You would think us northerners would handle the weather here with more aplomb, but the truth of the matter is we came to miss out on winter and for the sun. Tomorrow is forecast to be the coolest day and then there is hope in sight with a bit of a warming trend by the weekend.
We started the day off with a bowl of oatmeal. Must be my heritage, but I really enjoy it at breakfast. Marg also enjoys it, I would like to think that it is because this is one of the few things that I make, but she used to eat quite a bit of it as a youth. I started out the day with no plans and by noon I was pretty much half-way done. That is an old line of dad's from his retirement years.
Marg did laundry this morning and into the afternoon. Our neighbour has a clothes line that she told Marg to use, so she did sheets this morning. The washing machine we have can't handle large loads, but Marg has it pretty much figured out and can do anything in it. One of the most common problems with the machine we have is detergent with too much suds action, it plugs things up. As a result she has changed to an HE low suds detergent and it works extremely well.
I went out for a bit to put away the gas fire pit and propane tank. Then I decided to have a look at the screen around the breezeway. I put up the brackets and cross pieces to hold the paneling and it went well, intending to put up the panels as well. Between my cold and the chilly wind I decided that was not a good idea. I am starting to feel better and all I have left is a nasty cough, so don't want to start all over again. As a result I went back to my original plan for today - no plans. I did manage to have a couple of short naps, usually ending with each visitor. There is a pattern here.
Marg went out with the cart for mail and to take both the recycling and garbage to the dumpster bins. Then returned to steam the laundry.
During the day we had about 4 or 5 visits with people coming by to check on us. I guess they are starting to notice we are not out and about as much as normal. One came to tell us he was feeling unwell from the cocktails last night and his wife not much better. Another to tell us happy was a their place, but that was not in the plan for us.
That was about it for today, wish I had something more exciting to report, but some days are like this.
Thursday, 22 February 2018
Wednesday, 21 February 2018
Wednesday, Feb 21st
No sense commenting on the weather, it is pretty much the same old story again today.
We had oatmeal this morning. I have a spurtle here; as well as at home, so in a fine tradition of porridge making ancestors I made us a pot. It turned out to be a good way to start the day.
Shortly after Marg was waiting for the gals to pick her up as they were going for a little retail therapy at 10. At the appointed hour she got a call that there was a meeting of the entertainment committee this morning so she went down to the hall to discuss the many and varied ways to amuse the tenants here in Carefree Manor. I never saw her again, so with 3 of them in the meeting, it appears they left for shopping right after the business was concluded.
Normally this is a busy day for me, but I cancelled on the golf this morning. I heard later in the day that was a good decision as it was very chilly at the course. I went out to get lottery tickets for the Powerball and Mega Millions draws this week. The jackpots are small, only a couple hundred million, so that might improve my odds. Well could happen. Then I went for water at the dispenser right by the convenience store and picked up a bag of ice as well. Marg had said she was going to ask them back, so as it was at the same machine as the water, I got a bag.
I returned home and basically did very little all day after lunch. Yes, it was me making the sandwich and washing up again. I had a bit of a nap an looked out he patio door to see a lady from the park standing there. She is a fellow Albertan and wanted to find out how our family are doing having met Daniel & Vanessa. She is originally from England so inquired after Lyzi as well. Nice of her to remember. She is pretty chatty and left after about an hour. Then I drifted off again and looked up to see another lady from the park at the door. She and her parents are in the park. She lives independently but is mentally challenged, so needs support, so everyone in the park keeps an eye out for her. She is quite self sufficient and wanted to fine out if we were going to her mother's pizza party and if I could put it on the FB site. It was her dad's birthday I put on last week and she wanted to see the post. She was mixed up on the years, he was a year younger than I noted, but at this age, no biggie. She stayed for a long half hour as she forms her ideas slowly. Then is was back to my nap.
Next time I looked up there was a woman in the trailer, well it was Marg, she had returned with a couple of bags, so some success today. Apparently they went to a mall that was new to her, an older mall but with good stores, I guess. There were 4 of them and I guess they also had lunch someplace around there. She informed me that the other 3 and their spouses were coming over for margaritas. Well 2 of the guys have been hankering for a drink of scotch. Well they each have a bottle, one is trying to learn to like it, the other likes it just fine. The guy learning was looking to try some other types to see what he enjoyed. We had a 12 yr. Macallan, a nice bottle from Tullibardine and a Glenfiddich. Then we had a nice Irish Whisky and that turned out to be the one they liked best. Oh, yes the women you might ask, well Marg had the blender out with the bag of previously mentioned ice and the ladies had mango margaritas. She also had a plate of meat, cheese & crackers out for a snack. It was chilly in the breezeway, so the propane fire pit came in very handy today.
