There’s a Change a’ comin’, Heavenly Birthday

Park Place RV Park

Today, Friday, Jan. 12^th it was a c-c-cold start to the day. The last one for a long time. 😊 There are changes coming to our weather patterns here and we will finally be seeing the temperatures we came down for. Overnight and first thing this morning it was 32F/0C. Gibbs wore his coat and I bundled up, even wearing one of my homemade scarves!

A lovely morning for an extended walk

BUT! The sun was shining and incredibly warm already at 8:30 when we headed out. Bill had left for the field a few minutes before us, dressed appropriately in layers. By the time we got back home, 15 minutes later, I knew I had to go back out and enjoy this morning. I don’t walk long, hard or fast, but I do enjoy the steady pace, the fresh air and scenery. When I returned, it was 42F/5C and my coat was undone. 😊

The Women's Rubber Tramp Rendevous(RTR)started
yesterday at the Quartzsite Town Park.
Women (solo) only Jan. 11 - 13
RTR - Jan. 14 - 19
This is a unique gathering for those travelers who find their home on the road.

I made a coffee and walked over to the clubhouse to work on the puzzle. It was done by 11:30 so Patti and I took our pictures of it and I left it for Bill to see when he got home. Since he gifted it to me, I wanted him to see the real thing, not just a picture. It’s beautiful and if I had a wall for it, I would save it. However, with this lifestyle, that won’t be happening – anytime soon, I hope. ♥ I’m in no hurry for it to stop.

I worked on and finished the puzzle
this morning.
It was very unique with curved and odd shaped pieces.

We had lunch together, today, I made myself a veggie quesadilla with bacon added in. Yum, I do enjoy them. Bill and Keith had planned to return to the field this afternoon since the wind was down and it would be a great afternoon to spend flying their planes. I had no puzzle to work on so thought I might attack a project with the bulky yarn I bought at the yard sale.

Gibbs sleeps behind me while I sort
out the yarn mess.
Two hours later!

I had offered the lady (at the sale) $1 for the bag marked $2. In it was one loosely bound ball of blended blue wool and 2 plain blue, loosely bound balls. She ummed and ahhed, telling me it was worth $2 and I pushed with “so, the answer is no?” Whether it is worth the price she was asking is beside the point. I knew what I wanted to pay. She said “yes”.

Gibbs and I enjoyed the afternoon walk too

In one way, I had buyers regret, what’s an extra $1 to me? Today, after spending 2 hours unravelling and rewinding them, I’m happy I didn’t pay more! I’m a wheeler-dealer, cheapskate when it comes to yard sales and am always prepared to walk away OR to increase my offer when necessary. Anyway, the balls are now rebound and I’ll eventually see what I can do with them. 😉

He 'waits' while I take my pictures
Bless his little heart. ♥

Bill was home by 3:30 and went to get propane and water before puttering outside. I started on the crochet kit that I bought last winter at Hobby Lobby rather than one of the new downloads for amigurumis. I’d made the cow for Krystal’s shower, essentially for Baby Alexander.♥ Once I get warmed up, and get it finished, I’ll work on something else.

Bill and I took pictures of the sky tonight.
Red sky at night...............our delight!
this is looking east.

At 5, Gibbs and I did our walk and I noticed the clouds that had moved in, to the west, especially. Bill grilled pork chops, I fried potatoes and cooked vegetables for our supper. That was in between the two of us snapping pictures of the impending sunset.

and the west sky after the sun drops
behind the mountains

The after effect is bound to be gorgeous when clouds are involved. Should I feel guilty, running out in my t-shirt, taking pictures of such glory when back home, they are getting a snow storm? Well, not guilty but sad for them, especially when they lose hydro/electric power because of it. 

Kapow! Gorgeous!

Our weather reached a mild 59F/15C under calm sunny skies. Tonight, we’ll drop to 37F/2.7C, and then we’re on the rise for the days, weeks and months to come. Finally! 😊 We cleaned up after dishes and did our thing. Blog, tv, crocheting, whatever came to mind. This has been a nice quiet day.

A nice meal. Just the right amount of
pork chop (not my fav) for me.  Bill got the big one.

Today, would have been my ‘older’ brother’s 71^st birthday. I say older because when he passed at 58, I suddenly became his older sister. ☹ Happy Heavenly Birthday, Bruce. You are missed dearly by family and friends.

