Settling in

Though not a full house move, the first week of settling in here in Yuma has been busy. There were boxes and bags to be unpacked, and items that were packed away last March, brought out and set in place. 

The most immediate problem was illustrated in Wednesday's photo. We had a heavy rain overnight and into the morning on Sunday. I woke about 5 a.m. to the sound of dripping water. After following the sound, I discovered that the fan at the rear of the trailer was leaking. I had brought a collapsible bucket with me, and that was placed on the sofa, while a pot was commandeered to catch the other drips. There was a bit of water on the floor that I cleaned up and placed a towel, just in case.

The rain finished about noon, but the drip continued into the afternoon. I dared to climb the ladder on the exterior of the RV, but only to look over the roof top. (I will NOT ever be seen on top of the RV). It was clear to me there was a puddle around the fan. Since there was no more rain in the future, I decided to wait until Monday to call the park maintenance man, Jose. He deserves his weekend off - I texted him at 8 a.m. on Monday, and he was at the unit in just over 30 minutes! He went up on the roof and said it needs to be resealed. He said he could come on Tuesday after 6 p.m., or Wednesday morning. I chose Wednesday because it starts getting dark around 6:30 p.m. 

In the meantime I had to pick up the roof sealant at Home Depot. The bucket is so heavy, I had to ask for help getting it into the cart, and then into the vehicle. Here, unlike at home (in the city), they have people out in the parking lot whose job is to load or unload for the customers. I can't tell how many times I've had to wrestle something into my own vehicle or ask a passing fellow to help.

Since I was going to be out and about, I went and picked up groceries, as well as a food safe container. The latter is for the flour I purchased and finding the container took far more time than it needed to as I couldn't find the product on the shelf...the lids were there but not the buckets. However, eventually an intrepid Lowe's customer service person came by and found the buckets in the rafters of the shelves and brought down a stack of buckets for display. While there, I stopped at their garden center. Nothing, and I mean nothing, inspired me to purchase any of the plants. 

Back at the unit, I unpacked my portable washing machine and got it set up in the shower pan. I ran a load of clothing and it worked so well, especially the spinner. The clothes were almost dry! I hung them out on the rack and it didn't take long in the sun for the drying process to be complete.

Tuesday was a busy day at the unit. After breakfast, I started prepping some items for meals for this week. I boiled a couple of eggs and seasoned chicken. (which came first?) I fired up the BBQ and it cooked the chicken while I swept and then mopped the outdoor patio area. With the rain came dirt and debris, and it was a real mess. Plus, at some point in the next few days, I was hoping Jose will have time to put up the gazebo. It's far bigger than the one we have at home, so more than I think I can manage.

The sheets I used to cover the furniture needed to be washed, so the little washer/spin dryer did another load. The rack I use for drying is too small, so I wandered over to my neighbour's, to use her lines. 

Then it was time to relax for a bit. We have large hot-tub (more like a small pool) here in the park, where I planned to go for a soak. As I was getting ready, I heard a noise, and thought a squirrel had run across the roof. But no, my neighbour, H came over and asked if I was okay - we had experienced a small earthquake! I carried on, going over to the tub, and the jets felt so good on my back, legs, and feet - no aftershocks felt there. After a shower, I headed home for my lunch. 

It is so wonderful to be able to sit outdoors and enjoy a meal. It will be even better when the gazebo is set-up. That will be delayed for a bit, as Jose's first order of business was to clean off the roof and dry it. After he dropped by on Wednesday morning to start the process (I thought), I was off to Home Depot, again, to pick up an RV and Marine hose. I'd discovered a leak at the main valve, just a slight one, and showed it to him. Further along there is a split in the rubber, so the whole thing needed to be replaced. Unfortunately there weren't any in stock, so I ordered on-line for pick-up early next week. Just like any home, there always seems to be necessary maintenance.

Before he arrived, I'd managed to clean the back window, as well as the windows on the west side. I'll hold off on the east side until a later evening, to avoid streaks if I can. Another task completed was sorting through a container of odds and ends left behind in one of the storage containers. Most everything will go to the garage sale, a few items hit the garbage bin, and a few tools were tucked away in the tool box. 

On my way home from HD, I stopped in at the little Walmart store nearby to pick up tinfoil and paper towels. $30 later, I walked out with those and few more items. 

Oh, I forgot to mention at Home Depot, I picked up some annuals to plant in containers. Last year, I planted very late and went with some less than spectacular (in other words, almost dead) plants. This year, I spent a little more since I'll be here until March. I've got marigolds, mums, creeping jenny, and a new to plant, a miniature African daisy. 

Later in the day, Roger dropped by. He is the fellow who has installed several mini-splits here in the park. In fact, when I told him my unit number and mentioned I lived across from F, he remembered him. Sadly, it doesn't seem that F will be here this winter as he was hospitalized last winter due to health issues. We're all hoping to see him again soon.

Roger was here for about an hour, first determining where the mini-split outside unit and the inside unit could be placed. My 5th wheel is small, but it will work. Since he was here, and I agreed to the price (about what everyone else said they paid last year) he went ahead and got the electrical work completed. He'll be back on Saturday morning to finish the work! The issue with the RV a/c is two-fold. First, it isn't hooked up to the thermostat so when turned on, it runs until I manually shut it off. That means, I can't leave it running if I leave the unit for any length of time, it will really cool down. Once I left it when I went to Happy Hour and it dropped to 63F/17C. The other issue, it is LOUD! The mini-split, on the other hand, is both programmable and quiet. Plus it provides both heating and cooling. 

