Monday, February 28, 2022

Flying, Walking, Puzzling

Park Place RV Resort

On Monday, Feb. 28th we opened a new week and ended a short month. Gibbs and I went for our walk at 7:30 and when we returned, Bill was getting ready to go to the flying field. I was happy that he was getting back into the swing of things again. He was too! 


It was a warmer start, 44F/6.6C, and a great time to walk. There were a few wispy clouds and a bit of a breeze and a forecast of 77F/25C.


Being a dog owner,
I got a kick out of this sign at the neighbouring park

I peeked through the gate when I saw this SS Nova
parked beside a Mustang *sigh*

Bill left around 8:30 after disconnecting our electric and I sat with Gibbs to finish my tea and my blog from yesterday. I played the lazy card last night and didn’t feel like finishing it. I chose to spend the time with my guys. 😊 

Gibbs was very patient sitting behind me

So, with the post published and a couple of games played (Wordle and Wordle2 as well as a laughingly funny attempt at WorLdle) on my phone, I left Gibbs and walked to the flying field.

I walked past Celia's Garden

to the field

I noticed the wind had picked up as it usually does late morning so wasn’t surprised to see Bill was done flying. It was fun though to walk up behind him as he stood talking to his friends and slipping my arms around his waist. Hmmm, does it say something that he didn’t jump in alarm? 😊 I’m glad not to have frightened him but why was it natural for someone to do that? Ha ha, I did surprise him, pleasantly from the look on his face.

I snuck up behind my sweetie
(he's the sexy one in black) 💗

One flyer had his plane up so I watched for a while and declined Bill’s offer of a ride home. I walked across the field in the area of Celia’s Garden and then out to the bike path along the road. I didn’t have my picture id with me but stopped in at the Quartzsite library for a peek. First time is always a charm and although no library ever disappoints me, this is a beauty. It’s very modern and I do prefer the old ones with creaky floors but I was impressed. I’ll register when I bring my wallet.

Another one bites the dust 😢

It's a very modern library
but it'll do! 😃

I walked home and felt quite hot and tired when I walked into the Suite. Bill had been home for about 15 minutes already, leaving the field soon after I left. We had some lunch together and I walked to the clubhouse to pack up my puzzle and start a new one. Pokeno was being played at the tables in the dining area and after an hour and a half of listening to that, I was ready to come home. Sorry but Myla’s monotone voice (which is fine if you’re playing) got to me. 😊

My next challenge
Woohoo!

This one is only 550 pieces
so I should be able to zip through it quickly

I sat outside for a while, reading, and then Bill and Gibbs joined me. We have been talking a lot about our plans for the homeward bound trip as well as next winter. With certain knowledge of what we’d like to do, there are things that we bring along that could easily be left at home. Cleaning out spaces and cupboards is always a good thing as it eliminates weight at the same time. It will be an ongoing conversation until we leave in the fall again.

this was before the zoomies hit him

I took Gibbs to the dog park but we didn't stay long. He doesn't seem to do anything but sniff. For supper, Bill grilled sausages and inside I put together a salad and boiled some potatoes. It all tasted great and we finished it off with the last of our cherry pie. 

Supper was good

My piece was too big but I ate it anyway. LOL It was the last sweet thing I’ll have for a while! Funny thing though, in the 3rd last bite, I found a cherry pit. I asked Bill if that means something romantic like “does this mean our love is forever?” but I got an unexpected response. 😊 Wrong answer!


Our sweet fix for the week
I added cream to each piece

After loading the dishes, Gibbs crashed on the floor by the door, we turned the new episode (w/o LJ Gibbs) of NCIS on and watched it while I worked on my post. This was a beautiful ‘winter’ day for the last month of February. Down here, we know how March is going to come in and it won’t be a lion. I hope those of you back home can say the same.

There must be a myth when one
finds one cherry pit out of a can?
good night!

Thank you for stopping in.

