Friday Funny

 

Back in Canada

It was a full three days of driving, but a half day less than I took driving down to Yuma. I arrived at my son's about 8 p.m. on Monday evening. After a visit with my son, his girlfriend, and the granddog Sage, it was ready for a good night's sleep. 

I did get away from Yuma by 8 a.m. arriving in Ely, Nevada about 4:30 p.m. I stayed at the Hotel Nevada. It has a casino and a Dennys restaurant on the main floor and six floors of hotel accommodations. My friend S had suggested it and had warned me the main floor was very smokey as the casino permits smoking. She wasn't wrong but the room was fine and the price was right. The bathroom was small but sufficient for my needs and the water pressure for my shower was great. 

I had taken a different route to Vegas through Needles. I'm not certain if it was imagination but the distance around Vegas seemed shorter than my trip taking me to Laughlin in the fall. Traffic was backed up coming in from Henderson but after 15 minutes or so I was out of it and on the freeway. 

Sunday morning I left Ely for Dillon, Montana about 8 a.m. arriving at 5 p.m. local. I'd lost an hour crossing from Idaho to Montana  so it was a similar driving day. But, and no disrespect to folks from Idaho, the scenery is often pretty boring. There was a good amount of traffic around Pocatello, though it thinned out as the majority seemed to be heading to Salt Lake city. 

I stayed at a Quality Inn just off the I-15 in Dillon. They offered a free breakfast and wrre a short drive to downtown Dillon. I ate at a restaurant/bar Cranny's. It's a casual restaurant, one orders at the counter and it is delivered to your table. Non-alcoholic drinks are self-serve along with condiments and cutlery. I went with a burger and fries with a Beltian Belgian beer. Good food!

Some of you had commented that a storm and high winds had impacted Montana on Saturday.  I spent a bit of time checking highway and weather conditions on Saturday evening. I'd made my decision to take the I-15 to Canada which would have me crossing at Coutts, Alberta. I had it in my mind that I'd overnight at Medicine Hat before driving the rest of the way Tuesday morning. 

Since I returned Monday evening you'll know I changed that plan. I had stopped for a short break at Helena, Montana  and checked the highway conditions again. All the highways north and east were reported as clear so as Patsy would say, the "jello jiggled". Instead I headed to Morgan to the Mouncy crossing. 

I reached the border about 4 p.m.  There was one vehicle ahead of me and it appeared the driver was having a rough day. Some of the contents had been pulled out and two officers were going back and forth from the vehicle to the office. 

My stay was short, about 5 minutes. After asking and receiving my answers to the requisite questions and reviewing my passport the officer moved a pylon so I could start my drive in Saskatchewan.

Swift Current was the closest possible hotel, about a 90 minute drive. And that's only 2 1/2 hours from Regina. I thought about stopping and then I heard the weather report calling for potential freezing rain overnight. That made my decision for me. So we end were I started the post. Happy to be back in Canada and hoping for warmer weather soon!

Here's Sage and Kota (the car who thinks he is a dog).

Today is a day off for me. I've got errands to run but those can wait until tomorrow.

Saying my goodbyes and so long to Yuma

I spent much of this week packing, rearranging and organizing my space and vehicle in preparation for my trip home to Saskatchewan. It was bittersweet - I am looking forward to seeing my family, and I'll be happy to see some cooler temperatures too, but I'll miss the folks here. Many of my fellow Canadians are also heading home for the season. There are a father and daughter duo flying out of Palm Springs, and another couple who are heading to a cruise today. I'm planning on leaving by 8 a.m. for my first day of driving. 

My initial plan was to drive as far as Laughlin, Nevada, spend the night there and do the drive through Las Vegas early Sunday morning. I've reconsidered that plan and think I will try to make it to Ely, Nevada, about a nine hour drive, where I'll stay for the night. I had considered avoiding Vegas, and driving through the Lake Mead National Recreation Area (park), but the cost to non-residents is an additional $100 USD to visit. I'll keep that money in my pocket to pay for the additional costs of fuel, thanks! 

I did get to Canasta on Wednesday, and coffee hour on Thursday. There was a trip to Walmart on Tuesday to pick out grocery items to take home to my family. These were items that are not available in Canada or at least flavours of things we don't get there. For example, Duncan Hines cake mixes are no longer sold in Canada and my daughter wanted some different blends of Hamburger Helper. The latter is something I don't eat, but she enjoys on occasion. Overall I spent about $100 including two containers to carry them home in. I purchased clear tubs, which along with the ones I brought here in October, should be useful at the border, should the agents want to see what I'm bringing into the country. 

Jose came by shortly before sundown on Thursday to take down the gazebo. It looks so forlorn out there with just the metal structure. He also unhooked the propane tank so I was without a stove and water heater for Friday. That was okay, as I still had the BBQ grill, a toaster and microwave and heated up water in the kettle for washing. 

Speaking of water, I filled up several jugs to be placed around the unit, and put water in plastic bags to seal the drains in the sinks. Both the dinette benches and couch were covered with sheets in the hopes that I won't find them as dusty when I return. This morning, I stripped the bedding, laid the hanging clothes on the mattress and covered it with a fitted sheet. Again, keeping the dust at bay. H did tell me, that even with all of these preparations, I will still come back to a mess to clean up. 