My goal is to eventually remove all of the appliances that use propane including the stove, the water heater and the furnace. I've already added a Breville oven that I've placed on a large ceramic tile on top of the gas stove - at some point, the gas oven will be removed and the Breville will go in it's place. I also have a two burner stove that I use on the counter. The mini-split will replace the furnace so I'll be left at least for a while, the small hot water heater. Others in the park have on demand hot water unit, so that's on the list for next year. I'm hoping that the propane powered appliances can be pulled at that time, and I'll have a little more storage space. I still have the BBQ and an air fryer that I use outdoors, so I have lots of options for my meals.

Thursday morning was our first week for our coffee meeting in the clubhouse. We had a few more people arrive this week, so we numbered fourteen. It was a time to catch up with those who'd recently arrived and a few of the permanent residents of the park. After the meeting, I headed out to pick up coffee supplies. We'd done a BYOC (bring your own coffee) and a couple of the residents were kind enough to bring treats. That included H, who isn't feeling well but who had clearly dropped by the clubhouse before we arrived to drop these off. She's usually a firebrand, so it was odd not to see her. 

Meanwhile, back at the RV, Jose was busy cleaning, drying and applying patches and painting the first few coats of the sealant. When I stopped in, he came down and showed me several photos of the shape it had been in - not good. In fact, I'd figured that out when I returned as there were pieces of old sealant that had peeled off and he'd swept off the roof, all laying about on the patio. My next job on Friday was to clean this up!

On Friday morning, I got a few more chores done, including planting the annuals and watering them in well. I needed drinking water so took a trip down the street to the water station. It costs 50 cents for a gallon of water or $1.50 for 5 gallons. I don't think I could manage a five gallon container, I have four one gallon jugs that I keep on a shelf. Around the corner from the water station is Food City, a local grocery store. They have better fruit and veg than Walmart - I got peppers, green onions, and apples. Each pepper and the green onion were a mere 69 cents each! I did stop at Walmart too, to pick up some things I need for a planned project, more on that next week. 

As I sat out on the patio before I lunch, I couldn't help but think, how fortunate I am to be here. The weather has been simply wonderful, and I'm grateful I arrived on Saturday, so I didn't walk into a real mess later in the week. I'm been using the mornings to get things done, most mundane but still enjoyable as I settle in to my winter home. The afternoons are my quiet time, as it is quite warm here, at least for me. So I settle in to watch a bit of television or read, until it is time for Happy Hour. 

Thanks for reading this lengthy update.  YHave a great week ahead everyone!

Friday Funny

 

Wordless Wednesday

 

I have arrived!

This post will be sweet and short, just like today's travel day. I left the hotel just around 7 a.m., picked up fuel and breakfast in Bullhead City. For some reason, I never realized it is literally across the river from Laughlin. I found it odd that gas was so much less expensive so close by.

Nothing exciting happened on the trip. I did stop at the Walmart in Parker to pick up a few essentials (peanut butter, bagels, deli meat and cheese - I can sustain myself on these until I have time to do a good shop. I did bring down some canned items, tuna and soup, so I won't starve for the next few days. To be honest, I can probably live on peanut butter and bagels.

S met me at the unit and we had a quick chat before I switched on the electricity. She wasn't able to locate the pole (not her issue, my description was based on a shaky memory). I also turned on the water. I currently don't have propane turned on, but can heat up water with my kettle.

The table, counters, and shelves were dusted and the items on top given a wipe down. It wasn't as bad as I though it might be, and all of the jugs of water I'd left in the unit were still, at least, partially full. S said none of the ones they left at their place were. Of course, their place is much bigger than mine - it's a park model.

I left messages for the adult children to let them know I was here safe and sound, and unpacked the clothing I'd brought with me. Those bags, and my groceries were the only items I brought in initially. The rest can be moved in over the next couple of days.

Currently, I'm listening to the radio for the CFL Western conference semi-final. Our Riders are leading at the half, but the BC Lions seems to be finding their groove. It will be a tense two quarters to the end. 

Happy Hour is scheduled for 5 p.m. at the gazebo. I can either celebrate or drown my sorrows. I'm looking forward to seeing all who have arrived thus far. It will be fun regardless of the score in the game. :)

I'll leave you with a couple of photos from this morning's drive.

Excuse the dash in the last photo....I was excited to see the palm trees.

Oh, and before I forget Happy Halloween!

Travel Day 3

 It's late, nearly 10 p.m. as I sit down to write this. No, my drive was not nearly that long. Rather I woke this morning at 3 a.m. and could not go back to sleep. On the road by 6:30 a.m., I arrived in Laughlin, Nevada about 4 p.m. After an early dinner, I lay down and fell asleep, waking after a nearly a 2.5 hour nap. Honestly, I feel as though I could crash again but am forcing myself to stay awake for a couple of hours.

If you are wondering why I was awake so early, I didn't take a nap after arriving in Wells, and was asleep by 8:30 p.m. As my daughter reminded me that's 7.5 hours of sleep. Anyway I'm not making that mistake twice.

Today's drive was mostly overcast with short bursts of heavy rain, leading to potential and actual flash flooding, a thunderstorm near Vegas, and a detour due to an accident on the secondary highway I was on.

