Sunday, December 18, 2022

A Bit of Christmas Shopping, Puzzling, Crocheting

 Park Place RV Park

Since it was Sunday (Dec. 18th), I decided to pull the sirloin tip roast out of the freezer for supper. The day wasn’t as cool from beginning to end and the absence of wind had a lot to do with that. Although, it started out cloudy and remained so until about 1:30 when the sun broke through and showed the clouds who was boss. 😊

The sky started out this way
this morning


The sun was fighting to get through

Gibbs and I walked, Bill left for the field and I walked around the block. I didn’t meet my goal this morning, nor wasn’t too convinced that I’d meet it in the afternoon either. 

Gibbs noticed these doves before I did


I  guess it's the sitting sign post

However, I did surprise myself by reaching my 6,000 steps by 5 pm. The nicest surprise was when I was walking back from the morning walk with Gibbs and we met up with Susan, (Host) and Adele (Pool player).

There are a few cacti in the park areas
This staghorn cholla is loaded with flowers

They are so interesting

They told me they want to play Ladies’ Poker Pool another day as well. One day isn’t enough. 😊 Well, that made me feel pretty good so we agreed to pick another morning. Probably Monday, just not tomorrow since we have deliveries arriving throughout the day. We can start the 2 days per week after Christmas, provided Patty (Manager) approves the change. Yay!

Still a lot of grapefruit on the tree

More oranges than I can eat

These tangelos are unreachable though

After we all returned home from our morning walks and flights, we had lunch and Bill and I drove into town. Let’s get the gifts for the party exchange and a couple of things for our own Christmas exchange. It’s never big $$’s, just things we both want. Even if it isn’t a surprise, we’ll put them under the tree until Christmas day. Everyone has their own way of handling the special day.

And one can only have so many lemons in the freezer

Back home, I went to the clubhouse and between working on the puzzle and chatting with Carol Ann, an rc flyer, whom I’ve recently met, two hours flew by. Back home, I finished with the last ball of variegated coloured wool while Bill and I had a cup of tea. I have one ball of solid colour left that should complete the Afghan. 😉 It’s just for us so any noticeable mistakes won’t be a problem.

It's a tough puzzle but I got the holes filled in
across the fence at least

I put the roast in Madame IP around 4:45 and then took Gibbs for a short walk around the park. The sky was still clear and the temperature was slowly dropping off. Another cool night but we’re warming up gradually to the mid-60’s this week. That’s 15C and up for our friends back home. The return of sunny days will make it more typical of Arizona weather for sure.

The roast was absolutely perfect! It cooked for 45 minutes and was on natural release for another 15. The potatoes, carrots and onions were done maybe a tad too much but I’d rather that than not cooked enough. The gravy I made on sauté was also quite perfect, if I do say so myself. 😊 We cleaned up the dishes and sat for the evening together watching a movie.

Supper was quite tasty
A special meal for Sunday night

This has been a nice day all around. The weather is improving, we have pretty much got our Christmas shopping done and we’re just a few days away. I guess you could say ‘7 more sleeps’.

A memory of our first Christmas in the south
Wow!
Aah sweet Clemson
We'll need to get a new picture this year with Gibbs 💗
Good night

Thank you for popping by. I hope you have also had a great day.

10 comments:

  1. There is something wonderful about freshly picked grapefruit and oranges.

    Deb

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  2. Wow .. I'd have a counter full of fresh fruit. Those trees are producing like crazy! As for yarn, I have several bags you might want to look through. It's free of course and I've been looking to dump it ... I mean offer it to a special friend!! Hahaha. I must say you certainly have a knack for puzzles and I'm bringing three of them with me.

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    1. I wish Bill ate the oranges, i would bring more home.
      My next afghan could be a mixture of colors if they went together. 🤔 ❤️
      The puzzles keep me out of trouble!

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  3. Happy to hear that the weather is starting to improve for you. 15C sounds lovely to me, lol.
    That flowering cactus is beautiful and scary looking at the same time. And don't you just love it when a meal turns out exactly as you'd planned? Around here, that doesn't happen as often as I'd like.

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    1. Thank you. Yes we'll be in the warmer temps at least through Christmas. We're long past needing a white Christmas although is is traditional for us Canadians. 😊

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  4. A nice white foot of new snow here. Be glad you're down there!

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    1. I hope it doesn't get much worse but it sounds like it might! We ARE very happy to be where we are.

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  5. No, one can't have too many lemons in the freezer. At least this "one" can't. What heaven. Glad things are going well.....

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