We Have a Shed!

I was going to post several pictures today of the shed building progress yesterday, but the internet at the library was down.  So, tonight I’m only going to upload three photos to save on data.  Two of the completed building and one of Rog in his new man-cave before we moved stuff into it.  

It took four guys four hours to go from an empty concrete slab to a completed building.  The walls, roof joists, doors, and braces for Roger’s workbench were all preassembled.  The guys showed up with a trailer with all the parts and started putting the jigsaw puzzle together.  It was amazing watching them work - everyone had his job and it all meshed together in the end.  It was very entertaining.   Rog said last night that he felt like it was Christmas Day eve - the anticipation is over and the “present” has been opened.  

After the crew left we went to Lowe’s in Casa Grande and spent our $200 in gift cards (from credit card points) on outfitting the inside - shelving, shop stool, miscellaneous hooks to hang things on.  Then last night we went shopping at Amazon and bought a small solar panel, some solar outside lights and a power source thing for minimal power if needed in the shed.  I’m hoping we are done shopping for a while, although, we had managed to save up over $1K in credit card points over several cards to help pay for all the miscellany  - thank goodness.  We have reached that magic number now and have to start being a little more frugal.    

Next week we are supposed to be in the queue for having the patio built.  That will be nice.  I’m beginning to feel like the red silty sand is overtaking me and the RV.  Learning to live with the constant dust is a challenge and I find myself dusting down the dark counters most days.  

Roger ended up taking the propane tank out and finding a place to get it filled yesterday.  We had our sign out for the propane man for three days and he never stopped.  The office never returned calls, so we will just do it ourselves.  Apparently they didn’t want our business. 

Can’t remember when I posted last, but not a whole lot  other than regular day to day stuff going on.   The weather has been a little cooler - chilly in the mornings and today only up to 80.  Looks like that is what the next week will be and then a week of 70s and high 60s.  

Friday I have a haircut appointment.  I need a haircut desperately but am afraid to go - new person.  Who knows what I’ll look like when she’s done.  Keeping my fingers crossed I’ll still be presentable - actually, more presentable than I am now!  

Nothing on the agenda for tomorrow.  If it is warm enough (for me) I’ll go to exercise class in the afternoon.   Then I need to do end of month financial fun.  The day will fly by - as have almost all of them since we have been here.  

Two Quiet Days

We’ve had a couple of very quiet days - nothing on the agenda.  

Rog worked in the wood shop both afternoons.  He’s making drawers for his tools to put in the shed.  He’s doing it all by hand so it’s a slow process.   The guys in the shop just shake their heads - why do it by hand when you can use the power tools and get it done now.?  Besides wanting to do his woodworking by hand, since it takes longer, so what.  It gives him an excuse to go to the shop.

Other than walking both mornings with Maggie,  I went to exercise class yesterday afternoon and this morning I did laundry.  Woohoo!!!  I’m trying to get my book club book from home read so I can start on the one from here.  I usually read at night after we go to bed, but lately I only last 15 minutes or so and I’m ready to turn out the light.  Therefore, I’m having to make time during the day.  In addition, I’ve been doing some crochet work.  Crochet until my eyes cross, read until I fall asleep.  That was this afternoon.  I had a nice nap in the recliner until my 3:00 alarm went off.  (It’s set so I’ll remember to take my meds.)  I’m not sure what time I dozed off.  The book is good, though, but it was warm and I was comfy and that was all it took.

We picked up some DVDs at the library on Wednesday - they are only checked out for a week.  We have been binge watching Season 3 of Madam Secretary in the evenings trying to get through the whole season.  

This morning’s walk was kind of interesting.  Rog decided to ride his bike around the perimeter path at the same time that Maggie and I took our walk.   We started out and Rog headed one way and Maggie and I the other.  I like going southeast  towards the dumpsters as Maggs does her business within the first 15 minutes and I can drop off the poo bag and continue on my way.  She kept stopping and giving me the “I don’t want to go” look, I kept yanking her leash and telling her she was going.  She must have stopped five times between home and the dumpster.  I was beginning to wonder if she was sick or something.  Then we saw Roger coming down the path.  She spotted him first and her tail started wagging.  He stopped to talk to us and I told him what she was doing.  We concluded she was wanting to follow him and not go with me.  He turned around, then, and headed back the way he had come.  If she could have run, she would have.  I started following him and going so fast I could hardly keep up.  She kept up quite a pace and kept turning around to see if I was following her.   I got my aerobic exercise for sure this morning.  Once Rog was out of sight, she kept going with her nose in the air and when we would get to an intersection of paths she would stop, sniff both directions, and then pick one - the one he had gone on.  It was cool to watch her do that.  All along she just wanted Roger and not to be walking with me.   Shows how much I rate!  I wish we could have let her go to run alongside him, but it’s against the rules, and there are cactus and critters she would encounter if she went off path.  I believe she would have kept up with him, though.  

