Post Christmas Update

It’s about time to catch up on the blog entries.  We’ve been negligent in keeping up.  The thing is nothing is not much, if anything, has been happening that is worth writing about.  We’ve just been hanging out.  

We did have a cold spell for a few days - freezing temps at night, cold and gray during the day with the high just making 50.  We were spending most of the time inside doing lot of nothing.  Finally, though, the weather has improved and we are enjoying nights in the 40s with a day time temperature of about 70 with abundant sunshine.   We even sat outside and had lunch today!  Roger spent a couple hours this afternoon washing the RV and getting the dust and dirt off from those very windy and dusty, days.  It’s all sparkly now - until the next time!

We had a FaceTime event with the Reno family on Christmas Eve and then spoke with each family on Christmas Day.  It was good to see/hear everyone!  We did miss them a lot this year.

Yesterday was the Christmas potluck.  Rog and I made brownies decorated like Christmas trees for our contribution (our street was assigned dessert).  It was a several hour project and did take us a while to figure out the geometry of cutting the pan of brownies so that we got equal sized isosceles triangles that we could use.  It has been a very long time since our brains encountered a geometry problem like that, but with both of us working at it, we finally came up with the solution.  Of course, the left over weird sized pieces we got to keep!  The potluck was good, but the place they have them is really noisy and uncomfortable so we didn’t stay very long.  Like the Thanksgiving one, there had to be 15 versions of potatoes both white and sweet.  There were salads and veggies and we found enough to eat.  We indulged in pie for dessert as we both haven’t had any in quite a while.  

My neighbor, Lona, has started walking with Maggie and me.  It’s nice having company and it does make the walk seem to go faster as we carry on a conversation all the way.  Maggie now heads for her house as we start out.  Lona also has been supplying us with homemade baked goodies.  We have discussed the fact that maybe we need two walks a day!  

I read the book for book club here but didn’t go to the December meeting.  It was one of those gray weather days and I had a migraine.  I didn’t like the book anyway, so I’m sure I would not have been a good participant.  The next book is Exit West, which I am looking forward to reading

We got the registration sticker for the license plate today!  The Arizona smog certificate must have been ok.  

We’ve no plans for anything for the next week but who knows what we will come up with to entertain ourselves.  

Rain, Soup, and a Trip to Casa Grande

We got our rain yesterday.  There was a thunderstorm that rolled through between 3 and 4 am.  Lots of thunder and lightning and it sounded like some pretty heavy rain.   We had intermittent showers the rest of the day with the sun peaking through every once in a while.  We saw several rainbows over the course of the day.  The temperatures were in the low 50s.  The morning walk was very nice but chilly - clean air, birds everywhere, and neither Maggie nor I were kicking up dust as we walked.  

We tried a new soup recipe for the crock pot - vegetarian onion soup.  We probably will use another version of it next time.  It was too salty and too spicy.  We baked a batch of brownies to test how they will turn out using the convection oven.  I signed us up for bringing brownies for the Christmas pot luck, so we had to run a test batch :-)    The cooking kept us pretty occupied for a while, then Roger went to the shed and worked on a puzzle - taking the space heater with him.  I knitted, did some reading, and played with Maggie.  

Today was a trip into Casa Grande after lunch.  We had our lists for the various stops we had to make.  When you have to go 45 minutes into town, you make the most of the trip!   We hit the Petsmart, Michael’s (yarn was 40% off today), Walmart and the Lowe’s.  It took several hours and Maggie was very happy when we got home.  

I didn’t have a stash of yarn here for when I get the urge to make something - now I do!  

Rog picked up some boards to make saw horses and he got some insulation for our water hose.  The temperatures are predicted to be below freezing a few nights this week and we don’t want a frozen water hose.   I found some pretty pots to set out on the patio.    

I sure miss my Target store.  Walmart was a total zoo today but it is the only place to buy RV toilet paper so we go.  Of course we pick up other things that we would normally get at a Target store.  I got behind a woman who had a piece of cook ware -  dutch oven sort of pot.  It was pretty - had flowers on it but no price tag.  There was no one to be found to run a price check so eventually the clerk took out her cell phone and looked it up at the online store.  You can guess she was not one of the usual older generation Walmart workers but a tech savvy younger person.  

For dinner we mixed the leftover onion soup with some leftover vegetable soup.  It improved the taste of both!  

