The end of March, really, where has the time gone? Today makes 3 months we have been in Arizona, how time flies when you're having fun. The weather today was perfect, the temp in the high 80's, not a cloud in the sky.
We started out going to one of Marg's water aerobics buddies for coffee and rolls to celebrate another's [Sheryl] birthday. Marg made two of her now famous monkey breads. There was a variety of other goodies: another monkey bread, a bowl of fresh fruit, donuts, all great. There were a little over a dozen of us, so just a nice gathering.
Then I went over to the hall to get the video sorted for the church service tomorrow morning. I needed Gary for this and he brought a movie that we played for the big screen TV. I think it will work on all 3 now, so with any luck we will pull this off tomorrow morning for pastor Don as it is something special he wants to do for the Easter Sunday service.
After, Marg & I went out for a break. We went up to the antique mall on Ellsworth where we browsed, but never found anything with a price we would be tempted to but at. They had some great Canadian coins, but all priced right at the top of what I would consider the market. All of the coins on display had a card saying ;coins and paper money were not negotiable, so I guess they were stuck on the pricing. There were a few other household things that Marg fancied, but again not near the asking price.
Then we went up to the Superstition Mall area where we stopped at the old 5 & Diner for lunch. Funny but we bot picked an omelet from the seniors menu. Neither of us were very hungry, but we figured we should eat and were glad we did.
After lunch we went over to the retail area where Marg went to Burlington Coat and I picked up a pocket book to read in the truck while I waited. She did have some success today, so it was a good & productive stop. On the way back I stopped at Costco to fuel up. The line ups for gas were long, but the price was pretty good, at least 10 cents a gallon under the best price I saw any place else. Add to that the rebates and we were talking a savings. A quick stop at Safeway for a couple of things and back home.
Marg had a visitor who stayed quite a while. As near as I could tell there were numerous topics dealt with. Then she wanted to discuss the Closer Connection form we all file with the IRS to avoid having tax problems here. She stayed long enough that there was no happy hour for us, but it was one of those therapeutic listening sessions.
We went out with the Blanke's for a Chinese buffet. Our first stop was a the one on Signal Butte, but there was a big line, so we went to the China City on Power road. The food was very good and there was no line. We must have hit it just right as it almost seemed the line formed behind our arrival.
After supper we returned to the park where we sat out on the breezeway and had a nice visit. I think it was after 10 when they left.
Saturday 31 March 2018
Friday 30 March 2018
Friday, March 30th
We are definitely in a hot period here in Arizona, well maybe it is more normal weather for this time of year. Regardless of which it is, we reached 90F today. For the locals it is just nice, well include Marg in that group; while for northerners like me it is hot - but I am not complaining.
Marg did some laundry this morning. With it getting warm, the laundry tends to pile up fairly quickly. She didn't wan to go out, so I went to the Mesa Marketplace to exchange my books. I sold her 10 [granted some of them were smaller books] and got 8 new ones. While I was there I also picked up a golf cart cover. They generally run about a hundred dollars, but one outlet there had them for $55, but he said $50 for cash. Then I got a California Duster at another outlet. A couple of the guys had them instead of washing the trailer. The way the dust builds up a guy has to do something. The lady was very specific, you never wash it and prior to using it set it on a piece of newspaper for 48 hours. She said it has a form of wax on the fabric and while it is new it needs to air and allow the wax to be absorbed by the paper.
When I got back we had some lunch. After I went out for a 5 gallon bottle of drinking water for our dispenser and stopped to get a Mega Millions lottery ticket, the dream is alive. The laundry was mainly done, but one of the drying racks fell over and a tab on one of the plastic arms broke off when it fell. It was fortunate I still had some of the JB Weld hard plastic adhesive that I used successfully on the golf cart. I put it together and then left it to sit while I went to play some pool.
Marg steamed the laundry so she could put it away. Then she vacuumed and washed the floors. Then she vacuumed and washed the floors in the unit. With the amount of dust we have here in the air, this is a constant problem. When I got back I tried assembling the arm on the rack and good fortune was smiling on me again. That glue is amazing as I had to put a lot of pressure on the area around the break and it held.
Happy hour today was at Blanke's and there were lots of folks there today, it seemed like the majority of everyone left in the park. Well not quite, but I learned from various people there that about 4 of them there leaving for home by Monday.
Supper tonight we went out to Long John Silvers for fish. Being Good Friday the place was extremely busy, there was a constant line up to the door and the drive thru was about the same. We both had the 2 piece cod that came with two side dishes and Hush Puppies. It was pretty darn good. I really believe if you are going to eat fish go somewhere with lots of sales so it is fresh.
After supper Gary & Linda stopped by, as they are leaving tomorrow morning. He wanted to see the weather sites I use for information when I travel. Then we had a couple of single malts and called it a day.
Cat update - we were just about to go in when we heard a calico cat mewing. It was Randy's cat, but then some people from up the street showed up. He had a cat trap out as he was having problems. Well as luck would have it Alice was hungry and went in to get the food he used for bait. Janice went down there to confirm it was Alice, so she is now home safe & sound. There will be no further cat tales. LOL
Marg did some laundry this morning. With it getting warm, the laundry tends to pile up fairly quickly. She didn't wan to go out, so I went to the Mesa Marketplace to exchange my books. I sold her 10 [granted some of them were smaller books] and got 8 new ones. While I was there I also picked up a golf cart cover. They generally run about a hundred dollars, but one outlet there had them for $55, but he said $50 for cash. Then I got a California Duster at another outlet. A couple of the guys had them instead of washing the trailer. The way the dust builds up a guy has to do something. The lady was very specific, you never wash it and prior to using it set it on a piece of newspaper for 48 hours. She said it has a form of wax on the fabric and while it is new it needs to air and allow the wax to be absorbed by the paper.
When I got back we had some lunch. After I went out for a 5 gallon bottle of drinking water for our dispenser and stopped to get a Mega Millions lottery ticket, the dream is alive. The laundry was mainly done, but one of the drying racks fell over and a tab on one of the plastic arms broke off when it fell. It was fortunate I still had some of the JB Weld hard plastic adhesive that I used successfully on the golf cart. I put it together and then left it to sit while I went to play some pool.
Marg steamed the laundry so she could put it away. Then she vacuumed and washed the floors. Then she vacuumed and washed the floors in the unit. With the amount of dust we have here in the air, this is a constant problem. When I got back I tried assembling the arm on the rack and good fortune was smiling on me again. That glue is amazing as I had to put a lot of pressure on the area around the break and it held.
Happy hour today was at Blanke's and there were lots of folks there today, it seemed like the majority of everyone left in the park. Well not quite, but I learned from various people there that about 4 of them there leaving for home by Monday.
Supper tonight we went out to Long John Silvers for fish. Being Good Friday the place was extremely busy, there was a constant line up to the door and the drive thru was about the same. We both had the 2 piece cod that came with two side dishes and Hush Puppies. It was pretty darn good. I really believe if you are going to eat fish go somewhere with lots of sales so it is fresh.
After supper Gary & Linda stopped by, as they are leaving tomorrow morning. He wanted to see the weather sites I use for information when I travel. Then we had a couple of single malts and called it a day.
Cat update - we were just about to go in when we heard a calico cat mewing. It was Randy's cat, but then some people from up the street showed up. He had a cat trap out as he was having problems. Well as luck would have it Alice was hungry and went in to get the food he used for bait. Janice went down there to confirm it was Alice, so she is now home safe & sound. There will be no further cat tales. LOL
Thursday 29 March 2018
Thursday, March 29th
A gorgeous day in the Valley of the Sun, reaching something like 88F/31C today.
We both went to the coffee klatch this morning as it was the last one of this winter season. It was brief as there were no announcements other than Easter dinner on Sunday. The executive bought donuts this morning, so that was a big plus. It was pretty much an opportunity to say farewell to folks. The Bingers left this morning, not sure what time, but we said our farewells yesterday.
Right after coffee, Marg left to catch her ride to the Fort. This time there were only 2 of the Gamblin' Gals, even their numbers are down due to the reverse migration of the snowbirds. That does however make two trips to the Fort this week, but both with the same result, close but no cigar.
I did a few things around the house this morning. One of them was trying to fix a padlock that came apart. I think a couple of the little lock pins must be rolling around on the driveway, so it is now consigned to the scrap heap. I had a visitor who wanted information of the travel route and weather data available on the internet to help him with planning their trip back to Saskatchewan.
After lunch I went to James Tire for an oil change [$16.95 with coupon] and a tire repair. This is my second nail puncture with a slow leaking rear tire. It may or may not be the same tire as the last one, but just makes me wonder where I am getting these. I can scarcely remember my last flat, let alone two of them until these ones. The puncture repair rate at $15 is pretty darn good there as well. It's a busy shop, so I was lucky to get in on short notice.
After I stopped at the hardware store where I bought a padlock. I also got another concrete anchor bolt as I am going to make a second one in the back of the breezeway to use when I store the golf cart for the summer. This way I can still have the neighbour park in our place so his car will kind of block it off from the street. When I got back I sprayed weeds around the back patio. I don't know how so many try to get started about every other week, don't they realize this is the desert.
Happy hour today was at Mickey's place. He finally got possession of his park model at the start of Happy Hour Lane [that's our street], so wanted to host tonight. There was a good turnout and he had all kinds of finger food, made quite an occasion of it. He certainly has a nice place and is rightly proud of it, so wanted to show it off. Marg as usual got back a bit after 4, so came directly to happy taking the cart to get her stuff home and pick up a drink to have a Mickey's.
Cat Update - we have had a couple of false sightings on the still missing cat named Alice. It seems there are a few in the park that are quite similar. Lots of speculation about the number of predators here as there were: coyotes in the dog park last night, owls in the palm trees, turkey buzzards around most days. The search continues.
We both went to the coffee klatch this morning as it was the last one of this winter season. It was brief as there were no announcements other than Easter dinner on Sunday. The executive bought donuts this morning, so that was a big plus. It was pretty much an opportunity to say farewell to folks. The Bingers left this morning, not sure what time, but we said our farewells yesterday.
Right after coffee, Marg left to catch her ride to the Fort. This time there were only 2 of the Gamblin' Gals, even their numbers are down due to the reverse migration of the snowbirds. That does however make two trips to the Fort this week, but both with the same result, close but no cigar.
I did a few things around the house this morning. One of them was trying to fix a padlock that came apart. I think a couple of the little lock pins must be rolling around on the driveway, so it is now consigned to the scrap heap. I had a visitor who wanted information of the travel route and weather data available on the internet to help him with planning their trip back to Saskatchewan.
After lunch I went to James Tire for an oil change [$16.95 with coupon] and a tire repair. This is my second nail puncture with a slow leaking rear tire. It may or may not be the same tire as the last one, but just makes me wonder where I am getting these. I can scarcely remember my last flat, let alone two of them until these ones. The puncture repair rate at $15 is pretty darn good there as well. It's a busy shop, so I was lucky to get in on short notice.
After I stopped at the hardware store where I bought a padlock. I also got another concrete anchor bolt as I am going to make a second one in the back of the breezeway to use when I store the golf cart for the summer. This way I can still have the neighbour park in our place so his car will kind of block it off from the street. When I got back I sprayed weeds around the back patio. I don't know how so many try to get started about every other week, don't they realize this is the desert.
Happy hour today was at Mickey's place. He finally got possession of his park model at the start of Happy Hour Lane [that's our street], so wanted to host tonight. There was a good turnout and he had all kinds of finger food, made quite an occasion of it. He certainly has a nice place and is rightly proud of it, so wanted to show it off. Marg as usual got back a bit after 4, so came directly to happy taking the cart to get her stuff home and pick up a drink to have a Mickey's.
Cat Update - we have had a couple of false sightings on the still missing cat named Alice. It seems there are a few in the park that are quite similar. Lots of speculation about the number of predators here as there were: coyotes in the dog park last night, owls in the palm trees, turkey buzzards around most days. The search continues.
Wednesday 28 March 2018
Wednesday, March 28th
A nice day even if it started a bit windy and cool. When I say cool I mean for here, not for home so I still work shorts today.
It was our golf day for the park, so Gerry came and he drove to Apache Sun where we play. There was a good size group this morning and we were picked to go out in the first foursome. The game started off a bit rocky, but we got it together by the third hole, in fact I got a par there. Then it was on to #4 where we putt for cash. Well Gerry & I had long ones that we missed, mine was about 20ft and I left the ball within a foot of the hole. The other couple with us [Joe & Sandi] both missed their putts that were less than 3 feet, as did everyone else today, so this purse is a carry-over to the fall. On the closest to the pin on #7 none of us were on the green, although my tee shot was right in front because it plugged in the soft approach area. My score was OK, but I think I must have used up all my mojo for this week.
When I got back Marg was still out at water aerobics. They had 6 ladies today, the ones that are still hanging in here. The pool was great and the ones still here are fun people. When she got back we had french toast for lunch, always a favourite of mine. I always eat all of mine with cinnamon & syrup on, but Marg eats most of hers just as it comes from the frying pan, i.e.: without anything. When I say most, she always has the last little bit with syrup. She's odd, don't you think?
In the afternoon I went to play 8 ball. Got in a tough game at first and then when they left I got in another challenging game. That's the thing about this place, most everyone is welcoming and enjoy a bit of humour. For example in the first group there is one older guy who is a veritable shark, but loves to laugh. I think he dumbs his game down for us sometimes, but other times we give him a good run. The second is a black man who tends to be very serious about the game, but kids around with me a bit, even though his sense of humour is very dry. The third guy fancies himself the guy in charge of pool room, but I have done enough stuff for him that he lightens up. It all makes for a good experience even if the pool is challenging.
Marg went out to get a pedi-cure today. She had a very good experience as the lady took quite a bit of extra time with her and in the end Marg was well pleased with the outcome. The toenails look good, all trimmed and painted up. How positive was the experience, well the size of the tip left no doubt in my mind it was.
When I got back we got in touch with Janice who is still missing her cats. I googled cat pics and got a couple that look like hers, then between Marg & me we made up a LOST poster with some pics on it. We made a few copies and Marg posted one in the breezeway between the Rec Hall & Pool Room when we went there for Happy. We had Happy on the patio on the west side of the hall and there were about a dozen and a half of us. We gave Janice a couple of copies sent some away to post.
Supper tonight was Taco Bell. The food is pretty good and very reasonable. I think with our Seniors [Senor in Spanish?] it was around $12 and it was pretty much all we could eat.
After supper I went to poker, where we had 5 players tonight. I never won, but my losses were not large. It was a bit light hearted tonight so another fun event.
LATE NIGHT NEWS FLASH - Janice just stopped over to say one of her cats has returned home, it is the black & white male, so you is in much better spirits tonight.
It was our golf day for the park, so Gerry came and he drove to Apache Sun where we play. There was a good size group this morning and we were picked to go out in the first foursome. The game started off a bit rocky, but we got it together by the third hole, in fact I got a par there. Then it was on to #4 where we putt for cash. Well Gerry & I had long ones that we missed, mine was about 20ft and I left the ball within a foot of the hole. The other couple with us [Joe & Sandi] both missed their putts that were less than 3 feet, as did everyone else today, so this purse is a carry-over to the fall. On the closest to the pin on #7 none of us were on the green, although my tee shot was right in front because it plugged in the soft approach area. My score was OK, but I think I must have used up all my mojo for this week.
When I got back Marg was still out at water aerobics. They had 6 ladies today, the ones that are still hanging in here. The pool was great and the ones still here are fun people. When she got back we had french toast for lunch, always a favourite of mine. I always eat all of mine with cinnamon & syrup on, but Marg eats most of hers just as it comes from the frying pan, i.e.: without anything. When I say most, she always has the last little bit with syrup. She's odd, don't you think?