By then it was supper and a bit late for supper, so even though we had steak out to bbq, Marg made a pot of spaghetti and we called it a day. By 6 o'clock it is pitch black out here and I don't have a light out back on the patio where we have the bbq, so that was the best option
We had oatmeal this morning. I have a spurtle here; as well as at home, so in a fine tradition of porridge making ancestors I made us a pot. It turned out to be a good way to start the day.
Shortly after Marg was waiting for the gals to pick her up as they were going for a little retail therapy at 10. At the appointed hour she got a call that there was a meeting of the entertainment committee this morning so she went down to the hall to discuss the many and varied ways to amuse the tenants here in Carefree Manor. I never saw her again, so with 3 of them in the meeting, it appears they left for shopping right after the business was concluded.
Normally this is a busy day for me, but I cancelled on the golf this morning. I heard later in the day that was a good decision as it was very chilly at the course. I went out to get lottery tickets for the Powerball and Mega Millions draws this week. The jackpots are small, only a couple hundred million, so that might improve my odds. Well could happen. Then I went for water at the dispenser right by the convenience store and picked up a bag of ice as well. Marg had said she was going to ask them back, so as it was at the same machine as the water, I got a bag.
I returned home and basically did very little all day after lunch. Yes, it was me making the sandwich and washing up again. I had a bit of a nap an looked out he patio door to see a lady from the park standing there. She is a fellow Albertan and wanted to find out how our family are doing having met Daniel & Vanessa. She is originally from England so inquired after Lyzi as well. Nice of her to remember. She is pretty chatty and left after about an hour. Then I drifted off again and looked up to see another lady from the park at the door. She and her parents are in the park. She lives independently but is mentally challenged, so needs support, so everyone in the park keeps an eye out for her. She is quite self sufficient and wanted to fine out if we were going to her mother's pizza party and if I could put it on the FB site. It was her dad's birthday I put on last week and she wanted to see the post. She was mixed up on the years, he was a year younger than I noted, but at this age, no biggie. She stayed for a long half hour as she forms her ideas slowly. Then is was back to my nap.
Next time I looked up there was a woman in the trailer, well it was Marg, she had returned with a couple of bags, so some success today. Apparently they went to a mall that was new to her, an older mall but with good stores, I guess. There were 4 of them and I guess they also had lunch someplace around there. She informed me that the other 3 and their spouses were coming over for margaritas. Well 2 of the guys have been hankering for a drink of scotch. Well they each have a bottle, one is trying to learn to like it, the other likes it just fine. The guy learning was looking to try some other types to see what he enjoyed. We had a 12 yr. Macallan, a nice bottle from Tullibardine and a Glenfiddich. Then we had a nice Irish Whisky and that turned out to be the one they liked best. Oh, yes the women you might ask, well Marg had the blender out with the bag of previously mentioned ice and the ladies had mango margaritas. She also had a plate of meat, cheese & crackers out for a snack. It was chilly in the breezeway, so the propane fire pit came in very handy today.
By then it was supper and a bit late for supper, so even though we had steak out to bbq, Marg made a pot of spaghetti and we called it a day. By 6 o'clock it is pitch black out here and I don't have a light out back on the patio where we have the bbq, so that was the best option
Tuesday, 20 February 2018
Tuesday, Feb 20th
Another chilly day, I think either last night of tonight is the coldest of the week, 38 tonight, so that is about 3C. The east is enjoying mild weather while out west here we are not so fortunate. That is from a snowbird perspective, the locals while handling the cold very poorly, are pleased to see snow in the higher elevations that will become water for the valley. With the long drought here and snow levels below average, this is providing some much needed moisture. Such is life in the desert.
Still fighting the head cold, so went to CVS pharmacy this morning and spoke with the pharmacist. She suggested a Sudafed product that is behind the counter and Tylenol. So that is what I got, well after a pretty thorough question and identification process. They even electronically scanned my drivers license. It was not expensive and I am getting quite a bit of relief with the sinuses and headaches, so am starting to think I may live through this. I reminded Marg of the study where they equated a Man Cold to child labour in women saying they were about equal. She is still not a believer, but at least I have planted the seed.