Maggie got a new toy today.  A Rudolph that had a plastic tummy with chew thing.  The first time it bounced we discovered it had flashing LED lights - red and green.  So, poor Rudolph has had surgery already to remove the offending batteries and lights.  We don’t want the dog chewing on batteries.  Now, why would they make toys that are harmful?  I’ll sew him back together tonight once I find something to act as a tummy graft!  

Solar Panel and Christmas Tree

We woke up to a cold, grey day this morning.  No wind, though.  YAY!

Roger focused his energy on getting the solar panel for his UPS (unattached power source, or as I call, it the portable power thing) mounted outside today.    It took some time and a trip to the hardware store in town, but he finally got it set up so that it will charge the UPS.  He should be able to have lights in the shed now.  It won’t run any of his power tools, but all he really has is a drill anyway.  The UPS battery had completely gone empty, so he hooked it up to the AC power to charge.  Didn’t work.  Weird, that.  Thought it was operator error.  But, then, he got thinking about it and checked the power cord that came with it with his voltmeter and discovered one of the wires was not attached to the plug.   Hmmm.  Explains why it wasn’t charging.  Ah, but, then he remembered a brand new cord that we had stashed that fit the UPS and voila!  It’s charging.  Now he’s all set.  When the sun comes out he will maintain the charge with the solar panel.  

Maggie was a pill all day.  She didn’t want to walk.  She was bored and pestered us continually.  She even “talked” to us a few times, which she only does when she’s excited.  She was driving us crazy all day.  I kept sending her out to Roger - he kept putting her back in the RV.  She finally gave up and curled up in her bed for an hour or so.  Hopefully, she will be back to normal tomorrow.  Although, we are supposed to have rain tomorrow and she doesn’t like the rain.  It could be an interesting day as getting her outside will be a challenge.

I put up Christmas decorations today.  I pulled our Charlie Brown tree out of the box and it looked like a Charlie Brown tree reject!  I decided to take all the decorations and lights off and try to make it work.  The lights we had on it were really too big for that size tree, so when we went to the hardware store I found some smaller ones - and a new tree!  It’s a little larger and fluffier!!  Not quite so scraggly looking.  Even better, it was on sale.   Because we have less counter space in this rig, it has to go on a stool on the floor under the counter.  

I tried listening to Christmas music as I worked - it usually gets me in the mood.  Couldn’t work the radio, couldn’t figure out how to play the few songs I have on my phone, and didn’t want to use data to listen to Pandora or the like.   I kept thinking that there should be grandkids and cookies while I was decorating, but there wasn’t.  So, no music, no grandkids, no cookies.  Oh, well.  It turned out to be more work than fun, but it’s done and looks nice.  I was also wishing I had some of my ornaments from home.  Will have to pack a few and bring with us next year.  I also was thinking about how I have made a gazillion ornaments for kids and grandkids over the last couple years, but did I make any for us?  No.  I was wishing I had some of them today.  

We had a very nice lunch yesterday with our friends, the Morlans.  We tried an Italian restaurant that we’ve been wanting to check out.  It was very nice.  Table cloths, good service, good food, and good friends.  It will be a place for special lunches, though, as it was a bit on the pricey side.  

Yesterday was laundry day.  Rog and Maggie were outside on the patio (oh, that feels good to say!) when I left in the truck.  When I came back an hour and a half later, Rog was in the shed and Maggie was sitting in the same spot in the same position as when I left.  She was watching the street for the truck.  Rog said she had not moved the whole time.  Crazy dog.  

We talked to the landscape guy this morning and we are on his schedule for the week of the 15th of January.  He will come by next week and help us with design plans, give us an estimate, and collect a down payment.  I’m thinking we will tell him what we want, he will tell us how much, and then we will start subtracting from what we want!  We do have a budget after all.  Although, recently it’s been ignored a lot. 

As I mentioned, we are supposed to have rain during the night and part of tomorrow.  It will be the first since we’ve been here.  Glad it waited until we  got the patio in so we won’t be walking in mud.

A Patio at Last!

Yes, we got a patio installed today!  We were beginning to think it was never going to happen.  We are very happy with the results and it makes such an enhancement to the lot.  

