Friday Funny

 

Wordless Wednesday

 

Another busy week and fun with friends

I had a quiet weekend, which was just what I wanted. I did go to Happy Hour but otherwise stayed home and worked on the jigsaw puzzle, my stitching, and knitting. There was a bit of housework done and some laundry, but for the most part I relaxed.

I'd gotten a couple of hours of stitching done on Saturday, when I realized I'd started two rows over from where I ought to have done, so spent the evening watching the Four Nations hockey and un-stitching the work I'd done earlier. Canada lost to the USA, and as result were in a battle to reach the final, and needed to win in regulation over Finland on Monday. They did win that game and would play in the final on Thursday evening in Boston. I was thrilled when they won in overtime. Go Canada Go!

I managed to re-do my work on Sunday and a little bit more. There wasn't anything to watch on television (or at least nothing I was interested in), so decided to go to bed early and read. That didn't last, as I decided to get up and work on the puzzle. Shortly after 11 p.m. I finished. It had been on the table well over a week, so I was ready to have it done. The photos were from that afternoon, and the second I took the following morning. J had lent me two puzzles, so I quickly put away this one and started the second one. 

Three of us went shopping Monday to some chain stores, Beall's, Ross Dress for Less, and Marshalls. L did very well, coming home from Beall's with a two pairs of pants and four tops - all $9.99 or less. I picked up a pair of shorts for Eli, and a wallet for D. The wallet is the same brand as the purse I picked up for her at Burlington's last week, and is meant for a Christmas gift. Eli can give her the wallet. D picked up a pair of sunglasses at Beall's. Both Ross and Marshalls were a bust, so we decided to go to lunch. 

We ate the Patio, just down the block from the park. I had an Oriental chicken salad, while the other two had shrimp and salmon rolls. We were all invited out to dinner that evening at H's so wanted something light. I'll admit the salad was a good size - I ate all the vegetables and left some chicken behind.

We met for dinner after Happy Hour at H's place. Have I mentioned her previously? She has an outdoor kitchen in her shed, a full sized stove and fridge, as well as her washing machine. Wonderful food comes out of that kitchen. She's known for her banana bread, brownies, tres Leches cake and many more goodies. We had pork loin, scalloped potatoes, and mixed veg for dinner and creme brulee for dessert. She didn't make the dessert, she said, because she was too busy. It was all delicious.

Six of us went thrifting on Tuesday, a full van load of women descending on the stores. I picked up a James A. Michener book to read on the way home, a bathing suit for Eli, a pair of jean capris to replace the ones I sacrificed to the paint party, and a pretty top. The adult granddaughter of one of the ladies cleaned up. She left the van with several bags of clothing - apparently she does this each year, arrives with an almost empty suitcase and returns home with a full one. We had lunch at the Black Bear Diner before heading back to the park. 

I walked down to Food City on Wednesday morning, as I had run out of fresh vegetables. The prices are so amazing to me; a head of lettuce for $0.99, two bunches of green onions for $1, a pound of baby carrots for just $1.69 and a red pepper for $0.50! I also bought tomatoes, so, if nothing else I have salad fixings for the next week. Back at the unit, I mixed up and cooked a meatloaf for dinner and sandwiches. It had just come out of the oven, when L arrived and invited me to the Canada Snowbird Association (CSA) presentation at the Quechan Casino (informally known as the Q). 

We left just before noon (Yuma time /11 a.m. California time). Q is across the border in California and the presentation started at noon. There were speakers from the CSA and from Medipac, the travel insurance company. It was a really interesting program, as I had no real knowledge of either. 

But it got better! After a 20 minute intermission, we were entertained by Michelle Wright (a Canadian country singer) and a comedian whose name I have forgotten. He was entertaining, but it was Michelle's performance that was wonderful. She mentioned she's been in the business for 43 years. Unaccompanied by nothing but her guitar, her voice is still amazing. She sang a variety of her material, as well as Anne Murray's Snowbird. Fitting for the crowd, and most everyone knew the words and sang along.