I had done as much as I could by mid-day on Friday, so left the a/c running (it was 88F/31C when I returned after Happy Hour the day before), and went to visit friends. S and L and I had a good visit, before I headed home to grab my last beer for Happy Hour. I tried, somewhat unsuccessfully, to not cry as we said our goodbyes but I know I'll miss this group of wonderful people. S and L were extended an invitation to dinner, which I accepted, so I didn't even have to cook or do dishes. 

This morning, I've still got a laundry list of things to do before I leave: empty the black and gray tanks, turn off the electricity at the pole, turn off the water, put the foam pads up in the roof vents, ensure the fridge door is left slightly ajar, put out bay leaves, and load the car. So I'd best get at it, so I can get on the road to home.

So long Yuma, see you in November.

Have a great week ahead everyone!

Friday Funny

 

Wordless Wednesday edit

 

Many hands, light work and time to pack!

I normally start the week's post by Tuesday, but not this week. It is Thursday and I'm trying to remember what I did and what happened throughout the week. It's gone by so quickly! 

The weather has stayed hot, but not quite as excessive as it was last week. I stayed in most days, watching curling and enjoying the a/c. In addition, I had to stick around early in the week as the chairs were expected to be delivered on Tuesday. I was able to use the tracker and saw the truck had left Calexico about 9:30 a.m. California time (an hour behind us). The drive is only an hour, but I knew the truck would have other stops.

Since I cannot see the trucks from my end of the park, mid-afternoon I wandered down to S and L's to watch from their unit for a bit. By 4 (and time for the next curling game),  no truck had arrived. Around 6 p.m. I called Dome Hepot and they could only tell me that the delivery would likely be made the following day. Later I got a notification that the truck had returned to Calexico.

The truck did  finally arrive around noon on Wednesday. A huge semi pulled into our small park. L spotted him and ran out to tell that he wouldn't be able to turn around at the end of the park, due to the size of the trailer. As I walked down from my unit, one of the permanent residents G, came to assist. The driver pulled the pallet from the truck and dropped the chairs in front of our clubhouse. With the extra hands, we had the chairs off the pallet and into the clubhouse in short order. From there, L opened the boxes, I pulled out the chairs, removed the coverings and delivered the chairs to the patio where S sprayed them with the fabric protection. As she was finishing, J arrived and helped L break down the boxes and move the cardboard to the recycling bin, while I gathered the garbage. We had the whole process done in less than an hour.

That afternoon, I went to play Canasta, though I had my phone tuned into the curling. I was able to catch the last couple of ends. After that was done, we set up for Thursday's coffee hour. S, L and I were responsible for purchasing the goodies and I figured I'd take care of set-up. But, the rest of the Canasta crew stepped in and helped and again, everything was ready for the next morning in a short period of time. S and L ordered the apple fritters (a must have for this crew) and a dozen donuts that afternoon and picked them up early the next morning.

We had a good turn-out at coffee hour, with about 20 people in attendance. I had announced earlier that the old chairs were up for sale, and managed to get rid of fourteen of them, for a $1 a piece. There is still a good number of chairs available, some of which are in bad shape and will be trashed, while the rest will be donated to a local charity thrift store. 

After coffee, H and I started cleaning  the remaining cabinets. At 83, this woman is an Energizer bunny! While I sorted through items she had passed me from the cabinets, she scrubbed down the interiors and laid down leftover magazines. There were empty jugs that went to the recycling bin, while broken items were tossed. Other items went into a box for next year's garage sale, and still others were put in the proper containers out in the party shed. I left about 11 a.m., tired and ready to relax and watch more curling! H continued until about noon, and cleared and sorted out the drawers. I stopped by later with paper towels I'd picked up, and oh my, everything looks tidy and organized. I just need to borrow the label maker from the office to finish the task.

Friday, I was at the clubhouse just before 9:30 and folded up the chairs. I knew there was a group at exercise class from 9-9:30, so when they had finished we moved the chairs inside and hung them on the racks. Finally, I can say the sage of the chairs is over! Though I do need to get to Dome Hepot one more time to discuss an appropriate something something for the trouble in ordering and receiving the items. I'm hoping for a gift card of some amount that we can use next year for the flowers we plant in front of the clubhouse each year. 

At 11:30, H, S, D, and I met with many of the other women in the park for a lunch at the River City Grill. It doesn't look like much on the outside, slightly better on the inside, but the food was fantastic. I ordered an appetizer for my main, crab and salmon cakes, along with a side spinach salad. The salad had gorgonzola cheese, craisens, and walnuts, along with the spinach in a raspberry vinaigrette. The salmon/crab cakes were primarily salmon, but had some kick to them. The meal was a bit pricey, but very, very delicious. I don't eat out a lot and it was a treat.

My packing begins in earnest as I'm now just a week away from leaving. I'm sorting things out - items that were in the unit when I arrived in October, that I haven't used were boxed up and dropped off at a thrift store. Items I purchased for my family, t-shirts and shorts for Eli and craft items for my daughter are packed in a clear container. There are other items I purchased at thrift stores for use at home that will make their way into a tote as well. Something I wouldn't have thought about is clothing items that have elastic (mostly undies) which cannot be left behind as the elastic will be ruined by the high temperatures. I won't be taking a lot of the clothing home, but there are certain pieces I will want to take with me. My current knitting projects will be going with me too, though I'll leave the yarn I found here will stay behind. 

