December 22 to 28, 2019

Sunday ; Cloudy and cool.

Routine chores at home this morning. At 1 PM we headed east from Sky Valley Resort on Dillon Road and followed it all the way around to Spotlight 29 Casino at Interstate 10. From there it was just a short distance to Desert Theatreworks, to attend their live theatre performance of Mary Poppins. WOW ! It was amazingly done, especially considering the constraints of their small stage. Afterwards, as we were walking back to our car, Joanne was comparing today’s live performance to the Disney movie of our childhood. UMMMMM … I didn’t see it ! < shrug > Am I the only person our age that did not see Disney’s Mary Poppins movie about 55 years ago ?

From Desert Theatreworks we drove to the shopping mall on Monterey with the Wal-Mart. Joanne went Wal-Martin’ while I worked online using the free Wi-Fi in the Burger King in the Wal-Mart. When we were both finished we returned home to Sky Valley Resort, arriving home shortly before 8 PM.

Monday ; Raining steadily until 3 PM, then intermittently. Cold !

The weather resulted in a pretty lazy day. This morning I drove to Blair Station, a local RV parts dealer, and refilled a propane tank. Didn’t do much else until the rain stopped around 3 PM, then we went to the swimming pool, did an exercise session, and soaked in the hottest mineral water hot tub. There are multiple mineral water swimming pools and hot tubs here, and each is at a different temperature.

I am unable to get functional Wi-Fi at our site, so around suppertime I went searching for a decent Wi-Fi signal. Found it ! At the east clubhouse. Got my online work done, but … just about froze, sitting in the courtyard outside the closed clubhouse.

Tuesday ; Christmas Eve

Sunny, windy, cool.

Late this morning we went for a long walk around this large manufactured home community. Very nice ! Very upscale for a “trailer park”. No “Julian, Ricky, and Bubbles” here ! HA HA HA !

We spent much of today intermittently researching the upcoming Palm Springs International Film Festival with over 180 films and over 500 film showings over a 12 day period. By the end of the day we had decided what we wanted to see, when, where, and … I bought tickets. Somewhat of a Christmas gift for Joanne. We will be attending three film showings, all foreign films, all comedies. But … comedy is defined differently in each culture. One film is from Argentina, one is from Belgium, and one is from France and Tunisia.

I did some maintenance work on the minivan. We spent some time late in the afternoon soaking in the hottest mineral water hot tub. Joanne prepared her traditional Christmas Eve dinner of tourtière, French Canadian meat pie. MMMMM … thank you, my dear.

Wednesday ; Christmas Day

Sunny, mild, windy.

We got a late start to the day … as planned. I prepared our traditional Christmas brunch of waffles slathered with jam and ice cream. Well … that’s my family’s tradition. Joanne eats her waffles with maple syrup. We opened gifts. We phoned our sisters. And then … spent the rest of the afternoon exercising in the warm swimming pool and soaking in the mineral water hot tub.

Back at our site I chatted with the next door neighbour. I gave her some assistance / sage advice with some routine RV maintenance. Joanne prepared our Christmas turkey dinner. I worked on the computer, processing some photos and reconciling our December MasterCard billing. YIKES !

HMPH ! I have a mysterious computer problem. My laptop computer refuses to recognize the AC power cord / charger when plugged in. The battery is draining, and won’t recharge !

MMMMM … Christmas turkey dinner was wonderful ! Thank you again, my dear !

Thursday ; Boxing Day ( Canada )

Raining heavily all day, COLD !

This morning I removed the bathroom sink’s drain tailpiece and trap. We drove to Blair Station, a nearby RV parts dealer, and I bought replacement parts. We continued on to Desert Hot Springs, refilled the minivan with fuel at Vons Fuel Bar, then shopped for groceries at Vons. I didn’t like Vons. For the rest of our time in the Palm Springs area I want to shop for our groceries at Stater Bros, also in Desert Hot Springs. Driving from Desert Hot Springs back to Sky Valley the roads were becoming flooded. SHEESH … the roads around Desert Hot Springs are NOT designed to funnel rain water away ! We encountered similar road flooding issues on rainy days in Texas.

