Jan 29, 2009

Ok, so today was another shopping day. Seems like we are always driving to Wal Mart for something these days. Today it was a major grocery outing. We stopped at Albertsons first and they had some good deals on produce and chicken. Next, was Wal Mart where we finished up our list. We spent about $140.00 between the two stores, but that should last us quite a while. I did spy a bumper sticker I thought my husband should have on his truck......“Why is it that I’m the only one on the planet that knows how to drive?” :)

The temps today were much warmer, but we still have a little more wind than I would like. They say the wind should decrease by tomorrow and the weekend is supposed to be very nice.

I did do some laundry today. I’m not impressed with laundry room here at southern mesa. There are 4 washers and 3 dryers. Nothing is as clean as I would like it. I know all the sand makes it difficult, but I don’t think anybody regularly cleans the place. I told DH that we needed to find a better laundry facility. I guess that kinda sums up southern mesa for me.......they are pretty lax in general about the place. Would we stay here again? Yes, the people more than make up for the management’s faults. Most of the folks here make an effort to be friendly and considerate of others. Not a lot of rules here.....just the basic: Do unto others............
Than suits us just fine.

One more plus for southern mesa. They are truly a dog friendly community. Most everyone is very conscientious about picking up and the whole barking thing. Everyone seems to understand that dogs due bark occasionally........so no one comes unglued about a dog barking here or there. Our dogs are usually very good, but you just never know. I guess the bottom line is we are comfortable here! And that’s a “goode” thing!!

Jan 28, 2009

Today we had three new neighbors arrive! When the first 40’ class A motorhome arrived, DH and I went out to introduce ourselves. They actually have a home in Sierra Vista, AZ. They figure they will be traveling about 6 months, sightseeing and visiting friends and relatives. We answered their questions about the area and then let them be so they could finish their set up. About an hour later, came a smaller class C motorhome. I believe she is a solo-er, but we have not had a chance to say our howdys yet. Hopefully we will get to chat with her tomorrow. Then after supper, a third large class A motorhome was idling out in front of our rig. DH went out to see if he could be of any help. It seems they had made a reservation, but Southern Mesa had failed to reserve the sight. I guess the desk just told him to drive around and see if he could find a spot. Well, he liked the looks of the one next to ours, but he was not sure he could make such a tight back in. DH suggested he go around to the next lane behind us. There was a small site open behind and to the left of our rig and DH told him to just drive through that one to get to the one beside us. Kinda made his own “drive thru” site. It worked, he was able to pull through far enough to straighten up and then DH helped him get backed into position. We were afraid their rig might block our internet signal, but it didn’t so all was good in the “Goode” household. I have not had a chance to meet this couple, again wanted to “let them be” so they could get set up. Hope to met them tomorrow.

Supper tonight was at the clubhouse. Apparently one of the long term residents used to own a restaurant. She still loves to cook for folks, so she and some other volunteers put together a meal for the park every Weds night. There is a small charge to cover cost of food....$5.00. We had pork roast, mashed potatoes, corn, roll, and dessert. It was very good. The only problem, we arrived a little late and the only table left was out on the little enclosed porched adjacent to the club house. So, it was just the two of us. Next time we will make sure we come a little early, that way we can sit at one of the larger tables and “chat” with more folks. We kinda felt like we were at the “children’s table” on Thanksgiving Day! LOL!

One last little story for you all today. As you know, my name is Debbie. DH has always teased me about the “Little Debbie Snack and Cakes”. I won’t go into details here, just let your imagination run wild. LOL! Anyhoo.... we are listening to the news the other night and they announce a RECALL for Little Debbie Snack and Cakes.........DH looks at me smiling from ear to ear and says, “It’s about time!”..........butthead....gotta love him........:)

Jan 27, 2009

Interesting day today. After breakfast, DH sat down at his computer and decided to run a diagnostic program. It came up and stated that there were some problems---so, he opted to run the “fix it” program. Before running the program, he did save the hard drive to an external hard drive for safe keeping. Well, the repair program could not “fix” the problem. DH quit the program, shut the computer down and than restarted it. Guess What.......the computer refused to come back.....the problem....no hard drive. Somehow the original hard drive was missing----actually it was still there, but no matter what we tried the computer refused to recognize it and we could not re-select it to be the start up drive. The computer would only start up from the repair disc. Long story short, I ended up having to erase the original hard drive and than reinstall the operating system. Now, he needs to reinstall all the software and then move his files from the backup drive to his computer. Moral of this story...if it works, don’t fix it.....and if it says it’s broke, but it still works.......don’t fix it! Mama did save the day!! I was in a panic to “save the day” because DH and I don’t share computers very well.......

