Up and at 'em

This morning I woke up, for church, without an alarm clock. I thought the a/c was acting up. But once I was up I found that it was just the wild wind. And boy is it wild. I'm sure in the outskirts of town the dirt is really flying making breathing difficult. The temps are to be quite high today so the wind will be a mixed blessing.

Mark works again today and tomorrow. That will make 4 days in a row. The schedule is so mixed up these days with people just not showing up. There are a few that should be fired. WM is so strict on some of their rules and so lax in others. A very disorganized clueless company. It's very true, that they really do not care about their employees. Some of the floor managers should get a medal for dealing with such turmoil and indecisiveness of the store and company management. Mark works under a great department manager, who Wm would be lost without. She is an amazing worker and person. That makes Mark a lucky employee.

With Mark working I really hope to get some cleaning done and not just sit in front of the tv. I won't be shaking out rugs, but can vacuum a few of them. With the wind and the heat, it's not wise to be going in and out of the house. Yesterday Lola didn't even want to go out to go potty until 5 pm. She just didn't want to go outside before that. Good decision on her part, the sun was on the other side of the house so the ground wasn't quite as hot as when it was in the sun. But how she made it that long is beyond me. I drove her down to the dog walk in the evening so neither she or I had to deal with the hot evening walk. Today will be more of the same.

Church and dinner out then sit and do nothing for a bit while Mark takes his nap. hehehe This is why I don't get much done when he is home. Who am I kidding, lately I don't do much when he is gone. LOL

July 23

Another nice ride yesterday. Put on about 140 miles this trip and with only 2 breaks, my you know what got a little sore…….. Lol

Headed North out of town toward Yuma Proving Grounds but got sidetracked just before the turn off on AZ Hwy 95 instead I heading south thru Dome Canyon. You would not believe all the farms in this Canyon that must stretch for 30 to 40 miles. It is like driving section and county roads in MN but with water canals, farmed fields, mountains and the Gila River guiding your diction of travel. Lots of 90 deg turns but paved the hole way.

Did I mention troopers? Well you see border patrol F150 Pickups stationed about every t0 miles or less. I know I ran across 15 on them on my last trip out this way. But it was obvious they were looking for someone as they were stopping anyone in a dark colored GM SUV for inspection.

Ok back to my travel. This road lead me onto what so far has been one of my favorite roads. Old Hwy 80. I connect to it just east of Wilton, (which btw has a park on it’s east side that actually has a few trees you can park ender for a shaded brake), and then heading east on it you follow along side the I8 Freeway or I should say the I8 follows Old 80 as the name says Old…..Lol.

One of the nice thing about Old 80 is it travels thru some of the oldest and smallest towns in the area as well as passes one of the larger cattle feedlots I have ever seen. Keep in mind this is all part of the Sonoran Desert.

My travels east ended with me criss crossing I8 and eventually taking a break in Dateland AZ some 60 to miles east of Yuma. After the brake and now the temp climbing to the point you wanted to be riding rather than stopped, I took a few shots of the bike again and headed back toward Yuma taking what is called the Frontage Road just north of the I8 in Dateland thinking this would connect me to Old 80…….

There I go thinking again. Frontage Road is a one lane service road traveling along 1000’s of acres of desert property that is for sale stretching for almost 20 miles. I am not really sure how long it is as I am basing that on the pounding my butt took traveling down it. Again using my old dirt bike skills I got thru it but it was a task and challenge to behold.

Finally I find the not so familiar stop sign before entering Old 80 Even though I had never been this Far East on it before I sure was glad to see it’s name just the same. And so was the bike. P/S before I forget the “Frontage Road like so many DIRT roads in AZ has a Stop Sign at both it’s beginning and at it’s end”. Not sure why as there was no road entering or crossing Frontage Rd, and I had to have been one of the only travelers on it for quite some time but it had a stop sign at each end just the same.

So I now have a new decision to make as I travel up Old 80. Do I try to follow my steps backward to the Yuma Proving Grounds cutting thru Dome Canyon to Hwy 95 again or do I take I8 thru the mountain and shoot back into Yuma the short way.

