Sunday ; Sunny and cold. Joanne cooked a chicken stew in the Sun Oven today. After we ate supper she declared it to be "underwhelming". < shrug >
After our morning two lap walk around the dog park I headed to Arizona Market Place
( the local flea market ) to pick up the carpet dash cover that I had ordered for Obie
( the SUV ). It's very nice looking. All three of our vehicles have carpet dash covers.
I like them. It allows me to throw things like sunglasses up on the dash, and they don't slide or roll all over.
Back at home I did some routine household chores before lunch. After lunch I removed the radio from Obie ... yes, yes ... AGAIN ... before Joanne left to do some Christmas shopping at ... WOO-HOO ... Harbor Freight. HA HA HA ! While she was gone
I completely rewired the car radio's wiring harness. Yes, yes, I know that is sort of OCD, but ... you know ... I really detest sloppy workmanship and Obie's radio wiring harness was VERY SLOPPY ! It didn't come that way from the factory. It was the result of an after market radio installation. As soon as Joanne returned home
I reinstalled the radio in Obie's dash. Hopefully for the last time.
Late in the afternoon we did another two laps around the dog park, then I went bicycling. BRRRRR ! We ate our underwhelming chicken stew while watching Downton Abbey. I did some online financial work, and posted my weekly journal to my blog while Joanne sewed a patch onto the pair of my jeans that I tore while doing repairs to the kitchen sink drain plumbing.
Monday ; Sunny and cold again.
After our two lap walk around the dog park this morning we took Obie to Perez Automotive in Somerton for diagnosis and estimates. Joanne drove Obie. I drove Lanoire. Our friend Gail came along. After dropping Obie off in Somerton we drove back to Yuma, to the Goodwill Thrift Store. Both Gail and I had things to return ...
< sigh >. Joanne and I bought a Christmas gift for Bo, and a Christmas gift for Joanne. Next stop was Dave's Auto Glass & Upholstery to drop off the sun visors from Obie for reupholstering. Kind of expensive, but we could not find any good sun visors in the junk yards that we visited. We had lunch at Church's Chicken, then on the way home we stopped at Peanut Patch to buy some fresh peanut butter.
Back at home I napped then we removed the fifth wheel hitch from the bed of the truck. I watered our plants and gardens. Except for the four remaining Cholla Cacti. I am not going to water them any more, and will probably remove them all before the end of this winter season. I did some maintenance work inside the trailer while Joanne wrapped Christmas gifts in the Arizona room. We did another two laps around the dog park, then I went bicycling.
For supper Joanne baked a large piece of Chinook Salmon, then smothered it in a cream sauce made with Crema Casera and Parmesan cheese. MMMMM !
Tuesday ; Sunny and cool.
This morning after our two lap walk around the dog park we headed in Lanoire to Somerton to pick up Obie, and estimates for repairs, at Perez Automotive. The total amount of the estimates for repairs is not as much as I thought it might be, so I'm pleased about that. I made an appointment to drop Obie off next week, and leave it there for a week, to have the most important repairs done, some steering and suspension work. Joanne returned home in Lanoire, and I drove Obie to pick up clipper blades that I had taken in for sharpening, and to refill Obie with fuel before returning home.
Joanne had lunch ready by the time I arrived back home. After lunch we returned Lanoire to her parking spot in the park's storage yard, and we headed in Obie to the Humane Society for our regular Tuesday afternoon shift of dog walking and cat cuddling. By the time we were finished our shift I was feeling pretty tired, mostly from "wrangling" a difficult to walk German Shepherd. When we returned home, and took Bo for our late afternoon two lap walk around the dog park, Bo and I quit after one lap. Joanne did the second lap by herself.
Supper ; appetizer / "amuse-bouche" was tortilla chips with Joanne's great, fresh guacamole. Main course was marinated, barbecued, thick steak and baked potatoes served with Crema Casera and fresh cilantro ( grown in the back yard by Joanne ) on top. Dessert was a slice of "chocolate filler", a chocolate cake / bar / loaf baked by Joanne a few days ago. Well ... at least we eat well ! HA HA HA !
Wednesday ; Los Algodones, Baja California, Mexico
Cloudy and cool, light rain in the evening.
This morning we headed out to Los Algodones. Our friend Gail came along with us. Our priority in Mexico was to get pedicures. This was only my second pedicure. My first was a bit more than a year ago, in Nuevo Progreso, Mexico, south of Texas. It was great. And today's pedicure was even better ! I consider it a Christmas gift to myself. Joanne and Gail were also very satisfied, although getting a pedicure is a fairly routine treat for themselves.
After our pedicures we went for lunch to our favourite "restaurant" in Los Algodones. Joanne had tres tacos, as did Gail. I had a plata de pollo asado con arroz y frijoles
( barbecued chicken platter with rice and refried beans ). Great meal, as always at that place. After lunch we walked through town to the southwest to Pharmacia Veterinaria Safari to buy some pet medications for Bo. I bought a year's worth of heartworm medication, a couple of small bottles of ear drops, and a package of two dewormer tablets. On our walk back into town we stopped at a mercado ( grocery store ) and bought some Zuko drink mix packages. At a dulceria ( candy store ) we bought some liquor filled chocolates. At a panaderia ( bakery ) we bought some pan dulce
( pastries ). Gail browsed and compared prices at three different pharmacies. She bought some liquors as Christmas gifts. Our wait time at the border crossing was fifty minutes, not so bad considering the length of the line up.
Before driving back to Yuma we stopped at the "secret" and somewhat remote pet cemetery where Sully is buried, and placed on his grave some "special" rocks that we had collected during our summer travels in B.C. We drove back to Yuma, arriving back home at Kofa Ko-op at 5 PM. We took Bo out for a quick bathroom break, then headed to The Foothills to view a car cover for sale. It did not fit Obie. By the time we arrived in The Foothills shortly before 6 PM it was already dark. A few minutes after we arrived back home around 6:30 PM it began to rain lightly.
While Joanne prepared supper I went out to our storage shed / workshop and wrapped Christmas gifts.
Thursday ; Cloudy and cool.
This morning was taken up with routine chores. This afternoon we went out to run some errands. First stop was Miracle Ear, a hearing aid "store", for a free hearing evaluation. I'm worried that a "free" hearing evaluation at a hearing aid business might lack objectivity, and may be akin to a time share sales pitch, but ... ! There was a power failure affecting much of Yuma today, and the hearing aid store was without power for much of the day, so when I arrived they advised me that my free hearing evaluation scheduled for today was cancelled and would have to be rescheduled.
Next stop was Harbor Freight, just to use a couple of "no purchase required" free item coupons. Got a package of twenty-four AAA batteries and an LED flashlight. Last stop was the 99 Cent Only Store. Joanne needed a few items. She shouldn't bring me along to the 99 Cent Only Store. I enjoy impulse shopping there too much. HA HA
HA !
After we returned home I had a brief nap before we took Bo for our regular late afternoon two lap walk around the dog park. After that I went bicycling at dusk. Joanne did laundry.
Friday ; Cloudy becoming clear, cool becoming mild.
