Wordless Wednesday

 

To Christmas and beyond!

Is anyone ever really ready for Christmas? I thought I was, but I didn't count on my daughter's list of things to do. For a number of years she has put together gift bags for young children or donated to the Food Bank, sometimes both. This year she decided her gift would be to make Christmas special for the four children next door. If you recall, they live with their father, who is pretty much useless as far as I can tell. Their mom left around Christmas last year and has been living apart from the family since then. We did see her there a couple of times in the summer but D says she hasn't been back recently.

In any event, D feels/knows that Eli is a very fortunate child and the children next door are not. She made up t-shirts for them ($ store tees) with transfers she purchased from Temu. We went through the craft room and found a number of items that we aren't using that kids would enjoy. In addition, D had a number of toys in the "gift" closet - she picks these items up throughout the year, usually at a deep discount and tucks them away. Sometimes they are gifts for friend's birthdays, occasionally as a reward for Eli, and often for the Christmas donations. Then she and I picked up a few other items to add to the children's gift, including a game for all four to play, toiletries, tiaras for the girls and colouring books or pad of paper. She even made fairy wands for the youngest twin girls. Can you imagine the excitement the children felt?

In addition, she went through the pantry and selected some items for a couple of meals. The school social worker dropped of a box of food for Christmas dinner but they would need more to get through the holiday season. D did a lot of baking this year, and put together a container for our other next door neighbours as well. 

I'm not sure I've mentioned R & K before. They are an older First Nations couple and absolutely wonderful neighbours. They take care of the yard (unlike the previous tenants) and R brought over blueberries and strawberries during the summer. D made blueberry jam from the latter, and we used that to fill the mini cheesecakes, so good! Since the recent snow fall, he has come over and shovelled the front sidewalk and he even cleared out the space where D keeps the garbage and recycling bins. They are often away as R is an elder and provides his knowledge and support to various bands. K is very quiet, and I haven't had a chance to chat with her yet but she always has a smile on her face. 

On Christmas Eve day, I wrapped gifts for the children - each got a personally curated box, the game was wrapped separately, and the craft items were divided into two containers based on age. I also baked a package of gingerbread, D and I filled thumbprint cookies and mini cheesecakes, and she baked a batch of buns and French bread. Half of the buns went to the family next door. By mid-afternoon we had the containers filled and we took a break before delivering the goodies to the neighbours on both sides.

It was closing on dusk when we finished our deliveries, so we hopped in the car and went out to look at the Christmas lights. For a small community, there were a lot of homes lit up for the season. There were two in particular, that rivalled anything I've seen in the city. No photos as I was driving and D was busy oohing and aahing over the lights. 

Christmas morning arrived, ready or not! D and I had a couple of hours of quiet time before one excited boy woke up. He removed everything from his stocking - it was so heavy, it had to be set up on the table as the hanger couldn't hold it. After a quick breakfast we moved onto the gifts under the tree. The kid got what he really wanted - a VR (virtual reality) headset. It took a couple of hours to get it set up and there was a bit of grumbling but he was happily playing before lunch.

Meanwhile I had a chat with my brother and texted back and forth with my son and his girlfriend. Everyone seemed pleased with their gifts including Sage. :) 

The rest of the day was pretty quiet. D and I watched a couple of episodes of The Floor. If you haven't watched it, it is quite interesting...some categories are easier than others but there is some real strategy to the play. I had an afternoon nap, then D and I decided we'd had a big enough lunch and Christmas dinner could wait until Boxing Day. Why not? Eli continued to play on his devices and D and I watched a couple more episodes before bedtime.

On Boxing Day, D was up early. I was not - an afternoon nap and late bedtime the day prior contributed to less sleep than I needed. After I was up and alert, we un-decorated the house. Normally, I would leave the decorations until after New Years but D had to do all of the decorating on her own and said she didn't want me to leave this task to her. There was a bit of Boxing Day shopping done - she found a bag for the tree storage. I found a couple of couch cushions and some gift tags, a small wreath, and toilet paper and paper towels. D also picked up items for her gift closet, and chocolate for next Christmas. 

Back at the house we fixed our Christmas dinner for lunch. Air-fryer chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, and corn filled our plates. It would have been peas and carrots but Eli ate the last of those. It was a bit of a beige plate...but something my Dad would have appreciated.

The rest of the afternoon was spent puttering and watching a few more episodes of The Floor. At some point we took a break from television and put the trees away.

The two trees easily fit into the storage bag. It looks like we could use it to move a body or two as well. :) It's even on wheels.

Today, D will do laundry and I'll pack my backpack, as we are planning to drive into the city on Sunday. I'll be staying with my son and his g/f for a few days before I fly south. We are expecting some snow during the day- I'll help shovel and D plans to try out her new snowblower. 

I hope you all had a wonderful day, with time to relax. Have a great week ahead everyone!

Merry Christmas!

 

Enjoy your day, however you choose to spend it!

Funny Wednesday

 

Snow overload

It was a quiet, busy week. I know that is conflicting but it is true. The snow started around 9 a.m. on Wednesday and did not let up until late the next day.

This was the radar about noon on Tuesday. The storm extended west as far as Edmonton, Alberta and east to Winnipeg, Manitoba. I'm pretty certain I've shared this saying before...Manitoba sucks and Alberta blows. An Alberta Clipper is a fast moving low-pressure storm that forms east of the Rocky Mountains. It usually follows Chinook winds that bring warm temperatures. We had above freezing temps overnight on Monday into Tuesday but that didn't last long.

As a result, my daughter and I decided to pick up some extra groceries, fresh fruit, bread, and dairy to ensure we wouldn't need to go out for the next few days. While we were expecting a reprieve from the snow on Thursday, there was more in the forecast for Friday. (Have I made a note yet, that I really, really dislike winter?)

