Snow?

There was snow and freezing rain in San Diego and Imperial Valley that closed down I8 Thursday. Which means that our new fridge, which comes from San Diego, won't be here until Monday. Home Depot called to tell me it would be delivered Monday instead of Friday. Then I read the news and found out why. There will be a lot of orders that won't come in as scheduled and some people won't be very happy. Later in the day the Highway Patrol escorted some traffic through but it was a very slow go. Watching the news last night there were a lot of smart people that just waited the storm out in a motel.

No snow here, just rain and more rain. I'm sure the "birds" aren't very happy with the weather again this year. It's so damp that the mid 50's feels much colder than that. Yesterday we had to fill a propane tank so Mark could keep filling the little jugs for the propane heater. I go through about 4 a day. That keeps the furnace from running, which costs more than the propane. And I can keep it nice and toasty in here.

Fridge

I wondered how long the noisy old fridge that was here would last. The defrost cycle was lasting too long. So long that the ice cubes were so melted that they tasted funny and were not useable. Each week it makes another strange noise too. Yesterday we were in Home Depot and found a fridge that will fit in our dedicated spot. And to top it off it's an 18.3 cu ft. The one that was here is only 14 cu. ft fridge. We had so much trouble with the small size and the dilapidated state of the shelves on the door and lack of a shelf on the inside. The new fridge will be delivered on Friday and bye bye to the old one. It will be nice to have room for fruits AND veggies, not to mention room for more than one gallon of milk. Thank you mommy. 😘

Hopefully by next winter I will have enough money saved to replace the stove. It's hard to work with just one large burner and three small ones. I've never seen a range like this before. And I don't think there is much if any insulation in it because the whole unit gets so very hot to the touch when the oven is on. I know a unit can get warm but not to the point of you don't dare touch it at all when the oven is in use. One other reason I won't use the oven in the summer.

ENT doctor visit

I’m not sure what to do next. I have a very large stone in one, the bottom, of the glands on the left side of my neck and the upper gland on the left has a small stone. There is also a tiny stone on the right side in the lower gland. He wants me to work on massaging and putting warm packs on the smaller glands to move the stone up and out. But the large stone on the left bottom gland will need to be surgically removed because it is so large.

Now the surgery is not what I want. The gland has to be taken out, and the stone removed and the gland put back in. The risks are minor, bleeding, infection which to me is normal with any surgery. But the one risk that is a possibility, not too likely, would be a nerve damaged and that side of my mouth (bottom lip) would be in a permanent smile. NOT what I want to have. So I’m not sure what to do. Maybe put up with the off and on swelling and  pain or have the surgery. He recommended the surgery, of course. He didn’t seem too pleased when I asked about scope surgery, which is what I would prefer. He doesn’t want to do surgery on the upper gland because of the risks involved. He has done both surgeries. Surgery on the bottom larger gland is pretty common and he has done many of them. He just did an upper gland surgery and didn’t look to pleased. I still have a good chance of the little stones passing through my saliva if I increase sour foods and warm packs. But the big stone will not pass due to its size.

For right now I’m thinking of putting up with the issue for as long as I can take it. After all I’ve had the problem for the last three years. Sometimes it quite painful and sometimes just a nuisance pain or discomfort. Sometimes it lasts a very short time and sometimes it can last for days, even a week.

He is not a spine guy, he said, but thought the degenerative area in my neck was arthritis. I’ll see my primary after the holidays and see what he says about it all. I will also get the pneumonia shot and check on the shingles shot as well.

That’s it in a nutshell. At least I know that it’s not cancer.  I'll pray for guidance on making a decision of what to do.

Not sure but thinking positive.

Today I got an email from MyCare that I had the results of my CTscan. So I went there to review it. After looking up every other word so I knew what it was talking about, I came to the uneducated assumption that my glands have calcium stones, similar to kidney stones. They are blocking the flow of saliva causing the swelling and as time goes it gets more painful and more stones if left untreated. Which has been three years of just antibiotics that don’t work on this. So for now I am going to say my prayers have been answered.

 My heart was racing when I saw that the report was in and that I didn’t know what the words meant. But after looking up the “big” words I think I just have stones in my glands. Or like I prefer to call it “rocks in my head”. I’ll laugh now and hope to remain laughing after I see the specialist tomorrow. I know that prayer works and sometimes the answer is not what we hope, but God is still beside us all the way. I’ll continue to pray for positive answers.

I’ll know more tomorrow after I see the ENT as to what he says and what he will do about it and when. Right now I’ve had no swelling for about a week. But that is just the way it rolls, I never know when or how bad the swelling will be at any given time.

Done

The home health nurse that came yesterday and put my mind at ease about the lumps in my glands. But until I hear from the doctor that it is not serious I'll just remain cautiously optimistic.

 Now that the Christmas baking is done I can't find my Christmas tray to set out the cookies. I may need to make a quick trip to the dollar store for a Christmas tray. I have misplaced the two that I had. I hope the store still has a couple left.

Mark has some of the floor on the back porch. He is waiting for the braces to come from Home Depot before he can finish the floor. Even half done it looks better than what was there before. And it will be a lot safer as well.

CT Scan

Today I was called in for the CT  Scan of glands just under my ears. So we hustled to get showered and out the door by noon. Ok I was already dressed hours before but Mark had to take care of his business. He seldom is dressed before brunch. LOL After all he is retired again. 😎

We got to the hospital in plenty of time and as usual were met with very friendly staff.  Everyone was so nice and really puts you at ease.  The CT technician was a younger gentleman and very nice. He was kind enough to put a pillow under my knees since laying on my back is painful. I never even felt him put in the IV for the dye. Amazing, hehehe.

After the test, my legs were like rubber so we slowly walked to the car. It was well after 2 and we were both very hungry. We ate at AppleBees and used my birthday coupon and got my meal for free. I like free. 😀 They had one dollar pomegranate  margaritas so we each had two of those with our meal. Very good food as always and the service is fabulous as well at the foothills AppleBee's.

After lunch we had to have nitro put in the low tires of the car and then off shopping. Mark picked an angel off of the Christmas tree at church and got a 5 year old boy who wanted Spiderman pajamas for Christmas. The gift will be sent as a gift from his dad who is incarcerated over Christmas.The kids shouldn't have to pay for the parents bad choices. So we feel great that we could help out a child.

Now the waiting game for my test results of the CT. I have a lot of people praying for me, as well as Mark and I, for cancer free results. I see the ENT doctor on the 20th. I imagine if there is a problem he will want to see me sooner. But prayers are strong so I hope to not see him any sooner and the test results will be good. There has to be a reason for the swelling the last three years. I know stress is causing some of the problem but there also must be an underlying issue as well.

Obviously no baking got done today. Hopefully I can get the spritz done tomorrow and frost some cookies tonight. It is a very busy week so I'll keep my mind busy for at least this week. I see

Doctor

Today I went to see my doctor for my test results from the Ultra Sound of my glands. There are three spots, two look to be fatty tissue and one is undetermined. A CTscan will be my next route. The hospital will call with that appointment. Then to an ENT doctor to go over those results. I'm praying hard that it is NOT cancer. With my white blood cell count being high, I'm scared. But I'm trying to think positive that it's an easy fix and NOT cancer. I'm not a very positive person so I'll be doing a LOT of praying.