After our morning two walk lap around the dog park Joanne left with our friend Gail for a day of grocery shopping. I did some reviewing and purging of old "paper work". After lunch I did some review and rearrangement of my clothing in the camper. I replaced the batteries in some battery operated lights over the bed in the camper. I figured out what materials I need to buy to repair a broken leg on our "portable" solar panels frame.
In the evening I worked on monthly computer file maintenance and backup. And
I reviewed a bunch of monthly meeting reports from our RV park back home in BC. My goodness ! There's something wrong with those people ! I surely am glad that we keep ourselves isolated from that nonsense.
Saturday ; Christmas Eve
Today is the 21st anniversary of my father's death. Christmas Eve always has that sad memory for me.
Cloudy and raining in the morning. Clearing, windy, and chilly in the afternoon.
By design, we had a lazy day today. Twice we went for a two lap walk around the dog park with Bo. I went bicycling. BRRRRR ! We read the newspaper in bed. Joanne made tourtière ( French Canadian meat pie ) for supper, as she always does for Christmas Eve dinner. And in the afternoon she baked peanut butter chocolate chip cookies from scratch. Bo and I helped by ... napping. HA HA HA ! In the evening we watched the 1954 Bing Crosby movie White Christmas. First time we've seen it. Sure beats watching It's A Wonderful Life. HA HA HA !
DSK
Sunday, December 25, 2016
Sunday, December 18, 2016
December 11 to 17, 2016
Sunday ; Sunny and warm.
This morning I installed new trailer wiring on Obie. Shortly after we bought Obie a couple of weeks ago I had cut off the tangled, mangled mess of trailer wiring that was on the car.
This afternoon Joanne went grocery shopping by herself. I remounted the living room mirror in the fifth wheel trailer. After ... < having to think about how old Harvey is > ... eighteen years, and about a quarter of a million kilometres of travel the mirror fell off the wall. Where it had been mounted by the manufacturer with ... < sputter > ... double sided tape ! What brilliant factory engineering ! Using double sided tape to mount a mirror on the wall of a trailer ! By the way ... double sided tape that had been applied ... or so it looked ... by a retarded eight year old !
I did some Water Pik maintenance. The hard water here left deposits in my Water Pik bowl and I had to clean that off using CLR ( Calcium Lime and Rust remover ). And
I had to glue repair the Water Pik nozzle that I broke when I dropped the Water Pik machine. < sigh > I've been on such a losing streak lately ! Well ... except in the stock market. < snicker >
After Joanne returned home we went to the storage yard and washed the camper. We didn't finish. In the few weeks that the camper has been in the storage yard, the road grime, and especially the bugs on the front, have been baked on by the intense desert sun. DARN ! Should have got to that job sooner ! We stopped working on the camper at 5:30 PM in order to allow ourselves a half an hour before darkness to go for a two lap walk around the dog park ( more or less ) with Bo. He usually lasts for one full lap, which allows him a daily opportunity to have a "fence fight" with the free roaming pugnacious little Pug that lives across the road from the far end of our dog park. It's amazing how brave and ferocious two little dogs can be when they have the safety of a chicken wire fence separating them.
After our walk Joanne did our Christmas decorating. Thank you. I have been suffering pretty severe depression recently, and putting all of our very special ornaments on our little tree boosted my spirits a bit.
Monday ; Sunny and very warm. Joanne made a wonderful beef stew in the Sun Oven today.
My morning was taken up with making phone calls. I dislike "phone work".
Just before lunch we did a two lap walk around the dog park. After lunch we did some cleaning work inside Elsie the truck camper, and late in the afternoon we finished cleaning the exterior of the camper, scrubbing bugs and grime off the front, and cleaning all the windows. I did some maintenance work on the radio in Obie the SUV ... again. We finished the Christmas decorating, mounting exterior lights on the patio, and interior lights in the Arizona room. I sharpened all the kitchen knives in Harvey the trailer and Elsie the camper. I cleaned Bo's ears and administered some ear drops because he seemed to be suffering an ear ache in one ear when I cleaned it. We cleaned the range hood fan filters in both the trailer and the camper. And ... we walked another two laps around the dog park just before dusk.
Tuesday ; Sunny and very warm.
I was recruited by the Humane Society of Yuma for a special assignment this afternoon. I was a "dog handler" for a photography club that came to the Humane Society for an afternoon of photographing cats and dogs. Joanne came with me to the Humane Society for a regular Tuesday afternoon shift of cat cuddling, but she spent some of her time being a "cat handler" for the photographers. I was hoping that the photographers I was going to be working with were going to select little fluffy dogs for me to take out of the kennels and bring into the play yards and "handle" for photography, but ... NOOOOO ! Of course, they selected the largest, ugliest, most unruly, unneutered male pit bulls they could find, because ... "his face is so ... dramatic". Yes, yes ... it certainly is. Tonight I am exhausted from two and a half hours of "wrangling" big dogs.
I did a lot of exercising today. Two laps around the dog park this morning, two laps late in the afternoon, bicycling at sunset, and of course, an afternoon of dog wrangling. Late in the morning we visited with a couple of neighbours who dropped by while we were in our Arizona room. In the evening I did a bit of online Christmas shopping. Joanne did laundry. DARN ! My ear plugs and spray canister of Nitroglycerin were laundered again ! Got to remember to empty my pants pockets !
Wednesday ; Sunny and very warm. Joanne baked a cake in the Sun Oven today.
Immediately after an early lunch I left for a day of running errands by myself. Joanne cleaned the interior of Lanoire the truck. I took clipper blades for sharpening. I bought a couple of drive belt "O" rings for our evaporative / "swamp" cooler back at home in BC. I went to quite a few different automotive service businesses to discuss maintenance / repairs required on Obie the SUV. I bought a steering wheel cover for Obie at Pep Boys.
Before I left to run errands, and after I returned, we walked two laps around the dog park. I went bicycling at sunset. We went out for supper tonight at Famous Dave's Barbecue. Great meal ! Except ... HMPH ... for the barbecue sauce bottle lid malfunction ! Oh, well ... another shirt ruined. Good thing I buy most of my shirts for no more than a few bucks at thrift shops. HA HA HA ! After returning home after supper we spent the rest of the evening watching the three hour season finale of Survivor.
Thursday ; Mostly cloudy, warm, very light drizzle briefly in the evening.
Joanne took Gail for a "girls' day out" of shopping. I repaired the kitchen sink drain plumbing, and cut / trimmed two Cholla Cacti ; one in the dog park behind our rear fence, and one in the flower bed against our north side front yard fence. Trimming / cutting down Cholla is an extremely difficult ... and painful ... job. I still need to dispose of the cuttings, another difficult job. I'll probably do that on Saturday. And ... I will probably continue to slowly work on cutting down the two Chollas in our front yard, branch by branch, until I can dig them out of the ground and eliminate them. Note to self ; don't plant any more Cholla Cacti. And stop watering the ones that I already
have !
In addition to getting some of the barbed Cholla quills in my knuckles, I got one in my lower lip. No, no ... I don't know how that happened ! But it sure hurt like hell when Joanne pulled it out with tweezers ! The picture below is a photo of my shin after pulling a batch of Cholla quills out of my leg.
