November 17 to 23, 2019

Sunday ; Sunny and hot. Well … it’s good to be “home” !

Today was a long, busy day of “arrival” chores. Some successful, some not ! My first task of the day was to reset all clocks and watches to Arizona time / MST. Then I went to the office to pick up our waiting mail, including … WOO-HOO … our new TracFone cell phone. I got it plugged in and charging to prepare it for activation, then … < sigh > … we went to the storage yard to try … and fail … to get OB, our Oldsmobile Bravada SUV functional. The battery was dead. Very dead ! And there may be other problems, as well. I was unable to get the car started with a boost from the truck. I borrowed a battery charger, hooked it up to charge the car battery, and will leave it on until tomorrow. Wish me luck !

I took my laptop, went to the clubhouse, got onto Wi-Fi, activated the phone, and made arrangements for the re-installation of Wi-Fi Internet service at our trailer. 

I posted my weekly journal to my blog. I updated some financial records. Back at our home I connected and set up our Canadian satellite dish service. Well … at least that went well ! I assisted Joanne giving Ozzie a bath. How can such an old, little dog get that dirty and that stinky in such a short period of time ?

After supper I returned to the clubhouse with my laptop and our new cell phone. 

I phoned from my laptop ( using VoIP ) to the cell phone. Success !  I phoned from the cell phone to my laptop VoIP service. Success ! Well ! At last ! A functional US cell phone ! Hopefully the annual cell phone drama is over for another year !

Monday ; Sunny and hot.

Today’s drama was … the car ! After having a battery charger on it overnight it still wouldn’t start. I drove in the truck to a nearby auto repair shop and made arrangements to have the car serviced after having it towed there. I returned home and used my new cell phone to phone our emergency roadside assistance service provider and requested a tow truck. When the tow truck arrived, the driver was able to get the car started using his powerful battery charger pack. The battery was still dead and … he discovered a loose connection.

I drove the car to our lot and did some work on it, including cleaning and tightening the loose connection. I checked and topped up the fluid levels. I took the car to our community’s air compressor station and adjusted the tires’ air pressures. Joanne cleaned the windows. I wanted to rinse off the car to remove all the desert dust and grime, but Joanne didn’t want to just rinse it off with our garden hose. That would leave mineral deposit spots. She wants it washed at a car wash.

Around suppertime I went to the clubhouse to use Wi-Fi. I purchased automobile insurance. HMPH ! That was a bit more complicated than it has been in the past. But … it got done ! The car is now ready to use.

I put the borrowed battery charger back onto the battery for a few more hours tonight. I’m hopeful that the battery will be okay, but … the tow truck driver was doubtful.

Tuesday ; Cloudy, warm, intermittent light rain.

More car drama ! Late this morning we drove … in OB … to pick up an Internet modem / router at Beamspeed Internet. This is the second year we deal with Beamspeed Internet. They’re efficient ! We also refilled OB with fuel.

After lunch at home Joanne took OB to go grocery shopping. She wasn’t gone very long when she phoned me … using the cell phone that has been functional for only a day and a half … on our VoIP phone service on my laptop … which had been functional for only an hour or so, since I installed the Beamspeed modem / router in our trailer. < sigh > Good timing ! She was calling to tell me … that a tire on the car had blown ! < heavy sigh >

I drove in the truck ( with camper on it ) to where she was parked in a church parking lot. She had started preparations for changing the flat tire. Well done, dear ! A salesman from a nearby used car dealership had come over to help her as well. Upon my arrival we thanked him and he returned to work. While I was jacking up the car and changing the tire, two more “Good Samaritans” stopped to offer help. We appreciated that, but … do we / I look that old that people think 

I can’t change a tire ?

I got the tire changed, Joanne went off to shop for groceries, and I returned home. To our dead neighbour’s sick little dog ! Poor Ozzie. Today was the second day he has been ill with severe diarrhea. We’re doing what we can to solve the problem, whatever it may be. Hope we succeed soon !

Wednesday ; Cloudy, cool, intermittent light rain.

For the third day in a row, Ozzie is sick, although a bit less so. We did not allow him to eat today, to give his intestines a rest. And we have prepared a home made “anti-diarrhea meal” to feed him tomorrow. But … he doesn’t understand why we won’t feed him. And is trying every trick in his book to communicate to us that he’s hungry and it is time to feed him. Poor Ozzie !

While Joanne continued to unpack and clean the camper today, I went shopping for used tires. I wanted either one, or four. I settled for one, a size and brand match for the other tire on the front, and will continue to shop for two or three more matches, for the rear and spare. On the way back from the used tire shops 

I stopped at about half a dozen used car lots looking for a Dodge minivan. 

< sigh > There were none, at least none in the age and price range I am looking for.

I also did some routine maintenance on the car. And some work around the yard. In the evening we watched Survivor. And I located in my archived computer files a photo I took more than five years ago in Bella Coola.  Tonight I sent it to a professor emeritus in Sweden who asked to use it in a book he is authoring. Yeah … unusual story !

Thursday ; Mix of sun and clouds, warm.

Remounted the spare tire underneath the car. Disinfected and refilled the camper’s freshwater tank. Disinfected our five gallon water jug. Did some cleanup in our cactus gardens. Watered our cactus gardens. < sigh > Spent way too much time shopping at Wal-Mart.

Ozzie seems to be improving. Fed him four small meals today of boiled ground beef with boiled white rice reinforced with Ciprofloxacin. He hasn’t had a bowel movement yet today ( 9:45 PM ) so … at least no diarrhea in last twenty-four hours.

Friday ; Sunny and very warm. Joanne cooked my favourite Mexican chicken and rice dish in the Sun Oven today, our first Sun Oven meal of this winter season.

Well … Ozzie seems healthy today except … still no bowel movement ! So … after three days of endless diarrhea, now he’s … constipated for two days ? ! ? Stay tuned !

This afternoon I went shopping for the correct size of used car tires. And a used Dodge minivan. Didn’t find the right size of used tires ! Didn’t find a minivan. Well … didn’t find a minivan worth buying ! Found a few Dodge minivans but … pieces of junk !

At 5 PM we resumed our swimming pool cardiac exercise sessions. It was quite different from doing our exercises in the indoor swimming pool back home in Canada. The outdoor pool here was fine until the sun set. Then the air cooled rapidly, and it seemed pretty chilly, especially when leaving the heated pool.

Chatted with an American in the hot tub. Listened to him bitch and moan about his tax dollars being used to provide social services to the … < ahem > … less fortunate members of society. Pointed out to him that we were Canadian, and paying taxes to provide social services is a way of life for us. Hope he understood I was telling him that Canadian values and American values don’t align ! NAHHH … that would be too much to expect !

Saturday ; Sunny and warm.

Ozzie is …NOT okay !  He finally had a bowel movement around 8 PM tonight. Three days of diarrhea, three days of nothing, then … diarrhea again ! Sure hope this isn’t the end for him ! Although … that day can’t be far off !

More car drama again today ! AGAIN the car wouldn’t start. Took the truck ( with camper on ) to Wal-Mart and bought a new battery for the car. Brought it home, installed it, problem solved ! I hope ! ! !

Mounted a new smoke alarm in the camper. Mounted a new carbon monoxide detector in the trailer. Removed some of the Arizona room’s vinyl wall panels. Prepared my bicycle for use. Trimmed my beard. Paid bills online. Sent a cheque to pay our monthly maintenance fees at Riverside RV Park Resort. Refuse to leave them post dated cheques. Refuse to grant them pre-authorized debit arrangements. So there !

DSK