Here are a few photos from the day:

I stopped in Ely for fuel ($4.299 per gallon) and breakfast as I'd left too early for the hotel's continental breakfast.

My plan was to avoid Vegas and travel through the Lake Mead recreation area. However my GPS had me accessing the park where I would not be able to purchase the necessary pass. My fault likely, as I wasn't specific enough. After it re-calculated, I turned and made my way to Longdale-Overton.

There were signs indicating water over the road but these were mere puddles when I went through. I continued happily travelling along and enjoying the views. And yes, I even stopped for these.

The last three were taken at Red Rock canyon. It was spectacular and if I hadn't been anxious to get to Laughlin, I likely would have stopped more frequently for photos.

I was a mere 20 miles from my next turn-off when a police car came towards me with lights flashing and siren sounding. As I slowed it did a u-turn and sped off. Down the road and through a downpour I spotted another police vehicle blocking the road ahead. I assumed, incorrectly, there may have been a bit of flooding on the road. However after a wait the fellow in front of me walked up to the officer. As he returned to his vehicle he signaled we all needed to turn around. There were a number of us lined up at this point. 

Fortunately we were at a junction and after the u-turn were able to head to Vegas(oh yippee). We met a emergency vehicle on this highway so I'm assuming there was an accident on the other road. The incident was down in a valley and far enough ahead I couldn't be certain. 

In any event, my desire to avoid Vegas traffic was thwarted by this detour. However the GPS came through. I asked for a route with no toll roads and no highways. It may have taken longer but it came through for me. All of my travel through the city was on streets with two lanes on either side, top speed of 35 mph (about 50 km). As I left Vegas I did have a short drive on the I-15 before accessing Highway 95. 

There were periods of heavy rain along the way and some thunder and lightning.  As I neared Laughlin, I got an advisory on my phone of flash flooding in the area.  Arriving in Laughlin it was evident it had happened earlier in the day as some streets had mud, rocks, and debris. My trip took nearly 9.5 hours, almost 90 minutes longer than originally planned. Oh well, it was certainly entertaining. 

I'm at the Golden Nugget Casino and hotel for the night. They have a great restaurant here, and the rate wasn't too bad. It definitely wins over the last two nights. Dinner was a half-order of Cobb salad...I was craving vegetables! It was delicious and filling.

At a reasonable time in the morning, I'll be on the road again for a short'ish drive to Yuma, about 4-5 hours. This is the route I took last year so will seem familiar, I'm sure. I am so ready to settle in for the winter!

Thanks for following along. Much of this info is meant for me to look back on for next season. I know I'll never remember all of it!

Friday Funny

 

Travel Day 2

It turned out the highway traffic noise was a bit more than I originally thought. After watching the final game of the World Series, I was kept awake for a few hours before I could tune out the noise...or maybe the traffic slowed down.

In any event I was up and down to breakfast just after 6 a.m. it certainly wasn't anything to write home about. After a chat with my daughter I was in the car and heading out of the parking lot by 7:30 a.m.

I had chosen the route through Ennis as it looked less "moutainy" but my GPS switched me to the 91 which had me driving through Yellowstone National Park. It definitely had some twists and turns but didn't make me feel we were constantly climbing or descending. I kept under the posted speed limit as did those in front and behind me and never felt concerned. It is a pretty drive, with the forest and mountains on either side, following the meandering Yellowstone River.

At one point the GPS announced "welcome to Wyoming ". I thought what??? That's not the direction I want to take. It only lasted about 10 or 15 minutes when I heard "welcome to Montana". I took exactly one photo as I was leaving West Yellowstone. 

From there I took highway 20 to Idaho Falls, the I-15 to Twin Falls. I know that Idaho has some lovely natural areas but the highways are pretty boring. I did see a sign for a potato museum but chose to drive on.

My next stop was Twin Falls where I found gas at $4.219 per gallon at the Fred Meyer Fuel Stop. Most other stations were $4.55. Any savings were likely erased when my GPS took me north and west and finally south of the city before connecting me with highway 93 to Wells.  

I'm spending the night at the Sure Stay by Best Western.  Ot won't win any rewards for beauty but seems clean. It too offers a continental breakfast...we'll see how it compares to the Microtel. 

P.S. a note for Kim and anyone else who may be curious.  Yes, Kota has taken over Sage's crate. Sage only stays in the crate when my son and his g/f are away for work or running errands. Otherwise she prefers to hang out on the couch. :)

Travel Day 1

I managed to get everything on my list for my time in the city completed by midday on Tuesday. And then it started to sleet/snow. While my original plan was to head out on Friday the weather was the proverbial straw. 

I was up and out the door shortly after 7 a.m. this morning. The border crossing is a little over a 2 hour drive and it went fine though I did have to deal with some slush on the first hour. Then it was light rain for a bit. Crossing the border was quick, a few questions and a glance at the containers in the back ( through the back  passenger's window) and I was waved on with a "have a good trip". And I was in Montana!

The clouds stayed with me for awhile but the highway was dry and clear. I stopped at Glendive Conoco for fuel ($3.859 per gallon), the best price I would see all day.

I had originally planned to stay in Billings for the night but arrived there about 2:30 p.m. It was too early to stop for the day so I carried on to Bozeman. Below was my first full view of the mountains ahead.

My first stop was to fill my tank  ($4.256 per gallon)and then i headed to the Microtel Hotel.  At about $115 Cdn for the night, they offer a continental breakfast. There is a highway just a short distance away but it doesn't seem too noisy. 