Friday ; Happy 63rd Birthday to our friend Laszlo
A desert storm ; warm, very windy, sky obscured by blowing sand / dust.
This morning we headed southwest to the village of Somerton, to check out an automotive repair facility that a neighbour recommended. Somerton is a "Mexican" village ( in the United States ... there are many ) with lower overheads, so cheaper labour rates. After a brief discussion with a "service writer" at Yepez Auto, I arranged to return Obie on Monday and leave it until Tuesday to get some estimates for repairs. On our way back home we stopped at Wal-Mart on Avenue B and did some shopping before returning home for lunch.
After lunch we undertook what proved to be a very difficult job. We chopped up the Cholla Cactus "branches" that I cut down yesterday into smaller pieces, loaded them onto a plastic tarp, and hauled them from the dog park, over our rear fence into our back yard, then through our yard and out to the street, and down to the end of the street where we dumped it in the dumpster. Four large loads ! Very tiring ! Very painful !
I sorely regret planting Cholla cuttings four or five years ago. I still need to cut down and dig out two Chollas in our front yard flower beds. When we were finished I went to nap with Bo and Joanne went shopping to The Foothills.
After napping I wrapped Christmas gifts, did some maintenance on Lanoire ( the truck ), and took Bo for a two lap walk around the dog park. Bo and I finished our walk, and Joanne returned home, just at dusk. I went bicycling. Tough to breathe with all that dust blowing around.
After a late supper we went over to visit Laszlo and Gail, at Gail's invitation to come over and have a piece of Laszlo's birthday cake.
Saturday ; Sunny, chilly in the morning, mild in the afternoon, cold in the evening.
After this morning's two lap walk around the dog park we headed out to the Goodwill Thrift Store for one of their infrequent 50% off everything sale days. Our friend Gail came along with us. Joanne bought a couple of tops. Gail bought some clothing for Laszlo. I bought twelve t-shirts, and a GM car radio. Joanne and Gail spent quite awhile searching for me when they were finished their shopping. First I was in a change room, then in a long line up at a check out counter ... < shrug >. We went to Burger King for a late lunch. On the way home we stopped at Lowe's, who had neither what I needed nor what Joanne needed.
Back at home ... HMPH ! The car radio doesn't fit in Obie, and the wiring harness socket is incompatible with Obie's radio wiring harness plug. DARN ! I did some maintenance in the camper. I remounted a clothing peg unit that I accidentally ripped off the bedroom wall in the trailer a few days ago. I did a cosmetic repair underneath the front overhang of the trailer. I used rubber roof membrane to repair the cracked fibreglass panel. I repaired the leaking kitchen sink drain ... for about the third time in as many days ! Hope today's "Plan C" methodology works better than Plan A and
Plan B did ! We walked two laps around the dog park, and I went bicycling.
We had a somewhat unusual four course dinner tonight. First course was home made mushroom soup that Joanne made at home in BC a few months ago with freshly picked Shaggy Mane mushrooms. Today she added a bit of Crema Casera to the soup. MMMMM ! Next was a fresh, steamed artichoke served with a seasoned dip.
MMMMM ! Then stuffed, baked Portobello mushrooms served with a Kumato ( brown tomato ) and basil salad. MMMMM ! Finally, Christmas fruit cake we bought in Canada before we left. I ate my fruit cake with a glass of egg nog. MMMMM !
DSK
This morning I installed new trailer wiring on Obie. Shortly after we bought Obie a couple of weeks ago I had cut off the tangled, mangled mess of trailer wiring that was on the car.
This afternoon Joanne went grocery shopping by herself. I remounted the living room mirror in the fifth wheel trailer. After ... < having to think about how old Harvey is > ... eighteen years, and about a quarter of a million kilometres of travel the mirror fell off the wall. Where it had been mounted by the manufacturer with ... < sputter > ... double sided tape ! What brilliant factory engineering ! Using double sided tape to mount a mirror on the wall of a trailer ! By the way ... double sided tape that had been applied ... or so it looked ... by a retarded eight year old !
I did some Water Pik maintenance. The hard water here left deposits in my Water Pik bowl and I had to clean that off using CLR ( Calcium Lime and Rust remover ). And
I had to glue repair the Water Pik nozzle that I broke when I dropped the Water Pik machine. < sigh > I've been on such a losing streak lately ! Well ... except in the stock market. < snicker >
After Joanne returned home we went to the storage yard and washed the camper. We didn't finish. In the few weeks that the camper has been in the storage yard, the road grime, and especially the bugs on the front, have been baked on by the intense desert sun. DARN ! Should have got to that job sooner ! We stopped working on the camper at 5:30 PM in order to allow ourselves a half an hour before darkness to go for a two lap walk around the dog park ( more or less ) with Bo. He usually lasts for one full lap, which allows him a daily opportunity to have a "fence fight" with the free roaming pugnacious little Pug that lives across the road from the far end of our dog park. It's amazing how brave and ferocious two little dogs can be when they have the safety of a chicken wire fence separating them.
After our walk Joanne did our Christmas decorating. Thank you. I have been suffering pretty severe depression recently, and putting all of our very special ornaments on our little tree boosted my spirits a bit.
Monday ; Sunny and very warm. Joanne made a wonderful beef stew in the Sun Oven today.
My morning was taken up with making phone calls. I dislike "phone work".
Just before lunch we did a two lap walk around the dog park. After lunch we did some cleaning work inside Elsie the truck camper, and late in the afternoon we finished cleaning the exterior of the camper, scrubbing bugs and grime off the front, and cleaning all the windows. I did some maintenance work on the radio in Obie the SUV ... again. We finished the Christmas decorating, mounting exterior lights on the patio, and interior lights in the Arizona room. I sharpened all the kitchen knives in Harvey the trailer and Elsie the camper. I cleaned Bo's ears and administered some ear drops because he seemed to be suffering an ear ache in one ear when I cleaned it. We cleaned the range hood fan filters in both the trailer and the camper. And ... we walked another two laps around the dog park just before dusk.
Tuesday ; Sunny and very warm.
I was recruited by the Humane Society of Yuma for a special assignment this afternoon. I was a "dog handler" for a photography club that came to the Humane Society for an afternoon of photographing cats and dogs. Joanne came with me to the Humane Society for a regular Tuesday afternoon shift of cat cuddling, but she spent some of her time being a "cat handler" for the photographers. I was hoping that the photographers I was going to be working with were going to select little fluffy dogs for me to take out of the kennels and bring into the play yards and "handle" for photography, but ... NOOOOO ! Of course, they selected the largest, ugliest, most unruly, unneutered male pit bulls they could find, because ... "his face is so ... dramatic". Yes, yes ... it certainly is. Tonight I am exhausted from two and a half hours of "wrangling" big dogs.
I did a lot of exercising today. Two laps around the dog park this morning, two laps late in the afternoon, bicycling at sunset, and of course, an afternoon of dog wrangling. Late in the morning we visited with a couple of neighbours who dropped by while we were in our Arizona room. In the evening I did a bit of online Christmas shopping. Joanne did laundry. DARN ! My ear plugs and spray canister of Nitroglycerin were laundered again ! Got to remember to empty my pants pockets !