Mark started working on the back steps. The tile is all loose. So he is taking all the tile off and putting down something from Kilz that should last as long as we are here. And we had another surprise today too....... A few weeks ago we noticed a water stain on the ceiling in the AZ room. Thinking that it was a leak that Mark will need to check out and figure out how to fix. Today I noticed another spot close to the first one. Once Mark pulled off the ceiling tile and lifted the styrofoam insulation water was dripping fast. Taking off some of the styrofoam he saw that the metal roof was all wet from condensation. Wiping up the mess and turning a fan on to dry the moisture took the rest of the day. Our nearest conclusion was that we heated this room and it had never been heated with anything but a small electric fireplace thing. And we were using a Big Daddy propane heater that we had. Well that is too much heat for in here with the type of "roof" that is on this addition. No more Big Daddy heat in here anymore. We do have a little fireplace thing that we can use if we really feel a need. But a robe and slippers should do just fine. hehehe We just aren't used to being cold anymore. Lots to learn in Yuma weather.

I need some good stiff drinks tonight!!!!!

Black Friday

I don't care for crowds let alone crowds of people going nuts over ridiculous sales. So black friday is just another Friday. Well in our home it's the day we start decorating for Christmas. Thanksgiving evening it's a tradition to put up our Christmas tree so that is done. Once all the decorations were on the ugly tree, it didn't look so bad. I just really like short needle trees much better.

Our Thanksgiving dinner turned out great in spite of only have a very very small amount of counter space. There were a few times, ok more than a few times, when I had a few choice words to say. I learned that next year we will bring in a small table to help with the lack of counter space. In fact it will be a permanent fixture during Christmas cookie baking time.

Most of day late afternoon and all evening on Thanksgiving, we had heavy rain and strong winds. The air was so cold and damp that I'm sure it ruined some of the outside plans for the snowbirds. It just kept us inside relaxing from a big meal. If we were in the rv like we were a for a few holidays, it wouldn't have been much fun, but the food would have still been good.

The rain has stopped and the sun is shining but it's still chilly outside. I've got the laundry in the dryers today, with the exception of a couple pairs of jeans of mine and a shirt. Once all the laundry is done and put away, I'll start on some Christmas decorating. I hope to NOT over do it today. There is no rush so why hurry through it all. It's no fun hurting.

There are plenty of leftovers from yesterday in the fridge but I'm thinking homemade pizza for supper. Sunday sounds like a good day for leftovers, and then the rest can go in the freezer for another time.

Our first Thanksgiving in our new home. Sadly the kitchen is smaller so I really had to be creative to get things done. On 4 feet of counter space it's not an easy task. But the turkey is stuffed and in the oven. Not only is there stuffing in the bird but wrapped in foil alongside the bird and another amount wrapped in foil to be baked beside the roaster. We love my stuffing and there has to be enough for another couple meals. Gravy is another dish that there has to be enough of. But making too much can also dilute the great turkey flavor. And I will NOT, I repeat will NOT make packaged or jarred gravy for any meal, no matter the meat. Yuck!!!! And never even a thought on Thanksgiving where everything has to be made from scratch. Well for as long as I am able to do so anyway. 

Yesterday Mark got all my Christmas totes to the porch but we can not find our Christmas tree. I’ll never find one as pretty as that one around here. :(  Then in a box I found the stuffed Santa mom gave me when she moved into her first apartment. That made me happy but cry. I had to stop looking in the totes so as not to spend all day crying. And mess up my eye make up. hehe I am having a hard time, more so now with the holidays. I didn’t spend many of them with mom the last 5 or 6 years, but I still miss her deeply with all the memories. And then phone calls because I can’t remember how I did something or just chat. We also found some old pictures of mom and dad that we had in a collage. The day was a hard one for me. And many more will come.

After running all over Yuma looking for a nice little 5 foot tree I had to settle for one from Target. It is lighted but I won’t use the lights, in fact I may cut them off completely. I don’t like lighted trees I want my own lights. I don’t like the tree itself either, but it was either that of nothing at all. I’m so sad and upset. Maybe with burying the tree in my ton of ornaments I won’t see the ugly tree. I’m so unhappy.  I have no idea what happened to our little tree. I should be thankful to have a tree at all, but am sad that it's not our pretty tree. Such is life. There are ups and downs at every turn. 

Holiday prep

Yesterday we were so happy to have made it to church. Since Mark is no longer working our weekends are free to do what we want. The service was lead by the youth group and they did a wonderful job. The time flew by.

After church we went to the Golden Corral. Where else can two seniors eat their fill and only spend $20. Food is always hot when it needs to be hot and cold when it needs to be cold. And the buffet is always full. Our tummies were full when we left too.

The bigger Walmart on Pacific Ave. is my favorite WM in Yuma. The store is always clean and neat and not many snowbirds shop there. That is probably why the store is that way. Anyway, I got all that I had on my list. I should be all set for Thanksgiving and Christmas baking. God please let our milk supply last until next week. I don't want to go into any store anymore this week.

Saturday Mark got some things done that he had to put off due to his crazy work schedule. He even got out bear fountain up front. And even though it had sat for 3 years, the pump worked. Bears may not be a Yuma thing, but we like bear things. He checked over the little back so called porch and found it to be built very very poorly. We had thought to enclosing it and using it for storage, but it's not built to hold much more than the lousy floor. Not sure where we go from there other than to tear off the unsafe porch and maybe start over. Cost is a factor too.

A busy week ahead for me with Thanksgiving prep and the usual laundry and cleaning. Yes, our dinner will be all the trimmings even for just the two of us. As long as I am capable of doing it, that is what I will do. Yummmm.

Amazing

It was a good trip to the clinic in Yuma proper, in spite of using the GPS. Marks internal GPS works so much better. We got there a bit early and I checked in right away.  Not even 10 minutes went by and I was called to go over my information. Hardly sitting down and into the room for the ultrasound I went. There was a mix up as to which gland was to be imaged for  short call to the doctor and all was solved. The tech and the receptionists were oh so nice and professional. All total I was in and out of the clinic in 40 minutes.

This morning while doing laundry the doctors office called to set up an appointment for the first week in December to go over the ultrasound results. I'm praying hard that it will be nothing serious and an relatively easy fix. Tomorrow is my first mammo here in Yuma and with any test I'm always nervous about the results.

As of last Friday, Mark is officially re retired.  So now my full time job begins. LOL He doesn't know all the things on the honey do list yet. I know he will enjoy being retired again.

I've made two really nice friends that I met on a group of Canary lovers. Sadly one lives in Texas and one in Mexico so our get togethers are by phone or computer. But it's so nice to have someone to share your interests with. None of my friends from back home correspond at all anymore. But then neither does my family, except for Lincoln, Barb and David and my dear cousin Patty.  Mom told me this would happen when she died, and she was right. But it started much sooner than that.

The weather has now turned from the mid to upper 80's to the low 70's during the day. The nights in the desert get colder in the winter, with the lows ranging from the mid 40's to upper 30's. Last year was the coldest wettest winter many could remember. And this one is supposed to be the same. Time will tell. Maybe the weather will chase the snowbirds back home early. That would be so great. I swear some of them leave their brains and manners in their home state or country. They are not good representatives of their home area.