Left overs for dinner last night and tonight.  Too hot to cook.  We are out of leftovers.  We are trying to conserve propane as we somehow missed the propane guy yesterday - or he missed us.  So cooking is being kept at a minimal - oh darn. 

Tomorrow we may have to go into town for dinner and try out the Greek restaurant or go to the Italian one - if either are open.  We aren’t sure about what is open around here on Sunday.   So, tomorrow - clean house in the morning, ice cream social at 2 and then out to dinner.  Sounds like a good day.  

Happy Thanksgiving

It was a lovely Thanksgiving Day.  The weather was a bit warm - high 80s - and it’s hard to think of Thanksgiving without cool weather.  But, that’s ok.  That’s why we are here!  

We sat outside most of the day - me crocheting and Roger listening to his audio book.  Maggie just hanging out with us.  

We had a light lunch in anticipation of lots of food at the pot luck at 3pm.  We weren’t disappointed.  Even without the turkey, we filled up our plates.  Lots of carbs - potatoes fixed several ways, yams fixed several ways, even some mac and cheese.  Several salads of different varieties, deviled eggs, and veggie trays.  We definitely found enough to eat.  Of course, there was dessert but was surprised there weren’t more pumpkin pies instead of the mousse type pie.  Lots of cream pies with lots of whipped cream.   Our table mates were convivial and I spent some time chatting with ladies from the book group.  One of them is thinking of moving to Carson City!  If the acoustics had been conducive to better conversation it would have been nicer.  The place was quite full!   

We visited with neighbors outside our rig until it got dark and too cool to sit outside.  We are in for the night.  

We hope everyone had a good day with lots of good food enjoyed with family and/or friends.

We are feeding hummingbirds and have a small bird bath for water for the other birds.  So far we haven’t seen anything but hummers and cactus wren.  I’m told there’s a neighborhood woodpecker, but he hasn’t wandered our way yet.   We had a feeder for the hummers but the bees were taking over and chasing them off.  Yesterday we went into Florence to the really cool hardware store there and found some feeders that say they are bee resistant.  They are different from any I've seen before.  We bought two and hung them out yesterday.  Immediately the bees swarmed around and then after a few minutes they took off and we haven't seen any since.  I had put Vasoline along the edges of the yellow part -  advice of the guy at the hardware store.  We are seeing hummers regularly now.  

I went to the first book club meeting of “the season”  here yesterday.  About 20 women showed up.  All but two of us have been coming here for years.  Most of the them, it turns out, are also the water exercise members that I’ve met,  so I saw a lot of familiar faces - not great with names yet, but I’m getting there.  Everyone very friendly.  There is a woman “in charge” that put me off a bit, but shall see down the line how that goes.   The format for today was to go around the room and ask each person to give their thoughts on the book.  About 75% “loved” it, maybe 10% “Liked it ok,” and the rest didn’t like it at all.  It generated a lot of back and forth discussion after everyone had their say.  

The book for today was Anne Tyler’s “The Beginner’s Goodbye.”  It was a story about a man who lost his wife and how he copes and then finds love again.  In listening to the discussion it reminded me a lot of “A Man Called Ove” but only sadder.  I piped up and asked if anyone had read One and if they had did they see a similarity?  I guess I was on to something because it started a new line of discussion.   One of the members gave me the book to read which I thought was nice.  

I asked if they read any non-fiction and they said very little and they gave me some examples but I can’t remember what they were.  One example was “Boys in the Boat.”  I was told, NO ROMANCE and NO SELF HELP books  :-)  

We are awaiting our shed delivery next Tuesday, the patio installation the week after, and then the landscaping.  In the meantime we sit and stare at the lot and make adjustments here and there and continually move the stakes in the sand that delineate where we think we want the patio!  It’s on about it’s third iteration!!   We found some colorful Mexican pots to put in the front of the shed.  You can see by the photo why we positioned the shed on the lot the way we did.  This is the view from our dining/living room.  The shed will hide the best part of the neighbor's rig and most importantly, the sewer line.  

It's very windy today!  My yard art blew over.  The rabbits look sad on their sides!  We are in the library right now in downtown Florence.  We can't be outside and listening to the wind blowing is annoying, so it was a good time to come here and use the internet for surfing, back up devices, and do some blog posting!  We also checked out some DVDs.   Rog will spend the afternoon in the wood shop.  I downloaded some crochet patterns to work on as I'm finally finished with Christmas ornaments.  