Wednesday ; Sunny and very warm. Joanne baked a cake in the Sun Oven today.
Immediately after an early lunch I left for a day of running errands by myself. Joanne cleaned the interior of Lanoire the truck. I took clipper blades for sharpening. I bought a couple of drive belt "O" rings for our evaporative / "swamp" cooler back at home in BC. I went to quite a few different automotive service businesses to discuss maintenance / repairs required on Obie the SUV. I bought a steering wheel cover for Obie at Pep Boys.
Before I left to run errands, and after I returned, we walked two laps around the dog park. I went bicycling at sunset. We went out for supper tonight at Famous Dave's Barbecue. Great meal ! Except ... HMPH ... for the barbecue sauce bottle lid malfunction ! Oh, well ... another shirt ruined. Good thing I buy most of my shirts for no more than a few bucks at thrift shops. HA HA HA ! After returning home after supper we spent the rest of the evening watching the three hour season finale of Survivor.
Thursday ; Mostly cloudy, warm, very light drizzle briefly in the evening.
Joanne took Gail for a "girls' day out" of shopping. I repaired the kitchen sink drain plumbing, and cut / trimmed two Cholla Cacti ; one in the dog park behind our rear fence, and one in the flower bed against our north side front yard fence. Trimming / cutting down Cholla is an extremely difficult ... and painful ... job. I still need to dispose of the cuttings, another difficult job. I'll probably do that on Saturday. And ... I will probably continue to slowly work on cutting down the two Chollas in our front yard, branch by branch, until I can dig them out of the ground and eliminate them. Note to self ; don't plant any more Cholla Cacti. And stop watering the ones that I already
have !
In addition to getting some of the barbed Cholla quills in my knuckles, I got one in my lower lip. No, no ... I don't know how that happened ! But it sure hurt like hell when Joanne pulled it out with tweezers ! The picture below is a photo of my shin after pulling a batch of Cholla quills out of my leg.
Friday ; Happy 63rd Birthday to our friend Laszlo
A desert storm ; warm, very windy, sky obscured by blowing sand / dust.
This morning we headed southwest to the village of Somerton, to check out an automotive repair facility that a neighbour recommended. Somerton is a "Mexican" village ( in the United States ... there are many ) with lower overheads, so cheaper labour rates. After a brief discussion with a "service writer" at Yepez Auto, I arranged to return Obie on Monday and leave it until Tuesday to get some estimates for repairs. On our way back home we stopped at Wal-Mart on Avenue B and did some shopping before returning home for lunch.
After lunch we undertook what proved to be a very difficult job. We chopped up the Cholla Cactus "branches" that I cut down yesterday into smaller pieces, loaded them onto a plastic tarp, and hauled them from the dog park, over our rear fence into our back yard, then through our yard and out to the street, and down to the end of the street where we dumped it in the dumpster. Four large loads ! Very tiring ! Very painful !
I sorely regret planting Cholla cuttings four or five years ago. I still need to cut down and dig out two Chollas in our front yard flower beds. When we were finished I went to nap with Bo and Joanne went shopping to The Foothills.
After napping I wrapped Christmas gifts, did some maintenance on Lanoire ( the truck ), and took Bo for a two lap walk around the dog park. Bo and I finished our walk, and Joanne returned home, just at dusk. I went bicycling. Tough to breathe with all that dust blowing around.
After a late supper we went over to visit Laszlo and Gail, at Gail's invitation to come over and have a piece of Laszlo's birthday cake.
Saturday ; Sunny, chilly in the morning, mild in the afternoon, cold in the evening.
After this morning's two lap walk around the dog park we headed out to the Goodwill Thrift Store for one of their infrequent 50% off everything sale days. Our friend Gail came along with us. Joanne bought a couple of tops. Gail bought some clothing for Laszlo. I bought twelve t-shirts, and a GM car radio. Joanne and Gail spent quite awhile searching for me when they were finished their shopping. First I was in a change room, then in a long line up at a check out counter ... < shrug >. We went to Burger King for a late lunch. On the way home we stopped at Lowe's, who had neither what I needed nor what Joanne needed.
Back at home ... HMPH ! The car radio doesn't fit in Obie, and the wiring harness socket is incompatible with Obie's radio wiring harness plug. DARN ! I did some maintenance in the camper. I remounted a clothing peg unit that I accidentally ripped off the bedroom wall in the trailer a few days ago. I did a cosmetic repair underneath the front overhang of the trailer. I used rubber roof membrane to repair the cracked fibreglass panel. I repaired the leaking kitchen sink drain ... for about the third time in as many days ! Hope today's "Plan C" methodology works better than Plan A and
Plan B did ! We walked two laps around the dog park, and I went bicycling.
We had a somewhat unusual four course dinner tonight. First course was home made mushroom soup that Joanne made at home in BC a few months ago with freshly picked Shaggy Mane mushrooms. Today she added a bit of Crema Casera to the soup. MMMMM ! Next was a fresh, steamed artichoke served with a seasoned dip.
MMMMM ! Then stuffed, baked Portobello mushrooms served with a Kumato ( brown tomato ) and basil salad. MMMMM ! Finally, Christmas fruit cake we bought in Canada before we left. I ate my fruit cake with a glass of egg nog. MMMMM !
DSK
Sunday, December 11, 2016
December 4 to 10, 2016
Sunday ; Sunny and warm.
Had a very productive day today. Mounted some battery operated closet lights on the inside of the front door panels of Obie ( the SUV ) as substitutes for the non-functioning courtesy lights in the car. Did a very important repair required since last spring on the fifth wheel trailer's fridge. Removed, repaired, and reinstalled the radio in Obie. Washed Lanoire ( the truck ). Lots of road grime from over two thousand miles of driving from BC. And it was getting baked on by the desert sun. The longer it sits in the desert sun, the more difficult it is to wash off.
Walked two laps around the seven acre dog park. Twice ; once at noon, and again at 5:30 PM. Went bicycling at dusk. We covered the swimming pool and hot tub at 9 PM for the first night of our week long commitment to do so.
Monday ; Sunny and warm.
Spent most of today running errands and shopping. Left home this morning with a large load of recyclables, and took them to a local recycling center. Drove to "Home and Farm" to look for a drive belt for our evaporative ( swamp ) cooler back home in Keremeos. They didn't have what I need, but gave me a referral to another business that might. Next stop was Harbor Freight, made almost inaccessible by construction. Parked quite far away and walked back to the store. AND ... < sigh > ... they didn't have what I was there for. Story of my life ! Next was grocery shopping at Food City ... WOO-HOO, pan dulce ... then a late lunch at Rally's. Bad attitude in the staff member who served us, and food not very good, very unusual for Rally's. I guess every business has its bad days. Having been an employer for many years, I can guarantee ... the bad attitude jerk who served us won't be working there two weeks from now. He'll be fired, or more likely, quit in a huff. Last stop for the day was Pep Boys where we bought an expensive set of front seat covers for Obie.
As we were driving back home the radio in Obie began to fall out of the dash. HA HA HA ... guess I had better not apply for a job as a car stereo installer. HA HA HA !
