A nice day in the Valley of the Sun. It was warmer than it has been for a while, I think we got up to about 70F.
Marg continues to suffer from that nasty cold and is in day 3 with it, so I hope it breaks soon as it has been really tough on her. She reminded me that mine lasted a week, but it didn't seem as bad as what she has.
I went to the coffee klatch this morning as it was the first meeting of the new executive. They have already made a few changes in the meeting format that are the result of a vote they held among those present, so it seems positive. The best news was the donuts were free today, one of the park couples bought them. We also had a financial update from the treasurer today and the association is in very good financial condition, even after having made some significant purchases.
After coffee I went to check on the screen door that I had agreed to look into as the owner had agreed to the repair costs. I took it over to Best Hardware for them to replace the wheels on the bottom as they were worn out. They only charge $10 to replace them and it was well worth it with what is involved.
When I got back we had lunch and relaxed for a bit. Then I went to play pool as Marg was going to nap and didn't need me banging around in the trailer. I played with two other guys who are pretty darn good, one of whom was the guy I played yesterday. He was still complaining that I treated him rough, but that's just a standard thing between us. I didn't play as well as the yesterday, but still managed to hold my own by playing defensively [leave them safe or hooked]. I got a call that the door was done and as the owner was playing pool, we went to pick it up.
It took a bit of manipulating, but we got the door in and aligned. The more difficult part was the panel he had installed on the other half of the patio door, but we got it. It was kind of humorous, he left a $10 bill in the truck, something for me he said. I tried to protest, but all a guy can do is just say thanks.
Back to check on Marg and she didn't feel up to happy hour, so I went alone. She said, it's been so long since we went that we need to see if anything is new in the park. I didn't get a bunch of new info, but then again I never sat with the gals where it all comes out. The guys talk about totally different stuff. It was over at a Lorraine & Jerry's, they finally got their new 5th wheel placed on a lot in the park. They had been renting until now, so are very excited. There were lots of people at happy, probably 30 or 40 and it was a nice day to sit out. Marg's usual $5 deal was still on, so I brought that back for her. When I ordered they give an amount to pay at the window, but when I drove up the young fellow gave me the seniors discount so it was a couple bucks less. He was so friendly and chatty that I left him with a tip.
After supper it was the animal races. Again Marg never felt up to going, but I had made a commitment to replace one of the guys who helps run it. In fact he is one the guys who tells jokes between races to keep things going, so I had 3 to tell. When I got there the guy who moves the animals was home sick, so I also got that job. They call it the jockey job, and still the elephant never won.
One of my jokes:
A camper who is new to our park came to Ice Cream social. It was apparent he had physical problems from the way he shuffled when he walked. With a great deal of pain he made his way to the front where he placed his order. After pausing to get his breath, he ordered a banana split, just the regular one.
One of the ladies asking him about toppings, asked - crushed nuts.
No he replied, just a bad case of arthritis.
Thursday, 1 March 2018
Wednesday, 28 February 2018
Wednesday, Feb 28th
Hard to believe February is gone, well the weather at least is showing signs of warming although we have been getting another winter storm here. They have been getting lots of snow in the high country around Flagstaff, Showlow, etal. It rained quite a bit last night, in fact I went outside to see what the racket was and it was just rain pounding on the carport. When it rains here, it is usually has a hard rain time in it much like our thunderstorms at home.
The day started fine for me, but Marg now has the cold that is going around and she seems to be suffering greatly with it. It's a nasty cold and it's almost like she is run down with it. The Gamblin' Gals went today, but she begged off and stayed back to see if she could shake it.
It was golf day for the park and Gerry C is back now and came out to go. They had a good turnout in spite of the cool damp weather. It must have rain a lot at the golf course as they had standing water in places and the fairways were very wet. We were in the 4th group out and the pace of play was very good today. My game went pretty well, I only mishit 2 tee shots, the rest were very good, but I did have to get the old ball retriever out today, never a good thing. It was funny I had left some of my preferred stuff, like the putter in my other bag, but the old putter worked very well. The score ended up being about what is good for me and the guys were good fellows to play with.