I arrived shortly before 5 p.m. and was very pleased with my room. Here's a photo.

I've enjoyed a soak in the tub, put on my nightgown and am watching the 5th game of the World Series. All in all a good day.

 



Wordless Wednesday

 

Another busy week, almost on my way

I normally don't cover the previous weekend but for this post I'm making an exception. 

What a day Saturday turned out to be! When I arrived at the community center at 9:15 a.m. one of the board members asked if I would work in the store that day, rather than in the gym. I readily agreed, as I knew it would be a busy day in both locations. Two women were assigned to the cash desk in the store, and I roamed, picking up clothes that were dropped on the floor, collecting empty hangers, and helping customers with their questions.

The gymnasium where the winter/autumn sale was being held was incredibly busy, and in turn the store was too. Folks would walk down to the store after visiting the sale and buy more stuff. Keep in mind that very few items in either location were priced at more than $5. I won't give a precise number but if all of the items were $5 each, we sold over a thousand items. In actuality it was a lot more items than that as children's mitts were 2/$1, winter coats were $3/children, $5/adults,  children's clothing is $1-2/children and adult clothing is $2-3 in the store. Another volunteer arrived at the store shortly before noon, and I moved into the sorting room to sort...hangers!

As a result, I didn't get the annuals pulled on Saturday when the temperature reached 20C/68F. Instead the job was done on Sunday afternoon. It was a bit cooler (13C/55F) but in the sun it felt quite warm. All the containers and garden tools are now tucked away for the winter. It looks barren out there now. 

With everything done outdoors, I'm ticking off my list indoors. The Christmas gifts were wrapped and tucked away in the closet, or in my bag to be dropped off at my son's this weekend. I finished a snowman for my daughter - realizing that I didn't have any yarn for the nose, D used her cricut to create a cone out of foam. I think it turned out pretty cute!

I also updated my list for the items I'll be taking to Yuma, revised my itinerary slightly. It adds about a half hour of driving time, but the cost of a hotel for the night is less than I'd pay for accomodations on the other route. I've double checked my Airmiles (now Blue Rewards - I believe this is a Canadian thing) and can book at least one of the hotels on their website using points, thus only paying for taxes and fees.  

I put in another nearly 5 hours at the thrift store on Tuesday. More donations had come in through the week including Saturday, and the volunteers were piling them in every storage area they could find. We were able to sort clothing donations but only until we filled the available racks in the sorting room. Several racks from the winter/autumn sale were brought in to the hallway and store. I spent some time sorting and then went into the store to help the lone cashier. It was busy again, as families had received child benefit that day and were filling up their baskets. There was also a woman who shopped for a group of South African individuals expected to arrive in the community in the next few weeks. It was wonderful to see so many items head out the door as there is still so much more to be sorted and put out in the store. That includes about 15 or 20 bins of winter clothing still in the bins from the weekend! 

Neither D nor I had anything booked for Wednesday. While she worked on tidying counterd and then went for a nap, I started on the Christmas baking. She had asked me to make my shortbread. It's the easiest recipe but she insists that I make it better than she can.  One half cup of butter, 1/2 to 2/3's cup of berry sugar (I prefer the lesser amount), and two cups of flour. Cream the sugar and butter together until smooth, and add flour a half cup at a time. I usually turn the dough out on the counter to add the last 1/2 cup of flour and knead the dough. Divide the dough in half and refridgerate for about 30 minutes or so (or leave it overnight). I shape the dough in small balls, press with a fork and bake on ungreased baking sheets for about 10-13 minutes at 350F, turning the pan half-way through. If you prefer you can pat the dough into a round cake pan and bake, though I've no idea how long it would take as I've never done it. For fun, I sometimes add sprinkles to the cookies.

In between batches, I got working on Eli's sweater. I'd started it last fall, put it away for the winter, and then couldn't find the pattern this spring. It's been lanquishing in a bag since then, but I recently dug through my patterns and found it. After blocking, it was time to sew up the raglan, the sleeve and side seams, and finally knit up the neck and button bands. 

I took it with me to Knit and Natter on Thursday afternoon, managing to get the seams completed and started on the neck band. I also a hat for Willie Wonka to go with the scarf I made last week. The librarian told me they'd received a gift from another patron of a red jacket so he'll be all decked out for the winter. :)

With rain in the forecast for the weekend, and possibly Friday afternoon, I spent some time in the morning cleaning up the car interior and loading most of the items I'm taking with me, either to the city or to Yuma. I'm hoping this year is the last of the multi-container loads. I'd like to pare down to a bag of clothing, personal toiletries, bedding, and a few food items. I bring home all of my unmentionables as elastic gets destroyed by the heat (no personal experience, this is what I've been told), and the bedding will go back and forth as I bring it home to wash. This year I'm taking down a Breville convection oven, a Costway washer/spin dryer, and several containers of craft, household, and food items.

In the afternoon I worked on Eli's sweater. The knitting is complete, but the buttons I have are too small. D will look for others and sew the buttons herself. That should be interesting as I don't think she has ever picked up a needle and thread. There is a first time for everything. 

The winds picked up overnight and parts of the province experienced heavy snow. We missed that, thankfully, and only got a bit of rain. I'm off to the city this morning and will spend a few days there. I've been watching the weather in Montana, thanks Jim for the heads up), and will wait until I'm certain the storm they are getting has passed and I get few things done. I originally planned for this upcoming Friday, but am hopeful I'll be on the road no later than Wednesday morning. Wish me luck! 