By noon, the school had announced the cancellation of the Christmas concert. In anticipation of the cancellation, the principal had arranged for the children to attend the nearby church and the program was video-ed (they don't tape things anymore do they?). A link was sent out to the families to view at their pleasure.

D picked Eli up at school, as he wasn't feeling well. He spent the afternoon on the couch, and D and I shovelled three times between noon and 5 p.m. The weather app suggested there was about 19 cms. or 7.5 inches. We cleared about 10 inches, but some of that had blown in. The snow did not finish falling or blowing until well after midnight. (Here's the radar at 6 p.m. - the storm was moving, but not fast enough for me!)    

By 5:30 a.m., when my daughter and I went out to shovel, there was 50 cms/20 inches on the ground. The wind had blown it around, such that there were places at least knee-deep or more to get through. We managed to clear the walkways around the house but left the parking pad in back until it was light out. 

I won't bore you with the details, but my daughter spent over 3 hour shovelling, while I was out there for two. She was out there when the grader went through the back alley and he dipped a little way into our yard to help clear it. Nice guy! We wanted it done as more snow was in the forecast for Friday. Oh yippee!

The forecast suggested 10-15 cms (4-6 inches ). Mother Nature laughed and sent another 26 cms (10 inches). D shovelled before she left to take Eli to school.  I shovelled again while she was at the school for a meeting and again later in the afternoon.  The second shovel was precipitated by the sight of our elderly ( ie. older than me) neighbours out clearing their sidewalks. 

That should be it for snow the remainder of December. We've got a couple of miserable cold to get through and then temps will be seasonal. I'll be honest, as much as I'm enjoying my time with Eli and his mom, I'm counting down the days until I return to Yuma and the sun.

The fence behind me is 5 feet tall. The majority of the pile is from clearing the parking pad over the past few days!

The weekend will be quiet due to the cold weather. D has finished her baking though I may bake a small batch of shortbread, and there is curling to watch. 

Have a great weekend everyone!

Funny Friday

 

Wordy Wednesday - an explanation

Blog riting ha been quite frutrating for the lat couple of eek.

Translation: blog writing has been quite frustrating for the last couple of weeks.  Do you know how often the letters, w and s are used?  I do, as both keys are no longer working on my laptop. Also gone is the @ symbol, the number 2, though not the x. 

I've figured out a work-around, using an on-screen keyboard for the w. That means moving that option around the screen because I can't access the keyboard depending on the area I'm typing is. (Like this paragraph - couldn't get to the w until this point. Hence, I'm learning to think of alternative wording.

S is easier, sort of, after I enter the first one, I copy (control c) and then use the paste command (control v) as I go along. That doesn't mean I catch them all, and often have to go back and make the necessary revisions. It does seem weird to hit the v key to get an s... Just count the number of times the letter is used in this paragraph alone.

The number 2 is the easiest as I have a separate numeric keypad. But the @ symbol is the bane of my existence. I use it frequently, as the unique character in passwords. I haven't changed any of them yet, but plan to do so as I update them. Do you change your passwords regularly? I try to remember to do so at least once a year...that often becomes twice because I forget the new one. I do have a place to save passwords but occasionally forget to check there before I use the old options too often.

In any event, this is a small thing, even if it is annoying. I have my tablet at my son's to use, and a smaller laptop down south. I can use my phone as well, but find I do more editing on it that the current laptop. I'll wait until spring to determine whether this i a repairable issue or if I need to get another laptop. The small one doesn't have a separate numeric keyboard, and since I do a lot of number keying in my spreadsheets it's almost necessary. Plus the small laptop has a limited memory.

All this to say, if you get ome trange meage from me in your comment ection...you'll kno hy.

Surprises, the flu bug, and weather woes

My daughter and grandson picked me up at my son's on Sunday. Neither she nor Eli were feeling well, so the visit was short. However, we did make our stop at Costco to stock up on a number of items. Leaving the store, I was driving and when I reached the highway the car started jerking and revving the engine. 

I pulled over and D took over and we limped our way home. The car was misfiring at lower speeds, but once we got it to 100 kph (60 mph), it would do reasonably well, until we were on a slight incline. Then the car would drop its speed and she would have to ease it up to the limit again. It was a tense ride home but we did make it. 

On the drive we talked about the car; D has had it for about 6 years, and it is now 11-12 years old. In the past five years, she's put almost as much money into it as she originally paid for it. The local Chev dealership has had in the shop at least once every spring. They diagnosed bad spark plugs (and some other piece that I don't recall) each time. This didn't seem like spark plugs to me, with the exception of the mis-firing at the lower speeds. Rather, as she would attempt to increase her speed, the RPM would go very high before it would seem to change gears (it is an automatic). Since the transmission light kept going on and off too, I self-diagnosed it as a failing transmission. She had just had it in the shop for a oil change and fluid check so we figured it probably wasn't low on transmission fluid. Of course, I'm not a mechanic, as my daughter remind me, so whatever it was, I was very concerned.

It seemed pointless to me to spend any more money on the vehicle. If it needed a new transmission, it would be very costly and would leave her without a vehicle. Since my vehicle is in Arizona, we'd have no way to get around. As a result, we perused the local websites of the car dealerships, finding only two vehicles in our price range. The first, a yellow Ford Mustang would have been fun but not practical. The second an orange Ford Escape seemed more useful. After a morning of phone calls, we drove over in D's car...it made it there. 