When I got back it was just about lunch, so I made a sandwich and Marg napped on and off. I went out to look at the screen door for Gary and it was a bit of a mess. The wheels were worn out and it was wedged in the frame so it would not slide at all and was stuck half open. It was the result of tinkering, so I managed to get it unstuck and out of the track. That was all I could do as it needs new wheels on the bottom. I would probably replace them if it was mine, but these are a bit different, so I think the unit owner is going to have to get that done at the hardware store and then I will put it back in the frame. There has been quite a bit of tinkering in a crude fashion that has caused other problems, so he needs to be left to deal with the repair of it.
After that I went to play pool in the last half of the afternoon. I was lucky as one of the fellows I like to play and I played one on one for an hour or so and we had lots of laughs. This left the house quiet and Marg got some rest.
It was hamburger night, so I went out and picked up two cheeseburgers To-Go and Marg put some frozen fries in the oven. When I went to pick up the burgers, it took a long time with so many people asking how Marg is doing and make sure I wished her well. The burgers were our supper and they were good. Finished it off with a piece of that chocolate cake she made for when her cousins were here. It was so good, they should come more often.
A package arrived today from Amazon.com. I am pretty sure our charming daughter, Charlene, had something to do with it. Why do I think that? Well the other day I got a message from her to the effect that a package was coming and she didn't want to hear any protests about it or get scolded about doing it and that she is an adult, almost 50 years old now. Pretty funny. I must remember to give her a lecture about it when I open it. LOL
After supper it was poker night for me, shower for Marg. I had lots of fun, her not so much, but she said she felt better with the shower. I about broke even and again we had lots of laughs tonight.
The day started fine for me, but Marg now has the cold that is going around and she seems to be suffering greatly with it. It's a nasty cold and it's almost like she is run down with it. The Gamblin' Gals went today, but she begged off and stayed back to see if she could shake it.
It was golf day for the park and Gerry C is back now and came out to go. They had a good turnout in spite of the cool damp weather. It must have rain a lot at the golf course as they had standing water in places and the fairways were very wet. We were in the 4th group out and the pace of play was very good today. My game went pretty well, I only mishit 2 tee shots, the rest were very good, but I did have to get the old ball retriever out today, never a good thing. It was funny I had left some of my preferred stuff, like the putter in my other bag, but the old putter worked very well. The score ended up being about what is good for me and the guys were good fellows to play with.
When I got back it was just about lunch, so I made a sandwich and Marg napped on and off. I went out to look at the screen door for Gary and it was a bit of a mess. The wheels were worn out and it was wedged in the frame so it would not slide at all and was stuck half open. It was the result of tinkering, so I managed to get it unstuck and out of the track. That was all I could do as it needs new wheels on the bottom. I would probably replace them if it was mine, but these are a bit different, so I think the unit owner is going to have to get that done at the hardware store and then I will put it back in the frame. There has been quite a bit of tinkering in a crude fashion that has caused other problems, so he needs to be left to deal with the repair of it.
After that I went to play pool in the last half of the afternoon. I was lucky as one of the fellows I like to play and I played one on one for an hour or so and we had lots of laughs. This left the house quiet and Marg got some rest.
It was hamburger night, so I went out and picked up two cheeseburgers To-Go and Marg put some frozen fries in the oven. When I went to pick up the burgers, it took a long time with so many people asking how Marg is doing and make sure I wished her well. The burgers were our supper and they were good. Finished it off with a piece of that chocolate cake she made for when her cousins were here. It was so good, they should come more often.
A package arrived today from Amazon.com. I am pretty sure our charming daughter, Charlene, had something to do with it. Why do I think that? Well the other day I got a message from her to the effect that a package was coming and she didn't want to hear any protests about it or get scolded about doing it and that she is an adult, almost 50 years old now. Pretty funny. I must remember to give her a lecture about it when I open it. LOL
After supper it was poker night for me, shower for Marg. I had lots of fun, her not so much, but she said she felt better with the shower. I about broke even and again we had lots of laughs tonight.
