Day before yesterday when we had the rain and wind it turned out to be a very weird storm. Watching the wall of rain coming I had thought to myself, " that looks a weird color. It's not gray but brown." Apparently the wind (35 mph gusting higher) had picked up a lot of sand and dirt. Then the rain brought it down. When we got up yesterday morning EVERYTHING was coated in a layer of dirt/sand. Not wet as one would expect, but dirty - very dirty. Rog got out and washed down the truck before I could get pictures. He did go up (reluctantly) on the RV roof with a hose and bucket of soapy water and clean it off. The water coming off looked like dirty river water. The windows on the RV are hard to see through there is so much dirt on them. Tomorrow he will tackle the rest of the RV. The patio furniture had to be scrubbed with soapy water - hosing it down just made it worse. I've never seen so much dirt in rain water. It was astounding.
Yesterday was haircut day for the both of us.
I've been on a book buying kick. Seems every one I see or is recommended to me I have to get. I need to stop. I've more than I can read at the rate I'm going.
It's been cold - highs of 50s lows in the 30s. When he finished with the truck yesterday Rog headed to his shop and I spent the day inside finishing a knitting project and downloading the latest geneology update. Maybe I'll get back to doing some research for something different to do the next windy/rainy day. I haven't done any since we've been here. If it's warm I can sit outside and knit or crochet but can't do computer stuff. I save that for inside days. I am still feeling the effects of my stupid move the other day with the email :-(
Today we went to Chandler (south western suburb of Phoenix) and had lunch and went to Costco. It wasn't nearly as crowded as the one we've been to in Mesa. We did buy a power washer for Roger to do the rest of the RV. He can leave it here as we have a small one at home for doing the vehicles. Hopefully it will be a bit easier on him. It's an awful lot of work and the mobile guys charge a fortune.
We asked a friend across the street to check on Maggs while we were gone and to take her out to pee. Maggie refused to go with her. She said she tried a couple of times but Maggie wouldn't leave her little bed. Rog has posited that before we got Maggie her owners would put her in a crate/kennel when they went out. That's why when we tell her we are "going to the store" she goes immediately to her bed and stays there. She doesn't drink her water, or eat any food we leave while we are gone. I am amazed that Lona was able to get her out a few weeks ago when we went to Tucson, but Maggie sees her twice a day for a walk, so that's probably the reason she did - reluctantly - but she did.
No more critter encounters for Maggie, but the hummingbirds are out in force now that the winds have died down. Today we watched three of them for about 15 minutes. They were each chasing the others off and trying to get a drink for themselves. Rog said it was like watching an aerial dogfight. It was a lot of fun to watch.
No plans for tomorrow. Forecast is cold and windy again. It'll be a nice quiet day inside!
Wednesday, February 21, 2018
Monday, February 19, 2018
Boy, Did I do Something Stupid Today!
Weather wise it was a perfect day for staying inside and doing some computer work. I decided I'd clean up and organize files. I started with the email. I have been using the mail program that comes on apple products. Well, I had no idea that if you delete the archived emails everything, I mean everything goes away. "Are you sure you want to delete 1,903 emails from the Archives? They will be deleted and not retrievable." Sure, why not? Yep. Clean, blank slate. No getting it back. I tried to retrieve from the computer back up. Nope. From Gmail. Nope. From anything I could think of. Nope. Gone, Kaput, History. So, I'm starting over with a blank slate and bemoaning my stupidity. I'm now trying to set things up using Gmail and not the mail program in hopes it won't let me do dumb things.
Windy and cold all day and then this afternoon it started raining and raining hard. Rog hung out in his shop and I spent the afternoon trying to fix things on the computer and stress eating. Maggie just got bored.
We have a mystery. This morning Rog was at the wood shop and I was taking my shower. As I stepped out of the shower and had the towel wrapped around me the smoke alarm went off. Yikes. I came out on the landing and looked around and saw nothing smoking, didn't smell smoke, but the alarm kept going. I tried a couple times to stop it and it wouldn't. Finally, after holding the test button down for a long time it quit. What a panic. Thank goodness it was a false alarm - I'd have been in bad shape if I'd had to exit the RV in my towel with the wind blowing at 25mph. So, why did it go off? No clue.
So, now we are trying to watch a movie on Netflix and it says we aren't old enough. Shall quit now and try and fix it on line so we can watch it.
What a day!
Windy and cold all day and then this afternoon it started raining and raining hard. Rog hung out in his shop and I spent the afternoon trying to fix things on the computer and stress eating. Maggie just got bored.
We have a mystery. This morning Rog was at the wood shop and I was taking my shower. As I stepped out of the shower and had the towel wrapped around me the smoke alarm went off. Yikes. I came out on the landing and looked around and saw nothing smoking, didn't smell smoke, but the alarm kept going. I tried a couple times to stop it and it wouldn't. Finally, after holding the test button down for a long time it quit. What a panic. Thank goodness it was a false alarm - I'd have been in bad shape if I'd had to exit the RV in my towel with the wind blowing at 25mph. So, why did it go off? No clue.