In the afternoon I went to play 8 ball. Got in a tough game at first and then when they left I got in another challenging game. That's the thing about this place, most everyone is welcoming and enjoy a bit of humour. For example in the first group there is one older guy who is a veritable shark, but loves to laugh. I think he dumbs his game down for us sometimes, but other times we give him a good run. The second is a black man who tends to be very serious about the game, but kids around with me a bit, even though his sense of humour is very dry. The third guy fancies himself the guy in charge of pool room, but I have done enough stuff for him that he lightens up. It all makes for a good experience even if the pool is challenging.
Marg went out to get a pedi-cure today. She had a very good experience as the lady took quite a bit of extra time with her and in the end Marg was well pleased with the outcome. The toenails look good, all trimmed and painted up. How positive was the experience, well the size of the tip left no doubt in my mind it was.
When I got back we got in touch with Janice who is still missing her cats. I googled cat pics and got a couple that look like hers, then between Marg & me we made up a LOST poster with some pics on it. We made a few copies and Marg posted one in the breezeway between the Rec Hall & Pool Room when we went there for Happy. We had Happy on the patio on the west side of the hall and there were about a dozen and a half of us. We gave Janice a couple of copies sent some away to post.
Supper tonight was Taco Bell. The food is pretty good and very reasonable. I think with our Seniors [Senor in Spanish?] it was around $12 and it was pretty much all we could eat.
After supper I went to poker, where we had 5 players tonight. I never won, but my losses were not large. It was a bit light hearted tonight so another fun event.
LATE NIGHT NEWS FLASH - Janice just stopped over to say one of her cats has returned home, it is the black & white male, so you is in much better spirits tonight.
Tuesday 27 March 2018
Tuesday, March 27th
A bit cooler today, but still a very nice day with temperatures reaching the high 70's.
Marg went to water aerobics and they had 5 ladies there today. I guess the tape quit about half way through so they improvised on the routines. From the sounds of it this was a very successful approach. They had lots of laughs and Marg said it was one of the most fun sessions this winter.
We had a great lunch using the left over roast beef on bread with gravy. We both enjoy leftover roast this way. As luck would have it there were a couple of pieces of cheesecake that we had after.
I went out with Pat, Gene & Gary after lunch to play golf at Dobson Ranch. It's a municipal course in Mesa and they offer a heck of a deal at $36 after one o'clock and that includes power cart. Although I have played with these guys many times, it was my first time at this course. It is much like the other muni course we play at Encanto in many ways. My partner and I did manage to leave a ball at a water hole today. It was a good sized hazard right in front of the tee box, which is always my nemesis.
Marg went with Linda, Harley & Dar to the Fort. It was not a lucky day for her either but she had a good time with them. I guess they contributed as much as they wanted, much the way I did with golf balls.
When she got home our neighbour, Janice, came to see here. She was quite upset as her two cats made a break and have not been seen today. She is the one who is recovering from cancer and it seems she fell asleep with the door partly open and the cats took to the wide open world. The reason for much of the concern is that until now they have been house cats and not wise in the way of the world out there and there are lots of predators. Marg spent much of what was left of the afternoon looking around the park and asking people to keep an eye out for the cats to help Janice out, but no trace of them yet.
Then Marg went to bingo which started before I returned from the golf course. She bought cards fro me and because I was not back, she had to play both sets. Well it kept her busy and also concerned about the playing the more difficult patterns to watch for. She seemed relieved to see me when I walked in the hall. The set of cards she gave me were better than the ones she kept, but not by much as neither of us won tonight. This was the last bingo of this winter season and the money ball was won tonight so no carry-over to the fall on bingo.
Marg went to water aerobics and they had 5 ladies there today. I guess the tape quit about half way through so they improvised on the routines. From the sounds of it this was a very successful approach. They had lots of laughs and Marg said it was one of the most fun sessions this winter.
We had a great lunch using the left over roast beef on bread with gravy. We both enjoy leftover roast this way. As luck would have it there were a couple of pieces of cheesecake that we had after.
I went out with Pat, Gene & Gary after lunch to play golf at Dobson Ranch. It's a municipal course in Mesa and they offer a heck of a deal at $36 after one o'clock and that includes power cart. Although I have played with these guys many times, it was my first time at this course. It is much like the other muni course we play at Encanto in many ways. My partner and I did manage to leave a ball at a water hole today. It was a good sized hazard right in front of the tee box, which is always my nemesis.
Marg went with Linda, Harley & Dar to the Fort. It was not a lucky day for her either but she had a good time with them. I guess they contributed as much as they wanted, much the way I did with golf balls.
When she got home our neighbour, Janice, came to see here. She was quite upset as her two cats made a break and have not been seen today. She is the one who is recovering from cancer and it seems she fell asleep with the door partly open and the cats took to the wide open world. The reason for much of the concern is that until now they have been house cats and not wise in the way of the world out there and there are lots of predators. Marg spent much of what was left of the afternoon looking around the park and asking people to keep an eye out for the cats to help Janice out, but no trace of them yet.
Then Marg went to bingo which started before I returned from the golf course. She bought cards fro me and because I was not back, she had to play both sets. Well it kept her busy and also concerned about the playing the more difficult patterns to watch for. She seemed relieved to see me when I walked in the hall. The set of cards she gave me were better than the ones she kept, but not by much as neither of us won tonight. This was the last bingo of this winter season and the money ball was won tonight so no carry-over to the fall on bingo.
Monday 26 March 2018
Monday, March 26th
A very nice day in the Valley except for the wind that blew most of the day.
Around the park we see new people every day, something unusual in this park. We all know it is an RV park, but we only experience that rv park constant change of campers coming and going every day until this time of year.
In the morning, I never accomplished too much, but hey that is part of the retirement paradigm. Some days you don't have to accomplish a lot to be a success. I did chat with two of my neighbours, both named Bob. Oh yes, I cleaned the bbq on the back patio and that's how the chat came about, as they are both extremely chatty, so in actual fact I more listened to them. Marg was using the bbq for a number of things later on and it was long due for a good cleaning.
Marg went to water aerobics and had a good day in the pool. There were only four of them this morning even though the pool was at a perfect temperature. They will continue with this for a bit yet as the four that were there will be here for a couple of weeks yet.
For lunch something different, well not entirely, they were pancakes, but not just any ones. If you recall our trip to Whole Foods, we had buckwheat pancakes this morning. Buckwheat pancakes were Marg's mother's favourite and we have not had them for so long we couldn't remember the last time. We made them according to the recipe on the bag, hoping for the best result. The only thing we modified was adding more milk as we prefer lighter pancakes. The other difference would have been that she made them from scratch while we used a pancake mix. They were good and we had a pretty good stack of them by the time we finished.
Shortly after I had to go to the hall to help with setting up the DVD player so they could play a video on the TV screens in the hall. Jerry had committed to do this for the Pastor, but now is leaving on Wednesday. So someone has to be able to get the presentation running on Easter Sunday. I guess that means I will be going to the church service.
On my way back I stopped to jack up Lynett;s golf cart as she is done with it for the season. She flies home tomorrow morning. She had it all tarped in and the battery cables off as well as a cable and lock on it. Well not all of them just a couple so as to isolate the batteries to keep them from discharging. She has her own floor jack so I lifted it and we put the jack stands under it.
Then I went to play pool. There were two tables going so I picked the one with the guys I knew would be fun to play. I started out with a win, but they brought their A game today, so it was tough going. Not sure but I may have been on the losing side more than the winning one. The good news was it was indeed fun.
Marg had the roast on the bbq for quite a while by the time I got back. I helped out with the other stuff she put on it. We missed happy today as she was busy preparing supper for company. With it being Lynett's last day we had her and the Blanke's for supper. It was very nice, a few good friends and dinner. Doris had made a pie that her mother used to prepare. It was an orange cream pie, with meringue on top. I had never had this before so it was a bit of a surprise; quite good.
After supper we stopped over to say farewell to Stan & Judy who are leaving tomorrow morning. Stan was my cart partner yesterday for golf and in fact we played numerous times this winter. Safe travels my friend.
Around the park we see new people every day, something unusual in this park. We all know it is an RV park, but we only experience that rv park constant change of campers coming and going every day until this time of year.
In the morning, I never accomplished too much, but hey that is part of the retirement paradigm. Some days you don't have to accomplish a lot to be a success. I did chat with two of my neighbours, both named Bob. Oh yes, I cleaned the bbq on the back patio and that's how the chat came about, as they are both extremely chatty, so in actual fact I more listened to them. Marg was using the bbq for a number of things later on and it was long due for a good cleaning.
Marg went to water aerobics and had a good day in the pool. There were only four of them this morning even though the pool was at a perfect temperature. They will continue with this for a bit yet as the four that were there will be here for a couple of weeks yet.
Shortly after I had to go to the hall to help with setting up the DVD player so they could play a video on the TV screens in the hall. Jerry had committed to do this for the Pastor, but now is leaving on Wednesday. So someone has to be able to get the presentation running on Easter Sunday. I guess that means I will be going to the church service.
On my way back I stopped to jack up Lynett;s golf cart as she is done with it for the season. She flies home tomorrow morning. She had it all tarped in and the battery cables off as well as a cable and lock on it. Well not all of them just a couple so as to isolate the batteries to keep them from discharging. She has her own floor jack so I lifted it and we put the jack stands under it.
Then I went to play pool. There were two tables going so I picked the one with the guys I knew would be fun to play. I started out with a win, but they brought their A game today, so it was tough going. Not sure but I may have been on the losing side more than the winning one. The good news was it was indeed fun.
Marg had the roast on the bbq for quite a while by the time I got back. I helped out with the other stuff she put on it. We missed happy today as she was busy preparing supper for company. With it being Lynett's last day we had her and the Blanke's for supper. It was very nice, a few good friends and dinner. Doris had made a pie that her mother used to prepare. It was an orange cream pie, with meringue on top. I had never had this before so it was a bit of a surprise; quite good.
After supper we stopped over to say farewell to Stan & Judy who are leaving tomorrow morning. Stan was my cart partner yesterday for golf and in fact we played numerous times this winter. Safe travels my friend.
Sunday 25 March 2018
Sunday, March 25th
My day started early. Had to be up and on the road by 7:00 AM to play in the golf tournament at Painted Mountain in Mesa. The course was not all that far, but some of the activities started early. One of the guys in the park got a team together to play in a charity event in support of disabled veterans. It was a Texas Scramble, a format that I usually enjoy as it suits my game. By that I mean you can mis-hit shots and if your team mates come through, still have a good round. Two of the guys I played with have very good short games and strike the ball well. As it turns out my driver was about as good as ever from the tees. We did much better than I expected, finishing 9th out of 36 teams. It was a shotgun start with two foursomes at each hole. It was a warm day and that took it's toll on us as well, we pretty much never won anything, but a fun event. How did we pull it off, well you could buy mulligans [useable anyplace on the course] - 6 for $20 and we had 18. At the end of the round we only had 3 left. At the end of the golf we had a roast beef lunch. It was a full meal like you would expect for supper with a garden salad to start, very nice.
Marg started out her day with laundry. It was a good day for it with the sun and wind. After that she went out to Bashas for groceries where she took advantage of some great specials. In addition to the usual things she was looking for a nice roast to make a dinner tomorrow. Apparently she got everything she was looking for and the specials were an unexpected bonus.
There were visitors throughout the day coming to see her deals from Saturday. The metal wall hangings on the breezeway wall were popular, but the real prize was the bistro table and two rocking chairs with like new cushions. Many of her friends were envious or jealous after seeing them. I believe she is no longer looking for chairs, so they were definitely a home run on that score.
We went to happy hour and it was a small group. Some the husbands had gone out into the desert today and weren't back by 4. They showed up when things were just winding up and one of the guys had some nice rocks, I guess. The talk around the group was on many things, but departure dates came up. After the end of next week it's going to be pretty quiet around here.
Supper for us tonight was salads. Marg always puts together a nice salad with a bit of everything in it. As it was only about 3 hours since my roast dinner, that was all I could handle and she likes salad anytime. I've come a long way since my days of saying that's what food eats, having two salads today.
After supper it was the last ice cream social. Everyone got whatever they had last week. Marg the bowl of ice cream and a piece of cake, me the banana split. On of the guys was not there, so they made up his banana split and Marg took it home so we could drop it off for him.
Marg started out her day with laundry. It was a good day for it with the sun and wind. After that she went out to Bashas for groceries where she took advantage of some great specials. In addition to the usual things she was looking for a nice roast to make a dinner tomorrow. Apparently she got everything she was looking for and the specials were an unexpected bonus.
There were visitors throughout the day coming to see her deals from Saturday. The metal wall hangings on the breezeway wall were popular, but the real prize was the bistro table and two rocking chairs with like new cushions. Many of her friends were envious or jealous after seeing them. I believe she is no longer looking for chairs, so they were definitely a home run on that score.
We went to happy hour and it was a small group. Some the husbands had gone out into the desert today and weren't back by 4. They showed up when things were just winding up and one of the guys had some nice rocks, I guess. The talk around the group was on many things, but departure dates came up. After the end of next week it's going to be pretty quiet around here.
Supper for us tonight was salads. Marg always puts together a nice salad with a bit of everything in it. As it was only about 3 hours since my roast dinner, that was all I could handle and she likes salad anytime. I've come a long way since my days of saying that's what food eats, having two salads today.
After supper it was the last ice cream social. Everyone got whatever they had last week. Marg the bowl of ice cream and a piece of cake, me the banana split. On of the guys was not there, so they made up his banana split and Marg took it home so we could drop it off for him.
Saturday 24 March 2018
Saturday, March 24th
A nice day, but a serious wind blew most of the day.
We got off to an early start as Marg had identified a couple of park sales she wanted to check out. They were both large parks, one an upscale park, the other an older one. When I say upscale, I mean one with better quality junk. LOL At the first sale she managed to get a couple of metal wall ornamental flower pots and put me on to a squeegee. She wanted to dress up the far wall in the breezeway an has already posted a pic of them on her FB page. For my part I plan to scrub the driveway and then put a coating on it, so after washing it I will need to get the water off to help with drying it and for $1 how could I go wrong. The older park was a bust, as is usually the case, their junk was not up to our standards. LOL
We made it back for lunch and on the way passed a guy who had a bistro table and two rocking chairs for sale. She went back and was impressed with what he had, so told him it was a good price but asked if he would take less. Well she ended up with them for $20, a heck of a deal as they are in excellent condition. Then we went out to Walmart for a few things. Lunch was just a hotdog, but Marg had found some with pork, the first we have found here and they were good. We just have not got accustomed to the beef wieners. We needed some groceries so having a bit of time thought we would be OK. Well we sort of were, but looking at our watch it was close to the time she had committed to be at the hall to help her fellow rec committee members decorate, so we had to hustle.
When we got back, her group were already at the hall, so I dropped her off to help while I put the groceries away. This was the wind-up dance and in the past we have never had a farewell function, rather everyone just kind of drifts away. This was a nice idea. Everyone was given a cardboard arrow to write their names and destination on as part of the decoration. They had hand cutouts on the tables that people could wave at the end. A photo booth that had a hand drawn map of the park, strips of fake road at the back and a bunch of other stuff that made for a celebration. You know celebrate beginnings and endings, well this was a first for this celebration.
Attendance was very good, so many residents here must have agreed that it was a good idea. There are quite a few daily or week long campers in the park now and a few of them attended tonight. It was well done, even to the selection of music by Malcolm. The last song was the Na na Hey hey kiss him Goodbye song by Steam that they use in many sporting events.