Tuesday, 27 February 2018
Tuesday, Feb 27th
Wow almost done with February. It was a nice day, although windy as a storm front was moving in. The weather forecast was for rain in the afternoon, but it held off until evening. We did some cleaning in the morning and then it being National pancake day a late breakfast of pancakes. It was the first time in a while that I used a frying pan and for pancakes but I managed without burning any.
Marg's cousins [from Edmonton] who she had not seen for about 15 years showed up just after 1:00 and called saying they were close but wanted final instructions. I kind of chuckled when Billy called as they were only about 5 blocks away, so it didn't take much coaching. Billy has a place in Goodyear, so a good hours drive from here. They wanted to get together last summer, but their route to Alaska changed and they never went through GP. His older brother Joe was down for a couple of weeks, but had been waiting to get over a cold, but leaving tomorrow so it was their last opportunity. Apparently their wives had stayed back to do some packing. It was a nice visit with them reminiscing and then going over the Samoridny family history. We shared what little we had and they had some information that was new to us they shared. They ended up staying the better part of 3 hours, so a nice visit. Marg had made a nice chocolate cake and iced it with ganache that we had with coffee, very nice.
As we had skipped lunch, it wasn't long after they departed that we started on supper preparation. In the process we had a box of pasta that was too much for one meal, but not enough for two, so we cooked it anyway with shrimp in a stir fry. Seeing how much we had Marg went over to ask Janice if she would like a plate. When she came over to get the plate, she ended up staying with us to eat dinner. Living alone especially with her medical situation a number of ladies here are doing things to help her. She had enough left over to take it for her lunch tomorrow and Marg sent her home with a piece of the cake.
After supper we went to the hall for bingo. Marg had the lucky cards tonight and managed to get one win and a good number of almost wins.
Yesterday I mentioned picking up a job, actually I think I picked up two. Marg is on the organizing committee for the spring tea, I thought it was tee and now I am helping. I think it's making hot water and passing out trays of finger food. Anyway I got another job today as Gary stopped to ask me if I would look at a screen door for an older guy in the park as he is too busy. I probably wouldn't have for the guy, except it's hard to refuse Gary. The only question I had was how in the heck did Gary know I had fixed a few of these for other folks?
Marg's cousins [from Edmonton] who she had not seen for about 15 years showed up just after 1:00 and called saying they were close but wanted final instructions. I kind of chuckled when Billy called as they were only about 5 blocks away, so it didn't take much coaching. Billy has a place in Goodyear, so a good hours drive from here. They wanted to get together last summer, but their route to Alaska changed and they never went through GP. His older brother Joe was down for a couple of weeks, but had been waiting to get over a cold, but leaving tomorrow so it was their last opportunity. Apparently their wives had stayed back to do some packing. It was a nice visit with them reminiscing and then going over the Samoridny family history. We shared what little we had and they had some information that was new to us they shared. They ended up staying the better part of 3 hours, so a nice visit. Marg had made a nice chocolate cake and iced it with ganache that we had with coffee, very nice.
As we had skipped lunch, it wasn't long after they departed that we started on supper preparation. In the process we had a box of pasta that was too much for one meal, but not enough for two, so we cooked it anyway with shrimp in a stir fry. Seeing how much we had Marg went over to ask Janice if she would like a plate. When she came over to get the plate, she ended up staying with us to eat dinner. Living alone especially with her medical situation a number of ladies here are doing things to help her. She had enough left over to take it for her lunch tomorrow and Marg sent her home with a piece of the cake.
After supper we went to the hall for bingo. Marg had the lucky cards tonight and managed to get one win and a good number of almost wins.
Yesterday I mentioned picking up a job, actually I think I picked up two. Marg is on the organizing committee for the spring tea, I thought it was tee and now I am helping. I think it's making hot water and passing out trays of finger food. Anyway I got another job today as Gary stopped to ask me if I would look at a screen door for an older guy in the park as he is too busy. I probably wouldn't have for the guy, except it's hard to refuse Gary. The only question I had was how in the heck did Gary know I had fixed a few of these for other folks?
Monday, 26 February 2018
Monday, Feb 26th
As predicted, it warmed up quite a bit today and got very pleasant out, a nice change from the past week or two.