Back at home I installed the new plumbing parts. Some of them. One of them didn’t fit and will have to be returned. After a late lunch I napped while Joanne went to do laundry. While I was working on my computer around suppertime the purchaser of Obie the SUV phoned. She is having some minor maintenance issues with Obie and wanted my advice. Sorry, Love ( that’s actually her name ! ), you’ve had the car for two weeks, you’re on your own ! I’m unable to diagnose car issues by long distance. I referred her to Yepez Automotive in Somerton where I used to take Obie for service.

Friday ; HAPPY 16^th BIRTHDAY TO EMMA

Sunny and mild.

We spent the day running errands and exploring in Palm Springs. We left home around noon and were back home around 5:30 PM … about half an hour after it turned dark !

First stop was nearby Blair Station RV to get a refund on a plumbing part that didn’t fit. After getting my refund processed I again gave some attention to Brutus, the owners’ nineteen year old dog. I don’t think I’ve ever met a nineteen year old dog before. He’s SO decrepit. We drove from Desert Hot Springs into Palm Springs and went to the Palm Springs International Film Festival Box Office where I picked up the six film festival movie tickets I purchased online a few days ago. Next stop was a nearby shoe repair shop to drop off a pair of SAS sandals Joanne purchased recently, to have a simple modification done. Rather expensive, but HEY … it IS Palm Springs. Nothing’s cheap here ! Well … except the astounding thrift stores ! Next door to the shoe repair shop was an interesting bakery. Joanne wanted to take a look. We bought a couple of con leche filled empanadas.

Next stop was … HA HA HA … Revivals Thrift Store. I bought a long sleeved shirt, Joanne bought a couple of clothing items. We did a post-Christmas shopping trip to Trader Joe’s. And then the 99¢ Cent Only Store. After returning home we did some menu planning and outings planning before having Christmas dinner leftovers for supper.

Emma seems to have enjoyed her “Home Alone” birthday. HA HA HA !

Saturday ; Sunny and mild during the day, cold in the evening.

We slept late. Got a slow start to the day. Went to the pool, did an exercise session, lounged around the hot tub and sauna, sat in the sun for awhile, had a late lunch … napped ! HA HA HA !

In the evening we went to the Living Zoo for the final day of Wild Lights, the display of a million Christmas lights around the desert zoo grounds. BRRRRR !

DSK

December 15 to 21, 2019 ; Yuma, Arizona to Palm Springs, California

Sunday ; Sunny and warm. Joanne cooked Mexican Chili in the Sun Oven today.

Routine household chores, automotive maintenance, and departure preparations until mid-afternoon. Went to Happy Hour visit with neighbours / friends Linda and David. Chatted with them and other friends of theirs from 3 PM until 6 PM.

Monday ; Sunny, cool, chilly in the evening. Joanne cooked cinnamon buns and Chicken Mole ( pronounced “molay”, Mexican savoury chocolate “stewing” 

sauce ) in the Sun Oven today.

We spent much of today preparing for departure tomorrow to Palm Springs. Joanne moved a lot of stuff from the fifth wheel trailer to the truck camper which is now parked on our driveway. I refilled the camper’s freshwater tank and did some maintenance on the truck. Around noon I spent time visiting with new acquaintances, people we met yesterday. In the evening I paid some bills online, “taking care of business” before travelling.

Tuesday ; Yuma, Arizona to Palm Springs, California

Sunny and cool. We prepared for departure and left home at 12:30 PM. We arrived in Palm Springs at 5 PM. Well … 5 PM Arizona time, it was 4 PM California time.

We took both vehicles, me driving the truck and camper, Joanne driving the minivan. I felt a bit lonely on the drive, without either Joanne or Ozzie to keep me company. We stopped in Holtville to buy two huge burritos, one to share for lunch and one to share for supper. We stopped at Red Earth Casino near Salton Sea Beach to refill both vehicles with cheaper, “on the rez” fuel before reaching the outrageous fuel prices of Palm Springs ( and most of the rest of California ).