We got off to an early start as Marg had identified a couple of park sales she wanted to check out. They were both large parks, one an upscale park, the other an older one. When I say upscale, I mean one with better quality junk. LOL At the first sale she managed to get a couple of metal wall ornamental flower pots and put me on to a squeegee. She wanted to dress up the far wall in the breezeway an has already posted a pic of them on her FB page. For my part I plan to scrub the driveway and then put a coating on it, so after washing it I will need to get the water off to help with drying it and for $1 how could I go wrong. The older park was a bust, as is usually the case, their junk was not up to our standards. LOL
We made it back for lunch and on the way passed a guy who had a bistro table and two rocking chairs for sale. She went back and was impressed with what he had, so told him it was a good price but asked if he would take less. Well she ended up with them for $20, a heck of a deal as they are in excellent condition. Then we went out to Walmart for a few things. Lunch was just a hotdog, but Marg had found some with pork, the first we have found here and they were good. We just have not got accustomed to the beef wieners. We needed some groceries so having a bit of time thought we would be OK. Well we sort of were, but looking at our watch it was close to the time she had committed to be at the hall to help her fellow rec committee members decorate, so we had to hustle.
Attendance was very good, so many residents here must have agreed that it was a good idea. There are quite a few daily or week long campers in the park now and a few of them attended tonight. It was well done, even to the selection of music by Malcolm. The last song was the Na na Hey hey kiss him Goodbye song by Steam that they use in many sporting events.
Friday 23 March 2018
Friday, Mar 23rd
A bit later start today, but it was another nice one.
Marg went to water aerobics and the pool was nice, but they only had 8 ladies in the pool. They had a good workout and Marg was able to handle the routines in her own way. While she was away I scanned and posted a couple of events on the tenants association FB page. There is a farewell dance on Saturday and the following weekend the Easter dinner. These will be in the last organized events by the association for this winter season. I believe breakfast tomorrow morning is the last one and ice cream on Sunday will be the same. It is all coming to a close for this winter season.
On the coughing situation, at times it seems we are having a competition to see who can do it the most and it's getting a little frustrating. The only good news is the antibiotic I am taking is changing things mostly for the better. I hate to keep lamenting this aspect of our winter stay here, but it has become frustrating.
After lunch I went to play pool. Had some good games and played with some good fellows today. Not sure about the win/loss ratio, but may have been on the losing side more than winning. It was all good with pretty diverse skill levels among the four players, which made for interesting games. All I can say is I was neither the best nor the worst. LOL
Marg picked up Doris and they went to the Superstition market where she gets all the good deals on fruits and vegetables. They had a good day and judging from our fruit basket a successful one. The produce is always so fresh there, especially when compared to home.
She had a few visitors and our dinner reservation was 5 o'clock. Gary & Linda drove, so that was nice. I don't think any of the others had ever been to the Bavarian Point, the German restaurant. There ended up being 12 of us, so they sat us in a separate room, which was nice. The place was busy and that was complicated by them having a waitress no show up for work. The gals working it pretty much had their feet run off them. As a result the service was kind of slow tonight, but the food was good. The waitress was the one we have had previously and she did the best she could, even gave everyone a second drink on the house. I think most people were satisfied, but none the less a bit disappointing.
After returning to the park we went to Linda & Gary's for a bit of patio time. They are trying to clean out their fridge [well Gary's beer]. A few other people stopped by and sat in with us, so there were probably 16 or 18 sitting around. It went fairly late, but a fun evening.
Marg went to water aerobics and the pool was nice, but they only had 8 ladies in the pool. They had a good workout and Marg was able to handle the routines in her own way. While she was away I scanned and posted a couple of events on the tenants association FB page. There is a farewell dance on Saturday and the following weekend the Easter dinner. These will be in the last organized events by the association for this winter season. I believe breakfast tomorrow morning is the last one and ice cream on Sunday will be the same. It is all coming to a close for this winter season.
On the coughing situation, at times it seems we are having a competition to see who can do it the most and it's getting a little frustrating. The only good news is the antibiotic I am taking is changing things mostly for the better. I hate to keep lamenting this aspect of our winter stay here, but it has become frustrating.
After lunch I went to play pool. Had some good games and played with some good fellows today. Not sure about the win/loss ratio, but may have been on the losing side more than winning. It was all good with pretty diverse skill levels among the four players, which made for interesting games. All I can say is I was neither the best nor the worst. LOL
Marg picked up Doris and they went to the Superstition market where she gets all the good deals on fruits and vegetables. They had a good day and judging from our fruit basket a successful one. The produce is always so fresh there, especially when compared to home.
She had a few visitors and our dinner reservation was 5 o'clock. Gary & Linda drove, so that was nice. I don't think any of the others had ever been to the Bavarian Point, the German restaurant. There ended up being 12 of us, so they sat us in a separate room, which was nice. The place was busy and that was complicated by them having a waitress no show up for work. The gals working it pretty much had their feet run off them. As a result the service was kind of slow tonight, but the food was good. The waitress was the one we have had previously and she did the best she could, even gave everyone a second drink on the house. I think most people were satisfied, but none the less a bit disappointing.
After returning to the park we went to Linda & Gary's for a bit of patio time. They are trying to clean out their fridge [well Gary's beer]. A few other people stopped by and sat in with us, so there were probably 16 or 18 sitting around. It went fairly late, but a fun evening.
Thursday 22 March 2018
Thursday, Mar 22nd
It was a hot day here in the Valley. The forecast was up to 90 F, but I think it only got to mid-80's. Hot enough for me anyway.
Marg went with the gamblin' gals to the Fort. There were 5 of them today. It was close but no cigar for Marg. One of the other ladies was lucky and won $400, so there was some joy in the vehicle on the ride home today.
I got tired of feeling unwell so I phoned our travel medical insurance company today. They were very good and gave me a claim number as well as a recommendation on 2 options right in the area. The one I chose was Nextcare Urgent Care and when I got there I had to call the insurance co to let them know where I was. They in turn faxed the medical office, so it was all looked after. I saw an NP who diagnosed my problems as sinus related. I was concerned that I had this for so long that it was something more serious. It seems some of us winter visitors have not built up a tolerance for the pollen and dust here and it is particularly bad right now. She gave me a couple of prescriptions and some other off the shelf stuff I could consider. Fingers crossed that I can put this behind me.
When I was picking up my prescriptions at Walmart I also got a floor jack. It must have been right next to the pharmacy counter, LOL. Well no but I need one so that I can lift the golf cart onto stands when we leave. Most people here seem to do that because of the impact of the summer heat on the tires and I have to do Lynett's as well as Marg's so far.
Marg got home about the usual time and I met her at the gate to give her a cart ride back. It seems her hip did OK today, except for the amount of sitting. With the warmer weather she seems to have noticed some improvement. Fingers crossed again.
That was about it for the day. Had some bbq for supper and called it a day.
It seems the weather back home is terrible right now, so we are in no hurry to leave the sunny south. Hope everyone around home makes out OK.
Marg went with the gamblin' gals to the Fort. There were 5 of them today. It was close but no cigar for Marg. One of the other ladies was lucky and won $400, so there was some joy in the vehicle on the ride home today.
I got tired of feeling unwell so I phoned our travel medical insurance company today. They were very good and gave me a claim number as well as a recommendation on 2 options right in the area. The one I chose was Nextcare Urgent Care and when I got there I had to call the insurance co to let them know where I was. They in turn faxed the medical office, so it was all looked after. I saw an NP who diagnosed my problems as sinus related. I was concerned that I had this for so long that it was something more serious. It seems some of us winter visitors have not built up a tolerance for the pollen and dust here and it is particularly bad right now. She gave me a couple of prescriptions and some other off the shelf stuff I could consider. Fingers crossed that I can put this behind me.
When I was picking up my prescriptions at Walmart I also got a floor jack. It must have been right next to the pharmacy counter, LOL. Well no but I need one so that I can lift the golf cart onto stands when we leave. Most people here seem to do that because of the impact of the summer heat on the tires and I have to do Lynett's as well as Marg's so far.
Marg got home about the usual time and I met her at the gate to give her a cart ride back. It seems her hip did OK today, except for the amount of sitting. With the warmer weather she seems to have noticed some improvement. Fingers crossed again.
That was about it for the day. Had some bbq for supper and called it a day.
It seems the weather back home is terrible right now, so we are in no hurry to leave the sunny south. Hope everyone around home makes out OK.
Wednesday 21 March 2018
Wednesday, Mar 21st
A gorgeous day in the Valley today, I think the temperature reached 85 in the sun.
I went out with the group from the park this morning for the golf at Apache Sun. Gerry & I were in the first group out and played with Stan a friend from Georgia and Steve a new fellow in the park this year. It was a perfect day for golf and most of my game was a bit better. I started out with a par on the first hole, a par 5 and then played reasonably well. It was a good group to play with I took my camera today mainly because Al was to wear his John Daly loud and proud shorts and shirt, which he showed up in. I took the opportunity to get a few photo's and at least one picture of everyone. We had 6 groups this morning and with our departures will not see that many out until next November or later. A fun time. No one won the longest putt, so it was a carry-over to next week, which will also be the last week of this group until the fall.
Marg did a couple loads of laundry and then went to water aerobics this morning where they had about 8 ladies in the pool. They agreed that on very hot days they will start an hour earlier as the pool is solar heated and can get almost too warm for aquatic exercise. I guess that was not the case this morning and the pool temperature was just right. When she returned she finished the last load of sheets and then hung them out to dry at the neighbours line.
We had a bite of lunch and then I took a bit of a nap. A combination of this darn cold and feeling a bit weary from the exercise I guess. Marg sat out and visited with a few people that came by. That was pretty much the afternoon.
At happy hour a bunch of us went down to the patio at the rec hall. It's a nice spot with a couple tables and some nice chairs. The group grew in size until the patio was pretty much full. It was kind of handy as there were hamburgers in the park tonight. So we were well positioned to be at the front of the line for Gary's famous burgers. That too was well attended, as always. We both had cheeseburgers and I had a bowl of chili. Lots of people have the two patty burger, but unless you are very hungry or a big eater, it is too much.
After burgers Marg went home and I went to play poker. It was amazing we still had two tables for poker tonight, although they were only 4 at one and 5 at the other. I had a bit of luck and managed to win more hands than I lost, so the crown royal bag is in good shape.
I went out with the group from the park this morning for the golf at Apache Sun. Gerry & I were in the first group out and played with Stan a friend from Georgia and Steve a new fellow in the park this year. It was a perfect day for golf and most of my game was a bit better. I started out with a par on the first hole, a par 5 and then played reasonably well. It was a good group to play with I took my camera today mainly because Al was to wear his John Daly loud and proud shorts and shirt, which he showed up in. I took the opportunity to get a few photo's and at least one picture of everyone. We had 6 groups this morning and with our departures will not see that many out until next November or later. A fun time. No one won the longest putt, so it was a carry-over to next week, which will also be the last week of this group until the fall.
Marg did a couple loads of laundry and then went to water aerobics this morning where they had about 8 ladies in the pool. They agreed that on very hot days they will start an hour earlier as the pool is solar heated and can get almost too warm for aquatic exercise. I guess that was not the case this morning and the pool temperature was just right. When she returned she finished the last load of sheets and then hung them out to dry at the neighbours line.
We had a bite of lunch and then I took a bit of a nap. A combination of this darn cold and feeling a bit weary from the exercise I guess. Marg sat out and visited with a few people that came by. That was pretty much the afternoon.
At happy hour a bunch of us went down to the patio at the rec hall. It's a nice spot with a couple tables and some nice chairs. The group grew in size until the patio was pretty much full. It was kind of handy as there were hamburgers in the park tonight. So we were well positioned to be at the front of the line for Gary's famous burgers. That too was well attended, as always. We both had cheeseburgers and I had a bowl of chili. Lots of people have the two patty burger, but unless you are very hungry or a big eater, it is too much.
After burgers Marg went home and I went to play poker. It was amazing we still had two tables for poker tonight, although they were only 4 at one and 5 at the other. I had a bit of luck and managed to win more hands than I lost, so the crown royal bag is in good shape.
Tuesday 20 March 2018
Tuesday, Mar 20th
A nice day in the valley.
An easy day for us, we slept in a bit and then took our time getting mobile. Marg was in no hurry as she thought the day nice enough for water aerobics. Sure enough they had close to a dozen ladies in the pool this AM. She follows the routines that work for her and has a work-around for the ones that are a problem. She came back from in pretty invigorated, so this approach is working for her.
I pretty much stayed around the place. I had good intentions, but ended up with a headache, so chilled until it passed. When Marg got back we had a bite of lunch. It was her left-over linguini with shrimp from the Red Lobster yesterday. There was more than enough for both of us to have for lunch.
After lunch Marg went out on the cart to get the mail and ended up picking up Linda & Sadie [her Jack Russell]. I guess they made a tour of the park and had a few stops to visit various folks to see how they were doing and catch up on the news around here. I went to play some pool. There were only 3 guys playing, so it was the only game in the place. They are guys I quite often play, but my game was not as good as it was last week. I think I played on about an even number of winners and losers, so good games.
After that we had a bit of company and just sat out in the breezeway while my friend from Georgia and I had a taste of a new bottle of single malt that I picked up a week back. It's another Costco special {Kirkland] but it is an 18 yr age in sherry casks and quite nice.
Supper was a chicken dish Marg had put in the slow cooker earlier in the day and it was quite nice. She opted to use the slow cooker as it was a bingo night in the rec hall here in the park and there is only this and next week left. As luck would have it Marg won twice for $30 each time. The manager who paid her out said for her it's $40 in Canadian, which is pretty much the case with the way the dollar is now. The really funny thing was she got her bingo on G 57 both times, so I guess that is her new lucky number for a while anyway.
An easy day for us, we slept in a bit and then took our time getting mobile. Marg was in no hurry as she thought the day nice enough for water aerobics. Sure enough they had close to a dozen ladies in the pool this AM. She follows the routines that work for her and has a work-around for the ones that are a problem. She came back from in pretty invigorated, so this approach is working for her.
I pretty much stayed around the place. I had good intentions, but ended up with a headache, so chilled until it passed. When Marg got back we had a bite of lunch. It was her left-over linguini with shrimp from the Red Lobster yesterday. There was more than enough for both of us to have for lunch.
After lunch Marg went out on the cart to get the mail and ended up picking up Linda & Sadie [her Jack Russell]. I guess they made a tour of the park and had a few stops to visit various folks to see how they were doing and catch up on the news around here. I went to play some pool. There were only 3 guys playing, so it was the only game in the place. They are guys I quite often play, but my game was not as good as it was last week. I think I played on about an even number of winners and losers, so good games.
After that we had a bit of company and just sat out in the breezeway while my friend from Georgia and I had a taste of a new bottle of single malt that I picked up a week back. It's another Costco special {Kirkland] but it is an 18 yr age in sherry casks and quite nice.
Supper was a chicken dish Marg had put in the slow cooker earlier in the day and it was quite nice. She opted to use the slow cooker as it was a bingo night in the rec hall here in the park and there is only this and next week left. As luck would have it Marg won twice for $30 each time. The manager who paid her out said for her it's $40 in Canadian, which is pretty much the case with the way the dollar is now. The really funny thing was she got her bingo on G 57 both times, so I guess that is her new lucky number for a while anyway.
Monday 19 March 2018
Monday, March 19th
Happy Birthday Marg, as you enter a new decade in your life journey, I am so happy to be able to share it with you.
It was a nice day and the weather just got better in the Valley of the Sun. Our day started out with a busy telephone and Ipad, with calls from family to their mother. Just one of the benefits of having a loving family. There were lots of cards dropped off & birthday wishes for her by friends here in the park. One of the ladies in the park writes a daily blog and the one she wrote today was about Marg. It was a very beautiful piece, but it brought a tear to her eye.
