Tuesday, February 28, 2023

Tuesday’s Are Quiet, The Calm Ends as Does the Month

Park Place RV Park

On Tuesday, Feb. 28th, we spend the last day of this short month quietly.  Things are improving in the Gibbs department, as far as his ‘trauma’, so that is the great news. He wouldn’t jump off the bed at 7 for Bill to put his leash on but once it was attached, he went out and they walked with no issue. Phew!


Main Street

The Troll has left the bridge

I was up by 7:30 and walked over to the laundry room with our sheets and duvet cover. Bill was just leaving for the flying field when I returned. It was such a lovely sunny morning that I decided to hang them on the line behind the clubhouse. There was a slight breeze first thing that increased by mid-morning so I knew it wouldn’t take long for them to dry.

It never ceases to amaze me,
a bright yellow flower from the desert

One of Quartzsite's churches takes up a block

My walk this morning gave me reasons to smile

After hanging them, I dropped the basket off at home and went for a walk to the Dollar General. I needed a couple of things. Today, I walked up to the highway and along Main Street. Yay! No troll anymore – maybe it’s my sidewalk now. 😊 It was a really nice leisurely walk listening to my podcast. Todays was about mothers, losing them, so it spoke to me.

A cute homestead on a nice lot


The sheets were almost dried by 9:30 but I gave them another 30 minutes before retrieving them from the lines. Bill got home just a few minutes after me and we hit the books. He finished The Overlook quickly and I finished Long Shadows. What a puzzler that one was but it was a good mystery to the very end. We both found new books from our cupboard to read.

Great day for drying on the line

After lunch, at which I had some of the Jambalaya, Bill and Gibbs dozed and I went over to the clubhouse. We have a couple of camping items that we are hoping to leave behind when we leave so I took them to the office. I hope someone in the park is interested. 

And another one blooms
They are so beautiful!

Gibbs and I went for our afternoon walk, he’s such a happy guy when we walk and loves to get his sniffs.

Here, he is dreaming of going for a walk
so, we went 💓

When the wind returned, so did the clouds

but it was such a pretty sky

For supper, I made a full meal. Pork chops, potatoes, brussel sprouts and corn. Our dessert was the last of the yogourt cake. It was all very filling and tasted great. We have a few programs on pvr to watch but started with Wong and Winchester. This is a new one for us and it is quite cute. Already, after just a few episodes, it is the season finale.


Good night y'all!

This has been quiet but a really nice day and I actually got over 8,000 steps in for the first time in a loooonnnngggg time. Our two calm days have come to an end, as has the month of February. Tomorrow will bring rain, cool temps and more winds - again.

Thanks for popping by!

Monday, February 27, 2023

A Bright day, Gaining Confidence, Birthday Boy

Park Place RV Park

On Monday, Feb. 27th Bill was happy that it was once again calm and he was able to head to the field for more flying. We were all up at 7 and discovered that there will be confidence building required for Gibbs to go out with Daddy. He had to go out this morning but was appearing fearful of the leashes. Bill had to carry him out and then it was a stop-go-stop-go walk for most of their walk.

Rose's flowers are blooming
This is a morning picture

We need to work on it so he can get past that fear. It was lazy for me and Gibbs while sitting together after Bill left. I was washed and ready to go over to the clubhouse so just relaxed until 9:10. I played on my online games and read a chapter or two. Today, Adele and Susan were absent, as expected, but Dora, Barb, Patti and I had a great time. We were very evenly matched in our final score. 😊

This was a pretty picture
No help on this one

For lunch, I made bacon and eggs and that was tasty and filling. When Bill closed his book to have a snooze, I walked back to work on the puzzle. After a couple of hours, it was done, and I hadn’t over-strained myself. Ha ha. It’s a glorious day with a clear blue sky and although the wind did pick up this afternoon, we were very grateful for the sun’s warmth.