We arrived at our boondocking home for the night, Spotlight 29 Casino, just before dusk. We chose a parking spot in the RV overnight parking lot, and 

I began to reset clocks and watches from Arizona time to California time. While doing that I discovered … WHAT ? Water in the minivan headlight ? AGAIN ? ! ? HMPH ! Must be from the car wash a few days ago. I’m going to have to contact the supplier that I bought the two headlights from recently. I hope they will replace the leaky one. When we get settled in to the RV park we will be staying at for the next month and a half I will once again remove the headlight and dry out the inside.

Our new to us GPS worked just fine !

Wednesday ; Spotlight 29 Casino to Sky Valley Resort

Sunny and cool, chilly evening.

We left Spotlight 29 Casino this morning around 11 AM and headed for a nearby 99¢ Only Store. After a bit of shopping we drove to Sky Valley Resort, on Dillon Road, on the north side of Interstate 10, a bit east of Desert Hot Springs. Our home for the next forty-five days. We checked in, got settled into our assigned site, had lunch, and I took a nap before connecting electricity, water, sewer, and setting up cable TV. Joanne did a bit of Christmas decorating inside the camper, and I set up our Christmas “kaleidoscope” light outside, shining on the truck and camper. KEWL !

We went to the west clubhouse ( this resort has an east side and a west side ), checked out the laundromat, restaurant, mineral hot tubs ( multiple ), mineral showers, warm water swimming pools ( multiple ), sauna, etc. Certainly am looking forward to all that !

Back at home we had supper and watched the three hour season finale of Survivor.

Thursday ; Sunny and warm, chilly in the evening.

We had a pretty good day today ! I did some maintenance work on the minivan this morning. Late in the morning we headed to the swimming pool area. We did an exercise session in the smaller and warmer of the two mineral swimming pools on the west side of the resort. Then soaked in the warmest of the mineral hot tubs. AHHHHH ! Looking forward to a month and a half of THAT !

After lunch I napped then we left to run errands. We drove into Desert Hot Springs and I bought some postage at the Post Office. Then across Interstate 10 from north side / Desert Hot Springs to south side / Palm Springs. At the Bank of America we deposited cash from the sale of OB the SUV. WOO-HOO … the car is gone, the money is in the bank ! We drove around downtown until we found a parking spot, to attend Village Fest, the regular weekly downtown street fair. We wandered from one end of Village Fest to the other, and back. I bought a small Christmas gift for Joanne. Because … she told me to ! HA HA HA !

By the time we were finished at Village Fest it was time for supper. Since we were downtown we decided to have supper at Sherman’s Deli, our favourite Palm Springs restaurant. Supper was superb, as always at Sherman’s Deli. Joanne had matzo ball soup, and a platter of kishka ( with an EXCELLENT gravy )… sparking memories of my childhood years of playing “Who Stole The Kishka” on my accordion. HA HA HA !

We were back home at Sky Valley Resort around 9 PM.

Friday ; Sunny and warm, chilly evening.

I have just spent the better part of three hours trying … and failing … to get about fifteen minutes of online work done. < sigh > This is not the first time I have been in an RV park in California where the Wi-Fi communal bandwidth is completely inadequate. It’s going to be an extremely frustrating part of the next month and a half.

I helped two neighbours with RV “mobility” issues today. This morning the people in the fifth wheel trailer behind us were trying to reposition their trailer. Suffice to say … she left in a huff … and he needed help, after getting the fifth wheel trailer’s king pin jammed in the truck’s fifth wheel hitch. I helped him achieve what he was unable to achieve on his own. And then … < sputter > … the Canadian Albertan ingrate didn’t even offer a simple “thank you”. HMPH !

This afternoon a single woman from New Mexico … with her little dog and cat … needed help getting her Class C ( small ) motorhome squeezed into the small site beside us. We met her later in the afternoon in the swimming pool, and spent quite awhile chatting with her.

HA HA HA … Joanne spent the evening binge watching “90 Day Fiancé” !

Saturday ; Thin, high overcast, warm.