Another tote will carry my bedding - so I'll have clean bedding when I return next November. I'm told that most people cover their bed and bedding with an extra sheet. By fall everything will be covered in a layer of dust that blows in through any possible opening. I have an extra sheet to through over the bed, pads to place in the ceiling vents, and duct tape to close off the stove hood vent. Windows are covered in reflective insulation, bags of water are tucked into the drains, and the toilet, and lastly I'll put out several glass jugs of water throughout the unit. Last year, even with this last trick, the molding on the upper cabinets above the sink partially melted in the heat! 

So, I forsee a busy week ahead as I prepare to head north. There will be curling to watch as well, the playoffs of the Brier are in full swing, which along with my knitting will ensure it's not all work. 

Have a great week ahead everyone!

Friday Funny

 

Hot, hot, hotter

Someone turned up the thermostat outside this week. This photo is from Wednesday when I returned to the unit after playing Canasta. I should note, I can't leave the a/c on as it is not connected to the thermostat so will run continually. After running for almost an hour it was done to 82F(28C) and I shut it off to go to Happy Hour. On my return it was back up to 92F(33C). I left it running until the sun started to go down, and then opened the front door. By bedtime, the unit had cooled down to 78F(25C). It still felt quite warm when I went to bed!

By noon on Thursday, it was 94F(34C). I was out running errands for the social committee. We'd had our coffee hour that morning, then H and I spent 90 minutes clearing out the cabinets, cleaning them (H), and sorting what would go back in. We had a swack load* of plastic utensils, knifes, forks, and spoons. With the exception of the spoons that we use for coffee hour, we don't use these utensils as we have a drawer full of regular utensils. Since most of the packages were open, and we have soooo much dust, they went in the bin.

The sorting showed that we were short on small plates. I started a list, and added cinnamon raisin bread that seems to be a real favorite with the group. We continued our clear out, moving many items to a separate table to be moved out to the "party shed", items that won't be used except once a season. 

In back of one of the cabinets we found a dozen or so games. I don't think anyone really knew they were there. So I moved them out to the extra bookcase (if you recall we had cleared out the excess books a few weeks ago.) Now they are readily accessible. I'm going to suggest that new season we have a game night every Friday evening. People can play UNO or Yahtzee or one of the many other games. Anything that isn't of interest, we'll put in the garage sale.

Back at my unit, I ran the a/c again for a half hour or so before heading out to run my errands. Dome Hepot had sent out an e-mail saying part of my order was available for pick-up. I assumed, correctly, that this was the re-order they set up when the original order was only partially completed. I tried to convince the clerk to give me the chair for free, due to the original mix-up but she declined, so I just returned it. The order for the additional chairs will suffice. Those were supposed to arrive on Thursday or Friday but the tracking site shows they are sitting somewhere in Arkansas. I'm thinking simeone mixed up AR for AZ.

Friday morning I walked outside to clean up my airfryer and discovered the biggest, creepiest bug I've ever seen. I was on the phone with my brother so snapped a photo and sent it to him. He informed me it was a cockroach. EWWWW!

I won't share that photo, instead here's a photo my brother sent me:

I thought the damned thing was dead but when I went to sweep it up, it wiggled. I grabbed a can of Raid and gave it a bath! I've never seen a cockroach before and I hope never to see another. I called the pest control company; they'll be out to spray on Tuesday. The fellow said the heat is bringing them out early.

H and I did a bit more cleaning at the clubhouse sorting out games and discovering 200 or more food containers with lids. It was frustrating as I'd had to buy some back in January for our chili sale at the park garage sale. We sold very little as it was a hot day, though not as hot as we are now. (Next year, I'll suggest we sell ice cream bars.) In any event we now have enough food containers to last four or five years.

Several of us met in the afternoon for another round of Canasta. One of the couples is staying in a place without any a/c, so hanging out in the clubhouse with its swamp  cooler is a good break. 

For Happy Hour I headed over to L and S's to watch the first draw of the Brier (Canadian men's curling).They invited me to stay for dinner too. It was a great meal, good company, and the curling wasn't bad though the scores of all four games on the ice were lopsided. 

Today there are two curling draws to watch, more Canasta, and an even hotter forecast. We're expecting 97F (36C). There is a cool down to more normal temperatures expected by Tuesday. 

Finally, I'll leave you with this photo. The mourning dove is sitting on her nest in the neighbour's cactus just across the way. I'm hoping I'll get to see the wee ones before I leave.

Have a great week ahead everyone!

Friday Funny

 

Saw this and thought of you, Bob!

Wordless Wednesday

 

Running around, time is running short

Another week in the books, and it's just about a month before I start my journey north to home. Or maybe not home. I'm toying with the idea of visiting cousins just across the border in British Columbia before I head back to Saskatchewan. I haven't seen them since 2019, I think. Since our last visit, the last remaining uncle (G), my cousin's father has passed away and they moved from the island to the Okanagan valley. What it will come down to is the weather and road conditions. 

There was another big storm this week at home. It started Tuesday evening and snowed throughout the night and the following day. D said we got about 30 cms (12 inches) of snow in total. She was out snow blowing several times during the day. 

Meanwhile, after our wee bit of rain last week, we had big winds on Monday evening. I had to move things into the gazebo and close it up as stuff was blowing around. About midnight, I got up out of bed and took down a piece of metal art I have hanging on the side of the unit. It was banging so hard, there was no way I could get to sleep. 