Our next excitement of the day----an rv neighbor’s trio of poodles made a break for it! One of them came back immediately when called.....the other two were a little more difficult. Finally, got number two poodle under control, but number three had to be rounded up via “scooter”. Now that was a sight, seeing the owner on his scooter “herding” this little poodle back home. All ended well, within a matter of a few minutes the little “buggers” were back home safe and sound.

My big thrill of the day came towards evening. I put out my humming bird feeder for the first time. I expected it to take a few days before the hummers found it. It only took a couple of hours! It is just so exciting to watch these beautiful little birds in action. My feeder suction cups to my window, I have never been so close to one of these little guys. Just made my day!!! Wow, so much excitement in one day! I sure hope tomorrow is at a slower pace.......LOL

Jan 26, 2009

I finally got some photos of our site. As you can see, we just barely fit into our space. The main reason is the location of the water and electric. Our neighbors on our right and left have all moved on, so for now, we have lots of room.

DH and I had to make a trip back to Wally World in order to hook up our sewer connection. We needed more hose and a slinky to support it.

After Wal Mart we headed over to the "Peanut Patch". It is a small store that has a large variety of nuts, dried fruit, and home made fudge, and honey. I brought home some dried pineapple, papaya, and a mix assortment of fruit. I like to put that stuff on my salads.

Back at the fiver, DH hooked up the sewer. He was so proud of his work, I took some photos to share with you. He did a very good job! The rest of the evening was spent in our recliners with tv and internet! So, happy to have the internet up and running here in the fiver...........

Jan 25, 2009

After are usual morning routine, we headed into Yuma to check out the Wal Mart and other shops. Wally World was our first stop and after that we just kinda cruised the area seeing what we could see. We found several nice restaurants, a couple of Malls, and some different groceries. I always like to check out the local grocery--I have found they carry better quality produce than Wal Mart.

We returned to the fiver and decided to take a little bike ride around the park. We went up to the clubhouse and several of the park folks insisted we come up for Sunday afternoon soup. They serve soup every Sunday afternoon at 4pm. You bring your bowl, spoon, and crackers. They provide the soup---no charge, but there is a donation cup should you choose to do so. So, we did. The soup was wonderful and again everyone made us feel soooo very welcome!

Later that evening DH and I went up to the clubhouse to get online. Surprise!! It was Karaoke night!! My favorite activity. I just love to sing......and that is how we spent the rest of our evening. We had a great time. Ya know, this little park ain’t much to look at......and it is a very close knit community, but they really reach out and take the time to make you feel at home.

We gave setting up the internet one more try and YEAH---We did it!!!

Jan 24, 2009

Well, although our travels were safe, we did run in to some unexpected issues on our journey to Yuma. Our first stop was Casa Grande, AZ. We located a SKP park called Rover’s Roost and spent the night. This park had very narrow streets, very tight turns, and the lots were very close together. DH backed into the spot without incident, but it was not an easy job. After we were parked, we headed into town for supper. We found a mexican restaurant and had a very good dinner. Back at the five, we settled in for a relaxing evening. Tomorrow we head for Yuma and Phyllis’s rv lot in the Foothills.

We arrived at Phyllis’s early afternoon and after hugs and hellos we started the “backing in” process. Unfortunately, no matter what angle DH approached the opening we just were not going to fit! At 40 feet, we were just to long and the gate opening and the street were just to narrow for us to make it in. We all agreed it was just not going to work. Phyllis did her best to find us another location in her subdivision, but it just did not work out. We thanked her for her efforts and headed out to find an rv park we could spend a night in and figure out where to go from here. We ended up in a place called Shangri-La. Nice park, but pricey and we were right next to the highway. They wanted 5.00 bucks for their WIFI and although we really needed internet.........I just wasn’t going to pay that on top of the $38.36 for the night. I got lucky though, and found an available WIFI signal that I could pull in----who ever provided us that signal----Thanks so much!!! I found some lots in Phyllis’s area along with some rv parks. We decided to check them out first thing in the morning. We did meet our neighbors--very nice couple who were also traveling with two small dogs and it was their first time out west as well. They were from Wisconsin and getting ready to go fulltime! We told them all about rv-dreams. They also pointed out we had sustained some damage on the back of our rv. One of our running lights was missing it’s cover and we had a small scrape on the fiberglass. I suspect that happen in the skp park we were in. As I said, the streets were very narrow and many had brick walls---we probably skimmed one of those brick walls during a 90 degree turn we had to make to get out of the park. NICE!!

