March 15 to 21, 2015

Sunday ; Sunny and very hot, temperature well into the 90's F / mid 30's C.

After routine chores this morning we left for the nearby Cocopah Casino to have Sunday brunch with our SKP BC Okanagan Chapter 33 friends Barry and Jackie who are boondocking there for a few nights. We chatted while we had brunch, planning to meet again at the Princeton Traditional Music Festival in mid-August.

From the Cocopah we set out for an afternoon of running errands. First stop was Yuma Park N Swap a.k.a. Dog Track Flea Market a.k.a. Swap Meet Los Perros. Joanne went shopping for cosmetics and I went shopping for guy stuff. Next stop was McDonald's for some soft drinks ! < gasp > Hot day ! Then the "99¢ Only Store" for some groceries. Then Harbor Freight for more guy stuff. Last stop was Food City for more groceries.

By the time we arrived back home it was almost time for the Sunday evening ice cream social. During and after the ice cream social we chatted with a newly arrived couple from New Jersey that are full timing "newbies". Late in the evening we covered the pool and hot tub, the first night of our week long volunteer commitment to do so.

Monday ; Sunny and hot.

This morning we put a turkey into the Sun Oven to cook. I watered plants and gardens. Little lizards came running from all directions to get some water. HA HA HA ! We visited our Texas friends Bill and Candace who are leaving tomorrow. We might see them next summer if they decide to go to Alaska. Or we might see them in the Rio Grande Valley in southern Texas next fall.

I did some bill paying and accounting work this afternoon. I napped. I miss napping with Sully. I installed caster wheels on a coffee table in the Arizona room ... at Joanne's request. Good idea !

Laszlo and Gayle came over for Sun Oven cooked turkey dinner. We spent the evening chatting in the Arizona room.

Tuesday ; St. Patrick's Day

Sunny and hot. Clouds rolled in late in the evening.

Joanne took Eilene to her monthly eye doctor appointment this morning, followed by a trip to Wal-Mart. I completed the inventory of all of our medications. HMPH ! I opened and counted a bottle of pills I bought recently in San Felipe, Mexico. A bottle supposed to contain sixty pills. That actually contained forty-six pills ! ! ! HMPH ! ! !

After lunch we headed to the Humane Society for our regular Tuesday afternoon volunteer shift. I dropped Joanne off at the shelter to get started on cuddling cats, then drove over to Wally's World to buy some hardware I need. I returned to the shelter and walked dogs. WHEW ... hot !

We returned home just in time to attend Kofa Ko-op's St. Patrick's Day corned beef and cabbage dinner. WOW ... 120 people ! Late in the evening we closed / covered the swimming pool and hot tub, soaking for awhile in the hot tub before closing it.

Wednesday ; Partially cloudy, a bit windy, warm, nearby lightning and storm clouds late in the afternoon.

This morning we attended a meeting of the welcome committee members in the clubhouse, planning and preparing for next winter season. Some good ideas were brainstormed.

This afternoon we did some planning work in Elsie. I recently acquired a very nice 12V DC to 120V AC pure sine wave / "clean" power inverter, and Joanne helped me determine where and how to mount it in the truck camper. It will be a summer project, as I don't have time to do it before we leave here in a couple of weeks.

Laszlo helped me hoist the truck's tailgate up onto the roof of the camper, where I will tie it down and take it home to Keremeos. I removed it from the truck fifteen months ago when we bought Elsie, and we decided it should be stored in Keremeos, not here in Yuma. When we eventually sell the truck, it will need to have its tailgate, and it's most likely that we would some day sell the truck in Canada, not down here.

We visited with friends and neighbours. I did a repair / modification to the Sun Oven. Joanne harvested what was left of her herb gardens. I picked up a refilled propane tank. I "exercised" our little generator. We watched Survivor while having supper. We covered the swimming pool and hot tub. At 11 PM we drove Eilene to Yuma airport to pick up her daughter.

Thursday ; Cloudy, warm, a bit humid, a few drops of rain late in the evening.

This morning we drove over to Action Auto & Home Upholstery to pick up our repaired and modified Arizona room snap on vinyl wall panels. We will have to install them on the Arizona room, mark the exact location where each snap should be mounted, then return them to Action Auto & Home Upholstery for the installation of the snaps.

Next stop was Harbor Freight for a few more "guy" items. Then Fry's fuel bar to refill with diesel. I dropped Joanne off at Albertson's to buy some advertised grocery specials while I went to Pep Boys Auto to buy some spray paint for our minivan back home in BC.

We had a late lunch at home. I napped briefly. I miss having Sully cuddled against the side of my face while I'm napping. We went to the storage yard and I climbed up onto the roof of the truck camper to wrap the truck tailgate in a large mover's blanket, then tie it down on the camper roof using ratchet tie downs. Hope it's secure for the long journey back to BC !

We went on a pack walk today for the first time in a long time. When we "quarantined" Bo due to his upper respiratory infection early in February, the daily pack walks sort of fell apart. But today Terry and Judy leaned over our back fence while walking Spanky and invited us and Bo on a pack walk. The last pack walk for Spanky this season. Terry and Judy are leaving, heading to San Diego to visit family, then heading north towards home.

Friday ; Sunny, very warm, a bit humid.

This morning we headed to The Foothills, to buy some RV supplies at Al's RV Service & Supply, then some groceries at the "99¢ Only Store". We had lunch at Applebee's in the same mall. Good food, reasonable prices if using coupons, horrendously inept service. As Joanne and I grumbled about the inept service, we realized that inept service is not as bad as, and more forgivable than, indifferent / uncaring service. As former business owners and employers, we remember how hard it was to get good help. And ineptitude is usually just a function of poor training, whereas indifferent / uncaring service is a function of a poor attitude. Big difference ! On the way back home we stopped at
Wal-Mart for one item.

This afternoon we did some "spring cleaning" chores. Joanne did laundry. We walked Bo around the dog park. We visited with friends and neighbours. In the evening we watched an old movie on TV ; The Great Escape. If that was a true story ... what stupidity !

Saturday ; Sunny and hot. Joanne cooked a chicken, tomatoes, and rice casserole in the Sun Oven today.

We mounted the modified wall panels on the exterior of the Arizona room, marked the locations where the snaps need to be installed, then removed the panels. Tougher job than you might think ! Joanne spent half a day shopping on her own. We lost half the day to fighting !

DSK