Busy week ahead

This week I go in for an ultrasound on my glad that keeps swelling and for a mammo. For the last three plus years I've had a swelling in one of my glands every time I eat something. Sometimes it's very painful and sometimes it's just a nuisance swelling, but it's not the way it should be. I've finally got a doctor here that wants to do something about it. This will also be the first mammo since moving from Minnesota. So I'm nervous and a bit on the scared side as well.

This is also Marks last week at Walmart. He has been through hell since he moved to the  sporting section of the store. It was not just sporting goods as he was originally told. He was to work in several departments alone with little to no help. Next month Mark will turn 68 years old and it has been too much for a man his age. As hard as that is for a man to admit, he needs to leave.

Coming to an end.

After  a very stressful job placement with piss poor department management, Mark will be turning in his letter of resignation on Monday.  He had me proofread and edit before he prints it out. And true to Mark form, it is a long letter.  Much of which is defending himself to the unfair treatment which he received in the area he is working. Knowing the management at Walmart it will all land on deaf ears but at least the bad treatment is in writing. I'm sure Mark will enjoy having the time away from  working. The extra money is nice but his health and well being is much more important.

Today could be his last day at Walmart. He has off the next three days. And some places want you gone after you have turned in your notice. I do hope this is the case. Mark is so drained from all the turmoil and stress, that he needs to walk away now, not two weeks from now. WM, is as usual, very short handed and with all the snowbirds flocking in, the store is more chaotic than usual. I just want him out of that situation and to hell with a two week notice. They don't deserve one. But why burn bridges you may have to cross again. Ugh!

Nice Sunday.

A chilly morning and a week of mid and upper 80’s. At least it cools down at night and sleeps good. We used to come down here around the 14th of November and that is around the time the temp stays in the 70’s during the day and 40’s at night.

 Yesterday we were reflecting on our travels and all the work it involved. Watching the campers pull in and what the people were having to do to get settled made us glad we were now settled. It was great fun then but it seems we got too old too fast. We don’t miss the tear down and set up but really enjoyed all the rest. Well, I didn’t enjoy going through the mountains. They looked much better when we weren’t IN them.

Since we didn’t make it to church we sat and did nothing all the rest of the morning. I made a nice breakfast and Mark took Lola out. Then we went to PetSmart. Mark had it in his head that we needed another canary. Then he saw the pretty Cockateil. But after I explained to him what that would all entail “For Him” to do. He changed his mind.  And not another Canary at this point either. There is no room for another cage anywhere. Maybe someday I will have a pair to breed. But not right now. I’m still learning Carl’s needs. Come spring we will know for sure if Carl is indeed a male.  A female will lay eggs even if they aren’t fertilized. No eggs, then not a female. I hope Carl is in fact a Carl and will begin to sing soon. So far all he has is a cute little trill.

From the pet store we went to the Arizona Marketplace and looked around. Most of the vendors were there but not the one that had the sunglasses I want. Maybe later they will be there. I need the kind that fit over the glasses and I want pink like I had. After we got home Mark called a buddy and chatted for a bit. Then we headed out for supper only to find that most places were so busy. Yep, the snowbirds were all eating out too. We ended up at Denny’s. They have very good food. I love their super Nacho’s so I had a half order. The full order is too big even for me. hehehe

Mark doesn’t go into work until 5 today and 4 tomorrow.  He likes the later start. Then the rest of the week it’s 10 to 7, a bad shift for us. But I’m not sure how much longer he will stay working there. He isn’t happy there anymore. This new area isn’t managed well at all.

Warm days and cool nights.

Fall in Yuma this week...... eat your heart out. :)

The cool nights make for good sleeping  and no a/c needed during the day. Six months of great weather but way too many snowbirds. I wish we could use a shovel on them. LOL

Say what?

Two Sundays ago Mark was asked if he would join the worship team and sing bass and this Sunday was asked to be an usher for the collection. As our friend Steve said, God works in mysterious ways. Mark loves singing in church and I can hear it well standing right next to him. It warms my heart to hear him sing praises with his heart in the song. But Mark isn't one to stand in front of the church like that, so he said thanks but no thanks. He did however usher this Sunday when asked.

Well the park is filling up slowly but surely. By next weekend there will be three times as many here. And lucky us, we have a neighbor that is a bitch. She asked if that was a camera on our shed and said we had to take it down because it was looking into their backyard. How the hell would she know that? And no it's not looking in their yard. But Mark knuckled under and took it down. It will go back up, just in a different spot that the bitch can't see. She drew first blood and you don't piss  off me!  She will not be happy with me as a neighbor. I'm not as easy going as Mark. For me it's I don't get even, I get ahead. Dumb bitch doesn't know who she will deal with now. I've had too many people in my life walk all over me and I don't allow that anymore.

Nippy morning

Woke up to 59º outside this morning. Boy am I glad I put the quilt on the bed yesterday. It was 71 inside, but felt much cooler than that. The coffee went down good today. In fact it cooled off a little too fast for me.

Yesterday I did the cleaning and got Carl's cage torn down and cleaned well. He was really hard to catch, more so than last time. By the time I finally caught him, he was panting and I was about ready to give up. But I'm stubborn and didn't want a sick bird either. I moved one of his perches so he poohed on the paper and not on the inside wall of the base. That will keep the cage cleaner in between the weekly cleaning and daily too. My Betta died so I took down and cleaned that little tank and put it away. No fish for awhile. They just don't live long in small tanks. Usually my Betta's live longer but Riley didn't.

More and more of the birds are coming back to Yuma. It's much noisier with the added 200,000 people in Yuma. By November larger numbers will be returning and January many Canadians come.

Thursday when I was at my car in the Walmart parking lot a lady asked how I liked our SmartCar. She asked to look inside and was quite curious about the car. anyway we got to talking and she started complaining about the snowbirds. This has happened to me several times before, so I asked her what made her think I wasn't a snowbird. She told me because I was smiling. LOL Many people notice how rude and grumpy so many of the "birds" are, not just me. It made me happy that I try to keep a smile on my face.

Porch floor

After much deliberation and studying, we opted to put a room size rug on our porch floor. The tiles have all let loose and some have caused me to trip and the loose grout is causing tripping as well.

Yesterday we lifted two of the many loose tiles to see what was underneath. What we learned was it was never installed correctly and would have to be completely removed and redone down to and including the plywood. Not an expense that we can afford or a job that we want to tackle ourselves. It's very time consuming and costly to say the least. Since the money is not available to replace flooring outside we decided to buy a room size rug to to put out there. We went to Lowes first since we have such good luck finding what we need there. But what they had wasn't quite right in the color or the price factor. So off to Home Depot we went. Not only did we find the right color for outside but the price was way better too.

Next step was to empty the porch so we could put the new rug down. The rug is 10 by 12 so we had to do some shifting to get it to cover where we wanted it too. It fit perfectly as we had hoped. Once all was back in order we admired our work until we got too warm. The a/c felt too nice to sit outside and sweat some more. hehehe 

When the rug we just got no longer is looking good, we hope to replace the flooring and put an indoor outdoor carpet down. That should last us as long as we are still living. After that it's someone else's problem.  When we go tear out the old tile on the porch the tile in Mark's little room and bathroom will get ripped out too. We don't like tile, I hate tile anywhere. And when it is not installed correctly it's a bigger pain in the butt than normal.

We really  like how the new rug covered where we needed it too and how it looks. It sure feels good on the feet as well.

Not too bad.