It was her day and she wanted to see what Whole Foods was like as she had heard quite a bit about it from Char & Katie. So we put the address for the store in Chandler in the GPS and headed out for a bit of adventure. The store was very different as I would expect from anything affiliated with Amazon. The displays in some areas were quite artistic, a bit like Save on at home in the produce area, but more decorative. Just one example I noticed was the asparagus spears were in bunches and stood on end in a tray of water to keep them moist. Many of the products were organic and many were unique both as to brand and content. On of the products Marg picked out was Buckwheat pancake mix. He mother always loved buckwheat pancakes and it was nostalgic and gave her a desire to try them again. For my part I picked out a 6 pack of Peroni [an Italian beer] as both Craig & Phil seem to favour it. It was the grooms drink at Anna & Craigs wedding, so I guess a bit nostalgic for me.
For lunch we went over to the ready to eat area. This is really cool as they have everything from a Japanese sushi bar to salads you build with many ingredients or other ingredients you can put together for an entrée, even a couple of curry dishes. For our part we selected pizza slices. Marg had the pesto and me the Hawaiian. She said hers was the best pizza she has ever had. We ate it in the bar area, yes it is not just a wine bar, rather it serves just about anything you like. Quite an experience today.
As luck would have it there was lots of other retail therapy in the area and it was really close to another strip mall we sometimes check out on Chandler road. Went over to the TJ Maxx store where Marg had a bit of luck, but then said she had enough so we headed for home. On the way we had to pass the Santan shopping area, so we stopped in to check out Total Wine. Marg got some mixes to use in making margaritas. One was Mango which always proves very popular here and has become very hard to find. Me well I just found a nice bottle Glenlivet 12 yr. scotch that was very well priced.
When we got home there were numerous cards on the step and a nice bottle of wine. Then it was happy hour so I took a Peroni and Marg a can of flavoured water. It was a small group today which is always nice.
After we went out for supper to Red Lobster. Marg loves lobster, so the dish she chose was very fitting: Lobster lovers lobster. We had calamari for an appetizer which may have been a mistake as neither of us could finish and Marg brought home about half of her meal. A nice dinner and great way to bookend the day.
It was her day and she wanted to see what Whole Foods was like as she had heard quite a bit about it from Char & Katie. So we put the address for the store in Chandler in the GPS and headed out for a bit of adventure. The store was very different as I would expect from anything affiliated with Amazon. The displays in some areas were quite artistic, a bit like Save on at home in the produce area, but more decorative. Just one example I noticed was the asparagus spears were in bunches and stood on end in a tray of water to keep them moist. Many of the products were organic and many were unique both as to brand and content. On of the products Marg picked out was Buckwheat pancake mix. He mother always loved buckwheat pancakes and it was nostalgic and gave her a desire to try them again. For my part I picked out a 6 pack of Peroni [an Italian beer] as both Craig & Phil seem to favour it. It was the grooms drink at Anna & Craigs wedding, so I guess a bit nostalgic for me.
For lunch we went over to the ready to eat area. This is really cool as they have everything from a Japanese sushi bar to salads you build with many ingredients or other ingredients you can put together for an entrée, even a couple of curry dishes. For our part we selected pizza slices. Marg had the pesto and me the Hawaiian. She said hers was the best pizza she has ever had. We ate it in the bar area, yes it is not just a wine bar, rather it serves just about anything you like. Quite an experience today.
As luck would have it there was lots of other retail therapy in the area and it was really close to another strip mall we sometimes check out on Chandler road. Went over to the TJ Maxx store where Marg had a bit of luck, but then said she had enough so we headed for home. On the way we had to pass the Santan shopping area, so we stopped in to check out Total Wine. Marg got some mixes to use in making margaritas. One was Mango which always proves very popular here and has become very hard to find. Me well I just found a nice bottle Glenlivet 12 yr. scotch that was very well priced.
When we got home there were numerous cards on the step and a nice bottle of wine. Then it was happy hour so I took a Peroni and Marg a can of flavoured water. It was a small group today which is always nice.
After we went out for supper to Red Lobster. Marg loves lobster, so the dish she chose was very fitting: Lobster lovers lobster. We had calamari for an appetizer which may have been a mistake as neither of us could finish and Marg brought home about half of her meal. A nice dinner and great way to bookend the day.
Sunday 18 March 2018
Sunday, March 18th
Happy birthday to my brother Jim, called him this morning and it was nice to hear that things are positive with him.
It was a cooler day today, but by Alberta standards a nice day. The week ahead looks to be a warm one. I started the day attending the church service in the park. I was a bit weary this morning, but as I can't go next week so wanted to make I put in an appearance. The attendance was down a bit this week, so it was a good thing I went. This is a common trend at everything now as there are & will be departures almost every day for the next couple of weeks.
Marg had a load of laundry done by the time I got back and a second one in the machine. I made a few deliveries before we did anything else, we had some chairs left here as well as a few other personal things, so I made the rounds to get them to their owners. We went out to the Mesa marketplace so I could trade in my pocket books and pick out a few new ones. Marg wasn't really looking for anything and that is exactly what she came away with - nothing. LOL The place was sure busy, but there are few empty stalls now so they must be feeling the effects of the homeward migration. The selection of westerns was even smaller than usual, but I managed to get enough to get me through until next week. How many is that, well 5 should do. I really don't watch tv without reading a book unless it is a program I really enjoy and they seem to be few.
I have to confess to being weary by this time, it seems late nights are tuff on people over 70, LOL. We went to go out for lunch, but the places we tried were lined up out the door. It's a bit of a Sunday phenomenon with the after church crowd lunching out, so we went home rather than stand in line. We had a nice lunch at home anyway.
It was a bit cool in the breezeway so I sat out on the back patio for a bit where it was actually hot. That's the really nice part of our layout, we have almost two climates depending on where we sit. It was probably 10 or 15 degrees warmer on the patio, in fact almost too hot.
Quite a few visitors today, mainly ladies chatting with Marg. For supper we ate in and a bit early so we could go to ice cream social. This was well attended tonight. I had a banana split, Marg the dish of ice cream and cake. They give us a ticket for next week when we get what we had tonight on the house. I chatted with Wink [at ice cream] a bit to see if he has sold the golf cart. That's the one both Marg & I posted on line in different places for him. I guess it is still for sale, so we may have to renew one of the postings.
The only negative news to report is the Canada / U.S. exchange rate, the Canadian dollar has seen a gradual decline in value since we got here and is now at 76 cents.
It was a cooler day today, but by Alberta standards a nice day. The week ahead looks to be a warm one. I started the day attending the church service in the park. I was a bit weary this morning, but as I can't go next week so wanted to make I put in an appearance. The attendance was down a bit this week, so it was a good thing I went. This is a common trend at everything now as there are & will be departures almost every day for the next couple of weeks.
Marg had a load of laundry done by the time I got back and a second one in the machine. I made a few deliveries before we did anything else, we had some chairs left here as well as a few other personal things, so I made the rounds to get them to their owners. We went out to the Mesa marketplace so I could trade in my pocket books and pick out a few new ones. Marg wasn't really looking for anything and that is exactly what she came away with - nothing. LOL The place was sure busy, but there are few empty stalls now so they must be feeling the effects of the homeward migration. The selection of westerns was even smaller than usual, but I managed to get enough to get me through until next week. How many is that, well 5 should do. I really don't watch tv without reading a book unless it is a program I really enjoy and they seem to be few.
I have to confess to being weary by this time, it seems late nights are tuff on people over 70, LOL. We went to go out for lunch, but the places we tried were lined up out the door. It's a bit of a Sunday phenomenon with the after church crowd lunching out, so we went home rather than stand in line. We had a nice lunch at home anyway.
It was a bit cool in the breezeway so I sat out on the back patio for a bit where it was actually hot. That's the really nice part of our layout, we have almost two climates depending on where we sit. It was probably 10 or 15 degrees warmer on the patio, in fact almost too hot.
Quite a few visitors today, mainly ladies chatting with Marg. For supper we ate in and a bit early so we could go to ice cream social. This was well attended tonight. I had a banana split, Marg the dish of ice cream and cake. They give us a ticket for next week when we get what we had tonight on the house. I chatted with Wink [at ice cream] a bit to see if he has sold the golf cart. That's the one both Marg & I posted on line in different places for him. I guess it is still for sale, so we may have to renew one of the postings.
The only negative news to report is the Canada / U.S. exchange rate, the Canadian dollar has seen a gradual decline in value since we got here and is now at 76 cents.
St. Patricks Day 2018
A day late post for March 17th, it was a busy day and late night & a day when most of the world seems to be or act Irish.
We were up early and had a nice facetime with Charlene, Phil & Katie, then phone calls from family members back home. After we went out to run some errands. Our first stop was Costco where I needed fuel and Marg needed some last minute things. I also got a nice bottle of 18 yr old single malt scotch. Marg picked up a large chocolate cake with shamrocks on it as well as a large basket of strawberries. Our next stop was Walmart for some snacks, cheese, meat, etc. and ice cream in Dixie cups and most importantly ice [you know for margaritas].
When we got back to the park she ran around making certain there were going to be people to eat the cake. Marg and a couple of friends went down to the hall to stake out our place at the tables for the corned beef dinner. The afternoon was busy with arranging on Marg's part and relaxing on mine.
Supper was the traditional corned beef and cabbage at the hall. It is always well attended and is one of the big events provided by the tenants association here in the park. In order to get 6 seats together one needs to get the seats spoken for early in the afternoon. We sat with Bingers & Blanke's pretty much the same every year, with the rest of our table made up of 3 other couples. There are no empty seats, in fact they had to add a couple of tables, probably a combination of: don't have to cook, it's a festive occasion and it is free. Anything free in the park usually is very well attended. The meal ended with the usual ice cream and cream de menthe to top it with something green.
After the supper we went back to our place to get ready. It seems Marg had about 30 people coming for snacks, cake and ice cream after. She made her usual margaritas and I think made the better part of a 1.75 litre bottle of tequila in a variety of flavours in her 2 blenders. I had out a bit of scotch, but the real hit was the Irish whisky I had. Again most of that 1.75 litre bottle went with the would be Irish last night. The traditional shot cups came out last night with the Irish whisky after the party got going, which may have had something to do with that. As usual it gets chilly at night in the desert, so I had out the propane fire pit and it was as popular as anything. I received lots of cards, many very humorous and from the park managers a plaque with a bird [a loon] and two Canadian coins on it, a loonie & a twoonie. A years free rent would have been nice, LOL. We went pretty late [for here] with the last dogs hung a little after 9 o'clock. I never ask my neighbours about the impact as the ones on the east side of the breezeway retire very early in the evening, so were probably not impressed last night. It got pretty noisy, but oh well it is one night a year, so it is what it is. I did notice them sleeping in this AM though.
We were up early and had a nice facetime with Charlene, Phil & Katie, then phone calls from family members back home. After we went out to run some errands. Our first stop was Costco where I needed fuel and Marg needed some last minute things. I also got a nice bottle of 18 yr old single malt scotch. Marg picked up a large chocolate cake with shamrocks on it as well as a large basket of strawberries. Our next stop was Walmart for some snacks, cheese, meat, etc. and ice cream in Dixie cups and most importantly ice [you know for margaritas].
When we got back to the park she ran around making certain there were going to be people to eat the cake. Marg and a couple of friends went down to the hall to stake out our place at the tables for the corned beef dinner. The afternoon was busy with arranging on Marg's part and relaxing on mine.
Supper was the traditional corned beef and cabbage at the hall. It is always well attended and is one of the big events provided by the tenants association here in the park. In order to get 6 seats together one needs to get the seats spoken for early in the afternoon. We sat with Bingers & Blanke's pretty much the same every year, with the rest of our table made up of 3 other couples. There are no empty seats, in fact they had to add a couple of tables, probably a combination of: don't have to cook, it's a festive occasion and it is free. Anything free in the park usually is very well attended. The meal ended with the usual ice cream and cream de menthe to top it with something green.
After the supper we went back to our place to get ready. It seems Marg had about 30 people coming for snacks, cake and ice cream after. She made her usual margaritas and I think made the better part of a 1.75 litre bottle of tequila in a variety of flavours in her 2 blenders. I had out a bit of scotch, but the real hit was the Irish whisky I had. Again most of that 1.75 litre bottle went with the would be Irish last night. The traditional shot cups came out last night with the Irish whisky after the party got going, which may have had something to do with that. As usual it gets chilly at night in the desert, so I had out the propane fire pit and it was as popular as anything. I received lots of cards, many very humorous and from the park managers a plaque with a bird [a loon] and two Canadian coins on it, a loonie & a twoonie. A years free rent would have been nice, LOL. We went pretty late [for here] with the last dogs hung a little after 9 o'clock. I never ask my neighbours about the impact as the ones on the east side of the breezeway retire very early in the evening, so were probably not impressed last night. It got pretty noisy, but oh well it is one night a year, so it is what it is. I did notice them sleeping in this AM though.
Friday 16 March 2018
Friday, March 16th
A nice day in the valley. It was warm early in the day and just got better throughout the day.
Marg had an entertainment committee meeting this morning. She now sits on the committee that plans events for the park and then puts them together at the designated time. This also includes decorating the hall and anything else that is involved in making it happen.
I sprayed some weeds around the place this morning. Then I sharpened all the kitchen knives using a stone and a ceramic sharpener to get a good finish. Then I did some cleaning in the truck and a bit of visiting around the park where I found out some interesting information on a yard sale. When Marg got back we went to take a look. When we got there we found two other couples from our RV park checking it out as well. One of the interesting items for me was a running model T with a rumble seat. It was in pretty good condition, so an interesting car. Marg found lots of nice stuff especially the new air fryer at a good price, but it did not have the manual, so she passed and all she got was a pie lifter.
Lunch today was egg muffins on English muffins. This is one of our favourites for lunch. It was nice enough that we had lunch on our outdoor table in the breezeway.
After lunch I did some vacuuming outside. The front step carpet seems to pick up everything and it all shows, so it was my main target. I recovered the back step last year and it is no where near the problem, so I will probably re-do the front one. Then Marg did the golf cart floor and some of the carpet in the breezeway. By the time we finished, I needed to change the vacuum bag in the shop vac.
Marg went out shopping she was looking for pompadoms for supper tonight, as she had no luck yesterday, so we went out to Fry's to see if they had any, but nothing. In fact most people had no idea what we were looking for. Funny as she finds these at home in GP, we would think it would be no problem in a bigger place. Another thing we gave up on today. There are a few Indian grocery stores on the internet but they are not close to here. In fact Marg had even made a dish of cucumber & yogurt for when we found them. She had been talking with a couple friends a while back and they had agreed it would be nice to have a curry night as they both enjoy it. So it was planned that they would each make a dish and we would have dinner at Bob & Shari's on the patio. The other couple is Canadian but they were both born in England and his sister has been over here for a visit, so that made 7 for dinner. Marg's dish for tonight was butter chicken, one she has made numerous times and it's always good. This week a second dinner was planned among the group we happy hour with to celebrate March birthdays, but we had to pass having already made plans.
Supper was as planned on the patio at the Smith's and it was very good. It was handy having the cart as we had lots of stuff to pack over there. The food was great and we had a fun evening with these good folks.
Marg had an entertainment committee meeting this morning. She now sits on the committee that plans events for the park and then puts them together at the designated time. This also includes decorating the hall and anything else that is involved in making it happen.
I sprayed some weeds around the place this morning. Then I sharpened all the kitchen knives using a stone and a ceramic sharpener to get a good finish. Then I did some cleaning in the truck and a bit of visiting around the park where I found out some interesting information on a yard sale. When Marg got back we went to take a look. When we got there we found two other couples from our RV park checking it out as well. One of the interesting items for me was a running model T with a rumble seat. It was in pretty good condition, so an interesting car. Marg found lots of nice stuff especially the new air fryer at a good price, but it did not have the manual, so she passed and all she got was a pie lifter.
