This morning Joanne went off by herself to do some grocery shopping. I did Bo-gility with ... Bo, of course ! I wrapped Christmas gifts. I hate wrapping Christmas gifts. And it always makes me feel a bit melancholy. It reminds me that I used to dump this undesirable ( from my perspective ) job on my mother-in-law. It reminds me that I miss her.
This afternoon we did some minor maintenance on Elsie the truck camper. Then we went for a very early dinner at the ( motor ) home of our friends Bill and Lynne. After dinner we all went together to the clubhouse for the regular Sunday evening ice cream social, then back to our Arizona room for more visiting and trip planning.
Monday ; Sunny and warm. Finally ... a Sun Oven day ! Joanne cooked a beef pot roast in the Sun Oven for dinner, and invited her friend Eilene to join us for dinner.
This morning I transplanted a bunch of cacti cuttings from a neighbour into my cactus gardens in the dog park behind our rear fence. I spent the afternoon reviewing and rearranging everything on the shelves in our shed. In the evening I did financial work, including paying this month's MasterCard bill ... YIKES !
Mid-afternoon our friends George and Betty brought over one of their Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, Rocky, to ask us if we had an idea what might be ailing him. WOW ... what a sick little dog. With an intermittent type of illness. He goes from healthy to sick to healthy in an hour. Joanne and I both think he is likely suffering from a malfunctioning internal organ ailment such as pancreatitis.
Tuesday ; Sunny and warm ... again. Another Sun Oven day. Joanne cooked a chicken and dumplings meal in the Sun Oven today.
We received a phone call from this RV park's office this morning. A visitor to the park was looking for some pet care assistance. Joanne went over to see the lady, and made arrangements for us to "baby sit" the lady's cat and dog for four days next week while she drives to Utah and back to ... pick up her horse ! HUH ? Well ... I guess there's more than one way to be a full time RV'er, n'est-ce pas ? HA HA HA !
This afternoon we went to the Humane Society for our regular Tuesday afternoon shift as dog walker and cat cuddler. As we were getting out of our truck upon our return home we were greeted by our RV park's roaming band of Christmas carollers.
This evening we had a farewell visit by Bill and Lynne, and Windsor the Pomeranian. They are leaving tomorrow morning to meet their daughter, son-in-law, and three grandchildren from Colorado in Casa Grande for Christmas.
Wednesday ; Christmas Eve
Thin cloud cover, mild.
We had a bit of a lazy day. I picked up a refilled propane tank and reinstalled it.
I worked on the truck's spare tire, which has been very slowly leaking air for the last three months ! I think I finally found the problem. I took the tire to a local Mexican tire repair shop ... Angel's ( ANNHELLS ) ... and had the tire removed from the rim so that
I could properly tighten the screw in valve stem, which I had been suspecting may have been the problem. When the tire was removed from the rim I discovered that the rubber O ring on the valve stem that seals it to the rim was seriously eroded and crumbling. That must be the problem causing the slow leak ! Angel did not have a replacement screw in valve stem ( for large trucks ) so I will have to go to another tire shop after Christmas to buy a new valve stem and have the tire remounted on the rim. While working with Angel on the removal of the valve stem, I injured a finger. OW ! ! !
Joanne and I squabbled over lunch. That left me in a foul mood that I had difficulty shaking. I've been suffering depression a lot lately, and have been having difficulty "managing" my negativity. And on that note ... today I remember the death of my father nineteen years ago on Christmas Eve.
We walked Bo around the dog park earlier than usual so that we could attend the regular Wednesday late afternoon Social Hour & Potluck. Joanne prepared a wonderful potato nachos dish to contribute. So ... she broke a lifetime long family tradition of cooking tourtière ( French Canadian meat pie ) for dinner on Christmas Eve. She'll defer the tourtière until Boxing Day.
After potluck dinner and chatting, we returned home and Eilene came over to our place so that I could repair her bicycle light. Then Joanne and I walked up and down each road in the RV park admiring the Christmas lights, and the pleasant, mild weather, and the peace and quiet of Christmas Eve.
Thursday ; Merry Christmas / Joyeux Noel / Feliz Navidad
Sunny, mild, a bit windy.
Again this morning we broke with life long family tradition, and deferred our Christmas morning waffle breakfast until tomorrow morning. After a light breakfast we went into the Arizona room to open gifts. WOO-HOO ... Bo's eleventh Christmas of opening all the gifts ; his and ours. Bo LOOOOOVES opening gifts. HA HA HA ! By the end of opening gifts he seemed to be close to adrenaline overload !
Joanne left at 2 PM to head to the clubhouse for her duties as Christmas Dinner "greeter". I headed to the clubhouse at 2:30 PM for my job as "server". Christmas Dinner was served at 3 PM ( which I personally think is a really stupid time for Christmas Dinner ! ), and ... as is usual for this park, and many others filled with old Americans ... most people left about 4 PM. I hate that "eat & run" mentality ! ! ! We sat around with a bunch of Canadians and chatted for a couple of hours.
Shortly after we returned to our trailer my sister phoned and we had a wonderful, hour long chat. Just a minute or two after our chat, Joanne's sister phoned and Joanne had a nice chat with her sister.
Friday ; Boxing Day ( in Canada )
Sunny but cool.
This morning we made waffles for brunch, our traditional Christmas morning brunch deferred one day. This evening Joanne made tourtière for supper, our traditional Christmas Eve dinner deferred a couple of days.
Late this morning we headed out to find what I needed to repair the truck's spare tire ;
a two inch long, metal, screw in valve stem. I wasted half a day going to eight tire or auto supply shops until I finally found one that had what I needed ! I bought a spare one ! ! ! After having the valve stem installed and the tire remounted on the rim and balanced, we ran all over town ( again ! ) running the rest of our errands. I picked up my Rolex watch at Watch Hospital. This is the third time I have had my Rolex watch serviced at Watch Hospital over the last ten years. It's not easy to find places that can service fine mechanical watches. Watch makers are a dying breed, for sure ! I don't know why ... they make good money ! "Servicing" a Rolex watch ... cleaning and adjusting ... now costs over $500 ! We went shopping for guy stuff at Harbor Freight. Mid-afternoon we stopped at McDonald's to buy a hamburger and drink to share. We went to PetsMart to buy dog food. WOO-HOO ! Bo LOOOOOVES shopping at PetsMart. HA HA HA ! Finally ... < sigh > ... we went Wal-Martin'.
We returned home just in time for the 5 PM pack walk around the dog park. Today Bo was joined by Domino the Boston Terrier and Sammy the Australian Shepherd. It was Domino's first pack walk this year, but she has been here in previous years. It was Sammy's first pack walk. He's the dog we will be "baby sitting" next week.
Saturday ; Sunny and chilly.
This morning we went to a potluck brunch at the clubhouse. I did some maintenance work on the truck, including reinstalling the spare tire underneath.
This afternoon Marilu brought over Sammy the Australian Shepherd for a play date with Bo. I put away the Christmas gifts I received. I worked on some new magic I received as a Christmas gift. Joanne suggests that I have some new "table magic" prepared for New Year's Eve.
We went on our daily pack walk. I polished and repaired shoes. I went bicycling. BRRRRR ... chilly !
DSK
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