Shopping in Parker, Beautiful Puzzle! Birthday Wishes

Park Place RV Resort

On Sunday, Feb. 27th we had planned a shopping trip in Parker so after Gibbs and I went for our walk, we all settled in with our morning drinks. Bill is feeling better bit by bit so although he wasn’t up to going flying yet, he was gung-ho for a drive. 😊 We left the house around 10 and found 99% of everything on our list at Walmart. No Nutter Butters for Bill.


Gibbs says Good morning!

We hear a plane and we look to the sky

Back home, it was just a few minutes before noon hour so I fried our bacon and eggs for lunch. I’m with Shirley though, I don’t particularly enjoy putting things away after a shopping spree. 

Gibbs wanted to say hi to the Texas hound 
and visa versa 💖

Bill wanted to lay down after things were cleared away so I left my boys and walked over to finish the puzzle. It didn’t take long and I had it done, took my picture, chose my next one and walked back home. I’ll pack it up tomorrow to take home for Donna.

The drive to Parker never disappoints

When this guy poured the coals to it and passed us
Bill said something about the fuel he was eating up at that speed
Turns out, it was one of the dealer's rigs from
RV Country so yah, they have the $$$ 😂


Bill and Gibbs were both sleeping when I walked in unheard. That is so rare, that Gibbs doesn’t hear me come in. 😊 It’s only 2 o’clock so I figured that the afternoon would be another lazy one. That’s what Sundays are for. I sat in my chair and worked on the afghan again and made a few decisions about my crafts. Since I haven’t painted any rocks this winter, although I’ve collected a few, I won’t bother bringing the paints down next year. That will free up space under the bed.

Trying to get a picture to show the expanse of the desert
but it doesn't do it justice

The remainder of the afternoon was pretty quiet. Bill took Gibbs for his afternoon walk around the block and with those 15 minutes of quiet, I started into my book. I just wanted to get a head start with no distractions so now on Chapter 3, it has my attention and I will carry on. I made good progress on my blanket and now am working on the last 2 balls of that wool. That’s how big it will be as the wool is unique and unavailable.


After lunch, Gibbs sits on Daddy's lap
I think he just wants to see what's left on the table

For supper, I put a salad together with the lettuce, cucumber, green onion, pepper, shredded cheese and tomato that we had in the fridge. It isn’t as easy as opening a store bought salad but it was much heartier. I baked breaded coconut shrimp in the oven and with orange marmalade sauce that was delicious! There’s not enough in the package for two appropriate meals so we pigged out and ate them all in one sitting. 😊

Tadah!
No missing pieces!

We watched tv together, there were a few recorded programs plus we watched American Idol. We do enjoy the antics of the 3 judges, Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Luke Bryant. I felt so tired that at 9:30 Gibbs and I were in bed. I knew Bill would take him out before he came up and I also knew I wouldn’t hear them. This was a good day. I’ve got my hubby back! Thank you for all your kind well wishes for his ‘recovery’, they worked!

We'll buy this shrimp more often,
it was wonderful!

The start of what was probably a lovely sky
after the sun set but I was too lazy to get up and go look

My youngest biological grandson, Nathan, turned 12 today so a big birthday wish to that young man. He's growing so fast and smart as a whip. Happy Birthday, Nate! 💓

Nate, his Mom and his new pet,
of which I've forgotten his name.
Happy Birthday!

Good night y'all!

Thank you for your visit.

Saturday, February 26, 2022

Getting Back to Normal, Waiting for the Warmup, 3 Square Meals + Dessert

Park Place RV Resort

On Saturday, Feb. 26th we were up at 7:45 and Gibbs had to bundle up for our morning walk again. It was up a bit from yesterday but still only 41F/5C. Walking in the sun makes you easily forget those temperature readings on the thermometer, it is so warm. It’s only when you’re in the shade that you feel chilly. We had a good 30-minute walk around the housing complex.

Walking on the back side of the Senior Apartments


We had our breakfast together and mine was the homemade ‘oatmeal’ crunch cereal with cream and fruit. It was delicious! I’m happy to report that my sweetie is feeling much more like himself today. We’re thinking it was either a bit of ear infection or just plain and simple dehydration. He’s put the push on to drink more water, which he seldom does, and orange juice to keep those blood sugar levels up – but not too much. 😊

My homemade cereal turned out great

Anyway, we’re both glad that he’s on the mend and can walk around without losing his balance. I went to the clubhouse before lunch, came home and made pork and beans and went back for a couple more hours. 