I pretty much sat around the house today as I didn't want to get chilled. Well that was the plan. Just after I got home, Sheldon came over to say his wife was on the phone with their service provider and asked if I would sit in on the phone call. I thought well if they want this cold OK. I didn't sit in, I was on the phone. It seems she had erased a bunch of stuff, like her pathway to Google & all her friends on Facebook and was having difficulty following along with the help desk person. We managed to get her connected again and I showed her the Icon that gives her the Google home page. Then I showed her how to go about finding her former friends and then inviting them again. Time will tell how that goes.
Marg did a couple of loads of laundry. It was a bit cool in the breezeway, but out back on the patio it was in the sun and actually quite pleasant. There was a bit of a breeze and that helps with the laundry drying unless it blows it over. That usually doesn't happen, but today a few things had to be re-washed. I tried to convince Marg to dry at the Laundromat, but that didn't happen. Not certain what all happened today as I may have fallen asleep in my recliner and not really certain how long that lasted. Although I know a few guys that do this after lunch on a regular basis, this is very unusual for me. I did cancel golf for tomorrow, I don't think it will be warm enough first thing for me to go out with the group.
Shortly after we had a nice facetime with Charlene & Phil. Lots of excitement in their lives right now with Lyzi's wedding in August and Katie going through university interviews & still very involved with young farmers. We got an update on Sophie & Benji, who both are very advanced for their ages.
Supper and then off to bingo where it was the first night with the new bingo machine. It went pretty well, new things often times have bumps, but they weren't too bad tonight. We never won; it was that old close, but no cigar again tonight. But we were very close. Oh yeah, Marg found out tonight that her agreeing to help the Entertainment Committee meant she was a candidate and she was voted on the committee. Good for her, I think. LOL
Still fighting the head cold, so went to CVS pharmacy this morning and spoke with the pharmacist. She suggested a Sudafed product that is behind the counter and Tylenol. So that is what I got, well after a pretty thorough question and identification process. They even electronically scanned my drivers license. It was not expensive and I am getting quite a bit of relief with the sinuses and headaches, so am starting to think I may live through this. I reminded Marg of the study where they equated a Man Cold to child labour in women saying they were about equal. She is still not a believer, but at least I have planted the seed.
I pretty much sat around the house today as I didn't want to get chilled. Well that was the plan. Just after I got home, Sheldon came over to say his wife was on the phone with their service provider and asked if I would sit in on the phone call. I thought well if they want this cold OK. I didn't sit in, I was on the phone. It seems she had erased a bunch of stuff, like her pathway to Google & all her friends on Facebook and was having difficulty following along with the help desk person. We managed to get her connected again and I showed her the Icon that gives her the Google home page. Then I showed her how to go about finding her former friends and then inviting them again. Time will tell how that goes.
Marg did a couple of loads of laundry. It was a bit cool in the breezeway, but out back on the patio it was in the sun and actually quite pleasant. There was a bit of a breeze and that helps with the laundry drying unless it blows it over. That usually doesn't happen, but today a few things had to be re-washed. I tried to convince Marg to dry at the Laundromat, but that didn't happen. Not certain what all happened today as I may have fallen asleep in my recliner and not really certain how long that lasted. Although I know a few guys that do this after lunch on a regular basis, this is very unusual for me. I did cancel golf for tomorrow, I don't think it will be warm enough first thing for me to go out with the group.
Shortly after we had a nice facetime with Charlene & Phil. Lots of excitement in their lives right now with Lyzi's wedding in August and Katie going through university interviews & still very involved with young farmers. We got an update on Sophie & Benji, who both are very advanced for their ages.
Supper and then off to bingo where it was the first night with the new bingo machine. It went pretty well, new things often times have bumps, but they weren't too bad tonight. We never won; it was that old close, but no cigar again tonight. But we were very close. Oh yeah, Marg found out tonight that her agreeing to help the Entertainment Committee meant she was a candidate and she was voted on the committee. Good for her, I think. LOL
Monday, 19 February 2018
Monday, Feb 19th
As I have been saying for the last couple of days the weather turned cooler and will stay that way all week. Hey this is not the Arizona we signed up for.
Marg went with Cindy to the Fort today. The Gamblin' Gals were down to just the two of them. I think that must be a first, I guess everyone else had commitments. It was the old we came close kind of day, that seems to be Marg's story this year. It has been uncanny how many times she has been one number away with her winning number on the monitor waiting to be called next when some yahoo yells bingo. I am sure it is exciting, but it's not as good as winning.