After a late start today was mostly a day of running errands. Just before leaving around noon I discovered a new leak underneath the bathroom sink … < sigh >. We drove to the nearby RV parts store to discover that they had closed a few minutes earlier, at noon … < sigh >.

We drove to Palm Springs via a different route than we usually use from the Desert Hot Springs side of the freeway. First stop was Home Depot where 

I unsuccessfully tried to figure out what plumbing parts I would need to repair our bathroom sink leak … < sigh >.

We used our GPS to get to College of the Desert, where every Saturday and Sunday one of their large parking lots becomes a huge “Street Fair” / flea market, somewhat like Arizona MarketPlace in Yuma, but … much more upscale. I was hoping to browse through the flea market and find some Christmas gift “inspiration”. The only thing in the entire market that “inspired” me was a 2014 Mercedes Benz convertible being sold by the classic / vintage / luxury car dealer that displays about a dozen or so cars at the College of the Desert Street Fair every weekend.

Next was a Trader Joe’s location in Palm Desert that we have not been to before. This was our pre-Christmas Trader Joe’s impulse purchase indulgence trip. And we did ourselves proud ! HA HA HA !

Last stop was a large shopping mall and while Joanne went to the 99¢ Only Store to buy some supplies I went into the Burger King inside the Wal-Mart and used their free Wi-Fi to get some online work done. It seems likely that this will be a regular routine during our month and a half stay at Sky Valley Resort. You would think that a place that expensive would have decent Wi-Fi, but … NOOOOO ! ! !

We arrived back home at Sky Valley Resort at 4:40 PM … just as it turned dark … < sputter > ! ! !

DSK

December 8 to 14, 2019

Sunday ; Cloudy and mild.

This afternoon I did some maintenance and “improvement” work on the minivan and Arizona room. This afternoon / evening our neighbours / Canadian friends David and Shauna came over for dinner and visit. Joanne prepared her wonderful Beef Bourguignon recipe. In the evening I did some annual budget planning work.

Monday ; Sunny and warm. Joanne cooked a meat loaf in the Sun Oven today.

Routine puttering around today. Did an exercise session in the swimming pool at sunset / dusk. Great time to use the pool and hot tub.

Tuesday ; Sunny and warm. Joanne cooked Hawaiian Chicken ( with fresh pineapple ) in the Sun Oven today.

Late this morning we headed out to run errands. First stop was the address of a cobbler / shoe repair shop, acquired from the Yellow Pages. The locksmith who occupies that shop advised me that he has been in that location since the cobbler died ten years ago ! ! ! The Yellow Pages won’t allow him to remove the cobbler’s listing because … it’s not his account !

I picked up a special order from O’Reilly Auto Parts ; a box of ten small PC579 automotive bulbs. These specialty bulbs … of which I needed two … only come in packs of ten ! So … I used two, and … now have eight spares !

We did some shopping at Wal-Mart, including buying a “console” for the minivan to keep our “stuff” organized ; sunglasses, garbage bag, small flashlight, phone charger cord, etc. Just like the one in our minivan back home in BC.

Picked up Ozzie’s ashes at the veterinarian’s today. Wasn’t expecting them to be in a lovely ( expensive ! ) little cedar chest, with a little gold padlock, and an engraved name tag. Wonder what the hell we’re going to do with the tiny cedar chest after scattering his ashes ? ! ?

We miss Ozzie !

Gave Emma a little bit of a hair trim around her rear end using electric clippers. SHEESH ! I hope the neighbours didn’t hear her protests !

Wednesday ; Los Algodones, Baja California, Mexico

This morning we left home at 10 AM heading for Mexico. Our neighbours / friends David and Shauna followed in their car. They wanted to come to Mexico with us today, but did not want to be there for as long as we were planning to be, so they drove there in their own car, allowing them to leave earlier than us.

Through town to Interstate 8, west on I-8, over the Colorado River into California, about seven miles west, then south to the Mexican border. We arrived in Mexico at 10:45 AM. First stop was Meyer Optical. David and I left Shauna and Joanne there to shop for eyeglasses while he and I walked to Farmacia Veterinaria Safari so that David could buy HeartGard medication for their dog Zona.