The other night, I needed help untangling my yarn
Sometimes the ball is just a mess inside
Bill is great at getting the tangles out for me
Gibbs was good enough to stay out of the way

The puzzle will be done tomorrow, it is that close! I’m really enjoying it and hope the finished product results in no more than the one border piece missing. When I returned home at 3, Bill was upstairs having a ‘snooze/siesta’ and/or watching tv.

Lunch

We’d sat outside for a while before eating and although the sun was beautiful, the wind today is making it quite chilly. Hopefully tomorrow will be the warm up that we are waiting for. We won’t complain, our friends in upper Arizona and beyond are experiencing even colder weather and even some of that crappy white stuff! We’re grateful for where we are located. Bill called his daughter this morning, the one we missed getting in touch with last weekend so we are happy to know that all of the kids are doing great.

💖Happy Birthday, Pat! 💖
Picture was taken at Borrego Springs January 2019

We also made a phone call back home to our buddy, Pat, to wish her a very Happy Birthday. I’m sure she wouldn’t have been able to get through the day without the lovely off-key singing she heard from our end of the line. Happy Birthday, Buddy!  I sat with my blanket. I can’t seem to get into my book, haven’t turned past the 3rd page. No fault of the book, I just haven’t felt like reading lately. I’ll get back at it one day.

I saw this on the outside of the clubhouse wall
Isn't it pretty?


It will be done tomorrow, there aren't a lot of pieces left to go in

I was searching through our pantry to see what I had to contribute to the chili I’ll be making for the St. Patrick’s potluck and came across a walnut crust I’d bought at the food tent in January. With a cherry pie filling up there too, I made a topping crust and planned dessert for supper. We haven’t had any for quite a while. Bill loves cherry pie so I hoped he’d like it with a healthier crust. 😊 After an upset with the oatmeal – (woops!) I persevered.

I lost my grip on the oatmeal container and didn't quite
have the lid on properly
Luckily, the container landed right side up so I only lost 3 cups

At 6, we turned our power back on and I heated the leftover dressing and pork loin and cooked some broccoli. When we were eating, I baked the pie and it smelled really good. It was messy getting it out of the pan, as is usual with my creations, but that didn’t affect the taste whatsoever. Supper was good and there are still 3 pieces of pork leftover which Bill is keen on having for another night. Not me, I’ve had enough.

It was a lazy afternoon for Gibbs

We finished loading the dishwasher and sat and watched some tv. Bill had to move the satellite dish today so we could get the channels downstairs. When he adjusted the Suite level (sometimes it shifts slightly but enough to prevent the door to the bathroom from staying in position.) he thinks it blocked our signal. Him moving the dish was the ticket and we were set to go with two tv’s again. 😊 That meant vet and zoo shows for me and movies for him.

An easy supper

This was a good day; they are stacking up. Actually, it was a great day because Bill has kicked the off balance ‘thing’ he’s had for a couple of days. That is a blessing.

The cherry pie was a real treat and yummy to boot!
Good night!

Thank you for stopping around.

Friday, February 25, 2022

Tilt-a-Whirl, Lazing Around, Gibbs Steals the Lens Again

Park Place RV Resort

Bill woke up at 6 on Friday, Feb. 25th with Gibbs and took him outside. I sensed it but didn’t move much before dropping back off to sleep. Last night, we watched the new to us Toby Keith dvd until 11:30 and I just wanted to sleep in. In my mind, I thought ‘oh good, Bill’s feeling better this morning’. At 7:00, I told Gibbs to go back to sleep when he nuzzled next to my face and then at 7:30 we all woke up. I asked Bill how he felt and he informed me that the strange feeling was still there. “Not 100%” he said. Things were still a bit of a tilt-a-whirl when he walked.