This was the week of the chairs. Did I mention this in my last post? I don't think so, but hopefully you'll bear with me if I did. We are looking replacement cushions or chairs for some older folding chairs and attached cushions. One of our residents, A had taken the old cushion to an upholsterer to get a quote on replacing/recovering the cushions. We were quoted $30 a cushion. M did some research and found some chairs, but these were quite costly, $60 plus per chair. Plus they were only available on-line and had no local storefront. She asked me to do some research and order samples if I found anything.  

I did just that, and received an e-mail on Saturday that the chairs were available for pick-up at Dome Hepot (spelling incorrect on purpose). When I arrived at the store, there was only one box, not three as indicated in the e-mail. I won't bore you with all the details but that's 90 minutes I won't get back. I did, however chat with a lovely young woman, named Miriam who asked me to return to the store on Monday afternoon. (She had Sunday off). 

I did, and again there was only one chair there but she had somehow determined the other two were expected to arrive by the Wednesday. Just in time for our coffee hour on Thursday, hooray. However, she called me on Monday evening to say the other two chairs had arrived. An even bigger hooray!

Here's the chairs set up at coffee hour on Thursday. The two fabric in blue and burgundy, and the vinyl are the new chair options. The brown one with a pad are the old chairs, and the white holds the new upholstered pad.   After allowing those who chose to test them out and to vote for their favourite, the burgundy fabric chair won out. I returned the others and ordered replacements for the old brown chairs and the new ones will be here by the end of this month.

After picking up the chairs, I returned to the park, dropped those off at the clubhouse and returned home to do my outdoor chores. The tile patio was filthy, not only from the mixture of the rain and dust. Besides giving it all a good sweep, I used a mop and bucket to wash the tile. It felt good to be out in the fresh air and the patio area looked good when I finished (temporary I know!) I also did my spray painting - the planter and a plastic Adirondack chair that was a dark green. I ran out of spray paint before finishing the chair and had to pick up another can that afternoon. 

The photograph I posted on Wednesday was taken at the Landing, a local restaurant where a group of us had brunch on Saturday after our garage sale forays. These were Tecoma stans (Yellow bells/yellow trumpet flower) and I was impressed with the profusion of blooms on the bushes. So impressed, that I decided that I needed some colour out front of my unit. When I was at Dome Hepot, I wandered through the garden center and found a couple of plants that were marked down - it appeared they hadn't been watered for a bit, and I decided I'd see what I could do with them. Earlier last week, I had found a planter at one of the thrift and with a bit of spray paint, revived it too. The plant stand was a buy at the garage sale ($3). 

The yellow flowering plant is a Ranuculus, which I've learned, has corms. Before I leave, I'll dig up the plant and tuck the corms away to replant in the fall. I don't if they'll survive the heat in the storage area, but I'll try. The white flowering plant is an alyssum. It won't survive but I'm okay with that - it just makes me happy to have some flowering plants in my yard.

Also on Wednesday we had clouds roll in for most of the day, and mid-afternoon heavy winds again. While the clouds look threatening we didn't see a drop of rain.

Thursday, our Canadian women's hockey team were in the gold medal game against the USA on Thursday mid-day. I watched at home the first two periods, and then wandered down to another unit to watch the end of the game. Canada led for most of the game, just 1-0 before the USA tied up the game with only a little over two minutes in regulation time. Off to overtime we went and four minutes in the USA were able to score and win gold. It was a sad moment, but when one considers the USA beat Canada 5-0 in their first game of the tournament, our women put on a heroic effort.

Men's hockey grabbed my attention on Friday. Our Canadian men played Finland in the semi-final, while the USA played Slovakia. Finland led 2-0 at the end of the first period, but Canada came back and tied up the game. It looked like we would be going into overtime when Canada scored with just 35 seconds left in regulation time! Off to the gold medal game, which I believe is being played on Sunday morning. I watched a bit of the USA-Slovakia game and called it after the first when the USA was leading 5-0. Slovakia did come back with a couple of goals, but the USA was the winner with a score of 6-2. 

That finally brings me to the update on my knee. As I tell everyone, it is still there. Progress is continuing gradually and some days, I feel a bit defeated. I have to remind myself that when this first happened I couldn't even bear weight on that leg/foot. Also, I haven't been taking pain killers at all, and while there are times the leg and knee ache like the dickens, I can tolerate it...or more correctly, I choose to tolerate it. The good news is: I was able to walk short distances late in the week without the brace. 

Today, we're having our Heritage dinner this evening. This morning, I'll be putting together my homemade mac and cheese. We decided rather than having everyone bring something from the country/countries of our origins, we would bring food that our families enjoyed through the years. It was one of my favourites as a child, and my children's faves as well. I know there will perogies, Caesar salad, chicken biryani, and a number of surprises. We always put out a sign up sheet and question marks often end up on the sheet. One bachelor wrote, "whatever H tells me to". Actually, I think she makes it and gives it to him to bring. :)

Have a great week ahead everyone!

Friday Funny

 

Wordless Wednesday

 

Sunrise, fun with friends, and the Olympics

I've had another good week in the park, quiet for the most part and restful. I am feeling a little guilty that I can't finish up the painting on the pool walls - after some plumbing needed to be re-done the back wall needs to be repainted - but no one else seems to be fussed about it. 

However, I am seeing some progress, as I am able to walk for longer periods of time. I won't be entering any kind of race, but less pain and more stamina is encouraging. I keep reminding my friend L told me it could take up to six weeks to completely heal. 