My butt told me “Take the shortest route Mark” but far be it for me to be accused to thinking with my butt. So I took the longer and more scenic route heading back viva Yuma Proving Grounds after all I have all kinds of time.

Well by now it is well into the 100 deg’s temps as I roll back into Yuma on Hwy 95 and soon am home calling it a day. Cindy and I went to Lutes Casino for lunch as they have some of the best food in town and then we headed back for what I was going to call nap time.

I stopped at the computer to check what I had missed so far today when Cindy comes in and say’s Aren’t you going to get read for work? Work I think I am not scheduled to work on Tuesday! Oops it wasn't Tuesday, it was Monday one of the extra days I had agreed to fill in for. Oh %%#&**

Well needless to say I was late by almost two hours. When my manager called to see what was going on I was just pulling into the parking lot. After a mad dash across the lot… ok a brisk walk across the parking lot as I do not do mad dash any more, I punched in to everyone asking why I was late.

All was forgiven as I am the old guy in the department so after I told them I thought today was Tuesday not Monday. They all just laughed it off accepted it is as an old guy thing and everybody went on as if it had never happened.

It is Always and Adventure!

Rain

Today when Lola and I were walking back home from her morning jaunt, we got sprinkled with drops of rain. By the time we got inside the house it was raining good. But it never lasts long. This morning it lasted just long enough to make it muggy. Not humid like in MN, but by Yuma standards, and it's feels awful. The humidity and arthritis are not friends and my hands are screaming at the weather to clear. But this too shall pass. Thank God for medications that help with the tenderness.

If I can muster up the ambition the house needs a good cleaning. Not just a lick and a promise this time, but the whole nine yards. It's so easy to get lazy around here, it's just so relaxing.

Monday Mark went on a long motorcycle ride. It's too hot for me  and in the winter too many people. Looks like I'll never ride anymore. Might just as well sell my bike. We could use the money more than I will ever ride. My hands don't grip like they used to so not sure how far I would get if I did go anywhere. Mark seems to like to just go by himself anyway. Which is fine with me in this heat.

Same ole Same ole

Thursday we finally got Mark some shoes. The Sketcher's Outlet store in town had a good buy one get one half off on top of their discounted prices. So I got a pair too. Saturday night when Mark got home from work he couldn’t believe how good those shoes made his feet feel. I love Sketchers so I was really hoping that a pair would work well for him too.

Not much happening here, just the same ole same old. Mark’s been working quite a bit lately but I still don’t seem to get anything done at home. I’ve not been in the best of moods, just really down. Even Lola has noticed and has been a big hugger.

The cases for our new phones came yesterday so now it’s easier for me to hold onto the cell phone. My hands just don’t like to do some of the things that they used to. And the art in my left hand is a pain in the butt. But at least my right hand is pretty good yet. For that I’m thankful.

The other day I made some strawberry freezer jam, and it turned out pretty good. I'm not much of a jam or jelly eater but Mark loves it on his toast. The recipe I made took a lot of sugar so I hope to make some with Pectin this next time. Fry's has strawberries on sale for 75¢ a pound. Great price and great berries too.

I believe that I should try journaling my thoughts and feelings. But I'm having a hard time getting started and not comfortable putting my real feelings down on paper. But it's been said it's a good way to get rid of any anger or hurt feelings in a constructive manner.  Not sure I want to write a book though. Writing is hard for me to do, typing is much easier on my hands, but writing  by handit is supposed to be more beneficial.  Hmmmmm. I've got notebook(s) and pencils, now to just get started. Where do I start?