Morning came and we were up and at it--our mission: to find suitable accommodations for a month. We made some phone calls and looked at some lots---all were either taken till March or were unsuitable. We finally settled on an rv park known as Southern Mesa. They had two spots left at $325.00 plus electric for the month!

Southern Mesa is an interesting little park. Quite a mix of folks here. They have 172 spots, some have year long tenants. Everyone here seems very friendly. The roads are dirt/sand/gravel and so are the lots. There is a concrete patio. The lots are small and narrow. The sewer line actually runs under our trailer and the water and electric are directly behind----we just barely fit! In fact, there was a nice gentleman who met us at our lot and helped my DH back in----he knew how difficult it was going to be with a rig as large as ours and he was able to give DH some great direction! Most of our neighbors came over and introduced themselves and we felt very welcome. One thing they warned us about are the bad cell signals---and they are marginal, but we can still receive and call out. They also told us we would have problems locking on to a satellite for internet---that has proved to be true so far. I’m using the FREE WIFI at the club house. The last bit of news was that we were close to a military test sight----they just happen to drop live bombs there every once in a while. Yes, live bombs!! I guess the ground and all the trailers shake!! Ya know, that is just our luck. I have not climbed up on our roof to look, but I would not be surprised to find a big bulls-eye up there. Well this post is getting long so I’ll yack at you more tomorrow..........

Jan 20, 2009

Spent most of the morning watching the inauguration. It was another gorgeous day with temps in the 70’s and plenty of sunshine. Now, this is my kinda weather.

I decided since Thursday is travel day I had better groom the furballs. The remainder of the day was spent combing and clipping. It is not a job any of us enjoy especially the furballs. Tomorrow I hopefully will have a chance to bath them both using the outside shower.

After grooming the dogs, I had to work on the fiver for a little while. I mainly just ran the sweeper and vacuumed the furniture. Tomorrow I will finish the cleaning
making sure everything is in travel-mode and the laundry will need to be done as well.

Rest of the evening was spent in my recliner trying to find something to watch on tv....

As I said, Thursday is a travel day so depending upon the internet connections you may not see a post for a day or two.........

Jan 19, 2009

Today we took a 4 and 1/2 mile hike into the desert foothills. Boy, we were all really tired! I managed to have a bit of lunch and then I decided I just needed to lie down for a while. I was hoping I would not be bothered by sinus headaches here in AZ, but apparently that is not to be the case. I had notice this am that I had some pressure, but I was hoping it would pass quickly---by early afternoon I was not feeling well. I have some medicine that I can take to help, but I don’t like to take it in the afternoon. It is a 12 hour tablet and I have found that it tends to keep me awake at night if I take it late in the day. Fortunately, my nap helped and I was feeling much better by dinner time.

We are meeting Don and Deb at the Country Club for wings. The wings used to be 25 cents each, but the price has gone to 40 cents. Still, not a bad price. We enjoyed our dinner and our conversation with Don and Deb. They are heading out to Quartzsite tomorrow. We said our goodbyes with hugs and well wishes till we meet “down the road” again.

Back at the fiver, I actually was able to open a few windows this evening. The temps were still in the 60’s. The nights in general have been a little warmer this past week. Saving us on propane! Looking for forward to another beautiful day tomorrow----

Jan 18, 2009

Today was a much more relaxed day. We had a lazy morning and then I took the dogs out for their walk.

Back at the fiver, I did some more painting on the Sadie portrait. DH was in front of the tv watching back to back football games.

I made potato salad and our low carb cheesecake. We then had hamburgers on the grill for dinner. After dinner, I headed over to the laundry.

