At Last, Laundry Got Done – Yard Sale-ing with Rob, Valentine’s Dance

On Saturday, Feb. 9^th it was 7 when we both got up. Laundry was the plan for the day so with it already sorted, we loaded it in the truck and Bill drove me back to the clubhouse right away. I didn’t obey the rules, instead using up 3 washers instead of the recommended 2 but didn’t see the sign until later. No worries. Any questions? I used 2 and Bill used 1. 😊 After helping me load the clothes in, Bill left and I walked around the park for my morning exercise. 

Beautiful morning sunrise

At the end of my walk, I stopped at home and made a tea to take back with me while I waited. It was only 47F but a very calm day with no wind. The sky was blanketed in clouds so we may not reach our 65F today. I worked on the puzzle while waiting for the clothes to dry and texted Bill to come and help fold. Rob had been over and asked Bill if we wanted to join them as he took Pat around to find craft sales.

I said a definitive YES but strongly recommended to Bill that he stay home. He does not enjoy this type of hopping around at all and definitely is not into Yard sales so he happily agreed to stay behind and work on his model. So, between putting clothes away, Bill and I shared the task of frying bacon and eggs for breakfast and then he scooted me off while he did dishes. Play time for me!

The digital scales were like new, still in the box

Rob took his book along and became our ‘driver’. What a sweet guy! I knew it was the only way I’d be able to take advantage of this type of shopping and enjoyed it very much. We found some great deals but never made it to a Craft sale at all. Too much fun was had! Pat was also pleased with her purchases and free stuff. Back home, I showed Bill my haul for under $12.

new floppy beach hat

A free set of new Digital bathroom scales that actually appear to be very accurate, a 2^nd hand set of Radio Shack walkie talkies and most importantly, a Cancun hat! I had fun. Pat found a large box of food stuff that a nice gentleman had put out marked Free. It wasn’t that it was outdated, his wife had returned from a cruise they were on, in a sickly state and he was just emptying cupboards of things they wouldn’t eat. Bonus for us, we got a lot of different things including 10 boxes of the sugar-free, low carb Jell-o we’ve been buying recently. 

We finally told Rob that we’d had enough and returned home a couple of hours later. I told you Rob was a sweet guy! (Just don’t tell him I told you so!) Bill was happy with my finds. I had pulled chicken thighs out for supper tonight but we needed something in the meantime. I made myself a cup of java and we had a toasted tomato sandwich for a change.

While out, Rob drove to Fortuna de Oro, the nicer sister park next door. Pat came out of the Activities Centre with more information than what we’ve received here after a week. They are holding a Valentine’s Dance tonight at their beautiful Clubhouse and as ‘residents’ of Sundance, we are welcome as well for the same price. A discussion will ensue with Rob and Pat before we decide if we’ll attend. It was fun last year with Tom and Deb and the oldies music sounds appealing.

Today's sunset came and this was the first appearance of the sun all day

In the mood, I boiled water and mixed up some lime Jell-o before settling myself in my chair. I enjoy not only the idea of this no sugar, low carb dessert treat but also the yummy flavor. It is so easy to make, maybe because it is a 2-stage recipe. The Jell-o does have to set for 4 hours so you can mix the cream and cheese at any time. Next, I Googled a recipe for doing the thighs in the Instant Pot. (remember: I’m a newbie) Once that was done, I sat and relaxed with my crocheting.

When it was decided that we were all interested in the dance tonight, I hopped in the shower after taking Clemson out for a walk. Now if I can just get in that pretty red dress I bought back in November. Of course, we’re getting fancy! It’s a Valentine’s Party. I planned supper after finding an easy recipe so with fingers crossed, I prepped the chicken with a rub of paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Wish me luck!

Voila!

I sautéed in oil first to brown both sides of the thighs, scraped the bottom to loosen the brown bits with water, added the trivet and chicken, turned the valve to ‘sealing’ and set on Manual for 6 minutes. The thighs had no bone so this time was recommended. I question my next step but I hit Cancel once the cooking process clicked to Keep Warm. This turned the machine OFF. Hmm. Mixed instructions in my manual. I timed a 10-minute Natural Release and by then there was no pressure left.

First dance

The thighs were done perfectly so I did something right. I just wasn’t sure if I was to leave it on Keep Warm during the natural release. It seemed the pressure released throughout the cook process without it even being on ‘venting’ but most importantly, I did not lift the lid until the thing-a-ma-jiggy dropped down. It was a good practice run and we were able to eat the food! I made a Caesar salad on the side and that was supper tonight!

Rob and Pat kicking it up with the rest of them

Boy, we sure dress up nice! We met outside at Rob’s truck at our agreed upon time and we almost didn’t recognize each other. 😊 Rob drove to Fortuna de Oro RV Park right next door and the place was already packed at 6:45. It was a $5 entry and you could bring your own drinks if you chose, which we did. Luckily, when we walked in, they set up another table so we were able to sit together and then added 3 more tables after that. What a fantastic turn out!

And bill and I got into the swing as well

The band, ‘Old Time Rock ‘n Roll Band’ was the same as last year and these 5 guys are awesome. The familiar tunes never faltered with the exception of a couple of breaks. Where else can you go where dancers are on the floor from the first note of the night to the very last one? Us retired folk love to dance! We had a great time and enjoyed the dessert feast that was put on by the park midway through the evening. At 10:15 it was done and over with and so were most of us. A great time was had by all.

This was an early morning picture to the west

After a few minutes of ‘coming down’ from the dancing and the wine, we went to bed. It was 10:45. What a wonderful day!

Thank you for stopping in.