No morning sky pictures today
Instead, my progress on the puzzle

I took Gibbs for our walk with our coats on; it was 34F/1C but again with full sun and no wind, it made for a pleasant morning walk. Brisk walk, brisk weather. 😉 When we returned, Bill had filled Gibbs’ food dish and was just sitting down with his coffee and cereal. I’d told him not to make the bed, that bending over on my side would not be a good experience for him, feeling the way he was. He hasn’t been sick, just an odd headache so we’re not overly concerned. Just curious.

Gibbs at the dog park today

I had my tea, testing out the ‘new’ mugs I bought. Bill tried one because the lids have the closure, which his old one doesn’t. Unfortunately, although my #1 Mom (because I liked it) mug worked fine, the lid didn’t work well and would leak. I wonder if the lids got switched in that pile of mugs? Anything is possible or that is why the previous owner got rid of it. It’s okay, I was really only looking for one and got it.

He enjoys the sniffing more than anything!

Knowing he is safe, looking around
I admired the shadows of the palm tree beside me

I left the boys in Bill’s chair and went over to work on the puzzle for an hour or so. It is entertaining, that’s for sure. Returning home before noon, Bill and Gibbs were sitting outside getting some fresh air. 😊 Mostly, he feels off balance when he moves quickly so he’s trying to move slowly. He’d had cereal earlier, no change in his appetite, so he chose a yogourt cup for lunch while I had a bowl of noodle soup. I, on the other hand, hadn’t eaten breakfast.

Waiting for Daddy to cook supper

Bill moved upstairs to stretch out and after I gave him a bit of a neck massage, went back to the puzzle. I promised Gibbs a romp at the dog park later, so will get this out of the way early. We walked to the park around 3:30 after checking on Bill. No one there for the little guy to play with again so after 20 minutes we returned home. We needed to fill our in-fridge water jug so I brought the bottle in and emptied it. Now we have 2 empty bottles so better go soon.

He sits perfectly motionless
for as long as it takes

I had a cup of tea and worked on my afghan and then took Bill up a glass of orange juice with instructions to ‘drink more water!’. 😊 Trying to play the pushy nursemaid and that got a smile and an obedient “okay, dear”. For supper, at 6, Bill grilled our bacon cheeseburgers and I got things ready inside and warmed the buns. They are so delicious! We were trying to remember where we bought them so we can do it again.

Yum!

We shared the tv’s upstairs and down, me watching some recorded programs and Bill watching his Friday night movies. We’ll get this guy back to normal soon. This was another good day, pretty laid back, the way we like them to be sometimes. I hope yours was a good one too.

Out the Suite window, the sun sets
I think it got pretty in the eastern sky but
we were in the middle of supper so I missed it
good night!

Thank you for your visit.

 

Thursday, February 24, 2022

At Least the Sun is Back! Another Thrifting Adventure

Park Place RV Resort, Quartzsite, Az

On Thursday, Feb. 24th we were all up by 7:30. The thermometer was reading 35F/1.6C so I wore a hoody under my pouf coat and Gibbs wore his wool sweater. That think little ‘no-hair’ body needed to be kept warm. His Momma told him so! 😊 We had a nice walk; the sun was glorious and there was no wind at all. We did the mid-walk again.

Nice and warm in his sweater, Gibbs
takes me for our walk

Bill had his breakfast ready and today he didn’t hesitate once he saw me taking my shoes off. We had our breakfast drinks together, played our Wordle on my phone and Bill set about doing our banking. Our Canadian Gov’t pensions went in last night so it was time to transfer some $. Our work pensions go in on the first day of the month so we pay bills back home with this one and decide what to bring into our U.S. account.

I didn't know what he was looking at but now, I see
the can
He loves cans but doesn't get to play with them

The exchange rate on the Canadian dollar wasn’t great today, hopefully it will improve but we’re not relying on that. It is what it is and we are doing just fine. I did some crocheting and then around 11, walked over to work on the puzzle for an hour before lunch. When I returned, we had toasted cheese, tomato and lettuce sandwiches. They were good and hit the spot.

Gibbs' friend was out again, they greeted and 
someone got bored and walked away

Isn't she pretty?