The new header was taken on Tuesday morning. It was the best of the sunrises that I've seen thus far. I wandered around the park a bit looking for a spot where I could capture a shot without the many wires in the air. A recent resident pulled out their unit a few weeks ago and her space was just the spot I was looking for! 

The view from my unit isn't nearly as nice, though it was still gorgeous.

We have had three units removed this year. The hoarder one next door, the unit where I took the photo, and the third was a family owned unit that was in rough shape. My understanding is, when the previous owners transferred/sold it to family members the second couple never stayed in it due to the condition. When I was looking last winter, J had taken me to view it, and I don't think I stayed inside longer than a couple of minutes. It was baaadddd!

We had eight of us for Canasta on Wednesday so played two tables of four. I am starting to understand the strategy, have a basic understanding of the point counting (though that is taking longer) and really enjoy the game. The company is pretty good too.

The wordless photo was a dead cricket I found outside the door. I originally thought it was a grasshopper, but Google lens informed it was a type of cricket which brought some relief.  One of the park owners told me a few weeks ago, that where there are grasshoppers there are often scorpions. I can handle a cricket or a grasshopper but draw the line at the thought of a scorpion. I've since been told, scorpions don't come this far into the city. 

On Thursday we had our weekly coffee hour. We had a smaller crowd than normal, just 25, but the comradery was still interesting, and loud! There has been talk of re-doing the wall coverings to muffle the noise but I don't think it will ever happen. H and I had made plans to go through the rest of the books in the hall library after coffee, but I when I saw her jump up and head out early, I went with her.

We were able to reduce the number of hard cover books by about half. Only books written after 1999 were kept, most of the older books and anything that was in rough shape were moved to the recycling bin. There was about a dozen that were older but good enough shape (and generally popular authors) that we boxed up and sent to the thrift with S later in the day.

Back at home I updated our spreadsheet for the social club and then went out to get a few supplies for next week's coffee hour. Since I was at the store, I picked a few items for myself, eggs, a cucumber, a head of lettuce, and a package of ground beef. A dozen eggs was about $3, the cucumber was $0.68, the head of iceberg lettuce was $1.88, and a pound of lean ground was $8.27. I'm finding meat here very expensive compared to the prices we pay at home. On the other hand vegetables are much less. Of course, purchasing for just one is a lot less costly overall than my grocery bills at home.

Much of the week, I've been watching the Olympics. Unfortunately I can't find any coverage from Canada, so have to rely on news reports and other websites. Unless, of course, the USA is playing against the individuals or teams from Canada. Our women's hockey team had a horrid game against the USA, our mixed doubles curling team lost too. 

On Friday morning it rained! Not much and not for long, but it made the air feel very refreshing. I always open the door in the morning, leaving the screen door closed to air out the unit and it was so nice. 

Later, I had an appointment for an oil change at one of the local garages, Accurate Automotive. They were quiet that morning, and I was in and out in less than 45 minutes. From there I went to a couple of thrift stores, finding a few items. The best purchase was a roll of cork - I need it to add to the tiles I purchased, so I can use them as coasters. Perhaps I'll even make my own bulletin board to put on the side of the fridge. I have more than enough with this roll, so I'll be taking it home. For certain, D and I can find uses for it there too!

Today, we're heading to the Country Roads RV resort for their monthly garage sale. I don't know that I need anything in particular, but hanging out with the other women is a lot of fun. It's always interesting to see what is on offer. We can be fussy though, and not stop if, as we drive by, we decide that it's all guy stuff. :) Unless, of course, one of the fellows here in the park has told us what he's looking for. After our friend L, purchased a walker for her husband, another resident, F, asked us to keep an eye out for something similar. She found one, and he's been out walking every day and uses it to carry his garbage or recycling to the bin. He's looking so much more stable on his feet - it's wonderful to see.

Happy Valentine's Day, and have a great week ahead everyone!

Friday funny

 

Wordless Wednesday

 

Improvement and a restful week

First off, the knee - thank you for the well wishes. J had been massaging the knee for me, but decided that the issue was likely a problem with my hip causing the knee issues. So on Monday she attacked my hip (or at least it felt that way) and in fact, worked on both sides. The muscles extending from the hip on down the left leg were incredibly tight and she located several balls of muscle that were worked out. On my right side, she also worked on the sciatic area. After the first massage I was walking with my knee brace and barely a limp. After a second massage, the improvement was even more noticeable. 

I still can't walk long distances (wandering the grocery store) or sit in the same position for prolonged periods as these activities tend to cause the knee to feel as if it has locked up. Besides icing the knee and hip, I have started doing light exercises to help improve the strength of my knee, both at home and at the clubhouse. We do chair exercises three times a week; they are helping too.

I did my laundry on the weekend as you could see by Wednesday's photo. S and L have been kind in letting me use their washing machine every week. Sometimes I hang the clothing on their umbrella rack at the back of their unit, but most times I bring it back and put it on the rack here.  With warm temperatures and a bit of wind, it usually only takes a couple of hours to dry. My neighbour H has given me permission to use her lines out back to hang sheets as my rack would not work well. 

Most units, especially those in the M section (I'm in R) have space for sheds. The washing machines are plumbed into the shed with cold water only and hooked up to power. My lot doesn't have the space for a shed, nor do I have ample power. Out back I don't have the space for a folding rack to be mounted on the RV. So everyone who passes by gets to see my clean laundry (at least it's not dirty, right?) It's been years since I line dried clothing and I should, but haven't yet, bring out the iron and ironing board as some things are pretty darned wrinkled!

