Wind, sand, and fire

I could get used to this. Not only the lovely weather, but having the time to simply relax and do as I please. There are no big projects to be tackled and I'm a heck of a lot easier to clean up after than my daughter and grandson, or even the cleaning I do during my irregular visits to my son. Of course, I don't have nearly as much stuff with me as I have back home so there is less to put away.

This is my view from the couch. There is a jigsaw puzzle on the dining table so I've been eating on the tv tray (as well as using my laptop. To the right are two knitted dishcloths I've made up. The kitchen is compact but has everything I need. Down the hall to the right is the bathroom, and the last door you can see is the bedroom. It has an amazing amount of storage.

I will, however, be going home with more stuff. You know I can't resist thrift stores. So when I was invited to join two of the ladies, L & S, on Tuesday I jumped at the chance. We hit up three stores, Amberly's, Al, an the Goodwill and all three of us came away with treasures. I picked up a couple of t-shirts, a pair of shorts for Eli, a book, and a small plastic container. We stopped at Dunkin' Donuts (new to me) for coffee but no doughnuts! From there, we went to Kneaders -  bakery and coffee shop - for sourdough bread, and then to J.C. Penney for their clearance sale. We all found a few items; in my case, two blouses. In total, I paid $10 for the four tops I purchased. 

The weather changed on Tuesday, windy, cloudy, and cooler temps. Wednesday's photo was taken after we returned from shopping. It got darker still, but there was no rain. The weather channel showed an air quality advisory as well due to dust in the air. I moved some of the outdoor furniture, in case it rained, and covered some with sheets provided by my landlords to, at least, keep some of the dust at bay. That night was incredibly noisy with things outside and the bathroom vent inside rattling and banging. I managed to sleep through some of it, but was wide awake at 3 a.m. I got up, made some tea, and after talking to my daughter about 5:30 (it's 6:30 a.m. at home), I went back to bed and slept for nearly 3 hours. 

The canasta group met Wednesday afternoon, and I sat watching the first game. It is nothing like what I remember playing with my Nan (grandmother) when I was a child. But, when the first game was over, three of the ladies stayed and walked me through a game. Let's just say I need to work on my strategy. We played another card game called 2500. It too is a strategic game, but one I caught onto much more quickly. By mid-game I was ahead, but by the end, I came in next to last. As one woman put it, without the right cards, strategy doesn't win the game.

The winds had died down, so I did a load of sheets before I headed to Happy Hour. When I went to hang them on the line I discovered the drying rack had been damaged in the wind. I didn't want to bother my landlord that evening, so hung them as best I could and planned to call in the morning. The sheets dried quickly and I brought them in after dinner. 

Thursday started off quite cool, around 43F (6C), though no wind. I washed a load of laundry and sent a text off to my landlady about the drying rack. I didn't hear back until after lunch, so I hung everything on hangers and hung them to dry - first on a rack outside and then indoors when the wind picked up.

Thursday morning the social club offers coffee/tea, pastries and other items for a $2 entry fee. I decided to go, and I'm glad I did. There was a large group,  and only three of us who are renting or visiting friends here. After we'd all had our fill, the social club chair brought a few things to our attention. There are a few events upcoming, including a "heritage" potluck in February which I subsequently learned that attendees are asked to bring a food item from our ethnic background. When I mentioned shortbread at Happy Hour, one of the residents offered to give me the flour I would need. I'll make a small batch as I'm assuming, like every other potluck I've been to, there will be mounds of food.

The wind had died down some on Friday morning, so I took a walk over to Walmart to pick up a few groceries. It's a short walk, just a few blocks, and I brought a backpack to carry the groceries. It means I can't over shop! I really didn't need a lot, but still came home missing an item, tea bags! I have a few left so will wait until later in the week to make another trip.

I spent the rest of the day watching curling. Yes, there is an event being held in Lloydminster, Saskatchewan that is being streamed on You-tube. I managed to catch two games before Happy Hour, the end of the third when I arrived home from there and then another later in the evening. One of the teams that played in the evening, had been on the ice since early in the morning, competing in all four draws. I was tired, just watching, I'm sure they were exhausted.

One of the women at Happy Hour asked if I wanted to join them in the morning for garage sales. I said no, because I'll be watching curling. Next week, the park is holding their own garage sale, and I've offered to help set up for it. 

So today is more curling, more knitting or crocheting (four dishcloths completed), and in between some time out side enjoying the sun. Have a great weekend everyone!