P.S. The photo on Wednesday was Eli, first time riding a horse. He has been working with the horses, especially the pony Rocket (since passed away) in the arena and lately has been learning to bridle the bigger horses. His therapist asked if he wanted to try riding, and he enthusiastically agreed. I suspect it won't be last ride. :)

 

Friday Funny

 

Wordless Wednesday

 

So much to do

I had to chuckle; the post about blogger issues  garnered over 450 views and 15 comments. Much more than I normally see. Perhaps my content needs to change? I did find it interesting that some are having the same thing and others are not. In any event, I'll continue to write about the mundane moments of my life and toss in a rant every so often. 

We had a full week, though it started off quietly with Thanksgiving Monday. We'd had our big meal the day prior so dinner was easy, just leftovers. D and I did a bit of laundry (she washes/dries and I fold), and she unloaded, I loaded the dishwasher. Otherwise it was a restful day.

I did a five hour shift at the thrift store on Tuesday. There were more than the unusual number of volunteers as we were preparing for the annual fall/winter sale on Saturday. Three ladies were in another area of the building unpacking the totes and hanging coats and sweaters, folding scarves and toques (I think others call them beanies?), and matching gloves, mitts and boots. These are items that have come in over the year and are stored until this sale.

My time was spent clearing racks in the store and walking them down to the other room. We certainly didn't clear out the store but were able to take 5 more racks out to use for the sale. I also did something that has frustrating me for weeks; I sorted the children's clothing racks by age, there are now spaces for 2T-5T, 6-8, and 10-14. Not only was it all jumbled together, I found adult clothing mixed in too. It is easier to just stick things on racks, but this should make things easier for the parents to find what they need. 

I should note, we weren't sorting the regular donations that day, except to look through the bags for anything fall and winter related. It was a bit annoying to some as it means we'll be sorting those bags again in a few days. I tried to stay out of the way as much as possible and my self determined project in the store was helpful for that purpose. In the meantime, the donations have piled up in the sorting room, the back hallway AND in our coffee room. I can only imagine how much more shows up over the next week.

I'd had my tires rotated at the garage last week, and realized I'd only driven 7 kilometers (less than 4.5 miles), and needed to put 100 kms. on before the bolts could be re-torqued. So D and I decided to make a run to the next town over on Wednesday after Eli went to school. First though, we had our booster vaccines for both Covid and the flu. We hit up our favorite stores and were home in just under 3 hours, in time for lunch.

I found, in the night, that the arm with the Covid vaccine was quiet sore, especially when I rolled over and laid on it. But otherwise I had no serious reaction to either. I've found that continuing to keep moving my arms seems to resolve the tenderness. 

D and I dropped into the thrift store on Thursday morning. She was looking for clothing for a friend who has recently returned to work and has little that is business casual. The store was having a sale for $10 a basket; we filled those baskets to the brim, not only with clothing for her friend, but for Eli, D and I, as well as items for her friend S and her children. Here are the bags we brought home, with just under 60 pieces of clothing for $20! She mailed the package to K on Friday; she's receving six or seven pairs of dress pants and five or six tops. Even with the cost of postage, it cost less than a new outfit at a women's retail store. 

Knit and Natter was held on Thursday afternoon. G and I were joined by two young women. The youngest, has learned to spin her own yarn, and was knitting up a cable sweater for herself. The older sister was busy memorizing lines for a play she'll be participating in. I had finished the ornaments for my brother and SIL, so planned to started on a snowman that D requested. However the library recently acquired a decorative goose, named Willie Honka in a recent contest, that is in need of winter wear. While I was there I made a crocheted scarf, with fringe. Earlier this week, I'd tried to make a bell, that ended up looking more like a hat. I brought that home to add elastic so it will stay on Willie's head.

Definitely the final garden update: We had a heavy frost two nights this week, so it was time to pick whatever tomatoes we could and pull the plants. I so dislike pulling plants that have gone mushy from freezing. Here's our one and only pick from the cherry tomatoes. 

Friday was a very tiring day; I hadn't slept well through the night. On the bonus side, I nailed down my route for my travel to Yuma, had come up with a solution for a niggling problem, and had cleaned up after my cat threw up several times before my daughter woke and stepped in it. The latter was my fault, I'd given Eli ice cream for a bed time treat, and not reminded him to take his bowl to the kitchen. Saku loves anything dairy, anything dairy does not agree with him.  

After far too few hours of sleep, I had to be up and at it as I had agreed to help with the set-up for the Saturday sale. At the community center by 9 a.m., I worked alongside the rest of the volunteers until just after noon. Some came later in the morning, but there must have been 20 of us there. The gymnasium is an array of racks, tables, and shelving units holding all of the clothing. I did get a brief nap in the afternoon - I needed it.

Today, I'm heading back in for another shift at 9:30 a.m. A well-known fellow here in town died suddenly  From what I have heard, he was very involved in the community, active in his church, a volunteer fire fighter, played in a local band, and just a long-time resident. Many of the volunteers to attend the funeral, and one asked if I would replace her as a cashier, at least until 2 p.m. when they expect to be available. We are anticipating a good turn-out and will have two check-out areas staffed with extra people. 

This is anticipated to be our last day of nice weather, so back on home, it will be time to pull the remainder of the annuals. I'll miss the colour but we're waking to frost most mornings now. Time to get everything put away. My inner wimp is on high alert.

