Tucson
Why is it when one thing decides to go wrong, everything else in the world joins it? I mean, really!?!?!?
This all started a while ago..my laptop (not quite a year old) was acting up. Then it started to crash when I would put a cd in it. After waiting on hold for 15 minutes with Dell, I gave up. Remember, my patience for these type of things is about a nanosecond long. Anyway, I lugged the laptop with me through Missouri...sometimes it would work and sometimes it wouldn't...it was a crap shoot! So, I finally took it in to the Geek Squad at Best Buy last Saturday. Of course, I would not act up for them! GRRRR...figures. Well, I told them to keep the ^&*()@* thing and check it out.
Then yesterday, I fire up my desk top (which was working fine) and get this message that windows could not load, it was missing a ????? file! WTH? So, of course, being who I am, I turned the computer off, let it set for the required nanosecond (remember my patience) and turned it on again...same message. Hmmmm??? I had installed a "window washer" a couple of days ago...wonder if that was the problem? However, I had no way to find out...seeing how I am somewhat limited when I don't have Windows running. So, I call Dell. Glory...I get my call answered in less than 15 minutes. Of course, I am speaking to SOERUPOEWHKS NDFK but I can call him "Mike", from India! However, amazingly, his English is good and I can actually understand him. After trying this and that and more of this and that, nothing, and I mean nothing is restoring Windows (I am, by then, cussing Microsoft)! "Mike" wants to reformat my hard drive, which, of course, I would lose everything! Uh, No, not yet. After two hours with Mike (and my left hand holding the phone all this time and is soundly asleep)I finally tell him I will probably just swap this one for the one that the Geek Squad has. I get a case number and hang up. I am still puzzled that my F8 key on my keyboard wasn't working, nor, when I would reboot the screen would say it didn't recognize my keyboard. Now, my keyboard is a Microsoft Ergonomical keyboard that I absolutely love. But just what was going on? The computer devils were really after me!
I finally have a bright idea! I call a local repair person here and he tells me to unplug the Microsoft keyboard and plug in the regular Dell keyboard and see if that makes any difference! Okay, now, where in the heck did I stash the Dell Keyboard 5 years ago when I got my computer????? After a search, I find it and plug it in and restart the process...and when I got to the point that I was suppose to hit F8 it worked!!! But, of course, that took me to another screen that kept asking me questions I couldn't or wouldn't answer. So back to Dell I go. Now, mind you, this has already taken up most of my day. Now I am talking to Rosa at the Dell call center in El Salvador. She was a little harder to understand, but she walked me through several different processes, and, Viola, Windows is running again! Whoopee! However, I asked her to help me get AOL off my computer. We worked and worked and WORKED, deleted, deleted, deleted...I tell you when AOL gets ahold of your computer, it doesn't give up! We thought we had it, so I thanked Rosa profusely and went on my merry way. Finally, my computer is running again and hopefully, AOL is gone.
Well, this morning I booted up and guess who is still here? Yup, AOL...I give up. I guess I will let it haunt me for as long as I have this computer. And, oh yeah, my laptop is ready to pick up today...all fixed....we shall see.
Ahhhhh...computers, can't live without them, and can't live with them! Or something like that...anyway, I can't live without mine and it is back to it's normal slow self, so I am happy!
What did we do in the days before computers???????
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Warm weather again!
Tucson, AZ
Home again. We arrived home on Tuesday night and it was WARM! YEEHAW! But I am sorta starting at the end, so let me back up a bit.
After freezing at Lake of the Ozarks, on April 12 we headed to Kansas City. About 50 miles out of Lake of the Ozarks this thing appeared in the sky....it was the sun! It wasn't warm out, but at least we could see blue sky! We stopped in Clinton, MO and had lunch with Al's cousins...thanks again Les and Fern! Clinton is such a cute town and so much history! Clinton is the town where the Elk's Lodge building collapsed about a year ago killing one member. Les had been in the Lodge that morning before it collapsed. They are now rebuilding and the new building will be completed in a about a year. There is a little coffee shop we like there, so we had lunch there and it is always good.
Al's cousin Fern and husband Les
From there we went on to Kansas City to see grandson David. We had a great visit with him and he is doing well. We noticed he has matured a lot in the last year and he looked more settled, or happy. We were just very glad to see him and spend some time with him.
David and Gramma
April 13...didn't even realize it was Friday the 13th! We headed back to St. Louis. Bev took me to her Bunko group that night and got me hooked on Bunko. So now I will have to either find a group to play with in Tucson or start my own. What fun!
April 14...the day dawned dreary, COLD and rainy and yes, we even had some snow mixed in with the rain. Bev and Mike took us to a spice store in south St. Louis (I think) called Penzey's. I have never seen so many spices in one place! Then we went to Kimswick, MO for lunch at the Blue Owl cafe. Bev and I went there last year for lunch, so this time we took the guys with us. Unfortunately, it was raining so hard we couldn't get out and walk around the town. Cute town, right on the Mississippi...but since the great flood of 1993, the city has built dikes to protect the town.
The famous Blue Owl Cafe
April 15...Sunday. We really didn't do too much today. Bev fixed a wonderful dinner and we just rested most of the day. We did get out to the new Cabela's that just opened in St. Louis and Bev and I wandered around the St. Louis Mills Outlet mall.
Mike and Bev have the neatest dog (next to ours of course)...Herbie. He is a riot! Always busy, always happy.
And, as usual, we get fed very well while we are here. They are both great cooks. Here is what Bev fixed for dinner tonight...not only taste wonderful, it is pretty!
April 16...Today we went back to Cabela's as AL wanted to buy a new fishing reel...however, the service was so poor, he finally gave up and walked away. And yes, I will write a letter to Cabela's about it.
April 17....the weather is finally nice in St. Louis...of course, we leave today. FIGURES! However, the weather has been nice since Sunday, just not as pretty as it is today. Long flight home, only had a 40 minute layover in Dallas but we made the change okay and so did our luggage. We got home about 8:30 p.m. to two dogs and two cats who were very glad to see us.
April 18...I hit the floor running this morning. Jeannette is flying in today and I had to get the house clean and drop the dogs at the groomers (we couldn't see their eyes!!!). I picked Jeannette up and we headed over to the Voyager RV Resort as she was looking at Park Models (11x35 trailers) to buy so they can spend the winters here. She found a cute one and they bought it! It has an Arizona room attached to it and also another room that Gary can use as an office.
April 19. My kids do like to keep my life interesting! Billie called this morning apparently while I was having my nails done, and left a message that Dan had crashed his airplane. He was okay, but the plane was totaled. Of course, I was worried out of my mind until I talked to her and CONFIRMED that he was okay. Apparently he was landing at the airport in Pacoima (California where he keeps his plane) and he landed hard, which caused the plane to "bounce" back into the air. And as the news write up said "The pilot reportedly applied full power with the wing flaps extended. The aircraft subsequently stalled, and the left wing impacted the ground. The plane then cartwheeled off the runway and into the infield area, coming to rest near the administration building." Scary stuff! That just took years off my life! But, most importantly, Dan is okay, a few bumps and bruises, but okay. Thank you God.
Jeannette left today after doing some measuring at the park model and making arrangements for inspection, etc. We are so glad they will be here during the winter months --- it will be great having them close.
April 20...
Cortney is staying with us for a few days while her parents are gone on a camping trip for their anniversary. We love having Cortney with us....it is so nice to have young people around. I can remember hearing my mom say that and I always wondered why she said that....now I know!
April 21
Every time I fill up the car with gas I look around for the person with the gun! I feel like I am being robbed! Good heavens, when will the extortion of the American people by the oil companies end??? Gas is nearing $3 a gallon here and I understand in Washington it is running about $3.22 a gallon. We may rethink driving the truck and trailer anywhere!
Cortney is at work tonight (she works at the very exclusive spa, Miraval, which is down our street about 3 miles), last night she came in dead tired. Apparently the spa is at full capacity and she had 24 rooms to do last night. She "refreshes" the rooms every evening, meaning, clean towels, bed turn down, etc. AH, to be young and energetic again!
Tomorrow I will start working on the 5th wheel...getting it ready for the big trek north which will probably take place around May 3. Yes, I am starting to pack AGAIN! I have to say, I am really good at it...since I get plenty of practice!
So, until next time, be happy and pray for the families and friends of the slain students from Virginia Tech.
Home again. We arrived home on Tuesday night and it was WARM! YEEHAW! But I am sorta starting at the end, so let me back up a bit.
After freezing at Lake of the Ozarks, on April 12 we headed to Kansas City. About 50 miles out of Lake of the Ozarks this thing appeared in the sky....it was the sun! It wasn't warm out, but at least we could see blue sky! We stopped in Clinton, MO and had lunch with Al's cousins...thanks again Les and Fern! Clinton is such a cute town and so much history! Clinton is the town where the Elk's Lodge building collapsed about a year ago killing one member. Les had been in the Lodge that morning before it collapsed. They are now rebuilding and the new building will be completed in a about a year. There is a little coffee shop we like there, so we had lunch there and it is always good.
Al's cousin Fern and husband Les
From there we went on to Kansas City to see grandson David. We had a great visit with him and he is doing well. We noticed he has matured a lot in the last year and he looked more settled, or happy. We were just very glad to see him and spend some time with him.
David and Gramma
April 13...didn't even realize it was Friday the 13th! We headed back to St. Louis. Bev took me to her Bunko group that night and got me hooked on Bunko. So now I will have to either find a group to play with in Tucson or start my own. What fun!
April 14...the day dawned dreary, COLD and rainy and yes, we even had some snow mixed in with the rain. Bev and Mike took us to a spice store in south St. Louis (I think) called Penzey's. I have never seen so many spices in one place! Then we went to Kimswick, MO for lunch at the Blue Owl cafe. Bev and I went there last year for lunch, so this time we took the guys with us. Unfortunately, it was raining so hard we couldn't get out and walk around the town. Cute town, right on the Mississippi...but since the great flood of 1993, the city has built dikes to protect the town.
The famous Blue Owl Cafe
April 15...Sunday. We really didn't do too much today. Bev fixed a wonderful dinner and we just rested most of the day. We did get out to the new Cabela's that just opened in St. Louis and Bev and I wandered around the St. Louis Mills Outlet mall.
Mike and Bev have the neatest dog (next to ours of course)...Herbie. He is a riot! Always busy, always happy.
And, as usual, we get fed very well while we are here. They are both great cooks. Here is what Bev fixed for dinner tonight...not only taste wonderful, it is pretty!
April 16...Today we went back to Cabela's as AL wanted to buy a new fishing reel...however, the service was so poor, he finally gave up and walked away. And yes, I will write a letter to Cabela's about it.
April 17....the weather is finally nice in St. Louis...of course, we leave today. FIGURES! However, the weather has been nice since Sunday, just not as pretty as it is today. Long flight home, only had a 40 minute layover in Dallas but we made the change okay and so did our luggage. We got home about 8:30 p.m. to two dogs and two cats who were very glad to see us.
April 18...I hit the floor running this morning. Jeannette is flying in today and I had to get the house clean and drop the dogs at the groomers (we couldn't see their eyes!!!). I picked Jeannette up and we headed over to the Voyager RV Resort as she was looking at Park Models (11x35 trailers) to buy so they can spend the winters here. She found a cute one and they bought it! It has an Arizona room attached to it and also another room that Gary can use as an office.
April 19. My kids do like to keep my life interesting! Billie called this morning apparently while I was having my nails done, and left a message that Dan had crashed his airplane. He was okay, but the plane was totaled. Of course, I was worried out of my mind until I talked to her and CONFIRMED that he was okay. Apparently he was landing at the airport in Pacoima (California where he keeps his plane) and he landed hard, which caused the plane to "bounce" back into the air. And as the news write up said "The pilot reportedly applied full power with the wing flaps extended. The aircraft subsequently stalled, and the left wing impacted the ground. The plane then cartwheeled off the runway and into the infield area, coming to rest near the administration building." Scary stuff! That just took years off my life! But, most importantly, Dan is okay, a few bumps and bruises, but okay. Thank you God.
Jeannette left today after doing some measuring at the park model and making arrangements for inspection, etc. We are so glad they will be here during the winter months --- it will be great having them close.
April 20...
Cortney is staying with us for a few days while her parents are gone on a camping trip for their anniversary. We love having Cortney with us....it is so nice to have young people around. I can remember hearing my mom say that and I always wondered why she said that....now I know!
April 21
Every time I fill up the car with gas I look around for the person with the gun! I feel like I am being robbed! Good heavens, when will the extortion of the American people by the oil companies end??? Gas is nearing $3 a gallon here and I understand in Washington it is running about $3.22 a gallon. We may rethink driving the truck and trailer anywhere!
Cortney is at work tonight (she works at the very exclusive spa, Miraval, which is down our street about 3 miles), last night she came in dead tired. Apparently the spa is at full capacity and she had 24 rooms to do last night. She "refreshes" the rooms every evening, meaning, clean towels, bed turn down, etc. AH, to be young and energetic again!
Tomorrow I will start working on the 5th wheel...getting it ready for the big trek north which will probably take place around May 3. Yes, I am starting to pack AGAIN! I have to say, I am really good at it...since I get plenty of practice!
So, until next time, be happy and pray for the families and friends of the slain students from Virginia Tech.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Spring? SPRONG!
Four Seasons, Missouri
April 10, 2007
After arriving in St. Louis last Friday, to 32 degree weather, and the weather deteriorated from there....I think spring has NOT sprung here! We arrived at Mike and Bev's and of course, they could hear me whining about the weather from the corner! I AM COLD! AL IS COLD! Of course, it couldn't be because we were both dressed for Arizona (it was 90 in Phoenix when we left!) Al had shorts on and I had capri's and short sleeved top. It didn't take us long to find our coats! And that night St. Louis broke all records for cold..it was down in the low 20's! I kept checking the calendar to make sure it was not Christmas and it was really April! BRRRR
Saturday
Today was a bit better...it got up to a whopping 38 during the day! Our great granddaughter, Natasha, age 7, went on a Easter Egg hunt at the church and all she could say was "it was cold!" Granddaughter Sarah and Natasha and I went out to lunch and did some shopping so I could buy a couple of long sleeved tops and some long pants (I packed when it was 90 degree's in Tucson...couldn't imagine it being this cold anywhere!) Despite the cold, we are really enjoying visiting with Mike, Bev, Sarah and Natasha...haven't seen Chris (Sarah's boyfriend)yet...he is too busy working.