The morning was windy and cool, so I did some work on the computer. I had an email from the condo board at home saying they are developing a code of conduct for board members. It was pretty good, but was kind of boilerplate text for dealing with problem boards. We are a small condo and don't really have those issues, but we are getting 2 new members this year, so it is prevention. I sent the other board members a reply with about 4 or 5 issues we may want to take a closer look at. They seem on side with changes on all but one or two of my suggestions. Then I got a notice on the Block Party that I scanned and posted on the tenants assoc. FB page here. After that I made a bingo sign using the park logo for the new machine here that I took to the park manager. He was happy to have the park logo digitized and just wanted a larger font, so we made that change and re-printed it. Then I copied the two files on his computer in case he has any future need for them.
After that I came home for lunch. Yes you guessed it right, no one here to make it so I got out the frying pan and warmed up the corned beef & cabbage from yesterday. Yes another astounding move, I have leftovers, but after all that is one of my favourite dishes. Then another problem, the sink was full of dirty dishes, I sure miss Marg on their day at the Fort. No I didn't leave them, I washed & dried the, wiped down the stove, put everything away. Whew.
I went to play some pool in the afternoon, well what there was left of it. Anyway there was only one table with 3 players and it is the one where the competition is very tough. I played reasonably well especially in the first game, that we won. I think I only played about 4 games, then they all left.
After I stopped at Wink & Mayva's to talk about some panels in his shed. He is getting rid of the shed and emptying out the contents. He & Rich had two buildings, the other their shop they used to rebuild golf carts and sell them. The panels are the same as the ones on the open side of our carport. Marg has been after me to close off the rear part by the Az room to stop the winds from blowing through there. I ended up taking it all plus a spare tire for the cart, but when I went to pay him I had the age old problem - he wouldn't accept payment.
About that time Marg was due back so I went to the front gate to pick her up. It was supper in tonight. It sprinkled a bit off and on today, but it could have been the wind blowing from some lake miles away as hard as it blew. I am still fighting the head cold, arghhh!
Marg went with Cindy to the Fort today. The Gamblin' Gals were down to just the two of them. I think that must be a first, I guess everyone else had commitments. It was the old we came close kind of day, that seems to be Marg's story this year. It has been uncanny how many times she has been one number away with her winning number on the monitor waiting to be called next when some yahoo yells bingo. I am sure it is exciting, but it's not as good as winning.
The morning was windy and cool, so I did some work on the computer. I had an email from the condo board at home saying they are developing a code of conduct for board members. It was pretty good, but was kind of boilerplate text for dealing with problem boards. We are a small condo and don't really have those issues, but we are getting 2 new members this year, so it is prevention. I sent the other board members a reply with about 4 or 5 issues we may want to take a closer look at. They seem on side with changes on all but one or two of my suggestions. Then I got a notice on the Block Party that I scanned and posted on the tenants assoc. FB page here. After that I made a bingo sign using the park logo for the new machine here that I took to the park manager. He was happy to have the park logo digitized and just wanted a larger font, so we made that change and re-printed it. Then I copied the two files on his computer in case he has any future need for them.
After that I came home for lunch. Yes you guessed it right, no one here to make it so I got out the frying pan and warmed up the corned beef & cabbage from yesterday. Yes another astounding move, I have leftovers, but after all that is one of my favourite dishes. Then another problem, the sink was full of dirty dishes, I sure miss Marg on their day at the Fort. No I didn't leave them, I washed & dried the, wiped down the stove, put everything away. Whew.
I went to play some pool in the afternoon, well what there was left of it. Anyway there was only one table with 3 players and it is the one where the competition is very tough. I played reasonably well especially in the first game, that we won. I think I only played about 4 games, then they all left.
After I stopped at Wink & Mayva's to talk about some panels in his shed. He is getting rid of the shed and emptying out the contents. He & Rich had two buildings, the other their shop they used to rebuild golf carts and sell them. The panels are the same as the ones on the open side of our carport. Marg has been after me to close off the rear part by the Az room to stop the winds from blowing through there. I ended up taking it all plus a spare tire for the cart, but when I went to pay him I had the age old problem - he wouldn't accept payment.
About that time Marg was due back so I went to the front gate to pick her up. It was supper in tonight. It sprinkled a bit off and on today, but it could have been the wind blowing from some lake miles away as hard as it blew. I am still fighting the head cold, arghhh!
Sunday, 18 February 2018
Sunday, Feb 18th
A nice day in the valley, even if it started of a bit on the cool side as it warmed up to be very pleasant.