The workers arrived at 7:30am and finished a little after noon.  Three guys and they worked hard.  Our backs were aching just watching them lifting and toting the pavers and then bending down to place them.  It is absolutely back breaking work.  With their boom box playing Mexican music they seemed to enjoy their work.  One guy kept stopping and dancing to the music!  It was impressive watching them work.

The first corner started at 7:30

An hour later.  They really hustled.

As you can see the pavers have no pattern - just three sizes and three colors randomly placed as they came off the pallets.  

After they left we got the furniture put back into place and then decided that we wanted something other than the traveling lounge chairs for the front.  We moved them to the back behind the RV where we sit in the shade and Roger naps.  We had to go to the post office and so decided to stop at the hardware store in town to see if they had any patio furniture we liked.  Lowe’s and Home Depot have nothing out right now - it’s not the right season - but this place has an indoor area with lots of patio furniture.  We spotted two chairs outside the store that were on clearance - marked down from $70 to $20 -  so we grabbed them as they sort of matched the chairs we have at the table.  Inside, though, we found a three piece set nice chairs with cushions and a small table.  On sale!  I opted not to pay the assembly fee, so Roger will have them all put together for photos tomorrow.  He did work on them this afternoon and I’m thinking I should have paid the assembly fee - instructions were crazy Chinese translations.  

So, we now have eight chairs for the two of us plus our four traveling fold up ones.  Think we will be able to find a place to sit down?  I guess we need some company.  

Next we will make arrangements to have the rest of the lot landscaped - rocks, plants, yard art, etc.  Not sure when that will happen as we haven't discussed with landscaper yet and we have no idea how far out his schedule is set.  

Roger had three quarters of his puzzle completed that he’s been working on in the shed.  Maggie climbed up on his chair and grabbed a piece from the table and promptly chewed it up and swallowed it.  At least we think it was only one piece as that is all we saw her with.  She sure likes puzzle pieces - maybe it’s the glue???   It’s at least the third time she’s done that to him.  He felt safe in the shed….   Needless to say he isn’t speaking to Maggie right now.  

Tomorrow we are having lunch with our friends from Casa Grande and then in the afternoon it will be laundry day for me while Roger finishes putting together the new furniture.  

We Almost Have a Patio!

Well, we are half way there!  This morning the paver people showed up and did more prep work on the site and then left by noon.  It’s nice and level and looks good.  No pavers yet, though.  Just sand.  Lots and lots of sand.  We are only having one issue - it comes right up to the bottom of the stairs and we are not allowed to walk on it.  We are having to go over the side 

of the steps to get out.  Rog and I have no problems, but, Maggie wants to walk in the sand.  Roger is having to lift and carry her down the stairs and out to the gravel driveway.  She’s not exactly sure what is going on and looks totally confused.  Then when she comes back home Roger does the reverse - she has to be carried in.  Hopefully, after tomorrow morning this little exercise will be unnecessary.     

The pavers - 6 pallets of them - were delivered this afternoon about 3pm and tomorrow at 7am the paver people will be back to put them in place.  We should have our patio (at last!) by tomorrow afternoon.  

The next step is arranging landscaping for the rest of the site.  No telling how long that will take but it will be the last we will do this year.  We aren’t sure what else needs to be done, but we do want to cover the dirt with rock and get a few cacti planted.  Someone told me today that one of the landscaping contractors was now scheduling for March.  We have no idea what kind of wait we will have with the company we are using.  I’m told they are better and more reliable, but, of course, more expensive.  We just want to get it done!

Today was a “Ladies Christmas Luncheon” and 43 women showed up!  It was held at a nearby golf course club house.  We sat on the veranda and overlooked the green of the golf course.  Fortunately, the wind has finally died down and it was an enjoyable venue.  Christmas outfits and jewelry was abundant and if it had been colder, I’m sure there would have been some “ugly Christmas sweaters.”   I wore a special scarf/shawlette given to me by a friend.  The design is a tree - as in a family tree.  She made it for me after I had done some geneology work for her family.  It is lovely and I had so many compliments on it today!   Thank you, my friend!  We played a silly game after we were finished eating and everyone brought home a box of candy.  It was fun and every time I go to an event I end up sitting at a table with different people.  Learning names is impossible, but getting to know people is fun.

The last couple of days we have been holed up in the RV except to go get groceries.  The wind has been incessant and quite miserable.  Sand flying every where.  I noticed that on our lot all the footprints were blown away.  The hummingbird feeder was flapping around so much the poor birds couldn’t get to the food.  Finally, this afternoon the air was calm, the sun was out and it was a beautiful Arizona day with temps in the mid 70s.  