Easter Sunday
Today dawned bright, sunny and cold. I was convinced that Santa was going to be delivering Easter eggs this year! We went to church and it was cute to see all the little girls dressed up in their Easter dresses and big heavy coats! The BIG FREEZE (as the media is calling it) has frozen all the crops in the entire state and most anything that had blossomed was dead! The poor tulips are drooping and some tree's are still bare. Dinner was wonderful (hey, it is at Mike and Bev's and the food is ALWAYS outstanding at their house!)..Sarah and Chris provided the Honey baked Ham, Bev made a wonderful layered salad, Natasha helped make dessert. Everything was very low keyed, which is just what we wanted. We watched the movie "Happy Feet" and then the classic Sound of Music. It had been years since I had seen it and I forgot how much I enjoyed it. All in all it was a great Easter...except it was cold enough to be Christmas!!!!
Sarah, Chris, Natasha and "Herbie" Mike and Bev's dog
Monday
We took off today for our timeshare exchange at Lake of the Ozarks. It was an easy drive to "Four Seasons, MO" -- now, I know, you are asking, WHERE? We are actually 8 miles from Osage Beach, which is a resort town on Lake of the Ozarks. We usually visit our friends, Carl and Ruby Skidmore down here at this time of the year, however, they aren't here yet. So we are just kicked back, relaxing and doing not much of anything. The weather is still not cooperating. Tonight we decided to barbecue a steak...however, we ran into a small problem. After stopping at the store to pick up a few food supplies for our few days here and we even remembered to pick up barbecue briquet's and lighter fluid-- we were pretty proud of our selves to remember those. HOWEVER, what we didn't remember was matches to light the barbecue! Hmm---rubbing sticks together was out of the question! So I walked down to the INDOOR pool and found someone with a book of matches. This wasn't the easiest task...no one seems to carry matches anymore. At any rate, Al braved the cold and barbecued.
Tuesday
Today we woke to------yup, you guessed it... dreary, cloudy, and yes, cold weather. Mid-morning it started to sprinkle. We decided to take the toll bridge across the lake to Laurie (where the Skidmore's live) and have lunch at one of our favorite little places, "Cousins". Skidmores have been going there for years and when we are here we have to have either lunch or breakfast there. It was a short drive over there since we took the bridge, but the road was really a narrow, curvy road. On the way back, it started to rain. Then we decided to take in the outlet mall in Osage Beach...a huge outlet mall. We made a stop at Le Crueset to pickup a pan Bev wanted and next door was the Coach Outlet Store. I couldn't pass it up! And I wound up buying a Coach purse! Something I have always wanted! YEEHAW! I am no longer allowed in a Coach store however! This afternoon it was raining, gray, cold and downright ugly. At times we swore it was going to snow!
Our view from our condo,tennis courts and the lake beyond.
Tomorrow we are going to hang around here and do some exploring, IF it isn't pouring down rain, (who am I kidding??) which, is the forecast. At least we are getting some rest! However, the bed in this condo is hard...I said it felt like I slept on a table!
Thursday we will pack up and head towards Kansas City where we will visit with grandson David. We will stop on the way in Clinton, MO to visit with Al's cousin Fern and her husband Les. Then Friday back to St. Louis for the weekend before flying back home and to warmth on Tuesday. So until then....we hope all is well with you and yours and that you are warm, happy and living life the way you want.
April 10, 2007
After arriving in St. Louis last Friday, to 32 degree weather, and the weather deteriorated from there....I think spring has NOT sprung here! We arrived at Mike and Bev's and of course, they could hear me whining about the weather from the corner! I AM COLD! AL IS COLD! Of course, it couldn't be because we were both dressed for Arizona (it was 90 in Phoenix when we left!) Al had shorts on and I had capri's and short sleeved top. It didn't take us long to find our coats! And that night St. Louis broke all records for cold..it was down in the low 20's! I kept checking the calendar to make sure it was not Christmas and it was really April! BRRRR
Saturday
Today was a bit better...it got up to a whopping 38 during the day! Our great granddaughter, Natasha, age 7, went on a Easter Egg hunt at the church and all she could say was "it was cold!" Granddaughter Sarah and Natasha and I went out to lunch and did some shopping so I could buy a couple of long sleeved tops and some long pants (I packed when it was 90 degree's in Tucson...couldn't imagine it being this cold anywhere!) Despite the cold, we are really enjoying visiting with Mike, Bev, Sarah and Natasha...haven't seen Chris (Sarah's boyfriend)yet...he is too busy working.
Easter Sunday
Today dawned bright, sunny and cold. I was convinced that Santa was going to be delivering Easter eggs this year! We went to church and it was cute to see all the little girls dressed up in their Easter dresses and big heavy coats! The BIG FREEZE (as the media is calling it) has frozen all the crops in the entire state and most anything that had blossomed was dead! The poor tulips are drooping and some tree's are still bare. Dinner was wonderful (hey, it is at Mike and Bev's and the food is ALWAYS outstanding at their house!)..Sarah and Chris provided the Honey baked Ham, Bev made a wonderful layered salad, Natasha helped make dessert. Everything was very low keyed, which is just what we wanted. We watched the movie "Happy Feet" and then the classic Sound of Music. It had been years since I had seen it and I forgot how much I enjoyed it. All in all it was a great Easter...except it was cold enough to be Christmas!!!!
Sarah, Chris, Natasha and "Herbie" Mike and Bev's dog
Monday
We took off today for our timeshare exchange at Lake of the Ozarks. It was an easy drive to "Four Seasons, MO" -- now, I know, you are asking, WHERE? We are actually 8 miles from Osage Beach, which is a resort town on Lake of the Ozarks. We usually visit our friends, Carl and Ruby Skidmore down here at this time of the year, however, they aren't here yet. So we are just kicked back, relaxing and doing not much of anything. The weather is still not cooperating. Tonight we decided to barbecue a steak...however, we ran into a small problem. After stopping at the store to pick up a few food supplies for our few days here and we even remembered to pick up barbecue briquet's and lighter fluid-- we were pretty proud of our selves to remember those. HOWEVER, what we didn't remember was matches to light the barbecue! Hmm---rubbing sticks together was out of the question! So I walked down to the INDOOR pool and found someone with a book of matches. This wasn't the easiest task...no one seems to carry matches anymore. At any rate, Al braved the cold and barbecued.
Tuesday
Today we woke to------yup, you guessed it... dreary, cloudy, and yes, cold weather. Mid-morning it started to sprinkle. We decided to take the toll bridge across the lake to Laurie (where the Skidmore's live) and have lunch at one of our favorite little places, "Cousins". Skidmores have been going there for years and when we are here we have to have either lunch or breakfast there. It was a short drive over there since we took the bridge, but the road was really a narrow, curvy road. On the way back, it started to rain. Then we decided to take in the outlet mall in Osage Beach...a huge outlet mall. We made a stop at Le Crueset to pickup a pan Bev wanted and next door was the Coach Outlet Store. I couldn't pass it up! And I wound up buying a Coach purse! Something I have always wanted! YEEHAW! I am no longer allowed in a Coach store however! This afternoon it was raining, gray, cold and downright ugly. At times we swore it was going to snow!
Our view from our condo,tennis courts and the lake beyond.
Tomorrow we are going to hang around here and do some exploring, IF it isn't pouring down rain, (who am I kidding??) which, is the forecast. At least we are getting some rest! However, the bed in this condo is hard...I said it felt like I slept on a table!
Thursday we will pack up and head towards Kansas City where we will visit with grandson David. We will stop on the way in Clinton, MO to visit with Al's cousin Fern and her husband Les. Then Friday back to St. Louis for the weekend before flying back home and to warmth on Tuesday. So until then....we hope all is well with you and yours and that you are warm, happy and living life the way you want.
Saturday, March 31, 2007
From Mexico to St. Louis
Tucson March 29.2007
WE have just returned from a few days in Puerto Penasco, (Rocky Point) Mexico. Our friends Jack and Sue have a beautiful home there on the beach and we spent 3 wonderful, relaxing days there with them. What a treat! We always love going there...it's the getting there that bothers me. I don't particularily like to drive in Mexico. You need eye's all around your head and be very cautious. The drivers in Mexico don't exactly obey traffic laws and rules. And it seems that is just isn't the residents there, but everyone else from the U.S. drives like they do! I guess when in Rome....or Mexico in this case. At any rate, driving is a frightening proposition for me there and I don't like to drive down there. Jack does just fine, but then again, he is somewhat used to thier driving habits. I, on the other hand, felt like I was back in Saudi!
Jack and Sue Waddick in Puerto Penasco
"Rocky" Jack and Sue's Mexico cat...he is the neighborhood cat and he is well taken care of!
And since my oldest daughter is named "Melanie" I had to take this picture for her!
The weather was so-so while we were there...we had one absolutely beautiful warm day, one day that was cool and one day a dust storm blew in and made a mess of everything! We took Beau and Schuster with us and they really loved running on the beach and chasing the ball on the beach. Beau, of course, made friends with everyone on the beach....our little goodwill ambassador! Of course, to Beau, everyone is a potential ball thrower!
Once we got back to Tucson we hit the floor running. Al had a doctor appointment yesterday and the doctor doesn't feel that all the fluid is gone, so Al is still taking lasix twice a day along with the potassum. But Al is feeling much better and has more energy. Right now he is out on the deck planting a tomato plant in a pot....his passion...tomatoes! If we can just keep the javelina's from eating the plant we will have it made. The Javelina's have taken big, huge, bites out of some or our cactus...OUCH!
April 5, 2007
The last week has been busy with doctor appointments, helping a good friend celebrate his 60th birthday (he is older than I am!!! Tee Hee! -- and he knows who he is!) and generally just doing our normal "stuff"!
Today we are leaving for Phoenix to spend the night, because at 0'dark thirty tomorrow morning we are flying to St. Louis (via Dallas) to spend Easter with Mike, Bev, Sarah, Chris and Natasha. We are both really looking forward to this trip and hope this trip won't get interrupted like our trip to St. Louis did last year when AL's brother died. So, all of you, stay well and safe!
Our plans are to spend a few days with Mike and Bev, then we are off to Lake of the Ozarks for a few days in a time share. We usually meet up with the Skidmores at their house on the lake, however, this year due to medical problems, they won't be in Missouri until sometime in May. We will get in a visit with AL's cousin Fern and husband Les in Clinton and try and see our grandson David (if he will ever answer my phone calls...I think he may be trying to avoid seeing the Grandparents---however he should know me well enough to know I will track him down!) We are looking forward to this trip. The dogs have their dishes packed and ready to go to Holly and Bruce's while we are gone and the cats know they will be "home alone" again...Holly looks after them as well.
Weather here in Tucson has heated right up....92 yesterday and right now at 2:00 p.m. it is 91 -- my kind of weather. Al is starting to make noises about heading north, but he has a doctor appointment on May 8, so I know we will be here that long, but I bet we will be heading north on May 9!
So, until next time, we wish everyone a Happy Easter and hope you are living life the way you want!
WE have just returned from a few days in Puerto Penasco, (Rocky Point) Mexico. Our friends Jack and Sue have a beautiful home there on the beach and we spent 3 wonderful, relaxing days there with them. What a treat! We always love going there...it's the getting there that bothers me. I don't particularily like to drive in Mexico. You need eye's all around your head and be very cautious. The drivers in Mexico don't exactly obey traffic laws and rules. And it seems that is just isn't the residents there, but everyone else from the U.S. drives like they do! I guess when in Rome....or Mexico in this case. At any rate, driving is a frightening proposition for me there and I don't like to drive down there. Jack does just fine, but then again, he is somewhat used to thier driving habits. I, on the other hand, felt like I was back in Saudi!
Jack and Sue Waddick in Puerto Penasco
"Rocky" Jack and Sue's Mexico cat...he is the neighborhood cat and he is well taken care of!
And since my oldest daughter is named "Melanie" I had to take this picture for her!
The weather was so-so while we were there...we had one absolutely beautiful warm day, one day that was cool and one day a dust storm blew in and made a mess of everything! We took Beau and Schuster with us and they really loved running on the beach and chasing the ball on the beach. Beau, of course, made friends with everyone on the beach....our little goodwill ambassador! Of course, to Beau, everyone is a potential ball thrower!
Once we got back to Tucson we hit the floor running. Al had a doctor appointment yesterday and the doctor doesn't feel that all the fluid is gone, so Al is still taking lasix twice a day along with the potassum. But Al is feeling much better and has more energy. Right now he is out on the deck planting a tomato plant in a pot....his passion...tomatoes! If we can just keep the javelina's from eating the plant we will have it made. The Javelina's have taken big, huge, bites out of some or our cactus...OUCH!
April 5, 2007
The last week has been busy with doctor appointments, helping a good friend celebrate his 60th birthday (he is older than I am!!! Tee Hee! -- and he knows who he is!) and generally just doing our normal "stuff"!
Today we are leaving for Phoenix to spend the night, because at 0'dark thirty tomorrow morning we are flying to St. Louis (via Dallas) to spend Easter with Mike, Bev, Sarah, Chris and Natasha. We are both really looking forward to this trip and hope this trip won't get interrupted like our trip to St. Louis did last year when AL's brother died. So, all of you, stay well and safe!
Our plans are to spend a few days with Mike and Bev, then we are off to Lake of the Ozarks for a few days in a time share. We usually meet up with the Skidmores at their house on the lake, however, this year due to medical problems, they won't be in Missouri until sometime in May. We will get in a visit with AL's cousin Fern and husband Les in Clinton and try and see our grandson David (if he will ever answer my phone calls...I think he may be trying to avoid seeing the Grandparents---however he should know me well enough to know I will track him down!) We are looking forward to this trip. The dogs have their dishes packed and ready to go to Holly and Bruce's while we are gone and the cats know they will be "home alone" again...Holly looks after them as well.
Weather here in Tucson has heated right up....92 yesterday and right now at 2:00 p.m. it is 91 -- my kind of weather. Al is starting to make noises about heading north, but he has a doctor appointment on May 8, so I know we will be here that long, but I bet we will be heading north on May 9!
So, until next time, we wish everyone a Happy Easter and hope you are living life the way you want!