After a test drive, which was so much nicer than the old car, we headed back to the dealership to do a bit of wheeling and dealing. The total price was acceptable, though a little higher than I would have liked. (Isn't it always?) After our agreement, I put a deposit down, and the salesperson - the same woman who sold D the other car - sent us off to the next town over with the bill of sale so I could get a bank draft. Back in our town, we stopped at the insurance broker to pick up the license plate, and finally to the dealership to drop off the draft and the dealer plate. 

D will either privately sell the old vehicle (unlikely) or get someone to pick it up for scrap. At the moment it is parked in the garage - one the small SUV will not fit in. She's actually okay with that, she can park beside the garage to plug in (block heater), and the Escape has command start. In fact, she can start the car with her cellphone!

After spending several hours in a vehicle on Sunday and Monday with my daughter and Eli, it wasn't a surprise when I woke up Tuesday with a tickle in my throat and a runny nose. The symptoms kept increasing through the day, with a sore throat, cough, and dripping nose. 

We got a few inches of snow throughout the day, and both D and I were out to shovel. She did the majority of it, as I got winded quite easily. It seems that a nasty flu is making its way through the community. She was speaking to the school early in the morning, as Eli was still coughing. The principal told her that he was aware that 20 junior school age children were at the emergency room the night prior, and that number did not include the toddlers and babies who were brought in. Both D and I had our flu shots in October, but the variant out there isn't well covered by this year's vaccine. Eli had not gotten his, he is allergic to eggs, and must have his vaccine at the hospital. Every time D would want to take him, he'd come down with the sniffles. He definitely had the worst case of the three of us.

The temperature dropped significantly overnight Tuesday into Wednesday. Have I said how much I'm missing the sunshine of Yuma? I spent the night either shivering or sweating, waking myself coughing, so much coughing that my ribs hurt. Wednesday was a write-off as I spent much of the day napping. I'd be up for a half hour or so, and then feel exhausted and need to lie down. At 8 p.m. I woke up, and stayed awake for four hours before falling back into a deep sleep again. The coughing had eased off.

I woke Thursday feeling so much better. My cat had thrown up overnight so I got the little green machine out to clean the carpet. By the time I was finished, I was wiped out again and slept another hour and a half. If you've been reading my blog for any amount of time, you'll know I don't do sick well. It annoys me that I can't manage to stay upright and get some things done around here. The kitchen floor needs mopping (desperately), I wanted to finish decorating my Christmas tree, and perhaps start a knitting project.

The tree featured in the photo on wednesday was a surprise! D bought the tree for my space. Her/our main tree is in the dining room and covered in her ornaments, silver and blue. After last Christmas I gave away my ornaments that were red/green/gold because I didn't think I'd have a use for them again. I did keep a few favorites, six bird bells, and a couple of cats. D bought me some icicles for the tree and another bird ornament.

I managed to stay upright for much of Thursday, finished decorating my tree, stripped and remade my bed (D helped), had a shower, did some banking, folded laundry, and cleaned up the kitchen after dinner. I didn't easily fall asleep, and when I did, I only slept for about 5 hours before waking...at 2:13 a.m. Though I tried, I wasn't able to fall back asleep. Up at 6 a.m., I fed the cats, unloaded the dishwasher, did up the dishes left in the sink overnight and made a cup of tea. I definitely felt so much better.

After dropping Eli off at school, D and I picked up some groceries, an extension cord for her new car, and outlet expander for me. We were back at home, car unloaded and putting away the groceries in less than an hour. With a windchill near -40 we hustled!

As a result of the winter weather, we've decided that this weekend will be spent here in the house. I've got curling to watch, RBC Dominion Western Showdown being held in Swift Current, Saskatchewan. It is a men's and women's event so there seems to be a new game to watch several times a day. I'm streaming it on the Curlingzone You-tube channel.

I haven't started a new knitting project, but have turned my mind to the Advent calendar jigsaw puzzle D bought for me. I started it on the 12th...which mean it should be half-completed...it is not. 

The photo above is the only photo I took this week. It was taken on Monday, before we had another few inches of snow. 

Have a wonderful week ahead everyone. Hope you are warm, happy and healthy!

 

Friday Funny

 

Wordless Wednesday

 

Fun, frustration, and full moon

The Cold Moon, a supermoon , and the last full moon of 2025. Photo taken from my hotel window in Palm Springs. 

It was a week of ups and downs...some fun and a couple of frustrations. I've started writing this on Thursday evening from my hotel room in Palm Springs.  I fly out tomorrow to Regina (via Calgary). It will be a long day, though shortened as I'll lose two hours by the time I land in Regina. 

Monday was December 1, so another resident and I started decorating the clubhouse for Christmas. Well, she ended up doing the majority of the decorating as one of the sets of lights on the tree wasn't working.  Of course it was, what I originally thought, the middle set of three. No problem, I'd just remove it, get another set and replace.

HA! Whoever put the lights on the tree didn't want them removed. Each light was wrapped on to the branches: sometimes two or three wraps of the cord to the right, sometimes to the left and worst of all sometimes the cord was split and then wrapped. I worked on it for a half hour before I went to grab some lunch. Back at the hall, S came to help me while D continued the rest of the decorating.  It took the two of us 2 hours to remove the middle and bottom set of lights. We discovered they weren't really two sets as someone had spliced the two sets together leaving both ends of the plugs. We made an executive decision to trash that set and I picked up two more sets of 100 lights at Walmart. 

The next morning the Board of Directors were having a meeting we could attend, though we were asked not to speak until the floor was opened for questions or comments. ( Not that it stopped some). It was interesting to observe the interactions and hear different perspectives about a number of issues.