The day lilies have taken a beating from the frost, while the sweet peas on the fence are still going strong. Most of the deciduous trees have lost all of their leaves.

Have a great week ahead everyone!

Friday Funny

 

Wordless Wednesday

 

What's up with blogger?

 Is anyone else seeing an inordinate amount of page views? Normally, I have about 100 views and average of six to eight comments. The comment numbers haven't changed but the last view posts have close to 1000 views. When I opened blogger this morning, I saw yesterday's post had about 350 views, and within minutes that number was up to over 400.

I know my blog isn't that popular, so I'm assuming a lot of the traffic is due to bot activity. Just curious, is anyone else seeing similar numbers?

Winding down

Another full week is nearly in the books. If it seems like I am fixated on time recently, you are correct. The days before I leave for my winter home are passing quickly. I've got a to-do list that is growing shorter by the day, but seems to get added t as well. 

This week, I finished the ornaments for my niece and nephew, completed a short scarf to wear under a jacket, and started on crocheted Christmas ornaments. I also managed to find gifts for D and Eli (from Santa), for my brother and SIL, and ordered an Ancestry DNA test for D - this will be her gift from Eli. She agreed this was something she really wanted. The gifts I've ordered should arrive sometime early next week, so I'll get them wrapped and tucked away in the closet. 

Every year I buy Co-op gift cards for my niece and nephew for Christmas through Eli's school fundraiser. It ia held in late November so this year, D will purchase them for me and arrange to mail the gifts to my brother's family. I've made certain that everything I've made or purchased will be light weight and easy to mail. 

I've been through my food box, most of which I brought back from Arizona in the spring. These were items that would not have done well in the extreme heat; spices, oil, etc. Checking through the list of banned items, I discovered the chicken boullion cubes cannot cross the border as they contain chicken fat. Ooops! While it is unlikely this would result in anything more than a confiscation, should the officer even check the box, I'll be leaving them behind. I am taking a box of tea bags, a few packets of yeast, and a bag of flour with me. These didn't appear on the list of items that are banned.

Outdoors, I pulled two more containers of annuals as they were looking rather rundown. The Gerbera daisies and petunias are still looking great - I'll wait until a really hard frost or...heaven forbid, snow. There is some possibility of that horrid word in areas of the province this weekend. We may see some rain on Friday, but unless something changes I think the flowers will last another week or two.

Iin the meantime, my daughter has installed Halloween in the front yard. She had a bit of an accident one afternoon when she was mowing the front lawn. The large pumpkin is gone. I was hoping to get a nightime shot for you, but I keep forgetting.

I worked at the thrift store on Tuesday for nearly 5 hours. Oh my, did I hurt after that stint. I was on my feet for most of the time, and though we have fatigue mats in the sorting room, I also spent a fair amount of time moving racks and reorganizing clothing on the store racks and shelves. Again, the sorting room was full of donations, there were mounds out in the back hallway and at least two more loads came in from the bins during the time we were there.

It was also our "Halloween sale" where everything collected for the holiday since last year was put out in the hallway leading to the store. There were two racks, one of adult costumes, and one for children, along with anything decorative you can imagine on the tables. Adult costumes were $5, children costumes $3, and the decorations were $2. We didn't get rid of everything but it was well picked over when I left just before 3 p.m. 

D and Eli dropped by as one of the donations was a guitar, and he is interested in learning to play. For $5, it was a steal. She also brought home several pieces of clothing for herself, Eli, and for friends. Average price was 48 cents per piece. Then the thrift store posted a basket sale on Thursday for just $10 a basket...she went back again, with even more clothing. This time the average cost was 38 cents per piece. I'll deliver the items for S and her children when I go into the city. D will mail other items before Christmas to her friend K. (I don't need any more clothing, though I suspect I'll go thrifting in Yuma this winter).

Knit and Natter on Thursday was quiet, with just G and I there. I'll see her again next week, as that will be the last afternoon session. J, the librarian joined us briefly while she cleaned cushions from the couch in the children's area. They both said that the afternoon sessions get busier in the fall as people finish their gardening or lake trips, and have time to attend. This is in contrast to the group I attended in the city. Many were snowbirds, and with colder weather there were only two of us there for most of the last winter I attended. I'll likely drop by the library the week I'm in the city before I leave just to check in.

It's a long weekend here, with no school for Eli on Friday or next Monday. We'll have our Thanksgiving dinner on Sunday, with roast pork loin - it is the other white meat (did you ever see that advert?) We season it with sage and poultry seasoning and there will be mashed potatoes, gravy, dressing, mixed veg, and fresh buns. In other words, too much food!

To my Canadian readers, enjoy your Thanksgiving weekend, however you choose to celebrate (or not). 

Have a great week ahead everyone! 

Friday Funny

 

A slow week

This week was pretty quiet productivity wise. The temperature has dropped with morning lows of 1-4C/32-39F. The afternoons were decent, ranging between 13-19C/55-69F. I managed to get the garden bed weeded, the asparagus and chives and the regular lilies cut back on Sunday. But the rest of the week was pretty much a wash for yardwork. 

We did all the normal stuff; I picked up groceries on Monday, while D made a run for pellets (used for cat litter) and a couple of other errands. Tuesday was housework...we really are creatures of habit aren't we?