As you can see, it was a pretty boring day! It was another beautiful day. Lots of sunshine and temps in the 70’s.

Jan 17, 2009

Wow! The outside of the fiver looks sooooo very nice. It is good to be clean! Now, we must turn our attention to the inside. Today we decided we would wash the interior windows and screens. DH and I worked as a team---he cleaned screens and I cleaned windows. It still took a good portion of the day. I found that many of our windows had some type of adhesive left behind, from the manufacturer I suspect. It took some goo-gone to get rid of that residue. Once finished, we sure sparkled!

DH made a trip to the grocery while the furballs and I decided a little nap was in order! When DH returned, he too made his way to his easy chair. It was a glorious, sunny, warm day! A nice breeze blowing through our squeaky clean screens. I know we should have probably been out enjoying the day, but we decided to enjoy our recliners instead.

I did a little painting on Sadie’s portrait till the sun went down and I lost my light. Then it was a little tv time before bed........

Jan 16, 2009

The gentleman washing our rig was here bright and early to wax today. Although, we feel he may be higher priced then some for his service--he is doing an excellent job and our rv was really dirty.

The furballs and I went on our walk and then I got back to doing some painting on my Sadie portrait. I had been having some real “painter’s block”, but it seems to have passed and I will post a photo when I finish.

I did manage to get my haircut today. I was a little worried at first--the stylist talked non-stop while I was in the chair, only stopping long enough to “fix” her own hair while cutting mine. Made me more than a little nervous, but all turned out well and I’m good for another 6 to 8 weeks. DH had dropped me off for my appointment and I was to call him when I was done. So, I stepped out into the parking lot and made the call. He answers with, “Look to your right”, I was basically standing right beside the truck when I made the call......LOL!

Supper was enjoyed at the VFW, Deb and Don had invited us to come. The VFW puts on a good feed---country fried steak, mashed potatoes & gravy, corn, roll, and german choc cake for dessert. All that for $6.00!

Back at the fiver, it was jammy time again, a little tv, a little pre-bedtime nap, and an end to another great day!......

Jan 15, 2009

What a day! The gentleman who is washing our rig got started around 9:30. We let the dogs out to “potty” right before he started. He started on the roof and the fun began......our dogs just don’t like the sound of someone walking around on their roof. They didn’t bark, but they were very whiny and restless. DH went out to check on the progress at one point and I was just getting starting to do some painting. What should I smell???? I turn and Cosmo had Pooped all over our living room rug. It seems he was whining for a reason, he had diarrhea. I called DH to take them out while I took on the task of cleaning the rug. It took quite a while, but I was finally successful in removing both the stain and the oder. Thank goodness for Woolite’s Pet Stain Remover.

Then my next chore is to order a land line for our stick house. I’m not going into the “why’s” of that---it just needs to be done. So, I got on the computer and decided to sign up for the “triple play” special comcast had running---internet, phone, and tv for a discounted price. Again, not going to share all my pain----BUT 3 HOURS later I finally connected with an intelligent human life form and had the deal set!! I was truly ready to “hang” myself by this point.

I grabbed by Ipod and jumped on my bike for a relaxing ride around the park. Just needed to clear my mind and let go of all the stress of the day. I was feeling much better in no time at all.

For Dinner, we met Deb and Don over at the County Club for $1.00 taco night. I had four tacos and an Amoretto Sour! I had done some mending on a motorcycle cover for them and so they picked up the tab for the evening. Not at all necessary, but very nice........Thank you Deb and Don......I hope the mending holds on the cover!!

Back at the fiver, it was time for jammies and my easy chair. I felt I had earned it today........ Oh, and yes the fiver is looking sparkling clean......the guy did a very nice job and is coming back tomorrow to wax.

Jan 14, 2009

Well, what do you think of that? I have to tell you I laughed so hard I cried, but little Belle didn’t seem to mind at all. She even posed for the photo. A lot of you know Filmore the poodle....well Filmore’s mom (JoAnn) made him some leggings to wear out of children’s tights. These leggings help to keep all those sticky, prickly, things from sticking to his fur. I decided to give it a try. Although they would probably help a great deal--DH says he won’t be seen in public with a dog in tights! I have to admit she looks pretty silly. Who knew that under all that fur were toothpick legs......