After the meeting D said we would finish decorating on Wednesday. Hooray, as I'd planned to go to the thrift stores with L and S. We all found something and I was thrilled to find the foam/stuffing I can use for the chair pads. I paid a whopping $3 for three pieces. I also found a cute t-shirt for Eli for 50 cents.

Before we headed back to the park we decided to go for lunch. While there I got a call from Jose. He had been to my unit that morning to check on a leak in one of the water lines. It was a drip and he said he'd be back later in the afternoon to fix it. 

I also had a text from D asking if I was back in the park. I wasn't but said I'd be there shortly.  When we returned I headed to the clubhouse and discovered she had completed the decorating.  She had forgotten our morning conversation which both S and I had with her. I think she was a bit annoyed with me. But she did such a beautiful job! Next year we'll get our timing straight. 

Another frustration: I received an email from Enterprise to check in for my rental car for my trip to Palm Springs. As I read over the info I noticed the return was to Yuma airport...it should have been to Palm Springs.  I checked the email I'd received on booking.. it said PSP airport. So I called and was informed they had changed it because they had no vehicle available for a one way trip. When I asked what I should since I had a flight booked and would not be returning the vehicle to Yuma, the operator suggested I call other rental companies. Wow! Eventually I was able to get a car through Budget...but you can bet Enterprise will get a negative response should I receive a "satisfaction " survey.  Especially because the operator didn't bother canceling my reservation. I had to do that myself.

Meanwhile Jose did not come by that afternoon but did arrive the next afternoon.  He removed a section of the hose and re-clamped it. When he left it was no longer leaking.That wouldn't last. 

After Happy Hour I went for dinner and L and E's. I'd finally used up my leftovers and she invited me to join them for the evening meal. I was home around 7:30 and had climbed into bed to read about 9 p.m. About 15 minutes later I heard a pop and the sound of rushing water. I leapt out of bed and ran outside to shut the water off. After a quick text to Jose telling him the fix hadn't held, I spent some time mopping up the water. I could hear the water in the floor vents and wasn't certain if the furnace might be affected. It wasn't...but I still found it hard to sleep. I was grateful that the hose hadn't failed earlier on the evening while I was out. 

Thursday I was awake about 6 a.m., chatted with D, and was reading blogs when I got a text from Jose. He was there and I wasn't even dressed! I jumped up threw on jeans and a sweater over my nightgown before opening the door. He looked the situation over before heading out to get the supplies he needed to make a better repair.

While he was away I took care of several chores I needed to get done before leaving that morning. Coffee hour was being held in the clubhouse and I had three people text or come by to ensure I was coming.  I explained I was waiting for Jose to return.  He did, just as the third person was starting thr walk back to the hall. I let him in and left him to do the work. He finished up about 15 minutes later. After coffee hour I paid him for the supplies; I had paid for his time the day before. The new piping looks like it should last for several years.  In any event, I left the water shut off as well as the furnace when I left the park.

L and E dropped me off at the airport where I picked up my rental car. It was an easy process as they had everything ready for me. I wasn't entirely thrilled with the car, a Chevy Malibu. After my Equinox I felt the seat was too low, though I was able to adjust it somewhat...that meant adjusting it again when I got out of the car.  Since it was a Chev vehicle it had many familiar features to my SUV. It was an uneventful 3 hour drive though holy cow, Cali drivers like to speed! On most of the highways the limit was 70 mph (112 kmph). I kept my speed just below the limit and vehicles were blowing past me. There were at least two who were stopped by the police that I saw and my GPS told me several times there were "police ahead". 

The hotel I booked, Homewood Suites is close to the airport, just a 10 minute drive. The room is lovely! The best part: it was so good to have a shower with great water pressure.  

I'll drop the car off about 9:30 a.m. on Friday and should be home (at my son's) about 9:30 p.m. With the time difference it should be a 10 hour travel day. D and Eli will pick me up on Sunday. I'm looking forward to hugs from my family and cuddles with the cats....maybe even Sage. I'm not looking forward to the cold weather and snow!

I'm updating this from the airport in Calgary. We were pretty much on time getting here though had headwinds and some turbulence.  That's when things turned. The flight to Regina was initially delayed by an hour, then another 30 minutes. As I write this we won't be taking off for another 75 minutes. I won't be holding my breath we'll get out of here by then. It has to do with crew availability. When delays occur earlier in the day the crews have a limit of hours they can be on duty. No one wants an exhausted flight crew. So they have to scramble to find another crew who have had a shorter day or haven't been on duty. This late in the day the latter is likely tge case. The weather in Calgary isn't particularly cold but it is snowing and blowing.  Depending on where the crew members live, this can delay their arrival at the airport.  I expect we'll get out tonight...but when is another question. 

Have a great weekend everyone!

P.S. My next cruise is 304 days away.

Friday Funny

 

Almost Wordless Wednesday

 

The necklace is from Eli to his mom for Christmas - it reads "I love you to the moon and back".  

Keeping entertained, no snow at home (yet), and shopping

I've less than a week left before I leave the park for Palm Springs where I'll overnight before I fly home to Regina. I'll be staying with my son for a couple of nights, then my daughter (and grandson) will pick me up to take me home to our little town. So far they've had no snow accumulation - in other words while it has snowed, it just hasn't stuck around. They've had temps above freezing most days, though of course, it will get colder by the time I arrive. This photo was taken on November 27. 

It's been a full week. The Canadian Olympic curling trials got underway on Monday, so I've had to get my chores done around the draw schedule. I got things done around the trailer on Monday, went thrifting and shopping with L on Tuesday, Wednesday I had to pick up the turnip for Thanksgiving dinner. D and I met at the clubhouse on Thursday morning and set up the tables and finished decorating for the dinner that evening.