P.S. I normally don't post about the news, but the fires in California are heartbreaking. I understand at least ten people have been confirmed dead, and over 10,000 homes have been lost. L.A. and the surrounding area has had limited rain for many months, and the dry conditions and the gusts of Santa Anna winds are creating the perfect storm. And, it doesn't seem the fires will be under control any time soon. Personnel and equipment from both Canada and Mexico have been brought in to assist as well. 

Friday Funny

 

Wordless Wednesday

 

Settling in

What a difference a few days makes (and 2810 kms/1750 miles)! The weather here is quite lovely, cooling down to 8-10C/46-50F at night, and our daytime highs have been around 23-26C/74-79F. The skies are blue and bright, just like winter days at home.

I flew out of Regina early Tuesday morning, but it wasn't a direct flight, as I went through Vancouver, B.C. I ought to have waited a month or two to book a direct flight, but I'm not sure that would have provided any difference in costs. We were delayed out of Regina with a full flight of passengers causing a delay in boarding and then the requiring de-icing of the plane. I had about 75 minutes in Vancouver to get through security, customs, and to make my way to the gate. I made with about 5 minutes before pre-boarding was called after stopping for a sandwich at Tim Horton's. 

The flights were uneventful and we arrived about 20 minutes ahead of schedule in Phoenix. De-planing took some time as, again, it was a nearly full flight. I got lucky and my seat-mate and I had a empty middle seat between us. On the plane, it was announced that there might be a delay with our luggage due to some issue at the carousels. Initially, it appeared we were last in a long line of flights at carousel 3, however someone somewhere made a switch and our luggage came out the carousel right next to it. Even better, my luggage was within the first ten bags to come off the belt.

I texted my friends who were waiting for me in one of the parking lots and they came to pick me up at one of the exit doors. Great service! From there we drove to their rental in Apache Junction. Later, that evening, J drove K and I, and another lady, to a nearby community where they were have a line dancing party. I sat to watch, tapping my toes to the music, and chatting with others at the table as they came and went from the floor. J picked us up about 10 p.m. for the drive back to their rental. It had been a long day; I'd been up at 3:30 a.m. so fell into bed quickly after our return.

On New Year's Day, we left their place to head for Yuma and arrived at the rental around 3 p.m. We'd made a couple of stops, one at a rest area for a picnic and another at Dateland travel center. At the latter, we did a little shopping, then J and K shared a Date milkshake while I ate a date ice cream cone. To be honest, I didn't really notice the flavour in the ice cream. I had picked up a container of almond crusted date bars for later and those are delicious. They are nice sweet treat.

My landlords were waiting for us at the unit and proceeded to show us around the property. The place is lovely and the unit is well-equipped. After the tour, we sat around in the outdoor living area before heading to pick up a few basic groceries at Walmart. We looked for a Mexican restaurant for dinner that evening, my treat, but they weren't open. We ended up at Cracker Barrel, which was fine but not really what I had wanted. 

I was awake by 6 a.m. the following morning, but lay and read blogs (no comments) and FB until shortly after 7 when they began to stir. By 9 we were in the truck and on our way to Arizona Market, a flea market near the Yuma airport. The place was quiet, but got busier while we were there, and while there were empty spots there were plenty of vendors to visit. K got grapefruit at one place, while I picked up a huge head of lettuce and green onions at another. The prices were amazing, as I paid only $2.50 for my purchases. 

After lunch, we went to Food City, also within a few blocks of the park (easy walking distance) for a few more groceries, primarily fruit and veg. My landlady had mentioned they have better produce than Walmart and she wasn't wrong. I picked up some other basic items to put in the pantry for later.

For dinner, we drove to Los Charros for the Mexican food I'd been craving. The place was packed when we arrived, and the food was tasty with a reasonable price. It's too far for me to walk there but I noticed a few places close by, that I may check out at another time.

We all slept in on Friday morning, I didn't wake until almost 8 a.m. That's very late for me! We didn't rush, but left for the historic downtown Yuma shortly before 10 a.m. Like the market, it was quiet with few tourist around. We wandered through various places and checked out the windows of others. There is a lovely cafe I'd like to visit again someday, and a few shops with interesting art and gift ideas. I really don't plan to buy anything much as I've picked up hot sauce for my son, and vanilla for my daughter, but I'll want to find something for Eli.

Back at the unit, we made lunch, sat and visited for a bit before J and K left for Apache Junction. I attempted to sit out in the sun, but it was too strong for me for longer than 10 minutes. I'm fortunate I have the outside seating area as it is shaded, so I sat and read a book. 