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Things are a lookin' better around here
Tucson March 22, 2007
Before I even start on this blog, I have to say, we are in the middle of one heck of a storm! We have thunder (Schuster is trying to get UNDER the bed...he's too big!), lightning and rain....lots of water falling from the sky. We had just about forgot what rain was like! And boy, do we need this rain. Everything here is sooooooo dry. (Maybe the snakes will go back into hiding??? Not likely!!) At any rate, we are enjoying the storm and the rain.
Al has finally gotten all the results from all of the tests but one. The echocardiogram showed the right chamber of his heart wasn't emptying completely, therefore the remaining blood would flow back into the liver, kidneys and cause the edema. After mega doses of lasix and potassum, he has lost most of the fluid. He had gained 20 lbs in 3 weeks, and lost 20 lbs in 3 days with the lasix. I tell you, you didn't want to be in his way when he was heading to the bathroom!!!! We saw the cardiologist this week and he is pretty happy with the progress. He said Al's heart is strong and he changed some of Al's meds, reducing the lanoxin he is taking and we hope that will solve the slow heart rate problem. WHEW!!!! Al is feeling much, much better, he even has some energy and isn't as tired and weak anymore. That sure was a scary few days!
We have been laying low for the last two weeks, just trying to get Al well. It seems like I haven't gotten too much done, but I have been busy. Just can't figure out what I have done that kept me so busy...oh, wait, I know...it was running after things for Al. And it seems like a gazillion doctor appointments! WOW! Now I will have the headache of sorting through all the medicare and insurance paperwork. ICK.
BEWARE you drivers in Tucson....Cortney has her driver's license! She is a very good driver however. She was so excited when she got her license.....and rightfully so. Do you remember when you got your driver's license? I think I remember when I did....it was so long ago!!!!
Well, that's about all the news from this end of the world...hope this finds you all happy and healthy. Until next time............
Before I even start on this blog, I have to say, we are in the middle of one heck of a storm! We have thunder (Schuster is trying to get UNDER the bed...he's too big!), lightning and rain....lots of water falling from the sky. We had just about forgot what rain was like! And boy, do we need this rain. Everything here is sooooooo dry. (Maybe the snakes will go back into hiding??? Not likely!!) At any rate, we are enjoying the storm and the rain.
Al has finally gotten all the results from all of the tests but one. The echocardiogram showed the right chamber of his heart wasn't emptying completely, therefore the remaining blood would flow back into the liver, kidneys and cause the edema. After mega doses of lasix and potassum, he has lost most of the fluid. He had gained 20 lbs in 3 weeks, and lost 20 lbs in 3 days with the lasix. I tell you, you didn't want to be in his way when he was heading to the bathroom!!!! We saw the cardiologist this week and he is pretty happy with the progress. He said Al's heart is strong and he changed some of Al's meds, reducing the lanoxin he is taking and we hope that will solve the slow heart rate problem. WHEW!!!! Al is feeling much, much better, he even has some energy and isn't as tired and weak anymore. That sure was a scary few days!
We have been laying low for the last two weeks, just trying to get Al well. It seems like I haven't gotten too much done, but I have been busy. Just can't figure out what I have done that kept me so busy...oh, wait, I know...it was running after things for Al. And it seems like a gazillion doctor appointments! WOW! Now I will have the headache of sorting through all the medicare and insurance paperwork. ICK.
BEWARE you drivers in Tucson....Cortney has her driver's license! She is a very good driver however. She was so excited when she got her license.....and rightfully so. Do you remember when you got your driver's license? I think I remember when I did....it was so long ago!!!!
Well, that's about all the news from this end of the world...hope this finds you all happy and healthy. Until next time............
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Company, Fun, and a sick Husband
Tucson
All of our company has left. We have had non-stop company since March 1 and we have enjoyed every bit of it...however, it has taken it's toll. The washer and dryer haven't stopped for two days....and I haven't even had time to clean the house...but I am getting ahead of myself.
After Billie and Dan left, we had a day to get ready for the next round of company. This time it was son Mike and wife Bev from St. Louis and good friends Rowland and Kathy Brasch from Seattle area. They all arrived within an hour of each other on the 6th. I had made a killer Emerile Lagasse sausage and chicken gumbo for dinner that night. We all got to just sit and visit and the weather, I might add, that Bev had ordered, (warm, hot, warm) was cooperating. The evenings are so nice to sit on the deck and enjoy our view. Anyway, that was the first night.
Next day, Mike starts working around our house on the yard, cutting back some cactus and weeds....some vacation, huh? Bev and I putz around, doing a little shopping...remember, I still have a broken ankle, but I am not letting it slow me down much. We all had lunch with Jude and Roger Hubbell today at their club in Saddlebrooke. Tonight for dinner we join Bruce, Holly and Cortney at Benihana's for dinner. For some reason, Benihana's wasn't as good as I was expecting.
Thursday - Rowland and Kathy take off to go to Tubac and Nogales Mexico for the day. Mike is still working in the yard...he says he loves it, but I have to wonder...these plants we have BITE! Bev and I do a little more shopping. Tonight for dinner we also have Jude and Roger Hubbell and Pat and Patti Voss for dinner. Mike and Al do a standing rib roast on the grill and it was sooooo good. Weather is still great.
Friday - Big day for us. First off, the guys cook breakfast for us. What a treat.
Rowland, Mike, Al
After we clean up the kitchen Kathy, Bev and I go to the new shopping mall, La Encantada, very up scale to do some looking. We had lunch at a restaurant called Firefox....must remember to bring Al here...it was great. After we cruised through places like Coach, Louis Vitton, etc. we decided this mall was out of our league. They do have a cute pet store "Muttropolis" there, for the very, very, very spoiled pet in your life. Tonight our friends from California roll in (they are staying in a hotel) Bill and Eva Davey and Donna and Gary Bearden. We were really happy to see them and get to visit a bit. They were here for dinner along with friends Dona and Bill Bender and Jack and Suzie Waddick. The Brasch's are staying with the Benders tonight and Jack and Suzie move into our other spare guest room. Are you still with me here? Mike and Bev basically did dinner tonight...French Dip Sandwiches, I madea pasta salad, potato chips and great toffee bars that Bev did. I must add here that Bev and Kathy have really been a big help for me...and Rowland keeps telling me to sit down and get off my sore ankle...right, as if I will listen!
Donna & Gary Bearden
Eva Davey and Gary Bearden
Jack & Sue Waddick
Bill Davey and Sue Waddick
The wonderful Kitchen Helpers....Kathy and Bev
Saturday...The California crowd goes off to do some exploring for the day. Mike, Bev and Al went to the Mesa Swap meet for the day. I am alone!!! I took Jose into the vet with a sore tail....yes, another vet trip. I should get a frequent visitor card for the vet! Jose has a cut on his tail that is infected....when will it end with the pets in this house???????
Tonight is the Santa Maria Barbecue here. Al grilled tri tips and I made a big pot of pinquito beans. Pinquito beans are native to the Santa Maria valley in California...they are a small pinto like bean. I did the traditional Santa Maria recipe for the beans and boy were they ever good. Bev made a killer chocolate cake and we all celebrated Jack's birthday (I won't give away his age). The California crowd was here....still need to visit more with them and I am feeling bad because we didn't have a lot of time to visit with them. Too much company. The weather has been absolutely fabulous all week...in the mid to high 80's -- just perfect for me. We have spent a lot of time on the deck enjoying the weather and our great view of the mountains.
Sunday...Mike and Bev leave. We both hated to see them leave. We really enjoyed their visit. All of a sudden, the house is quiet. Jack and Sue are at the craft fair, so we are all alone. I want to insert at this point, our dogs, have been played with by everyone...so now I am left with two dogs who EXPECT to be played with all of the time. Tonight we (Al and I, Jack and Suzie) met the Californians at Carrabba's for dinner. We had never been there, but we will go back...it was good. We didn't know that Carrabba's was part of the Outback chain, or I should say part of the same corporation that owns Outback, Cheeseburger in Paradise, Chili's, Macaroni Grill and many other restaurants. We say goodbye to the California crowd....hope to see them again soon.
Monday. Jack and Sue leave early this morning. I take Al to the doctor this morning for a follow up appointment for his blood pressure. However, last night Al said his legs were "weeping" or seeping water. Huh??? What's that all about? And he has had a dry, hacking cough for over a week and has had trouble breathing when laying down flat in bed. He blamed the breathing on his C-Pap, but he also has a very dry mouth. Sooooo...I mention all of the above to the doctor, who gets a frown on his face and starts going over Al with a fine tooth comb. Al has gained 17 pounds in the last 3 weeks as well. Yup, he is retaining fluid. Doctor puts him on mega doses of lasic's and potassium, sends him for a chest X-ray and orders a echo cardiogram asap. We got the chest xray done today and the echo cardiogram scheduled for tomorrow. AL is not feeling to well today, however, he said he felt fine while all the company was here and he was pretty active while everyone was around to keep him busy. I am scared spit less.
ALSO, tonight on the news, the word is out...SNAKES ARE AWAKE!!! The warm weather have woken up the snakes and they are hungry...many people have found them in their yards in the last few days. SWELL.....now I don't want to go outside!
Tuesday
Okay, back to the snakes. I dreamed about snakes all night. I would wake up and my heart would be pitter patting along at a rapid pace... I tell you ...I am scared spit less of snakes.
Al had the echo cardiogram today and I got to watch. Interesting to watch his heart beat....and kinda' scary. His heart rate is at 40, not very good. He is weak, tired and very dizzy, which we think might be from the lasic's and potassium, at least we hope it is. Hopefully we will hear some news on the results of this test soon. I will keep you all posted in my next blog...but we sure could use your prayers for him.
More later..........
All of our company has left. We have had non-stop company since March 1 and we have enjoyed every bit of it...however, it has taken it's toll. The washer and dryer haven't stopped for two days....and I haven't even had time to clean the house...but I am getting ahead of myself.
After Billie and Dan left, we had a day to get ready for the next round of company. This time it was son Mike and wife Bev from St. Louis and good friends Rowland and Kathy Brasch from Seattle area. They all arrived within an hour of each other on the 6th. I had made a killer Emerile Lagasse sausage and chicken gumbo for dinner that night. We all got to just sit and visit and the weather, I might add, that Bev had ordered, (warm, hot, warm) was cooperating. The evenings are so nice to sit on the deck and enjoy our view. Anyway, that was the first night.
Next day, Mike starts working around our house on the yard, cutting back some cactus and weeds....some vacation, huh? Bev and I putz around, doing a little shopping...remember, I still have a broken ankle, but I am not letting it slow me down much. We all had lunch with Jude and Roger Hubbell today at their club in Saddlebrooke. Tonight for dinner we join Bruce, Holly and Cortney at Benihana's for dinner. For some reason, Benihana's wasn't as good as I was expecting.
Thursday - Rowland and Kathy take off to go to Tubac and Nogales Mexico for the day. Mike is still working in the yard...he says he loves it, but I have to wonder...these plants we have BITE! Bev and I do a little more shopping. Tonight for dinner we also have Jude and Roger Hubbell and Pat and Patti Voss for dinner. Mike and Al do a standing rib roast on the grill and it was sooooo good. Weather is still great.
Friday - Big day for us. First off, the guys cook breakfast for us. What a treat.
Rowland, Mike, Al
After we clean up the kitchen Kathy, Bev and I go to the new shopping mall, La Encantada, very up scale to do some looking. We had lunch at a restaurant called Firefox....must remember to bring Al here...it was great. After we cruised through places like Coach, Louis Vitton, etc. we decided this mall was out of our league. They do have a cute pet store "Muttropolis" there, for the very, very, very spoiled pet in your life. Tonight our friends from California roll in (they are staying in a hotel) Bill and Eva Davey and Donna and Gary Bearden. We were really happy to see them and get to visit a bit. They were here for dinner along with friends Dona and Bill Bender and Jack and Suzie Waddick. The Brasch's are staying with the Benders tonight and Jack and Suzie move into our other spare guest room. Are you still with me here? Mike and Bev basically did dinner tonight...French Dip Sandwiches, I madea pasta salad, potato chips and great toffee bars that Bev did. I must add here that Bev and Kathy have really been a big help for me...and Rowland keeps telling me to sit down and get off my sore ankle...right, as if I will listen!
Donna & Gary Bearden
Eva Davey and Gary Bearden
Jack & Sue Waddick
Bill Davey and Sue Waddick
The wonderful Kitchen Helpers....Kathy and Bev
Saturday...The California crowd goes off to do some exploring for the day. Mike, Bev and Al went to the Mesa Swap meet for the day. I am alone!!! I took Jose into the vet with a sore tail....yes, another vet trip. I should get a frequent visitor card for the vet! Jose has a cut on his tail that is infected....when will it end with the pets in this house???????
Tonight is the Santa Maria Barbecue here. Al grilled tri tips and I made a big pot of pinquito beans. Pinquito beans are native to the Santa Maria valley in California...they are a small pinto like bean. I did the traditional Santa Maria recipe for the beans and boy were they ever good. Bev made a killer chocolate cake and we all celebrated Jack's birthday (I won't give away his age). The California crowd was here....still need to visit more with them and I am feeling bad because we didn't have a lot of time to visit with them. Too much company. The weather has been absolutely fabulous all week...in the mid to high 80's -- just perfect for me. We have spent a lot of time on the deck enjoying the weather and our great view of the mountains.
Sunday...Mike and Bev leave. We both hated to see them leave. We really enjoyed their visit. All of a sudden, the house is quiet. Jack and Sue are at the craft fair, so we are all alone. I want to insert at this point, our dogs, have been played with by everyone...so now I am left with two dogs who EXPECT to be played with all of the time. Tonight we (Al and I, Jack and Suzie) met the Californians at Carrabba's for dinner. We had never been there, but we will go back...it was good. We didn't know that Carrabba's was part of the Outback chain, or I should say part of the same corporation that owns Outback, Cheeseburger in Paradise, Chili's, Macaroni Grill and many other restaurants. We say goodbye to the California crowd....hope to see them again soon.