This morning after I got all the bedding washed and on the lines, I made a trip to Walmart. Today is a tear down of the birdcage so it gets a total good cleaning. But first I needed some place to put Carl while I cleaned his cage. So off to Walmart I went for a small cheap birdcage.  After I got it together I looked at it and couldn't imagine anyone keeping any kind of bird in such a small cage. I'm so glad Carl only has to be in it for a short period of time.

Ok now that the little cage is put together, it's time to catch Carl in his main home. Out to the bigger shed to get my riding gloves, just in case he decides to bite me.  Once the glove is on I take a deep breath, open his cage door and reach inside. I let him look at my hand before I start trying to catch him.  Poor little guy is terrified, but I'm just as persistent.  It took about three or four tries but I finally caught him. I talked to him soothingly so as to calm him down, but he never struggled in my hand. I gently placed him in the small cage and he gave me a good scolding. Talking to him in a soothing voice, he settled down.

Now on to the tear down. First I took the paper out of the bottom and threw that away. As I took the bottom and tray outside I grabbed a scrubbing pad. Good thing we have a spigot outside. It sure made it a lot easier to clean the pooh off of the grates. Next was a pail of water with vinegar and a couple drops of Dawn dish soap and a rag to scrub it all down. Everything got a good disinfecting done and sat in the sun for a bit to drip dry. Some paper towels to do the finishing touches to get all the drips off and it was time to reassemble Carls home.

Since the temporary cage is so small it only took me two tries to catch Carl so he could return to his home.  Again he gave me a good scolding. Canaries don't like to be handled and he let me know it too. Even with his not being too happy being handled, I'm sure he liked the clean cage. Good thing the heavy cleaning is only once a week. I change the paper and scrub the wire bottom daily, that's enough for Carl. hehehe And me too.

Break time with a cappuccino and listen to Carl learn how to sing. He is getting better each day. Soon he will be singing more than tweeting.

Nice Ride

Tuesday I finally got to go for a nice ride on my bike. Mark said we would go slowly so I could get used to my bike again. I was nervous at first but it still felt good to be riding. Back in Hutch I knew what the roads were like and knew where we were going. But here it's all new, the road conditions and where they lead etc.

We stopped at a little cafe called Geronimo's in Welton for lunch. They offered mostly mexican fare but they had burgers on the menu too. So we ordered burgers and fries. Mark ordered a double and about fell off of his chair when our food came. The burgers were huge and then making his a double the burger it was ginormous.

Before our food came two ladies sat down behind me. The smell of stale cigarette about made me hurl. So I asked Mark to change places with me. No way could I eat with that horrible smell. It's bad enough I smell it on Mark so often. Being Mark smokes he has no sense of smell anymore and would never smell another smoker or anything else for that matter he changed seats with me. I have always had an acute sense of smell, much to my annoyance. So here is Mark, with his  gun on his hip, and sitting by my bright pink riding jacket and helmet with pink butterflies on it. It was quite comical when we realized what he was sitting next to and me by the black jacket and black helmet. LOL But in all fairness he once did take off to work with my black with pink butterfly helmet on his head. LOL He did realize his mistake and came back home for his helmet before getting too far down the road.

Anyway, the trip back home was much more relaxing for me. I was used to the bike a bit more and knew the roads and what to expect. The arthritis in my shoulders really gave me a what for, but the ride was so worth the pain. I can hardly wait to go again. It's pain pills yet today but the joy of the ride is still there too. Thank God for pain pills and a nice ride. 😀

Hello Carl

Sunday morning we were at PetSmart minutes before they opened. The staff were still putting the pets into their perspective cages. But we had to wait longer for the new Canaries. Since we brought Carla back there were now three birds there. The cage is only equipped for two so the associate had to call the manager and see which ones to put out for sale. After a half hour wait we were able to see the two new Canaries.

It took me at least half an hour to get a good look at the eye placement of the two birds so I could make an educated guess on which one is male. The birds don't just sit still on demand so you can stare at them. Staring at them just makes them more nervous. The two Canaries were of different colors. One was yellow and one was a cream and orange color. The yellow one was the larger of the two and much larger than Carla. But after much eye strain we found that the yellow one was much more likely to be a male.  So yep, we chose the yellow Canary.

Once home "Carl" wasn't too sure about leaving the travel box he was in. But with some coaxing he entered the cage. He was very vocal right from the start and he sounded a lot different than Carla too. At one time he gave us a sample of his singing voice. That was also the last time I heard it.

Carl was so active it was making me tired. Today he is still flying all around his cage like crazy. I just hope he doesn't break a wing. Not sure why he is acting like this. But I'm sure it's still the process of getting used to the new digs. At least I hope that is all that it is and not some problem. It does take some time for some birds to get used to their new environment. Carla adjusted much quieter. hehehe

The associates at PetSmart were so very kind, helpful and patient. Amazing people work there. They made the whole experience easy and not rushed. Just like when we returned Carla. The young lady that was at the check out said that if this bird is still not what I want, I have 14 days to return the Canary. That was nice to know. I hope we are done bird shopping though.

Bye Bye Carla

Tonight Mark captured Carla from her cage and we took her back to PetSmart. I was so glad that I had saved the little box they put her in when we bought her. In the box she went and off to PetSmart we drove. They were so nice to us with the return of the bird. I reassured them that Carla was happy and healthy and that I just wanted a Carl not a Carla.

There are two Canaries at the store in quarantine until Sunday. The clerk took pictures of the two birds so I could see if either of them were a male. But it was quite difficult. So Sunday after church we will go to PetSmart and take a closer look. Hopefully one of them will be a male or at least easy to tell the difference. If both are female, I'll just wait until they get a male Canary. The young man didn't know how to tell the difference and was happy to now have a better idea of telling them apart. But it's still a gamble since the birds are hard to tell until they sing or don't sing or you check the genitalia and even then it's not easy. There are time that breeders have a difficult time sexing the Canaries. I've learned a lot from reading and asking breeders about the Canaries. I'm no authority but am better educated than when we first got Carla.

Anyway, I didn't think it possible but I miss Carla. Not the numerous feathers she was shedding right now. I know that Lola will be happy that she is gone and would love for the cage to be out of what she thinks is her area. hehehe But the cage will stay where it is and tomorrow I will give it a good cleaning in preparation for a new and hopefully male Canary.

So until I find a male Canary, there is no bird in the house.

Canary

Since it is a male Canary that I really wanted I've decided to take Carla back to PetSmart.  They will be getting new Canaries in today and ready to sell on Sunday. No idea if what they get is male or female, but I will wait if I have to to get a male.

Yesterday I called every pet store in Phoenix and none carried Canaries. That is when I called the PetSmart here in Yuma where we got our Canary. They will take my female back if I return her before the 14 days are up. So before Saturday we will take her back. Then on Sunday we will go and see if they got a male Canary for sale. I hope I can get a close enough look to tell the difference of male and female. The visual signs are difficult to say the least. If they have no males at that time I'll just have an empty cage until I find a male. I won't give up looking for a male.

Mark is out numbered

My beautiful yellow Canary turned out to not be a Carl but a Carla. I'm saddened by that but nothing I can do about it now. She is still a very pretty bird and loves to tweet in the morning, but as a rule female Canaries don't sing. The singing is what I really wanted to hear, not just tweeting. :( I've left my name at PetSmart stating that I would like a male Canary. But I'm not sure they know how to tell the difference. At the time I didn't know either. So I sent Carla's picture to some breeders and they said that Carl is in fact a Carla. Now I also am more informed as how to tell the difference. So Mark is outnumbered by females once again. Not that he minds, he doesn't notice anyway. He is either working, at the shooting range or in front of his computer. Such is retirement.