There were 16 of us in total at the potluck meal. Oh my, it was delicious. Turkey, ham, stuffing, mashed potatoes, turnips, Brussel sprouts, green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, salad, deviled eggs, cheese, pickles...the list goes on! If anyone didn't have enough to eat, they were trying too hard. Dessert was phenomenal too, with carrot cake, pumpkin pie, and trifle. One of our older residents, I believe he lives in Montana, said he didn't eat lunch so that he could fill up at dinner. And fill his plate, he did, and carried on to have a bit of each dessert too.

There was enough leftovers we decided to have a must-go dinner the next night, in order to use up the excess. It took some arranging to get everything into the clubhouse fridge, but we managed.

Friday morning, L and I headed out about 8:30 to do a little Black Friday shopping. Not at the various box stores, but at the local thrift stores. We both came home with lots of treasures. I found a new pair of sandals at the foster home thrift store, a fold out cutting mat for sewing and a sampler cross stitch pattern at the Humane Society thrift store, and an Advent calendar of 24 mini puzzles and a set of four colourful placemats at Crossroads Mission store. The latter will be made into seat cushions for my outdoor chairs. I've made pillows from placemats before - simply open a seam, add the foam, and sew them up again. 

Several of us met for Happy Hour at the clubhouse at 4 p.m. and I turned on the television to watch the first final for the men's Olympic curling. I had caught the end of the women's game in the morning. Christina Black of Nova Scotia nearly beat Rachel Homan, but came up a little short in the final end. They'll play again on Saturday for the second game of the best of three. I anticipate that Homan will win but I'd be happy if Black forced a game three. There is something to be said for the home game advantage.

Team Dunstone and Team Jacobs are in the men's finals. I'm cheering for Dunstone and his crew as the entire Jacobs team has made it to the Olympics previously. Not all together as the four curlers were on different teams and I'd like to see Dunstone break through. But I know that whoever ends up at the Olympics will represent the country well.

I headed to the clubhouse around 4 to set the television up to watch the curling, and was soon joined by H and D. They cleared out the fridge and we got the crockpots set up to warm up the potatoes, stuffing and gravy. After a short Happy Hour outdoors, we were back inside for the curling, joined by L and J, and later another J and P. Shortly after 5, D's husband T joined us. In total, there were seven of us at the must-go dinner and we managed to clean up a fair amount of the leftovers. Some items went to the bin, while others went home with the others. (Not me, two days of turkey is plenty for me).

We kept the television on the channel with the sound muted and some of us kept an eye on the action. When dinner was over, we cleared up dishes, put away decorations, and the food items were divided among those who were willing to take it. When everyone else had left, L and I sat and watched the remainder of the game. It looked like Dunstone had a chance to win the game, as he was leading 7 to 6 in the 10th end, but he missed his final shot, allowing Jacobs to take 3 points to win the game. They will play again on Saturday evening and I'll be cheering for a different outcome.

This week, I've also managed to get my knitting done, with the seven coffee cozies/sleeves completed while I watched curling. When the lighting wasn't great in the evenings, I also knit a scarf for my daughter, and crocheted a couple of dishcloths. I will tell you, after completing nine of the same pattern, (two for family, seven for the school), I have no desire to ever knit it again.*

Today, there is curling to watch - the second games of the finals. I've started on a toque/beanie for my daughter to match the finished scarf.  I may do a bit of crocheting. In between, I'm sure I'll find some college football to watch. I will need to return to the clubhouse too, to return the holiday tubs to the shed. It's a pain in the butt to open the door, so I didn't feel like doing it in the dark of the evening.

Whatever your plans for the weekend, enjoy! Have a great week ahead everyone.

*D has informed me she forgot one of the therapists, so like it or not I will be knitting one more. :p

Black Friday funny

 

Wordless Wednesday

 

Celebrations, holiday preparations, and garage sales.

The Grey Cup came home to Saskatchewan on Monday. There were some nail-biting moments in the game on Sunday but the green and white prevailed! My nephew joined the party at the Green Mile after the game and this photo (which I lifted from the internet) shows the fans who made their way from their homes, restaurants and bars, to the corner of Albert and Victoria streets for the celebration. The Grey Cup was on display at Mosaic Stadium on Monday afternoon, and a parade was held on Tuesday. This was the first win in 12 years for the team, and only the 5th in the history of the Riders.

Meanwhile my week started out quietly. I had done laundry Sunday afternoon and left it out overnight to dry, so just had to fold and put things away. I did some knitting too, working on another coffee mug sleeve. I'd finished the pickles the previous morning - they turned out pretty darn cute! (If I do say myself.) I have gold thread at home that I will add so they will hang from the Christmas tree. These are small gifts for my niece and nephew. It's become a bit of a tradition for me to make an ornament of some sort each year. 

We had more rain again overnight Monday, and Tuesday was overcast and cool. I'm having some electrical issues, potentially related to the rain. Every time we get rain, the outdoor fridge trips the breaker to the outlet. It doesn't affect anything in the trailer but is a nuisance. After some wrong assumptions, it was determined that pushing the button on the GFI re-set it. But when I woke on Tuesday morning (having plugged in the fridge overnight), not only was the outdoor plug impacted but the one next to the stove. And somehow or another, the dinette lights decided to give up the ghost too. Initially, J and I thought it was due to burnt out bulbs, but trying one that we knew was working proved that theory wrong. 

I've left the fridge unplugged, and won't use it until J's husband G arrives in December. He is an electrician by trade and knows this unit well as they lived in it for several years before they bought their park model. I won't be here when he arrives, as I'll be in Saskatchewan for Christmas, but will leave a set of keys with J. 