So, now we are trying to watch a movie on Netflix and it says we aren't old enough. Shall quit now and try and fix it on line so we can watch it.
What a day!
Sunday, February 18, 2018
Scorpions and Hummingbirds
Roger took Maggie out for a walk on the path around the drainage area behind us while I was at the laundry room this afternoon. He said that she was doing her usual sniffing for ground squirrels when she stuck her nose in a hole up to her eyeballs. All of a sudden she jumped back and a scorpion came scrambling out of the hole. He said it was a good 5 inches long. Fortunately it didn't get her, but it sure gave Maggie and Roger some heart palpitations! Lesson - no more sniffing in the holes.
Yes, today was, once again laundry day. I only had to go up there twice. Usually Sunday afternoons are quiet but the first time I went - around 1:30 - it was SRO. I went back at 2:30 and had the place to myself.
This morning was groceries - again. Geez, for two people who don't eat much we seem to always be going to the store. And, since I was hungry when we went - well, you can guess what happened!!
No beautiful sunset tonight, but a lovely rainbow!
As Roger was taking the upper left photo he heard a buzzing noise behind him and was able to capture the hummingbird coming to the feeder:
Yes, today was, once again laundry day. I only had to go up there twice. Usually Sunday afternoons are quiet but the first time I went - around 1:30 - it was SRO. I went back at 2:30 and had the place to myself.
This morning was groceries - again. Geez, for two people who don't eat much we seem to always be going to the store. And, since I was hungry when we went - well, you can guess what happened!!
No beautiful sunset tonight, but a lovely rainbow!
As Roger was taking the upper left photo he heard a buzzing noise behind him and was able to capture the hummingbird coming to the feeder:
Saturday, February 17, 2018
Sunshine Today!
After a long, dreary day yesterday with low cloud cover and dampness, today brought us abundant sunshine! Maggie and I sat outside most of the afternoon. She was watching for critters and I was knitting. Rog spent time in his shop and the RV shop. We obviously are in a rut as nothing much changes our routine! It was most pleasant today, though, and made us appreciate being here.
With all the rain, the desert floor is starting to turn green with what I hope will be wildflowers but are probably just weeds. The cactus even look happy after two days of rain.
My walking partner is in Las Vegas this weekend watching her grandson play baseball in a tournament. Maggs and I had to go it alone today. We made a little better time as two women flapping their jaws slows us down almost as much as a dog sniffing every bush on the route :-)
With all the rain, the desert floor is starting to turn green with what I hope will be wildflowers but are probably just weeds. The cactus even look happy after two days of rain.
My walking partner is in Las Vegas this weekend watching her grandson play baseball in a tournament. Maggs and I had to go it alone today. We made a little better time as two women flapping their jaws slows us down almost as much as a dog sniffing every bush on the route :-)
 |
| Ten minutes later the sky was crimson. I just can't get enough of the sunsets here. |
Thursday, February 15, 2018
A Couple of Days of Rain
The temperatures dropped to highs in the 50s and the rain started yesterday around noon. It rained off and on in the afternoon but then steadily all night and until about noon today. Everything looks so refreshed with the dust washed off. The plants even look happier!
Maggie and I have had a couple days off from our walks but should be back to "work" tomorrow. I'll have to put on my hiking boots, though, as the path will be muddy but walkable.
One of our friends across the street is in the process of buying the empty lot next to ours on the right (facing the street). They are going to leave it empty and not rent it out but use it for friends and family who might want to come for visits. We were told today that if we have anyone who wants to visit just let them know and it will be no problem. That's very generous. Rog and I are not upset at all about having the lot empty most of the time - makes for a more spacious feel. It is unimproved, but does have a tree and a gravel pad for the RV.
Not much else happening. All is well.
Maggie and I have had a couple days off from our walks but should be back to "work" tomorrow. I'll have to put on my hiking boots, though, as the path will be muddy but walkable.
One of our friends across the street is in the process of buying the empty lot next to ours on the right (facing the street). They are going to leave it empty and not rent it out but use it for friends and family who might want to come for visits. We were told today that if we have anyone who wants to visit just let them know and it will be no problem. That's very generous. Rog and I are not upset at all about having the lot empty most of the time - makes for a more spacious feel. It is unimproved, but does have a tree and a gravel pad for the RV.
Not much else happening. All is well.
Tuesday, February 13, 2018
A Wild Goose Chase
Roger's project requires some drawer slide hardware. Maggie's harness is on it's last legs and she needed food. I was ready for a day off campus.