We pretty much stayed in today and did housework. Although this place is not that large, it needs to be gone over because of the dust down here. Marg usually looks after this, but today I gave a bit of a hand as some of the tasks are more difficult for her when her hip is bothering her. That usually means operating the vacuum which doesn't take long here and today was no exception. Then I took on the chore of washing the bathroom floor. The worst part of that is moving everything and Marg looked after that. It is a small room, so apparently it works best with a rag and pail of sudsy water. This was new to me, but it went quickly and was relatively painless. I'm not sure if this is a new duty or if I am filling in for an invalid and really not sure if I should ask. After I finished Marg went at the rest of the unit with a swifter type mop and did the floors. Apparently they were definitely in need of it as it took a couple of pads to complete the job. Well that was exciting. We are having company tomorrow. Sheesh we have company every day, but these must be getting special attention.
While she was swabbing the decks I went out to visit Wink and give him back his jar of screws. He was busy, so I thanked him and chatted a bit. Just as I was leaving I handed him an envelope with a thank you card. He said there better not be any money in there, you had better stand here while I open it. Well, I took off and said I have to be somewhere as I left. Imagine him thinking there was money in it, that was pretty presumptuous. I just had to get away because the amount was small, Marg had put in the note that he should take his wife out to lunch. LOL. On the way back I got stopped to chat and ended up with a job, they want me to help with the joke telling during the interludes between races to help fill the time.
Home for lunch and then I went out to play pool with the guys. It was a smaller group today, so I played one on one with one of the better players. I did get 2 wins, but that was partly luck the rest of the games he won fairly handily. When I play him I generally try to leave him tough, but that only works part of the time.
Marg came in to the pool room to call me out as it was pizza time. One of the people in the park had been through a time with cancer and came through it pretty well and wanted to celebrate by treating the people in the park to a pizza party. Her parents are also in the park and helped her set it up. She is challenged, but functions pretty independently and everyone kind of looks out for her. In fact earlier she had come to ask me to post it on the FB page. It was well attended in spite of being at 2:00, so just after lunch. There was lots of variety and everyone got 2 slices plus 2 bread sticks. I guess they had 3 dozens pizzas.
After I went back to play pool with 2 other guys. They are both quite good, but we usually have good games and quite a few laughs. I won a few games, but lost one that they had a lot more fun with than me. I was on a big come-back to victory making 5 balls in a row and then the 8 ball, except I scratched the cue ball on the shot. It sure put a smile on their faces.
On my way back to our place I found Marg at happy half way down our road, so stopped in. It was nice to discover that she had a beer in a cozzie to keep it cool sitting in the cart waiting for me to show up. We exchanged a bit of gossip and lots of it was negative stuff, so I said we have some happy news to share and commenced telling them about Katie getting an offer from Nottingham U. I must have got a bit carried away as I got the look to wrap it up. Let them eat their hearts out.
That was about it for today, oh yeh, I took a couple of photo's of my project on the carport the first form the front, the second from behind the place.
We pretty much stayed in today and did housework. Although this place is not that large, it needs to be gone over because of the dust down here. Marg usually looks after this, but today I gave a bit of a hand as some of the tasks are more difficult for her when her hip is bothering her. That usually means operating the vacuum which doesn't take long here and today was no exception. Then I took on the chore of washing the bathroom floor. The worst part of that is moving everything and Marg looked after that. It is a small room, so apparently it works best with a rag and pail of sudsy water. This was new to me, but it went quickly and was relatively painless. I'm not sure if this is a new duty or if I am filling in for an invalid and really not sure if I should ask. After I finished Marg went at the rest of the unit with a swifter type mop and did the floors. Apparently they were definitely in need of it as it took a couple of pads to complete the job. Well that was exciting. We are having company tomorrow. Sheesh we have company every day, but these must be getting special attention.
While she was swabbing the decks I went out to visit Wink and give him back his jar of screws. He was busy, so I thanked him and chatted a bit. Just as I was leaving I handed him an envelope with a thank you card. He said there better not be any money in there, you had better stand here while I open it. Well, I took off and said I have to be somewhere as I left. Imagine him thinking there was money in it, that was pretty presumptuous. I just had to get away because the amount was small, Marg had put in the note that he should take his wife out to lunch. LOL. On the way back I got stopped to chat and ended up with a job, they want me to help with the joke telling during the interludes between races to help fill the time.
