled with stories of water problems on roadways and people needing rescue out in the desert.
  In the park, it was golf day at Apache Sun, so Gerry Canuel came in and we went out to join the group and for me it was the first round of the winter.  While we never played well, we were even on the score card and as a bonus, Gerry won the long putt prize on hole #4.  It was a bit of luck as no one else had a one putt green, because his was only about a 6 inch tap in.  There was carry-over money from last spring, so it was a good day for him.  They had a good turnout and the weather was very nice.  Although not real warm, the clouds cleared off and the sun shone for the entire time we were out there.  The course is in tip top shape with the rain and all.
  When I got back to the park, Marg & I had lunch and then she went for groceries, while I went and played pool with some guys in the park.  It went pretty well, although the characters I played with yesterday were not there, so not quite as many laughs.  I only played for an hour or so, as I had a project to do.  The Canadian flag at the park entrance was torn in the high winds we had.  In fact one of the park residents called me when I was on the golf course saying something had to be done.  It turned out I still had the flag I brought down last year as they never hung it because it never had grommets to clip it on to the rope.  I pulled it down and then got the new one flying.  Looks great.  I think one of the reasons they didn't want to deal with it was they weren't sure of the protocol for dealing with the old one, being a foreign country's flag.  If done improperly, it can be quite a controversial issue.  Anyway I took it down and will see to the proper disposal of the old torn flag.
  On the way back I stopped to help Gary & Linda move a sofa and then paid a brief visit to Elmo, who has been feeling poorly with some very serious health issues.  By the time I got back, Marg was just pulling in, so I helped unload the groceries.  She went out to buy the specials she saw in the flyers in our mailbox.  She really cleaned up.  On the bill it showed the savings from regular prices and it was something like 48%, and outstanding result.
  By this time it was happy hour and we went down to Johnsons.  Jerry & Pat Binger just got in from their Christmas break.  It was great to see them again, as the last time we saw them was in April.  Also got caught up on Larry's status as he had a bad fall at the propane outlet yesterday and was both shaken up and injured.  He seems to be recovering.
  After happy hour we went out for supper, Ihop again.  I must be doing something right, this is our second one since getting here. It wasn't too busy, so we were in an out pretty quick.  On the way back I stopped to fill the truck, $1.87 per gallon, so fuel prices here and pretty darn good.
  It was then back to the park where I went down to play poker.  We had a good turnout tonight and played with 7.  It started off a bit slow as we tried to refresh each others' memory on various card games.  It's dealers choice, so we often get quite a variety.  I came out of it OK and the money bag was a little heavier than when I started.  We had lots of laughs as there are a couple of characters in the group.  On of those guys had his son visiting, so brought him to play.  He seemed to be having fun, but near the end was getting money from Bob so that he could play until our predetermined quitting time.
  Ukrainian Christmas [according to the Julian calendar] tomorrow, so let me be the first to wish you Khristos Razdayetsya

January 5th

Rained yesterday, rained today and is forecast to rain until Friday.  It seems a series of storms off the Pacific are moving east and as one passes through, the next brings more moisture.  It rained in the morning, then let up a bit sprinkling occasionally and by the evening was raining pretty darn hard.  Some of the guys went golfing today, but when they left it was raining & when they got back they said they played the first 4 holes in it and then it got better.  The temperature was pleasant when it quit, but quite a bit cooler in the rain.
  We went out and I picked up some downspout for the rain gutters and tomorrow will see if I was successful moving the water away from the patio.  The store is a bit unique in that it mainly sells aluminum carports and all the accessories and it carries a lot of RV parts, like plumbing, windows, doors, siding, etc.
  After lunch I went down to play some pool.  Played with a couple of characters, so we had lots of laughs.  My game was much better today and I enjoyed much better success than yesterday.  I changed to my fiberglass cue and things just seemed to go right.
  Brent phoned, he and Cindy were out in Goldfield at the ghost town.  They had all the boys until Saturday and as well his sister Wendy and her family, so were not as mobile as they were today.  They have been staying in Goodyear in a 4,000 sq ft house, so the opposite end of Phoenix and were looking around.  Had a nice visit with them and it gave them a chance to warm up after being outdoors for a couple of hours.  I think he said they are going back tomorrow, but liked it, so will be back.  Emma was really cute, she gave us a brief display of her highland dancing, as a result of the lessons she has taken.
  Marg made a nice pasta/chicken dish for supper and it was great.  I like this kind of dish, so kidded her that it was in exchange for my rubbing her down with Vicks last night.  I even did the soles of her feet and I don't think she even coughed once, so got a better nights sleep.
  After supper we went to bingo and sat with our friends.  It was good and to make it better, Marg won.  It really boosted her spirits, as last year she wasn't winning very often and was getting discouraged with it.  With this early win, she has definitely decided to go out with the gamblin' gals this week.  Some her friends also won tonight, Doris was first, so it was a fun thing.
  Will see about the golf tomorrow, if it's raining in the morning, it will be some errands and stuff around here, fingers crossed.