Wednesday J and I got together to play cribbage canasta. Another couple who usually play, D&T had arrived Tuesday evening and were busy opening up their unit, buying groceries, etc. so weren't available to play. Beginner's luck, I won the first game but she, more than handily, won the next two. I learned a lot about the strategy of the game, as well as the how to count the points. That was something I never learned last winter. I likely won't be able to keep up with the regulars but at least I have a better idea now.

Pat (our 97 year old matriarch) and I were responsible for coffee hour on Thursday. We set up the hall after Happy Hour the day prior, readying coffee pots, tea kettle, toasters, etc. Earlier in the day, I had gone to the local Food City to order the pastries. Some people enjoy the goodies, while others make themselves toast with jam and peanut butter provided. In the morning, I went to Food City to pick up the pastries, then to the clubhouse to start the large urn of coffee.  We were expecting about 20 participants and ended up with just 13.

After coffee, three of us stayed behind to decorate the hall for Thanksgiving. There aren't a whole lot of decorations for the walls; most are meant to be put out on the tables. Since we'll be using the space for Happy Hour - it was too hot and now with the cooler and wet weather the mosquitos are out in force - we left the table decor to be put out on Thanksgiving morning. There were a whole pile of fake flowers and sprigs, so I put together a vase to display somewhere in the hall. 

Friday morning was another busy one, as J, L and I went to a nearby park for their garage sales. By the way I used my air fryer that I picked up at last weeks garage sales for the first time. It worked wonderfully, but I'll not use it indoors again. It heats up and gets quite hot to the touch. Hence it will have to wait until the electrical outlet is working properly. I have sufficient methods of cooking that it isn't necessary though I do like the way an air fryer cooks various types of meat. The BBQ will do for now.

It was raining off and on when we left and though the park with the sales had a lot of standing water, we managed okay until just after 9 a.m. At the last place we stopped, the rain came down in buckets and we, all three, were soaked by the time we made it across the street to the van. With that, we decided to head to the "Landing", a local restaurant for breakfast. The food was delicious and the prices very reasonable. Since it was quiet we sat for quite a while after we were done eating and simply visited. 

Our final stop before heading to the park was a placed called Green Trees Grocery Outlet. It has heavily discounted packaged items, generally the boxes and cans are slightly damaged and can't (or won't) be sold at a regular grocery store. They also bring in frozen meat and dairy, and fresh produce. The store even has some sundry items as well as beauty and health products. Just to give you an idea of pricing, L picked up a 10 pound bag of potatoes for $2.99. I found Twinings Earl Grey tea for $3 for 50 tea bags. J picked up a box full of stuff, as she found a couple of cockroaches in her park model and had to toss out her pantry items. 

So what did I find at the garage sales? My best buy was a small hand painted plate for 50 cents. In Canadian dollars it is worth about $40. I would have purchased it anyway, because it is so pretty. I found a couple more cushions for the couch, and a small drop leaf table. The latter needs to be sanded down and painted, and I'll use it in the gazebo to eat meals on occasion. That is, of course, if it ever stops raining! 

Today, I have nothing planned except to stay indoors, out of the continuing rain, to work on the coffee mug sleeves. D has added one more to the list, so I'll need to make seven more. Each one takes me about an afternoon. Since I'm leaving for home on the 4th of December, that leaves less than two weeks to finish these. I should know the pattern well by then. There will be college football to watch and if I'm lucky, I may be able to watch some of the Canadian Olympic curling trials. You-tube may have some streaming, but I'm not entirely sure.

Have a wonderful week ahead everyone! 

Friday Funny

 

Wordless Wednesday

 

Getting in the groove

Another week just flew by me. I'm getting into a routine and it feels good. Up at 5:30 a.m. I make my bed, get my tea ready and then call my daughter. We chat for about a half hour about a variety of topics: Eli, the cats, the weather, the news, and family. This week was my nephew's 25th birthday. How the heck did that happen? It seems like yesterday we were meeting him in the hospital room. 

My parents had three sets of grandchildren. My oldest brother's son was born in 1970. My children were born in the 80's, and my brother's two were both born in the aughts. (2000's). R and P were both in their late 30's when K and L came along, while my older brother was only 20 when his son was born, and M is 12 years older than R. Since mom passed away in 2003 and dad in 2008, it means that the youngest grandchildren didn't get to know them. 

Back to the present. I've been doing outside work in the morning most days, sweeping the patio, running errands, and most recently spray painting three chairs I got from next door. I've now decided that the Adirondack chair, which is a faded green, needs a touch up too. Next time I'm in a hardware store I'll pick up a can of spray paint.

I also picked up a couple of items from Walmart to make my life a wee bit easier. One is a small shoe rack for the front closet, the other a three shelf bookcase. It tucks in beside the dinette, and as you'll see I've made the bottom shelf the recycling area. It gets those small containers out of my way and provides additional storage...for what is yet to be determined.

Afternoons, I generally spend inside the trailer, enjoying the a/c. It has been hot this week, though has cooled slightly into the high 80's (31C). Better than the 90's but still stinking hot to be outdoors in the sun. I've used the time to start knitting Christmas gifts. I didn't think to bring safety eyes for amigurumi ornaments I'm making for K and L, so had to place an Amazon order. I added in a couple of other items to get free shipping, useful items like a collapsible colander and a drying rack. The order isn't expected to arrive until today, so I moved on to knitting coffee cup sleeves for my brother, SIL, and Eli's many teachers and aides. 

I finished one, knitted flat, but I didn't like the way it looked when I sewed it together. So I switched to knitting in the round. The first one didn't work because I didn't read the pattern properly. I'm not sure when I'll get these done, but I'm glad Christmas isn't for another six weeks. I'm going to need the time!