Home for lunch and then I went out to play pool with the guys. It was a smaller group today, so I played one on one with one of the better players. I did get 2 wins, but that was partly luck the rest of the games he won fairly handily. When I play him I generally try to leave him tough, but that only works part of the time.
Marg came in to the pool room to call me out as it was pizza time. One of the people in the park had been through a time with cancer and came through it pretty well and wanted to celebrate by treating the people in the park to a pizza party. Her parents are also in the park and helped her set it up. She is challenged, but functions pretty independently and everyone kind of looks out for her. In fact earlier she had come to ask me to post it on the FB page. It was well attended in spite of being at 2:00, so just after lunch. There was lots of variety and everyone got 2 slices plus 2 bread sticks. I guess they had 3 dozens pizzas.
After I went back to play pool with 2 other guys. They are both quite good, but we usually have good games and quite a few laughs. I won a few games, but lost one that they had a lot more fun with than me. I was on a big come-back to victory making 5 balls in a row and then the 8 ball, except I scratched the cue ball on the shot. It sure put a smile on their faces.
On my way back to our place I found Marg at happy half way down our road, so stopped in. It was nice to discover that she had a beer in a cozzie to keep it cool sitting in the cart waiting for me to show up. We exchanged a bit of gossip and lots of it was negative stuff, so I said we have some happy news to share and commenced telling them about Katie getting an offer from Nottingham U. I must have got a bit carried away as I got the look to wrap it up. Let them eat their hearts out.
That was about it for today, oh yeh, I took a couple of photo's of my project on the carport the first form the front, the second from behind the place.
Sunday, 25 February 2018
Sunday, Feb 25th
A nicer day in the Valley. We started our day with a nice bowl of oatmeal and then went out to take in the day.
We started out going to a garage sale that Marg found on line and thought looked to have interesting stuff, rather than the usual junk. She entered the address in our GPS and we had no problem finding the place, but there was no sale. We re-entered the address and it took us away from that location and to the one where the sale was. Not sure what happened other than we saw some new places. LOL. The sale had some unique stuff, like a huge African carving that looked like a warriors mask. Well this may surprise some of you, but we didn't have one of those and still don't. She did find a coffee carafe that was brand new that she bought. I couldn't find one thing of interest, just the usual collection of junk, but in a nice neighbourhood.
From there we went to the Mesa Marketplace where I took in the books I have read and could have walked away with a cool $5. Alas such was not the case and I ended up adding another $5 to it for the books I picked up. This time it was Marg who had no luck. She never even went in the book stall, that's why. She did look at some other stuff, in spite of all the booths with good junk.
From there we went to another Ross's store. That was the one that had the dress she liked the other day. Sadly they did not have what she was looking for, but she did find a dress that she could accept, so bought it. Before you get to jubilant, I have to warn you that this is the official back-up dress and the search for the garment of choice will continue.
It appears that was sufficient retail therapy, so we went out to lunch. We were in the midst of some very nice restaurants, but we left there in search of the holy grail. Well we tried the Village Inn on Power, but the line up was too lone, so went across the road. It was a place we had never been to and as it had lots of people eating in it, thought hmmm, a new find. They had a buffet, but we ordered from the menu. Marg had a taco salad that turned out to be not so hot. I had a scramble that was good, but about 4 times what I could eat. The waitress with the nice full mustache was very nice and accommodating, she kept our coffee cups full. According to Marg I don't believe we plan on returning to the JB something or rather.
When we got back home, I tackled the rest of the breezeway siding. It required a bit of creativity but is done. Marg was happy with the outcome, so good enough. I should have taken a picture, but it's too dark now. Maybe tomorrow.
After supper we went to ice cream social We sat with some different people again this week. It is kind of becoming our normal practice now. One of the ladies came to say they missed me at the church service this morning and that is two weeks now. I made my cold excuse which got me out of it, she even said she put in a good word for me, so I think I'm OK.
Oh yes, we got some good news today, Katie was given an offer from Nottingham university in the Veterinary medicine program, a very happy day.