I spent the rest of the afternoon removing and reinstalling the radio in the dashboard ... again ! Hope I did it better today than I did yesterday ! While I did that Joanne cleaned our patio and Arizona room. We took Bo for a two lap walk around the seven acre dog park, then I went bicycling at dusk. After supper we watched Teen Mom OG. HA HA HA HA HA ! What a pathetic bunch of losers. They should all get off reality TV which has provided them with a living for the last eight years, since they were "Sixteen and Pregnant", and get real jobs. And that includes their parents as well !
Tuesday ; Sunny and warm.
We slept late this morning. I took care of some routine household chores before lunch, then after lunch we went to the Humane Society for our regular Tuesday afternoon shift of volunteer dog walking and cat cuddling. First dog I walked was a beautiful female Belgian Malinois, great dog, intelligent, sweet disposition, responsive to obedience commands, so obviously trained. I took her to the large play yard on the Humane Society property and we played tennis ball fetch until I was exhausted. She wasn't !
I was very pleased to see her get adopted before the end of my shift. Good luck in your new home, Hope ! Be a good dog !
After we returned home I chatted with some visitors / lot renters who arrived a couple of days ago and were assigned to the lot across the street. We welcomed them here last year when they arrived on a week that we were the Welcome Committee. After supper, and watching Highway Thru Hell ( WOO-HOO ... the Coquihalla Highway in our "neighbourhood" in BC ) and Animal Cops Houston ( how depressing and disgusting ) we covered the swimming pool and hot tub. Nice evening, fairly warm.
Wednesday ; Sunny, cool.
This morning we headed to Yuma Fairgrounds for the annual Welcome Back Winter Visitor Bash, a trade show with many vendors offering goods and services of interest to ... well ... old people spending their winters here. Like us ! When we arrived back home at Kofa Ko-op we stopped at Laszlo's and Gail's to see how their recent trip to Las Vegas to attend an Andrea Boccelli concert went. The concert was great ... as expected ... and they had a great trip.
After a late lunch Joanne left to go shopping by herself for the rest of the day. I napped briefly with Bo then went to the storage yard to work on the installation of new propane tanks in the camper. Afterwards I took Bo for a two lap walk around the dog park. Joanne returned home just as we finished our dog park walk.
I went bicycling after dark. It was dangerous ! "Locals" heading home ... < ahem > ... south towards the border ... after a day of work ... were driving very fast, and running the stop sign at the end of our street. Don't think I should go bicycling after dark any more !
While Joanne had a phone chat with her sister in Winnipeg I barbecued Coho Salmon for supper. With Joanne's famous seven bean salad it was very good ! After supper we covered the swimming pool and hot tub, then watched Survivor.
Thursday ; Sunny and cool, chilly in the evening. BRRRRR ! I was shivering as we put the covers on the swimming pool and hot tub at 9 PM. HMPH ! Looks like I'm finally going to have to wear a jacket in the evenings.
This morning we drove north on Avenue 4E to the Arizona Market Place flea market where I ordered a dash cover for Obie. Then east on 32nd St. all the way to The Foothills. At Cactus Propane / Amerigas I had the camper's two new propane tanks purged and filled for the first time. We drove to the Fortuna Shopping Mall and while Joanne went to the 99 Cent Only Store I went to Al's RV Parts to exchange a propane hose, then to Foothills Shoes to pick up a pair of shoes that I ordered the day after Black Friday. When Joanne was finished grocery shopping at the 99 Cent Only Store we returned home for a late lunch.
I installed one of the two new propane tanks in the camper. One of the old propane tanks still has propane in it, and I don't want to put in the second new tank until the old tank runs out of propane, which should probably happen on our New Year's Eve trip to Palm Springs. Carol Mae came over for a brief visit with her new dog Kaydee, a small, young, female Chihuahua / Terrier mix ( maybe ? ) with dominance issues. She doesn't get along with most dogs, including Bo. When she met Bo today, they sniffed noses, Kaydee mounted Bo ... rather unusual behaviour for a young female dog ... then began snapping and snarling viciously at Bo. She behaves that way towards most dogs.
< shrug > Lots of work ahead for Carol Mae.
I did a teensy bit of gardening. We walked two laps around the dog park, more or less with Bo ... < rolling my eyes >. I went bicycling at dusk. Joanne worked on laundry and supper preparations. I barbecued a thick, juicy steak and baked potatoes. We slathered Crema CentroAmericana on our baked potatoes. WOW ! GREAT ! After supper I did some banking reconciliation, usually a very easy job, but ... not tonight. Eventually found the problem !
Friday ; Mostly sunny, mild.
We spent most of the day unproductively driving from junk yard to junk yard and searching for parts of Obie. We were surprised to find that at every junk yard we went to the scrapped vehicles have been picked over so completely that there is really nothing left worth salvaging within each one. Oh, well ! Joanne thought it was a pleasant outing of driving around to areas we hadn't been to before, and scrounging around amongst junked cars, an experience we've never had before. I suppose I have to admire her positive outlook on what I consider to be a wasted day !
Saturday ; Sunny and warm.
We attended the Humane Society of Yuma's "Welcome Back Winter Visitor Volunteers" luncheon. Afterwards we went to the Salvation Army thrift store and browsed, looking for a hooded sweatshirt for me. The rest of the day was lost / wasted to squabbling that started late last night.
DSK
Had a very productive day today. Mounted some battery operated closet lights on the inside of the front door panels of Obie ( the SUV ) as substitutes for the non-functioning courtesy lights in the car. Did a very important repair required since last spring on the fifth wheel trailer's fridge. Removed, repaired, and reinstalled the radio in Obie. Washed Lanoire ( the truck ). Lots of road grime from over two thousand miles of driving from BC. And it was getting baked on by the desert sun. The longer it sits in the desert sun, the more difficult it is to wash off.
Walked two laps around the seven acre dog park. Twice ; once at noon, and again at 5:30 PM. Went bicycling at dusk. We covered the swimming pool and hot tub at 9 PM for the first night of our week long commitment to do so.
Monday ; Sunny and warm.
Spent most of today running errands and shopping. Left home this morning with a large load of recyclables, and took them to a local recycling center. Drove to "Home and Farm" to look for a drive belt for our evaporative ( swamp ) cooler back home in Keremeos. They didn't have what I need, but gave me a referral to another business that might. Next stop was Harbor Freight, made almost inaccessible by construction. Parked quite far away and walked back to the store. AND ... < sigh > ... they didn't have what I was there for. Story of my life ! Next was grocery shopping at Food City ... WOO-HOO, pan dulce ... then a late lunch at Rally's. Bad attitude in the staff member who served us, and food not very good, very unusual for Rally's. I guess every business has its bad days. Having been an employer for many years, I can guarantee ... the bad attitude jerk who served us won't be working there two weeks from now. He'll be fired, or more likely, quit in a huff. Last stop for the day was Pep Boys where we bought an expensive set of front seat covers for Obie.
As we were driving back home the radio in Obie began to fall out of the dash. HA HA HA ... guess I had better not apply for a job as a car stereo installer. HA HA HA !