Maggie is getting used to being here and we are even able to leave her off leash (although it’s against the rules) while we sit outside.  The issue we had last March was she was chasing ground squirrels and we couldn’t let her off the leash.  They did something here this summer because we haven’t even seen one so far.  

Looks as if my iPad has updated and backed up, so it's time to wander home.    

Learning Lessons the Hard Way

We have learned a couple invaluable lessons in the last four or five days in regard to data plans, hotspots, and use of the internet.  Basically, we ran out of data with the plan we had.  (Notice past tense.)  Then we decided to upgrade our plan to what we thought we could live on/with.  When we did, instead of being pro-rated from the time we changed, it ended up being retroactive to the beginning of the last billing period.  We lost 3GB of available data, we were throttled back to dial up speed, and ended up paying for it for the whole month instead of a partial month.  These wireless plans are tricky if you don’t read the fine print.  Lesson learned.  

That is why there has been a long hiatus in blog postings.  We couldn’t even get Google to open the page to write a post because the speed was so slow!  Today we start the new month of data and we have made a few concessions as to how we will use the data and try not to run out again.  What a pain that was!  One thing we think will help will be to write the blog entry in the word processing app and then copy and paste into the blog and then close it right back up.  Same thing for long emails.  We will go to the library at least once a week and download things we need and back up all the devices.  We shall see how that goes over the next 30 days.  If we are still having issues then we will have to rethink the purchase of the local WIFI.  

So, what’s happened in the last few days?  Not a whole lot.  We are starting to get into a routine for laundry, housecleaning, grocery shopping, etc.  Roger has started going to the wood shop every afternoon while I am at exercise class.  I’ve been working on the last of the Christmas presents and doing some reading.  I walk the dog in the mornings.  (I’ve been taking  the short route  which is about 1.7 miles and my back handles it nicely.  Today I decided to try the long route which is just over 2 miles.  My back was talking pretty loudly to me by the time I returned.)   Sunday afternoons they have an ice cream social - two scoops and a cookie for a dollar but you have to be “social” and sit with others and visit.  Always a catch! 

Saturday we went to Casa Grande and had lunch with our friends the Morlans to celebrate my 70th birthday.  We did some shopping - got the other two chairs for the patio set that we couldn’t get into the back of the truck last time.  It was a long day.  We were gone five hours and poor Maggie was just beside herself with excitement when we got back.   Today we had lunch out and got groceries - that alone was a two hour chunk out of the day.   

Tomorrow is the book group meeting and I’ll go try it out and see what sorts of reading the group prefers.  

Thursday there will be a pot luck at 3pm.  The park is furnishing the turkey and gravy and the rest is up to the residents.  From the sign up sheet it looks like everyone who is here will be going.  I keep thinking about the last time we went to a Thanksgiving Day pot luck I caught a really nasty cold.  

The weather has been fantastic and the sunsets spectacular.  We did have a very windy day yesterday, and Maggie and I got caught in two walls of blowing sand on our walk.  We both had to have a bath after we got back to get all the sand off of us!  It was pretty ugly.   Tonight the sunset was brilliant red with just a sliver of the rising moon showing.  Unbelievably beautiful.  

Hopefully I’ll be back to regular postings - probably every other day unless something exciting happens or I have a great photo to share.  

A Down Day and Shopping Day

I didn't sleep well Monday night - one of those wake up at 4am and the "brain is on speed for about two hours" kind of night.  Obviously, that made for a very slow, lethargic day for me on Tuesday.  After walking Maggie I was done with the physical stuff.  Just felt puny.  I spent the afternoon working on the budget stuff.  We didn't even go to the Welcome Back Hamburger Party.   

The people across the street are having a huge area of their lot cemented in, so Rog and the neighbors spent a lot of time just watching the workers move dirt and gravel and frame in the area to be cemented.  That seems to be the thing around here - when someone is having work done of any kind, all the guys, and some women, gather round to supervise the work!  It's a way to get to know your neighbors as well as get ideas as to what can be done to your lot!  

Rog went for a bike ride - then fell off the bike in the driveway as he was coming home.  The road/driveway is loose gravel - big gravel - and his tires got caught in it.  Fortunately the only thing he really hurt was his pride.  One of the cement workers saw him go down and came running over to check on him and help him up.  His left wrist, elbow and shoulder are tender today from landing on them, but no skin was lost and no bruising.

