February 19 to 25, 2017

Sunday ;  Mostly sunny, warm.

This afternoon we drove to the "76" Fuel Bar at "The Big Curve" ( where 32nd St. merges onto 4th Ave. ) to dump the camper's black waste holding tank.  Then to a nearby car wash on 24th St. to wash the truck and camper. From there we went to Fry's to refill with diesel and buy a few grocery items, then Dollar Tree for a few items before returning home.

I spent some time visiting with our neighbours / friends Joe and Alene and their little Dachshund Lucy who have just arrived here from their "summer" home, SKP Park of the Sierras near Coarsegold, California.  And we had a visit from another neighbour / friend, Linda, who also arrived here recently from her home in Washington.

Joanne finished cleaning the inside of the camper.  I replenished medications and toiletries in the camper.  I did some bill paying online.  And I reconciled our Bank of America statement.  This winter season we are using our Bank of America Visa & debit card to pay for everything, instead of our ( Canadian ) Bank of Montreal U.S.$ MasterCard as we did in previous years.  In the evening I posted ( again ) some online and newspaper ads to sell the last piece of a neighbour's equipment that I am trying to sell for her.

Monday ;  Sunny and very warm.

This morning I did some routine household chores, exercised our generator, and chatted with a neighbour ... for too long.  Joanne cleaned the Arizona room which was left very dirty with desert dust after last Friday's wind storm.

After lunch we drove to Somerton to pick up Obie at Yepez Automotive Repair Services.  Before leaving there I noticed that the passenger's side front floor mat was missing.  It could not be found !  The owner ... who also happens to be the mayor of Somerton ... reluctantly agreed to buy me a new set of front floor mats.  HEY !  Don't get pissy with me !  I'm not the one who lost the floor mat while the car was being serviced in your facility ! ! !

We drove both vehicles part way back to Yuma.  I parked the truck and camper in the parking lot of Cocopah Casino, and we continued into Yuma in Obie.  We shopped for and bought a used tire to replace the tire that self-destructed a couple of weeks ago.  We drove back to the Cocopah Casino, I drove home in the truck and camper, and Joanne went grocery shopping in Obie.  Back at home I parked the truck and camper in the storage yard, then chatted with neighbours until it was time to take Bo for our afternoon two lap walk around the dog park.  Just as I finished that, and was about to go for my daily sunset bicycle ride, Joanne returned home.

Tuesday ;  Sunny and very warm.  Joanne cooked a Thai Chicken recipe in the Sun Oven today.

This morning Joanne helped me remount Obie's spare tire underneath the car.  I did some minor maintenance on Elsie the camper.  We loaded all our recycling bins in the car.  After lunch we drove to the local recycling depot and dumped our recycling.  From there we drove to the Humane Society for a slightly longer than usual shift of dog walking and cat cuddling.  I was asked to assist with a "bite dog" assessment.  And ... HA HA HA ... not surprisingly, I got bit !  No harm done !  The cute little "bite dog" got a mouthful of my pant leg and tore my pants, but ... missed my leg flesh !  Poor little Teddy !  His "prognosis" is poor.  He's not really adoptable and will probably have to be ... well, you know !

Back at home we took Bo for a walk around the dog park then while I went bicycling Joanne started work on laundering.  We had supper ... very good ... then spent the evening watching Canadian comedy shows, our regular Tuesday evening ritual.

Wednesday ;  Sunny and very warm.

This morning we drove to Yepez Automotive Services in Somerton to pick up the front floor mats that the owner bought for us to replace the front floor mat that they lost while Obie was in for service.  Back at home we had lunch, then went to the storage area to do some minor maintenance on the camper, and to put away our laundered clothing.

After a brief nap I trimmed my beard, then climbed up on the roof of the trailer and did some minor resealing, an annual roof maintenance chore.  The trailer roof is looking pretty worn out !  I used a new lap sealant that I have not used before.  We went for a two lap walk around the dog park, then I went bicycling at sunset.

Emma has been happily spending a few hours each afternoon in the Arizona room.  It's sunny, it's warm, she can sit on the dinette table and look outside and watch what's going on in the dog park, and most importantly ... HA HA HA ... she can "hunt" the little gecko that apparently now lives in our Arizona room.

MMMMM !  Haida Gwaii Coho Salmon with dill cream sauce and mushroom risotto for supper.  And that's the last of the salmon we bought on Haida Gwaii last August !

Thursday ;  Sunny and very warm.

Joanne picked up our friend Gail and they went out shopping all day.  I disassembled and thoroughly cleaned our barbecue, an annual chore.  I made fire starters, using a cardboard egg crate, dryer lint, and melted wax.  I read and napped with the animals.  In the late afternoon and evening I worked on monthly computer maintenance, scanning for viruses and malware, cleaning and defragmenting the hard drive, that sort of thing.

Friday ;  Sunny and mild, a bit windy.  Joanne roasted a chicken in the Sun Oven today.  It was very good !

This morning I worked on routine household chores.  And things went poorly !  < sigh >  I had a "funnel malfunction", and splashed bleach on my shirt and pants.  < sigh >  And a sewer hose fitting cracked while I was dumping the black waste tank.  < sigh >

After lunch we went downtown to the "What's Growing In Yuma" event, the low budget, downsized version of "Lettuce Days", an annual agricultural event held in previous years.  HMPH ... "What's Growing In Yuma" was a flop !  On the way back home we went grocery shopping at Albertson's.

We took Bo for a two lap walk around the dog park, then I went bicycling at sunset.  Joanne visited with Laszlo and Gail to finalize arrangements for her to join them on a trip to Mexico tomorrow.

Saturday ;  Sunny and warm.  This morning Laszlo and Gail picked up Joanne and they all headed off for a day in Los Algodones, Mexico ; pedicures, haircuts, lunch, shopping.

After an early lunch I headed off to The Foothills for an afternoon of running errands ; Wal-Mart, Southwest Exchange, Al's RV Supply, Goodwill, and on the way back home, Wally's World.  I arrived back home at 4 PM and walked over to the other side of the park to visit with some people from Vancouver Island.  Carol Mae had asked me to pay them a visit to answer some questions they had about living in the Okanagan Valley region of British Columbia.

Joanne arrived home about the same time as I did, around 5 PM.  We chatted in the Arizona room for about an hour, then took Bo for a two lap walk around the dog park. 
I went bicycling at sunset, then barbecued a thick, juicy steak for supper.

DSK