I missed the morning church service, staying in this morning until it warmed up. I have had a bit of head or sinus congestion and it had me feeling out of sorts. Just in case I had something that I didn't want to pass on to others in the park, I thought it better to pass today. We both had some nice raisin bread toast, always a bit of a treat in the morning.
I messed around with the bingo message and ended up printing in about 3 or 4 different sizes. Then I taped it to a golf ball and that seems to be doing the trick. It was the smallest size of print that I produced that finally worked. It was a combination of the camera being very close to the ball position and the degree of magnification used to get a large picture that caused me to be challenged with it. They had a trial run with the machine this morning, so about 8 of us went and played on a single strip of 3 cards while the two callers went through various games and scenarios. One they had not thought about was the possibility of an erroneous bingo call, so I dabbed one and called it. It kind of threw them for a minute and then the caller said I don't think that is a good bingo. To which I replied, well no it isn't but I thought you should see what that looks like in a trial. When they had a break to figure out some stuff someone said is it ice cream break [that is what intermission always is]. Christine gave us each one for helping out, then when all was complete, we got a complimentary card on the early bird game for helping out.
After that we went home for lunch, but on the way got waylaid. Kenny & Doris had been to a good yard sale yesterday so we had to go back to check it out. Well they were not operating it today, but we did happen on a guy who buys storage lockers and sells the contents. Interesting guy, lots of junk though. Then we went for a bit of a drive down to the Queen Creek area and got a bit of a tour of some newly developing areas out south of here.
When we got back it was just about happy hour, but we had missed lunch, so passed on happy. We figured we'd better have an early supper. I was in luck again, there was left over corned beef and sauerkraut, so Marg fried up some cabbage & hash browns with it and another of my favourite meals. Then there was a piece of coconut cream pie we split left from last night to finish off the meal.
A bit later we thought, wait, it's ice cream social tonight. So we went, but having just eaten we both just had a dish of it tonight.
Oh yes there were no skunks caught today and we had a beautiful sunset.
I missed the morning church service, staying in this morning until it warmed up. I have had a bit of head or sinus congestion and it had me feeling out of sorts. Just in case I had something that I didn't want to pass on to others in the park, I thought it better to pass today. We both had some nice raisin bread toast, always a bit of a treat in the morning.
I messed around with the bingo message and ended up printing in about 3 or 4 different sizes. Then I taped it to a golf ball and that seems to be doing the trick. It was the smallest size of print that I produced that finally worked. It was a combination of the camera being very close to the ball position and the degree of magnification used to get a large picture that caused me to be challenged with it. They had a trial run with the machine this morning, so about 8 of us went and played on a single strip of 3 cards while the two callers went through various games and scenarios. One they had not thought about was the possibility of an erroneous bingo call, so I dabbed one and called it. It kind of threw them for a minute and then the caller said I don't think that is a good bingo. To which I replied, well no it isn't but I thought you should see what that looks like in a trial. When they had a break to figure out some stuff someone said is it ice cream break [that is what intermission always is]. Christine gave us each one for helping out, then when all was complete, we got a complimentary card on the early bird game for helping out.
After that we went home for lunch, but on the way got waylaid. Kenny & Doris had been to a good yard sale yesterday so we had to go back to check it out. Well they were not operating it today, but we did happen on a guy who buys storage lockers and sells the contents. Interesting guy, lots of junk though. Then we went for a bit of a drive down to the Queen Creek area and got a bit of a tour of some newly developing areas out south of here.
When we got back it was just about happy hour, but we had missed lunch, so passed on happy. We figured we'd better have an early supper. I was in luck again, there was left over corned beef and sauerkraut, so Marg fried up some cabbage & hash browns with it and another of my favourite meals. Then there was a piece of coconut cream pie we split left from last night to finish off the meal.
A bit later we thought, wait, it's ice cream social tonight. So we went, but having just eaten we both just had a dish of it tonight.
Oh yes there were no skunks caught today and we had a beautiful sunset.
Saturday, 17 February 2018
Saturday, Feb 17th
Happy birthday Kenney, happy 17th. Sorry we missed you when we called.
The nights are noticeably cooler these days, so it takes a bit longer for the day to warm up. The daytime highs have also been cooler, although we did reach 70F today this cooling trend is expected for much of next week.