I spent the rest of the afternoon removing and reinstalling the radio in the dashboard ... again ! Hope I did it better today than I did yesterday ! While I did that Joanne cleaned our patio and Arizona room. We took Bo for a two lap walk around the seven acre dog park, then I went bicycling at dusk. After supper we watched Teen Mom OG. HA HA HA HA HA ! What a pathetic bunch of losers. They should all get off reality TV which has provided them with a living for the last eight years, since they were "Sixteen and Pregnant", and get real jobs. And that includes their parents as well !
Tuesday ; Sunny and warm.
We slept late this morning. I took care of some routine household chores before lunch, then after lunch we went to the Humane Society for our regular Tuesday afternoon shift of volunteer dog walking and cat cuddling. First dog I walked was a beautiful female Belgian Malinois, great dog, intelligent, sweet disposition, responsive to obedience commands, so obviously trained. I took her to the large play yard on the Humane Society property and we played tennis ball fetch until I was exhausted. She wasn't !
I was very pleased to see her get adopted before the end of my shift. Good luck in your new home, Hope ! Be a good dog !
After we returned home I chatted with some visitors / lot renters who arrived a couple of days ago and were assigned to the lot across the street. We welcomed them here last year when they arrived on a week that we were the Welcome Committee. After supper, and watching Highway Thru Hell ( WOO-HOO ... the Coquihalla Highway in our "neighbourhood" in BC ) and Animal Cops Houston ( how depressing and disgusting ) we covered the swimming pool and hot tub. Nice evening, fairly warm.
Wednesday ; Sunny, cool.
This morning we headed to Yuma Fairgrounds for the annual Welcome Back Winter Visitor Bash, a trade show with many vendors offering goods and services of interest to ... well ... old people spending their winters here. Like us ! When we arrived back home at Kofa Ko-op we stopped at Laszlo's and Gail's to see how their recent trip to Las Vegas to attend an Andrea Boccelli concert went. The concert was great ... as expected ... and they had a great trip.
After a late lunch Joanne left to go shopping by herself for the rest of the day. I napped briefly with Bo then went to the storage yard to work on the installation of new propane tanks in the camper. Afterwards I took Bo for a two lap walk around the dog park. Joanne returned home just as we finished our dog park walk.
I went bicycling after dark. It was dangerous ! "Locals" heading home ... < ahem > ... south towards the border ... after a day of work ... were driving very fast, and running the stop sign at the end of our street. Don't think I should go bicycling after dark any more !
While Joanne had a phone chat with her sister in Winnipeg I barbecued Coho Salmon for supper. With Joanne's famous seven bean salad it was very good ! After supper we covered the swimming pool and hot tub, then watched Survivor.
Thursday ; Sunny and cool, chilly in the evening. BRRRRR ! I was shivering as we put the covers on the swimming pool and hot tub at 9 PM. HMPH ! Looks like I'm finally going to have to wear a jacket in the evenings.
This morning we drove north on Avenue 4E to the Arizona Market Place flea market where I ordered a dash cover for Obie. Then east on 32nd St. all the way to The Foothills. At Cactus Propane / Amerigas I had the camper's two new propane tanks purged and filled for the first time. We drove to the Fortuna Shopping Mall and while Joanne went to the 99 Cent Only Store I went to Al's RV Parts to exchange a propane hose, then to Foothills Shoes to pick up a pair of shoes that I ordered the day after Black Friday. When Joanne was finished grocery shopping at the 99 Cent Only Store we returned home for a late lunch.
I installed one of the two new propane tanks in the camper. One of the old propane tanks still has propane in it, and I don't want to put in the second new tank until the old tank runs out of propane, which should probably happen on our New Year's Eve trip to Palm Springs. Carol Mae came over for a brief visit with her new dog Kaydee, a small, young, female Chihuahua / Terrier mix ( maybe ? ) with dominance issues. She doesn't get along with most dogs, including Bo. When she met Bo today, they sniffed noses, Kaydee mounted Bo ... rather unusual behaviour for a young female dog ... then began snapping and snarling viciously at Bo. She behaves that way towards most dogs.
< shrug > Lots of work ahead for Carol Mae.
I did a teensy bit of gardening. We walked two laps around the dog park, more or less with Bo ... < rolling my eyes >. I went bicycling at dusk. Joanne worked on laundry and supper preparations. I barbecued a thick, juicy steak and baked potatoes. We slathered Crema CentroAmericana on our baked potatoes. WOW ! GREAT ! After supper I did some banking reconciliation, usually a very easy job, but ... not tonight. Eventually found the problem !
Friday ; Mostly sunny, mild.
We spent most of the day unproductively driving from junk yard to junk yard and searching for parts of Obie. We were surprised to find that at every junk yard we went to the scrapped vehicles have been picked over so completely that there is really nothing left worth salvaging within each one. Oh, well ! Joanne thought it was a pleasant outing of driving around to areas we hadn't been to before, and scrounging around amongst junked cars, an experience we've never had before. I suppose I have to admire her positive outlook on what I consider to be a wasted day !
Saturday ; Sunny and warm.
We attended the Humane Society of Yuma's "Welcome Back Winter Visitor Volunteers" luncheon. Afterwards we went to the Salvation Army thrift store and browsed, looking for a hooded sweatshirt for me. The rest of the day was lost / wasted to squabbling that started late last night.
DSK
Sunday, December 4, 2016
November 27 to December 3, 2016
Sunday ; Cloudy and cool, light rain around supper time.
This morning I finished installing a new bicycle tire tube, reinstalled the tire and wheel on the bicycle, and finished servicing the bicycle to prepare it for a season of use. We spent the rest of the day working on Obie, our "new" car. I did maintenance work ... it has been neglected and needs a lot of TLC ... and Joanne did cleaning work. Her job was much more difficult than mine. This was a really filthy car, owned by an a*****e who obviously had no pride of ownership, and put no effort into maintaining the car. We are both tired and sore from a long, hard day of physical work.
For supper I made omelettes, prepared with Crema Casera, a Mexican cream
I purchased a few days ago, and had never cooked with before. WOW ! What stupendous omelettes ! My long ago deceased Aunt Lena would be proud of my "cooking with cream" prowess. HA HA HA !
Monday ; Cloudy and mild.
I spent the day working on fifth wheel maintenance and ... satellite dish drama ! With a teensy bit of vehicle maintenance and gardening thrown in for good measure.
Tuesday ; Sunny, cool, very windy.
This afternoon we went to the Humane Society of Yuma for our first volunteer dog walking ( me ) and cat cuddling ( Joanne ) shift of this winter season. I walked dogs for a couple of hours, then went to the cat wing and cuddled cats for another ten minutes or so until Joanne was ready to leave.
This morning I had been whining and moaning at Laszlo and Gail about my satellite dish drama, including a very unsuccessful "live chat" session with Shaw Direct Technical Support. When we returned home from the Humane Society at 5 PM there was a page of today's newspaper stuck on our door showing a classified ad selling what I need to make our satellite dish work again. We don't yet know for sure ( at 9:30 PM ) that Laszlo and / or Gail put the newspaper page on our door, but ... it must have been them. We'll find out tomorrow. I immediately phoned the ad and made arrangements with the seller of the satellite dish equipment. We rushed out to The Foothills, and met a very nice couple from Smithers, BC, who sold me the part that I needed, at a fair and reasonable price. THANK YOU SID ! Gee, it's nice to do business with a fair and reasonable and honest Canadian !