For a few days we are suppose to have some humidity. Not humidity by MN standards, but to us Yuman's, 40% is high. We are more used to the teens and twenties. The temps are on the rise again for a few days too. I'm not real nuts about the temps when they hit the 111+º but it's more tolerable than when it's 85º and humid. Yesterday was pleasant with mostly cloud cover. We stayed out of the hundreds anyway. 😎  Today we have full sunshine so it will be warmer and the a/c will work harder than we will. 😂

Week of July 14th

Tuesday Mark had it with my worthless phone and we headed to town. First stop was AT&T since that is our carrier. Their prices were way too high so off we went to Best Buy. We got the same phone for about half the price so we got Mark a new one too. The Samsung phones we had were a piece of crap. I hope our new Motorola do much better. I had one years ago and loved it so we thought we would go back to that brand.

We had a late lunch at Godfathers so we didn’t need a supper. But we had a root beer float. It was late when we got home from town so the float really hit the spot. A nice cool down. The day was pretty much shot from shopping. The rest of the night we set up our phones the way we like them.

July 17

Mark worked today at 3. I took Lola to the vet for her annual check up and shots. She was such a good girls too. Just sat and waited her turn. But when it was her turn she changed her mind and decided going home was a better idea. hehehe But she got on the scale as she was told and was a good girl for the vet and his nurse. She did let them them know she wasn’t happy with the whole deal by pooping in the office. P U, what a smell in a small area. But I’m a good pet parent and carry doggie poop bags in my pocket and cleaned up the pile. The nurse said that happens more times than not. Yesterday Lola had her appointment at the groomers so the last two days were Lola days. She will be happy to not go anywhere today.

The excessive heat has subsided so now it’s just hot. hehehe But we do live in a desert so it’s hot and dry in the summer. And the a/c is working good again too.

I got tired of all the brown and beige in here so I bought some blue pillow and rugs for the living room to brighten it up. The kitchen has red rugs and curtains, bathroom of course is purple, bedroom is maroon and now the living room is blue. The AZ room needs to be done next but that would require new curtains and the windows are huge so that will have to wait until next year. And the room is all windows. Although we have them covered with insulation in the summer. In Minnesota we covered the windows in the winter, here we cover them in the summer.

This morning we are going to get Mark some good shoes. His feet get so sore at work and he is more than due for new. He worked  5 days in a row and he was shot. A gal was suspended for two weeks so he was given some of her hours.He really doesn’t want to work more than 4 in a row anymore. 

OH NO!

It's a hot one out there already. When I took Lola down at 9 it was already 90º, but there is wind. Lola was a smart little girl and walked on the concrete and not the tar. Her mamma was a big dummy and didn't drive her to the dog walk. It wasn't until we got home and I was sweating bullets and puffing like an old steam engine did I realize that I should have taken the car. Good thing Lola was smart. I now need to change into dry clothes and take another shower. I hate to sweat or be sweaty. You can bet big money I won't make the mistake of walking that far in the heat again. hehehe

After so many early rises and Mark working so many days in a row we slept in until 8. Too late to make it to church. It will be too hot to leave the house for any other reason today too. Although Mark works today and again tomorrow. They suspended a gal for two weeks so they gave Mark some of her hours. Nice money but he is getting mighty tired. The excessive heat warning is still in effect. It didn't get as hot yesterday as it was predicted, PTL, but today and tomorrow, wow.

Well we now know why Mark was given extra hours at work. Today our a/c unit went out. God knew we were going to need the extra money. It was getting warmer and warmer in the house. First I thought it was just me, but then I checked the thermostat and yes, it was getting warmer. It was 84º in the house. I could feel very warm air coming out of the vent in the bedroom so I went to check the vent in the kitchen, same thing. So I called to get the a/c fixed. The first guy couldn’t come until tomorrow at 12:30 or so. Nope that’s not doable. Then I went to the neighbors and borrowed their phone book and I called someone else. They called back in 5 minutes, showed up in 20 minutes and had it fixed in 25 minutes. It was the dual starter switch. Luckily for Lola and I that we have a wall a/c unit in the family room. So we closed that door and stayed comfortable in there. The house is now at 85º instead of 91 that it was earlier. It will take at least until bedtime before it cools completely in here. But much better than it was and better than having to stay at a motel. Praise the Lord prayers were answered.