January 4th, not so sunny in the south

It must have rained last night as there was quite a number of wet spots on the road.  The guys came by and we went for the morning bike ride.  It was odd at first, there were 5 of us, but we never saw Gary after leaving the park gates.  It turned out he had a flat, but he was able to pump it up and catch up to us by the time we reached our rest spot at Idaho road.  On the return trip to the west, Larry split off from the group, so I followed him.  As soon as we crossed Delaware we came across the other 3 riding for us, they were heading back to the park.  We mad the corner and actually beat them back to the park.  It had started to sprinkle and we have a common understanding that if it rains while we are riding, it is "Every man for himself", no one waits for anyone else, so when the other 3 rode past they were all shouting, save yourself.  Pretty funny, fortunately we all got back with just a few sprinkles, no one was soaked.
  By the time I had the bike put away it was raining pretty good.  The gutters and downspouts were working OK at first, but there is so much crud left on the carport from the summer that they started running over the edge.  I managed to get one cleared and will have to see what I can do with the other tomorrow, if it doesn't rain for a while.  We are forecast to have rain every day this week, ending after Friday, so fingers crossed.  Over the 5 days we could get as much as 1 1/2 inches, so although not that much at home, a big weather event out here in the desert.  If it comes too quickly, there will be warnings of flooding on the roads that have fords [not the make of car, LOL] on them.  Not a lot of drainage handling here, so the water just ponds everywhere.  This is because in many places the desert absorbs it slowly.
  After lunch, Marg went out to Kohl's, where she got some great deals.  She was quite excited about them and had 2 bags full.  I even ended up with a nice sweat top will keep me warm on these rainy days.  I went down and played pool with 3 other guys.  Boy was I rusty, 2 of the other guys were not, so had not been away from it as long as me.  There were two of us from Alberta, the other two were from Saskatchewan.  So many guys in the park have colds or are under the weather that was all that showed up today.
  After Marg got back we went for happy hour and by then the rain had quit.  We stopped to see Kenny's new picture on the way back.  He had Rita paint a picture of his 1929 Model A that he took in to be framed.  It turned out very nice, he sure is proud of it, with good reason.
  By supper time, the wind had come up and was pretty chilly, so Marg did the pork chops in the oven.  She also had some really nice baked potatoes, apparently they were from Idaho.  If you haven't had Idaho potatoes, they really are better than average.  Had a bowl of gelato that was very nice at the end. A great dinner, just wish she could lose the cold, although the coughing seems less frequent.

January 3rd a Sunday in the Sunny South

Got up at a good hour and got myself ready to ride.  It looked sunny out, but alas it was very windy, so no one showed up today.  Marg got up and we had some yogurt and a piece of a nice pumpkin loaf she bought at the bakery.
  After we got he laundry together and went to a new Laundromat in down by the Ace hardware store.  Marg wanted to try it out because it has different machines and it seems she liked it better than the one in the park.  This one has larger tubs and the washers spin rather than whatever it is the others do.  It was quite a surprise to me to see how many people were in there on a Sunday morning.  According to her the time to process it was much shorter and the result much better.  The only downside is that it required a second person to help carry all that stuff & help run around.  Me, well I really got an appreciation for how nice the laundry in the park is.  LOL
  There was an email when I got back from Terry who organizes the Wednesday golf outing.  Put my name down, and got Gerry on as well, so we are good to go, weather permitting.
 A quick lunch and it was off to find some ink cartridges for the printer down here.  I had left them in a ziplock bag, but they dried out anyway.  Should have taken them home, I guess.  Went to office max and it was amazing, there were printers with cartridges cheaper than the two replacement ink cartridges.  There was a good deal with the old ones, they gave me $2 each to turn them in.  Pretty cool because I often just toss them.  I also got a package of printer paper, it seems I forgot to pack some.
  I needed the printer so I could get the coupons from the Harbour Freight email.  I don't get them in the mail because I am not here most of the time.  So you guessed it, then we were off the Harbour and I got a couple of things I needed, plus my free blue tarp.  There was another flyer, but it turns out those good deals kick in next weekend, so will have to go back then.  Phil don't laugh, it is the kind of place one of your buddies would love.
  While I was there, Marg was in Big Lots, so I caught up with her in there.  Didn't find much of interest in there, but she came away with 3 or 4 bags full.  What was interesting is there was a guy at the door Duwayne was his name, very friendly.  He asked if I took the newspaper & I haven't yet got a snowbird subscription.  You know the ones with the coupons and tv guide.  Anyway that was his gig, selling that subscription, so I should start getting enough paper to fill the recycle bin any day now.
  Got back to the park and they had started happy hour already, so we had to hustle.  Kenny & Doris were back from their Christmas trip home.  Their combined families are so large, they rent a hall or banquet room at a hotel to all get together.  It was sure nice to see them again.  There is a new couple in the park, friends of Jim & Beth's that were there.  They had their grandson with them.  He's a real little character, I thinks he's 10.  Anyway the grandpa and grandson were out golfing about every other day and the kid shot a 79 the other day.  The grandpa said it was an easy course, but the kid was all excited about making a 50 foot putt.
  After supper we went for ice cream social.  It was so close after eating that we just had sundaes, a banana split would have been too much.  After we stopped in at Blanke's and caught up with them, sure nice to see them again.
  The weather, well it was a very pleasant day, especially after the wind died down & was still a warm wind in the evening, even though it is the fore runner of the impending rain.  We are forecast for about 5 days of rain, but sometimes that is less than an inch.  The locals like it, they are in a drought, but us snowbirds, well fingers crossed for a sprinkle you can golf in.  Marg, is still coughing, but not constantly, she is getting a lot of practice though.