I had planned to housework and some stitching on Thursday, and did get the house vacuumed, dishes washed and dried, and the bathroom cleaned. However, L called just after lunch to say she and her stepdaughter K were going to Green Trees (a discount grocery store), and would I like to go with them. I had picked up some protein bars on our last trip, and really liked them, so said yes. Well, it wasn't only a trip to Green Trees - we also visited Target, Discount Tire for a free tire check (air and tread), In and Out Burger for lunch for the two of them, and then to Green Trees. I had eaten at lunch so had a drink and shared L's fries. On our way back to the park, we stopped at Food City. We stayed in the car while K ran in for one item.

This was the sign at Target - I haven't had any issues finding eggs at Walmart and Food City, so I assume Target uses different supplies.

By the time we arrived back at the park, Happy Hour was underway. There, I was invited to ride along for a trip to Los Algodones, across the Mexican border on Friday. I thanked A for the offer, but declined. I was ready for a quiet day of puttering around the unit.

And that is exactly what I did on Friday. I worked on the jigsaw puzzle, I sat outside in the sun and read for a bit of time, I finished knitting my hanging kitchen towel, and did some stitching. I did go to Happy Hour and before coming back to the unit, I helped several of the women decorate the clubhouse for the Heritage Dinner. 

Today, I'll be baking the shortbread for the dinner - it is so much better when it is fresh. L's husband, G plays the bag pipes, and she has informed he, he will be piping me in to the clubhouse with my contribution. Wish me luck, hopefully I won't trip on the threshold! The meal should be very good, as there are a wide variety of dishes being prepared. 

Beyond that, I don't plan to do much else for the weekend, as it is shaping up to be a busy week next week. I have something scheduled for every day AND I have to pack too. :(

Have a great week ahead everyone!

Friday Funny

 

Wordless Wednesday

 

Painting, a birthday, and more windy weather

I think I'm going to need a vacation when I get home from this vacation. It has been another full week of fun and a bit of work.

Our garage sale visits on Saturday were productive, with a number of useful items purchased by J and L. I picked up a mug to leave at the clubhouse for coffee/tea - coffee hour is on Thursdays and I always forget to bring a mug with me, and a cross stitch magazine. I spent a whopping $1.50. The RV park we visited had 1200 lots, two clubhouses, five pools, several hot tubs, as well as pickle ball, tennis and shuffleboard courts. Far too big for me, and the monthly lease costs are approximately $800 USD per month. Too rich for my blood.

In comparison, the park I am in has 59 lots, a clubhouse and a 15 man hot tub. It is a mix of park models, house trailers, and RV's. As a Co-op, and with few amenities, the lot lease is only $125 US per month. That includes cable television, WiFi, and water. I should note the water is not potable. There are many places to buy water. I walk about 4-5 blocks to Desert Water, where I can refill two of my gallon jugs for a mere 50 cents. Walmart and Food City sell these for about $1.50 each. I go through about 3/4's of a gallon each day, more if I'm doing much cooking.

This weekend, many of the residents were busy with painting the perimeter fence. I helped some on Friday, took the day off on Saturday, and then jumped in on Sunday to paint the fence at three lots. I finished the second coat of the third fence on Monday morning. There are some residents who chose not to do the work themselves, so the park will be charging them a fee for the work. The last lot that I finished on Tuesday morning, was one of the latter. On the other hand, there were several people in their 80's out there putting in more than their fair share of work. My painting partner on Sunday turned 79 this week. As a renter, I wasn't expected to help but I know everyone was eager to get it finished. Those who weren't able to paint provided supplies for lunch every day, and it was prepped and put it out for the workers at the clubhouse. 

Tuesday was thrifting day, with L and A. We hit up three thrift stores, where I found a couple of pieces of clothing, another set of knitting needles and a book of crocheted dishcloth patterns. One can never have enough patterns, right? Then we headed off to the mall, where I picked up my first Christmas gift. It is a pretty pink purse for my daughter. We had lunch at In and Out burger, a restaurant I've never been too. It was good and very reasonably priced. The Wednesday photos were from that trip. I certainly know where I need to go if I should need any bathroom aids as I age! The tree was in the The Palms mall area; an oleander, which I've learned is toxic, but so pretty!

The wind picked up that day and there was a lot of sand in the air. Happy hour was held in the enclosed area beside the clubhouse, and even there the wind felt cool. It was noisy overnight, as there are items hanging on the side of the park model that bang. It had calmed down slightly overnight, but I decided to forgo my walk in the morning, and caught up on some housework. I'd vacuumed the prior morning, so washed the floors. I also put together a casserole from leftovers in the fridge. Time is ticking down, and I want to use up as much as possible. 