Lunch today was egg muffins on English muffins. This is one of our favourites for lunch. It was nice enough that we had lunch on our outdoor table in the breezeway.
After lunch I did some vacuuming outside. The front step carpet seems to pick up everything and it all shows, so it was my main target. I recovered the back step last year and it is no where near the problem, so I will probably re-do the front one. Then Marg did the golf cart floor and some of the carpet in the breezeway. By the time we finished, I needed to change the vacuum bag in the shop vac.
Marg went out shopping she was looking for pompadoms for supper tonight, as she had no luck yesterday, so we went out to Fry's to see if they had any, but nothing. In fact most people had no idea what we were looking for. Funny as she finds these at home in GP, we would think it would be no problem in a bigger place. Another thing we gave up on today. There are a few Indian grocery stores on the internet but they are not close to here. In fact Marg had even made a dish of cucumber & yogurt for when we found them. She had been talking with a couple friends a while back and they had agreed it would be nice to have a curry night as they both enjoy it. So it was planned that they would each make a dish and we would have dinner at Bob & Shari's on the patio. The other couple is Canadian but they were both born in England and his sister has been over here for a visit, so that made 7 for dinner. Marg's dish for tonight was butter chicken, one she has made numerous times and it's always good. This week a second dinner was planned among the group we happy hour with to celebrate March birthdays, but we had to pass having already made plans.
Supper was as planned on the patio at the Smith's and it was very good. It was handy having the cart as we had lots of stuff to pack over there. The food was great and we had a fun evening with these good folks.
Thursday 15 March 2018
The Ides of March, a Thursday
Ah, the Ides of March are upon us. It was a cloudy, windy day and the temperatures feel quite a bit from yesterday. I think it got to the mid to high 60's, pleasant, but not warm by what we normally expect in this area at this time.
I started my day going to the coffee klatch this morning. There was a decent size group this morning, but there was a bit of a different tone to the morning meeting. This is a great way to keep current on happenings in the park an area where there are already indications of the winding down of the winter season activities. A couple we spend a fair amount of time around left for home this morning, to get to a doctors appointment for him.
Marg had a few visitors this morning. One was Wink, the fellow we helped get his golf cart advertised on line. The buy & sell site Marg listed it on is showing 450 people have looked at the ad in the last two days, a statistic he was impressed with. There have also been inquiries from the Craigs List site, but a much smaller number. He has already had people come by and check the cart out, so he is more positive in his outlook about chances of selling it. Then Marg went over to see Shari about the curry dinner we are having at their place tomorrow night. And then to see another gal who is hosting a pot luck dinner Friday to tell her we could not attend because of our conflict. I think there are 3 or 4 couples we are joining for the curry, so it should be a fun event. Then Marg went out for a few supplies so she could make what she has committed to. I think she is doing a butter chicken dish, the rice and getting some naan bread, chutney, etc.
I went to play some pool this afternoon. There were 3 of the regulars playing and then the guy who is new to the park was uncovering a second table. I offered to play him, even if it was just one on one. I say that because he is a very good player and a couple of fellows in the park played him but not for long, apparently quitting early. He is a friendly fellow, so I thought I would give it a whirl. Well my cue stick was hot today. I won every game except the last one where he beat me. It wasn't that I was a better player, I just had a better game plan. Then one of the fellows from the other table stayed to play 3 games with us when that game wrapped up, so it was 2 vs 1 and I did OK in those 3 games as well. Some days you get lucky. In fact I told the guy luck is a big part of my game. The park managers were wandering about with the Century Link people. The are putting in a fiber-optic backbone and will be offering TV & Internet service next year.
When I got back, Marg had returned with a bunch of groceries. Shortly after I got back we had a few visitors one of whom was asking if she knew the happy hour location today. The cool wind was still blowing, so Marg volunteered that it could be at our place. Well sure enough there were a dozen or more folks here for that hour. It ended up being pretty hilarious and lots of laughing.
Supper was a nice bbq steak and baked potato. It was a large T-bone and the beef here is pretty good, not as good as Albert beef, but it's corn fed so the taste is quite good.
After supper we went to the animal races - Go Bimbo! This was the last one of the season, so they gave away cash prizes on a draw basis. They take a bit out of each payout during the year to give them a cushion in the event they have a calculating error when they make the payouts. Marg won most races and had doubled her bets, so she won $6.75 plus $4 in one of the draws, so vey cool. Me, I won more than I lost, $3.25 I think, so a good night for the Gourlay's.
I started my day going to the coffee klatch this morning. There was a decent size group this morning, but there was a bit of a different tone to the morning meeting. This is a great way to keep current on happenings in the park an area where there are already indications of the winding down of the winter season activities. A couple we spend a fair amount of time around left for home this morning, to get to a doctors appointment for him.
Marg had a few visitors this morning. One was Wink, the fellow we helped get his golf cart advertised on line. The buy & sell site Marg listed it on is showing 450 people have looked at the ad in the last two days, a statistic he was impressed with. There have also been inquiries from the Craigs List site, but a much smaller number. He has already had people come by and check the cart out, so he is more positive in his outlook about chances of selling it. Then Marg went over to see Shari about the curry dinner we are having at their place tomorrow night. And then to see another gal who is hosting a pot luck dinner Friday to tell her we could not attend because of our conflict. I think there are 3 or 4 couples we are joining for the curry, so it should be a fun event. Then Marg went out for a few supplies so she could make what she has committed to. I think she is doing a butter chicken dish, the rice and getting some naan bread, chutney, etc.
I went to play some pool this afternoon. There were 3 of the regulars playing and then the guy who is new to the park was uncovering a second table. I offered to play him, even if it was just one on one. I say that because he is a very good player and a couple of fellows in the park played him but not for long, apparently quitting early. He is a friendly fellow, so I thought I would give it a whirl. Well my cue stick was hot today. I won every game except the last one where he beat me. It wasn't that I was a better player, I just had a better game plan. Then one of the fellows from the other table stayed to play 3 games with us when that game wrapped up, so it was 2 vs 1 and I did OK in those 3 games as well. Some days you get lucky. In fact I told the guy luck is a big part of my game. The park managers were wandering about with the Century Link people. The are putting in a fiber-optic backbone and will be offering TV & Internet service next year.
When I got back, Marg had returned with a bunch of groceries. Shortly after I got back we had a few visitors one of whom was asking if she knew the happy hour location today. The cool wind was still blowing, so Marg volunteered that it could be at our place. Well sure enough there were a dozen or more folks here for that hour. It ended up being pretty hilarious and lots of laughing.
Supper was a nice bbq steak and baked potato. It was a large T-bone and the beef here is pretty good, not as good as Albert beef, but it's corn fed so the taste is quite good.
After supper we went to the animal races - Go Bimbo! This was the last one of the season, so they gave away cash prizes on a draw basis. They take a bit out of each payout during the year to give them a cushion in the event they have a calculating error when they make the payouts. Marg won most races and had doubled her bets, so she won $6.75 plus $4 in one of the draws, so vey cool. Me, I won more than I lost, $3.25 I think, so a good night for the Gourlay's.
Wednesday 14 March 2018
Wednesday, Mar 14th
Another gorgeous day in the Valley of the Sun. No coats today, it was too warm for anything but shorts and tee shirts.
Gerry came early in the morning and we went to golf with the group from the park here. We have 6 foursomes now so lots of activity on the course. My game went OK today except for a few lapses where I tried to see the entire course. It was a 4 turtle day and yours truly and one other in our foursome made the water, damn turtles anyway, they just come out to watch splash. It was about as good weather for golf as you could hope for.
Marg went with the gals from the park for lunch today. They carpooled and all went to the Olive Garden just before noon. Marg drove and a couple of ladies rode with her and I believe on of the ladies may have navigated, or maybe she has been in that area enough that she just drove straight there. They had 17 ladies attend and as always there were some who would have gone, but that is just the way it goes with large groups. Rumour has it the restaurant sold lots of margaritas today.
When got home it was lunch time and fortunately there was left over past salad in the fridge, so that was my lunch. I never realized how much chopped up asparagus was in it, but fortunately it was easy to sort out the green bits. After lunch I went to check on Wink to see how the ads are working. Apparently he has been receiving a good number of phone calls on his golf cart, so we seem to have it working and he was pleased. Then I went to get Dale to take him to the pool room. Marg had left a note for me that he was looking to play. He is a bit reluctant to just go and play with anyone, but if I ask him, he is usually up for a game. We ended up joining a couple of guys at a table already in play and we had some very good games today. Lots of laughs with this group, so a good afternoon.
When I got back to our place, Marg had company. It was a couple who needed access to wifi and had been going to various places to use it. Anyway they were doing stuff for the tenants association so she volunteered the use of our connection. I'm not sure what all they were doing but he was still in the breezeway using it when we left.
Where did we leave for? Well tonight was the commitment we made to meet Gerry & Deb at Casino Arizona to play bingo. It the process, Marg had offered a couple of the gamblin' gals an opportunity to join us and two accepted. Being only 4 of us Jerry asked if he could come along, so we had a full load of 5 in the truck. We had a nice dinner in the casino at one of the restaurants and then the gals played a bit of slots. We played bingo using the electronic machines and that is pretty slow going, in fact I dozed off while we were playing and that became the joke of the night. Marg shook me and I decided I'd better have a coffee to see if that helped me stay alert. Jerry played blackjack for quite a while and then joined us at the bingo when it was about half over. There were no winners at bingo tonight, but one of the gals made about $200 in the casino.
Gerry came early in the morning and we went to golf with the group from the park here. We have 6 foursomes now so lots of activity on the course. My game went OK today except for a few lapses where I tried to see the entire course. It was a 4 turtle day and yours truly and one other in our foursome made the water, damn turtles anyway, they just come out to watch splash. It was about as good weather for golf as you could hope for.
Marg went with the gals from the park for lunch today. They carpooled and all went to the Olive Garden just before noon. Marg drove and a couple of ladies rode with her and I believe on of the ladies may have navigated, or maybe she has been in that area enough that she just drove straight there. They had 17 ladies attend and as always there were some who would have gone, but that is just the way it goes with large groups. Rumour has it the restaurant sold lots of margaritas today.
When got home it was lunch time and fortunately there was left over past salad in the fridge, so that was my lunch. I never realized how much chopped up asparagus was in it, but fortunately it was easy to sort out the green bits. After lunch I went to check on Wink to see how the ads are working. Apparently he has been receiving a good number of phone calls on his golf cart, so we seem to have it working and he was pleased. Then I went to get Dale to take him to the pool room. Marg had left a note for me that he was looking to play. He is a bit reluctant to just go and play with anyone, but if I ask him, he is usually up for a game. We ended up joining a couple of guys at a table already in play and we had some very good games today. Lots of laughs with this group, so a good afternoon.
When I got back to our place, Marg had company. It was a couple who needed access to wifi and had been going to various places to use it. Anyway they were doing stuff for the tenants association so she volunteered the use of our connection. I'm not sure what all they were doing but he was still in the breezeway using it when we left.
Where did we leave for? Well tonight was the commitment we made to meet Gerry & Deb at Casino Arizona to play bingo. It the process, Marg had offered a couple of the gamblin' gals an opportunity to join us and two accepted. Being only 4 of us Jerry asked if he could come along, so we had a full load of 5 in the truck. We had a nice dinner in the casino at one of the restaurants and then the gals played a bit of slots. We played bingo using the electronic machines and that is pretty slow going, in fact I dozed off while we were playing and that became the joke of the night. Marg shook me and I decided I'd better have a coffee to see if that helped me stay alert. Jerry played blackjack for quite a while and then joined us at the bingo when it was about half over. There were no winners at bingo tonight, but one of the gals made about $200 in the casino.
Tuesday 13 March 2018
Tuesday, Mar 13th
The day started out a bit cloudy, but it warmed quickly. By noon it was as warm as a nice summer day back at home. I think the temperature maxed out at about 83 F or 28 C today.
Marg had the laundry hung to dry last night, so it was ready for steaming this morning. After she got that done she went to water aerobics. Attendance was pretty good with the nice weather and the pool was gorgeous. Me, well I had made a commitment yesterday to be at the pool room for 1 o'clock so the 2 players from out of the park would have a resident to play with so they could play. Unfortunately the group lunch we had scheduled for 11 this morning was changed to after 1 this afternoon. We got notice of the change around 9 last night, so was not able to let anyone know of my scheduling problem last night. So this morning I was on my bike visiting around the park to find someone to fill my obligation at the pool room. Fortunately I was successful and it all worked out.
By the time Marg returned from the swimming pool she just had time to get changed and ready to head out for our group lunch. It was about 15 or 20 miles, so we did a bit of car pooling. Two guys with vans took 2 or 3 extra couples. Marg & I along with Kenny & Doris rode with Jerry. It was organized by some folks who are leaving this week, so there were 18 of us who went to Crackerbarrel. They gave us most of the middle section of the restaurant so we could sit as a group. This was the reason we had the last minute change in our time, the restaurant requested we come at 1PM so they could accommodate us in this manner. The food was good as always. Marg had chicken fried chicken and I had a breakfast option, the blueberry pancakes with bacon & 2 eggs. When my order came, I knew I had ordered too much. The 3 pancakes were huge and loaded with blueberries. The bonus was a small jar of blueberry syrup from Maine with lots of berries in it. I was only able to eat 2 pancakes and one egg. Fortunately Darrel was there and he ate the 3rd pancake as well as half of Rita's salad and half of Marg's salad in addition to his own meal. That boy has a big appetite.
When we got back it was getting on in the afternoon, but we had a guest. Wink stopped by with the golf cart he wants to sell. It's a 6 yr old Yamaha, very nice and in like new condition. He had asked another guy to put it on Craigs List, but it never happened so I had volunteered to do it. We took some pictures and Marg with her Ipad put it on a Buy & Sell page here and I put it on Craigs List. When I put it on they phone the install code, probably to authenticate the transaction. Anyway I called Mayva to get the code from her and she thought it was a crank call and hung up on it. So I had to figure out how to re-submit. Anyway we got it done and they already had 2 inquiries within an hour.
About 4 o'clock we had a visitor and then a second one. Before we knew it we were hosting happy hour today. We ended up with about a dozen or more here. It was a good location as it was hot by then and there was a bit of a breeze through our place and it was in the shade. We had a discussion about how hot it was, so I know it was in the low 80's.
We were still full from lunch, so just had a bit of crackers, cheese and salami as a snack. Then we went to bingo. Sadly there were no winnings to report today, but Kenny won twice & Doris once. After bingo we went out to the Village Inn for pie and coffee with Kenny & Doris. A busy day.
Marg had the laundry hung to dry last night, so it was ready for steaming this morning. After she got that done she went to water aerobics. Attendance was pretty good with the nice weather and the pool was gorgeous. Me, well I had made a commitment yesterday to be at the pool room for 1 o'clock so the 2 players from out of the park would have a resident to play with so they could play. Unfortunately the group lunch we had scheduled for 11 this morning was changed to after 1 this afternoon. We got notice of the change around 9 last night, so was not able to let anyone know of my scheduling problem last night. So this morning I was on my bike visiting around the park to find someone to fill my obligation at the pool room. Fortunately I was successful and it all worked out.
When we got back it was getting on in the afternoon, but we had a guest. Wink stopped by with the golf cart he wants to sell. It's a 6 yr old Yamaha, very nice and in like new condition. He had asked another guy to put it on Craigs List, but it never happened so I had volunteered to do it. We took some pictures and Marg with her Ipad put it on a Buy & Sell page here and I put it on Craigs List. When I put it on they phone the install code, probably to authenticate the transaction. Anyway I called Mayva to get the code from her and she thought it was a crank call and hung up on it. So I had to figure out how to re-submit. Anyway we got it done and they already had 2 inquiries within an hour.