The morning weather has been so nice that we are able to open the doors and windows until early afternoon. At which time the doors and windows get closed again. The afternoons are in the mid to high 90's for a bit longer. But at least the a/c isn't running near as long. That will make the utility bill much easier on the checking account. :)

New family member

Yesterday we spent the day store browsing all of our favorite stores.The last one we went to was PetSmart. I was thinking of getting a larger aquarium or a canary. As a child we had a canary, named Dickey. Mom and I loved that bird. One morning I woke up and Dickey was laying on the floor of his cage. Mom and I both cried hard. He would sing whenever mom played the piano or we sang. So since that day she and I always wanted another. Well to shorten up this story, I’ve decided to get one. Mom gave me some money and I will use some to buy the canary, cage and other needs. We saw the bird and when I got home I did some thinking of care for either the aquarium or the bird. The bird is easier for me to care for then a larger tank. My hands won’t be able to do that many jugs of water when it came time to clean the aquarium. Cleaning the bird cage is much less stressful on my joints. 

This morning Mark and I went back to the pet store to get the canary and it’s needed things. I’m really excited and wish mom could see it and hear it sing. Well I hope it will be happy enough to sing. I’ll do my best.

After the canary cage was assembled my my dear hubby, I preceded to let the canary enter his new digs on his own. He flew right in and started to investigate. He loves the swing most of all. 

While Mark and I were eating lunch I mentioned that I may name the bird Tweety. Mark said something like, better than Carl. But hey, that just sounded so right. It's my gift from mom and her dad's name was Carl. So Carl the canary it is. We just hope it's a Carl and not a Carolyn. Males are the singers and females, not so much. Keeping my fingers crossed for a male. PS. It is difficult to figure out the sex of the bird even for the breeders.

Sadly PetSmart didn't have a stand so I ordered on from WM for $10 less than the one on the PetSmart webpage. They were exactly the same stand too. But it won't be here until next Friday. Which means Carl's cage is sitting on my curio cabinet until then.

Thunderstorm

Last night we went out for supper because I lost track of time and didn't want supper at 8. Our favorite place, The Eatery wasn't busy so we gave our order and received our food quickly. As usual the food and service was great.

Leaving the restaurant we saw a large dark cloud in the west that sent off cloud to ground lightning. It was quite a light show that sent hairs on my arm to stand up. Before we got home it started to rain huge drops and shortly after entering our home it started to rain in earnest. The wind, rain, thunder and lightning intensified to the point of scaring the daylights out of Lola. It had been a long time since we heard a storm like that.

As the wind roared some things on the porch took flight. Mums flew off of the swaying bookshelf, scatter rugs scattered across the porch and the rain rolled on the porch like waves on the lake. All this happening before poor Lola could go out to do her business. The storm lasted about 45 minutes and dropped a whopping 2 inches of rain, according to the news last night. It was also reported that some 9000 homes and businesses were without power. This morning the news stated that there were 13,000 without power. PTL we were not one of those people. Power is now being restored.

When the rain cleared, Mark took poor Lola out to go potty. The area where she usually walks to was flooded. That meant she didn't know where to do her dump.. She is really trained well as to where so can and can not go potty. So number two had to wait until morning. No amount of coaxing would convince her it was ok to "go" somewhere else. What a silly dog.

Another round of thunder, lightning and rain came back around 2 a.m. The noise woke me up out of a sound sleep even with my earplugs in. It was quite a window rattler again. Speaking of windows we were happy that none of the windows leaked in our new home. In fact we found no leaks anywhere. Thanks be to God. The little house had several windows that leaked.

Morning came with bright sunshine, little breeze and little humidity. So off to the laundry room I went, and Mark and Lola going to an early morning potty run. Lola was ready to go the minute I got out of bed. All the laundry is on the lines and with so little breeze will be out there for hours today. There is more heavy rain in the forecast so I hope the stuff will be dry before then.

Here are some shots of the storm approaching our area.........

Nice weather

The hot summer weather has disappeared. The last couple days I've been able to open the front and back doors to let fresh cool air inside and turn off the a/c units until after lunch. The nights were in the med to low 60's and the days in the upper 90's. Such great weather. Yesterday I enjoyed my morning coffee sitting on the front porch. And I'll be heading back out there to finish this mornings coffee as well.  Early this week was quite uncomfortable due to high humidity (by Yuma standards) caused by field irrigation and no breeze at night. Nights the windi is usually calm, but by afternoon the breeze chased the humidity out. With the nicer weather, it will be grilling time weather. So I think I'll clean the grill today and set out some hamburger for dinner and steaks for Mondays supper. Oh man that sure sounds good.

Last night Mark was notified that today when he goes in to work he will be trained in his new department. The new area includes, ammo and guns, rv supplies, sporting goods, paint and hardware. There is a lot of paper work involved in the guns and ammo to be learned as well as the process in which each department needs to be done. As of now he doesn't know is his wage will change or not. But he has told them that if the wage drops, he won't work there. His current managers gave him rave reviews as they well should. It sounds like there is less physical work in the new area which is why Mark considered the job. The produce section has changed to less help and more demanding work. Mark is neither lazy or a slouch, but he is retired and has done more than his share in hard physical work.

In spite of the warm weather I got the front porch looking nice. It's now a nice sitting area in the nice weather days ahead. The back porch is my next project on the outside. But it has to get cooler to work out there. That sun is still quite warm. And the back porch is in the sun in the mornings when the temp is cooler. I doubt we will ever sit out back but it still needs a good cleaning with the leaf blower or vacuum. We use it mostly for storing bulky items and cleaning supplies.

I found this map of the weather forecast for this winter. It looks like the snowbirds are going to be grumpy and pains in the butt again this year. Depending on when the rain comes, the farmers may or may not be happy. The farming here is such a science that rain at the wrong time really messed with a lot of scheduling for the harvest and next crop planting. Every field is green fall through the spring. So pretty.

Color

In Yuma there is no color change like in the northern states. So we add color by setting out real and fake flowers.

And since my favorite season is fall and the fall colors, I've put together a fall flower arrangement in a pot out front. Walmart had some mums that quite frankly weren't looking so good. But I thought some good watering might revive them. The white one I think is a lost cause, but I'll keep at it.

The weather was starting to turn to a more comfortable temp until Friday when the temps were on the rise again. Summer isn't quite ready to let go in the Sonoran desert. So this weekend it was quite warm. The nights are starting to cool into the low 80s and mid 70's now. Which means the a/c isn't running as long or as hard. And will be reflected in the next utility bill.

The snowbirds are filtering in already too. Does that mean they will leave early? That would be so nice. Or at least I hope it's a better bunch than last year. The stores and streets are getting much busier, making shopping and driving a headache. That could be a blessing in disguise. You don't spend money if you stay home. Oh, dear, online shopping. hehehe😊

Finally

Our Montana fifth wheel is finally sold. Had we been able to take it to a more reputable dealer it could have sold sooner. But we were pressed for time so we had to take it to where it was closer. We didn't get what we wanted for it, but got what we settled for to get rid of it and not have to pay insurance on it any longer.