By Thursday, the wind had died down, but it was cloudy and cooler, just 17C (63F) at noon. I went to the clubhouse for coffee (in my case tea) and goodies in the morning. There were sign up sheets circulated for the Heritage dinner (Feb 22 - I was already signed up), for the women's luncheon (Feb 26), and St. Patrick's Day (I won't be here for that.) In fact, I have less than two weeks remaining here! Time does fly when one is having fun. That evening, I went to dinner at Olive Garden with the birthday gal L, and her husband G, and their park neighbour D. L and D were both nurses and worked together in their community in British Columbia.

I've spent the afternoons stitching on my cross-stitch project. I think I started it a couple of years ago, and I've a long way to go. 

I'm also reading a John Sanford novel, Bad Blood. If you've read his novels, it is about one of his characters, Virgil Flowers, an agent of the State Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and his investigation into several murders in a small rural area in Minnesota.

Friday was a quiet day, with nothing major on the agenda. After a walk to Desert Water, I worked on my jigsaw puzzle, did some stitching, and finished my book. It appears I will not be able to watch the Scotties Tournament of Hearts curling, as it is only being broadcast in Canada (boo!) I have to keep an eye on the scores on-line and watch the news for highlights.

I have no plans for the weekend and I'm ready for a quiet couple of days. Perhaps time will slow down a bit, and my last two weeks will last longer. A girl can hope, right?

Have a great week ahead everyone!

Friday Funny

 

Wordless Wednesday

 

The heat is on!

Someone must have left the furnace on outside...we reached highs of 27-30C/80-86F early in the week. The a/c in the unit does work, but I'd rather not use it unless I truly need too. As a result I've spent more time outside in the shade this week.

I spent Sunday afternoon (finally) cleaning up the outside living area. I started by removing the sheets off the couches and washing those, moved onto sweeping the tile floor and washing it, and then wiping down the furniture. After hanging the sheets on the line to dry, it was time to relax and read in the shade.

On Monday, I headed out early to pick up a couple of gallons of water; after dropping that off at the unit, I went in the other direction and treated myself to breakfast at McDonald's before stopping at the CVS. I had brought travel sized bottles of shampoo and conditioner with me, and I was running low. Back at the unit, I went out to sit in the sun to read. At least I read for part of the time, as there were lots of people walking past, and almost every one stopped for a quick chat. 

It wasn't long before the heat was ramped up and I moved into the shade in the outdoor living room. Lunch was eaten at the dining table, and I spent the rest of the afternoon reading and chatting with a couple of visitors. Then it was off to Happy Hour to visit with more of the crew. I headed home shortly before six, made a bit of dinner and watched the sun drop in the sky. It really cools off nicely in the evenings, and with the screen door and the fan running, it felt quite comfortable inside the unit.

Tuesday morning's sunrise.

Three of us went thrifting on Tuesday, with a stop at two of the stores, and then to a grocery outlet, Green Trees. I came home with four more t-shirts. One is for my daughter, and one I bought for later in the week. The park fence needs painting/staining, and I had agreed to help out. At Green Trees, I picked up a small container of ice cream, a box of Rice-a-roni, a cup of mashed potatoes, and a couple of dish scrubbers. One of the other ladies mentioned she uses the potato flakes as a thickener for gravy and I think it would work well for thickening stir fry sauce. I'll give it a try, for certain.

That evening was the potluck supper, which was well attended. The food was varied and very good! There were various salads, spaghetti, chili, sweet and sour meatballs, green bean casserole, ham, chicken wings, Chinese fried rice, and so much more. For dessert, there were mini cupcakes, a cheesecake with cherry topping, Black Forest cake, sweet cornbread, and my brownies. Amazingly there wasn't a lot of food left after everyone had eaten.

I had vacuumed on Tuesday, but the floors needed washing too, so that was on my list for Wednesday. With the warm-up in the afternoons, I decided I'd do a bit of cooking in the morning including a sausage/rice casserole and some taco meat. While the casserole was baking, I had my breakfast and let the rest of the dishes soak. When the food was tucked away in the fridge, I washed the floors and went outside to read and enjoy the sunshine.