Bill went upstairs to watch tv and snooze, so I headed downtown once more to the Quartzsite Community Thrift Store. Thanks, Shirley for this information. When I walked in, I was floored by the amount of ‘stuff’, good and bad, crammed into this small building. It went on forever from the inside and surprisingly there were more men’s clothes than womens’. That is very unusual. I wasn’t looking for clothes.

I found the store, Shirley
Get a load of these tired saguaros

This one is for my buddy, Rob
Private joke ♥

There is so much to see and look at that you need to just take your time and see it all. I did find a couple of Toby Keith dvd’s for $2 each (great price!). One is a music dvd and the other a movie so they’ll be fun. The back room wasn’t as organized (?) or should I say more chaotic than the front part but then I stepped outside onto the stoop to the back yard. OMG! I should have taken a picture from that vantage point but I was stunned.


I found prices inside to be on the high side
especially home appliances and utensils

No organization here and yet there was a semblance of order to some degree. I was looking for a stainless-steel coffee mug to replace my old one and in one dirty grouping, there had to be 20+ in all states of condition. Not garbage but some were dirtier than others. I chose wisely, making sure the lids fit tightly and when I asked the volunteer working outside for a price, he asked $2 for the two I’d chosen. 😊 I paid him $6 and slipped out the laneway.

If you were looking specifically for anything in the
household department, I would guarantee that you'd
find one here

I was tickled pink but don’t enter the back yard if you don’t like rooting around in a less than clean environment. Honest to goodness, I’ve never seen so much ‘stuff/junk’ in one place. I hope my meagre donation helps someone out. On the way back home, I remembered that I was still looking for a greeting card for one young grandson so stopped at Family Dollar where I hit the jackpot! Bingo! I never even thought of checking it out earlier.

I'm looking forward to watching these dvd's

Back home, I went to the clubhouse for an hour. The puzzle is coming along and I’m enjoying the ‘chase’. While there, I added our names to the Potluck Supper list for St. Patrick’s Day and when I returned, made a cup of tea and started my blog post. Yes, we decided to try this potluck meal, even though we’re not keen, to step into the comradery of our fellow campers. 😊  Doing so will help us make decisions for participation (or not) for down the road.

Making progress on the puzzle

This afternoon, we received an email from a couple we met at CanAm on Nov. 7/21 for the first time. They were parked with their Airstream overnight, like we were, waiting for the land border to Port Huron, MI to open at 12:01. They didn’t leave quite as early as we did in the morning of Nov. 8th but they weren’t too far behind. It is the second time we’ve touched base since we’ve crossed and what a wonderful surprise.

To give you a perspective of 1000 pcs.
Here is a different view

When Bill got up from his snooze, he said he felt dizzy. He stretched out in his recliner with Gibbs and I went up to watch some vet programs. Bill wasn’t any better an hour later so came up to bed with us. Gibbs was so cute, he knew Daddy wasn’t feeling well so settled down in between us and watched tv with me. It wasn’t long and he’d moved up behind Bill to comfort him. Of course, it was a candid moment.

Don looked out the window and said
"Look at all the road runners!" so I grabbed my camera
He thought that's what these Gamble Quails were 😀
He learned something today but I still got my picture

Bill wasn’t 'spinning room' dizzy, more just his balance was off. I figured food would help so when he came back downstairs, I started reheating supper. We had leftover pork loin, gravy, stove top stuffing (done in the microwave), corn and asparagus. It was as good tonight as last night, well, almost. We loaded the dishwasher and turned it on for the night.

Gibbs watched Incredible Dr. Pol with me

Then he curled up behinid Daddy while still watching tv

Then he slept too
I have a similar picture of Clemson doing the same thing 💓💓
Daddy's boy

Bill was feeling better after supper so I’m glad the food has helped. We recorded some programs tonight and watched Ghosts at 7. We get a kick out of it. This was a good day with the exception of my sweeties upset. It was still cool, only reaching 59F/15C but with gorgeous sunshine all day long. It will be cold overnight again, 37F/3C, so we’ll probably turn the blue flame heater on again.

Ending the day with another delicious supper
Good night y'all!

Thank you for popping in.