No Paver People Yesterday

No patio yet.  This is becoming annoying.

Since we didn’t have to stay home on Saturday and watch over paver installation, we got some errands done after we checked out the craft fair here at the park.  

There are a lot of talented people here!  We were surprised at the number of people selling their wares.  Lots of quilting, crochet, needlework, along with beading/jewelry.  There was some woodcarving, some Christmas decorated gourds, and some stained glass work. There was one special table, though.  Handwoven baskets.  The lady who heads the water exercise classes is a basket weaver and she does beautiful work.  I brought home a basket and a handwoven Christmas tree topper/ornament.  I also bought some placemats and a little tote designed especially for hauling your plates and silverware to the pot-lucks.  There was one guy who was trying to sell his wooden bowls.  They were not half as nice as Roger’s and he wanted $100 each for them.  We just walked right past that table.  I did get some ideas, though, for next year’s Christmas ornaments/decorations.   It was a lot of fun and emptied my wallet! 

We had to get a smog check so we can send in our registration renewal for the truck.  It seems that in Arizona no smog testing is required unless you live in a metro area such as Phoenix or Tucson.  Nothing local available to get a smog certificate.  Your mom and pop smog station is not a part of their system, either.  You have to go to an Arizona Vehicle Inspection Station run by the state.  Someone in the park gave us a heads up as to where there is a testing location, so we headed north to Mesa.  We found the place without too much trouble tucked back into an industrial area.  The smog test they did was like the old ones we used to get where you have to rev the engine while the sensor is stuck on your tailpipe.  We passed, which was no surprise, but when we went to pay, the charge was $0.   That was a surprise.  The technician said it was because it was an 04 Dodge.  We haven’t yet made sense of that rationale, but will take the freebie.  A diesel smog at home is $60.   Now, if Nevada DMV honors Arizona’s test we should be OK.  We are doing it early just in case we have to jump through more hoops.  We had a nasty experience with DMV this summer, and we are trying to not have another one.  We will mail the paperwork to Carson City tomorrow.  Fingers crossed.

Since we were in Mesa already, we decided to find the Costco and do some stocking up (we now have a place to store things bought in bulk).  Saturday - two weeks before Christmas.  Need I say more?  We ended up parking in a dirt field across the street and just knew we were in trouble at that point.  The place was packed - shoulder to shoulder, cart to cart all through the store.  Then when we got to the register we were second in line.  Amazing.  Everyone was still shopping and we got out of there fast.

Wind.  We woke up this morning to the sound of wind howling.  Gusts 30 to 40mph ALL day.  It is expected to continue until Wednesday.  We are guessing this is all part of the weather pattern bringing those Santa Ana winds to SoCal.  We stayed in today until I couldn’t stand it anymore and so we went out for pizza about 4pm.  We got the rig cleaned up this morning - dusted and vacuumed, although, since the rig is not air tight, it will need it again tomorrow.   This afternoon I knitted while listening to my audio book and Roger worked on a puzzle while listening to his.  He was out in the shed, though, and Maggie and I stayed inside the RV.  Maggie doesn’t like the wind sounds.  It’s a bit awkward knitting with a dog in your lap - even a small one like her.  

So….   tomorrow a patio????  

  

Ups and Downs of the Day

The day started out positively and ended positively, but in between we had a few disappointments.  

There was a “shed raising” across the street and Roger went over to help.  It wasn’t quite as big as a barn raising, but it was the same principle.  Our neighbor had built two of his walls yesterday and this morning several guys helped him stand them up and stabilize them.  

Maggie and I got a long walk and were accompanied by a neighbor.  It was nice getting out and walking after two days of not being able to do so because of the cold and wind.  The sun was shining, there was no wind but it was still sweatshirt and long pants weather.  

Then Roger called the paver people boss.  Several excuses later it was determined that “maybe tomorrow or Monday” his crew will be back to lay the pavers.  We had really hoped it would be done by today and we could put our furniture out and get back to normal.  Oh, well.