After lunch, eaten outdoors, I went to Canasta. We played three on three, and my team won both games! I think I'm finally figuring out the strategy, just don't ask me to count cards. They go so fast I haven't got a clue. :) By the time we finished the games, it was just fifteen minutes prior to Happy Hour. 

I stayed up late that evening, watching curling (Alberta men's) and hockey (Edmonton vs. Chicago) and it was near midnight before I fell asleep. My landlady had texted to ask if they could come by to wash the fence in preparation for painting at 8'ish the next morning. Imagine my chagrin when I woke up, hearing her voice outside, at 8:30 a.m.! 

The was a pancake breakfast (I hadn't planned to go) and once that was complete, the park got very busy as the volunteer painters started their work. I did not paint, but did assist the preparations for lunch for the workers in the clubhouse. Then it was back to my unit to clean up the patio, as the mud tracked from the fence area had dried up so I could sweep and mop.

By this point, the crews were ending their work for the day, as the temperature was rising quickly. I had my lunch, then spent the afternoon watching curling. The men's events are on for the Alberta and Manitoba provincials. I'm not as invested in these but will watch when I have time.

Friday morning, I joined a crew a few doors down and helped with the painting. One person was rolling paint on the fence boards, her husband was coming behind and brushing the paint to even it out, and I used a paint brush to reach the bottoms of the boards and in between the boards. They there longer than I was, but I put in over an hour before we finished our portion. Others were further down the park, and more still at the front end. There are few areas that haven't been done just yet, but the rest will have the second coats complete in the next few days.

We stopped for a water break in the shade and the two of them went back to work. I would have but there wasn't really much for me to do. Instead, I cleaned up and went to help with lunch...except that was pretty much ready to go too! These are a talented group of people and everyone pitches in, one way or another.

After lunch, another renter and I drove out to Imperial Date Gardens near Bard, California. We were both looking for fresh dates. I picked up a small container, while she bought a large box. I'll need to eat mine before I leave, she'll take hers back to B.C. later in March.

Today, I'm off early in the morning with one of the residents to go garage sale'ing. I have no intention of buying a garage...nor anything else for that matter, but it's very nice to see different area of Yuma.

I'll end this post with photos from my daughter of the aftermath of this week's snow fall.

The first is looking out the front door at the city sidewalk, and the second photo is out back, showing the snow that she's piled up from the driveway.

I almost feel sorry that I'm not there to help with the shovelling. Note I said, almost.

I must teach her to take her cellphone photos on landscape! 

Have a great week ahead everyone!

Friday funny

 

Wordless Wednesday

 

Fun with (new) friends

I thought I'd fill you in on the rest of the Saturday happenings. I met S&S at 10 a.m. at their unit (they've done a wonderful job of renovating it since they purchased), and we headed out to the Civic Center to the Health Fair. There were numerous booths set up, including a space to have one's glucose and/or blood pressure checked, various booths for skin care (including Botox) and fitness classes, as well as some odd options (plumber/electrical). I suspect the latter knew that there the event would attract snowbirds who might be looking for work to be done on their properties.

Next door was a jewelry, sand art, and rug sale. Everything was very nice and for the most part, very expensive. I might have been tempted to purchase one of the smaller sand art pieces, but I'd worry about it getting broken in the suitcase on the way home. From the Civic Center we went over to the Yuma fairgrounds to an arts and crafts sale. In one building, had art displays from local artisans. Again, there were some amazing pieces. My favorite was a mixed media piece vase, and in second place was a poured paint piece. I would have happily taken either home too.

From there, we decided to go out to the Foothills for lunch at a Thai restaurant. It is quite the drive out there, but the food was phenomenal. I had the Pad Thai, and they had a two different curries. The portions were a decent size and the prices reasonable. I took half of my meal home for dinner that night. I very much enjoyed our time together.