This and that

Last Friday, while I was watching tv, I felt a weird little tremor. Thinking it was my heart being silly, I shifted in my recliner and happened to notice that the water in the little fish tanks was rocking, then I noticed that the hanging plants were swinging a little bit. Yep, I felt the tremor of the earthquake in California last night. What an odd feeling that was. The earthquake last night in California was a 7.4, the day before it was a 6.1, that one we never felt here. We are about 360 from where the earthquake was and we in Yuma felt a little shimmy. 

Thursday Mark and I went to Lowes to get two new burners for the stove. It turned out that the stove was level but the burners were so bent out of shape they weren’t right. Kind of expensive so we just got two burners. We will look again later for two more. Then they will all be replaced. We also got the burner pans since the old ones really looked bad.  At least under the stove got cleaned. Mark took care of that for me. Sure is nice having at least two good burners.

Wednesday when I went to pay our electric bill I got the mail too. And in the mail was the lien release on his bike. Mark was as happy as a lark. And another happy note, our electric bill was quite a bit less than we expected. :)  So today is starting out on a happy note. Well, Lola isn’t happy. Her right front leg hurts. I’m sure it’s because she lays on it bent most of the day. Summertime we don’t get out and walk like we do when it’s cooler outside. So we all stiffen up some in the summer. That is where the pool helps us but not Miss Lola.

Wednesday evening Mark got a message from the store manager to check his schedule. They gave him more hours in the next couple weeks. They are suppose to check with him before the schedule is changed so Mark's floor manager isn't happy about that not being done, but happy that Mark got more hours. Luckily we have no plans so it works out ok and we are happy about more hours too.

Today we are in an excessive heat warning so I’ll be staying inside. The fridge and pantry are full so no need to go anywhere other than to take Lola out for her evening duty call. 

Marks first long ride in Yuma.

Nice ride again yesterday putting on about 100 miles running north and east of Yuma. Drove past the Army Proving Grounds and got a little extra entertainment as they were running parachute drills so I stopped and got a chance to watch 6 pro’s drop from the sky. It was cool seeing them maneuver and then land in what looked, from my view point, as perfect formation. Each one standing at attention as the next one dropped next to them.

I then headed to I believe it was called Fishers Landing. It’s a little oasis in the middle of the desert. Nice lake with a community built around it with everything from junk houseboats barely floating to fabulous home all mixed into this unique little setting. I really am interested in learning more about this place.

Next I got a chance to put my old dirt bike skills to work as one of the roads I traveled turned from tar into what we back home would call a minimum maintenance grave road. Only here it looks like they just drop the blade on a grader and plow themselves a road by leveling the sand, rock and anything else that is in the way of progress.

I stopped for a drink when I found a little shade and took a picture of the bike with some of the road showing so you can get an idea of what I am talking about. And get this, although this road transformed into “gravel” that seemed to go on forever it did have a stop sign at the end.

Also while taking the break I could hear something in the swamp brush behind the bike. It almost sounded like a deer snorting but yet different. As the sound got closer it became obvious what I was hearing were the sounds from two separate animals . I gave a quick scan to make sure my jacket lay in reach should I need something in the inside picket but then I heard brush trashing and the sound went away.

There are a lot of Mule Deer and Burros in the area judging by the scant alongside the road. So it is obvious you need to pay attention to your route of travel. And if you have room, two large bottles of water, instead of just one, is a good idea as the temp when I got home was 97 deg.

On another note my buddy Crazy Larry is back down from Oregon. He is a 74 year old homeless panhandler that works the outlet at Walmart where I park my truck. We have become acquaintances as he likes to call our relationship. He refuses to call me a friend and tells me that if we had to spend more than a few hours together he would tell me to leave. I can understand that as he has been living alone in his vehicle for more than 15 years now.

Well the big question is, what is he doing down here panhandling when it is so hot? Turns out he is dead, someone stole his identity and claimed he died to collect the $2000 death payoff thru Social Security. He found out after not receiving his monthly check from Social Security or the VA and when he went in the VA told him he was dead.