We started out going to a garage sale that Marg found on line and thought looked to have interesting stuff, rather than the usual junk. She entered the address in our GPS and we had no problem finding the place, but there was no sale. We re-entered the address and it took us away from that location and to the one where the sale was. Not sure what happened other than we saw some new places. LOL. The sale had some unique stuff, like a huge African carving that looked like a warriors mask. Well this may surprise some of you, but we didn't have one of those and still don't. She did find a coffee carafe that was brand new that she bought. I couldn't find one thing of interest, just the usual collection of junk, but in a nice neighbourhood.
From there we went to the Mesa Marketplace where I took in the books I have read and could have walked away with a cool $5. Alas such was not the case and I ended up adding another $5 to it for the books I picked up. This time it was Marg who had no luck. She never even went in the book stall, that's why. She did look at some other stuff, in spite of all the booths with good junk.
From there we went to another Ross's store. That was the one that had the dress she liked the other day. Sadly they did not have what she was looking for, but she did find a dress that she could accept, so bought it. Before you get to jubilant, I have to warn you that this is the official back-up dress and the search for the garment of choice will continue.
It appears that was sufficient retail therapy, so we went out to lunch. We were in the midst of some very nice restaurants, but we left there in search of the holy grail. Well we tried the Village Inn on Power, but the line up was too lone, so went across the road. It was a place we had never been to and as it had lots of people eating in it, thought hmmm, a new find. They had a buffet, but we ordered from the menu. Marg had a taco salad that turned out to be not so hot. I had a scramble that was good, but about 4 times what I could eat. The waitress with the nice full mustache was very nice and accommodating, she kept our coffee cups full. According to Marg I don't believe we plan on returning to the JB something or rather.
When we got back home, I tackled the rest of the breezeway siding. It required a bit of creativity but is done. Marg was happy with the outcome, so good enough. I should have taken a picture, but it's too dark now. Maybe tomorrow.
After supper we went to ice cream social We sat with some different people again this week. It is kind of becoming our normal practice now. One of the ladies came to say they missed me at the church service this morning and that is two weeks now. I made my cold excuse which got me out of it, she even said she put in a good word for me, so I think I'm OK.
Oh yes, we got some good news today, Katie was given an offer from Nottingham university in the Veterinary medicine program, a very happy day.
Saturday, 24 February 2018
Saturday, Feb 24th.
We used the vaporizer all night last night and both of us woke up with our sinus & lungs just a bit clearer. The only negative was we had water running down just about all the windows in the trailer. Went through just about a roll of paper towel drying them on the inside. A combination of a very cool night and single pane windows. Well the new vaporizer sure works well.
It being Saturday there is a big breakfast in the hall, but I preferred oatmeal and that was breakfast this morning. With these cool mornings, the old spurtle is getting a real workout this February.
Marg went out for a little retail therapy. She is actually looking for a dress for a special wedding we plan on attending this summer. She found one she thought was perfect, but the size she wanted was not available at that store. Ross's have others in the area, so I suspect that will be the next step. The only things she got were a table cloth and a house warming gift for a friend.
I worked on getting a couple of posts on the tenants association FB page for events next week. It is not a big deal except I have to scan the notice because it is so small, then crop it so it is useful and that takes a bit of time. The new printer is much better for scanning than my old ones. My plan is to get rid of both of them when I get home and just use this one,
Marg came home for lunch and then after lunch I worked on the panels for the side of the carport. I had to modify them so that I didn't create a wall in front of the neighbours bedroom window. Well I thought I did, but as it turns out he didn't care either way. I was feeling a little self-conscious working outside their bedroom window, but it's done. Now all I have left is the end piece. Wink had given me a bunch of screws to use on the aluminum panels and frame and they are amazing, no need to pre-drill. I ran in to a problem and we went to the store that sells this stuff, but they never had the part I was looking for, so I will just have to work around it. To cut this stuff I just put a plywood blade in the skill saw backwards and it seems to be doing the trick.