I missed the snow moon at its fullest on Sunday evening but managed to get a decent photo of the sunset and the moon on Monday evening. One of my neighbours, who visits for about a week every month, mentioned that he and his wife appreciate the photos I've posted on FB, especially of the sunset. So these were for them.

The darn power and internet lines made it a bit difficult to capture a decent photo.

The park held it's annual general meeting of the shareholders on Tuesday. I was warned it could be a noisy affair, and it was, especially towards the end of the meeting. It was clear that some participants had not read the reports that were mailed out, or were making assumptions about certain things. I won't go into details - that wouldn't be fair to the residents but I will say it reminded me a bit of a reality television program with some clear alliances. :)

Wednesday, I went to the clubhouse for the morning chair exercises. In the afternoon, I played Canasta with our group of six. The guys beat the gals again, I think we're up the best of nine now, hoping to make a comeback. We'll have to win out the rest of the season at this rate. :)

On Thursday, J and her husband G put on a pancake breakfast for the park. In addition to pancakes, there was eggs, sausage, toast and fruit. The cost was $5 per person, with the proceeds going to the social club. We had a good crowd of 25 or so people, and the food was fresh and terrific! After breakfast I headed back to my unit to count the cash. I updated our spreadsheet and then settled in to watch the Olympics. I was able to catch a bit of the mixed doubles curling, as the Canada-Finland women's hockey game was postponed as several members of Finland's team have come down with norovirus. Finland is expected to play the USA on Saturday, assuming they can field enough players.

My brother and I were chatting one day and he mentioned a salad his daughter has introduced to them. It included roasted chickpeas, along with a variety of vegetables, feta, and tzatziki sauce. It sounded delicious, but I had no feta or tzatziki, and no way to roast the chickpeas.

This is my version. I put a little oil in a fry pan, added the chickpeas, paprika, onion and garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and black pepper. I cooked them until the outside was slightly crispy (they tasted good right out of the pan!). I added them to a chopped salad of lettuce, cucumber, tomato, yellow pepper, red onion, and cheddar cheese, with a drizzle of Italian salad dressing. I didn't need all of the chickpeas for the meal, so I'll be enjoying the salad again later this week. 

I've been knitting lots too, and one of the residents has asked if I can teach them. Not sure I can teach but I can show him the basics. I throw my yarn; while I know the continental knitting technique I've never been able to consistently use it. My plan is to show him how to cast on, demonstrate the knit and purl stitches and tell him to watch some videos. He can decide which method he likes best. 

Today I plan to watch more of the Olympics and continue knitting on my project. I will do some light exercises for my legs as well. Gotta keep moving!

Have a great week ahead everyone.

Friday Funny

 

Wordless Wednesday

 

Sidelined

I'm going to start this post with a whine...you can choose to stop reading now, or not. 

For those who have been reading for a number of years, you'll know that I don't do "sick" well. While I'm not sick, I did injure myself at some point and now I'm sitting on the sidelines. Let me explain:

We painted several days last week, and I spent a good deal of that time either bending over to paint the lower blocks, kneeling or sitting on the ground to do the same. For a good part of one day I was working on gravel. It wasn't comfortable but other than a bit of muscle soreness in my thighs I didn't feel too bad.

However, I woke up Saturday and found my left knee was swollen and very tender. When I attempted to walk I discovered I couldn't even bear weight on my foot. What I could do was walk on the ball of the foot though my knee was still angry with me.

I took a couple of painkillers, dressed and drove down to Walmart to pick up a knee brace and lidocaine cream. When we'd wrapped up on Friday I'd told everyone we'd take the weekend off - there was curling to be watched! So I figured I'd stay home, watch curling and rest my knee, and things would be better by Monday. 

That wasn't the case, though I felt I'd improved enough to go help with the painting. I did tell the others that I wouldn't be kneeling though, so two others took care of the lower blocks while I used the roller to prime the upper blocks. We finished priming about 12:30 and I went home feeling exhausted. 

I guess I overdid it, and after talking to our resident L, a former nurse and J, who has experience in physical therapy, I agreed to let others finish the job. And a great job they did! Here are photos of the before and after:

I've had a couple of nights where I wake up in significant pain. I get up, take a pain killer, and use the lidocaine cream to get back to sleep. Mornings tend to be good, and I am improving but any extended period of walking (grocery shopping) or sitting (playing Canasta on Wednesday) has me hobbling around again. We did got thrifting on Tuesday, but I spent more time sitting in the thrift stores than perusing the racks/aisles. I did find a lovely vintage piece, a platter made in Japan at one store for $3.

Thank goodness for the Canadian women's curling (Scotties). I've had three draws a day, until Friday, to watch, I've been knitting, and finished a book in between games. The book, "Before I Wake" by Robert J. Wiersema is interesting and weird at the same time. A three year old, out with her mother on a walk to the local mall is hit in the crosswalk by a speeding vehicle. There is little hope for recovery and the family agrees to take her off the equipment keeping her alive...but she doesn't die. The driver of the speeding vehicle realizes what he has done and makes an attempt to take his own life by throwing himself off a cliff, only to find himself pulled back by some force into a strange other world. This is when the book gets weird, with characters dating back to the time of Jesus, forces of good and evil, harm and miraculous healing, and a family in turmoil. The writer brings it all together in the end, but while a generally easy read, it isn't a book I'd look to read again.