We had are usual walk today (minus the tights of course) and then ended up doing exactly nothing. In fact, I even turned on the tv at about 3pm. We found a really interesting show about the MGM studios and the Hollywood legends that made Hollywood.....Hollywood. I love the old movies---I was attracted to them even as a child and I never out grew my love for them. I would have a whole collection of DVD’s if we had the space. They are movies I never tire of and can watch over and over again. Yesterday’s special reminded me of that and I just couldn’t stop smiling!

Ok, tomorrow is our big “wash” day for the rig.....I sure hope we are all sparkly and squeaky clean when it is over...........

Jan 13, 2009

After breakfast, the furballs and I went for our usual walk. While we were gone, DH met with the man who is going to wash the rv. He wants almost $200.00 for the job. Phyllis had sent me an email (thank you!) stating that they had just had their rv washed and waxed, on site for $90.00. Unfortunately, DH has already set up an appointment with the guy to come and do the job on Thursday. I hope he does $200 worth--at this point I don’t even know if that includes waxing. I’d be curious to know what the average wash/wax cost. I’m hoping that this guy isn’t taking advantage of the fact that we are newbies to this whole rv life. He came highly recommended by the office personal here at the rv park. I would love to cancel the appointment, but I know DH feels obligated to go through with the deal.

On a more positive note, I finally worked through my “painter’s block”. I have been struggling with my dog portrait project. Finally, I had a good day today and found my “happy place”!

Before supper, I had a nice bike ride around the park. It was interesting to see all the different rigs and casitas (hope I spelled that right). Some are really beautiful. Wow, a walk and a bike ride all in one day---don’t know what has gotten into me.

DH had his workout washing the truck. It sure does look a lot better.

Supper consisted of hamburgers and baked beans. I’m afraid I put to much brown sugar in my baked beans as DH’s sugar was up before bed time. I do feel bad about that---I need to be more careful.

Still getting into the 20’s here at night. Not liking that.......but at least the days are in the high 60’s and plenty of sunshine. I don’t think we will come back to the Benson SKP park---except for maybe a night or two on our way across Arizona. Just too cold here for us. I know the desert nights are supposed to be cold, but it seems Benson is even colder at night than a lot of the surrounding areas.

Jan 12, 2009

Another very “normal” day for us. After breakfast, I took the furballs out for our walk. Back at the fiver, I broke out the paint brushes and worked on the “sadie” portrait for awhile. Once again I seemed to be having difficulty getting into my “happy place” to paint. I finally gave up after a couple of hours.

DH contacted a man to come and wash our rv before we leave here. He is supposed to come by tomorrow and give us an estimate.

After supper--steak and acorn squash--I decided to get some laundry done. It seems I was the only one that had that idea. Pretty much had the whole place to myself.

Back at the fiver, I got into the chat room. They were having one heck of a B-day party for Speedy. It included cake and dancing girls---I arrived late and missed out on most of the fun. Oh well, maybe next year!

Looks like we will be staying at Phyllis’s place in Yuma for about a month. Looking forward to meeting them in person and seeing what Yuma has to offer.

Frig/Pantry shot Challenge

Seems there is a bit of a challenge going on frig and pantry photos--so here are mine!

Jan 11, 2009

Lazy morning! Didn’t really get moving till around 11am. My first order of business was to walk the furballs. Neglected to do that the other day and they were bouncing off the walls for a while! So, we made our trek up to the water tower and back down. I’ll have to get a photo next time.

DH went to the grocery and when he came back I made a couple of our favorite dishes. The first is apple salad and the second is a low carb cheesecake type of dish. DH is a diabetic so I do try to keep the sugar levels down. The “cheesecake” is a no bake, no crust. It consist of cream cheese, splenda, vanilla, and whipping cream---add a few blue berries---and it is a nice little dessert.

Dinner consisted of Tomato soup and grilled cheese. We watch the football game and then somewhere along the evening I fell asleep in my recliner. Didn’t even make it to chat last night!

Thanks for the email address guys---much appreciated!

Jan 10, 2009

What a day. It is rather chilly here today--not going to make it out of the 50's. I know I should not complain as a lot of you have it much worse, but it just pains me to know end that I traveled all this way for 50 degree weather. I need sunshine and temps in the high 60's at least and the lows---please nothing below 40 degrees! We will be moving on to Yuma on the 22nd. I have been watching the temps there and it seems to be more in our "target" range. We will find out soon......