Monday. Jack and Sue leave early this morning. I take Al to the doctor this morning for a follow up appointment for his blood pressure. However, last night Al said his legs were "weeping" or seeping water. Huh??? What's that all about? And he has had a dry, hacking cough for over a week and has had trouble breathing when laying down flat in bed. He blamed the breathing on his C-Pap, but he also has a very dry mouth. Sooooo...I mention all of the above to the doctor, who gets a frown on his face and starts going over Al with a fine tooth comb. Al has gained 17 pounds in the last 3 weeks as well. Yup, he is retaining fluid. Doctor puts him on mega doses of lasic's and potassium, sends him for a chest X-ray and orders a echo cardiogram asap. We got the chest xray done today and the echo cardiogram scheduled for tomorrow. AL is not feeling to well today, however, he said he felt fine while all the company was here and he was pretty active while everyone was around to keep him busy. I am scared spit less.
ALSO, tonight on the news, the word is out...SNAKES ARE AWAKE!!! The warm weather have woken up the snakes and they are hungry...many people have found them in their yards in the last few days. SWELL.....now I don't want to go outside!
Tuesday
Okay, back to the snakes. I dreamed about snakes all night. I would wake up and my heart would be pitter patting along at a rapid pace... I tell you ...I am scared spit less of snakes.
Al had the echo cardiogram today and I got to watch. Interesting to watch his heart beat....and kinda' scary. His heart rate is at 40, not very good. He is weak, tired and very dizzy, which we think might be from the lasic's and potassium, at least we hope it is. Hopefully we will hear some news on the results of this test soon. I will keep you all posted in my next blog...but we sure could use your prayers for him.
More later..........
Monday, March 05, 2007
What a week!!!!
Tucson
March 5
Whew! What a week I have had...and NEVER want to repeat what happened on Thursday...
Last week started off alright...kinda. On Saturday, Feb. 24 we took Ric, Janet and Cammie to the airport at o'dark thirty to catch their plane back to Seattle. After we got home I was doing some laundry when the step stool in the laundry room came crashing down and attacked my left ankle. OUCH...that hurt, however, I didn't think to much about it and kept on going. Yes, it was swollen, but it didn't hurt to much. I lived with the sore ankle until Wednesday, when I happened to look at my left foot and not only was it swollen, it was black and blue! So, off to the doctor I go. He doesn't think it is broken, but sent me for an xray. He will call with results. For now, he has me in an ankle brace. NOW my ankle hurts! The brace is driving me crazy.
Thursday I am busy around the house as Billie and Dan are flying in that afternoon. Dan has his own plane and will land in Marana, which is about 30 minutes from here. They call us from the half way point and tell us they will be in around 5:00 p.m. Now, I have to tell you at this point, before I go any farther with my story, that our utilites for the house (gas meter, water and electic) are located right off the driveway to the south of the house. At 4:15 we are backing out of the driveway and I KNOW those utilites are there, but what do I do? I BACK RIGHT OVER THEM!!! CRAP! In my new car. CRAP, CRAP! Now not only do I back over them but I broke off the gas meter and the water pipe. Lucky for us I missed the electric post! Now, we have gas leaking and water gushing! CRAP, CRAP, CRAP! I try to move the car forward, but it is hung up on the broken gas meter. At least I had enough since to tell Al to get out of the car NOW...of course, he was on the downward side of the hill and it sure wasn't easy for him to get out. I call 911 and the Fire Department arrives (10 minutes later!!) In the mean time we still have gas leaking. As the fireman said, "good thing you didn't hit the electic meter or you wouldn't be here to tell us what happened!" Thanks guys! Anyway, the gas and water companies get the gushing water and gas turned off, the fire department get's my car off the gas meter, and I am one big basket case. In the mean time, Billie and Dan have landed at the airport and I call them to tell them we have had a small accident and we will be there as soon as we can to pick them up. In the middle of all of this excitement, my doctor's office calls and tells me "oh, by the way, you have a hair line fracture in your ankle...wear your brace for a few more days and see how it goes." What timing! I am done for the day! I called Holly to come rescue me....and drive me over to pick up Billie and Dan. After a long, hair raising day, we finally got gas and water restored to the house about 10:00 p.m. I don't want another day like that!!!!
Friday dawned a beautiful day. Sun was shining and no wind. Dan asked me if I wanted to go flying....HECK YES! So we off we go...what a thrill. Dan has a Cessna 172, old, but in good condition. We flew over our house, Holly and Bruce's house, Saddlebrooke and the valley in front of our house. Man, I never knew how many houses are hidden in this valley and how much new construction is going on! What a great flight tho. Since I love to fly, in anything, I was really happy. Saturday night we celebrated Dan's birthday, which isn't until next month, but what the heck...I made him lasagne, his request.
our house from the air
Saturday was Billie's birthday. Since it was too windy to go flying, we just rode around the area, looked at some model homes in Saddlebrooke and Dove Mountain, and generally goofed off. Al bbq'd ribs for dinner (Billie's request) and I made Billie her chocolate cake; Bruce, Holly and Cortney joined us for dinner. The wind blew all day....and not just a breeze, it blew hard.
Dan gave Billie a Coach Purse for her birthday!
Sunday was calm, so Dan took Al flying and then me. I would love to learn how to fly...but then I would want a plane, ... so guess it is best I just rely on Dan and the airlines to satisfy my flying habit. We went to dinner at Lil Abner's steakhouse and yum, it was wonderful.
Today (Monday) we were up early to get Dan and Billie back to their plane and they are on their way home...the weekend was just way to short! However, we have a lot to look forward to this week. Tomorrow Mike and Bev get here, as well as friends Kathy and Rowland. So our house will be busy this week. On Friday our good friends from Long Beach arrive for the weekend. They will be staying in a hotel close by...so we will be busy. Both of us love having company and are really looking forward to this week.
The animals are better...finally. Juanito got his stitches out and Schuster got his cast off. However, because he had the cast his foot got a yeast infection...dogs sweat through their paws. So now he has a collar on his neck so he won't lick the infected paw...good grief...he is not happy at all, and I get these big, sad, brown eyes looking at me saying "why?" He has to wear this collar until Friday and he and I are both counting the days!
So until next time, I will try not to break or run over anything and will enjoy our company.
March 5
Whew! What a week I have had...and NEVER want to repeat what happened on Thursday...
Last week started off alright...kinda. On Saturday, Feb. 24 we took Ric, Janet and Cammie to the airport at o'dark thirty to catch their plane back to Seattle. After we got home I was doing some laundry when the step stool in the laundry room came crashing down and attacked my left ankle. OUCH...that hurt, however, I didn't think to much about it and kept on going. Yes, it was swollen, but it didn't hurt to much. I lived with the sore ankle until Wednesday, when I happened to look at my left foot and not only was it swollen, it was black and blue! So, off to the doctor I go. He doesn't think it is broken, but sent me for an xray. He will call with results. For now, he has me in an ankle brace. NOW my ankle hurts! The brace is driving me crazy.
Thursday I am busy around the house as Billie and Dan are flying in that afternoon. Dan has his own plane and will land in Marana, which is about 30 minutes from here. They call us from the half way point and tell us they will be in around 5:00 p.m. Now, I have to tell you at this point, before I go any farther with my story, that our utilites for the house (gas meter, water and electic) are located right off the driveway to the south of the house. At 4:15 we are backing out of the driveway and I KNOW those utilites are there, but what do I do? I BACK RIGHT OVER THEM!!! CRAP! In my new car. CRAP, CRAP! Now not only do I back over them but I broke off the gas meter and the water pipe. Lucky for us I missed the electric post! Now, we have gas leaking and water gushing! CRAP, CRAP, CRAP! I try to move the car forward, but it is hung up on the broken gas meter. At least I had enough since to tell Al to get out of the car NOW...of course, he was on the downward side of the hill and it sure wasn't easy for him to get out. I call 911 and the Fire Department arrives (10 minutes later!!) In the mean time we still have gas leaking. As the fireman said, "good thing you didn't hit the electic meter or you wouldn't be here to tell us what happened!" Thanks guys! Anyway, the gas and water companies get the gushing water and gas turned off, the fire department get's my car off the gas meter, and I am one big basket case. In the mean time, Billie and Dan have landed at the airport and I call them to tell them we have had a small accident and we will be there as soon as we can to pick them up. In the middle of all of this excitement, my doctor's office calls and tells me "oh, by the way, you have a hair line fracture in your ankle...wear your brace for a few more days and see how it goes." What timing! I am done for the day! I called Holly to come rescue me....and drive me over to pick up Billie and Dan. After a long, hair raising day, we finally got gas and water restored to the house about 10:00 p.m. I don't want another day like that!!!!
Friday dawned a beautiful day. Sun was shining and no wind. Dan asked me if I wanted to go flying....HECK YES! So we off we go...what a thrill. Dan has a Cessna 172, old, but in good condition. We flew over our house, Holly and Bruce's house, Saddlebrooke and the valley in front of our house. Man, I never knew how many houses are hidden in this valley and how much new construction is going on! What a great flight tho. Since I love to fly, in anything, I was really happy. Saturday night we celebrated Dan's birthday, which isn't until next month, but what the heck...I made him lasagne, his request.
our house from the air
Saturday was Billie's birthday. Since it was too windy to go flying, we just rode around the area, looked at some model homes in Saddlebrooke and Dove Mountain, and generally goofed off. Al bbq'd ribs for dinner (Billie's request) and I made Billie her chocolate cake; Bruce, Holly and Cortney joined us for dinner. The wind blew all day....and not just a breeze, it blew hard.
Dan gave Billie a Coach Purse for her birthday!
Sunday was calm, so Dan took Al flying and then me. I would love to learn how to fly...but then I would want a plane, ... so guess it is best I just rely on Dan and the airlines to satisfy my flying habit. We went to dinner at Lil Abner's steakhouse and yum, it was wonderful.
Today (Monday) we were up early to get Dan and Billie back to their plane and they are on their way home...the weekend was just way to short! However, we have a lot to look forward to this week. Tomorrow Mike and Bev get here, as well as friends Kathy and Rowland. So our house will be busy this week. On Friday our good friends from Long Beach arrive for the weekend. They will be staying in a hotel close by...so we will be busy. Both of us love having company and are really looking forward to this week.
The animals are better...finally. Juanito got his stitches out and Schuster got his cast off. However, because he had the cast his foot got a yeast infection...dogs sweat through their paws. So now he has a collar on his neck so he won't lick the infected paw...good grief...he is not happy at all, and I get these big, sad, brown eyes looking at me saying "why?" He has to wear this collar until Friday and he and I are both counting the days!
So until next time, I will try not to break or run over anything and will enjoy our company.
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Rocky
Tucson
Al's cousin, Holly, wrote this story about one of their dogs. After asking her permission, I had to share it.
ROCKY
The first weekend of April 2003 was a horrible weekend to go camping. The weatherman said “possible rain and cold wind for the weekend”, but we were determined to get out of town. There is a place called “Rock Creek” in the mountains, we would go at least once a year. It is secluded and far away from people and civilization.
My husband, our daughter and I love our pets, we had three dogs. Several strays have crossed our path, we would always feed and water them, but we could not keep them, feeling ”we didn’t give the pets we had enough attention”. So with heavy hearts, we would take them to the Humane Society and hope for the best.
Deep down we really didn’t feel like camping. Determined, we gathered all supplies, and hoped I didn’t forget the frying pan (which I have done in the past). The crew cab truck was packed full. Our three dogs in the bed, nestled among the sleeping bags and tents, our daughter and her friend in the back seat, my husband driving and I was riding shotgun.
Driving to “Rock Creek” was long and uneventful. Arriving safely, we set up camp, made dinner and cleaned up. The girls had their own tent and were protected by “Tootsie”, our sheltie mix. Extinguishing the fire and stowing the trash, my husband and I retired to our tent with “Riley”, a husky/chow mix and “Lady”, a rottie mix.
The weatherman’s predictions came true. Wind began to howl, causing an eerie conversation high within the pine trees. Feeling anxious about hearing voices and things that go bump in the night, a noise was heard from our campsite. Flashlight in hand, we peeked our heads out the tent door and looked around. Everything looked fine, and then off to the right a pair of eyes glowed. Seeing it was probably a coyote or a raccoon and not a bear, we were able to sleep, somewhat.
The next morning, our dogs ran off. The problem, we didn’t know which direction down the road. My husband went one way and I the other, calling, “Tootsie, Riley, Lady” over and over. I remember seeing some fresh scratch marks in the dirt, like a dog did it, thinking it was weird. We had not been down this way with our dogs and we were the only crazy campers in the area. I heard my husband yell, “I have the dogs”, so I returned.
Throughout the day, the wind kept building and bringing more cold. The girls found enjoyment getting wet in the stream. I had them change clothes and instructed them to stay dry. What did they do? They got wet again! No available dry clothes my patience ran thin. I told them to put on their pajamas and play games in their tent. My husband and I are miserable, we were cold, we were tired, and we had two board, pre-teen girls. There was no way we could expect them to stay in their tent when it was hours before turning in for the night. We looked at each other and decided it was time to go home.
I took the dogs for a walk, on the way back they ran ahead of me. My husband yelled, “I have a dog!” Thinking to myself, ‘yeah, I know they‘re our dogs’, it was not. He was peppered black and white with black liver spots. He was emaciated, his eyes were glossy and sunken, we could see every bone in his body, and every rib more defined with each breath, petting him was like petting a straw broom. My husband fed this dog, he ate like I have never seen any animal eat; we probably over fed him at the time.
Tootsie, Riley and Lady’s reaction amazed me. Our three usually show no restraint when protecting their territory. I feared they would hurt this dog. They reacted just the opposite, they were gentle, they gave him space, and didn’t try to eat his food my husband put down.
We leashed our visitor, intently he watched with a worried expression as we loaded the truck. I told him, “everything will be okay, we won’t leave you behind”. He kept his eye on the tailgate. All packed, I took him off the tether and held onto his only possession, a brown leather collar with no tags, I feared he would run off. There was no need, he soared into the back of our truck and nested down. This new dog had a few bowel movements on the way home, his very large feces contained mostly of grass and twigs. We would stop, clean up, and then continue our journey with all sorts of scenarios on how he became lost in a very isolated part of the mountains.
We had left home with three dogs, returning, there were four that walked single file into our backyard. Secretly each of us wanted to keep him, we didn’t know if he would live and if somebody already loved him. Naive as I was, I couldn’t imagine anyone not missing this beautiful animal. I reported him found with the local Humane Society, they scanned him, no microchip. I sensed they were relieved when I said, “he could stay with us”.