About 4 o'clock we had a visitor and then a second one. Before we knew it we were hosting happy hour today. We ended up with about a dozen or more here. It was a good location as it was hot by then and there was a bit of a breeze through our place and it was in the shade. We had a discussion about how hot it was, so I know it was in the low 80's.
We were still full from lunch, so just had a bit of crackers, cheese and salami as a snack. Then we went to bingo. Sadly there were no winnings to report today, but Kenny won twice & Doris once. After bingo we went out to the Village Inn for pie and coffee with Kenny & Doris. A busy day.
Monday 12 March 2018
Monday, Mar 12th
The day started out nice and it was a beautiful day. This is the Arizona we signed on for.
Marg went with the Gamblin' gals to the Fort, I think there were four of them this morning. I guess they never had any winners in the group, but Marg's winning number was on the monitor as the next to be called for $600 when someone called bingo.. I guess there were quite a few buses bringing people in to play, so lots of players. She said Monday is not proving to be a good day for their group and she will not be going on any more of them, so hoping they agree to a new day.
I paid some bills today. Our pest control guy sprayed last week, so I called to pay for the annual treatment deal. For $100 they spray 3 times a year, something we have been doing since we bought the place and since that time we have not had any pest problems. When we bought the place we had a problem with ants on the back patio as well as a few cockroaches back there.
We also had lots of spider webs under the trailer that we no longer have, so it seems to be a good investment. Then I called the newspaper to cancel our subscription. We get the paper daily on a deal when we get here. There are people everywhere soliciting subscriptions, so when we bought ours it was $20 for 2 months and we received a promotional coupon book.
I tried to fill the steering box, but it was packed with grease so didn't get much in it. Put the silicone on the filler plug and sealed it back up. Then went on to the rear diff. It was complicated to get at as I had to take a few things off first and then the access panel was bolted making it necessary to hold a wrench on the nut below while turning the bolt above. I had lots of people stop to ask what I was doing. It was a very tight work space back there, but I was able to jam a piece of the tubing on the spout of the oil bottle and get oil flowing into the diff. The manual said it takes 2 quarts and I put almost all of the quart I had into it, so it needed the oil. Then I drove it a bit to see if it was leaking. Everything seems fine.
I went to the pool room to play for a couple of hours. I played with some very good players for the first while and then when they left played with a few others one of whom is a new guy in the park. As it turned out he is very good so had some difficult games.
By then it was time to go wait for the gamblers at the park gate. As usual Marg drove Lynett home while I rode on the back and then I got to sit after she dropped her off. Supper was eat in tonight, spaghetti and meat sauce. After supper we sat out in the breezeway for a bit and had lots of visitors off and on. I had my fancy rope light on, I think it was attracting them. Marg did a load of laundry while we sat out there and chatted. The machine is so quiet you hardly know it's working.
Marg went with the Gamblin' gals to the Fort, I think there were four of them this morning. I guess they never had any winners in the group, but Marg's winning number was on the monitor as the next to be called for $600 when someone called bingo.. I guess there were quite a few buses bringing people in to play, so lots of players. She said Monday is not proving to be a good day for their group and she will not be going on any more of them, so hoping they agree to a new day.
I paid some bills today. Our pest control guy sprayed last week, so I called to pay for the annual treatment deal. For $100 they spray 3 times a year, something we have been doing since we bought the place and since that time we have not had any pest problems. When we bought the place we had a problem with ants on the back patio as well as a few cockroaches back there.
I tried to fill the steering box, but it was packed with grease so didn't get much in it. Put the silicone on the filler plug and sealed it back up. Then went on to the rear diff. It was complicated to get at as I had to take a few things off first and then the access panel was bolted making it necessary to hold a wrench on the nut below while turning the bolt above. I had lots of people stop to ask what I was doing. It was a very tight work space back there, but I was able to jam a piece of the tubing on the spout of the oil bottle and get oil flowing into the diff. The manual said it takes 2 quarts and I put almost all of the quart I had into it, so it needed the oil. Then I drove it a bit to see if it was leaking. Everything seems fine.
I went to the pool room to play for a couple of hours. I played with some very good players for the first while and then when they left played with a few others one of whom is a new guy in the park. As it turned out he is very good so had some difficult games.
By then it was time to go wait for the gamblers at the park gate. As usual Marg drove Lynett home while I rode on the back and then I got to sit after she dropped her off. Supper was eat in tonight, spaghetti and meat sauce. After supper we sat out in the breezeway for a bit and had lots of visitors off and on. I had my fancy rope light on, I think it was attracting them. Marg did a load of laundry while we sat out there and chatted. The machine is so quiet you hardly know it's working.
Sunday 11 March 2018
Sunday, Mar 11th
Happy Mothers Day to our mothers in the U.K. It rained last night and was still sprinkling in the morning. Once the sun got at it the clouds did not last and the day warmed very quickly.
I got an early start and went to the church service in the park, had to wear a rain coat for the walk down. It was about average for attendance but the announced it will end with the Easter Sunday service. One of the ladies in the park sang a nice solo and the sermon was quite good. One couple had their young grandson with them, who was very well behaved and the pastor gave him a small stuffed lamb, you know lamb of god. Two of the couples there told me they are leaving next week as they have a medical appointment back home. There was also a departure yesterday, so it is starting.
When I got back to the trailer I made oatmeal for breakfast. I'm not sure, but we get the same Quaker Oats here as at home. They offer quite a few varieties that I don't think we have at home, but I stick to the same old tried & true one.
After breakfast we went out to look for a solution to the lighting at the vanity table Marg uses to get ready each morning. There are two light bars with 4 bulbs each, but they generate too much heat, so by the time she finishes she claims it is uncomfortably warm. We started out looking for and LED light option, but could not find anything that appealed to us, so we checked out light bulbs. One of the problems is the fixture has candelabra bases and in the past bulb options were somewhat limited. We really lucked out today at Lowe's as they not only had 40 watt equivalent bulbs but they were on sale, except they only had 6 in stock. We bought at couple of 25 w, but they were not on sale.
When we got home we tried the new bulbs out and they are excellent: lots of light and even after being on for a time the bulbs remain comfortable to touch. I think we have very workable solution, but the ultimate test will be tomorrow morning when Marg uses it.
Lunch was nachos and Marg made up guacamole dip, two kinds of salsa, nacho cheese and had taco chips from the Mexican grocery store [Carnicheria I think they call it]. They are not at all like the nacho chips we normally get, they are a lot better. In the afternoon Marg did a load of towels and put them out to dry. We also had a facetime with Char and two of the girls, so very nice day. I tried to work on the golf cart a bit, but need to get a piece of hose or fluid pump. I was trying to put hypoid oil in the gear box and probably in the rear end as well, if it needs it. Stay tuned for a progress update tomorrow.
After supper we went to ice cream social. Marg tried a banana split flavoured ice cream that she said was very good and she had a piece of cake. I just had the banana split, with regular ice cream. The attendance there was good.
I got an early start and went to the church service in the park, had to wear a rain coat for the walk down. It was about average for attendance but the announced it will end with the Easter Sunday service. One of the ladies in the park sang a nice solo and the sermon was quite good. One couple had their young grandson with them, who was very well behaved and the pastor gave him a small stuffed lamb, you know lamb of god. Two of the couples there told me they are leaving next week as they have a medical appointment back home. There was also a departure yesterday, so it is starting.
When I got back to the trailer I made oatmeal for breakfast. I'm not sure, but we get the same Quaker Oats here as at home. They offer quite a few varieties that I don't think we have at home, but I stick to the same old tried & true one.
After breakfast we went out to look for a solution to the lighting at the vanity table Marg uses to get ready each morning. There are two light bars with 4 bulbs each, but they generate too much heat, so by the time she finishes she claims it is uncomfortably warm. We started out looking for and LED light option, but could not find anything that appealed to us, so we checked out light bulbs. One of the problems is the fixture has candelabra bases and in the past bulb options were somewhat limited. We really lucked out today at Lowe's as they not only had 40 watt equivalent bulbs but they were on sale, except they only had 6 in stock. We bought at couple of 25 w, but they were not on sale.
When we got home we tried the new bulbs out and they are excellent: lots of light and even after being on for a time the bulbs remain comfortable to touch. I think we have very workable solution, but the ultimate test will be tomorrow morning when Marg uses it.
Lunch was nachos and Marg made up guacamole dip, two kinds of salsa, nacho cheese and had taco chips from the Mexican grocery store [Carnicheria I think they call it]. They are not at all like the nacho chips we normally get, they are a lot better. In the afternoon Marg did a load of towels and put them out to dry. We also had a facetime with Char and two of the girls, so very nice day. I tried to work on the golf cart a bit, but need to get a piece of hose or fluid pump. I was trying to put hypoid oil in the gear box and probably in the rear end as well, if it needs it. Stay tuned for a progress update tomorrow.
After supper we went to ice cream social. Marg tried a banana split flavoured ice cream that she said was very good and she had a piece of cake. I just had the banana split, with regular ice cream. The attendance there was good.
Saturday 10 March 2018
Saturday, Mar 10th
The day started out vey nice and warm, but got cloudy as it progressed. It as very nice until about 4PM when it started to rain. Then we had a light rain, that sprinkled for a few hours, just enough to cause problems with the block party here on Donkey Lane.
We went out early in the day and checked out a couple of park sales, but they were not worth the time it took. The one park was a large one, so we went there first, thinking it was a very nice park and would have lots of good junk. There were several other sales advertised, but they were quite a way from here, so we decided to give it up.
We made our way back to our place as we wanted to have a facetime with Charlene. We knew Lyzi was having an appointment to discuss her progress since her surgery. Unfortunately it was not what we expected and we are now awaiting the results from some further tests.
After lunch we went out to the large Walmart on Signal Butte as we were looking for a few things. I needed to get a couple of stands for when we leave here so I can put the golf cart up. It helps save the tires if the cart is stored with the weight off the them. We also picked up a few other things we needed in the process, as we make lists when we find something we need, so that we don't forget when we do go to the store. Then we stopped at Big Lots on the way home where Marg found a memory stick deal and we need one, so picked that up. I need to copy some pictures from my old files to it for a friend here in the park.
We had to get back so Marg could make her dish to take to the block party / pot luck at 4. This block party was to be on the opposite side of the park from where we are located. There was a bit of confusion around the event as they were all set up on the lane up until a few minutes before they planned to start. At the last minute they moved everything indoors to the rec hall and were able to salvage the event, much the same as we did on the day our lane had it's block party. It turned out to be a resounding success with about 100 people in attendance. It was fortunate the event was indoor or we would have had to pass as Marg still has her cold that seems to have become a chronic cough.
We went out early in the day and checked out a couple of park sales, but they were not worth the time it took. The one park was a large one, so we went there first, thinking it was a very nice park and would have lots of good junk. There were several other sales advertised, but they were quite a way from here, so we decided to give it up.
We made our way back to our place as we wanted to have a facetime with Charlene. We knew Lyzi was having an appointment to discuss her progress since her surgery. Unfortunately it was not what we expected and we are now awaiting the results from some further tests.
After lunch we went out to the large Walmart on Signal Butte as we were looking for a few things. I needed to get a couple of stands for when we leave here so I can put the golf cart up. It helps save the tires if the cart is stored with the weight off the them. We also picked up a few other things we needed in the process, as we make lists when we find something we need, so that we don't forget when we do go to the store. Then we stopped at Big Lots on the way home where Marg found a memory stick deal and we need one, so picked that up. I need to copy some pictures from my old files to it for a friend here in the park.
We had to get back so Marg could make her dish to take to the block party / pot luck at 4. This block party was to be on the opposite side of the park from where we are located. There was a bit of confusion around the event as they were all set up on the lane up until a few minutes before they planned to start. At the last minute they moved everything indoors to the rec hall and were able to salvage the event, much the same as we did on the day our lane had it's block party. It turned out to be a resounding success with about 100 people in attendance. It was fortunate the event was indoor or we would have had to pass as Marg still has her cold that seems to have become a chronic cough.
Friday 9 March 2018
Friday, Mar 9th
This was a gorgeous day, likely the best one of 2018 so far. It got very warm, 84 F in a bright sunny day. We got up to a reasonably early start, but we power slept last night after a busy day.
Breakfast this morning was the rest of the monkey bread. It is always best the first day, especially when it's still warm, but still very good the day after. It was so nice, Marg went to water aerobics. She said it was well attended this morning and her hip was not a problem in the pool. She does most of the routines, but there are a couple that she practices an alternate routine to avoid problems.
While she was a the pool, I cleaned up the power box cover on the trailer. Its where all the fuses are on the outside wall at the back. It had become close to bare metal, I don't think it has ever been touched since the place was built. I had a spray bomb of off-white and wanted to see how close the match was to the golf cart, so this gave me a good opportunity. Turns out it is very glossy and seems quite light compared to the cart. In any event it got the box cover looking more presentable.
When Marg got back we had french toast for lunch. I think that must be my reward for working the ladies tea yesterday. She even had a nice french loaf she used for the bread, I must have really done well yesterday. LOL.
After lunch Marg went to Cato, the ladies wear store that helped out with the tea. She had arranged to go with Doris, who was picking up the garments she wore in the fashion parade. I guess they passed Rita and when she heard where they were headed, she jumped in as she also was picking up garments she wore. Shortly after they got there the place almost filled up with ladies from our park, seems they sold a lot of garments to people here. Well that was all good, but the best part was Marg found a dress that she really likes and it fit like a glove, so she got it. This might be the grandmother of the bride dress, no not another backup, the actual one. Before returning they stopped for some groceries, I think for one of the other ladies with her.
Well I had a choice so I went to play pool. There were only a few playing today, but one table had 2 at it, so I played with them. Played for about 2 hours, the a/c was on in the pool room and it was very pleasant in there. They have the thermostats locked off now, so the temperature was very moderate. In the past sometimes it was freezing in there or when it was cold outside, too hot in the room. I think the park management just decided there was too much of that and this was their solution. The games went well and I would say I won my share, so that is always good. One of the new campers in the park stopped to ask if I was carrying a pool stick as he liked to play and wasn't sure what the deal was. I advised him to just show up at 1 as there are always games and new people are welcome. I should have asked how good he is, as I get enough beatings, LOL.
After I got back it was time to go for happy. It was at the Clifford's today. I believe they are leaving next week, as they have been here since about October. They are having some medical problems and want to get back to their doctor in New Mexico. There is also another couple leaving tomorrow as she is having medical problems and needs to get back to Ohio. The reverse migration is starting.
We made arrangements to go out for dinner with Kenny & Doris to Crackerbarrel. This is one of their favourite restaurants and one that we enjoy. Marg had the cod and said it was easily the best fish she has eaten in this area and if we go our for fish on Friday, this is now her first choice.
Breakfast this morning was the rest of the monkey bread. It is always best the first day, especially when it's still warm, but still very good the day after. It was so nice, Marg went to water aerobics. She said it was well attended this morning and her hip was not a problem in the pool. She does most of the routines, but there are a couple that she practices an alternate routine to avoid problems.
While she was a the pool, I cleaned up the power box cover on the trailer. Its where all the fuses are on the outside wall at the back. It had become close to bare metal, I don't think it has ever been touched since the place was built. I had a spray bomb of off-white and wanted to see how close the match was to the golf cart, so this gave me a good opportunity. Turns out it is very glossy and seems quite light compared to the cart. In any event it got the box cover looking more presentable.
When Marg got back we had french toast for lunch. I think that must be my reward for working the ladies tea yesterday. She even had a nice french loaf she used for the bread, I must have really done well yesterday. LOL.