Oh, and a short explanation about Wednesday's photo. This is my friend L, holding up an apple fritter from Arizona Donuts. Those things are massive, cost $3, and taste absolutely delicious! Easily shared by 3-6 people too. If you are ever in Yuma and have the need for a sweet treat, check them out. 

L is a retired nurse and has warned me I can expect it to take up to six weeks for my knee to be fully healed. Can I be patient that long? Doubtful, but I'll try.

Have a great week ahead everyone!

Friday Funny

 

Wordless Wednesday

 

A quiet week for me, not so in Minneapolis

 It was a slow start to the week, and much appreciated after last week's schedule. I did go thrift shopping with my friend L on Monday and Tuesday. We didn't spend a lot of money, but we had a good visit and a lot of fun looking. My favorite find of the two days were several tiles - two of the smaller ones already have the cork backing and I may just use the others as is until I get home. I know I have cork in my craft stash there. They make great coffee coasters and these are pretty to boot. The larger tile, I want to add a hanger to and will hang on the wall in my bathroom.

The steamer trunk (Wednesday's photo) was at the Humane Society's thrift store. Originally marked at $400, it has been reduced to $350. I certainly don't have the space and although very interesting it did not come home with me. Frankly, I would much prefer to see it in a museum where it could be appreciated by many people. One of the volunteers said these items are often purchased to be used as clothing storage for babies. This particular was in great shape, all the drawers worked and the hanging rod was solid. Sadly, there were no stickers to indicate where it had been. If only it could tell its story. 

I started the painting project on Wednesday morning, along with three others. We started our prep using wire brushes to clean off some chipping paint. I thought the exterior west wall would be the worst as it is most exposed to the weather, and it needed quite a bit of work. However, the east wall was even worse as the lowest level of concrete blocks had not been primed the last time it was painted, and only had, what appeared to be, one coat of paint. The paint on those blocks peeled off in large pieces. We made a plan to prime on Thursday and paint on Friday, though if we had enough volunteers we could start painting the interior on Thursday.

After coffee hour, I went home and changed clothes, then back to the pool area to start the priming. Only one other person showed up and she cleared rocks away from the walls so I get down on the ground to prime the lower blocks. When she finished she left to get cleaned as D volunteers at the Hospice thrift store Thursday afternoons. I continued to work on the painting until noon, finishing the two rows of lower blocks and the top block on one wall, and partially on a second. This way we can roll the paint on the remainder of the wall.

We managed to finish the primer coat on the exterior walls on Friday morning and got started on the interior. J did a bit of repair to a few of the blocks, while the rest of us painted. The repairs need to be left for at least 24 hours. So I decided we'd take a break over the weekend and plan to be back at it Monday.  The fact that the Scotties Tournament of Hearts (women's curling) started Friday evening may have had something to do with it too.

This next few paragraphs are a change from my normal blog post. But it is something I feel strongly about. I don't expect all of my readers to agree with my comments but it is something I feel the need to address.

The news this week that a five year old child was used by ICE in Minneapolis to entrap his father horrified me, and the fact they have detained the child as well as the father is even worse. 

Reports indicate the child was being driven home from school, was removed from the vehicle by ICE, taken to door of a home and told to knock and ask for his father, using him as bait to lure his family outside. The family currently has an asylum claim and no deportation orders. Both the father and the child were detained and whisked away to Texas. While there is a suggestion that the child would have been left alone, reports indicate his mother was in the home and the school was also able to take him to safety.

Some of you may be asking why I care - the father was apparently in the United States illegally, however it is one thing to arrest someone for a crime, it is quite another to take an innocent child. The trauma the little boy has experienced should never have happened and will, most likely, have long term impacts on his mental, physical and emotional health. As a grandmother I cannot fathom how anyone could support this situation.

But that's not the only reason I care. I care because the lack of humanity and disregard for the rule of law displayed in the case and so many other incidents across the country is extremely disturbing. The number of these events is rising exponentially, with ICE officers acting as judge, jury and even executioner on occasion. For a country who has enshrined the right to due process in its Constitution, that right is being ignored and eroded. It's easy to say that it doesn't matter because it doesn't affect us personally. However, I fear it is only a matter of time before the current administration turns their focus to other marginalized groups, people of colour, LGBTQIA2S+, neuro-divergent people, and the disabled.

Thus I feel, even as a Canadian, I need to speak up. My words will not change anything, but at least I can demonstrate my support for those who are in the line of fire. I will not forget Liam Conego Ramos and the other innocents who have been targeted by the men in masks who are willing to break the law every day they go out on the streets. 

For now, I look to Mother Nature to provide some calm at the end of the day. I am reminded She is constant in our lives, while I have hope one day, there will be an end to the madness.

Friday Funny

 

Wordless Wednesday

 

Treasures, trash, and tremors

This was a purchase from last week's garage sale foray. It's hanging on the wall in my dinette area.

It was another busy week, and definitely a productive one. I had met with M, the secretary of the social committee on Sunday and she had provided the funds collected and the bills paid during the month of December. I did a bit of work on the spreadsheet I created and realized I needed more info than she had given me. I reached out to the former treasurer and she came for a visit in the evening to go over some things and we realized the M had what I needed but for some unknown reason had held onto it. Well, I could speculate but I won't.