We chatted with them for half an hour or so, and by the time we returned home it was 6:30 PM. I cooked a large, thick Halibut fillet for supper, the second of three packages of Halibut we bought in Prince Rupert, BC on our way home from Haida Gwaii last August. We have been experiencing anxiety over these remaining two packages of Halibut after discovering a couple of weeks ago that the first package was rancid ! BUT ... tonight's ( too ) large serving of Halibut was superb !
Wednesday ; Los Algodones, Baja California, Mexico
Sunny and cool.
This morning we headed out at 10:15 AM for our dentist appointments in Mexico at
11 AM. We drove north on Ave. 3E to Interstate 8, west on I-8 across the Colorado River into California, then a short distance south on Hwy. 186 to the border crossing at Los Algodones, Baja California, Mexico. We parked and walked across the border into Mexico, arriving at our dentist's office right on time. I was seen by Dra. Lilia Camacho, my periodontist. Joanne was seen by Dr. Armando, a relatively new dentist in the office. Since it was not a very busy day today my periodontist not only conducted a periodontal examination, she also did my cleaning, with the hygienist that should have done the cleaning acting as her assistant. My bill was $45. Joanne had a dental cleaning by a hygienist, then when Dr. Armando conducted an examination, she pointed out to him that she had a problem with an old filling that was breaking off and falling out. Well ... that was because there was a cavity underneath the old filling.
Dr. Armando had time to fix it today. Her bill was $45 for the cleaning and examination, and $60 for the cavity / filling repair.
When Joanne's filling repair was completed we headed to Tere's, our regular hairstylist ( and pedicure ) shop in Los Algodones. We both got haircuts ; $5 for Joanne, $3 for my haircut, $2 for my beard trim. Very good haircuts for both of us. My beard trim is a bit short. I guess she ( the hairstylist ) was going for the Mexican telenovela star look. More like stubble than a beard. On an old, fat gringo with grey whiskers, I just look like some kind of skid row bum. HA HA HA ! Joanne's mouth was frozen and she didn't want to remain in Mexico for lunch. We bought some pan dulce at the panaderia to take home, then crossed the border about 1 PM ... NO LINE UP ! ... and drove back to Yuma.
Back in Yuma we washed Obie, our new “winter beater” SUV, at a car wash on 8th St. then drove down Avenue B to a ( Mexican ) used tire shop to buy a used tire. Obie came with an exploded tire ( on the car’s “fancy” alloy wheel ) in the rear cargo area, and the spare tire ( on a regular steel wheel ) in use on the car. It took me three
( Mexican ) used tire shops until I found one that had the right size tire. Bought a fairly decent Goodyear Tracker tire, $25 mounted on the rim and installed on the car, with an additional $5 for balancing. By the time we arrived back at home around 2:30 PM Joanne was ready for a late, small lunch. After lunch I installed the Shaw Direct triple satellite LNB that I bought last night onto our satellite dish and ... WOO-HOO ... we have television service again !
At 6 PM we headed out with Laszlo and Gail, in Obie, for all you can eat salad, spaghetti and meatballs at a local restaurant. We went out for dinner that early so that we could be home in time to watch Survivor, but ... I screwed up time zone adjustments again. Yuma is on Mountain Standard Time, and our satellite TV service is on Keremeos, BC / Pacific Standard Time. I thought Survivor was going to be on at 7 PM local time ( 8 PM BC time ). DUH ! It was on at 9 PM local time ( 8 PM BC time ).
It's good to have our TV service restored !
Thursday ; Sunny and cool. Joanne cooked our first Sun Oven meal of the season, a beef roast marinated in a "Southern Barbecue" slow cooker marinade.
Today I did maintenance work on Elsie ( the truck camper ) and Obie ( the SUV ). Joanne cleaned Harvey ( the fifth wheel trailer ) and did laundry. We walked two laps around the seven acre dog park with Bo. I went bicycling at dusk. BRRRRR ! Chilly once the sun sets.
Friday ; Mostly sunny, windy, chilly.
Today was a long day of running shopping errands in The Foothills. This morning we headed to the far east end of The Foothills, to the semi-annual Helping Hands Yard Sale at Gila Mountain United Methodist Church. I was looking for some stuff for Obie, and I found what I wanted. I bought floor mats, front and rear, for Obie the SUV, as well as some needed tools and office supplies. Joanne bought a new set of cutlery for Harvey the fifth wheel trailer. And Harvey's old cutlery will get moved to Elsie the truck camper. I have no idea what the plans are for the cutlery that is currently in Elsie. HEY ... not my department. HA HA HA !
Next stop was Al's RV Parts for a few items ... and free donuts ... on their monthly 15% off everything sale day. We refilled Obie with fuel across the street at Fry's Fuel Bar, then began heading back west towards home. We stopped at Southwest Exchange where I had a spare key cut for Obie. We drove to The Foothills Wal-Mart mall where we had lunch at Del Taco before going Wal-Martin'. Last stop before heading home was Wally's World for an assortment of automotive parts and household supplies and hardware. It was after 4 PM by the time we arrived back at home.
We walked with Bo for two laps around the dog park before it got dark. BRRRRR ... chilly ! While Joanne prepared supper I reorganized my "to do" priorities. We watched a couple of episodes of My Cat From Hell on TV while having supper, then after supper we watched Doc Martin. Late in the evening I did month end bank statement balancing and investment file updating and analyzing.
Saturday ; Sunny, windy, chilly. Joanne cooked a chicken stew in the Sun Oven today.
Today was filled with routine chores and maintenance. I took a propane tank to be refilled. I remounted the spare tire underneath Obie. I went to the office and paid our November electricity bill. I took photos of Obie. I downloaded the photos to my laptop and "processed" them. I sorted and put away laundered clothing, some in the trailer, some in the camper. I auger cleaned the shower drain in the trailer. I took Bo for a two lap walk around the dog park. I went bicycling. Joanne gave Bo a bath. I helped Joanne repair the camper's sleeping bags.
DSK
This morning I finished installing a new bicycle tire tube, reinstalled the tire and wheel on the bicycle, and finished servicing the bicycle to prepare it for a season of use. We spent the rest of the day working on Obie, our "new" car. I did maintenance work ... it has been neglected and needs a lot of TLC ... and Joanne did cleaning work. Her job was much more difficult than mine. This was a really filthy car, owned by an a*****e who obviously had no pride of ownership, and put no effort into maintaining the car. We are both tired and sore from a long, hard day of physical work.
For supper I made omelettes, prepared with Crema Casera, a Mexican cream
I purchased a few days ago, and had never cooked with before. WOW ! What stupendous omelettes ! My long ago deceased Aunt Lena would be proud of my "cooking with cream" prowess. HA HA HA !
Monday ; Cloudy and mild.