A week passed and no one claimed the Queensland heeler mix, I was relieved. I called a vet for a check up and prepared to put up a fight with my husband to keep him. What I didn’t know, my husband already intended to keep our visitor. The vet examined him, and found he was more than likely abandoned, around 3 ½ years old, and neutered. Receiving all needed vaccinations and prescribing tape worm medication, our job was to find a name. Since my husband first saw him, and he was found at “Rock Creek” he became ‘Rocky’, my husbands dog.
Rocky may be the reason our three dogs took off running that morning. The scratch marks I saw, probably belonged to him, as he scavenged for bugs to eat. I think Rocky had been watching us from a distance and it was his eyes we saw glow in the night. With our three dogs out of camp, Rocky knew he had to be brave, he had to take a chance and come forward, he had to ask for help, if he was going to survive.
A good bath, time to heal, and learning to trust us, we all fell in love. How Rocky became lost in the mountains, we shall never know. Now years later, gray is showing on his sweet face. Our seniors, Riley and Tootsie, have passed on and a special bond has developed between Rocky and Lady, they are like “peas and carrots”. Of all our camping trips, the one that was the most miserable turned out to be the most memorable. Rocky was meant to be apart of our family. We believe the only reason we went camping that cold windy weekend was because there was a lost soul who needed to be found, Rocky had too much love left to give. Someone else’s reject became our treasure.
By, Holly Sanderson
Al's cousin, Holly, wrote this story about one of their dogs. After asking her permission, I had to share it.
ROCKY
The first weekend of April 2003 was a horrible weekend to go camping. The weatherman said “possible rain and cold wind for the weekend”, but we were determined to get out of town. There is a place called “Rock Creek” in the mountains, we would go at least once a year. It is secluded and far away from people and civilization.
My husband, our daughter and I love our pets, we had three dogs. Several strays have crossed our path, we would always feed and water them, but we could not keep them, feeling ”we didn’t give the pets we had enough attention”. So with heavy hearts, we would take them to the Humane Society and hope for the best.
Deep down we really didn’t feel like camping. Determined, we gathered all supplies, and hoped I didn’t forget the frying pan (which I have done in the past). The crew cab truck was packed full. Our three dogs in the bed, nestled among the sleeping bags and tents, our daughter and her friend in the back seat, my husband driving and I was riding shotgun.
Driving to “Rock Creek” was long and uneventful. Arriving safely, we set up camp, made dinner and cleaned up. The girls had their own tent and were protected by “Tootsie”, our sheltie mix. Extinguishing the fire and stowing the trash, my husband and I retired to our tent with “Riley”, a husky/chow mix and “Lady”, a rottie mix.
The weatherman’s predictions came true. Wind began to howl, causing an eerie conversation high within the pine trees. Feeling anxious about hearing voices and things that go bump in the night, a noise was heard from our campsite. Flashlight in hand, we peeked our heads out the tent door and looked around. Everything looked fine, and then off to the right a pair of eyes glowed. Seeing it was probably a coyote or a raccoon and not a bear, we were able to sleep, somewhat.
The next morning, our dogs ran off. The problem, we didn’t know which direction down the road. My husband went one way and I the other, calling, “Tootsie, Riley, Lady” over and over. I remember seeing some fresh scratch marks in the dirt, like a dog did it, thinking it was weird. We had not been down this way with our dogs and we were the only crazy campers in the area. I heard my husband yell, “I have the dogs”, so I returned.
Throughout the day, the wind kept building and bringing more cold. The girls found enjoyment getting wet in the stream. I had them change clothes and instructed them to stay dry. What did they do? They got wet again! No available dry clothes my patience ran thin. I told them to put on their pajamas and play games in their tent. My husband and I are miserable, we were cold, we were tired, and we had two board, pre-teen girls. There was no way we could expect them to stay in their tent when it was hours before turning in for the night. We looked at each other and decided it was time to go home.
I took the dogs for a walk, on the way back they ran ahead of me. My husband yelled, “I have a dog!” Thinking to myself, ‘yeah, I know they‘re our dogs’, it was not. He was peppered black and white with black liver spots. He was emaciated, his eyes were glossy and sunken, we could see every bone in his body, and every rib more defined with each breath, petting him was like petting a straw broom. My husband fed this dog, he ate like I have never seen any animal eat; we probably over fed him at the time.
Tootsie, Riley and Lady’s reaction amazed me. Our three usually show no restraint when protecting their territory. I feared they would hurt this dog. They reacted just the opposite, they were gentle, they gave him space, and didn’t try to eat his food my husband put down.
We leashed our visitor, intently he watched with a worried expression as we loaded the truck. I told him, “everything will be okay, we won’t leave you behind”. He kept his eye on the tailgate. All packed, I took him off the tether and held onto his only possession, a brown leather collar with no tags, I feared he would run off. There was no need, he soared into the back of our truck and nested down. This new dog had a few bowel movements on the way home, his very large feces contained mostly of grass and twigs. We would stop, clean up, and then continue our journey with all sorts of scenarios on how he became lost in a very isolated part of the mountains.
We had left home with three dogs, returning, there were four that walked single file into our backyard. Secretly each of us wanted to keep him, we didn’t know if he would live and if somebody already loved him. Naive as I was, I couldn’t imagine anyone not missing this beautiful animal. I reported him found with the local Humane Society, they scanned him, no microchip. I sensed they were relieved when I said, “he could stay with us”.
A week passed and no one claimed the Queensland heeler mix, I was relieved. I called a vet for a check up and prepared to put up a fight with my husband to keep him. What I didn’t know, my husband already intended to keep our visitor. The vet examined him, and found he was more than likely abandoned, around 3 ½ years old, and neutered. Receiving all needed vaccinations and prescribing tape worm medication, our job was to find a name. Since my husband first saw him, and he was found at “Rock Creek” he became ‘Rocky’, my husbands dog.
Rocky may be the reason our three dogs took off running that morning. The scratch marks I saw, probably belonged to him, as he scavenged for bugs to eat. I think Rocky had been watching us from a distance and it was his eyes we saw glow in the night. With our three dogs out of camp, Rocky knew he had to be brave, he had to take a chance and come forward, he had to ask for help, if he was going to survive.
A good bath, time to heal, and learning to trust us, we all fell in love. How Rocky became lost in the mountains, we shall never know. Now years later, gray is showing on his sweet face. Our seniors, Riley and Tootsie, have passed on and a special bond has developed between Rocky and Lady, they are like “peas and carrots”. Of all our camping trips, the one that was the most miserable turned out to be the most memorable. Rocky was meant to be apart of our family. We believe the only reason we went camping that cold windy weekend was because there was a lost soul who needed to be found, Rocky had too much love left to give. Someone else’s reject became our treasure.
By, Holly Sanderson
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Willy, Caves, Ranchs, Rodeo's and Broken Animals!
Tucson Feb. 22, 2007
We have really had a busy last few days! Ric, Janet and Cammie are here from Seattle and we have really been moving! They arrived late on Friday night, so Saturday we just relaxed. We had Jude and Roger Hubbell and Pat and Patty Voss over for dinner that night and Al smoked a turkey...wow, was that ever good.
Sunday Ric and Janet took a nice long walk, Cammie went over to spend time with her boyfriend James, who is visiting his grandmother who lives here in Sun City.
Sunday night AL and I went with Bob and Rob Grabow to see Willy Nelson at the Desert Diamond Casino! What a show Willy put on! I know probably most of you are Willy fans, but we are! He sang for over two hours and he was good! His pianist, who is is sister was fabulous. I could have listened to her all night. WIlly sang all his oldies and a few new songs he has written lately. He is still great at the ripe old age of 73.
Monday we were off again, this time to Tanque Verde Ranch to meet Gary and Jeannette for lunch. The ranch is up against the Rincon Mountains. It is so pretty and interesting. The ranch has been there since 1880 as a working ranch. In 1920 it was converted into a Dude Ranch, as it is today. This would be a terrific vacation spot....if you didn't live in Tucson and you liked horses!
Tuesday we were up and gone early in the day to Karchner Caverns.
Ric and Janet at Karchner Caverns
This was a great trip! The caverns were discovered in 1974, but weren't open to the public until 1999 (Rotunda and Throne Room) and then in 2003 the Big Room was opened. We toured the Rotunda and Throne Room. Some things we saw: One of the worlds longest soda straw stalactites - 21 feet 2 inches; the tallest and most massive column in Arizona, Kubla Khan 58 feet tall; The world's most extensive formation of brushite moonmilk; how the discovrers walked in the same path so not to disturb the rest of the caverns; beautiful stalagmites and stalactites. I also discovered why I would never be a good cave explorer....don't like being in dark, underground areas for very long! It was a cool experience however and now I would like to go back to see the Big Room. And we also learned that the caverns are alive and still building!
After the caverns and because we were close we headed to Tombstone so Ric, Janet and Cammie could visit the old west town. We have been there many times, and it still is interesting to us as well. We got home about 7:30 p.m. and decided homemade pizza would be a good dinner. YUM.
And then there is Wednesday! My poor animals! First off, Juanito had to have surgery today to remove a growth on his neck. He is home and one very mellow, drunk cat still. To keep him from scratching his incision, I decided to wrap tape around his back paws. OOPS! Have you ever seen a cat try and walk while shaking his back paws at the same time? And he walks bow legged as well. Cammie and I laughed until we hurt watching him! Poor baby....and Ted, you be nice! But one broken animal isn't enough for us apparently. Schuster has been limping for the last few days, we had him to the vet last week and we were told he had a broken toe and there really wasn't much they could do for it. However, if the swelling didn't go down, we were to bring him back. Well, you guessed it, the swelling hadn't gone down, so back to the vet he went today! She decided it wasn't knitting, so she put a cast on his foot and lower leg. So now I have one cat who is very upset with me and one dog who isn't very happy with me either!!!! And a whopping big vet bill! OUCH!
One very unhappy Juanito!!!
Poor Schuster.....
And to top off the day, I just learned my long time girlfriend Peggy
(we have been friends since high school...yes, that long!!) has been hospitalized in Florida with intestinal blockage. When it rains, it pours, apparently!
Today was the Tucson Rodeo! All of us piled into the van, including Cortney and off we went for the rodeo. Traffic was absolutely horrible. First off the rodeo parade was today (I didn't realize this when I bought the tickets a few weeks ago...there should be a warning sign about parade being on the day we decide to go...)so we were dealing with parade traffic; then apparently a little girl was killed today at the parade, not sure if it was from a runaway horse and wagon or just exactly what (haven't seen the news yet... film at 10!) Anyway that STOPPED traffic for a while and after 45 minutes of basically going in circles, we finally got to the rodeo grounds. The rodeo itself was great...we always enjoy this rodeo. However, when I watch the bull riders I get a little nervous, since grandson Vic rides bulls (I still don't understand why) and I love watching the barrel racers (thanks to granddaughter Lori who barrel races) and the drill team was great! After the rodeo we went to one of our favorite restaurants, El Corral for a dinner of prime rib. I am now full, tired and ready to go to bed! Long,long day!
Stay tuned for the rest of our exciting adventures...............
We have really had a busy last few days! Ric, Janet and Cammie are here from Seattle and we have really been moving! They arrived late on Friday night, so Saturday we just relaxed. We had Jude and Roger Hubbell and Pat and Patty Voss over for dinner that night and Al smoked a turkey...wow, was that ever good.
Sunday Ric and Janet took a nice long walk, Cammie went over to spend time with her boyfriend James, who is visiting his grandmother who lives here in Sun City.
Sunday night AL and I went with Bob and Rob Grabow to see Willy Nelson at the Desert Diamond Casino! What a show Willy put on! I know probably most of you are Willy fans, but we are! He sang for over two hours and he was good! His pianist, who is is sister was fabulous. I could have listened to her all night. WIlly sang all his oldies and a few new songs he has written lately. He is still great at the ripe old age of 73.Monday we were off again, this time to Tanque Verde Ranch to meet Gary and Jeannette for lunch. The ranch is up against the Rincon Mountains. It is so pretty and interesting. The ranch has been there since 1880 as a working ranch. In 1920 it was converted into a Dude Ranch, as it is today. This would be a terrific vacation spot....if you didn't live in Tucson and you liked horses!
Tuesday we were up and gone early in the day to Karchner Caverns.
Ric and Janet at Karchner Caverns
This was a great trip! The caverns were discovered in 1974, but weren't open to the public until 1999 (Rotunda and Throne Room) and then in 2003 the Big Room was opened. We toured the Rotunda and Throne Room. Some things we saw: One of the worlds longest soda straw stalactites - 21 feet 2 inches; the tallest and most massive column in Arizona, Kubla Khan 58 feet tall; The world's most extensive formation of brushite moonmilk; how the discovrers walked in the same path so not to disturb the rest of the caverns; beautiful stalagmites and stalactites. I also discovered why I would never be a good cave explorer....don't like being in dark, underground areas for very long! It was a cool experience however and now I would like to go back to see the Big Room. And we also learned that the caverns are alive and still building! After the caverns and because we were close we headed to Tombstone so Ric, Janet and Cammie could visit the old west town. We have been there many times, and it still is interesting to us as well. We got home about 7:30 p.m. and decided homemade pizza would be a good dinner. YUM.
And then there is Wednesday! My poor animals! First off, Juanito had to have surgery today to remove a growth on his neck. He is home and one very mellow, drunk cat still. To keep him from scratching his incision, I decided to wrap tape around his back paws. OOPS! Have you ever seen a cat try and walk while shaking his back paws at the same time? And he walks bow legged as well. Cammie and I laughed until we hurt watching him! Poor baby....and Ted, you be nice! But one broken animal isn't enough for us apparently. Schuster has been limping for the last few days, we had him to the vet last week and we were told he had a broken toe and there really wasn't much they could do for it. However, if the swelling didn't go down, we were to bring him back. Well, you guessed it, the swelling hadn't gone down, so back to the vet he went today! She decided it wasn't knitting, so she put a cast on his foot and lower leg. So now I have one cat who is very upset with me and one dog who isn't very happy with me either!!!! And a whopping big vet bill! OUCH!
One very unhappy Juanito!!!
Poor Schuster.....
And to top off the day, I just learned my long time girlfriend Peggy
(we have been friends since high school...yes, that long!!) has been hospitalized in Florida with intestinal blockage. When it rains, it pours, apparently!