Today, after Maggie's walk, Roger and I drove up north to Chandler, a southeast suburb of Phoenix 40 miles away, to a Woodcraft store.  Rog bought some more hand tools so he can work in the wood shop and in the shed once we get it.  We had a very good lunch at a place called "Chompies."  It purported to be the New York Deli of the Southwest.  It was crowded and there wasn't much on the menu for us, but what we had was delicious and there was lots of it.   We stopped at the post office on the way home to pick up my packages - new swim suit/pool shoes and a new sun hat and visor for the pool.  We were gone over four hours just for that.  Nothing is close, so we have to plan our trips.  Maggie was very glad to see us when we got home.

We discovered a crack in the truck windshield on the way home.  Neither of us saw it going up there nor did we hear a rock hit, so we are at a loss as to what happened.  It's a small one on the passenger side.  Will have to address that issue soon.  

This evening I was talking with a neighbor - the lady who facilitates the water exercise program - and she offered to be available to let Maggie out if we ever get stuck in traffic, get delayed for some reason, etc.  That is very generous of her.  She was sitting outside weaving baskets.  She showed me some of them and they are gorgeous.  She will be selling them at the craft fair in December.  I see one or two in my future.  

I cancelled my Ancestry membership yesterday for the duration.  No sense paying for it if I can't spend hours on the internet doing research.  Will have to do other things.  I did bring some files on two families I need to review and figure out - two lines that everyone has the same names and I'm not sure if I have them right.  I can work on that without the internet, I hope.  

Nothing on the agenda for tomorrow except Maggie's walk and the exercise class.  Not sure what Rog has in mind to keep busy.  

No changes in weather - low 80s and partly cloudy today.  

Veteran's Day Program

We started the day this morning with the Florence High School Band coming to the park and playing the National Anthem while the flag was being raised.  Then we all went inside the activity center and had donuts and coffee and visited with other vets in the park.  It sure looked as if the majority of the inhabitants here are veterans.  There was a nice turn out and some nice displays of shadow boxes with medals/  flags/etc. that belonged to some of the vets.  (I almost typed "guys" but then remembered that not all vets are guys!)  

My swim suit held up today in class!  It looked a bit funky, but since I was in the water up to my neck, no one really noticed - I hope.  The pool was absolutely packed today and I'm meeting some nice ladies - and actually remembering a few names.  The workout is 45 minutes non stop bouncing in the water while doing exercises that we normally do on land.  It's quite a workout!  

Went to Florence hardware store this afternoon.  Rog bought some wood to make drawers for the tools he's going to have to buy.  I found a small hanging birdbath, some hummer food, and a wind chime to go on a metal "tree" that our friends left on our site.   Slowly getting some "pretties" for the yard. 

We have had a frustrating day with trying to get internet going here.  We have tried and tried to get signed up.  It just won't happen.  So, we've given up.  I've been "chatting" with AT&T now for about an hour (using my data) to see if we can upgrade data plan for now but go back to cheaper one when we return home.  I think the person I  am "chatting" with is not up to speed - running at about 128kbps.  It looks like it will be cheaper to upgrade our data plan while we are here rather than pay their internet charges - if we could get signed up.  It will mean roughing it as far as streaming any of the programs we normally watch.  We will have to pace ourselves and I'll just have to wait 'till we get home to watch the new season of  "Longmire."  Bummer.  Well, we will figure something out.  Lots of reading and crocheting coming up.  There'll be enough data for me to play WORD and Rog to watch an occasional woodworking video.  I see trips to the library to get DVDs in our future!  It's doable.

Cooked some fish in my combination microwave/convection oven using the convection part.  It's a bit of a learning curve and I hope it doesn't take too long to figure it out.  Food came out OK after a bit of confusion and button pushing.  

Tomorrow is supposed to be a Welcome Back Potluck.  I signed us up, but will see if we actually go.  We are just not social animals but the lure of some desserts might get us there.  Maybe.

A Temporary Solution to the Swim Suit Problem

Last night I ordered a swim suit from Amazon.  It's due on Wednesday.  Hopefully it will fit and I'll be all set.  In the meantime I need something for Monday and Tuesday class.  This afternoon I cut off the skirt of the bottom piece of the suit I have and sewed the top piece to it.  It looks pretty funky, but it won't expose any skin or float around me like a jelly fish.  Thanks to all who wrote with advice on where to buy, offering loans, and sympathizing with my predicament.  

After a sandwich at a Subway we went to the Safeway for groceries this morning.  The idea was not to go hungry to buy food.  Hah!  I can't imagine what we would have spent if we hadn't had lunch :-(   As I said yesterday, though, fridge and pantry were pretty darn empty.

Rog did some exploring at the wood shop and came home quite dismayed at the lack of and state of the hand tools.  He's already bought some of his own, though, so once he gets a project idea he can get started.  