Perfect time to take a trip into Casa Grande. Maggie had to go to try on her new "outfit." She's allowed in the Lowe's. The place we like to have lunch has outdoor seating. So, off we went! It's a little over 30 miles from here.
Our lunch place was experiencing renovation construction and was closed. Neither Lowe's nor Home Depot had any drawer slides in the size Roger needs. Maggie did get a new harness, though, and it's a good thing there to try it on.
We stopped at a Firehouse Subs for lunch because we spotted outdoor tables. No veggie sub on the menu, but they will make one for you. I ordered one small without mushrooms and one small with. We were waiting for our order and a nice woman brought out a bowl of water for Maggie (she hadn't seen the one we had for her). Then the food came - one small veggie sub without mushrooms and a medium tuna. Hmmm.. We told her that wasn't right and she was going to take them back and start over. We told her we were hungry and we would take the tuna sandwich. She didn't tell us we needed to adjust the bill, so we got a bigger sandwich than we paid for. It all worked out and Maggie made another friend. (She's got more friends around here than Rog and I put together.)
On the way back we stopped in Coolidge at the Ace. No drawer slides. We stopped in Florence at the True Value. No drawer slides. A total wild goose chase of about 60 miles today! Oh, well. It was a nice day out and away.
Drawer slides are on the way from Amazon!
Perfect time to take a trip into Casa Grande. Maggie had to go to try on her new "outfit." She's allowed in the Lowe's. The place we like to have lunch has outdoor seating. So, off we went! It's a little over 30 miles from here.
Our lunch place was experiencing renovation construction and was closed. Neither Lowe's nor Home Depot had any drawer slides in the size Roger needs. Maggie did get a new harness, though, and it's a good thing there to try it on.
We stopped at a Firehouse Subs for lunch because we spotted outdoor tables. No veggie sub on the menu, but they will make one for you. I ordered one small without mushrooms and one small with. We were waiting for our order and a nice woman brought out a bowl of water for Maggie (she hadn't seen the one we had for her). Then the food came - one small veggie sub without mushrooms and a medium tuna. Hmmm.. We told her that wasn't right and she was going to take them back and start over. We told her we were hungry and we would take the tuna sandwich. She didn't tell us we needed to adjust the bill, so we got a bigger sandwich than we paid for. It all worked out and Maggie made another friend. (She's got more friends around here than Rog and I put together.)
On the way back we stopped in Coolidge at the Ace. No drawer slides. We stopped in Florence at the True Value. No drawer slides. A total wild goose chase of about 60 miles today! Oh, well. It was a nice day out and away.
Drawer slides are on the way from Amazon!
We Lost a Dear Friend Today
In October 1971 we moved into an apartment building in Suitland, MD. Glenda lived in the same building. She became my friend and my mentor. She taught me about being a new mom and a new military wife. I'm not sure I could have survived without her. She taught me so much - including what chicken pox looked like. I was sure it was just a bad case of diaper rash on Andy but she knew immediately what it was. She watched the kids often, brought food when I came home from the hospital with both Pam and Andy, and drove us to the ER when her son and Mike collided and both needed stitches. When I was pregnant with Andy and the doctors thought near the end of the pregnancy that he was twins, she even offered to take one of them when I panicked. She was always there for me - and the kids loved her cookies.
Her husband was in the Air Force and we crossed paths over the years as we traveled between duty stations. We never lost touch. We were stationed in Michigan at the same time - we were in Detroit area and they were in the Upper Peninsula. We were both stationed in Louisiana - Roger in New Orleans and they were in Shreveport. Both times at opposite ends of the state. When we retired we moved to Sparks, Nevada. When they retired they moved to Minden, Nevada - 40 miles away.
Glenda has had a long history of bouts of different types of cancer and each time she went into remission. Then she had a heart transplant because all the chemo destroyed her heart. She has fought ill health for many years but her faith and her enthusiasm for life kept her going. I spoke with her a few weeks ago and she said she was tired - very tired and was no longer going to seek medical treatment. She was at home with her husband and son. Today her body gave out. She's gone now, but will never be forgotten. It is truly a sad day.
Her husband was in the Air Force and we crossed paths over the years as we traveled between duty stations. We never lost touch. We were stationed in Michigan at the same time - we were in Detroit area and they were in the Upper Peninsula. We were both stationed in Louisiana - Roger in New Orleans and they were in Shreveport. Both times at opposite ends of the state. When we retired we moved to Sparks, Nevada. When they retired they moved to Minden, Nevada - 40 miles away.
Glenda has had a long history of bouts of different types of cancer and each time she went into remission. Then she had a heart transplant because all the chemo destroyed her heart. She has fought ill health for many years but her faith and her enthusiasm for life kept her going. I spoke with her a few weeks ago and she said she was tired - very tired and was no longer going to seek medical treatment. She was at home with her husband and son. Today her body gave out. She's gone now, but will never be forgotten. It is truly a sad day.
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