I love this picture of you, Bruce.
You were smiling at ME 💖

Good night y'all!

Thank you for the visit. Your comments are always appreciated.

Yay! I Did it Again! Self-Praise, Birthday Blessing for Bruce

Paisley, On

Bill’s alarm went off at 5:45 on Tuesday, Jan. 12^th. He was washed, dressed, had eaten and was in the bathroom brushing his teeth when his phone went off. Word from the boss that the roads were not great, suggesting they wait an hour before heading out to work. Good to know. Bill finished getting ready and then reset his alarm for 7:20 and laid down beside me. He soon dropped off again, which was good.

I walked to the edge of town and you can
see how misty it is beyond main street

He left at 7:30 and I slowly made my way up around 7:45 to greet my day. I didn’t know what it would bring BUT I had it in my head to get out for a walk first thing again, before my tea. “I can do it”, I told myself and followed through. Yay! There was a light misty drizzle but I was prepared, well dressed and with my ice grippers on my boots. I always wear my scarf mainly for the protection from wind on my chin. I pull it up to soften the zippered flaps of my coat. 😊

There was a breeze as you can see by the flag
but I only felt it on my face as i walked into it
The temperature was 'feels like -5C/23F

It was a nice walk for 2 miles and I only met one other person out there walking her dog. When I got back, Susan was in the front room so I hoped my ‘it’s me, Susan!’ didn’t disturb her. Wes was called in to work today again so the house was quiet. I made my tea and carried it upstairs. I read a few blogs but I did take a few minutes to give myself a pat on the back, (well, mentally only), for getting that walk done early. As it turned out later, I would have got wet.

The roads were icy but I was prepared for that!

A commenter agrees that going out early when it is cold is the way to go. Then if I do nothing strenuous for the remainder of the day, I’ve accomplished something! I texted my sister briefly, as is a morning ritual for us, and around 10 went down for a coffee and made myself some breakfast. I fried a sunny-side up egg and remembered that I had some sardines in the cupboard. I added some to my plate. I have GOT to start getting back on track with my eating, I feel blimpy.

Yup, these Avon boot grippers which were under $10 when I
bought them at least 8 years ago are g-g-r-r-e-a-t!😀

I needed to adjust the right one, I didn't
get it on properly before I left the house

That gave me the incentive to look at my recipes in Word. I’d saved them for a reason and although not all are keto, that would be going overboard, I found a few good ones that will satisfy some of my cravings and please Bill as well. I printed a few off in the hopes that I had the ingredients needed to make them and we’d have good healthy snacks to munch on. There are Christmas chocolates still lingering but we’re being very regulated on what we consume. No! I'm not going to give them or throw them away. LOL

The Saugeen from the park

Looking to the west

and to the east, it was fairly calm

Finding these recipes meant making a revised grocery list of sorts. Surprisingly, once I have eggs, most of what I need is in our cupboards downstairs. 😊 Tomorrow, on my way home from work, I will stop and pick up those things. I went down with printed copies in hand and made 2 keto ‘no bake’ cookie recipes and while they were in the freezer, made a decent sized batch of Cheryl’s No Bake Macaroons. The only thing that is non-keto is the oatmeal.

Snowmobile and boot trails indicate a lot
of winter enthusiasts

Then I went for the short walk to the post office and got the mail. Nothing exciting, darn! Still waiting for 2 pkgs by parcel post and our new US debit and visa cards. The delays are frustrating but we are trying to be patient. When I got back, I came upstairs to read a bit and then started watching the long, drawn out announcement from our Premier Ford. It was using my data on my phone so after hearing the basics, I clicked off.

At one of the campsites, lo and behold,
I saw a 'spring' chicken!

I didn’t need to hear the same thing over and over. Our radio station news had his main blurb (in less than 5 minutes) about a new state of emergency beginning at 12:01 on Thursday, Jan. 14^th. The stay at home order that was issued last March is being repeated with a few additional reminders of essential businesses and new (?) store closures for pickup and take outs. Anyway, it isn’t anything we can change and doesn’t affect my day to day so I won't fret about it. Bill may find out otherwise tomorrow.

and a reminder of a warning
Don't eat yellow snow!