It was hot today - close to 90.  

Nothing on the agenda for tomorrow except housecleaning. 


 

Buying Bathing Suits in November

I challenge anyone to find a one-piece woman's bathing suit in a store in November.  It seems it is "out of season."  I did get some "are you serious?" looks when I asked.  Well, I could understand that anywhere but maybe here, Florida, southern California or southern Texas.  Old people come here for the winter and the places they stay have pools, Hello!  Fortunately Roger was in a patient mood today because I came home empty handed after trying Ross, Marshall's,  Beall's, Kohls, Penny's and Walmart.  Any suits they had were on a tiny clearance rack tucked away in a corner  and were miss matched tops and bottoms but no one-piece suits.  I did find one black suit at Penney's on the clearance rack - it needed a bit of adjustment to fit in the top - but when I got to the cash register it rang up at $96. (What the heck did it cost orginally?)   I just let them keep it.  I'll be going on-line after this post and in the meantime I'll try to sew my top to the bottom and hope it isn't quite as awkward as it is now.  

Finding patio furniture is also a bit difficult in November.  It's been moved to an obscure aisle so that Christmas can happen in the more prominent places in the store.   We did find two very nice young men (I mean, probably high school kids) at Lowe's who helped us find where they hid it. loaded our choices on a cart and then into the truck. We really appreciated their help. The boxes were very heavy and awkward.  We bought a table, two chairs (4 wouldn't fit in the truck), an umbrella and a stand for it.  We will pick up another two chairs next time we go back so we can seat four at the table if need be.  Tonight we sat outside for dinner!  It was lovely at sunset except for a few pesty flying things.  So, our living space has expanded.  We can't wait to get the patio done so it all fits/flows together.  

We have downgraded another of our plans - too pricey and/or not practical.  We were going to get a gazebo but we were warned about wind and being able to anchor it down.  Apparently in the summer they often get 100 mph winds here.  Also, the top was fabric and we would have to figure out a way for the two of us to put it on and take it off each season so that the wind and sun doesn't disintegrate it.  Looked like way too much work and worry so we opted for a large umbrella that we can fold up and put in the shed with the other furniture when we leave. 

Roger's now thinking about solar power for the shed instead of digging a trench from the power pedestal and having an electrician come in.  Instead he'd have to hire a solar guy, but no trench digging to lay the wires and no need for a building permit/inspection afterwards.  It'll probably cost more - if we are allowed to do it - but it is something he wants to do.

Maybe Roger's good mood (as in waiting patiently for me) was because he got a key to the wood shop today!  He had to sign a safety waiver and pay $20 for the season to use it.  He picked up a few hand tools at the Lowe's and can start a project any time.  

Because of all the running around today we never made it to the grocery store so will do that first thing tomorrow.  The fridge is running on empty so it is imperative we go.   

Rog washed the truck this morning.  It's so nice being in an RV park where that is allowed.  

OK, off to surf for a swim suit.  Hope it's easier than today's adventure.  

We Stayed on Campus Today

It's been another gorgeous day here.  We so hope the trend continues for a while.  The furnace ran for a little while when we first got up but by mid afternoon it was in the 80s again and sunny. 

This morning we were up early, but didn't get moving until mid morning.  I caught up on some "business" stuff I needed to do on the computer.  We got notification of a bill for our internet that is supposed to be on "seasonal hold"  but they are billing me anyway.  I had a chat with them.  "Oh, someone put in the wrong code.  My supervisor will have to fix it, but be assured it will be and you will see a credit on your next statement."  Well, we shall see.   I emailed  the lady who facilitates the book club but have had no response, I got a haircut appointment, and I finally got a calendar for the month printed and posted on the fridge.   It was a good thing I called the beauty salon now as the first appointment isn't until December first.  They apparently stay very busy with the snowbird ladies.  It turned out to be a pretty productive morning.

After lunch I did go to the water exercise class.  There were about fifteen ladies there.  It was a bit of a workout - the resistance from the water is more than I had thought it would be.  I had two-left-feet most of the time, but that's ok, because no one can see you are out of sync since you are in the water!  I love that part!   The big problem I had, though, was my bathing suit.  I spent half the time trying to do an exercise while holding down my floating suit.  My suit is a two piece - skirt and blouson top.  If I ever have to wear one it is a pretty good one for covering up and that is why I bought it years ago.  I don't think it's even been wet until today.   It is awful for actually being in the water.  The bottom kept trying to slide down and at the same time the skirt part floated up and the blouson top floated all the way up to the bra part.  At one point I had a bunch of skin showing and bathing suit material floating all around me.  It was a bit embarrassing, but, hey, it was just a bunch of old ladies like me only they knew better and wore one piece suits.  I am hoping to get into town (Casa Grande) this weekend and look for a one piece that will allow me to do the exercises and not worry about my swimwear.   It's going to be a fun class, I think, and I felt like I did some exercise - scale of 6 out of 10 - but, I can foresee how cold it might be when the temperatures drop.  May have to be a fair weather pool exerciser. 