I spent most of today working on my "sadie" portrait. I had a comment on yesterdays post that Sadie looks a lot like "Frank" from "Men in Black" and they are right! Now, every time I look at Sandie I have to smile. It was a frustrating painting day! I just could not find my "happy place" and everything went wrong. I finally put it away and I'll see what tomorrow brings.

Last evening I got into chat. Had not been in awhile and it was nice to talk to everyone there. I learned the Phyllis in AZ may have a site available in Yuma. I was unable to get her email last night and we are interested in the site. I will try again in chat tonight to connect with her. Anyone reading this, I would appreciate knowing how to contact Phyllis or please give her my email........Thanks

Another interesting tidbit I learned in chat last night, Speedy is a painter too! We definitely need to get together on that one Speedy and compare notes. Sherri is right you need to pick up your paint brush again. After all, soon you will be seeing this beautiful country of ours "up close and personal" what better way to "capture" its beauty than in one of your landscapes.

Jan 9, 2009

This little furball to my left is Sadie. She is my project for today. I had started this portrait sometime ago and finally decided to try and get it finished up. The next photo is of my painting of Sandie. As you can see, I have a ways to go. It will probably take me a few days to finish and then I will send her off to her owner back in Indiana. I'll be sure and post a photo of the finished portrait. For those of you that are interested in the process, I post a bit more of a "work in progress" study on my art blog later today. That is located at perfectlygoode.blogspot .com
DH spent the day working on line. He is trying to get some information on the VA for his mother. It seems she is possibly eligible for a benefit she is currently not receiving, he is trying to figure all that out. Not an easy job.

We also had a discussion on boondocking today. We both feel it is something we would like to do a little of, but we have no clue how well we would fair in a truly boondock situation. We have decided to track our electrical use here at the park for a few days to try and get a handled on that aspect. We do not have a generator and we only have one solar panel at this point. We know we need to add more solar panels to make this work, but we don't want to incur the expense until we are sure we would do enough boondocking to warrant it. Our next problem is water conservation. We are pretty comfortable with our black tank, but the grey tanks seem to fill up quickly and we go through our 65 gal fresh water to fast as well. I know we can do this, we just need to experiment a little to see what works for us. The rv parks are nice, but you are "packed" in so tightly sometimes---I just need a little breathing space. I'll let you know our progress..........

Jan 8, 2009

Today is the day we say good bye to Howard and Linda. They both came over to check out our air bed before leaving. We said our farewells with hugs all around---till next time guys be safe on the road....

We needed to take the furballs out for their daily walk. Decided to take the trail up to the water tower, across the foothills, turn around and come back down. We were gone about 2 hrs---pretty good for us.

Back at the fiver, DH napped while I did a bit of surfing on the web. Around 5pm we headed out to the Country Club for $1.00 taco night. It was pretty crowed, but since it was just the two of us we found seating at the bar. We had our tacos, which were very good, and I had a margarita while Bill stuck to his usual diet coke. I was just a little wobbly on our way out to the truck, margaritas go straight to my legs..........turn a bit rubbery. I only had one, but that is all it takes for me.

Back at the fiver DH watched the Florida Gators win while I napped in my recliner. Woke up long enough to catch a bit of the news and then it was off to bed.

Jan 7, 2009

Here it is the new rocker I spoke of yesterday. Isn't she a beauty! Got her outta of the box and cut all the tags off, set her up outside on our rug, and..........rocker's don't rock on rocks! Yes, and we are surrounded by them (rocks that is).....I won't be doing much "rock-in" at our present location. I guess I'll have to add that to my "it" factor when looking for our next destination. Must have a place for my rocker to rock!!

After the disappointment of my rocking chair, I got the paints out and worked on my table. I'm almost finished so I'll wait and post photos of the finished product in a few days.

Took the furballs for a walk out in the surrounding desert. Got a little lost. I could still see the trailers and all, but somehow we got off the path we were on and onto another one which dumped us out at the wrong trailer park. We had to cut through some brush, but we got back on track and made it back to the correct park. The furballs were really pulling at the lead---I think they knew we were turned around for awhile and they were determined to find their way back one way or another.