We stopped for breakfast at Denny's, after turning over the title on the fiver. Such great service and food. The breakfasts were big enough to take us right to supper. 😋 When we got home we had to take Marks motorcycle to the bike shop, it again was not running good. It had run so good for the first week that he got it back from the shop. The service manager thought something had come loose and will get it in. Mark asked for a new front tire as well, the tire is looking pretty iffy. And in the heat of Yuma, the last thing you want to happen is get a flat tire on a desert road.

Since yesterday was such a nice day I decided to wash out and organize the cabinets on the porch. I have things in the house that I don't use often and will go out to the porch making room for things that I use often on the inside. By early afternoon I started to "glisten" and called it a day. I can finish  up this morning when it's cooler. It's a bit muggy out there at this moment but shortly the humidity will clear out. Once the porch cabinets are in order and more space has been acquired in the house cabinets, I can get to work on organizing the inside cabinets. There are also a couple totes in the little garage that I need to empty and find places for what's inside of them. When you have little storage you make use of every inch that you have. And organization is the key. My favorite thing to do, really, it is. 😊

Sad and celebration.

Today is mom's funeral. Funerals make for a sad day, but it should also be a celebration of life. A new life and the old. A day of remembering all the good times, the fun times, the hard times and the trials. A day to celebrate the life of a great lady, a strong lady right to the very end. To celebrate the end of pain and suffering that she had to endure for a very very long time, not just the days in hospice. A day to celebrate a new life in heaven with our Lord and Savior.

Today I want to think of all the things that mom enjoyed, what she did for her family and all the fun times with her. How strong she was, what she stood for and what she did for all of those around her. I don't want to think of her lying in the hospital bed looking so frail, when she was one not to lie around, not even on her bad days. My visions of the last times I saw her are hard to erase and I'm thankful that I didn't see her the last month of her time on earth. Seeing some pictures of her so frail isn't how I want to remember her. But those visions will be hard for my brothers, their families, and her husband to erase. They were the ones that were with her the most during her months of being in hospice. Those are not the memories that she would want us to remember. But to be remembered all that she did with her life,  her strength, and love of life.

Remember the good times as well as the bad, but never forget the love that she had of each and every one of us.

Go with God mommy, you will be missed here on earth by all who knew you.

14 “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. 3 If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And you know the way where I am going.” John 14:1-4

Saturday, September 7th

Why

My dear cousin told me yesterday that the pastor of moms church will not allow anyone to speak other than himself at mom's funeral. Mom had requested such to be done. Patty was going to read a letter that I wrote to my mom as well as something she had. We are not sure that we will even be able to put them with anything either. What an odd pastor to not follow moms wishes.

After the initial tears of sadness on the day that mom passed I've been doing well. Now I'm more relieved that she is finally at peace and without pain. For more than 10 months I've had no contact with mom, so it has been like she was gone already. Imagine what it's like to be told you can't talk to your mom knowing she is alive? I'll tell you it hurts like hell. But that was the way it was for me. I went to writing letters so that she could at least read what I was doing and knew that I was thinking of her. Then came the day that I couldn't do that anymore because she was seldom awake to read them. She had gotten so ill that she was no longer awake. Her husband told me not to call and now I was unable to   write letters too.

Many days and nights I cried, mourned for my mom. Now the tears are  not as plentiful. I'm content in knowing that mom is in her heavenly home without pain or sadness. My tears now come from memories, happy tears of days gone by. No one can take my memories away from me.

We live many many miles from our home state so travel is costly and long. Twice in less than 10 months we went to MN, it is not an inexpensive trip for us. Some will be very angry at me for not attending moms funeral and some will understand. To me mom had already passed months before. I mourned a long time already. Funerals are for the living, for closure. I've had my closure a long time ago. I want to remember mom for the happy vibrant person that she was. Plus I don't want to take a chance on cruel words from her husband. He is the reason we didn't come visit more often. He always made me  feel unwelcome. Mom knew this and she understood how I felt.  She and I talked many times about the way he treated me. But like I said, he was good to mom and that is what was important. Anyway it's my choice to not go to moms funeral. Hate me, or dislike me, I don't care. My mom would understand. She knows me better than anyone else.

Here is my final letter to mom: 

Dear mommy,

On Monday August 26, I received a call with a request not to send any more letters to you. I was just heading out the door to drop a letter to you in the mailroom. I was told you were not awake anymore to read or hear them and it wouldn’t be long and you will be be home with our Lord.

 As I looked at the un-mailed letter laying next to my keyboard I realized that I’ve lost another way of communicating with you. First it was no phone calls were to be made to you. I was told you couldn’t hear on the phone, and then it was too hard for you to talk. Little by little I lost all verbal communication, and emails. So I decided to go the old fashioned way of communicating and started to write letters. The chisel and stone were too hard for me to handle, so I used my computer and printer, I couldn’t find a pen that worked either. It started out as one letter a week letting you know what we were up to just like I did for years when we emailed back and forth. As your condition worsened I began to mail a letter twice a week. I knew you couldn’t write back, but I  wanted you to know that I still thought of you everyday many times a day. 

Growing up you were so strong, such an inspiration, you endured so much pain in your adult life. You worked multiple jobs, sometimes in one day, so there was food on the table and clothes on our back. You hurt daily from the over work but did it all out of love for your family. But you never lost  faith or  love for God. You knew better days were coming, but did not know when. You were strong and fought for your children, your friends, family, and for your life. You never went down without a fight.You always were  strong  and you proved that again these last ten months as well. Thank you mom for all that you did and endured for me. God sure made an amazing person when he made you.

 I’ve never had your strength, but what I did have I learned from you. I don’t back down when I’m right even though some people call it being stubborn. I’ll stand up for my family even if it means I may end up with a black eye. Being knocked down just means I have to work harder to stay standing. I leaned on you many many times for the strength to do the right thing and learn more from you. I know when I was a teenager I tested your strength and love many times over. And you thought I would never learn. Sorry about those teenage years mom. But I too had a teenager at one time and we all know, What goes around comes around. A mother's love has no timestamp, it goes on forever no matter what.

 Moms are suppose to have all the answers. When you didn’t have the answer you would point out the One that has all the answers, God. Phone bills reflected on the amount of strength I needed from you in my early years. And later, thankfully, calls were free and along came emails. Calls were much more private if we were alone in the room, and I loved hearing your voice. My secrets will go with you  just as those from you will follow me to my grave, we made that promise to one another and I intend to keep it. We were not only mother and daughter but we were best friends.  Sometimes I got a kick in the pants, and sometimes all you needed to do was listen so I could sound off. But never did you ever say you were disappointed in me. You were my rock, my main support, my strength. You understood many things that no one else ever will. I will forever be lost without you, even though it has been many many months since we could share like we used to do. I do know that you will always be with me even if only in my heart and memories.

It is because of my faith that I know you are no longer in pain and you are with our Lord. And because of my faith, I also know I will see you again one day. With the strength you taught me, I’ll continue on  as you would want me to do. It won’t be easy, but with God's help, I can do anything.

Mommy, I know I’ve said my goodbyes to you, and told you that the next time I  see you will be in heaven.  And as you know, I don’t like to say good bye, it’s too final, So, like I ended our phone calls, I’ll just say, “ I love you mommy, talk to you later”. 