Don't mind the clashing colours. I didn't have a travel mug and needed one to test the sizing on so picked up a cheapo one at the dollar store. I took it (the mug) to coffee hour to hold my tea, and what a useless piece of junk. Getting the top off was a struggle and putting it back on was worse. Now it just gets to be a model.

On Friday, I did a little grocery shopping, and went thrifting with L. I picked up two t-shirts at the Humane Society Thrift store for $3, a box fan, a document folder, and a pair of shorts for just over $20 at Goodwill. The fan is out in the gazebo and provides quite the breeze! 

I also stopped at Lowes and picked up a pot and a few succulents to plant. The container was on sale, the succulents were not and cost nearly as much! I did a wee bit of research, they like temps between 60F-80F, but can't be left in direct sunlight as they may sunburn. I foresee bringing them indoors in January when the weather is cold overnight. Next year I'll plant something else, more hardy and less expensive. 

Speaking of weather, the cooler temps are arriving this weekend. The forecast is suggesting we'll have rain starting this morning, with a high temp of 24C/76F. The rest of the week is even cooler with temps between 20-22C/68-72F. I'm looking forward to being able to leave the a/c off in the afternoons and early evenings.

To finish off my routine, everyday at 4 p.m. is Happy Hour where many of us meet up and enjoy some time visiting. On Friday, it was finally cool enough to sit out on the outdoor patio in the shade with the breeze. Back at the unit, I've been using the BBQ to cook up smokies or hamburgers for my dinner, which I enjoyed along with a pasta salad I made up earlier in the week. It's much cooler by then, and the bugs aren't bad so until it is too dark to read, I have my meal outdoors. On Friday, I cooked up taco meat in the morning for a salad that evening, and also made a crockpot of chili. There was enough for three servings which I froze. If it does in fact rain on Saturday, I'm thinking it will make a great meal - just re-heat in the microwave. 

Today, I've nothing major on the agenda. I'll likely knit and watch college football. The BIG game is on Sunday, with the Canadian Grey Cup on the line. One of the park members has purchased the channel we need to watch it on, and anyone who wants to watch will be set up in the clubhouse. It was agreed, we'd each bring our own "gameday" snacks and drinks. The teams playing for the honour of hoisting the Cup are the Montreal Alouettes and the Saskatchewan Roughriders. You know who I'll be cheering for, Go Riders!!!

Have a great week ahead everyone!

Wordless Wednesday

Photos courtesy of our cousin, C Collins, of Besnard Lake.

Fun, frustrations, and finally official

Another (mostly) busy week in the books is nearing an end. This week brought more folks to the park I met last winter (Jan/Feb) so it was a time of reconnecting and making new memories.

As you likely know, the Jays did not win the World Series. :( We still had a good turnout for the must go meal and game, though the majority of us left disappointed at the loss. There were nine of us; D had joined the group having purchased a unit last spring. He had about two weeks then to clear it out and is back to make it his own this winter. Like many others here he is from British Columbia.

The weekend also brought P, her daughter J and J's husband D.  Sorry, without their permission, I prefer to use initials for privacy reasons. P will be 97 this month and is the matriarch of the park. She started coming here in 1979! She also moved this year with her daughter to a new-to-them unit, and are almost directly across from me. J's husband D has been building steps and a bench, and J told me at Happy Hour on Monday, there is a list of things to be repaired or replaced. Meanwhile P was initially staying Yuma with another daughter until the space is safe for her. She's since moved into another unit here owned by the daughter of another resident. It's kitty corner from her own unit and I know J is happy to have mom closer.

Sunday was especially busy, as I needed a few groceries, had planned to assist with the clean-up at the clubhouse later in the morning, and it was laundry day. When I told S (of L&S), she insisted I use the machine at their previous unit rather than going to a laundromat. 

I was happy to take her up on the offer, and will tuck a few dollars in her hand/mailbox/front door each month to pay for the electricity. The local Food City opens at 6 a.m., not that I was ready to shop then, but I was in and out and back at the park by 7:50 a.m. Three of us cleaned up the clubhouse, wiping down tables and counters, putting away clean dishes, folding tables and stacking chairs so the floor could be swept and mopped.

L&S headed to Palm Springs to pick up another couple and their daughter (E&L, and A) mid-afternoon. They kindly let me use their a/c in the unit while I waited for the laundry to be complete.  It reached 91F/33C that afternoon so it did not take long for my clothing to dry!

I puttered around for the rest of the afternoon before H showed up at my door to remind me of Happy Hour. All that work of putting away chairs and tables was upended when ten of us arrived (N added to the list) for our visit. I left early as I was getting hungry and finally made a meal in my own place. Nothing special but delicious, especially when H dropped by with a loaf of banana bread for my dessert. Now that was special!

Unlike Sunday, Monday was a quiet day. I puttered around in the unit, spent time out in the gazebo reading or knitting in the morning, and the rest of the day was indoors as the heat is a bit much for me. The forecast says we'll see cooling by the middle of November. Indoors, I did more knitting, watched some Y-tube videos and started a jigsaw puzzle. I don't anticipate finishing it for a week or two. 

Tuesday, I was expecting the propane truck to fill the large tank. The stove/oven, hot water tank, and furnace run off propane. Everything else is on electricity. Since I was outdoors for most of the morning, I decided to wash the tile floor. After sweeping, I did the first wash and was about to empty the bucket to get fresh water for the second wash when I managed to tip the bucket and all that dirty water flowed all over the tile. ARRRGGGHHH! Back to square one. A job that ought to have taken about 20 minutes or so, stretched into a good 45 minutes. I'm not entirely sure why I bothered, as the dust will cover it again by morning. We haven't had a lot of wind, but things are just dusty.