I hadn't slept well Monday night and had thought I'd have a brief nap while D and Eli were at equine therapy in the afternoon.  However, Stanley had other ideas. Somehow he got out the back door and went for an adventure. I thought I heard the door close and got up thinking D had forgotten something.  But they weren't there. Nor was the blanket.

What blanket, you may be asking? Stanley, too, has his habits. Every time his mom and boy leave the house Stanley grabs a blanket and hollers for a few minutes. I immediately headed out the door calling for Stanley. No sight of him. I came back in and checked all of the places he normally sleeps and some he doesn't. I did this a couple of times, indoors and out, shaking a treat bag and calling his name. No Stanley until my 4th trip to the yard. I spotted him sauntering across the neighbour's yard 2 doors down. The bugger saw and heard me when I called out but didn't stop. I caught up with him just outside the garage one more house down. Oh, he was mad to see me. He hissed and growled but apparently had enough sense not to scratch. I footballed him back to the house and gave him a couple of treats. I swear he took three years off my life...I could only imagine how upset D and Eli would have been had he not been found.

The photo on Wednesday was of Saku (18 1/2 years) and Spencer (about 3 1/2 years). D says Saku likes his space, and Spencer also likes Saku's space. He's a grouchy old man cat so I'm always surprised when he decides to let her settle nearby. The almost touching paws was particularly unusual. Tolerance is the goal with these two.

More housework on Wednesday, and I dropped some items off at the thrift store bin. Eli was at school until 2 p.m., and I picked him up so his mother could nap in the afternoon. While he played on his device, I sorted through the items I've put together to go south with me. I managed to wean out a container and a small box of stuff...though I'm certain I'm taking more than I'll need. The park has an annual garage sale in January - I can get rid of any extra things then.

There has been lots of activity at the houses on both sides of us. The good landlord (GL)has been emptying the house of all of the garbage, and I mean literal garbage, and other household items in preparation for a new tenant. GL told D that she has taken nine trailer loads to the landfill and expects she'll need to take at least one more. Apparently the previous tenant bagged his garbage and threw it in the basement - though were lots of bags found in the garage when he first left. They lived there for almost two years...I'll let you use your imagination.

The new tenant moved in on Thursday and had lots of help. There were at least two half tons and a couple of SUVs used to move her items. She likes colour - her dresser is pink and there was a very colourful chair brought it. I told D the two of them can bond over those items. :) Apparently, the unpacking continued until 2 a.m, at least, as D said she heard music though it wasn't loud. I slept through it.

On the other side, the house that seemed to have been used as a transitional house has being emptied out. The original tenants were there with a number of other individuals. They've taken away two U-Haul truck loads, and returned on Thursday to remove a pile of debris, mattresses, couch, chairs, etc. that had been lingering in the yard for weeks.

I do have another garden update! If you recall I shared that a few tomato plants showed up in the perennial bed. I'd tossed a few rotten tomatoes in the bed and forgot about them. Well, they bloomed, and more surprisingly have set fruit. We're having to cover the plants as temperatures are dipping near freezing, but we may just be getting cherry tomatoes in a week or two. :)

Thursday afternoon was Knit and Natter at the library. I finished the first ornament at home, with the backing (red felt) and a cord to cover the edges. I was able to finish the cross-stitch on the second ornament at the library, so I should have that one complete this week. Of course, I've started another project! I want a short scarf to tuck into a jacket and had a ball of orange yarn I felt would give me the length I needed. 

Eli was home from school on both Thursday and Friday with a head cold. His mom may be coming down with it too, but I feel fine. In any event, Friday was a fairly quiet day, Eli and I were up early while his mom slept. We definitely had frost overnight, it was only 1C/33F when I checked the temperature. Brrr!

I did get out in the early afternoon to bring in the geranium. I alsos removed some annuals that were dying back. There are six containers still with annuals outside; I'll continue to water them occasionally until they show signs of frost damage. The rest of the outdoor furniture was put away in the shed.

Today looks to be the same kind of easy day. A bit of cross 3, some crochet and sports to watch. The Riders played last night but I didn't watch until the end...too nerve wracking.

Friday Funny

 

Wordless Wednesday

 

Packing Summer away

Monday - grocery shopping, for a few basic items and some cherry-picking of sale items. Three bags of groceries and $110 gone, poof! And I am fully cognizant that prices are only going higher due to the cost of diesel. I did read somewhere that some stations in Texas, in particular, have run out of diesel fuel. I hope we can avoid that here. 

On a happier note, at least for me, curling bonspiels are back on Youtube. I tend to watch those available through Curling Stadium as the channel has featured games with commentary. Not that I always agree with the announcers but it is nice to be able to keep up with the scores while I'm doing something else. 

For dinner, we made a new-to-us recipe, a tex-mex casserole. It used up some leftovers too. A crushed tortilla chips layer on the bottom of a casserole dish, ground sausage from the prior nights meal, heated up in the fry pan with the last of the salsa, chopped peppers and tomato added to the casserold dish, then a layer of sour cream (the last of the container), and finally, shredded cheese and sprinkled with green onion. We baked it for about 30 minutes - it was delicious! There was enough we were able to get a second meal out of it. 

Tuesday - this seems to be our housework day. Vacuuming, laundry, tidying and food prep took up most of the morning. D had to stop by the pharmacy in the grocery store, and did a wander around the store. She found this beef roast marked down 30%. Original price, just under $45! I'd bought another pork loin a week or so ago and had pulled it from the freezer to cut up. This resulted in two small roasts, four pork chops, two steaks, and three bags of stew meat in the freezer. I did the cutting, D did the vacuum sealing. 