 You are forever in my heart,

Cindy

Gone but never to be forgotten

Around 5 am, I had a dream with mom in it. I went to her nursing home room and she was awake. She said I needed to see her new room so she got out of bed, she was so thin, but walked quickly.  We got to her new room , it was dark and I couldn’t figure out how to turn on the light switches, she didn't know either. Some people with no faces all in white came to the door and showed her how to turn on the lights. At that time I woke up. I had never seen that room before.  It was such an odd dream. As I laid in bed I was thinking that I was being told that mom’s room was ready for her and she was going to be taken to the light.

When I got out of bed this morning I half expected there to be a text telling me that mom had gone to her heavenly home.  I somehow felt that it won’t be long and she will be in her new “room”. And that she will be up walking and well soon.

About 7 hours of so later I got a call from my brother telling me that mom had passed some 20 minutes ago. That came as no surprise, after that dream. I felt at peace although filled with sadness. Mom is no longer hurting but happy and filled with the glory of our Lord and Saviour. She will live in my heart and memories forever. 

Nothing new

My stress level is through the roof. It's so hard waiting for or rather dreading the phone call that mom is gone. Mark smoking doesn't help one little bit either. Too much worry and not enough of putting it all in God's hands. Nothing I can do about any of it anyway.  And I don't like not knowing or not being prepared.

There is a Labor Day gathering here in the park, but we aren't going. It's so clicky, just like in high school and we've no time for that. So staying at home and having a t-bone steak smothered in mushrooms sounds much better than burgers and hot dogs. And I can just sit back and watch tv if that is what I want to do. I'm not very good company anyway.

I'd say it's time for fall things to come out of storage. So last night, after a very long nap, I took out some of my fall decorations. It was fun seeing what I still had even though it wasn't much. Sadly most of my favorite decorations went to thrift stores when we headed out in the fifth wheel. Time for new stuff??? hehehe

 Fall is my favorite season, even though there really aren't fall colors around here. But the lower temps are so very welcome. With fall comes the season of snowbirds. Not something anyone around here really looks forward to. The extra revenue that they bring is welcome but so many also bring bad superior attitudes. When we traveled down here in the winter we were amazed at how snooty some of them were. Oh there were some really nice ones, but few and far between. See, they are all here to party/vacation and have the money to do as they please.  They seem to have the impression that they are owed everything and respect nothing. So sad. Last year was a bad year here in the park.  There were some very disrespectful people here. They have since been blackballed and will have a hard time finding any place to stay this winter. Serves them right.  😍

Slowly but surely I'm putting my stamp on our home. The AZ room still need to be more personalized. But not this year yet. As I said before, I'm so sick of brown tan and beige that I'm replacing curtains and adding things with more color. The AZ room is mostly windows and window treatments are costly.  I don't have the patience anymore to make such large curtains. Yesterday Mark put up a sunscreen on the north side of the porch. It added some privacy, keeps the sand down. At some time he wants to add a sunscreen on the west. It would be a much smaller sunscreen. The porch really feels like an extra room now too. Come winter it will be used more than it is in the summer. As will our grill. I'm really hungry for something made on the outdoor grill.  Quite the opposite of our northern friends and family.

Dark Shadows and records

Sunday afternoon I worked on  cleaning and going through my records. I wasn't sure how many of them made it through storage, but I’ve cleaned them all and the record player. I set up the record player on a little stand by the couch and put the records in one of those plastic cubes, a blue one.  On Monday I tried some of them, to see if any of the records are still good. Some of the records were a bit warped but they played just fine. I’ve kept my favorite ones and donated my less liked ones and most damaged to the thrift store. Some people use them for different crafts.  Since the boxes of records are no longer in the cabinets on the porch I now have room for some of the holiday things I still have. Maybe even some new stuff. I didn’t keep much, just what wouldn’t sell and was too nice to just give away.  

After supper I watched the last episode of Dark Shadows that I had. The others that I ordered won't be here until Wednesday. But after some thinking and checking out my saved money, I decided it would be more cost effective if I returned the ones I've ordered and just broke down and bought the complete collection. So on to Amazon I went and ordered the set. The set should be here today. Then I'll go to UPS and return the last DVDs that I ordered. Amazon makes it pretty easy to return an item.  I've been thoroughly enjoying watching a program that I enjoyed as a teen and so happy to see that it is available on DVD. Four years ago of so I ordered the first DVD series and after bringing our things from MN to Yuma, I was able to watch it again. And that is when I really got hooked on the gothic soap. It's addictive to me. hehehe I know what I'll be doing on the balance of the hot summer days. 😄

Monday a very real dark shadow fell for me. I got a call saying mom was getting a morphine pump and wouldn't be here much longer. For the last ten months I've been mourning her loss and now it will soon become a reality. It's been hard the last couple days not writing an addition to the letters I've written to her for the last 8 months. First it was no emails, then no phone calls to her, and now ........ All I want is for her to suffer no more. She has suffered most of her adult life and these last 10 months have been horrific for her. Everytime the phone has rang I've been afraid of who is calling. I know the final call will hurt no matter now prepared I am for the news. I'm not as tough as I like to think I am.😢

Wind and a leaf blower

Thursday morning, Mark went to WM  to look into another job he was offered there. It’s in the fishing and hunting area. He was told he would be a good fit there because he is so outgoing. But he was never told the hours so he’s not sure he wants it. That is because he is assuming it’s a full time position. And he is not interested in full time. He is semi retired and likes it just that way. It’s less physical work than in produce which is good, but it’s his decision to make. So for now he is still in produce.

Last night we had a horrendous wind that woke me up thinking someone was messing around outside. When we got up this morning there were sand piles all over the porch. So after I got dressed I took out the leaf blower and blew the sand off of everything. Then I proceeded to wash most everything off, including the spots on the floor and the railings that have been bugging me. When I finished it looked like I played in the water. I’ll need a shower this morning. Not sure how long it will take for my clothes to dry, they are wringing wet. But the porch is cleared of most of the sand and it looks much better. When it cools down we will take the garden house to the porch and give it a good cleaning. It’s still windy today but not quite like last night, so I’ll have more sand to clean off when the wind stops. Which won’t be until maybe Monday. And they call Chicago the windy city. hehehehe

Mark got the water softened and all the garbage and boxes to the dumpster. Lola’s extra bed had to go to the dumpster too. The heat really took its toll on that, since it was kept on the porch. But we have no plans of taking her to the kennel anytime soon. Too hot to go anywhere too far.

For now the excessive heat has come to an end so the a/c isn't working so hard. The sky is a bit overcast today and there is a wind, again. That will make it more comfortable when we take Lola out. She goes into the car nicely but we all need the exercise of walking. And Lola loves to walk. When she walks with Mark he stops at hydrants for her to get a drink. That is the highlight of the walk for her. Just like a kid at a drinking fountain.

Heat and more heat

This summer seems to have more and longer high heat spells than last summer. Or maybe last summer here was a new experience for us and this year is less of a surprise. But anyway it just seems to drag on and on. We are still in an excessive heat warning and another is on the way next week. It feels like a MN winter when winter just doesn't seem to end, this summer seems never ending. But August is coming to an end so it won't be long and the nicer weather will be here, but then so will the snowbirds

This week Mark had to replace the filter on our water system. We had debated on getting a better system, one that works better on Yuma water. But the cost factor is an issue at this time. We are still working, and not succeeding much, on putting money back into our savings from the MN trips. With my dental work, car repair and our phones being replaced, we haven't put anything away.  I sure hope that nothing else pops up. It will just have to wait, and wait it will.