Rather than go out for breakfast, I made oatmeal this morning, well for me anyway, as Marg passed on it in favour of coffee & yogurt. We had a commitment to go to the parking lot flea market again today. It was the same one as last Saturday but it turned out to be a larger version. Lynett's daughter and grandson arrived yesterday and they wanted to go as the young fellow is interested in coins and rocks. They took their own car as he had not been feeling well just in case they had to return early. There was lots of interesting stuff, but the only thing I bought was 3 Canadian coins from the same guy as last weekend. He recalled my earlier purchase so I got them for $15, he was asking $28. On checking their value when I got home, they appear to be a pretty good deal. The young fellow got a couple of U.S. coins for $8 each that also seem to be a good deal as well as an assortment of rocks. The two coins he paid $8 each seem to be worth $70. He seemed really pleased with the geode he got. There was a real variety of objects, something for everyone. I liked some of the old knives/swords, but the good ones were pretty expensive. Old bayonets & swords must be real popular from the asking prices.
Our next stop was a coin shop recommended to us by the vendor, he said they had fair pricing and were negotiable. As it was close by, we both went to check it out. The entrance had a heavy wire cage so the operator could check us out before buzzing us in. I guess we passed the test. They had a wide selection, some high dollar value stuff like gold and silver bullion. The coins and bills were mostly U.S., but we did find a reasonable selection of foreign stuff. From his clearance stuff, I got some good coins, the best of which was an 1880 quarter that I paid $30 and condition rated as VG. It was marked as regular $60, asking $35. When I got home I checked it and it is worth between $110 - $230, depending on condition, the upper end being if it really is VG. It is somewhere between G & VG, so time will tell. It is easily the oldest Canadian silver coin I own at 137 yrs. I also got some other stuff, the best of which are a Cdn penny & dime on which I got a couple bucks off. Lynett was picking through a bin for me and I picked up 9 coins from her efforts for $2.25 and they turned out to be well priced, so a successful day. They have current coins thrown in with old ones in this area, so a person has to be careful, especially in the English coin. By my reckoning I am up on my day by something in the order of between $100-$250, largely on the quarter.
When we got back we had a bite of lunch and then I went to see if anyone was playing pool. There wasn't so I worked on a way to put an advertising message on the new bingo machine. They installed it yesterday and it will be an interesting change. I think I have something that will work, but it might take a bit of trial and error.
Marg had some visitors and then she went around the park on her cart, checked the mail, etc. Then we went to happy at Kenny & Doris' place. There was a pretty good sized crowd today. Marg left a bit early as she had some prep work to do for supper as we were having company. When she got home our two mini-visitors from across the road came to see her - for a hug. Well that and a chocolate. She allowed it cautioning them to save the chocolate for after supper. They just come right in now, really funny. Anyway Mason said hey Marg, why is there an unwrapped chocolate in here, to which she replied oh, those are for Dave. They are about to be disappointed as the bowl is nearing empty. Jenn came running over to see if they were causing a problem, saying she could hardly wait until the parents go home as the kids are better when it's just them, something her and Marg seemed to agree on. Oops did I say that. Kenny and Doris came for Reuben sandwiches we had at supper and Doris brought a coconut cream pie she made. Her pies are as legendary as Marg's Reuben's, so it was very good.
I almost forgot - Skunk update. Today Gary caught the 3rd skunk, still using marshmallows. The pest control guy thinks pet food must be attracting and sustaining them. This time Gary was not so fortunate and got Skunked a bit. Glad I wasn't there for that.
By my standards a busy day in the valley of the sun.
The nights are noticeably cooler these days, so it takes a bit longer for the day to warm up. The daytime highs have also been cooler, although we did reach 70F today this cooling trend is expected for much of next week.
Rather than go out for breakfast, I made oatmeal this morning, well for me anyway, as Marg passed on it in favour of coffee & yogurt. We had a commitment to go to the parking lot flea market again today. It was the same one as last Saturday but it turned out to be a larger version. Lynett's daughter and grandson arrived yesterday and they wanted to go as the young fellow is interested in coins and rocks. They took their own car as he had not been feeling well just in case they had to return early. There was lots of interesting stuff, but the only thing I bought was 3 Canadian coins from the same guy as last weekend. He recalled my earlier purchase so I got them for $15, he was asking $28. On checking their value when I got home, they appear to be a pretty good deal. The young fellow got a couple of U.S. coins for $8 each that also seem to be a good deal as well as an assortment of rocks. The two coins he paid $8 each seem to be worth $70. He seemed really pleased with the geode he got. There was a real variety of objects, something for everyone. I liked some of the old knives/swords, but the good ones were pretty expensive. Old bayonets & swords must be real popular from the asking prices.