I've been working on the cross-stitch ornaments in the afternoons when the light is better. Along with my neck light, I'm able to get in a couple of hours of stitching before my eyes start feeling tired. When D and Eli went to equine therapy, I enjoyed a nap. 

This is the near completed first ornament. I still need to cut off the excess Aida cloth and attach the backing, and a ribbon for hanging. 

Dinner was chicken Caesar salad. D had marinated the two chicken breasts in Greek Feta dressing (one of my favorites). I made up the salad while the chicken was in the air fryer. I like the croutons to soften a bit in the dressing. 

Wednesday - It was a cloudy, gray day, so when Eli went to school we tackled more housework. There tend to be piles left on the kitchen counters, things that need to go outside or to another room, and the window sill was lined with various items. I decided to clear the counters to scrub the window sills and backsplash. Meanwhile D was vacuuming her room (again) in preparation for using the carpet cleaner. When she finished I vacuumed my room (again) for the same reason. She ran the carpet cleaner while I folded laundry.

I picked up Eli at 2 p.m., while his mother had a much needed nap. My orders from Amazon had arrived at the post office. One contained D's birthday gift from Eli (her b/d is in early December), and the other more Aida cloth and the ornament hangers for the cross-stitch. 

Knit and Natter was held in the evening. I was on my own, but sat and did my cross-stitch. When she had time, J the librarian chatted with me. I suppose I could have gone home but I like having the time away. This month my group isn't working at the thrift store, we'll be back on Tuesdays in October. Thus my interaction with the outside world has been limited to a few shopping trips.

Thursday - the morning started off cool and cloudy, not conducive to yard work early in the day. We were all tired too, as Eli hadn't been able to fall asleep until after midnight. His mom was up and down, and I could hear their on-going discussion from my room. D was up at 5 a.m. and both Eli and I were up just after 6. She decided to keep him home from school, though he didn't get out of doing school work. D is a former teacher and is quite capable of working with him. By noon they had covered his French dicte (spelling), English - identifying verbs and adverbs, Math - multiplication, and had practiced the reading he will do in church on Saturday evening. 

Meanwhile I used a few ripe tomatoes to make soup. The fruit was showing discolouration, likely due to stink bug damage so I boiled them briefly to remove the skins. I cooked the tomatoes with garlic and onion, and after cooling a bit, used the immersion blender and a sieve to reduce it to a liquid. I added the juice to a roux, and seasoned it with a bit of salt and sugar. I ended with a SINGLE bowl of soup...but it made a delicious lunch. In addition, I made a pot of mashed potatoes for D as she wanted to make potato bread. I had a piece with my soup and it, too, was delicious.

By the time I was finished with the soup, the sun was shining. I took my tea and had a telephone chat with my brother. He had sent me several photos of the valley in the fog. 

Then it was time to get some work done. I cleared out several of the annual containers, though left the gerbrera daisy and the two containers of ivy, geranium, and verbena. The front of the houe is looking rather sparse. I used the wheelbarror to carry the heavy clay pots to the shed to be stored for the winter. I had two containers of pansies that I am trying something with. In the new perennial bed, I dug holes and placed the containers upside down in the holes, covering most of the pot with dirt. We'll see if they survive the winter - I've heard of success stories with other plants, and at the very least the pansy seeds will be in the ground.

After lunch, I went back out to do more yard-work taking Eli with me so his mother could nap or at least rest. While I'd been outside in the morning, she had made potato bread, as well as garlic bread, while keeping Eli on task with his school work.

I didn't accomplish much as he really doesn't like bugs! One of the major tasks was taking up the one raised bed and placing it on top of the other. I moved as much of the dirt as I could, then put down some grass seed where the second bed had been. I hadn't left room for D to mow between them, and while it will give me less room to grow things, I am going to be a bit more strategic next year. A few pieces of outdoor furniture and plant stands were stored in the shed as well. 

Speaking of bugs, Wednesday's photo was a centipede I found in one of the pots. Alongside it was a slug. Both ewww! I've never had slugs before so I'll have to do some reading on what they like to eat in the garden. Apparently, I need beer too, as they will drink and drown in a small container of it. 

Dinner was penne with a sausage meat sauce, baked in the oven with cheese and accompanied by D's garlic bread. That's a fall meal!

Friday - Another morning of yard-work. Mostly reorganizing things in the garage and shed, and putting things away, furniture and such. 

We emptied the rain barrels and turned them upside down. We were able to extend the drains so that the water will flow away from the house, should it rain. I did start the process of weeding the garden, but will putter at that over the next week or two. The ground is very hard, so I'll want to add compost to it before I add a straw layer for the winter.

I was sore from both Thursday and Friday's efforts so took the afternoon off. There was more laundry to fold, but other than that, I relaxed and watched a bit of curling. Our football team was on the field in the evening. 

Dinner - homemade pizza with chicken, red onion, peppers, basil pesto, with cheese. 

Today, we're off to the city for a Costco run. There are a number of things on sale, enough to make up for the cost of the fuel to go there and back at least. D's pantry will be full, and she should have enough garbage bags, dishwasher tabs, and various other items to see her through the winter. There are socks on sale too, a gift for my son's birthday! :)

Have a great week ahead everyone!