Gibbs found 'stuffie' on our walk
so spent the rest of the evening making sure he was
safely tucked away - many times

He thinks we can't see it
Sssh, don't spoil it

Bill finished a J.A. Jance book called Cruel Intent and I’m still working on Long Shadows. I guess I have too many hobbies on the go! 😊 Is there such a thing? No planning was required for supper as Bill suggested bacon cheeseburgers first thing. That left it simple and so when I returned, I took Gibbs for a walk. No hesitation with the leash or the steps. Funny guy. 

Here he is, all in one piece
but with a broken arm

He did find a small stuffed toy on his walk so after his business was done, turned and hi-tailed it home to bury it.


Supper was delicious, I had to comment on how thick our burger patties are compared to the ones we eat at a fast food place. We were cleaned up from the meal before 7 and watched the Finale of AGT All Stars. It’s hard to pick a favourite so we’ll just wait and see who walks off with the title. 😊 We had programs recording and a few from last night to watch later. 

A good burger again
We had some Yogourt cake for dessert

Today, is my 3rd biological grandson's birthday. He's now a teenager! Happy 13th Birthday, Nathan! We reached 64F/18C and this was a good day!

Happy Birthday Nathan
Patrick's little big man 💖

Who's the teenager? 😁
Good night!

Thank you for the visit.

 

Sunday, February 26, 2023

A Freak(y) Accident, Gorgeous Sunny Sunday, A Buddy’s Birthday ♥

Park Place RV Park

Last night, the rain arrived around 8 or so and although it stopped periodically, it seemed to last for the whole evening. We watched tv together while reading our books and had our ‘supper’ snack around 7:30. We weren’t too hungry after the big lunch so this was what we needed. Bill took Gibbs out at 10:30 for his last piddle just before we were all going to bed.

Good good morning!

When Gibbs started up on the step to come in, he began screeching as if in pain. It seemed to last a long time (longer, I’m sure, than it was) and poor Bill was grasping at him, trying to find out what was wrong. As soon as he lifted him into the Suite, Gibbs was fine although his little heart was just a-pumping. It was then that it dawned on Bill that he must have got a shock from the metal steps.

I'm okay now, Mom and Daddy

Everything was really wet and we have a string of lights running along the ground. Nothing else seemed to explain it. There was nothing else, Gibbs appeared to act normally and settled down quickly in between us for sleep. This morning, Sunday, Feb. 26th Bill first went out at 6:30 and unplugged the lights before taking Gibbs out. The little guy seemed very hesitant and wouldn’t walk far with Bill, as he usually does, and would sit, walk, sit, walk, sit. Bill carried him back inside. Aaah.

The next puzzle in the box

I got up at 7:30 and had my shower and a cup of tea with some yogourt. When my hair was dry, we were both curious to see how Gibbs would react when I took him out for our walk. Thank goodness, there was no hesitation. A scare like that sure puts our hearts, as ‘parents’, in our chests. Poor little guy. That won’t happen again! It was a lovely morning, middle 40’sF (6 or 7C) with a clear blue sky and calmer winds.

Today is our buddy, Pat’s, birthday so I made sure to get online early to wish her a fabulous day. Wish I was there to give her a hug but it will have to wait. She should have her card tomorrow or very soon at least. 😊 The day was another surprise, with the winds not too bad at all and yet, because of the forecast for the next few days, we left our gazebo in the ‘downward dog’ position. Ha ha, just in case.

Happy Birthday, Buddy
Picture taken November 2018
in Page Springs RV Park, Cornville, Az

After lunch, around 1:30 I went to start a new puzzle. It is another small 500 piece one so that also means easy. I forced myself to get up and walk away after an hour and a half, remembering my promise to myself for the benefit of my shoulder muscle. That wasn’t easy! 

This one won't take long

On the way back, Susan called me over to tell me that there may be 2 sickies not attending poker pool in the morning. I hope they are better but I totally understand. Hopefully Patti and Barb can make it.

I’m still working on using up that plain Greek yogourt that has a low fat content so this morning found another recipe to try. This one is a yogourt cake and I’ll keep you informed on that result. It looks good at least and maybe I'll add jam and whipped cream to make it better still. 