The propane truck was scheduled to arrive by noon but I wasn't surprised that he didn't show up until 2:30 p.m. Close enough, right? I got a lesson in all things propane including: when the tank is overfilled the gas comes up as liquid rather than vapour. The owner told me that in Canada we measure propane by the pound or liters. In the States, most places just fill it up until it is entirely full. It is important not to do so, as heat will cause the liquid to expand and can result in an explosion (particularly when near a heat source like a BBq). I assume the high temperatures here in Arizona might have an impact too. In any event, I also now know where the o-rings and gaskets are in the connections, though ask me in six months and I probably won't remember.

Wednesday I went shopping, not for groceries but for a few items I need in the unit. An extra garbage can, some removable hooks, a calendar, screwdrivers, dish soap, etc. I stopped at our local Dollar Tree and got several items and then it was off to Best Buy to get a new charging cable for my cellphone. I had two but managed to break one since I've arrived. That's the first time I've done this and I'm not certain how it happened. One cable is kept inside while the other is in the SUV. While I was in the Yuma Palms mall at BB, I discovered they had a Hobby Lobby. You may not be, but I'm proud to say I walked out of there having spent less than $15. Doesn't mean I wasn't tempted by several other items though. :)

J dropped by in the afternoon with a few items that she thought I could use. One is a small electric heater that she used to warm the unit in cooler weather. As I learned last January, it can get very cool overnight, with temperatures dropping to around 5C/41F. The rental unit I was in last year did not have a working furnace, so the landlady had provided two electric space heaters. I would use one to warm up the bedroom (while I stayed under the covers), and the second to warm the living area. I expect I'll be doing something similar here as it will save on using the furnace.

That night there was a Beaver moon, a supermoon so called as it is close to the earth. I got a photo, not a great one as you'll see but it was pretty neat to see

We had our weekly coffee hour on Thursday morning. For $2 we get a cup of coffee (and refills), donuts/pastries, self served toast. The Board takes the opportunity to fill us in on the happenings in the park and there is lots of chatter too. That was the best part of the day, after that things got a wee bit frustrating.

I met with the board, the previous owner, and the wife of one of the board members (a former paralegal) to complete the paperwork. I won't go into the details but a process that ought to have taken 15 minutes or so stretched out for nearly 90 minutes. With the ADOT title in hand I headed to the insurance broker to arrange coverage. I left briefly to run over to Lowes to look for solar light motion detectors and came back to find that the ADOT had registered the previous owner's property in my name...not my unit! (I did tell her she might have to move, just kidding). So that put a kibosh on the insurance policy and we had to go back to the the licenser on Friday morning to straighten things out. I had successfully, in the morning, arranged to transfer the cable to my own account. Part of that meant I needed to return the current equipment and pick up a new box. Now, the cable is part of a bulk purchase of the park (we don't pay directly for it, it's part of our lease payment). When I arrived home, I went to turn on the television and discovered I'd been cut off...no cable for me until I pick up the equipment and install myself. :p

So Friday I was up at my now regular 5:30 a.m. First things first, I tried to uninstall the cable receiver. NOT happening, the cable was so tightly screwed in it was not budging. Faced with another round of AI screening to get through to a live agent on the telephone, I decided to try the chat with us feature on their app. Now the AI tried mightily but I insisted on speaking to a live agent, and within moments I was on the line with Raul in California. (I know this because the chat thingy told me so.) Second message in, he informed me he'd be sending out a technician. The first appointment he offered was when I was planning to be at ADOT so I asked for a later appointment, 4-5 p.m. was the answer. It will cut into Happy Hour but I'll be happy to get the cable reconnected, so I'll deal. Later, I got a text that the appointment was moved up to between 3-4 p.m. We'll see...

At 8 a.m. I met J and we headed over to the ADOT office. Once through the short line-up I explained that the wrong unit was now registered to me, and should be in J's name. And that I needed to register the other unit currently in her name in mine. Initially the clerk insisted it was our error but by the end of the 15-20 minutes or so she worked on the files, she agreed it was a clerical error on their part. However, she still charged us the $7 USD to revert the name to J's. I wasn't about to argue about it though if I hadn't stepped in and said I'd pay it, J might have. I was able to register my RV for 5 years so won't need to go back there at least that long.

The insurance broker who caught the mistake was our next stop. Another half hour and we were heading pack to the park. All told, with driving time, we were gone less than two hours. I dropped J off and headed to Home Depot where I picked up the extension rod for hanging my clothes in the bedroom area, a solar motion light, and two cans of spray paint. 

I'm not sure if I've mentioned that I "stole" three chairs from next door. The original owner passed away a couple of years ago and his until is uninhabitable. Outside there are a number of pieces of furniture including a stack of plastic chairs. I asked J (who is the Board President) if I could take a few. She told me CB's daughter had said they could do what they wanted with it. So I grabbed three, cleaned them up, and now I plan to spray paint them as there are stains that would not come out. I just need to find someone with cardboard...with the orders that come in from Amazon around here, I'm sure that won't be a problem. Here's the outdoor area set-up - I spend a few hours out there every mornings, and sometimes eat my dinner out there too.

Well, this turned into a lengthy post, so I'll end it on Friday, and post in the morning. I'm off early tomorrow anyway, as a group of us are heading to a garage sale at the Country Roads RV Village. Imagine if you will nearly 1300 RV/Park model spaces with garage sales dotted throughout. They hold this event the first Saturday of the each month. I'm not looking for anything in particular, but it will be a fun outing with friends.

Have a great week ahead everyone! 

P.S. Apparently this is my 1000th post. Never thought I'd see that number.