Our next stop was a coin shop recommended to us by the vendor, he said they had fair pricing and were negotiable. As it was close by, we both went to check it out. The entrance had a heavy wire cage so the operator could check us out before buzzing us in. I guess we passed the test. They had a wide selection, some high dollar value stuff like gold and silver bullion. The coins and bills were mostly U.S., but we did find a reasonable selection of foreign stuff. From his clearance stuff, I got some good coins, the best of which was an 1880 quarter that I paid $30 and condition rated as VG. It was marked as regular $60, asking $35. When I got home I checked it and it is worth between $110 - $230, depending on condition, the upper end being if it really is VG. It is somewhere between G & VG, so time will tell. It is easily the oldest Canadian silver coin I own at 137 yrs. I also got some other stuff, the best of which are a Cdn penny & dime on which I got a couple bucks off. Lynett was picking through a bin for me and I picked up 9 coins from her efforts for $2.25 and they turned out to be well priced, so a successful day. They have current coins thrown in with old ones in this area, so a person has to be careful, especially in the English coin. By my reckoning I am up on my day by something in the order of between $100-$250, largely on the quarter.
When we got back we had a bite of lunch and then I went to see if anyone was playing pool. There wasn't so I worked on a way to put an advertising message on the new bingo machine. They installed it yesterday and it will be an interesting change. I think I have something that will work, but it might take a bit of trial and error.
Marg had some visitors and then she went around the park on her cart, checked the mail, etc. Then we went to happy at Kenny & Doris' place. There was a pretty good sized crowd today. Marg left a bit early as she had some prep work to do for supper as we were having company. When she got home our two mini-visitors from across the road came to see her - for a hug. Well that and a chocolate. She allowed it cautioning them to save the chocolate for after supper. They just come right in now, really funny. Anyway Mason said hey Marg, why is there an unwrapped chocolate in here, to which she replied oh, those are for Dave. They are about to be disappointed as the bowl is nearing empty. Jenn came running over to see if they were causing a problem, saying she could hardly wait until the parents go home as the kids are better when it's just them, something her and Marg seemed to agree on. Oops did I say that. Kenny and Doris came for Reuben sandwiches we had at supper and Doris brought a coconut cream pie she made. Her pies are as legendary as Marg's Reuben's, so it was very good.
I almost forgot - Skunk update. Today Gary caught the 3rd skunk, still using marshmallows. The pest control guy thinks pet food must be attracting and sustaining them. This time Gary was not so fortunate and got Skunked a bit. Glad I wasn't there for that.
By my standards a busy day in the valley of the sun.
Friday, 16 February 2018
Friday, Feb 16th
A bit nicer day as the rains have ended. I am certain the locals would like them to continue, but I think most snowbirds would be fine if it's over. The daytime high still got to about 70F, so it was a pleasant day.
We went out early in the morning for sticky buns at the park managers place. Aggie is legendary for making them and I guess they were actually sponsored by Gary & Patti to thank all the people who helped them over the past year as well as the new tenants assoc. executive. It was quite a large group and everyone enjoyed it, especially those attending for the first time. There were lots of buns an coffee and it was great to be included.
After that I went with Gary to take a picture of the skunk. He caught his second one today and told me he would help me get a photo. Well when we got there he told me to get close for a good picture, yeh right. I might have born in the night but it wasn't last night, so I told him that's what telephoto lenses are for. He also told me it was a little skunk, but to me it was pretty darn good size, I would say an adult. I had given him a tarp to cover the cage as they are more placid in the dark and don't like the light. Between the two he has caught, they have pretty much torn it to pieces, so he is now using a green garbage bag to cover the trap. The animal control folks came and took it away, probably release it to spray again.
Then we went out to check out some sales, one estate sale and a couple of park sales all of which turned out to be a bust. We never bought a thing. Our next stop was the Ranch market at Superstition where Marg loaded up on vegetables. Everything is so fresh there and the prices are unbeatable, how good well 10 pounds of potatoes for 99cents, or bell peppers 8 for a dollar.
A sandwich for lunch and then I went to play pool. There was a bluegrass jam session on in the hall, so only a few pool players. I ended up playing on the A table, but they are good guys whom I have played in prior years. I played reasonably well and not certain of my statistics, but I was on the winning side enough times to keep from being embarrassed. I don't think I was the weakest player at the table, probably second weakest, LOL.