Today was the Tucson Rodeo! All of us piled into the van, including Cortney and off we went for the rodeo. Traffic was absolutely horrible. First off the rodeo parade was today (I didn't realize this when I bought the tickets a few weeks ago...there should be a warning sign about parade being on the day we decide to go...)so we were dealing with parade traffic; then apparently a little girl was killed today at the parade, not sure if it was from a runaway horse and wagon or just exactly what (haven't seen the news yet... film at 10!) Anyway that STOPPED traffic for a while and after 45 minutes of basically going in circles, we finally got to the rodeo grounds. The rodeo itself was great...we always enjoy this rodeo. However, when I watch the bull riders I get a little nervous, since grandson Vic rides bulls (I still don't understand why) and I love watching the barrel racers (thanks to granddaughter Lori who barrel races) and the drill team was great! After the rodeo we went to one of our favorite restaurants, El Corral for a dinner of prime rib. I am now full, tired and ready to go to bed! Long,long day!
Stay tuned for the rest of our exciting adventures...............
Thursday, February 15, 2007
New cars and Red Hats
Feb. 15, 2007 Tucson
Yesiree......we have a new car. Too bad I don't have a picture to share with you! I am remiss in not taking a picture of our 2006 Toyota Sienna Mini-van! Last week I decided, after much debate with Al, to buy another car. I didn't want a 2007 model and take the deprecation hit, so I started looking for 2006 model We looked at Ford, in fact at a Ford Explorer equal to my 1994 Explorer, only the 06 version. TOO MUCH MONEY! And the dealer wouldn't deal...so we walked away (only to have the salesperson call us the next day and offer a "better" deal!) We walked away from a Ford Freestyle as well. On our way to the Honda dealer we passed the Toyota dealership and Al spotted several vans in their used lot. So in we went, and out we came with a van 3 hours later. However, this is what I really wanted....and had been comparing everything else to. I LOVE IT. Yes, I sometimes feel like a soccer mom....however, it rides so nice and is so nice to drive and the dogs LOVE IT. They each have their own seat! And still room to spare. The Camry was getting to the point of needed some major work done and I didn't want to have to spend that kind of money and still have an older car. AL is adjusting to having a van...still isn't sure he likes it tho!
On another note, last Monday, Feb. 12, was the Yuma County Red Hat Convention put on by the Bodacious Red Hatters. It was a great convention, attended by over 500 Red Hatters from all over the country! My good friend Lano was co-chairwoman this year and she really put a lot of work into the convention. I know she was absolutely worn out after the convention and she should have been. The entertainment was good, Joe Bauer, a comedian from San Diego was great and Melba Lynn, playing the keyboard and singing was super! There were lots of vendors there as well selling all things Red Hat...and I didn't buy a thing! I have so much Red Hat stuff I could open up my own shop! I had a great time and I am looking forward to going again next year. We also had a great visit with our friends in Yuma...always nice to be around them.
We are looking forward to company arriving late tomorrow night. Ric, Al's youngest son and part of his family are going to be here for a week. Janet (wife) and youngest daughter (Cammie) are coming; Ashley (oldest daughter) is in college this year and her mid-winter break isn't the same time as Cammie's; so she will be home. We have lots planned for while they are here, including taking in UofA women's softball games, Karchner Caverns, and the Tucson Rodeo, which AL and I love to attend. WAH HOO!
The weather is as strange as it can possibly be! One day it will be warm and sunny and nice (and I am dressed for winter), the next day it will be cold, windy and nasty (and I am dressed for spring)....I just can't seem to catch up! OH well, soon it will settle down and be nice.
We had lunch today with a good friend, Ann, from Bellingham. She is Schuster and Simon's "aunt"...so to speak. We got the two poodles from her mom; so of course I took Beau and Schuster with us today so Ann could see the mutts. Schuster is such a nut anyway! He NEVER makes up to people right away, however, he did to Ann. Wonder if he remembers her? Also, in his hurry to beat Beau in the door this morning, Schuster hurt his back leg and has been limping around all day. He doesn't seem to yelp or show any pain when we rub his leg, but we can tell it must hurt him and he just isn't himself, so tomorrow if he isn't better it will be off to the vet. As Ann says about her dog, she has a frequent visitor punch card to the vet, I am beginning to feel that way as well. Haven't been to the vet with sickness or injury in over a year and now I will have been twice in as many weeks. I had to take Juanito (cat) in last week for sneezing and runny eyes and a lump on his neck. Sneezing and runny eyes (he is allergic to people?) we got meds for and the lump will be removed next week...total cost == too much. Now I will get to donate to the vet again tomorrow. WHEW! Pet insurance is beginning to look better and better!
SO until next time something exciting, partly exciting or not exciting happens in our lives, we hope this finds everyone doing well and happy! As my mom used to say...TA-TA for now.
Yesiree......we have a new car. Too bad I don't have a picture to share with you! I am remiss in not taking a picture of our 2006 Toyota Sienna Mini-van! Last week I decided, after much debate with Al, to buy another car. I didn't want a 2007 model and take the deprecation hit, so I started looking for 2006 model We looked at Ford, in fact at a Ford Explorer equal to my 1994 Explorer, only the 06 version. TOO MUCH MONEY! And the dealer wouldn't deal...so we walked away (only to have the salesperson call us the next day and offer a "better" deal!) We walked away from a Ford Freestyle as well. On our way to the Honda dealer we passed the Toyota dealership and Al spotted several vans in their used lot. So in we went, and out we came with a van 3 hours later. However, this is what I really wanted....and had been comparing everything else to. I LOVE IT. Yes, I sometimes feel like a soccer mom....however, it rides so nice and is so nice to drive and the dogs LOVE IT. They each have their own seat! And still room to spare. The Camry was getting to the point of needed some major work done and I didn't want to have to spend that kind of money and still have an older car. AL is adjusting to having a van...still isn't sure he likes it tho!
On another note, last Monday, Feb. 12, was the Yuma County Red Hat Convention put on by the Bodacious Red Hatters. It was a great convention, attended by over 500 Red Hatters from all over the country! My good friend Lano was co-chairwoman this year and she really put a lot of work into the convention. I know she was absolutely worn out after the convention and she should have been. The entertainment was good, Joe Bauer, a comedian from San Diego was great and Melba Lynn, playing the keyboard and singing was super! There were lots of vendors there as well selling all things Red Hat...and I didn't buy a thing! I have so much Red Hat stuff I could open up my own shop! I had a great time and I am looking forward to going again next year. We also had a great visit with our friends in Yuma...always nice to be around them.
We are looking forward to company arriving late tomorrow night. Ric, Al's youngest son and part of his family are going to be here for a week. Janet (wife) and youngest daughter (Cammie) are coming; Ashley (oldest daughter) is in college this year and her mid-winter break isn't the same time as Cammie's; so she will be home. We have lots planned for while they are here, including taking in UofA women's softball games, Karchner Caverns, and the Tucson Rodeo, which AL and I love to attend. WAH HOO!
The weather is as strange as it can possibly be! One day it will be warm and sunny and nice (and I am dressed for winter), the next day it will be cold, windy and nasty (and I am dressed for spring)....I just can't seem to catch up! OH well, soon it will settle down and be nice.
We had lunch today with a good friend, Ann, from Bellingham. She is Schuster and Simon's "aunt"...so to speak. We got the two poodles from her mom; so of course I took Beau and Schuster with us today so Ann could see the mutts. Schuster is such a nut anyway! He NEVER makes up to people right away, however, he did to Ann. Wonder if he remembers her? Also, in his hurry to beat Beau in the door this morning, Schuster hurt his back leg and has been limping around all day. He doesn't seem to yelp or show any pain when we rub his leg, but we can tell it must hurt him and he just isn't himself, so tomorrow if he isn't better it will be off to the vet. As Ann says about her dog, she has a frequent visitor punch card to the vet, I am beginning to feel that way as well. Haven't been to the vet with sickness or injury in over a year and now I will have been twice in as many weeks. I had to take Juanito (cat) in last week for sneezing and runny eyes and a lump on his neck. Sneezing and runny eyes (he is allergic to people?) we got meds for and the lump will be removed next week...total cost == too much. Now I will get to donate to the vet again tomorrow. WHEW! Pet insurance is beginning to look better and better!
SO until next time something exciting, partly exciting or not exciting happens in our lives, we hope this finds everyone doing well and happy! As my mom used to say...TA-TA for now.
Friday, February 02, 2007
Sedona and More SNOW!!!!
Feb. 2, 2007 Tucson, AZ
We just finished spending a week in Sedona, Arizona. For those of you who are not familiar with Sedona, it is a beautiful area, approximately 100 miles north of Phoenix, near the Grand Canyon and the Mogollon Rim (pronounced Mug-ee-ooyon). Sedona is known for the red rocks and red rock formations that surround the area. There is Snoopy Rock, Coffee Pot rock, steamboat rock, nuns rock, you get the idea. The rocks will change color with the sun and at sunset they are truly at their best.
The town was founded in the early 1900's by Theodore and Sedona Schnebly. History says that they wanted to establish a post office and submitted the name "Schnebly Station"; which was rejected by the postal commission as being to long. So they then named the town "Sedona".
We arrived on Friday, Jan 26 with Gary and Jeannette Wraspir following us in their car. Driving through Phoenix was truly a nightmare! So much traffic, way too many cars for the road! We are staying at the Villas of Sedona, in West Sedona. Very nice two bedroom townhouse timeshare and within walking distance to grocery stores, restaurantes, etc. Matter of fact, we dined at Troia's Pizza Pasta Amore' for dinner. It is right next to the timeshare and what a great find! The food was outstanding! AND for dessert I had chocolate bread pudding (not your fav, I know suzi)and it was wonderful...gotta find a recipe for that!
Jan 27
After breakfast at the timeshare, Gary and Jeannette took off on a "power" walk...I knew I couldn't keep up with them, so I sat off to walk for 30-40 minutes to explore. What a beautiful day for a walk...a little on the cool side, but still the sun was out this morning.
After lunch we took a "Pink Jeep Tour" around the area.
Actually we took the "whoosy" tour...not a lot of off road and four wheel driving on this tour. Some of the tours offered were down right scary! Our tour, Coyote Canyon took us back through some canyons and up to an old cabin named "Van Deren Cabin" which was which was originally homesteaded by a local named Bill Fredericks, who was known for his "good whiskey".
In 1924 he sold the cabin to Earl Van Deren. Earl married soon after and expanded the cabin to two rooms!! Woo Hoo! Interesting place to visit. However, it was a little of a rough ride up to this cabin, even 4x4 wheeling at times. We were exploring the cabin and I walked behind it and lo' and behold, there was a beautiful golf course right behind it. Obviously, we were brought to the cabin the "old" way!!!! At any rate we had a good time and saw some wonderful red rocks and great views of the Mogollon Rim.
And Bev...these PINK JAVALENA'S are just for you!!!
Later Jeannette and I went up to view the wonderful sunset over Sedona from the airport. Absolutely beautiful...the pictures don't do it justice.
Jan 28
Today we toured Jerome Arizona. Jerome is about 30 miles from Sedona, located high on top of Cleopatra Hill (5,200 feet). It is a historic copper mining town. Once known as the wickedest town in the west, Jerome was a copper mining camp, growing from a settlement of tents to a roaring mining community. Four disastrous fires destroyed large sections of the town during its early history, resulting in the incorporation of the City of Jerome in 1899.
Founded in 1876, Jerome was once the fourth largest city in the Arizona Territory. The population peaked at 15,000 in the 1920's. The Depression of the 1930's slowed the mining operation and the claim went to Phelps Dodge, who holds the claim today. World War II brought increased demand for copper, but after the war, demand slowed. Dependant on the copper market, Phelps Dodge Mine closed in 1953. The remaining 50 to 100 hardy souls promoted the town as a historic ghost town. In 1967 Jerome was designated a National Historic District by the federal government. Jerome sits above what was the largest copper mine in Arizona and produced an astonishing 3 million pounds of copper per month. Today the mines are silent, and Jerome has become the largest ghost town in America.
The towns personality has changed dramatically in the past 30 years. Once a thriving mining camp between the late-1880s and early 1950s, Jerome is now a bustling tourist magnet and artistic community with a population of about 450. From its external appearances it hasn't changed much in nearly 100 years. Many of the buildings used by present-day business folks are those built after the fires of 1894 and1899. A number of the buildings have been restored and more are planned for restoration. Due to the 30-degree incline of the mountainside, gravity has pulled a number of buildings down the slope. To the delight of some, one of those buildings was the town's jail and in a back alley is where all the buildings were are part of Jerome's ill-famed "prostitution row." Very interesting place. We poked around for about an hour then went to visit my cousin Beverly who has her jewelry design shop in the old high school in Jerome. We had a short, but good visit with her and then we were off to Cottonwood to visit Jeannette's cousin Susan.
Jan. 29
Gary and Jeannette left to go back to Tucson today, but not before we had breakfast at the Coffee Pot Restaurant, home of 101 omelets! Once owned as a bar by the actress Jane Russell, the city fathers decreed when she sold it that it would never be used as a bar again. That was fine with us as the omelet's were wonderful and the menu was, as represented, very varied!
This afternoon good friends Carl and Ruby Skidmore from Lake Havasu arrived for a couple of days.
Jan 30
We woke to a gloomy, gray, rainy, cold day. WE decided to lay low for a while and see if the weather would change...it didn't. It just got worse. WE finally went across the street to JB's restaurant for lunch..and to our amazement it was their opening day. The owner of the JB restaurant chain was there and he visited with us for a while telling us all about thier restaurants. The food and service were great.
Tonight for dinner we went back to Troia's and it was just as good as before. And it was raining so hard we had to drive the short distance instead of walk.
Jan 31
Today's weather is the same as yesterdays, only the clouds are so low you can't see any scenry at all. After breakfast we decided to take a ride to Cottonwood then back to Sedona. We went up to the Chapel in the Rocks, but it was raining so hard we decided not to try and walk up to the chapel. We did see a HUGE, monster of a house being built right below the chapel...remind Al and I of gaudy Saudi houses!
We met my cousin Beverly for dinner tonight at Kaiser's West which is noted for their ribs and home cooking. It was good and we would go back. After we got back to the townhouse I decided to out in search of an ice machine that was in the building behind us. As I stepped out the back door I was pelted with snow! BIG, FAT snow flakes and coming down hard and sticking to everything. ARRGG! Can't get away from it! After a while it changed to a hard rain fortunately.