About 4 p.m. I headed over to the pergola where many of the inhabitants meet for Happy Hour. Everyone I met was from Canada, except for Pat, who is has been coming to the park since 1989. I'm told she is the historian and she certainly had some interesting information to share. While there, I was convinced to join the canasta group that meet on Wednesday (I haven't played since I was a child), and was invited to go thrifting with my next door neighbour and her friend on Tuesday. There is cribbage on Thursday too, and coffee hour is held that morning in the clubhouse. I am certain I won't be bored. :) Of course, I have some crafts I want to work on while I'm here, so won't over schedule myself.

Today, I'm planning to do a load of laundry in the morning, but beyond that it is a time for rest and relaxation. There is a book I've started to finish, and the outdoor living area is calling my name.

Have a great week ahead everyone!

Edit: It appears I gave the wrong impression, as I'm on my own here now. K & J were kind enough to drive me (the 3 plus hours) from Phoenix to Yuma. They stayed for a couple of days before heading back to Apache Junction. 

Friday Funny

 

Happy New Year!

 

Wishing all of my readers all the best in 2025!

*comments off

Christmas Past

Christmas week was definitely slower than the week prior. Thank goodness!

Besides the big day, I filled my time with packing for leaving today (to the city), reading, watching television, and making mini-quiche for our Christmas breakfast. D had errands to run on the 24th in the morning and also baked buns and set a pan of cinnamon buns for the next day's breakfast. 

That evening we dressed in our new Christmas pajamas and went for a drive around town to look at the Christmas lights. There were some pretty fantastic displays, no photos though. It was clear that at some point small inflatable snowman were purchased by many; we ought to have counted them up as we drove around as I'm sure they would have numbered in the dozens.

We had hoped that a bath and the drive would help Eli fall asleep that night. It did not, and D said it was nearly 11:30 before he dropped off. I wasn't far behind him - not sure why I couldn't sleep but I was up past midnight. This is what our Christmas morning looked like:

5:30 a.m. Eli is up and raring to go. His mom attempts to distract him with his stocking. That takes about 3 minutes for him to unwrap some small gifts. He does go downstairs to play with the cap gun in the stocking...for about 1 minute.

G'ma gives up and gets up at this point. We discuss whether we ought to have breakfast before opening gifts. Eli vetoes that idea, but I manage to put the cinnamon buns in the oven before he has his say.

5:45 a.m. Gift opening commences. We have a tradition in our family, that only one gift at a time can be opened. It must then be admired by all before the next gift is handed out. This extends the amount of time.

6:05 a.m. I check the cinnamon buns and give them another 10 minutes.

6:15 a.m. Gift opening continues. Eli opens a gift from Santa and finds Mario Bros. underwear. It is the only gift that disappoints him. G'ma and Momma get slippers from Santa; we are not disappointed. 

I pull the cinnamon buns out of the oven and put the mini quiche into warm up for 10 minutes.

6:25 a.m. Quiche are ready. D realizes that she forgot to put one present under the tree. (She didn't really but she wanted to prank Eli). It's the Nintendo Switch that he asked Santa to bring. Much joy is observed, at least until she has to start the process of making it work with the television. 

6:30 a.m. I sit down with a cup of tea, two mini-quiches and a cinnamon bun. Eli has a bowl of cereal and a pear due to his egg allergy. D doesn't eat until later.

The hilarity (for me, at least) continued for another hour or so while D set up a profile on-line, watched several videos on how to set up the Switch, tested it, and said a few HBO words. When the video game was finally passed to the small child, I did the dishes and she went up to bed where she napped for three hours. Eli and I hung out in my bedroom, where I watched the Great British Baking show. 

Christmas dinner was a sirloin tip roast done low and slow in the oven, mashed potatoes, carrots, peas, and my daughter's favorite, Stove Top stuffing. The beef was so delicious - it's been some time since I've done a roast. There is enough left over for a sandwich or two for D. 

We were all in bed early that night! Eli slept for over 12 hours and woke just as D left the house to do a bit of Boxing Day shopping. There was a table on sale that we wanted for the office/craft room at Canadian Tire. I was just as happy to stay home with the kid and the cats.

Christmas was taken down and put away on Friday. While D likes the sparkle, there is a lot of it to deal with. I had brought in the tubs from the porch the day before, and we made quick work of dismantling the Christmas tree, and the other Christmas stuffies, Nativity set, green garland and such. We did leave up the snow flakes and blue and silver garland. So, still a little sparkle and winter themed.

This morning I will get the car packed with the Christmas gifts for my brother and his family, my bags - duffle with clothing, laptop, and knitting. There are a couple of errands to run in the city before I head for C's house. Hopefully I'll have everything done, so I can park the car in the garage, where it will stay for the next two months. Then it is just packing for Yuma, hanging out with my son, Saku (the cat) and Sage (the dog) before I fly out on Tuesday!

Have a great week ahead everyone!