It was getting late in the afternoon, so time to pack up the tools and get ready to go out. We went to the Chili Cook-off in the park. This is the second year doing this and they had 9 entries in the competition. They charge everyone $2 to attend and that gives each person a sample from each entrant. The idea is to taste them all and rate one as the fan favourite. There is a panel of 5 judges, three from the event sponsor and they pick the best: 1, 2 & 3. After everyone has the samples evaluated and entered their ballot, they are welcome to go fill a bowl with their favourite. A lot of the people had enough with samples, but most went to get a bowl, there was a lot of chili. There was a wide variety in the 9 entries, something for everyone: a vegan version, an entry using venison, one using chicken, but most using pork or beef. There were a couple of mild, most spicy and 3 that were very spicy. Marg had 3 samples she could not finish as they were too hot, me it was 2 So here we sit waiting to see if there is an after-burn on what we ate. It was well attended and a fun event. The chicken one was good, but it was one that neither of us could finish, it was cooked by a guy from New Mexico. A bit of a surprise, the venison one was judged to be the best. Now where are those antacid tablets?
It being Saturday there is a big breakfast in the hall, but I preferred oatmeal and that was breakfast this morning. With these cool mornings, the old spurtle is getting a real workout this February.
Marg went out for a little retail therapy. She is actually looking for a dress for a special wedding we plan on attending this summer. She found one she thought was perfect, but the size she wanted was not available at that store. Ross's have others in the area, so I suspect that will be the next step. The only things she got were a table cloth and a house warming gift for a friend.
I worked on getting a couple of posts on the tenants association FB page for events next week. It is not a big deal except I have to scan the notice because it is so small, then crop it so it is useful and that takes a bit of time. The new printer is much better for scanning than my old ones. My plan is to get rid of both of them when I get home and just use this one,
Marg came home for lunch and then after lunch I worked on the panels for the side of the carport. I had to modify them so that I didn't create a wall in front of the neighbours bedroom window. Well I thought I did, but as it turns out he didn't care either way. I was feeling a little self-conscious working outside their bedroom window, but it's done. Now all I have left is the end piece. Wink had given me a bunch of screws to use on the aluminum panels and frame and they are amazing, no need to pre-drill. I ran in to a problem and we went to the store that sells this stuff, but they never had the part I was looking for, so I will just have to work around it. To cut this stuff I just put a plywood blade in the skill saw backwards and it seems to be doing the trick.
It was getting late in the afternoon, so time to pack up the tools and get ready to go out. We went to the Chili Cook-off in the park. This is the second year doing this and they had 9 entries in the competition. They charge everyone $2 to attend and that gives each person a sample from each entrant. The idea is to taste them all and rate one as the fan favourite. There is a panel of 5 judges, three from the event sponsor and they pick the best: 1, 2 & 3. After everyone has the samples evaluated and entered their ballot, they are welcome to go fill a bowl with their favourite. A lot of the people had enough with samples, but most went to get a bowl, there was a lot of chili. There was a wide variety in the 9 entries, something for everyone: a vegan version, an entry using venison, one using chicken, but most using pork or beef. There were a couple of mild, most spicy and 3 that were very spicy. Marg had 3 samples she could not finish as they were too hot, me it was 2 So here we sit waiting to see if there is an after-burn on what we ate. It was well attended and a fun event. The chicken one was good, but it was one that neither of us could finish, it was cooked by a guy from New Mexico. A bit of a surprise, the venison one was judged to be the best. Now where are those antacid tablets?
Friday, 23 February 2018
Friday, Feb 23rd
We were off to an earlier start than usual today. Kind of tired of sitting around the house, so when Marg needed a few groceries I tagged along. We went to the large Walmart on Signal Butte as it has better selection than the one in AJ. When we pulled into the parking lot I spied a guy backing out of one that was very close to the store, so I started down the row. Just as I got in the row a lady started backing out another stall and backed into him. Well decision time, no use waiting for them to sort it out, so I backed out and went to another row. Should I have remained as a witness, no use. The insurance companies rule these things in parking lots as 50/50, sort of blameless. As luck would have it I got just as good spot two rows down.
I wanted to get a vaporizer and a card to add minutes & days to my phone. As it turns out Marg wanted some things in the pharmacy area anyway. Picked up the groceries and made it out of the store and didn't notice the bumper twins, so they must have moved on.