We went out for pizza tonight with the rv-dreams gang. This is Linda and Howard's last evening here. Tomorrow they move on to a new location. We are going to miss them---it was nice being their next door neighboors for awhile.

After pizza it was back to the fiver, a little tv time and then off to bed.......

Jan 6, 2009

After breakfast, we decided to make a trip back to Tucson. We wanted to check out the Camping World that was there. We found it to be a fairly small store compared to some we have seen, but still plenty of “goodies” to look at and buy. My big find of the day was a folding rocking chair. I just love to rock the day away! We have looked at them before and they were always so expensive. This one was very comfortable---they called it a “wide body” rocker, that probably says it all! Anyhoo, it was priced at $39.99 and we have seen them at least $20 higher. It came home with us along with some vent pillows, a pocket gas leak detector, and some of those expandable rods that hold things in place when you travel. I’m tired of the explosion that happens when I open the medicine cabinet for the first time after a travel day! There were a few other things I would have liked to have brought home, but we gotta keep to some kind of a budget these days. I have not got the rocker out of the box yet, but I’ll post a photo when I do......

After camping world, we headed over to a Jo Ann’s superstore. I didn’t really need anything I just wanted to check it out. DH was proud of me---I did just look--the only thing I purchased was a B-day card for a friend.

Next on the agenda, a late lunch/early supper. We headed to our favorite Mexican place, but this time I passed on the margarita. Our dinner was again very good and soon we were on our way back home.

Back at the fiver, I jumped into my “comfy” clothes and settled in for an evening of tv. There was a new episode of NCIS on and then The Mentalist. DH had to go out and unhook the hoses, supposed to be a low of 28 tonight. I knew the desert would have cooler nights than Florida, but I really never thought it would get down into the 20’s so often.

......and Speedy, don’t you worry, the good times they are a coming---just keep marking those days off the calendar.

Jan 5, 2009

We had our usual morning.......coffee, oatmeal, and Regis and Kelly on the tv. After that we took our showers and tidied up the rig.

Next it was baking day. DH made his “dog cookies” and after he cleared the kitchen, I made a batch a of Choc Chip Cookies. The last batch was in the oven when there came a tapping on our door. It was Howard (RV-Dreams), I asked him if he smelled the cookies. He said no, he was here to invite us out to dinner with a few other rv folks. They were getting together at the Country Club for 25 cent wing night again and he wanted to know if we were interested. We said a big YES! We sent Howard off with a plate of cookies. DH took the furballs for a walk and I finished tiding up the rig.

Around 5:45 we headed over to the club. It was a bit crowded--no room in the bar for a table of 10. We had to sit in the dining room area. I really would not have minded that---it was better lit and quieter--for about 10 minutes. Then the door opened and in came about 20 or so folks at least half of them under the age of 3yrs ( or at least it seemed that way to me). Oh yeah, lots of screaming, crying, you know how kids came be----they are kids after all.

We still managed to have a good time--good conversation and meeting new rv friends. Our table included: Howard and Linda, Ester and Steve, Don and Deb, and Robbie and Alice. At any given time we had at least 3 or 4 different conversations going. I know we solved at least some of the world’s problems last night........

After dinner the gang headed out to play cards, we declined that invitation. Neither one of us are card players and we don’t like leaving the furballs alone for too long. We said our goodbyes and headed back to the rig where our furballs were happy to see us. DH caught the second half of his football game and I did a little web surfing. Next thing ya know it’s time for bed.............till tomorrow

Jan 4, 2009

Today was a really llllaaazzzzyyyy day. I didn’t even make the bed till sometime after 1pm. I did manage to take the furballs on a walk and even let them play a little off leash over at the pet run. They pretty much just like to “smell” all those other doggie smells left behind by the other furballs.

Bill was either on-line or watching football or both for most of the afternoon.

I put a nice pork roast in the crock pot for dinner. My plans were to make BBQ out of it. I make my own BBQ sauce and when the time came----I was out of ketchup. Well, no one wanted to make a trip to the grocery. So, I used a can of tomato sauce in place of the ketchup. It turned out fairly well, the BBQ sauce was a little thinner than I like, but the taste was good.

We were pretty much recliner potatoes for the remainder of the evening.......