After lunch Marg went to Cato, the ladies wear store that helped out with the tea. She had arranged to go with Doris, who was picking up the garments she wore in the fashion parade. I guess they passed Rita and when she heard where they were headed, she jumped in as she also was picking up garments she wore. Shortly after they got there the place almost filled up with ladies from our park, seems they sold a lot of garments to people here. Well that was all good, but the best part was Marg found a dress that she really likes and it fit like a glove, so she got it. This might be the grandmother of the bride dress, no not another backup, the actual one. Before returning they stopped for some groceries, I think for one of the other ladies with her.
Well I had a choice so I went to play pool. There were only a few playing today, but one table had 2 at it, so I played with them. Played for about 2 hours, the a/c was on in the pool room and it was very pleasant in there. They have the thermostats locked off now, so the temperature was very moderate. In the past sometimes it was freezing in there or when it was cold outside, too hot in the room. I think the park management just decided there was too much of that and this was their solution. The games went well and I would say I won my share, so that is always good. One of the new campers in the park stopped to ask if I was carrying a pool stick as he liked to play and wasn't sure what the deal was. I advised him to just show up at 1 as there are always games and new people are welcome. I should have asked how good he is, as I get enough beatings, LOL.
After I got back it was time to go for happy. It was at the Clifford's today. I believe they are leaving next week, as they have been here since about October. They are having some medical problems and want to get back to their doctor in New Mexico. There is also another couple leaving tomorrow as she is having medical problems and needs to get back to Ohio. The reverse migration is starting.
We made arrangements to go out for dinner with Kenny & Doris to Crackerbarrel. This is one of their favourite restaurants and one that we enjoy. Marg had the cod and said it was easily the best fish she has eaten in this area and if we go our for fish on Friday, this is now her first choice.
Thursday 8 March 2018
A Thursday, Mar 8th
A busy day, we started off going to the coffee klatch this morning and the good news was the donuts were free. The bad news was we had some kind of doctor talking about deep laser therapy. There actually seemed to be quite a bit of interest, although he talked so fast most people had no idea what half of it was. Then we had the park owner drone on about big improvements we can expect with Century Link putting in a new fibre optic network.
After we got them out of the way we started moving tables and chairs to make ready for the ladies tea. It is a total make-over of the room, including decorating; so it was a good thing there was quite a bit of help and it never took too long. Then we had a couple of hours to do other things. While Marg got ready and got her finger food contribution ready as well as herself, I went out to buy water to make tea. They like to use filtered water.
At 12:30 we all gathered at the hall to make up trays, boil water and then the people started to arrive at about 1 although it was scheduled to start at 1:30. There was a very good turnout, about 60 ladies so the place was full. The have a few entertaining events the main one being the fashion show where about 8 ladies in the park modeled a casual and a more dress-up outfit from a local ladies store. The store has been part of it for quite a few years and they do the running commentary. Many of the ladies purchase the outfits, so it works out well. They also have a few presentations, one this year on fans and another on it being Woman's Day. Turns out that is a pretty big deal, there were even some businesses having an "M" in their sign turning it upside down to a "W". In fact quite a few McDonalds did it.
There was an incredible amount of food and they drank about 10 gallons in tea water. There were four guys, all volunteered by their wives [LOL], who served hot water in carafes and finger food on trays while the event went on. Well and I took lots of pictures. At the end it all had to be turned back the way the hall normally is, so a big job.
By the time we got back to our place it was just about happy hour. Happy was at Blanke's today, so we petty much had to go, although we were both starting to feel like we needed a rest. They had a huge turn-out but people only stay for an hour or less.
Back to our place for supper and after eating I was ready to sleep. I actually napped for about a half hour and then it was time to go to the animal races. The number of folks at the races was really down, a sure indication the season is nearing its end. They announced that next week is the end of the races. Again we had to go as one of the two guys who tell jokes in the break was not there and I had been asked to fill in. The good news was the elephant won twice & you know I had my bet on it. Marg won 5 of the 8 races, me only 3. A much better outcome than last week.
We are both bushed, it will not be a late night.
After we got them out of the way we started moving tables and chairs to make ready for the ladies tea. It is a total make-over of the room, including decorating; so it was a good thing there was quite a bit of help and it never took too long. Then we had a couple of hours to do other things. While Marg got ready and got her finger food contribution ready as well as herself, I went out to buy water to make tea. They like to use filtered water.
By the time we got back to our place it was just about happy hour. Happy was at Blanke's today, so we petty much had to go, although we were both starting to feel like we needed a rest. They had a huge turn-out but people only stay for an hour or less.
Back to our place for supper and after eating I was ready to sleep. I actually napped for about a half hour and then it was time to go to the animal races. The number of folks at the races was really down, a sure indication the season is nearing its end. They announced that next week is the end of the races. Again we had to go as one of the two guys who tell jokes in the break was not there and I had been asked to fill in. The good news was the elephant won twice & you know I had my bet on it. Marg won 5 of the 8 races, me only 3. A much better outcome than last week.
We are both bushed, it will not be a late night.
Wednesday 7 March 2018
Wednesday, Mar 7th
The day started out very pleasant and just got better. Marg was up before me and put her monkey bread in the oven. I think she intended it was breakfast, but it wasn't done by the time we had to leave for Apache Sun. It sure made the trailer smell nice inside though.
Gerry showed up a few minutes before 8, so we pretty much got loaded up and left. Our group at the golf course now numbers 24 and there is a waiting list to get in. I can't believe how well I hit my chip shots and putts in practice, that I can't duplicate in play. I started off with my usual first hole yips and then it got somewhat better. I was not in contention for any of the money holes, but of consolation it was a one turtle day and no one from our foursome went in the water. I have been playing with the Wilson balls Marg won in GP at a store opening. They are nice balls and I think my problems may have been the Calloway balls. As it turns out the Wilsons may also be a problem I know it's hard to believe but I think clubs may be the problem, they must not like new balls, perhaps I should .... Ah it's just a game. It was a good group to play with and we had a few laughs. Like when the organizer of our group heard about my luck at bingo, she asked if I was going to be lucky at golf. Well this was at the start and my answer was you bet, this will be a lucky day. Well they caught up with us on #7 where I hit my ball into a tree canopy instead of over. Her husband Gary said you'll be lucky to find your ball on that one. LOL Goodbye to another Wilson.
When we got back to the park Marg had the monkey bread and coffee ready, so Gerry stayed with us for some. He was blown away with how good the sticky buns were. It seems Marg makes everything she tries just a little bit better.
After that Marg went out for some groceries. Most pressing was the finger food she has to take to the Ladies Tea on Thursday afternoon. We were also low on some other things, so she went to 3 different places. From the Superstition Ranch market she brought back some great fresh fruit, especially the oranges. We haven't been eating as many oranges as usual and we both got colds. There may be a connection there.
In the afternoon I went to play pool. I was probably at the top of my game today. The guys were giving me a hard time about how lucky I was and they may have had something there. Played for a couple hours and then headed home. Got halfway and ended up spending a bit of time at Kenny's with 4 other guys. This was one of those guy gab sessions - you know where the "First liar has no chance!" Fun bunch of guys.
Marg drove by on the way home, but by the time I got there she had unloaded everything. We loaded up and went for the mail, then over to the patio at the hall where it was happy hour. We had not been to happy for quite a while, so we thought we best put in an appearance. You can only let them talk about you for so long and then you have to show up. LOL It ended up being a fun one.
Back how to bbq for supper. We had some nice potato & yams in a tinfoil and porkchops. All very good. The new bbq sauce we have is sure better than what we had before.
After supper I went to play poker. We had two tables of 4 tonight. The pots are much smaller in a 4 person game, but the range of what you can play is unlimited. I had a pretty hot hand tonight and I would say I probably won a nickel or a quarter. Marg reminded my that I started playing poker about 8 years ago with $20 in coins and I still have a roll of quarters [$10] from that date and in that time I have taken out some money for other things, so poker has really not cost me anything. I wish the casinos were more like this.
On a closing note, I found some information on Gourlay's making golf balls. A Douglas Gourlay from St Andrews became very well known for making quality feather balls in the 1700's. Later his son William took over from him and later yet his grandsons: William, Douglas & John [Jock] in the 1800's. The name became a mark of quality. There is a Gourlay ball dated 1835 [I think] in new condition and they are quite valuable. When you consider this is only 50 miles from Alloa/Sterling where the name is quite common. Makes me speculate on whether there is a family connection. I'm not sure where they found the golf balls, but they have the name Gourlay very clearly on them. If I knew where they found the balls, like in a bush or water hazard someplace it would be reasonable to assume a genetic connection to me.
Gerry showed up a few minutes before 8, so we pretty much got loaded up and left. Our group at the golf course now numbers 24 and there is a waiting list to get in. I can't believe how well I hit my chip shots and putts in practice, that I can't duplicate in play. I started off with my usual first hole yips and then it got somewhat better. I was not in contention for any of the money holes, but of consolation it was a one turtle day and no one from our foursome went in the water. I have been playing with the Wilson balls Marg won in GP at a store opening. They are nice balls and I think my problems may have been the Calloway balls. As it turns out the Wilsons may also be a problem I know it's hard to believe but I think clubs may be the problem, they must not like new balls, perhaps I should .... Ah it's just a game. It was a good group to play with and we had a few laughs. Like when the organizer of our group heard about my luck at bingo, she asked if I was going to be lucky at golf. Well this was at the start and my answer was you bet, this will be a lucky day. Well they caught up with us on #7 where I hit my ball into a tree canopy instead of over. Her husband Gary said you'll be lucky to find your ball on that one. LOL Goodbye to another Wilson.
When we got back to the park Marg had the monkey bread and coffee ready, so Gerry stayed with us for some. He was blown away with how good the sticky buns were. It seems Marg makes everything she tries just a little bit better.
After that Marg went out for some groceries. Most pressing was the finger food she has to take to the Ladies Tea on Thursday afternoon. We were also low on some other things, so she went to 3 different places. From the Superstition Ranch market she brought back some great fresh fruit, especially the oranges. We haven't been eating as many oranges as usual and we both got colds. There may be a connection there.
In the afternoon I went to play pool. I was probably at the top of my game today. The guys were giving me a hard time about how lucky I was and they may have had something there. Played for a couple hours and then headed home. Got halfway and ended up spending a bit of time at Kenny's with 4 other guys. This was one of those guy gab sessions - you know where the "First liar has no chance!" Fun bunch of guys.
Marg drove by on the way home, but by the time I got there she had unloaded everything. We loaded up and went for the mail, then over to the patio at the hall where it was happy hour. We had not been to happy for quite a while, so we thought we best put in an appearance. You can only let them talk about you for so long and then you have to show up. LOL It ended up being a fun one.
Back how to bbq for supper. We had some nice potato & yams in a tinfoil and porkchops. All very good. The new bbq sauce we have is sure better than what we had before.
After supper I went to play poker. We had two tables of 4 tonight. The pots are much smaller in a 4 person game, but the range of what you can play is unlimited. I had a pretty hot hand tonight and I would say I probably won a nickel or a quarter. Marg reminded my that I started playing poker about 8 years ago with $20 in coins and I still have a roll of quarters [$10] from that date and in that time I have taken out some money for other things, so poker has really not cost me anything. I wish the casinos were more like this.
On a closing note, I found some information on Gourlay's making golf balls. A Douglas Gourlay from St Andrews became very well known for making quality feather balls in the 1700's. Later his son William took over from him and later yet his grandsons: William, Douglas & John [Jock] in the 1800's. The name became a mark of quality. There is a Gourlay ball dated 1835 [I think] in new condition and they are quite valuable. When you consider this is only 50 miles from Alloa/Sterling where the name is quite common. Makes me speculate on whether there is a family connection. I'm not sure where they found the golf balls, but they have the name Gourlay very clearly on them. If I knew where they found the balls, like in a bush or water hazard someplace it would be reasonable to assume a genetic connection to me.
Tuesday 6 March 2018
Tuesday, Mar 6th
What a beautiful day. The wind blew in AJ, it always does as it comes off the Superstition Mountains, but it was not a cold wind. As we went in closer to the centre of Phoenix, it got warmer and the wind died down.
Before we left, Marg put a load of laundry in the machine and then we had some cereal and left for some retail therapy. Well sort of I took a pocket book to read and Marg took her pocket book to spend. The quest is still looking for that grandmother of the bride dress. The challenge is daunting as she found one she loved, but could not get it in her size and although she has bought the back-up dress she is still seeking THE ONE. We went in to the outlet mall at Tempe where they had about 6 shops that she loves, even a Nordstrom's. The first store she went to she found 3 tops, but no suitable dress, then on to the Dress Barn, nada; then Ross's again nada.
By then it was lunch time, so we went to one of her fav's, Ruby Tuesday. They have a pretty nice salad bar, not one of my fav's, but the food is good. As predicted she had the salad bar while I ordered the RT burger. When I go to a place that has a burger on the menu they list as they special or traditional burger, I generally order it and have seldom been disappointed. That was the case today, but I could not do justice to the mound of french fries it came with.
Then it was back into the breech and we went over to where the Nordstrom's store was. Well Marg dashed in there with visions of success as that was where she got her dress of choice for Anna's wedding. Me, well I never go into a store where tee shirts start at $100, it just isn't me. It happened there was a Total Wine very close by so I went in there and drooled over the rows and rows of fine whisky. I ended up not buying anything as the ones that appealed to me were better priced at Costco and I have not really enjoyed some of the lesser known ones I have bought there in the past. They would fall into the OK category, good enough for company. LOL So I went back to the truck to read my duster. Marg came out with nothing again, well you can imagine that was not as bad as it sounds. Hah.
From there we headed back towards home and about half way we turned off the 202 at Power road as I wanted to get a hair cut. I dropped Marg off at Superstition Springs where she went to TJ Max and I went over to the new Mexican barber. I was lucky as there was only one guy in the chair, very unusual. By the time I left there were 3 or 4 guys waiting their turn, which is more normal. There is a Van's golf store next to the barbers, so I stopped in for some short tees, you know the ones you use to hit an iron shot. Often I use broken tees, but sometimes they are scarce so I like to have them in the bag. Kind of bugs me as they cost more than the longer ones, probably a volume thing.
Back to pick up Marg who had a small bag with some things she needed, none of which were a dress. I think a shower curtain and something for her hair. Then back home.
When we got home I remembered that we still needed water, so down to the outlet to fill the 5 & 2 gallon bottles. It's not just that we like the filtered water better, but we prefer the water cooler given the amount of we drink here. The 5 gallons usually doesn't make a week.
Supper was in tonight and we finished off the potato salad and some more of the ham. It was good and we needed to have something fairly quick.
Off to the bingo in the hall. It was fairly well attended and we were close almost every game. Well better than close actually. I won one game by myself [$28] and split the final game, the double daub with another Canuck so we each got $61, so a pretty good night for a guy who almost never wins.
Before we left, Marg put a load of laundry in the machine and then we had some cereal and left for some retail therapy. Well sort of I took a pocket book to read and Marg took her pocket book to spend. The quest is still looking for that grandmother of the bride dress. The challenge is daunting as she found one she loved, but could not get it in her size and although she has bought the back-up dress she is still seeking THE ONE. We went in to the outlet mall at Tempe where they had about 6 shops that she loves, even a Nordstrom's. The first store she went to she found 3 tops, but no suitable dress, then on to the Dress Barn, nada; then Ross's again nada.
By then it was lunch time, so we went to one of her fav's, Ruby Tuesday. They have a pretty nice salad bar, not one of my fav's, but the food is good. As predicted she had the salad bar while I ordered the RT burger. When I go to a place that has a burger on the menu they list as they special or traditional burger, I generally order it and have seldom been disappointed. That was the case today, but I could not do justice to the mound of french fries it came with.