By the sounds of the forecast, there is freezing rain all around us. It doesn’t look like it is here, in the small town of Paisley. 😊 It was a couple of minutes after 5 when Bill texted that he was on his way from Billy’s. I unlocked the door and stayed in the kitchen to wait for him. It gave me the opportunity to put the cookies in containers. No point in tempting him before supper! He reported nothing to worry about on the road home. We came upstairs for half hour before heading down to start supper.

Mixing up Cheryl's No Bake cookies (w/peanut butter)

I also made a small batch of chocolate and almond keto cookies
to see if we liked them
We do!

Tonight ‘s meal was simple. I warmed up the pasta dish for me and the potatoes and roast beef w/gravy for Bill. For dessert we had the creamy Jell-o which set really well this time plus some of the newly ‘not’-baked cookies. I got his approval on all 3 varieties. Thanks, Cheryl for your contribution! I remember the Happy Hour in Pilot Knob RV Resort where you shared them for the first time. 😊 We cleared the dishes and I returned to our room.

Cleaning up the sausage casserole

And sharing some creamy Jell-o for dessert

At 7:30, I slipped next door to watch Jeopardy. Ken Jennings was quite impressive so will continue to watch when possible. While in there, I got word from my sister that my Uncle Jerry's wife, Aunt Grace, passed away. 😢 That is sad but she was ailing for quite a few years, worsening as of late, and now at peace. The evening will be quiet, NCIS doesn’t start new for the season until next Tuesday. We read our books and relaxed for the night, at least for as long as we could stay awake!

One of my favourite pictures of Bruce
in 2009

My brother, Bruce, if he were still with us, would turn 68 today. Hard to believe that he has been in heaven 9 1/2 years. Celebrate well, Bruce, you don't want to know what you're missing down here. 

Today's memory is a special one
Jan. 12, 2018
the Richard's family has Happy Hour
at Quartzsite, AZ
How sweet it is!

Good night y'all!

Thank you for your visit today. Your comments are always appreciated.

Sunny Sunday, Birthday Wish for Bruce in Heaven, Rock Painting, Night Flyers

Pilot Knob RV Resort, Winterhaven, CA

Sunday, Jan. 12^th arrives and it reminds me that today would be my older brother’s birthday. If he were here. Bruce would be 67 today so I wanted to remember to send a huge hug up to him in heaven. He is missed. He never saw age 59.

Happy Birthday, big brother!

Bill and I were up at the usual time for us, before 7 and since I was up first and knew we wouldn’t walk for an hour, I sat and read with my tea. My book is hard to put down except when it falls out of my hands at night as I drop off. Last night we watched Hallmark movies, one of which I enjoyed (mostly), the second, needless to say, put me to sleep. I went to bed around 10 before it was over.

To the west this morning, the Wolf moon is no longer ruling the sky

the sun came up over the mountain to the east

We walked our route this morning, the perimeter inside the park. The temperature was 48F, then 47, then 46 when we left. Wrong way, Jose! (Hosay) The nice thing is that the winds were almost non-existent making it pleasant. Back at the Suite, I sat and played my Scrabble games with Bill and 3 of my sisters. I seldom win but with the exception of one, I at least feel like I have a fighting chance. I enjoy the online game but would much prefer the manual version.

Yesterday, we saw Loyal trimming this tree
It's all dressed up now
And I'm loving this picture!!

Yesterday, I woke up with shingles on the back of my leg again. It seems to have no rhyme or reason when or why they appear. I just know it is in an uncomfortable location for sitting so I apply the cream and put up with the worst day relatively quietly. I take the pills 2x a day only when I have the warning and/or during the breakout which lasts for about 4 days. Then the mark disappears after a couple of weeks. I just had a bout around New Years.

This truck and 5th wheel came in yesterday
Look how the atv fit right behind the cab

I wonder if the stories I read are a contributor? Let’s face it, I’m not stressed about anything, really, nor overly excited. Oh well, this too shall pass. In February when we are back here, our first Los Algodones trip will involve a few more bottles. Thankfully, there is no limit. 

Working on the tube

Working on his plane lighting

 Bill went outside as I started my post to work on my bike tire. He tested the tube and eventually found, doing the water in the sink test, that there was a hole. Darn! I don’t get how that happens, enclosed in a rubber tire.