Feb. 1
Carl and Ruby left today after seeing absolutely NO SCENERY at all! WE will have to try this again. WE decided we would head home as well...no sense in sitting around watching it rain and snow. We got home late afternoon to 4 happy pets! Carl and Ruby ran into some bad driving conditions after they left Sedona, snow and slick roads from Sedona to Flagstaff. We only ran into rain and wind coming home.
Snow on the red rocks of Sedona
Snow on the Mogollon Rim
Our next trip is planned in a week or so to Yuma so I can attend the Red Hat convention there and we can visit with our friends there. So until next time........
We just finished spending a week in Sedona, Arizona. For those of you who are not familiar with Sedona, it is a beautiful area, approximately 100 miles north of Phoenix, near the Grand Canyon and the Mogollon Rim (pronounced Mug-ee-ooyon). Sedona is known for the red rocks and red rock formations that surround the area. There is Snoopy Rock, Coffee Pot rock, steamboat rock, nuns rock, you get the idea. The rocks will change color with the sun and at sunset they are truly at their best.
The town was founded in the early 1900's by Theodore and Sedona Schnebly. History says that they wanted to establish a post office and submitted the name "Schnebly Station"; which was rejected by the postal commission as being to long. So they then named the town "Sedona".
We arrived on Friday, Jan 26 with Gary and Jeannette Wraspir following us in their car. Driving through Phoenix was truly a nightmare! So much traffic, way too many cars for the road! We are staying at the Villas of Sedona, in West Sedona. Very nice two bedroom townhouse timeshare and within walking distance to grocery stores, restaurantes, etc. Matter of fact, we dined at Troia's Pizza Pasta Amore' for dinner. It is right next to the timeshare and what a great find! The food was outstanding! AND for dessert I had chocolate bread pudding (not your fav, I know suzi)and it was wonderful...gotta find a recipe for that!
Jan 27
After breakfast at the timeshare, Gary and Jeannette took off on a "power" walk...I knew I couldn't keep up with them, so I sat off to walk for 30-40 minutes to explore. What a beautiful day for a walk...a little on the cool side, but still the sun was out this morning.
After lunch we took a "Pink Jeep Tour" around the area.
Actually we took the "whoosy" tour...not a lot of off road and four wheel driving on this tour. Some of the tours offered were down right scary! Our tour, Coyote Canyon took us back through some canyons and up to an old cabin named "Van Deren Cabin" which was which was originally homesteaded by a local named Bill Fredericks, who was known for his "good whiskey".
In 1924 he sold the cabin to Earl Van Deren. Earl married soon after and expanded the cabin to two rooms!! Woo Hoo! Interesting place to visit. However, it was a little of a rough ride up to this cabin, even 4x4 wheeling at times. We were exploring the cabin and I walked behind it and lo' and behold, there was a beautiful golf course right behind it. Obviously, we were brought to the cabin the "old" way!!!! At any rate we had a good time and saw some wonderful red rocks and great views of the Mogollon Rim.
And Bev...these PINK JAVALENA'S are just for you!!!
Later Jeannette and I went up to view the wonderful sunset over Sedona from the airport. Absolutely beautiful...the pictures don't do it justice.
Jan 28
Today we toured Jerome Arizona. Jerome is about 30 miles from Sedona, located high on top of Cleopatra Hill (5,200 feet). It is a historic copper mining town. Once known as the wickedest town in the west, Jerome was a copper mining camp, growing from a settlement of tents to a roaring mining community. Four disastrous fires destroyed large sections of the town during its early history, resulting in the incorporation of the City of Jerome in 1899.
Founded in 1876, Jerome was once the fourth largest city in the Arizona Territory. The population peaked at 15,000 in the 1920's. The Depression of the 1930's slowed the mining operation and the claim went to Phelps Dodge, who holds the claim today. World War II brought increased demand for copper, but after the war, demand slowed. Dependant on the copper market, Phelps Dodge Mine closed in 1953. The remaining 50 to 100 hardy souls promoted the town as a historic ghost town. In 1967 Jerome was designated a National Historic District by the federal government. Jerome sits above what was the largest copper mine in Arizona and produced an astonishing 3 million pounds of copper per month. Today the mines are silent, and Jerome has become the largest ghost town in America.
The towns personality has changed dramatically in the past 30 years. Once a thriving mining camp between the late-1880s and early 1950s, Jerome is now a bustling tourist magnet and artistic community with a population of about 450. From its external appearances it hasn't changed much in nearly 100 years. Many of the buildings used by present-day business folks are those built after the fires of 1894 and1899. A number of the buildings have been restored and more are planned for restoration. Due to the 30-degree incline of the mountainside, gravity has pulled a number of buildings down the slope. To the delight of some, one of those buildings was the town's jail and in a back alley is where all the buildings were are part of Jerome's ill-famed "prostitution row." Very interesting place. We poked around for about an hour then went to visit my cousin Beverly who has her jewelry design shop in the old high school in Jerome. We had a short, but good visit with her and then we were off to Cottonwood to visit Jeannette's cousin Susan.
Jan. 29
Gary and Jeannette left to go back to Tucson today, but not before we had breakfast at the Coffee Pot Restaurant, home of 101 omelets! Once owned as a bar by the actress Jane Russell, the city fathers decreed when she sold it that it would never be used as a bar again. That was fine with us as the omelet's were wonderful and the menu was, as represented, very varied!
This afternoon good friends Carl and Ruby Skidmore from Lake Havasu arrived for a couple of days.
Jan 30
We woke to a gloomy, gray, rainy, cold day. WE decided to lay low for a while and see if the weather would change...it didn't. It just got worse. WE finally went across the street to JB's restaurant for lunch..and to our amazement it was their opening day. The owner of the JB restaurant chain was there and he visited with us for a while telling us all about thier restaurants. The food and service were great.
Tonight for dinner we went back to Troia's and it was just as good as before. And it was raining so hard we had to drive the short distance instead of walk.
Jan 31
Today's weather is the same as yesterdays, only the clouds are so low you can't see any scenry at all. After breakfast we decided to take a ride to Cottonwood then back to Sedona. We went up to the Chapel in the Rocks, but it was raining so hard we decided not to try and walk up to the chapel. We did see a HUGE, monster of a house being built right below the chapel...remind Al and I of gaudy Saudi houses!
We met my cousin Beverly for dinner tonight at Kaiser's West which is noted for their ribs and home cooking. It was good and we would go back. After we got back to the townhouse I decided to out in search of an ice machine that was in the building behind us. As I stepped out the back door I was pelted with snow! BIG, FAT snow flakes and coming down hard and sticking to everything. ARRGG! Can't get away from it! After a while it changed to a hard rain fortunately.
Feb. 1
Carl and Ruby left today after seeing absolutely NO SCENERY at all! WE will have to try this again. WE decided we would head home as well...no sense in sitting around watching it rain and snow. We got home late afternoon to 4 happy pets! Carl and Ruby ran into some bad driving conditions after they left Sedona, snow and slick roads from Sedona to Flagstaff. We only ran into rain and wind coming home.
Snow on the red rocks of Sedona
Snow on the Mogollon Rim
Our next trip is planned in a week or so to Yuma so I can attend the Red Hat convention there and we can visit with our friends there. So until next time........
Monday, January 22, 2007
AARRGG!!!!! SNOW IN THE OLD PUEBLO (aka Tucson)
This is what our house looked like this morning!!! SNOW!! In Tucson??? Come on...how far south do we have to go to get away from this???? The poor palm tree in the picture is shivering!!!
It started to snow last night around 5:00 p.m.....nice, big, fat, fluffy flakes! Very pretty and I didn't really mind since I didn't have to get out in it. However, Gary and Jeannette were here and they had to drive across town to get home. Fortunately, the roads were only wet when they went home, however, this morning it was a different story. Schools are closed today due to icy/snowy conditions and the roads are treacherous! Especially since no one but the snow birds know how to drive in this slick, cold, icy stuff!
This is one of our plants in the yard...and it sure isn't used to the white "frosting" it has. We didn't get a lot of snow, about an inch, however some parts of town got as much as four inches!
It is cold however, last night it got down to 26 and tonight is about the same. Our pipes froze up last night (didn't this happen to us last year in Odessa???) but fortunately, none broke, so we were without water for a couple of hours. Our high temp today was a whopping 48...so much for global warming!!!! It apparently hasn't reached us. El Nino is really putting the weather into crazy patterns this year.
Holly, Bruce and Cortney were here for dinner last night and Cortney built a very small snowman on our patio table....and it finally melted about 2 hours ago...the big HUMP on the table is a decorative sun we bought to hang on the house, however, hadn't gotten around to hanging it yet, so now it is "seasoned" by snow.
We are heading up to Sedona for a week at the end of this week....it could be a chilling experience as well. For now, we are frozen in Tucson!!!
Thursday, January 18, 2007
The Frozen Northland; Rodeo Champs
We are back from the frozen north land, also known as Seattle. More on that in a minute...but first, I HAVE TO BRAG! (Hey, I am a Grandma, I have those rights!) The young lady in the picture is our grand daughter Lori, age 13, who, we just found out, won the Reserve All Around Champion, Jr. Rodeo Association, Willamette Valley, Oregon! Lori is our youngest grand child and boy is she ever a horse person! She and her dad are breaking a horse right now, however, the one it the picture is Cassy...which she broke as well. Lori rides in the American Thunder Drill Team, this past year carrying sponsor flags and the POW Drill, next year she hopes to ride in the rodeo drills. We are SOOOOOOOOOO PROUD OF HER! Her brother, Victor, is a bull rider....so between the two of them they keep their parents busy with rodeo's in the summer.
Very icy roads! Lots of slip and slide!As I said before, we are back in Tucson after our trip to Seattle...which I froze most of the time. I had not brought enough heavy, warm clothes (I don't own enough clothes to keep me warm in Seattle!!) so I wound up wearing one of Jennifer's sweatshirt most of the time and good friend Kathy loaned me a heavy coat. Without those I would have been one frozen person. When we landed on Friday, the pilot announced that it was a whopping 20 degrees.....I was ready to stay on the plane and go right back to Arizona, which, for the record, wasn't much warmer! Our stay in Seattle was short, but we did enjoy it. We stayed with Jennifer and I am sure her heating bill will be outragous, but we were warm! And I remembered how to drive in snow and ice! Funny how those types of things are ingrained in a person! It was Minot, ND all over again! I actually had fun driving in it, however, most people have no clue how to drive in the snow and ice....I think it must mean to them to go faster and slam on the brakes! We saw several spin outs....oops!
This picture is taken as we were leaving Jennifer's house in Lynnwood early Tuesday morning...those white spots, incase you don't recognize them, are SNOW FLAKES! HUGE, SNOWFLAKES!The memorial service for Bill Amble was beautiful...Beverly did a wonderful job arranging the services. After the service in the church there was a reception at Anthony's Restaurant in Edmonds...what a nice thing to do. The food was great and it gave everyone a chance to visit. Sad occasion, but very well done.
It also gave us a chance to visit with four of our grand children. Stephen, who lives in New York City was there, as well as Sarah who lives in St. Charles, Missouri and Natasha, our great grand daughter. We haven't seen Stephen in a couple of years and we had a short, but good visit with him. Sarah looks so good...as Al said, she looked happy and very pretty. Natasha is just a hoot...at 7 years old she is a whirlwind of activity and way to smart for us! She was selling me Girl Scout cookies and she said "Grammy, do you want to buy some cookies? They are $3.00 a box and NO CREDIT!" I laughed so hard at that! What a character. We also got to see Ashley and Cammie. Ashley is attending North Seattle Community College and seems to be happy with it. She had dyed her hair black (normal blond) and the black hair really looked nice on her. Cammie is a Junior in High School and very, very pretty. She is tall, slim and looks like a model. We are so proud of all of our grand children. And to keep you up to date on the rest, David is living and working in Kansas City and Danny is in the Army currently stationed in Germany (and we hope he stays there, and not bound for Iraq!...this worries the gramma!) And we were able to visit with friends Kathy and Rowland while we were there and see their son Jesse for the first time in a few years....very good looking young man! What I want to know is who gave all of these kids the right to grow up???? I certainly am not any older....much! We are so proud of all of our children and grand children...they have all turned out so well.
Now we are back in not so warm Tucson. It was 25 last night and we are hoping for some more rain. It does warm up to mid 50's to 60's during the day, so I am really not complaining. Compared to the rest of the nation, we are very, very lucky!
We have both shaken the cold/flu we had and feeling good again. I have plenty of things to do around the house to keep me busy for a few weeks. However, Gary and Jeannette are here for a month (they have a motorhome and are staying at the Voyager RV Resort) so we will be busy playing with them while they are in town...much more fun than working around the house. And we have a trip planned to Sedona at the end of the month, so we will be wroamin' soom.
So until next time.....we are unwroamin'...at least for a few days.
Thursday, January 11, 2007
The Flock is back!
Well, well, well...the flock is back. At least most of them are. I would say 80%! What in the heck am I talking about, you ask? SNOWBIRDS! BACK IN FORCE! Good heavens. Now, I know, you are asking, "But aren't you a snow bird?" Well, technically, yes, kinda'. Snowbirds have been defined to me in many, many different ways since we have moved here. Some say they only come for 3 months, January-March. Others say they come for six months. Some say they only come in RV's; others say they also own homes. So take your pick. We say, we are "Sun birds"...we follow the sun! And, since we are usually here longer than 6 months (well, some years)we prefer the term SUN BIRD.
Every grocery store, restaurant, store of any kind is packed full! I went to my favorite organic (quit grinning Billie and Dan!) grocery store yesterday, Sprouts, and you could hardly move for the people in there! Good grief, I thought there was a special sale on that AL hadn't heard of! (Side note: Al knows where all the food sales are every week, and just exactly what is on sale and for how much.) Then I went to Home Depot and you would have thought everything in the store was free for the numbers of humans in there! We then went to Applebee's for lunch...usually, in "normal" times, there is a short wait at noon, yesterday it was 30-45 minutes! Barnes and Noble looked like they were having a fire sale....no room to "wroam" in there! Guess it is time to start staying home for a while, or go out to dinner at 6:30, when all the snowbirds are done with dinner (they go to the "early bird" special and are home by 6:00! -- or so the legend goes.) And start shopping at night when they are all home and in bed (7:00 p.m) Nuff said, regardless, we love them!