Today's sky was priceless

Gibbs and I went for a walk around 4:30 and he met 3 new friends. All his size and they seemed to want to run and play. Darn leashes!

They are very flexible

Pop, pop, pop!

I made a tea and pulled things out for supper. Just leftover Jambalaya, asparagus and corn. Time to start, we have some television programs to watch tonight. 

It was good, second time around

It's like a chiffon kind of cake
and tasted pretty good with fruit and cream

This has been a nice day, reaching the forecasted high of 57F/14C. I popped the gazebo back up, dumping the few inches of rain out of the dome. The winds don’t look bad until Wednesday again. Yay for a bit of relief on that!

While I worked on my blog and
while American Idol was recording
(no commercials that way)
we watched a PBS Elvis special  💖
Good night!

Thank you for stopping in for a visit. Your comments are welcome!

Saturday, February 25, 2023

An Impulse Plan, Sometimes Good, Sometimes It Doesn't Work Out

Park Place RV Park - Today, I'm including pictures of the drive

On Saturday, Feb. 25th Bill was up at 6:30 with Gibbs and stayed downstairs. We had made a bit of an impulsive plan last night mostly due to the forecast of high winds and on Saturday, not much goes on here. If anything! There was no real rush and so when Bill stretched out on the covers for a few relaxed shut-eyes at 7:15, I just remained quiet.

The terrain and landscaping here
is as up and down as the weather this winter 
But I love it!

Driving through the mountains
Such a variety of colours

Once we held hands, Gibbs was in the middle like a dirty shirt. He never gets any attention, you know. 😊 Poor little guy is deprived of love. We each had some cereal, mine was the last of my steel cut oatmeal, and then after our hot drink, all 3 of us hopped into Black Beauty. Day trip! Because there was to be both wind AND rain today (originally) we debated leaving at all but the rain has been delayed until 5 or later.

The sky was also evver-changing
Clouds moving to create different formations
and temperature changes

The gazebo can’t be left in either position with both elements, but as it was, we just popped the roof down. I informed Patti we were going to Lake Havasu City to do some shopping and to surprise pop in on some friends and I’m sure if it rained before we returned, they’d keep an eye on it for us. It was a beautiful morning, Gibbs and I managed to get out for our walk before we left at 9 and the sky was mostly sunny.

Just a few pics of what I saw
in Lake Havasu worth a photo

First stop, the hobby store for Bill. He found some of what he was looking for and then we drove to the Hospice of Havasu Resale Store on London Bridge Road. I was looking for only a couple of things and found 1 of them, which is pretty good. Bill needs a pair of blue jeans patched for work and I have no jean material here. I found a small piece that will do the trick for .50¢. 😊

Driving along London Bridge Road
The lake was a gorgeous deep teal colour

I also found a couple of bras that HAVE to be more comfortable than some of mine and if not, the $$ spent was minor. Then I went off the rails and picked up something totally impractical but just so darn cool that I had to have it and will fill it with something! From there, we went to Walmart only because I needed a card and some flowers for Rose. Today is her birthday and who doesn’t love fresh irises?


My off the rails purchase
I love it!

We were hungry and it was noon so we swung by the old standby (it was so close), McDonald’s. We took turns going in for our meal and ended up each getting a Big Mac combo. He’s never sure what I want until I weigh things out on the order boards so this was just easiest. My mind had been focused on a salad at another take out place but when this was so close, I couldn’t say no. So, it was good and all that but we were both very full, me more than I needed to be. Bad girl!

From Lake Havasu City to Parker,
such a beautiful drive

Then we drove to Rose and George’s only to learn by messaging them, that they’d left earlier for Las Vegas for a few days. What a great way to celebrate a birthday but we were sorry to have missed them. Bill slipped her card in between the doors and I thanked him for the flowers. 😊 They wouldn’t survive. On the way home, Bill pulled over so I could take pictures of some of the purple and white flowers along the highway. They’re so pretty against the desert brown.