Bill wanted to add more lights to the belly of his Timber
for better night viewing

Needless to say, we don’t have a patch kit but will pick one up either at H.F., the market or most likely Quartzsite. Yesterday, I suggested that he pack my bike away since I can’t ride it anymore before we leave anyway. I was surprised and pleased that he took the time to see what the problem was. Then he went outside and worked on his plane batteries and lights. He has no problem finding things to do to keep himself busy.

Keith helping Bill with the bike tube

 Around 10:30, I started breakfast. Thick bacon and scrambled eggs. We are enjoying the different pork, more substance, more fat, both good things in our book. Keith came around for a visit and they got talking about my bike tube. Next thing, he is off on his bike again and then returned with a bike repair kit. He’d thought he had one but couldn’t put his hands on it the other day. Today, he found it!

They were able to patch the teeny tiny hole
Bill also found a goat head in the tire
and that could have been the cause of the hole

The two of them worked away outside on my tire and before long the little bike was standing on both full wheels again. Thanks guys! That’s awesome! It was such a nice day that I decided to get my paints and rocks out. I moved the bbq table over to the sun and set things up. First, I popped over to see Jo-Anne and we shook our heads over the miscommunication of yesterday’s texts. LOL somehow, her messages weren’t coming to me and visa versa.

It turned into a gorgeous day so I took
a second walk

I also asked to see pictures of their new grandson. Not my news but I can say that Mom and babe are both healthy and returning home today, I think. Yay! Bill took my bike for a ride up to the office to check on their delivery times for FedEx. We were expecting a parcel yesterday and got a weird note about the office being closed. Turns out, FedEx doesn’t even deliver to the area on the weekend. Well, why didn’t they say that? No worries, we’ll get it tomorrow or Tuesday.

I set up my paints in the sun
Our lawn chairs are so low that I needed an extra cushion
to sit on

So, I painted and completed 2 rocks. Nothing special, my mind was kind of a blank. I started 2 more before answering my Fitbit and taking it for a walk around 2. I stopped at the puzzle room and put a few pieces in a new puzzle up there. They are large pieces but still interesting. Back home, I started packing things up so we could join Bob and Jo for Happy Hour at their place today. The temperature is a marvelous 66F and with no wind to speak of, it feels like 77F. Lovely!

It was just the 4 of us plus Higgy today but it was a very nice visit. We talked about their drive yesterday to San Diego and then Julian for pie. We talked about rv’s, health issues and Quartzsite and just basically enjoyed each other’s company. It has been a while since the 4 of us just sat down together. At a few minutes after 5 we said goodbye and came home. Bill helped me move the table with my paints over closer to the Suite as I will finish the last two tomorrow.

This was a yummy supper and very little carbs

For supper, I cooked a spaghetti squash for my noodles and about 10 pasta noodles for Bill. I warmed the sauce and meatloaf and it was a great supper. There is always more sauce than needed when you have meatballs instead of ground beef but I’ll use the sauce for another meal. Bill chatted back and forth with Keith during supper as they wanted to meet over the fence and do some night flying. Ken and Dave, you would have loved this.

Bill's Timber

He went after dishes, just after the sun went down and by the time I dished up some Jell-o, they were up, up and away! I grabbed my jacket, camera and phone and dashed out. The horizon’s sky was beautiful. I didn’t want to startle them by coming up behind them, especially Oreo, who was being the perfect lady, waiting for Keith as he flew. Keith has a sail plane so both planes were a little different but equally fun to watch.

I had a great sky to capture the two planes

Keith's sail plane on the left, Bill's Timber on the right

Keith's plane
I'm lovin' the silhouette so gearing up to show you my favourite two pictures

On my walk over, a few rv’ers were walking over to the fence or looking out their windows. Lots of keen interest. I took a few pictures and a video but naturally there are a few favourites out of the group. It was hard to keep steady and focused on the buzzing objects in the sky. There were some bugs flying around, not sure if they were biters or not but I headed back. When I saw a car with headlights driving slowly in their direction I slowed and walked back to meet Bill.

Bill's plane lands safely

Bill getting ready for another flight

This turned out better than I thought it would

 Nothing happened, there was no contact and the car drove off but we just hope there is no problem. It is blm land and they aren’t flying near anyone. Back home, I sat to finish my post and offered Bill the last of the Jell-o. Bill was happy with the pictures so I downloaded them and put the good ones on a usb stick for him. This has been a fun day. Has yours been a fun one too?

Today's best picture
Good night from this land of great sunsets

Thank you for stopping in.