Marg went for groceries and got home about the same I did, so I helped her unload her purchases. We don't really stock up here like we do at home, so more like the European style shopping more often for fresh stuff. She put the stuff away while I messed with the wiring for the lights in the breezeway and think I have it working better now. Just about then one or two people came around asking whether we knew where happy was, so Marg invited everyone to come here. Just about then a couple from the park were involved in a collision at the intersection nearest our entrance. It was Lorraine and Jerry, they were rear ended while turning onto our road. The other vehicle must have been travelling at a pretty good rate of speed, even thought the road is posted at 35mph. They are OK just shaken up. It was a small group at happy as quite a few people went to check on them to see if they could help in any way.
During this process we agreed to go out for supper to the German Gasthaus down Main in Mesa, so when the group left we went in to change. Well I heard a small knock on the door and it turned out to be Olivia, the four year old across the road. She had her cousin Mason [about a year older] with her. She said they were here to give Marg a hug. Apparently Marg had given them a bag of Cheetos and they wanted to see her. While they were waiting she spied a dish of Ghirardelli chocolates and asked if she could have one, then Mason asked for one, then one for her grandmother [our neighbour], then one for her mother. It all made for a pretty funny event, so after giving Marg a hug, they ran skipping across the street to grandma's place.
There were 3 couples for supper, so Jerry [not the one having the accident] drove as we all fit in his van, to the German restaurant. It is one we have gone to before, for a few years now as they have a salad bar and the food is usually good. We were not disappointed, Marg had the Roulad & I had the Veal Weinerschnitzel. They only serve German beer and it was very good as well.
We went out early in the morning for sticky buns at the park managers place. Aggie is legendary for making them and I guess they were actually sponsored by Gary & Patti to thank all the people who helped them over the past year as well as the new tenants assoc. executive. It was quite a large group and everyone enjoyed it, especially those attending for the first time. There were lots of buns an coffee and it was great to be included.
After that I went with Gary to take a picture of the skunk. He caught his second one today and told me he would help me get a photo. Well when we got there he told me to get close for a good picture, yeh right. I might have born in the night but it wasn't last night, so I told him that's what telephoto lenses are for. He also told me it was a little skunk, but to me it was pretty darn good size, I would say an adult. I had given him a tarp to cover the cage as they are more placid in the dark and don't like the light. Between the two he has caught, they have pretty much torn it to pieces, so he is now using a green garbage bag to cover the trap. The animal control folks came and took it away, probably release it to spray again.
Then we went out to check out some sales, one estate sale and a couple of park sales all of which turned out to be a bust. We never bought a thing. Our next stop was the Ranch market at Superstition where Marg loaded up on vegetables. Everything is so fresh there and the prices are unbeatable, how good well 10 pounds of potatoes for 99cents, or bell peppers 8 for a dollar.
A sandwich for lunch and then I went to play pool. There was a bluegrass jam session on in the hall, so only a few pool players. I ended up playing on the A table, but they are good guys whom I have played in prior years. I played reasonably well and not certain of my statistics, but I was on the winning side enough times to keep from being embarrassed. I don't think I was the weakest player at the table, probably second weakest, LOL.
Marg went for groceries and got home about the same I did, so I helped her unload her purchases. We don't really stock up here like we do at home, so more like the European style shopping more often for fresh stuff. She put the stuff away while I messed with the wiring for the lights in the breezeway and think I have it working better now. Just about then one or two people came around asking whether we knew where happy was, so Marg invited everyone to come here. Just about then a couple from the park were involved in a collision at the intersection nearest our entrance. It was Lorraine and Jerry, they were rear ended while turning onto our road. The other vehicle must have been travelling at a pretty good rate of speed, even thought the road is posted at 35mph. They are OK just shaken up. It was a small group at happy as quite a few people went to check on them to see if they could help in any way.
During this process we agreed to go out for supper to the German Gasthaus down Main in Mesa, so when the group left we went in to change. Well I heard a small knock on the door and it turned out to be Olivia, the four year old across the road. She had her cousin Mason [about a year older] with her. She said they were here to give Marg a hug. Apparently Marg had given them a bag of Cheetos and they wanted to see her. While they were waiting she spied a dish of Ghirardelli chocolates and asked if she could have one, then Mason asked for one, then one for her grandmother [our neighbour], then one for her mother. It all made for a pretty funny event, so after giving Marg a hug, they ran skipping across the street to grandma's place.
There were 3 couples for supper, so Jerry [not the one having the accident] drove as we all fit in his van, to the German restaurant. It is one we have gone to before, for a few years now as they have a salad bar and the food is usually good. We were not disappointed, Marg had the Roulad & I had the Veal Weinerschnitzel. They only serve German beer and it was very good as well.
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