But the traffic! Have I told you about the traffic? Ouy vey! First of all, traffic in Tuscon isn't the best, better than Seattle, but not the best on a good day. THEN, add in the snowbirds! Hmmm...let's see, where am I? Where am I going? Oh, and let's never go more than 10 mph UNDER the posted speed limit...or slower. Oh? I have my left blinker on and have had for the last 10 miles? Well, I may turn, or then again, I may not or I may turn right! OH? Did I cut you off, well where I am from, that is par for the course! UGH!!!! So it goes! By March all will be almost back to normal! And to top it off, the Gem and Mineral Show starts soon...which means MORE PEOPLE will be here....from every corner of the world...all trying to fit in to the same stores, restaurants, hotels, etc. AARRGG! HOWEVER, after all the prattling I have done, we still love it here! Go figure!
I could say we have sun and warm...well, a couple days ago we did, but now the wind is blowing a cold front in...with rain...yes! Rain! I know, most of you from the frozen north land of Washington and Oregon cuss the rain, but here, we love it. We are still way too dry.
Speaking of the frozen north land of Seattle (I was speaking of it, I think) we are headed to Seattle tomorrow morning. No, we haven't lost our minds; nor are we gluttons for punishment! Our daughter-in-law's father died last week and are going up to attend the funeral. Beverly's dad, Bill Amble, was a wonderful man, we enjoyed him so much. He is missed, but resting peacefully finally. WE will spend 4 days in Seattle, staying with Jennifer. And after reading the weather forecast, I am not sure I have enough clothes to keep me warm! The forecast reads something like this: Friday, lows 13-23, highs 30-32? HIGHS??? 30-32??? BRRRR.. Saturday: lows 20-28, highs 33-35.....Sunday: mostly sunny, lows 25-30 (WHOOPPEE) highs 33-38 (HEAT WAVE?), and so on. I don't own enough clothes to keep me warm. Good thing Jennifer paid her heating bill! :-) However, on a good note, we will get to see some family and friends while we are there. Four of our grandchildren and our great granddaughter will be there as well...so there are pluses for freezing.
Gary and Jeannette (Al's cousin) are in town. Parked at our favorite RV Resort, Voyager. They will be here for a month and we are really looking forward to going out to play with them! We are planning to go to Bisbee for a couple of days; AL and Gary plan to go to do some MINING tours while Jeannette and I explore more of Tubac and other various places. Of course, Jeannette and I will have to boost the economy a little along the way.
We have both been battling colds, however, I think we are on the mend. I feel 100% better and AL is getting to that point. Right now Al and Bob Grabow are working on the 5th wheel. We haven't been able to get 110 volt power to the inside since last month and they think they can figure it out. I will keep you posted as to the condition. We were hoping it was something simple, but we should know better with the 5th wheel...NOTHING IS EVER SIMPLE! Looks like the inverter is not inverting...or what ever it is suppose to do. Oh Gordon and Denise, where are you???
Don't you want to take a vacation??? To Tucson? How about peach pie? Will that entice you?
So, until we are back from the frozen north land....keep on smiling. Life is good if you are living it the way you want!
AL and Jo
The FROZEN WROAMIN' WRASPIR'S
(well, not frozen at this minute, but we are anticipating....)
Every grocery store, restaurant, store of any kind is packed full! I went to my favorite organic (quit grinning Billie and Dan!) grocery store yesterday, Sprouts, and you could hardly move for the people in there! Good grief, I thought there was a special sale on that AL hadn't heard of! (Side note: Al knows where all the food sales are every week, and just exactly what is on sale and for how much.) Then I went to Home Depot and you would have thought everything in the store was free for the numbers of humans in there! We then went to Applebee's for lunch...usually, in "normal" times, there is a short wait at noon, yesterday it was 30-45 minutes! Barnes and Noble looked like they were having a fire sale....no room to "wroam" in there! Guess it is time to start staying home for a while, or go out to dinner at 6:30, when all the snowbirds are done with dinner (they go to the "early bird" special and are home by 6:00! -- or so the legend goes.) And start shopping at night when they are all home and in bed (7:00 p.m) Nuff said, regardless, we love them!
But the traffic! Have I told you about the traffic? Ouy vey! First of all, traffic in Tuscon isn't the best, better than Seattle, but not the best on a good day. THEN, add in the snowbirds! Hmmm...let's see, where am I? Where am I going? Oh, and let's never go more than 10 mph UNDER the posted speed limit...or slower. Oh? I have my left blinker on and have had for the last 10 miles? Well, I may turn, or then again, I may not or I may turn right! OH? Did I cut you off, well where I am from, that is par for the course! UGH!!!! So it goes! By March all will be almost back to normal! And to top it off, the Gem and Mineral Show starts soon...which means MORE PEOPLE will be here....from every corner of the world...all trying to fit in to the same stores, restaurants, hotels, etc. AARRGG! HOWEVER, after all the prattling I have done, we still love it here! Go figure!
I could say we have sun and warm...well, a couple days ago we did, but now the wind is blowing a cold front in...with rain...yes! Rain! I know, most of you from the frozen north land of Washington and Oregon cuss the rain, but here, we love it. We are still way too dry.
Speaking of the frozen north land of Seattle (I was speaking of it, I think) we are headed to Seattle tomorrow morning. No, we haven't lost our minds; nor are we gluttons for punishment! Our daughter-in-law's father died last week and are going up to attend the funeral. Beverly's dad, Bill Amble, was a wonderful man, we enjoyed him so much. He is missed, but resting peacefully finally. WE will spend 4 days in Seattle, staying with Jennifer. And after reading the weather forecast, I am not sure I have enough clothes to keep me warm! The forecast reads something like this: Friday, lows 13-23, highs 30-32? HIGHS??? 30-32??? BRRRR.. Saturday: lows 20-28, highs 33-35.....Sunday: mostly sunny, lows 25-30 (WHOOPPEE) highs 33-38 (HEAT WAVE?), and so on. I don't own enough clothes to keep me warm. Good thing Jennifer paid her heating bill! :-) However, on a good note, we will get to see some family and friends while we are there. Four of our grandchildren and our great granddaughter will be there as well...so there are pluses for freezing.
Gary and Jeannette (Al's cousin) are in town. Parked at our favorite RV Resort, Voyager. They will be here for a month and we are really looking forward to going out to play with them! We are planning to go to Bisbee for a couple of days; AL and Gary plan to go to do some MINING tours while Jeannette and I explore more of Tubac and other various places. Of course, Jeannette and I will have to boost the economy a little along the way.
We have both been battling colds, however, I think we are on the mend. I feel 100% better and AL is getting to that point. Right now Al and Bob Grabow are working on the 5th wheel. We haven't been able to get 110 volt power to the inside since last month and they think they can figure it out. I will keep you posted as to the condition. We were hoping it was something simple, but we should know better with the 5th wheel...NOTHING IS EVER SIMPLE! Looks like the inverter is not inverting...or what ever it is suppose to do. Oh Gordon and Denise, where are you???
Don't you want to take a vacation??? To Tucson? How about peach pie? Will that entice you?
So, until we are back from the frozen north land....keep on smiling. Life is good if you are living it the way you want!
AL and Jo
The FROZEN WROAMIN' WRASPIR'S
(well, not frozen at this minute, but we are anticipating....)
Thursday, December 28, 2006
S-S-S-N-N-N-O-O-O-W-W-W!!!!!
Dec. 28
HUH? SNOW??? In Tuscon? Yup...it is snowing right now! And it's cold! BRRRR However, at our elevation (3,100 ft) the snow isn't sticking, but at 500 feet higher it is...which is the ridge across the valley from us. We have had snow off and on all last night and today, and it started with thunder, lightning, snow??!! Yesterday our high was 75 degrees, dew point at 9% and humidity at 6%....and today we have 43 degrees, rain and snow. Welcome to Tucson in the winter!! WE are really enjoying the rain/snow .. and we have stayed in most of the day -- didn't want to get in the snow plow's way! :-) haha....I bet there isn't a snow plow in this town!
We had a nice Christmas...Jennifer, Dick and Lano were here. The weather was perfect on Christmas day, 70 degrees and sunny. On the Saturday before Lano, Jennifer and I went to Mesa to the "Swap Meet"....> to do some last minute shopping. As we were heading towards Mesa from Tucson we saw what looked like smoke towards Mesa. But, no, not smoke but good old fashion FOG! HUH??? FOG??? In Phoenix??? Does NOT compute. And it was c-c-c-o-o-o-l-l-l-d-d-d! 43 degrees while walking around the swap meet...we made it through 2 aisles, then gave up, we were too cold! Whooses...yup...that's us!
Jennifer left for home on Tuesday; Dick and Lano left Wednesday. I now have two very pouty dogs. They had so much fun playing with Buddy (Dick and Lano's dog) and Dick spent most of his time while here throwing the B-a-l-l for them; and if he wasn't Jennifer was. So, needless to say, they are now looking at me to play with them ALL OF THE TIME! Right now Beau has his head on my lap and Schuster is next to me looking at me with his sad eyes...ob brother! There will be no B-a-l-l playing outside today!
Al is fighting pneumonia again. HE has been feeling rotten for about a week, but didn't want to go to the doctor. Finally I made an appointment and took him yesterday. Doctor said it is a very light case of pneumonia, we caught it in time, however, Al is to rest and do nothing for 10 days to two weeks. The doctor hasn't prescibed an antibiotic yet for him as he wants to see the results of the chest xray that was done yesterday and because Al is on so many medications, he wants to wait to prescribe the antibiotic. More fun to be had!
Dec. 29 HAPPY BIRTHDAY JENNIFER....
I didn't post this yesterday..I tried to get a photo of the snow on the mountains behind us....however, you see what I got!
There was no snow today, however, it was still cold. And the cloud layer hadn't changed much...still backed up against the mountains. We are suppose to be on a warming trend starting tomorrow...we will see.
As the year ends and I reflect on the year, all of the good times, bad times and times in between -- and decided it has been a good year for us. My health has been fairly good, AL's has been just okay. We have lost family members this year; Al's brother and two of my aunts; and we have gained no new babies this year. However, next year that will change...I know of one on the way right now but I have been sworn to keep quiet for a while (do you have any idea how hard that is for me???) Let's just say I won't be the true gramma, but darn if I won't spoil that baby anyway...if I can get the real gramma out of the way for 30 seconds or more! Congratulations to you-know-who-you are!
We pray for peace in 2007; happiness and good health for all; and for all of you to live life to the fullest....this isn't a dress rehearsal, this is the only shot you get at life, give it your all!
PROSIT NEUJAHR! HAUOLI MAKAHIKI HOU!! MASAGANANG BAYUNG BANUA! FELIZ ANO -NUEVO! GELUKKIG NIEUWJAAR! KIORTAME PIVDLUARITIO! KENOURIOS CHRONOS!
NO MATTER WHAT LANGUAGE...HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!
HUH? SNOW??? In Tuscon? Yup...it is snowing right now! And it's cold! BRRRR However, at our elevation (3,100 ft) the snow isn't sticking, but at 500 feet higher it is...which is the ridge across the valley from us. We have had snow off and on all last night and today, and it started with thunder, lightning, snow??!! Yesterday our high was 75 degrees, dew point at 9% and humidity at 6%....and today we have 43 degrees, rain and snow. Welcome to Tucson in the winter!! WE are really enjoying the rain/snow .. and we have stayed in most of the day -- didn't want to get in the snow plow's way! :-) haha....I bet there isn't a snow plow in this town!
We had a nice Christmas...Jennifer, Dick and Lano were here. The weather was perfect on Christmas day, 70 degrees and sunny. On the Saturday before Lano, Jennifer and I went to Mesa to the "Swap Meet"....> to do some last minute shopping. As we were heading towards Mesa from Tucson we saw what looked like smoke towards Mesa. But, no, not smoke but good old fashion FOG! HUH??? FOG??? In Phoenix??? Does NOT compute. And it was c-c-c-o-o-o-l-l-l-d-d-d! 43 degrees while walking around the swap meet...we made it through 2 aisles, then gave up, we were too cold! Whooses...yup...that's us!
Jennifer left for home on Tuesday; Dick and Lano left Wednesday. I now have two very pouty dogs. They had so much fun playing with Buddy (Dick and Lano's dog) and Dick spent most of his time while here throwing the B-a-l-l for them; and if he wasn't Jennifer was. So, needless to say, they are now looking at me to play with them ALL OF THE TIME! Right now Beau has his head on my lap and Schuster is next to me looking at me with his sad eyes...ob brother! There will be no B-a-l-l playing outside today!
Al is fighting pneumonia again. HE has been feeling rotten for about a week, but didn't want to go to the doctor. Finally I made an appointment and took him yesterday. Doctor said it is a very light case of pneumonia, we caught it in time, however, Al is to rest and do nothing for 10 days to two weeks. The doctor hasn't prescibed an antibiotic yet for him as he wants to see the results of the chest xray that was done yesterday and because Al is on so many medications, he wants to wait to prescribe the antibiotic. More fun to be had!
Dec. 29 HAPPY BIRTHDAY JENNIFER....
I didn't post this yesterday..I tried to get a photo of the snow on the mountains behind us....however, you see what I got!
There was no snow today, however, it was still cold. And the cloud layer hadn't changed much...still backed up against the mountains. We are suppose to be on a warming trend starting tomorrow...we will see.
As the year ends and I reflect on the year, all of the good times, bad times and times in between -- and decided it has been a good year for us. My health has been fairly good, AL's has been just okay. We have lost family members this year; Al's brother and two of my aunts; and we have gained no new babies this year. However, next year that will change...I know of one on the way right now but I have been sworn to keep quiet for a while (do you have any idea how hard that is for me???) Let's just say I won't be the true gramma, but darn if I won't spoil that baby anyway...if I can get the real gramma out of the way for 30 seconds or more! Congratulations to you-know-who-you are!
We pray for peace in 2007; happiness and good health for all; and for all of you to live life to the fullest....this isn't a dress rehearsal, this is the only shot you get at life, give it your all!
PROSIT NEUJAHR! HAUOLI MAKAHIKI HOU!! MASAGANANG BAYUNG BANUA! FELIZ ANO -NUEVO! GELUKKIG NIEUWJAAR! KIORTAME PIVDLUARITIO! KENOURIOS CHRONOS!
NO MATTER WHAT LANGUAGE...HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!
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