Roger wanted to go into town and get a real haircut - not one done by me.  I tagged along and asked if we could try a restaurant we’ve been eyeing for lunch.  Greek/Italian/American.  The menu on-line looked as if there would be something we could eat.  I ordered falafel - I haven’t had it in ages - and Rog ordered a veggie wrap.  It took forever to be served.  We noticed that others who had come in after us got their food before we did.  That was getting annoying.  Then we finally got our food, I took one bite, and tried to aspirate it.  (You would think at my age I’d know better than to try and breathe and swallow at the same time.)  At one point I really was scared because I couldn’t get my breath and Rog was a hair’s breadth from doing the Heimlich maneuver.  I was shaken up for sure.   Ten minutes of coughing and tears and I finally was able to eat.   By then the food was cold and everything tasted awful.  Roger’s wrap wasn’t any good either - he didn’t like the yogurt sauce they put on the veggies.  So, the whole meal was a bust. 

We stopped at the post office to get mail.  We have a PO box there as we aren’t allowed to receive mail at the RV Park.  A clerk told us that when we order anything on line to put the street address of the PO and then the box number on it.  It’s been working fine with Amazon.  Well, today one of the packages that came had been shipped UPS. I had to stand in line for it so I could sign for it.  Apparently if it’s shipped UPS/FedEx then, no matter what it is, you have to sign for it.  UPS and FedEx  will deliver to our site - but most of the time when you order something you don’t know how it’s being shipped.   One of the things the Advisory Committee here is looking into once the park is turned over to the Co-op on January first is doing something about the mail situation.

There are two barbers in town.  The first was closed.  The second had one guy working and four people in line.  Rog didn’t get his haircut.  

I did laundry this afternoon and when I got out of the truck I noticed that the necklace I was wearing was dangling unclasped and the pendent was gone.  I spent some time looking everywhere for it in and around the truck.  Then I spent and hour and a half pouting that I had lost the pendent and didn’t know where.  Then, as I was putting the clothes baskets in the truck to come home, I noticed something shiny on the ground.  Yes!  Not lost after all!  A waste of a good pout. 

Rog spent the afternoon puttering in the shed and I did some knitting while Maggie had a nap.  

We can not get enough of the beautiful sunsets with the saguaro in the foreground.  

No Patio But Lots of Wind

Yesterday and today have been cold and windy.  At least for us it’s been cold.  It only got to 56 yesterday but today it made it to the low 60s.  The wind, though, was relentless.  Fire watch warnings both days.  Gusts today were up to about 50mph.  Needless to say, Maggie and I have not had a long walk the last two days.  We go out long enough for her to do her business.  That’s all I can deal with when it comes to the wind and blowing sand.  

Well, the paver people (as I have started calling them) haven’t come back yet after spreading the sand for the base of the patio.  I was told last Friday that they would be all finished by this Friday.  That’s tomorrow.  We shall see.  Maybe they don’t work in this kind of weather?  I think the boss man has got too many jobs going right now and is a bit behind schedule.  We really are hoping that tomorrow will be the magic day.  

Our toaster oven started smoking two days ago.  We thought it was crumbs on the bottom.  I cleaned it out.  Still got smoke.  Then I thought maybe I had left soap residue on the bottom and the glass so I took some vinegar and water and wiped the whole thing down.  It was still smoking last night, but with no apparent cause.   We unplugged it for over night and then we dumped it in the dumpster this morning on our way to buy a new one.  We ended up with just a toaster since the microwave is also a convection oven and we think we can get away with just the toaster features.  The good news is that it freed up space on the counter!  

Mailed Christmas packages and cards yesterday.  Finished shopping for presents today and have one more package to mail tomorrow.  We are done.  I’ll put up decorations and our tiny tree next week sometime.  

The power supply thing and the solar panel arrived from Amazon.  The solar panel is larger than we thought and the power supply thing is smaller.  Rog got some extra lengths of cable and some mounting brackets for the solar panel.  Now he just has to figure out where to put it.  Once he does he’ll put it up and he should be all set for power in his “tiny house.” 

It’s supposed to be sunny and warmer tomorrow with no wind to speak of, which will be nice.  Here’s hoping the paver people show up to make the day!

It's Tuesday already!

It’s also 20 degrees colder than yesterday and cloudy.  Not a pleasant day, weather-wise.  It just reminds us, though, why we are here - it’s colder at home.   

Maggie basking in the sunshine yesterday.