After you pass the irony of the situation you still have to deal with Crazy Larry’s problems. He had to go to Tucson with all his paperwork to prove he was alive. The kicker is the cadaver that was turned in was not fingerprinted before being cremated so they are having problems with identification needs to be done in order to correct the issue he had nothing to do with. So he will have to wait about 2 months to get a check again.

Now they did offer him a place to stay while this gets corrected. But Larry, proving his nickname is appropriate, told them they had stuck him in hell holes before and he was not interested in doing that again. So now you get why I dubbed him “Crazy Larry”!

I bought him lunch, he likes the lemon chicken bowl at Panda but he did not eat it right away as he stated he still had some meat left over from a hind quarter of road kill mule deer. Don’t ask as you don’t want to know how that came about. Trust Me! Larry is harmless but Crazy!

It’s Always and Adventure!

Sunday night ruckus.

Sunday night I didn’t sleep very well so I slept in later than I wanted to this morning. That meant I had to hurry and get dressed and head out the door to the laundry room. It’s warm enough in the morning and worse in the afternoon so I needed to hurry so I could get back home where it’s cool. There is no a/c in the laundry rooms so it’s deadly in there in the afternoon and not so great in the morning but somewhat better.

Sunday evening when I was going to take Lola out Cory and his two dogs were walking by. One of them got very aggressive to Lola some months back. She didn’t forget that either. Seeing them walking by she managed to get out of the porch through a small opening and headed straight to that dog, while I was trying to get to her and put her back inside until they passes Well she got out through the small opening next to the gate.. Cory has them on long leashes that don’t retract so they were tangling up around his legs and not easily controlled, and he was trying to lift them away from Lola. The mean one kept at Lola while the other just joined for the fun of it all. Finally Cory was able to get Lola picked up. I soothingly told her to calm down and relax, and she did, so I could get her safely out of Cory’s arms. She never once turned on Cory.  I was so angry and scared at the same time. It was just a matter of time when those two dogs locked horns. Whenever we see him with his dogs we either go the other way or make sure Lola is inside. I even avoid walking by him when I am by myself. (His dogs are like a rat terrier, smaller than Lola). She and the other dog really have a dislike towards one another. His dog is not a friendly dog to begin with. Anyway that was my terrifying excitement for the day. I just hope he doesn’t report Lola as being aggressive. Then I will have to report that his one dog is not a friendly dog and explain where Lola’s attitude came from Sunday night. She gets along great with all other dogs.  Cory doesn’t seem to be the brightest bulb on the tree to begin with either. Maybe now he will walk down another road. He doesn’t need to come down this way, he knows there is a personality conflict with our dogs. Like I said, he's not too bright.

Yesterday Mark got called in early and I took advantage and finally cleaned the house good. I took the area rug out of the living room. I like the way it looks but it makes it too hard for me to clean in there. I’ve got it for sale and have two people interested. Several want me to lower the price and I won’t do that. Its’ way too low as it is.  It took a couple days for Mark to even notice I took the area rug out of the living room.

Friday July 5, 2019

Yesterday morning we headed to Mexico to my dentist and I got the cap put on my implant. It only took about an hour or so and there was no need for any numbing. I was told to wait at least two hours before I chewed on that side. Well I've been so used to not chewing on that side that it wasn't until this morning when I actually did chew on the new tooth. It feels quite comfortable but my tongue is wondering where the hole is and keeps checking to see if the tooth has left the area. 

Mark was called into work early yesterday. There was only a half an hour for him to get dressed and me to pack his lunch but we made it in record time. Later in the afternoon he sent me a text saying that my favorite kettle corn vendor was out front. It only took a minute and I was on my way. It was either still hot from the kettle or hot from the high temp outside. But either way it was delicious.

Last night while I was watching Blue Bloods I felt a weird little tremor. Thinking it was my heart I shifted in my recliner and happened to notice that the water in the little fish tanks was rocking, then I noticed that the hanging plants were swinging a little bit. Yep, I felt the tremor of the earthquake in California last night. What an odd feeling that was. The earthquake last night in California was a 7.4, the day before it was a 6.1, that one we never felt here. 