Rog had a grumpy face this afternoon - he wants in the wood shop so badly but can't use it until he checks in with the head guy who isn't here yet.  Apparently he has to sign some safety waiver, pay his fee and collect a key.  He keeps seeing guys in there, but they have their keys from last year.  He was able to check it out, though, and they have nice power tools but only a few old and rusty hand tools.  He recently has been doing only work with hand tools so is a bit disappointed in the availability of what he needs to work on his projects.  Of course he didn't bring any of his with him, so Amazon will be dropping planes and saws off regularly here in the next month as he stocks up.  That will give him a set at home and a set here since we will have the shed for storage and a small work area for him to work.  It's a good thing he's been saving his allowance!

Laundry again today after the exercise class.  I didn't do sheets/towels on Monday - just all the clothes we had used since we left home.  Looks like Friday afternoon is the time to go - didn't see a single soul.  

A friend gifted me with a "potato bag."  It's designed to bake a potato in the micro and have it taste almost "oven baked."  I used it for the first time tonight.  It worked well and the potato was done after only one "potato" session on the micro.  At home it usually takes two and then one part of the spud is inedible.   To my friend - Thank You!

As I said, we hope to go into Casa Grande tomorrow - groceries, patio furniture/gazebo, and a bathing suit!  

The Shed is Ordered!

It's a long dang drive into Tucson - to the south side of Tucson, actually.  It was nice seeing some familiar street names from our visits in the past, and we still like Tucson better than Phoenix.  It was just an all day affair to get business taken care of.

After Maggs and I had our walk this morning, we headed south.  We stopped at the northern edge of Tucson in an area called Marana where there was an outlet mall.  We were looking for an outdoor venue for lunch as we had Maggie with us.  We didn't know how long we would be gone today, so took her along.  She was such a good dog.  She is mellowing in her old age.  

We found the food court at the mall and ate outside.  It looks like a fairly new mall and is very clean and comfortable.  Maggie spent most of lunch time trying to get close to a baby who was dropping food.  

We are glad we went down to the TuffShed factory instead of relying on the on-line quote.  Of course, it cost more money because the sales lady kept telling us about what we really needed on the shed, but she was right.  We had overlooked a couple of things.  We think we are ending up with a good product and what we need.  Delivery is now scheduled for the 28th.  

Maggie sat right with us and got to visit with a little 4 month old  King Charles Spaniel which belonged to the manager.  Mostly she was afraid of it as it was a bit rambunctious for her.  

We stopped at Camping World which was just around the corner.  Rog needed a new latch that holds up the front basement door.  He broke off the one we had with his head on the way down here.  Yes, divot time in the top of his head even though he had a hat on.  I found a Life is Good shirt and treats for Maggie.  

Home again and pasta for dinner.  

Nice day again today - mid 80s this afternoon. 



 It was a tough day!

Progress - We Have a Shed Pad!

The day started about 6:15a.  The cement guy was due at 7:00a.  He showed up at 7:04a.  He and his helper worked non-stop until 1:00p.  As you can see, the pad sure makes the lot look smaller - and will even more so once there's a building on it.  Once the shed is in place, it will totally block our view of the neighbor's sewer line and most of his RV.  That's one of the reasons we opted for the long side to be parallel with our RV.  The owner of the company also does the work and he noticed that Roger has his retired Navy stickers on both the truck and the RV.  As a "thank you for your service" he poured the step for free.  That was very nice. 

After a bike ride around the park, Rog spent the afternoon cleaning up around the new pad and staking out where the pavers for the patio will be going.  Every time we do it, we move the lines a bit.  Who knows what it will look like when when the work is actually done.  We are excited about it, though.  It's going to look so nice. 

Maggie and I got our walk early this morning, I got a shower and put on clean clothes and then went to an all member advisory board meeting to hear what they had to say about the future of the co-op once the developer steps down the end of December.  There was not much said that we hadn't already heard.  What I don't understand in these types of meetings is why the speakers insist on talking fast and mumbling into the mic.  I wasn't the only one complaining about not being able to understand what they were saying.  Those at my table just sat there shaking their heads as we all tried to hear.  Don't they realize we are all old and can't hear?  We need a screen with closed captioning!!!  