The landscape people came today to do some of the prep work for laying the pavers for the new patio.  Supposedly it will be all done by Friday.  We can’t wait. 

The yard yesterday.

The yard this afternoon.  

Rog spent  today bundled up in sweatshirt and long sleeved shirt working in the shop.  I spent the day packing Christmas presents into boxes for mailing and writing Christmas cards.  It felt an appropriate chore as it was cold and I had the fake fireplace going and hot tea to enhance the mood.  Maggie stayed curled up in her bed to stay warm.

 Roger yesterday working on drawers for his tools in his tshirt.  What a difference a day makes. 

Update

Yep, the shed’s up and Rog has already turned it into his man cave.  He’s so happy to have a place to be and have something to do.   Pictures next time of the inside.  We put big windows in the ends so he’d have light to work as we didn’t run power out there.  If he does need some light he can run an extension cord from the RV.  He just putters away out there.  This afternoon he sharpened his wood chisels!!  Roger’s been spending too much time standing on the cement floor doing his woodworking so his hip and sciatica have been acting up a bit.  We got him a shop stool the other day and we  have a anti-fatigue (heavy duty) floor mat coming for him from Amazon this week.  Hopefully that will help.  He’s taking it a bit easy today - he’s sitting to do the sharpening.  He needs to rest for a day or so. 

The sign - we’ve had that sign for a few years.  Had it made at the Yuma Flea Market when we were there a couple years ago.  We have been hanging it on the kingpin of the RV when we stay more than a day or so in an RV park.  It worked out nicely to be our shed sign.  Most everyone here has some sort of signage out front or on their shed.  We just bought the 7 at the hardware store to indicate our lot.  Roger put up some solar motion sensor lights on the shed this afternoon.  We want to put up a few other decorations on it but are going to wait a little while.  We are supposed to get our patio done this coming week.  That will be wonderful to have something to walk on that you don’t drag into the house on your shoes and clothes.  That fine, silty, red sand is a constant.  The patio and then some rock on the rest of the lot should alleviate some of the dust.  

I am a weather wimp when it comes to the pool so didn’t get any water exercise at all last week.  It was cloudy and around 75 - just not fun.  Too much time spent shivering - although that does use calories.   One day only 3 women showed up - including the leader.  I have been walking the dog around the perimeter path in the morning as well as up and down our street for afternoon pee walks.  I bought a small Fitbit to keep track of my activity and hopefully motivate me.  My back sometimes get cranky when I do the 2 mile loop and then do some standing.  Today was a walk,  lunch out, Safeway, and Walmart.  By the time we got back home my back was talking to me.  I’ve been sitting most of the afternoon.  I’m fighting right now to get motivated to lose some weight.  I was up 10 pounds last time I checked and have been afraid to check since.  As usual I get derailed easily - bought scones at the store for snacking this week and when we got home we went up to the activity hall for the Sunday ice cream social.  Never seems like a good day to start.  The Fitbit is tracking my sleep as well.  I now see why I don’t think I get enough rest - It shows I was in bed for 8 hours but 1.5 of those I am awake or “restless.”  How it knows???  I definitely can see on the chart when I get up to go pee!  Looks like pretty much the same time every night!!  

When I went to the Bay Area Roger let Maggie on the bed with him at night.  You can guess where she is sleeping now.  The other night it got a bit chilly and she kept trying to stick her nose in Roger’s armpit!  She does produce some body heat and I keep pushing her down to the foot of the bed.  She is such a spoiled baby.  She has become even more of a Velcro dog - she sticks right with us.  We are able to be outside and she doesn’t wander away when not on the leash.  Of course we have to hook her up to go for a walk anywhere, but thankfully she isn’t tethered when we are sitting outside.  It helps that the ground squirrels that were here in March are gone.  She doesn’t have anything to chase.  Right now she is next to me on the couch with her head in my lap because I wouldn’t let her put it on the keyboard. 

I’ve finished crocheting two scarves.  One for Stephanie and one for Pam as a thank you for taking care of me when I flew to the Bay Area.  Now I need a new project.  

Roger is doing dishes.  Dinner was  bean, cheese and rice tostadas with bell peppers, onion,  lettuce, tomato, and avocado.  It’s a staple around here - and actually tasted good tonight.   

The Super Moon is just that tonight.  With the saguaro outlined in front of it, it is just awesome.  Wish we could have gotten a picture.   

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.