We (social committee) had a meeting on Monday at the bank to revise the signing authorities. What a process! T and I had to provide personal information and our ID's which was fine, and the board had provided a copy of the resolution allowing us to be on the bank account. That was fine, but the time it took for the clerk and her manager to review the documentation was lengthy. It did give us time to consider options for future events but seriously, the time they spent on their review seemed excessive. Then we learned that the board would need to complete another document with their signatures before everything would be implemented. Another trip to the bank is in my future.

I also met with E that morning to look to see what paint they purchased a couple of years for the pool. It was supposed to be done then but the fellow who was to organize did a bit of painting on his own and then walked away from it. The paint they purchased then can't be used so we'll be purchasing more... and this time the job will get done!

I've starting working on the cushions for the gazebo chairs, and picked up spay paint for the plastic Adirondack chair. At happy hour, S and I made plans to visit Michaels on Tuesday afternoon*. I needed white thread to sew the cushions closed and wanted to pick up a couple more knitting needles. I have a project started but not ready to share just yet, let's see how it goes.

Tuesday I did some necessary clean up of the gazebo in early morning. The wind had knocked over the table and my pot of succulents was smashed on the floor. I don't recall the words I used, but there definitely some things said out loud. Later I picked up another pot at Walmart - a plastic one - and I repotted them. One of them lost a few pieces but otherwise were no worse for wear. I'm going to research what I can do with the pieces of the pot - a mosaic of some sort perhaps? It was so pretty, I hate to toss it away.

About 10 a.m. I met with a couple of the guys next door to help clear the hoarder's sheds. OMG, you would not believe the stuff we pulled out of the first shed (and the second on the following day). Tools including a circular saw, two or three routers, a drill press, a table saw, several other types of saws, as well as a jack hammer. There were smaller tools too, along with several tool boxes, kitchen appliances, a 3 speed bike, and sundry other items. There was even a vintage ice cream maker! The entire shed was full and packed to the rafters. We sorted and cleared pretty much everything and took several loads to the garbage and recycling. 

We started on the second shed on Wednesday mid-morning. It was smaller than the first but filled entirely as well. Fun things we found included an old knob metal detector, a smaller ice cream maker, an old office chair, a humidifier, a foot spa, a propane tank cover, more tools - a band saw, I think, and the list went on. We threw out a number of items as well. Since it was a smaller shed, we were finished our clean-up before noon, and packed anything with any value in the sheds. The rest was sorted on the table or to one side. Besides the one fellow and I, we were joined by three other women. Two didn't have masks so I told them to stay out of the sheds, and they had the task of wiping down things as we brought things out and sorting. 

Overnight I experienced something I've never felt before. About 3 a.m. I was awaken by the feeling of the unit moving and I could hear the metal of the shed below the bedroom rattling below me. Initially I thought it was due to wind, but realized that the I couldn't hear the ornament I have on the front of the until banging. It didn't last long and I fell back to sleep. When I woke in the morning, I initially thought I'd dreamt it. Just out of curiousity I asked Google if we'd had a earthquake, and yes, there was a 4.4 earthquake at Holtsville about 50 miles away. At coffee hour, our oldest resident P reminded us that if the earthquake was more severe, we should get out of our trailers. She, however, acknowledged that she hadn't thought to do that at the time. The rest of the group seem to have slept through it.  

The sale of the salvaged items will be held on Saturday at the same time as the park garage sale. However, we'll have to keep it separate as a portion of the proceeds will be credited to the family of the former owner. 

We finished in time for me to clean myself up before Canasta in the afternoon. We played guys vs. gals and by the end of the game we were down 65 points from the guys team. We won last week, so next week will be the rubber match. Unless of course, the guys win and then we'll go best out of five. :p

I managed to fill Thursday as well, with coffee hour in the morning, a stop at the bank to make a deposit, and a run a few stores for coffee and event supplies. We are having a chili sale and bake sale to be held concurrent with the planned garage sale. Catching up on the social committee spreadsheet and reconciling the cash took up a little time too. But all is straightened out and up to date. I expect I'll be giving an update at the AGM in early February.

Friday afternoon, we prepared for the garage sales. Tables were set up across from the club house for items that ere donated by individuals in the park. L gave us direction in the pricing of items and we organized the tables by category. Stepladders with a pole between them were used to hold the clothing....and there was a lot of those items. I didn't think to take a picture until the evening, but you can see how filled the area is. We even sold several things that afternoon. :)

At Charlie's D uncovered the table and set out some of the items on the driveway, but the large tools and other items were left in the sheds. We do a "pre-sale" for the park residents, and they were able to walk through the sheds. We didn't have a lot of interest that evening, but I suspect today will be a different story.

I'll admit I'm not looking forward to a day outdoors at the sale. H has agreed to let us borrow a table with an umbrella, and I'll have my gazebo available for anyone who wants to get out of the sun for a bit. Our forecasted high is 80F/27C and while the early morning will start out cool, the heat will be on by 10 a.m. There is no natural shade but I'll make sure I have on sunscreen, my hat and shades and take a break when I can. Wish us luck!

*I cleaned up after lunch and went to Michaels with S and then forgot to buy the thread. :p I finally picked it up on Friday when I went to buy plastic bags for the bake sale items. I even managed to sew the seat cushions up before lunch!

Have a great week ahead everyone!

Friday Funny

 

Wordless Wednesday