While I was at the activity center I signed up for the water aerobics class and will start going on Friday. We will see how it goes but I'm thinking it will be good for me.

This afternoon found me catching up on answering emails from friends who where sending their hugs to me after last weekend.  Thank you all for thinking of me.  

I ordered two sun hats today - let's see how the delivery system works here.  Theoretically they will be going to the post office in town and put in a locker.  Stay tuned.  

Tomorrow we will take a trip into Tucson and finalize the shed contract.  We will take Maggie and make a day of it as it is a 1.5 hr drive to where we will be going.  Hopefully we will find a lunch place with outdoor seating.  

Another beautiful day - started out in the mid 50s and by mid afternoon was about 80.  It was overcast off and on which was a help to the cement guys!  The sun is pretty brutal if you are out in it and working but sitting in the shade it is wonderful!  We watched a cactus wren this evening try and drink out of the hummingbird feeder.  He was doing some acrobatics trying to hold on.  

OK - We are Back in Business

I've missed a few days posting, obviously.  I had planned on writing last night, but we kept getting phone calls and I just didn't get to it.

Rog drove me to the Phoenix airport on Friday and dropped me off.  Without my navigational skills to help him get home, he got a little lost getting out of the airport complex and had to drive around for about 20 minutes trying to find his way to I-10.   Then he planned a stop at Lowe's that we spotted going to the airport.  It was in sight off of an exit but very difficult to get to, so he spent another 15 minutes wandering around in a hunt for the store.  Purchases made, he headed home to Maggie.

Our soon-to-be grandson, who works at a Lowe's, says that is always the case.  They put them in out of the way places.  Where he works you can see it from the freeway, but to get to it takes a GPS!  Something about fighting for building sites with Home Depot and Lowe's seems to get the short straw.  

Daughter Pam was waiting for me at baggage claim when I arrived and Steph found us about 20 minutes later.  We went back to the apartment and settled in before we went out to dinner.  It was a late night with talking about what to expect on Saturday and catching up with everyone's news.  

Saturday's venue for the Celebration of Life was very nice - big windows overlooking the golf course. The "program" was done well and the food was excellent.  Attendance was good - everyone I think Nancy ever knew was there.  I was thrilled to see my kids - one flew in from Colorado, one from Florida, and one from Reno.  The Reno and Florida kid drove over the Sierra in the snow Saturday morning and got there in time.  My 96 year old aunt was there with her daughter and they just fell in love with Steph and Pierce who sat at the same table with them.  After going back to my brother-in-law's house and visiting for a couple hours, the boys had to get back to Reno, so, along with Erica, we went out to eat before they headed over the hill and we headed back to Santa Clara.  

I had no problems at the airport on Sunday, had a good sandwich before the plane boarded, and the flight was on time.  I lucked out both directions - got an aisle seat with no one in the middle.  Rog and Maggie met me after finding their way out of the cell phone lot and we came home.  It felt good  to be here after a stressful couple of days.

Yesterday we went to town and picked up our mail and then went shopping for groceries and stuff for working around the RV.  The landscaper guy stopped by and gave us an estimate, we contacted the shed saleslady and made an appointment to go see her on Thursday even though we did everything on line, and the cement guy got all lined up for this weekend.  (cement pad for shed)   

We also stopped at the "yard art" place and picked up a few things to get us started with our landscaping decorations.  

Today was spent doing laundry, cleaning inside and outside of RV and checking out what's happening at the activity center.  The landscape guy came by to do a contract and get some money and he will be back to work on the first week in December!  We expected it would be much further out as everyone and their half brother around here is getting work done. It's really crazy busy.  The shed lady called and set up a delivery date of the 30th of November - again, way ahead of when we thought we might get it.  Then the cement guy called and said he would be here tomorrow morning at 7am!  We are now well on our way to emptying our wallets!!!   Only thing left is to get an electrician in once the shed is done before the landscaping goes in.  

I'm thinking about joining the book club here but need to talk to the facilitator to see what kind of books they read.  There is a water aerobics class four afternoons a week and I am seriously thinking of doing that as often as I can.  I don't think I can do the low impact cardio and I do need some exercise besides walking Maggie.  Hopefully it will work out for me.  I do have my weights/bands/stability ball and should use them, too.  Lots of activities - looks as if one could be busy all day every day if desired.  I plan on sitting and enjoying the view a lot.  

Spent $9 doing laundry this morning.  We discussed, again, whether or not we wanted to go to the expense and trouble of putting a washer/dryer in the shed.  We decided that for about $200 for the season to do laundry that it was not worth the hassle and expense of a plumber, machines, water heater, and cost of electricity.  It just doesn't make financial sense.  