Then it was back into the breech and we went over to where the Nordstrom's store was. Well Marg dashed in there with visions of success as that was where she got her dress of choice for Anna's wedding. Me, well I never go into a store where tee shirts start at $100, it just isn't me. It happened there was a Total Wine very close by so I went in there and drooled over the rows and rows of fine whisky. I ended up not buying anything as the ones that appealed to me were better priced at Costco and I have not really enjoyed some of the lesser known ones I have bought there in the past. They would fall into the OK category, good enough for company. LOL So I went back to the truck to read my duster. Marg came out with nothing again, well you can imagine that was not as bad as it sounds. Hah.
From there we headed back towards home and about half way we turned off the 202 at Power road as I wanted to get a hair cut. I dropped Marg off at Superstition Springs where she went to TJ Max and I went over to the new Mexican barber. I was lucky as there was only one guy in the chair, very unusual. By the time I left there were 3 or 4 guys waiting their turn, which is more normal. There is a Van's golf store next to the barbers, so I stopped in for some short tees, you know the ones you use to hit an iron shot. Often I use broken tees, but sometimes they are scarce so I like to have them in the bag. Kind of bugs me as they cost more than the longer ones, probably a volume thing.
Back to pick up Marg who had a small bag with some things she needed, none of which were a dress. I think a shower curtain and something for her hair. Then back home.
When we got home I remembered that we still needed water, so down to the outlet to fill the 5 & 2 gallon bottles. It's not just that we like the filtered water better, but we prefer the water cooler given the amount of we drink here. The 5 gallons usually doesn't make a week.
Supper was in tonight and we finished off the potato salad and some more of the ham. It was good and we needed to have something fairly quick.
Off to the bingo in the hall. It was fairly well attended and we were close almost every game. Well better than close actually. I won one game by myself [$28] and split the final game, the double daub with another Canuck so we each got $61, so a pretty good night for a guy who almost never wins.
Monday 5 March 2018
Monday, Mar 5th
Happy Birthday Brennan - 23. How the years have flown by on us. Hope you have a great time in Vancouver on your special day.
The nicest day in a while down here in Apache Junction.
Marg went to the Fort with the gamblin' gals and they had a car full today. Well they would have but at the appointed hour one of the gals they thought was a maybe wasn't there, so they left. It turns out she was just late, so she missed out. Last week when Marg didn't go they had a big winner, but sadly this week they all donated. That is kind of the way it works especially on bingo. She reported that her problem hip was not so much a problem today and that made for a pleasant day.
I went with Stan to Encanto where we met up with Gerry for 18 holes of fun, fun, fun. There were some moments today, you know those shots or holes that make you want to come back. But when I looked at the score card it was evident I really struggled. I blame it on my weakened condition from having that cold for the last couple of weeks. I did lose one ball, but that is not at all a high count for me, I am capable of pounding more into the murky depths of the water hazards. Stan drove today and traffic was very light, I think he must lead a charmed life.
When I got back to the park, there was a package for Marg, from Amazon, on the step. Good thing people here are so honest. There was also a bill for pest control stuck in the door. I had forgot they were coming to spray around the trailer for critters. When we bought this place we had lots of critters around, like ants and even a couple of cockroaches out back, but we've had none since this outfit has been spraying the outside 3 times a year. I had a bit of time, but almost fell asleep when I sat. It was very warm out today and I may have a bit of sunburn on my arms and neck. Now for those of you in the winters nasty grip this probably is not drawing a lot of sympathy, but down here in the Valley of the Sun it can be a problem. But I did manage to get the cart down to the main gate so she could ride back to our place as it is quite a hike from there. Well her & Lynett ride on the seats and I kind of stand on the back and hang on.
Supper was some nice ham Marg had and the potato salad. Life is good. An update on our colds, well we may have turned the corner on them, fingers crossed.
The nicest day in a while down here in Apache Junction.
Marg went to the Fort with the gamblin' gals and they had a car full today. Well they would have but at the appointed hour one of the gals they thought was a maybe wasn't there, so they left. It turns out she was just late, so she missed out. Last week when Marg didn't go they had a big winner, but sadly this week they all donated. That is kind of the way it works especially on bingo. She reported that her problem hip was not so much a problem today and that made for a pleasant day.
I went with Stan to Encanto where we met up with Gerry for 18 holes of fun, fun, fun. There were some moments today, you know those shots or holes that make you want to come back. But when I looked at the score card it was evident I really struggled. I blame it on my weakened condition from having that cold for the last couple of weeks. I did lose one ball, but that is not at all a high count for me, I am capable of pounding more into the murky depths of the water hazards. Stan drove today and traffic was very light, I think he must lead a charmed life.
When I got back to the park, there was a package for Marg, from Amazon, on the step. Good thing people here are so honest. There was also a bill for pest control stuck in the door. I had forgot they were coming to spray around the trailer for critters. When we bought this place we had lots of critters around, like ants and even a couple of cockroaches out back, but we've had none since this outfit has been spraying the outside 3 times a year. I had a bit of time, but almost fell asleep when I sat. It was very warm out today and I may have a bit of sunburn on my arms and neck. Now for those of you in the winters nasty grip this probably is not drawing a lot of sympathy, but down here in the Valley of the Sun it can be a problem. But I did manage to get the cart down to the main gate so she could ride back to our place as it is quite a hike from there. Well her & Lynett ride on the seats and I kind of stand on the back and hang on.
Supper was some nice ham Marg had and the potato salad. Life is good. An update on our colds, well we may have turned the corner on them, fingers crossed.
Sunday 4 March 2018
Sunday, Mar 4th
Happy birthday to our 19 year old granddaughters, Paige & Haylee. Thanks for the facetime today it was sure nice speaking with you. I hope your birthday cards get there soon.
Got up in time, but did not feel up to going to the church service. We are mostly trying to limit our group function time until we are totally over these lousy colds. We are going on 3 weeks now. As a result not much to report on today. After I charged the batteries up, Marg took the golf cart for a ride to throw out the trash and recycle stuff. The batteries were really run down, probably the lowest I have seen them so it took more than an hour to charge it up. Then she did a load of laundry and hung it up on the patio.
We sat around the house today and tried to get some rest. It was a very nice day in the sun, so I sat out back on the patio for a few hours, amid the laundry. Marg also made a potato salad, one of my favourite things about summer. Well technically it is winter here, but with a daytime high of 25C, it seems like summer.
Oh yes, Stan came by and then Mickey regarding the golf yesterday. It seems I won 5 holes, so had 5 skins, not 4 as earlier thought. Stan came by to give me the $3 difference from Mickey but he wasn't certain of the reason. He also informed me he would not be accompanying us for golf on Monday. Tried to get another player without success, so we will be 3. Then the lady across the road had sent Marg a couple of pictures of her grandson and asked it I would post them. Then I put the activity calendar for March on the site. I tried doing it with the electronic file, without success, so now I just scan it.
Supper tonight was bbq, a nice New York steak. The only negative is they don't butcher like I am familiar with from home. The steak had a nasty piece of gristle running through it, something you would not see in a meat cut of that caliber at Blackmans. Anyway it was good especially with the potato salad accompanied by tomatoes and guacamole.
That was pretty much it for the day.
Got up in time, but did not feel up to going to the church service. We are mostly trying to limit our group function time until we are totally over these lousy colds. We are going on 3 weeks now. As a result not much to report on today. After I charged the batteries up, Marg took the golf cart for a ride to throw out the trash and recycle stuff. The batteries were really run down, probably the lowest I have seen them so it took more than an hour to charge it up. Then she did a load of laundry and hung it up on the patio.
We sat around the house today and tried to get some rest. It was a very nice day in the sun, so I sat out back on the patio for a few hours, amid the laundry. Marg also made a potato salad, one of my favourite things about summer. Well technically it is winter here, but with a daytime high of 25C, it seems like summer.
Oh yes, Stan came by and then Mickey regarding the golf yesterday. It seems I won 5 holes, so had 5 skins, not 4 as earlier thought. Stan came by to give me the $3 difference from Mickey but he wasn't certain of the reason. He also informed me he would not be accompanying us for golf on Monday. Tried to get another player without success, so we will be 3. Then the lady across the road had sent Marg a couple of pictures of her grandson and asked it I would post them. Then I put the activity calendar for March on the site. I tried doing it with the electronic file, without success, so now I just scan it.
Supper tonight was bbq, a nice New York steak. The only negative is they don't butcher like I am familiar with from home. The steak had a nasty piece of gristle running through it, something you would not see in a meat cut of that caliber at Blackmans. Anyway it was good especially with the potato salad accompanied by tomatoes and guacamole.
That was pretty much it for the day.
Saturday 3 March 2018
Saturday, Mar 3rd
Finally a day to brag about, the weather was more like what we expect here. Not certain how warm, but I saw 25C registered on the truck. Shorts and no coat day.
We had a bowl of oatmeal this morning and then invigorated by it we went to a few park sales. At the first one we came across a guy selling a lot of tools that were very good quality. I looked it all over and chatted him a bit about what great stuff he had. Then I picked out a few things that came to $14, so I asked it $12 would be OK which he accepted. Then as he was putting them in a bag, he said you should have this and could use that and when he finished pretty much doubled what I had bought, then asked if there was anything else I needed, a neat guy. We stopped in the clubhouse and Marg got a few things, I got 3 pocket books and they said everything was half off, so I tall came to a dollar. Very good deal. After we went to a couple more sales, but nothing, so we headed home.
Got close to home and decided to stop at Hackers for lunch. Marg had a burger and chips. The chips here are not the kind you find in bags in stores, they thin slice potatoes and deep fry the discs, they are to die for. I had a half Rueben and cole slaw, we were both well pleased with our choice. Marg had Raspberry ice tea with her burger, so they gave her a take away one when we left. I didn't want any more soda to go, so I declined, but it is no extra charge. Just another unique feature of the place. It was crowded at lunch, but with just the two of us we got in fairly quickly.
When we got back I decided to play pool, so we started out on the cart as Marg came along to get the mail. We got about half way there and had so many visitors that I got out and walked to the pool room, my wife the social butterfly. There was only one other guy and we had some good games, but had to quit early as we had both volunteered to help at the hall Well he volunteered and my wife volunteered me. It was to decorate the hall.
There was a pretty good sized group to help and we made short work of it. We set up a western type bar that was used as a photo prop. We hung cowboy boots from the ceiling, wanted posters on the wall, cowboy hats, you name it.
After we went to Denny's with Kenny & Doris for supper. It was funny both Marg & I ordered a version of a club sandwich, her's with a salad, mine with a bowl of fresh fruit. It was quick and good and having had a large lunch we were not that hungry, so even doing our best could not finish it.
Shortly after we got back and it was time to go to the hall for the dance. It was a fun event and the turnout was pretty good. Even though we could not dance due to Marg's hip, we enjoyed ourselves.
We had a bowl of oatmeal this morning and then invigorated by it we went to a few park sales. At the first one we came across a guy selling a lot of tools that were very good quality. I looked it all over and chatted him a bit about what great stuff he had. Then I picked out a few things that came to $14, so I asked it $12 would be OK which he accepted. Then as he was putting them in a bag, he said you should have this and could use that and when he finished pretty much doubled what I had bought, then asked if there was anything else I needed, a neat guy. We stopped in the clubhouse and Marg got a few things, I got 3 pocket books and they said everything was half off, so I tall came to a dollar. Very good deal. After we went to a couple more sales, but nothing, so we headed home.
Got close to home and decided to stop at Hackers for lunch. Marg had a burger and chips. The chips here are not the kind you find in bags in stores, they thin slice potatoes and deep fry the discs, they are to die for. I had a half Rueben and cole slaw, we were both well pleased with our choice. Marg had Raspberry ice tea with her burger, so they gave her a take away one when we left. I didn't want any more soda to go, so I declined, but it is no extra charge. Just another unique feature of the place. It was crowded at lunch, but with just the two of us we got in fairly quickly.
When we got back I decided to play pool, so we started out on the cart as Marg came along to get the mail. We got about half way there and had so many visitors that I got out and walked to the pool room, my wife the social butterfly. There was only one other guy and we had some good games, but had to quit early as we had both volunteered to help at the hall Well he volunteered and my wife volunteered me. It was to decorate the hall.
There was a pretty good sized group to help and we made short work of it. We set up a western type bar that was used as a photo prop. We hung cowboy boots from the ceiling, wanted posters on the wall, cowboy hats, you name it.
After we went to Denny's with Kenny & Doris for supper. It was funny both Marg & I ordered a version of a club sandwich, her's with a salad, mine with a bowl of fresh fruit. It was quick and good and having had a large lunch we were not that hungry, so even doing our best could not finish it.
Shortly after we got back and it was time to go to the hall for the dance. It was a fun event and the turnout was pretty good. Even though we could not dance due to Marg's hip, we enjoyed ourselves.
Friday 2 March 2018
Friday, March 2nd
A much nicer day today.
We got up early and were at the pharmacy in Walgreen very early in the day. Marg got a few things she needed and some medications to help her battle the lousy cold, including a few boxes of tissues. I think her cough is showing signs of abating, but she is still not out of the woods with the cold. Oh darn, I may have spoke too soon, there she is barking again. I seem to be over it, but now just have a chronic cough. Although I have suffered from this in the past it has been a long time since it last happened and while not anywhere near like a cold is annoying.
I was supposed to take pictures of the new executive for the tenants association, but there must have been a miscommunication so it never happened. I usually do this for them and put it on the associations FB page. Marg did up some pork chops and put them in the slow cooker, so I know that supper will be looked after. Lots of folks eat out on Friday, but it looks like ours is looked after. With the unpredictable time I will be back, the slow cooker sure simplifies things.
I had a golf game scheduled with 3 other guys in the park and we left at 11 AM with the plan of having lunch at the course, then some putting/chipping practice before the game. The course was in very nice shape, it was my first time playing here this year. I started out a bit shaky, I always get the first hole yips and managed to hook my first tee shot over the fence and into the parking lot next to the course. No one came around yelling and swearing, so I guess it was OK. Then I hit the next ball off the tee and had the longest drive in the foursome and in the best field position, but by then any hope of a decent score for the hole was long gone. We ended up playing skins, so everyone gave a dollar to the winner, when there was one clear winner on a hole, you know 2 tie, all tie. I won 4 skins [all on the back 9], so I ended up losing $2 to Mickey who won the most skins. It was a fun day, but I was all in by the end of the round.
Marg did up the laundry as it was so nice out and she could dry everything in the sun. She had a steady stream of visitors throughout the day. Mostly people stopping by to ask how she was and see if she needed anything, one even to ask if she was up for a casino road trip today. She did manage to get away to Safeway for a few groceries. I guess they had some really good deals today, the New York steaks she got look great and at a price you can't beat.
By the time I got home supper was ready and waiting and I was good and hungry. Well done Marg.
We got up early and were at the pharmacy in Walgreen very early in the day. Marg got a few things she needed and some medications to help her battle the lousy cold, including a few boxes of tissues. I think her cough is showing signs of abating, but she is still not out of the woods with the cold. Oh darn, I may have spoke too soon, there she is barking again. I seem to be over it, but now just have a chronic cough. Although I have suffered from this in the past it has been a long time since it last happened and while not anywhere near like a cold is annoying.
I was supposed to take pictures of the new executive for the tenants association, but there must have been a miscommunication so it never happened. I usually do this for them and put it on the associations FB page. Marg did up some pork chops and put them in the slow cooker, so I know that supper will be looked after. Lots of folks eat out on Friday, but it looks like ours is looked after. With the unpredictable time I will be back, the slow cooker sure simplifies things.
Marg did up the laundry as it was so nice out and she could dry everything in the sun. She had a steady stream of visitors throughout the day. Mostly people stopping by to ask how she was and see if she needed anything, one even to ask if she was up for a casino road trip today. She did manage to get away to Safeway for a few groceries. I guess they had some really good deals today, the New York steaks she got look great and at a price you can't beat.
By the time I got home supper was ready and waiting and I was good and hungry. Well done Marg.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