Got back to the park and was stopped about half way up the lane to our place by several people who wanted to update us. It was mainly relating to the block party today on our street. With the weather they moved it indoors at the hall and wanted me to put it on FB, but there was lots of other park gossip we got updates on, all the while sitting in the road way. Sometimes it's hard to make progress in the park, but Marg finally said we had stuff that needed refrigeration, so we were able to get going.
It was about lunch when we got back and after we got sorted out I started the vaporizer and laid down with it to see if it would loosen my chest.
Marg went down to get the mail and on the way back noticed the little boy across the way was looking kind of bored. He is staying with his grandparents alone as his cousin Olivia went home earlier. It was a cool windy day and not a lot to do so she asked Jenn if Mason would like a ride on the cart. She told him Marg is offering you a ride, well he was on the cart before she finished speaking. Then Marg said, NO, you are taking him. Well she had never driven a cart, but said well she had driven lots of stuff, anyway they went for a long ride and came and visited a bit Then a bit later when she had to go to the Laundromat to get her clothes, their truck was still gone so Marg said well take the cart and again Mason was on it before the words were spoken. Tammy and her son Sammy stopped by to visit with Marg and they were really happy with her shopping recommendation. She had told them about a Dillon last call store they went to. As it turns out they spent a small fortune there because the deals are so good. They even had to buy a suitcase so they could take it all home with them. Then Marg went down to the hall where she helped a group get the place set up for the pot luck.
By then it was time to get our contribution to the pot luck/block party. Marg fried up the chicken and teriyaki sauce then put it in the slow cooker. We had seats saved with friends, so even though we were a bit late it was no problem. There was lots of good food today and the desert table was amazing. That is not always the case at pot luck dinners, making this one of the best we have had in the park. Marg was fretting about the Teriyaki chicken, but there was nothing to worry about, it was one of the most popular dishes and went quickly. Didn't really need the slow cooker plugged in it went so fast once the line started.
I wanted to get a vaporizer and a card to add minutes & days to my phone. As it turns out Marg wanted some things in the pharmacy area anyway. Picked up the groceries and made it out of the store and didn't notice the bumper twins, so they must have moved on.
Got back to the park and was stopped about half way up the lane to our place by several people who wanted to update us. It was mainly relating to the block party today on our street. With the weather they moved it indoors at the hall and wanted me to put it on FB, but there was lots of other park gossip we got updates on, all the while sitting in the road way. Sometimes it's hard to make progress in the park, but Marg finally said we had stuff that needed refrigeration, so we were able to get going.
It was about lunch when we got back and after we got sorted out I started the vaporizer and laid down with it to see if it would loosen my chest.
Marg went down to get the mail and on the way back noticed the little boy across the way was looking kind of bored. He is staying with his grandparents alone as his cousin Olivia went home earlier. It was a cool windy day and not a lot to do so she asked Jenn if Mason would like a ride on the cart. She told him Marg is offering you a ride, well he was on the cart before she finished speaking. Then Marg said, NO, you are taking him. Well she had never driven a cart, but said well she had driven lots of stuff, anyway they went for a long ride and came and visited a bit Then a bit later when she had to go to the Laundromat to get her clothes, their truck was still gone so Marg said well take the cart and again Mason was on it before the words were spoken. Tammy and her son Sammy stopped by to visit with Marg and they were really happy with her shopping recommendation. She had told them about a Dillon last call store they went to. As it turns out they spent a small fortune there because the deals are so good. They even had to buy a suitcase so they could take it all home with them. Then Marg went down to the hall where she helped a group get the place set up for the pot luck.
By then it was time to get our contribution to the pot luck/block party. Marg fried up the chicken and teriyaki sauce then put it in the slow cooker. We had seats saved with friends, so even though we were a bit late it was no problem. There was lots of good food today and the desert table was amazing. That is not always the case at pot luck dinners, making this one of the best we have had in the park. Marg was fretting about the Teriyaki chicken, but there was nothing to worry about, it was one of the most popular dishes and went quickly. Didn't really need the slow cooker plugged in it went so fast once the line started.
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