Jan 3, 2009

Today was “chore” day. We had our usual lazy morning and breakfast. Around noon I decided it was finally time for the furballs to have a bath. They are really very good about it although I know it certainly is not their favorite activity. I was going to use the outside shower, but that side of our fifth wheel is primarily in shade and it was just to chilly today. I ended up filling a couple of smaller tubs with warm water and bathing them in the sun. Once it is over and done with I know they feel better and they definitely smell better!

Next, it was on to the laundry.......I loaded up the truck and headed over to the on site laundry at the park. I was glad to find a few other ladies there......always helps to pass the time.....

Back at the fiver we decided on soup and grilled cheese for supper. Then settled in for more football............sorry to see the Colts get beat

Jan 2, 2009

After breakfast, I decided to tackle my "table" project. Here are the photos I promised. The first one is the table painted a very soft green. In, the next photo, I have been working on the legs. I've been experimenting with several shades of green and looking for a kind of mottled effect. Now , I'm trying to decide if I need to add some vines and leaves. I'm using the hydrangea plant as my inspiration. I love hydrangeas. I pretty much worked on that all day.

DH was, you guessed it, watching yet another football game. But that's ok, keeps him out of my way and outta trouble. He did, before the game started, managed to fix the oven. It seems the gas line to the pilot light had come unscrewed and that's why we could not get the pilot to stay lit. Once he put everything back together it worked perfectly!! Good Job, sweetie!

After dinner, I decided to make myself a cup of instant coffee. Did my usual minute and 25 seconds on the micro, took it out and it was stone cold. Repeat, thought I might of put in 25 seconds only, still cold. Just great, now it seems the micro is not working. That, I'm afraid is going to be a little more difficult to fix. We will call Forest River on Monday and see what they have to say about it. I swear, we are the poster children for defective products. If it is broke or soon to be broke, we buy it or somehow end up owning it.........

Jan 1, 2009

A new day a better mood. The sun is shining and the temps are on the rise. I decided to make DH an apple pie and myself a key lime pie. I do all of that from scratch--no ready made crust or filling for either one, so it took a good portion of the day. After the pies were done, I took the furballs out for a short walk around the park.

Next on the agenda, was my table project. I managed to get a coat of soft green on it. Now I have to figure out what comes next. I’ll post some pics tomorrow so you can see how it develops.

I almost forgot---the coyotes were close last night. They actually woke me up around 2am or 3am this morning. Not only were they howling, but barking and yipping. Went on for quite a while. I got a kick out of Cosmo. He obviously heard them and his answer was a very soft “woof” every once in awhile. He certainly saw no reason to get excited and up from his warm bed. I didn’t hear a sound from Belle. So much for the “call of the wild”!

Happy New Year to everyone. I wish only for good things to come your way......

December 31, 2008

Today we decided to check out the nearby city of Tombstone. I have to say we were both a bit disappointed.......It proved to be your typical tourist trap. The old buildings were neat on the outside, but full of tired t-shirts and other tacky merchandise. I walked inside the “birdcage” which was a grand “cat house” in it’s day. I wanted to see the cages that hang from the ceiling---hence the name “birdcage”---where the ladies of the evening would display their wares. Well, you can step inside, but the area where the cages are hung are blocked from view---I didn’t ask, but I’m sure that their was a price to see the rest of the building. Ok, everyone needs to make a buck. I think we spent a total of about 20 minutes in Tombstone......walked up one side of the street and down the other.

DH decided we would take a different route back to the fiver. I really wasn’t paying attention, but next thing I know we have entered a “check point” area and men in uniforms are asking to see our license. It seems we were headed into a military base, Fort Huachuca. DH explained we were just out sight seeing and did not want to enter the base. The guard told us to pull over into another area, where another guard took our license again and wrote down our plate number. Ok, I’m starting to get a little nervous at this point---what’s next, interrogation! Much to my relief, they simply helped us to make a u-turn. Safely back on the highway and heading toward Benson we had a good laugh about it all. It was not long after that we were once again being directed through a check point. This time it was boarder patrol. They just asked us if we were American Citizens--we said yes---and we were on our way once more.

That was pretty much the extent of our excitement for the day. DH found some football games to watch and I managed to take a long nap. I should have got out and enjoyed the beautiful day, but I just wasn’t in a very good mood. Tomorrow brings a new day and a new year and hopefully I’ll be in a better mood!