The finals of the provincial curling playdowns happened on Sunday. Both the women's and men's finals were good games. Now, I have to wait until mid-February for the Scottie's (women) and the end of February for the Brier (men). I did learn that next year's provincial event will be held in the town where I live with my daughter. Maybe I'll have to consider tolerating January weather so I can attend in person. :)

On Monday, I needed water and groceries, so headed out early. One of the full-time residents offered me a ride to the water store, so I took him up on the offer. After walking back to drop off the water, I headed the other direction to McDonald's for breakfast and then to Food City for groceries. When I'd returned, I was sitting out front reading, when L drove up and asked if I would like to go to the big Walmart (a 40 minute walk away). I jumped at the chance as I wanted to pick up a squeeze mop. My landlady has a mop that I use outdoors, but I didn't want to use that one indoors and had been washing floors on my hands and knees. (not easy on these old knees). I found a cheap one, along with some thread and buttons. L offered me her sewing kit that includes straight pins, so I was able to wash and block the hanging kitchen towel and dishcloths. I even pulled out my cross stitch that afternoon and was able to get a bit done it before my daughter called. 

It truly is a small world: at Happy Hour I discovered that two of the recent arrivals from British Columbia, know a friend of mine. A and I worked at the same financial institution back in the late 80's. She and her husband moved to B.C. not long after. We kept in touch through Christmas letters, and later through Facebook. There are a number of folks here from the same area where she and husband live and I'd been asking everyone I met if they knew her. I pulled up my FB feed, and we messaged her to let her know. 

Guess what I did on Tuesday? If you guessed I visited thrift stores and went for lunch, you'd be right. Four of us hopped in L's SUV and went to three different thrift stores. I found a plaid shirt for Eli, a t-shirt for myself, and a pair of knitting needles. Total spent $6.40. Even considering the exchange rate, these were good deals. After our thrifting itch was taken care of, we drove to California for lunch. It wasn't a long drive, as the Colorado River is the natural border between Arizona and California. We had lunch at the Paradise Casino (no gambling happened) - I had an Asian chicken salad with candied cashews. I assumed that there would be a half dozen cashews, but in fact, there many more. It was delicious and for around $10, it was very reasonably priced.

As I've mentioned, I bought sugar and flour to make shortbread and since there is more than I will need, so I picked up yeast in my last grocery run. Wednesday, I made a small batch of bread dough. While the dough was rising, I walked down to the water store for a couple more bottles of water. After a second rising, I shaped the loaves in rough loaves as I have no bread pans. I got a couple of small loaves, one for the freezer and one to eat this week. Although ugly (no picture), the bread tastes great and I used some for a sandwich for lunch.

That afternoon, I joined seven others to play Canasta. We played four people to a table, and my partner and I did not win - partially because I messed up and picked up cards that weren't counted. I headed back to my unit to work on my cross stitch before Happy Hour.

Unfortunately, Thursday was a write-off as I was sick with a stomach bug. It started overnight, when I was woken by severe pain and lasted through the day. When I wasn't in the bathroom, I was asleep on the couch. In fact, I slept much of the day there, went to bed at 6:30 and except for a 90 minute period when I was awake, slept through until after 7 a.m. Apparently that was what I needed as I felt much better when I woke up. I think I've figured out what caused the issue - I'd made a stir fry the night prior and used some chicken bouillon from the cupboard for my sauce. On Friday, I decided to make some chicken noodle soup; I checked the best before date that was sometime in 2022. When I mentioned it to my next door neighbour, she said that it was probably bad as the unit is vacant through the summer and the heat may have caused it to turn. According to a Google search, bouillon should be kept in a dark cool place.

I took it easy on Friday, enjoyed a lengthy shower, and got caught up on a bit of housework. Oh, the sand, the sand that blows in is something else. It doesn't matter how often I sweep or vacuum, there is always more sand. Don't get me wrong, I'm enjoying the warmth and lack of snow. I did get some cross-stitching done as well. That's another plus, the light here is simply amazing for doing the stitching. I did make it to Happy Hour (no alcohol for me) and celebrated my 6th anniversary of retirement. One of residents, J brought over a couple of jigsaw puzzles for me to work on. Apparently she has a puzzle room in her unit!

Today will be another quiet day, I've no plans to go anywhere and no need to leave the park. I've got one of the puzzles to start, cross-stitching and a start of a knitted hanging kitchen towel to work on, and the living room and bedroom floors need to be vacuumed and washed. 

The photos from Wednesday were taken on January 25th. The first was sunrise through the window screen and the other was at sunset. There was smoke in the air, as we could smell it at Happy Hour, and it caused the sun to turn red.  Since I've no photos from the rest of the week, I'll leave you with a video my brother sent me on Friday. It makes me very happy to be here!