Other than cement man being here tomorrow morning, we've nothing on the agenda.  I hope to get back to finishing making Christmas presents.  

Mentally Exhausting Day

After we put out the awning and attached and secured the shade screen this morning, we spent the rest of the morning with tape measure and stakes figuring out where we are putting the patio and shed.  Roger spoke with a shed representative after we "designed" the shed on-line.  Once I hit the "save my a quote" button and put in our info it wasn't 10 minutes and the phone was ringing!  Talking with her, though, was quite helpful as she had hints and clues as to what we should/shouldn't do.  

Roger then spent a couple hours after lunch filling out and gathering together the paperwork required by the architectural committee to get approval of our plan.  He got it turned into the representative for our street and he said it looked good and we should have approval by next week some time.   (The good news here is that the printer worked.  I was afraid that the ink might be all dried up.)  

Now, we have to figure out the logistics of lining up the contractors who will do the work.  Everyone is getting work done right now, so we just have to be patient - but it is hard.  We want it done and we want it now!!

We had dinner out at a nice Italian place in Florence.  Very good pizza.  We will go back many times over the winter, I'm sure.  

We heard coyotes last night.  A neighbor reported seeing scat on the trail this morning.  She also told me that this summer there was a "ground squirrel eradication program" by the park personnel.  I'm not sure I want to know what that entailed but between the coyotes and that, we sure aren't seeing any squirrel activity.  Maggie keeps watch, but so she's been disappointed.  

It was 81 degrees and sunny this afternoon with a slight breeze.  We did run the furnace this morning for about 15 minutes to take the chill off while we had tea/coffee and read the news and checked email.    

Tomorrow I'm off to the Bay Area.  No blog until Monday.  

First Day Fun

The first day in forever that Maggie doesn't wake us up at 6:30 to let her outside, I wake up at 5:30 and can't go back to sleep. (I was landscaping the lot in my mind!)  Maggs slept in til 7:00!  

After a leisurely cup of tea, some reading of news apps, some putting of words in the games I've got going, then Maggie and I took a short walk.  We spotted this bird on top of the cactus. It was so tiny perched there on this tall saguaro.   It was such a lovely morning for a walk - nice and cool.  I'm not ready for the whole around the park walk yet - I'm going to work up to it.  

In the meantime, Roger went outside to close the gray tanks so that they would fill up from our showers and dish washing as he uses the soapy water to clean out the dumping hose after he dumps the black tank.  He discovered that the water hose connection to the RV was leaking.  The basement floor was soaked.  After he fixed the problem, he had to haul everything out and let it dry in the sun while he mopped up the inside of the basement with rags.  What a way to start his morning!  

Of course, I then got involved going through the stuff that was outside in full view and not hidden away.   I decided we needed this and that out to use, so his job got even harder because he had to search for stuff in the boxes and bins and then put it all back together again before putting them back in the basement.   But, I did find our sign and a couple of desert yard art things I brought from home and the basement is much neater - and cleaner!    I can't wait to be able to go to the marts where they sell the Mexican pots and metal sculptures and get to work on the landscaping!  

After showers,  visiting with a neighbor (and meeting two others as they  passed by walking their dogs), we had lunch and headed to town.  Now, town is either six miles or 13 miles depending on which town you want.  We hit both of them this afternoon - Florence and Coolidge.  We must be officially here because we had a full mail box at the post office!  We stopped at the wonderful hardware store in Florence but Roger couldn't find the part he needed.  We got fuel and then went to Coolidge to the Wal-mart to get things we needed including a few groceries.  

The cotton field are ready for harvest and the sight of acres of cotton still on the plants is something that I still haven't reconciled with being in Arizona. When I think of cotton I think of the South.  Apparently, cotton growing here is THE major crop. Who knew?? 


Rog took a nap when we got back and Maggs and I sat out behind the RV in the shade and enjoyed the view.  





After dinner Roger did cleanup and Maggie and I took a short "business" walk The view of the moonrise was pretty cool.  


What a beautiful day!  Cool in the morning, 83 and sunshine with a slight breeze in the afternoon, with the temperature dropping with the sun.   Loving it. 

Belated Photos

Here are the photos from the trip.  

Sunday

Fall colors along the Truckee River.







Lunch view  from the south end of Walker Lake.











Monday

Lunch view from the side of the road on US95 south of Las Vegas.

Not quite as nice as the day before, but interesting.

River Island State Park south of Lake Havasu City and north of Parker along the Colorado River.

That takes care of the travel days.