I spent the day working on fifth wheel maintenance and ... satellite dish drama ! With a teensy bit of vehicle maintenance and gardening thrown in for good measure.
Tuesday ; Sunny, cool, very windy.
This afternoon we went to the Humane Society of Yuma for our first volunteer dog walking ( me ) and cat cuddling ( Joanne ) shift of this winter season. I walked dogs for a couple of hours, then went to the cat wing and cuddled cats for another ten minutes or so until Joanne was ready to leave.
This morning I had been whining and moaning at Laszlo and Gail about my satellite dish drama, including a very unsuccessful "live chat" session with Shaw Direct Technical Support. When we returned home from the Humane Society at 5 PM there was a page of today's newspaper stuck on our door showing a classified ad selling what I need to make our satellite dish work again. We don't yet know for sure ( at 9:30 PM ) that Laszlo and / or Gail put the newspaper page on our door, but ... it must have been them. We'll find out tomorrow. I immediately phoned the ad and made arrangements with the seller of the satellite dish equipment. We rushed out to The Foothills, and met a very nice couple from Smithers, BC, who sold me the part that I needed, at a fair and reasonable price. THANK YOU SID ! Gee, it's nice to do business with a fair and reasonable and honest Canadian !
We chatted with them for half an hour or so, and by the time we returned home it was 6:30 PM. I cooked a large, thick Halibut fillet for supper, the second of three packages of Halibut we bought in Prince Rupert, BC on our way home from Haida Gwaii last August. We have been experiencing anxiety over these remaining two packages of Halibut after discovering a couple of weeks ago that the first package was rancid ! BUT ... tonight's ( too ) large serving of Halibut was superb !
Wednesday ; Los Algodones, Baja California, Mexico
Sunny and cool.
This morning we headed out at 10:15 AM for our dentist appointments in Mexico at
11 AM. We drove north on Ave. 3E to Interstate 8, west on I-8 across the Colorado River into California, then a short distance south on Hwy. 186 to the border crossing at Los Algodones, Baja California, Mexico. We parked and walked across the border into Mexico, arriving at our dentist's office right on time. I was seen by Dra. Lilia Camacho, my periodontist. Joanne was seen by Dr. Armando, a relatively new dentist in the office. Since it was not a very busy day today my periodontist not only conducted a periodontal examination, she also did my cleaning, with the hygienist that should have done the cleaning acting as her assistant. My bill was $45. Joanne had a dental cleaning by a hygienist, then when Dr. Armando conducted an examination, she pointed out to him that she had a problem with an old filling that was breaking off and falling out. Well ... that was because there was a cavity underneath the old filling.
Dr. Armando had time to fix it today. Her bill was $45 for the cleaning and examination, and $60 for the cavity / filling repair.
When Joanne's filling repair was completed we headed to Tere's, our regular hairstylist ( and pedicure ) shop in Los Algodones. We both got haircuts ; $5 for Joanne, $3 for my haircut, $2 for my beard trim. Very good haircuts for both of us. My beard trim is a bit short. I guess she ( the hairstylist ) was going for the Mexican telenovela star look. More like stubble than a beard. On an old, fat gringo with grey whiskers, I just look like some kind of skid row bum. HA HA HA ! Joanne's mouth was frozen and she didn't want to remain in Mexico for lunch. We bought some pan dulce at the panaderia to take home, then crossed the border about 1 PM ... NO LINE UP ! ... and drove back to Yuma.
Back in Yuma we washed Obie, our new “winter beater” SUV, at a car wash on 8th St. then drove down Avenue B to a ( Mexican ) used tire shop to buy a used tire. Obie came with an exploded tire ( on the car’s “fancy” alloy wheel ) in the rear cargo area, and the spare tire ( on a regular steel wheel ) in use on the car. It took me three
( Mexican ) used tire shops until I found one that had the right size tire. Bought a fairly decent Goodyear Tracker tire, $25 mounted on the rim and installed on the car, with an additional $5 for balancing. By the time we arrived back at home around 2:30 PM Joanne was ready for a late, small lunch. After lunch I installed the Shaw Direct triple satellite LNB that I bought last night onto our satellite dish and ... WOO-HOO ... we have television service again !
At 6 PM we headed out with Laszlo and Gail, in Obie, for all you can eat salad, spaghetti and meatballs at a local restaurant. We went out for dinner that early so that we could be home in time to watch Survivor, but ... I screwed up time zone adjustments again. Yuma is on Mountain Standard Time, and our satellite TV service is on Keremeos, BC / Pacific Standard Time. I thought Survivor was going to be on at 7 PM local time ( 8 PM BC time ). DUH ! It was on at 9 PM local time ( 8 PM BC time ).
It's good to have our TV service restored !
Thursday ; Sunny and cool. Joanne cooked our first Sun Oven meal of the season, a beef roast marinated in a "Southern Barbecue" slow cooker marinade.
Today I did maintenance work on Elsie ( the truck camper ) and Obie ( the SUV ). Joanne cleaned Harvey ( the fifth wheel trailer ) and did laundry. We walked two laps around the seven acre dog park with Bo. I went bicycling at dusk. BRRRRR ! Chilly once the sun sets.
Friday ; Mostly sunny, windy, chilly.
Today was a long day of running shopping errands in The Foothills. This morning we headed to the far east end of The Foothills, to the semi-annual Helping Hands Yard Sale at Gila Mountain United Methodist Church. I was looking for some stuff for Obie, and I found what I wanted. I bought floor mats, front and rear, for Obie the SUV, as well as some needed tools and office supplies. Joanne bought a new set of cutlery for Harvey the fifth wheel trailer. And Harvey's old cutlery will get moved to Elsie the truck camper. I have no idea what the plans are for the cutlery that is currently in Elsie. HEY ... not my department. HA HA HA !
Next stop was Al's RV Parts for a few items ... and free donuts ... on their monthly 15% off everything sale day. We refilled Obie with fuel across the street at Fry's Fuel Bar, then began heading back west towards home. We stopped at Southwest Exchange where I had a spare key cut for Obie. We drove to The Foothills Wal-Mart mall where we had lunch at Del Taco before going Wal-Martin'. Last stop before heading home was Wally's World for an assortment of automotive parts and household supplies and hardware. It was after 4 PM by the time we arrived back at home.
We walked with Bo for two laps around the dog park before it got dark. BRRRRR ... chilly ! While Joanne prepared supper I reorganized my "to do" priorities. We watched a couple of episodes of My Cat From Hell on TV while having supper, then after supper we watched Doc Martin. Late in the evening I did month end bank statement balancing and investment file updating and analyzing.
Saturday ; Sunny, windy, chilly. Joanne cooked a chicken stew in the Sun Oven today.
Today was filled with routine chores and maintenance. I took a propane tank to be refilled. I remounted the spare tire underneath Obie. I went to the office and paid our November electricity bill. I took photos of Obie. I downloaded the photos to my laptop and "processed" them. I sorted and put away laundered clothing, some in the trailer, some in the camper. I auger cleaned the shower drain in the trailer. I took Bo for a two lap walk around the dog park. I went bicycling. Joanne gave Bo a bath. I helped Joanne repair the camper's sleeping bags.
DSK
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