Still coming close to Parker

We stopped in Parker where I ran into Walmart for the groceries on our list, plus a few extras and came out with 5 bags under $100. No meat this time but we’re good again for another couple of weeks. We arrived home safely by 3 and rested for the rest of the day/evening. No supper required, other than perhaps a snack later.

I asked Bill to stop so I could capture
this unusual sighting in the desert
Stunning!

After downloading the pics, I played with colours
on my Google photos

I even had a ‘pocket dial’ video call with 3 of my sisters while we were driving and a nice long text chat with our buddies back home. The rain hadn’t started yet although our tent is hugging the ground in preparation. 

Our good little traveler
Looks like he wanted to see the scenery behind us 😆
Then satisfied, he went to sleep 💓

It was still a really good day been though we missed out on seeing the Goodons'.

Happy Birthday, Rose!
I will enjoy your flowers for you!
Good night y'all.

Thanks for the pop-in!

Friday, February 24, 2023

A Surprising Day, More Corking, New Recipe

Park Place RV Park

On Friday, Feb. 24th we were surprised right from the get-go that it wasn’t windy. It was a cool 43F/6C again but the sun was making it’s appearance in between the layers of clouds. The day looked hopeful. Bill was up and went off to the flying field. Luckily, he had charged his plane battery yesterday so was prepared. I had nothing to do this morning other than take Gibbs for his walk.

And it's another beauty of a morning

Shadows give the mountains an ominous
but pretty appearance

The last exercise class was this morning at 8 but I’m not pushing my luck and I really wasn’t keen anyway. It was okay for the 3 classes I attended but it isn’t my thing. I know I mentioned previously about the trouble with my trapezius muscle and I was hoping a class atmosphere and education would help. Maybe if I’d kept at it but I’ve been stumped why it is bothering me.

I took a selfie of Gibbs sitting with Momma
His head is on my arm
Because it's a selfie, it's backwards

This one is a regular picture
so a different view
But the 'possession' is the same
My Momma 💕

From not being at the puzzle since Sunday afternoon, by Wednesday of this week I’ve noticed an improvement. Hah! Maybe you’ve been thinking that all along and I have wondered. Hating to give up puzzling altogether, I’ve decided to make use of the other crafts that I’ve brought with me. So, today, I continued with the corking and didn’t go to the clubhouse at all. 😉 A couple of hours here and there will have to satisfy me.

I'm sad that it is all gone
but it was great while it lasted

Bill had a great morning flying and when he returned home, Gibbs and I were in the gazebo together. Still no winds to speak of and the sun was making even more appearances. It warmed to 63F/17C by mid afternoon and it was lovely. After lunch, at which I had the last of my pizza, we sat inside for a while and then I went back out to the gazebo. Bill kept Gibbs inside so I could work on the hobby without a pooch on my lap.

I needed two chairs, as you can see,
so no room for a little puppy
It was lovely out there

The lot across from Arco has not
been this empty since we arrived in December

We took a nice long walk around the park, Gibbs and I, at 4:30 and then at 5 I ‘created’ supper. Madame IP made us Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya. It’s the first time I’ve made it and the first time we’ve ever had it. It was delicious! I’ll do it again for sure and it’s nice to have leftovers for another night. I blended up some homemade whipped cream to top off the Yogourt Jello and we finished that off.

Credit needs to go to Dave for the idea of this meal
The other day, he told me he made Jambalaya,
and when I needed an different meal for sausage,
I remembered what he said.

After loading the dishwasher, with nothing good on tv, we turned America’s Funniest Videos, Animal Edition on for some laughs. 😊 The animal ones are hilarious, they are so smart! NCIS reruns kept us entertained for part of our evening. Aah Gibbs. This has been a really nice day and it was far nicer than we were expecting. Tomorrow, I think we’ll be a whole different story. Rain on the way, again.

Dessert
I was happy to find one recipe to use the yogourt
but I'll search for another one soon.
Great day and good night!

Thank you for stopping in.