Mark has been getting more hours at work which is nice money wise, but he is so tired from the extra work. He has little time for much else, but does find the time for a motorcycle ride once in awhile. Next week they have him scheduled for 6 days in a row. So last night he met with the managers and they have now put a day off in between those 6 days. They seem to forget that he isn't in his teens and twenties like the other employees. That is hard for Mark to admit sometimes too.

On these hot days I 've been enjoying the Dark Shadow (old soapie from 1966) DVD's. I remember running home from school so I wouldn't miss the show. I've got the first three seasons, with season 4 waiting in the shopping cart, and hope to eventually get more of them. Amazon carries the whole series which surprised me when I saw that. There is still an active Fan Club for Dark Shadows and a page on Facebook too. I honestly didn't think I would ever see this soap again. Now I look forward to kicking back and watching a few episodes a day. There is little that I remember so they are almost new shows to me. After all it's been 55 years since I last watched the show. Fifty five years? Has it really been that long?

Here we go again

We were just notified that another extreme heat warning will be in effect from Tuesday through Thursday, with Wednesday and Thursday being the hottest of those days. Today I'll make sure I have what we will need, such as milk and water so I won't have to leave the house other than take the dog out to do her business. When she needs to go potty we drive her to a spot that has been and is in shade so as not to burn her feet. Her feet have really toughened up in the last three years but hot asphalt can melt the soles of shoes.  Imagine what it can do to a paw.

Lola has been a great dog with all the traveling we did in the fifth wheel. When we got out of the truck she never knew where we were landing or how long her home would be anywhere. She was great in the truck,  asking for attention by sticking her head to our necks for a quick kiss or a scratch behind the ears. Sometimes just to let us know we had driven long enough and it was time for a potty break. Not once did she have a fit of whining or barking in the truck. What an amazing traveler. She endured sand burrs sticking here feet, gravel on her feet when she was used to grass, all she knew is that we were always with her. I think she misses the days on end of us always being right next to her. Now that we have a firm foundation of a home without wheels, she doesn't have to wonder where she is when she goes out the door. She took to the more stable living like she does everything else.... as long as she is fed, she's happy. hehehe  She has learned that when mamma says to the car, it means that the road is too hot on which to walk. Even in the car she sits like the little pampered princess that she has become. She still likes going for rides. But being in the truck is still her favorite. I think to her it means adventure lies ahead.

With the heat that is one the way I'm happy that my new DVD's will be here today. Or at least they should be here today.  I'll need something besides housework to keep me occupied. You can only clean and organize so much. And it's too hot to tackle any of the outside stuff that I still need to do. My card making has lost its luster. Having to drag everything out has become more of a chore than a treat. So I'm seriously considering selling some of my craft stuff at the first craft sale here in the park. There are a lot of craft people that live here so it should sell. I'll keep enough to do a few things. I don't send many cards anymore. Card sending has become a thing of the past for so many people. So I don't bother anymore either. There are some that really appreciate my cards so I will continue to send to them. :) Times change.

Color

Our outside world is mostly beige and tan, so I'm trying to bring color to the inside of our home. When we moved here everything in the house was beige, off yellow, tan and brown. No rooms but the family room has been painted ( the walls were really scratched up) but in the bathroom my accent color is purple (of course), bedroom is marron, kitchen is red and the living room I'm working on adding blues. Greta had a pretty yellow swag hanging high on the west wall above the window, which is a nice bright color but I'm not a fan of yellow and I didn't want it with my blue. So I took the yellow swag down and made a blue swag this afternoon. The $ Tree had some nice flowers to choose from. Here is a picture of the yellow swag and the blue one that I made this afternoon. I'm pleased with the way mine turned out. Bye bye yellow, hello blue....

Frightened

Republicans again make the US proud by earning third world country status:

Amnesty International today issued a travel warning calling for a travelers and visitors to the United States to exercise extreme caution due to rampant gun violence, which has become so prevalent in the US that it amounts to a human rights crisis.

But wait there is even more:

Depending on the traveler's gender identity, race, country of origin, ethnic background or sexual orientation, they may be at higher risk of being targeted with gun violence, and should plan accordingly, the advisory adds.

Over the course of the last 2 years this is the level we have sunk to in the eyes of the world. Now that is pathetic................

With Trump in office it gets closer and closer for Americans to be held hostage in our own country. All the men and women who gave their lives or put their lives in danger for our freedom may have fought in vain.

I'm afraid to live in my/our own country anymore. Or what used to be my/our country. Trump wants to be in total control, no more freedom for anyone, just him being worshipped and controlling our lives in every aspect. He does nothing but start and stir hatred and fear. Unless you are totally for whatever he says or does it is fake. Yes, I'm frightened, if he continues to  be in office and is allowed to continuously get by with his hate filled threats and evil doings our freedom will be lost. 

I am not democrat or republican, but I  am not stupid or ignorant enough to vote without the knowledge of what the candidate really was like. Trump was and still is a crook, a liar, poor business person, self centered, racist, and a rapist. 

Monday morning we got a call at 8 to bring my SmartCar into the shop.  They do things differently here or at least at this shop. The check engine light went on on Saturday and it was running poorly.  So it needed to be checked before something major would break. Mark was at work but it was too hot for me to go anywhere anyway. 

Sunday we took the truck to church. Mark was really tired from working so many nights in a row. But the children had a musical and the pastor asked if everyone would come to that service and support the kids. It was so cute and they did such a great job. We were really glad that we didn’t miss the program. We then went to Denny’s for lunch. The rest of the day we stayed inside. It was so blasted hot that we waited until dark to take Lola out and we drove her too. Don’t want to chance her bring her feet.

We did go out for our anniversary. We went to the Olive Garden even though we weren’t really feeling up to celebrating. Mike had called earlier that mom may not be around much longer.

Tuesday, August 6th

This morning I had a text saying that mom had bounced back and was doing better. She has bounced back before so I guess God isn't ready to take her home just yet. And she wants to go home to our Lord so badly. She has had a tough life and dying is just as hard for her. I feel so bad that she has to go through all of this too.  Life isn't fair.

This morning I drove to the laundromat across the highway from us. They have a/c and soft water. It costs more to wash and dry there but it’s clean, the water is soft, there is a/c and the machines wash longer too. I really should just go there every time. But they are usually so darn busy and in the summer they are only open until 1. So the mornings there are busy but today it was perfect. I got the machines I needed and I was done and out of there before too many people came. Then I hung the things on the lines that can’t go in the dryer. There wasn't much sun this morning but the heat dried the clothes on the lines in just a bit over an hour.

In the afternoon we went to the pool for a tad over an hour. I got a bit kissed by the sun since we went when the sun was pretty hot. But the water felt good and it felt good to get some much needed exercise too.

Taco’s for supper, dishes and a shower. One of my “little people” shows started again tonight so I had to wait until it was over to take my shower. After my shower I remembered that I didn’t get to the store for a new blow dryer. Mine has a hot spot and I’m afraid I’ll start my hair on fire. My hair is so long and thick that I really need a dryer now. Mine has to be around 15 years old, I can’t even remember when I got it, at Adelia’s house or our place on second Ave. hehehe Guess I’m due for a new one. It was still so hot outside that to dry my hair I shook my head like a dog and it at least got half way dry. hehehe