Friday, Dec 14th

Another nice day in the Valley, probably 1 or 2 degrees cooler than yesterday.
  We had to decorate the golf cart this morning to get ready for the parade.  Marg found our decorations and we had lots, even a string of lights that were battery powered and a lot of garland.  There were quite a few people in the park doing the same thing.  It was a good thing we had lots of tape and string around as Marg got a little creative with what she wanted to put on it and it had to stay on with a bit of wind for two laps around the park.  One of the most unusual entries was a small cart pulled by a miniature horse.  The couple have a piece of property nearby where they have horses.
  After we finished we went out to Costco.  Marg needed some vitamins and wanted to pick up some groceries.  I was going to buy milk, but they only sell it in 2 gallon cartons and that would last too long for us.  She bought several frozen things, so it was a good thing we brought a freezer bag from home.  The place is always busy and getting there shortly before lunch didn't make it any easier.  The food court area at this store is about 10 times the size of the one at home, so lots of people are just there for that.  We left without eating, so stopped for some take-away chicken at a drive thru window on the way home.  Yes I know that sounds odd, but that is what appealed to us.
  After lunch I went to play pool.  The guy I played usually beats me, but it seems I had my A game and he his B game, a nice change.  Every day I never know how, maybe it was the cue.  I played with the one that had a problem with the tip that I fixed the other day and it obviously was better.
  Marg went down to the open area where the memory tree is located where she and 3 other ladies set up the area for refreshments at the tree lighting after the parade.  They had coffee, hot chocolate and cookies.  Then later when we got toward the end of the parade we stopped in our place where she filled 3 carafes with coffee.
  I charged the golf cart batteries and when putting the charger away broke the band off of my wrist watch.  I took it in to a small jewelry store where I go for batteries and the lady fixed it.  The pin holding the band at the watch had pulled out, so she put a new one in.  A very friendly place to deal and she wouldn't take anything for the repair.  Then back for supper that was a quick bite and to get down to the assembly area where I had to take some pictures.  Nice to see some children there as well.
 Everything went well, including at the parade and tree lighting.  For the caroling this year they had an amp and played it off a laptop.  It was nice and loud so everyone was able to join in.  Well almost everyone.  I don't sing, every since Charlene came up to me one night at the lake many years ago and asked me "Don't sing tonight OK dad".  I always thought a few drinks lubricated the vocal chords and enabled me to sing like a bird, well apparently not.  So standing with a few other guys we just lubricated the vocal chords.  There were a couple guys on my left who were not singing and my hearing aid on that side battery went dead.  So when changing it they asked what I was doing and I told them I thought I had gone deaf as I couldn't hear them singing.  But fortunately realized it was just the battery.