First week of July

Thursday the dentist just made the impressions so tomorrow they will put in the cap.  

It only took an hour for the dental work to be done today, Friday. But we had to wait for almost 45 minutes…..we got there too early. hehehe No novocaine, no pain or discomfort. Dr Gill is so gentle as is his assistant. Unreal. Now to get used to having a tooth where there hasn’t been one in over three years. It really feels weird. hehe My tongue can’t figure out what is in its way. hehe I can’t chew anything for a couple hours so I’m really glad I had a bowl of cereal this morning and not just a cookie and coffee. There is a lot of my salad from yesterday left so I’ll have a big bowl of that later. I opted to not have the other implant done at this time. The bank account has been hit hard enough this year,so I'll wait until next year to get the other implant done.

We went to the gathering here in the park on the forth of July. The lady that did the roast turkey did a really good job, even the gravy was good. Not that I eat much gravy but I wanted to try it. Lots of good food. Someone brought mac and cheese and makes it just like I do, with Velveeta cheese and milk. It was a real treat and delicious. I had two helpings. hehehe I chatted with her and found that she cooks and bakes like me, everything from scratch. Not that I do much of anything anymore but was nice to see someone younger still going things like that. Not many do anything from scratch anymore. She was fun to chat with. It was quite warm in there so two hours was all I could take and we had to leave. But it was nice even though the turn out wasn’t as big as last year. Could be that not as many live here full time anymore. I’ll have to ask my neighbor.

Frustrations

After the phone call from the shop to come and get Marks bike and my tire, we headed to the DMV for tabs, and called to get insurance. There was no issue getting the plate for my bike. But after closer examination we noticed that there was a lien on Marks bike. What? We never had a loan on that bike. Ok, when he bought the bike back in 2008, there was a deal of 6 months no interest and a big savings to the cost. So we took that and paid off the bike just before the 6 months was up. We never were sent a clear title from the that bank. And after all these years we had forgotten about it too.

When the bikes were home Mark was on the phone for over two hours trying to track down who had the title and what could he do to get the lien removed. He was sent here and there and everywhere, making phone call after phone call. With time difference being an issue he had to wait for the next day with the next call. And that was to Capital ONe. They evidently bought out the bank holding the loan. He was told by CO that he needed to send a copy of the title and whatever else, I forget. If it was sent email it would take a month to get the title and if it was faxed it would take two weeks. With all the technology out there now days, it shouldn't take that long.  Anyway now it's a waiting game. Mark was so excited to have his bike here in Yuma and home from the shop and now he still has to wait to ride. The temps are getting too hot to do much riding now. So any riding will be short and sweet.

 Mark got the tire on my bike and it's ready to roll. So he went to put gas in the tank and noticed that the speedometer wasn't working. It all worked  before the tire blew. So now he has to check and see if the cable didn't get connected with the new tire change. Usually I'm the slowest driver on the road, but without a speedometer I really don't trust my judgment of speed. So my ride is waiting too. I can't afford a ticket.

We are once again frequenting the pool. I like the fact that I can actually get a tan here and not burn. Well, that's because we only spend an hour in the pool. On these hot days it sure is nice having a pool so close at hand. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would have a pool in my backyard. Let alone actually use it. hehehe

It's the time of year where it doesn't cool down much at night. The new a/c unit in the family/AZ room is great to have. We can now be comfortable in this room any time of day.

Monsoon season is upon us as well. Last year was our first experience in a monsoon rain. I found two windows that leaked in the little house. The previous owners were never here during the summer so they didn't know there were leaks. We hope that this place, being it's newer and has much better windows, has no leaks at all. We have a rain gauge from storage that I hope to put out before the big rains. Even though the rain comes down hard and fast, it doesn't measure out to be much. This time I want to see just what it measures with my own eyes. The ground is so hard that I may have to be quite creative to set up the gauge. Yuma is a river bed so the ground is packed like concrete.

A hot day ahead of us so it will be a pool day. Maybe we will go to the pool twice today.