By the time we returned from the veterinary pharmacy Joanne had had an eye exam, had selected frames, and was ready to order her new glasses. She was helping Shauna select frames. Easier said than done. HA HA HA ! After awhile at Meyer we walked over to another optical shop and Shauna continued shopping. At 11:50 AM we left. Joanne and I had dentist appointments at noon. David and Shauna walked with us to our dentist’s office, then they went to continue shopping for Shauna’s eyeglasses.

Both Joanne and I were seen without delay. Joanne had an uneventful dental cleaning, followed by an examination by a new dentist. All is well. My dental cleaning was conducted by my periodontist. Somewhat unusual, but … she’s done that before. After the cleaning she conducted a thorough periodontal examination, including producing a periodontogram, a somewhat new computer generated graphic portrayal of my teeth and gums, and periodontal examination findings. My teeth are fine. My gums are … mostly fine. My cleaning and periodontal examination and periodontogram took an hour and fifteen minutes, a long time with a periodontist for a fee of only fifty bucks, I thought.

When we were finished at the dentist’s we rejoined David and Shauna who were just finishing up ordering a pair of eyeglasses for Shauna at Best Optical. We took them to Tacos Molcas for a late lunch. We had a wonderful lunch, as always at Tacos Molcas. Joanne and I each had three tacos. Joanne had dos carne asada y uno pescado / two seasoned diced beef and one fish. I had uno carne asada, uno camaron, y uno chivo / one seasoned diced beef, one shrimp, and one shredded goat meat. David and Shauna shared a platillo pollo asado con frijoles y arroz / barbecued chicken platter with refried beans and Spanish rice. After lunch we browsed very briefly in a nearby mercado / grocery store, then left David and Shauna shopping for yard art. They were leaving from there to return home to Yuma.

Joanne and I returned to Meyer Optical where she ordered a new pair of glasses. Next we went to Tere’s Beauty and Barber Shop where we both had pedicures and haircuts. YIKES !  It has been a very long time since my hair has been cut that short ! ! ! Oh, well … it will grow ! Not the first time my hair has been cut too short in Mexico. As we walked back to the border we stopped at Liqui’s where we bought two tiny bottles of wine and a package of Cremino chocolates. Extremely surprisingly there was no line up at the border when we arrived there at 4:15 PM. We were back home a few minutes after 5 PM.

After supper we watched Survivor.

Thursday ; Sunny, warm, windy.

This morning I removed a headlight from the minivan to remove the water from inside the headlight, and dry it out. I’m not sure how the water got inside. It rained heavily recently, shortly after I installed the new headlights. But … rain should NOT be able to find its way into a headlight !

Joanne volunteered to briefly dog sit Nikki, the dog belonging to the site renter across the street. Nikki howls when left alone. Like Ozzie did ! And Nikki’s owner Pat has been getting complaints. So … we took care of Nikki for an hour or so. We took her for a two lap walk around the dog park. It’s been quite awhile since we walked around the perimeter of the dog park, because Ozzie didn’t like it. Too many “pricklies” for his tender feet. Bo’s ashes are sprinkled in the dog park here. It’s the first time we’ve “visited” with the memory / spirit of Bo in about a year.

Late this afternoon we did an exercise session in the swimming pool, starting in daylight shortly after 5 PM and finishing in darkness shortly after 6 PM.

Friday ; Sunny and warm. Joanne cooked Beef Provencal in the Sun Oven today.

For the last few days we have been putting cat food out in our back yard to feed a small, black, feral cat. Today Joanne named it “Cobra”. < shrug >

Right after lunch we headed east to the Foothills, to run errands. First stop was Wal-Mart for a few items. Then while Joanne shopped for a few items at the 99¢ Only Store I bought an automotive item I needed at O’Reilly Auto Parts. I took the minivan to Express Auto Lube for an oil change and car wash. YIKES ! Under the high pressure of a car wash, the sunroof leaks a bit … on Joanne ! HA HA HA ! 

I bought a few items at Wally’s World on our way to the Arizona MarketPlace flea market. At the flea market we picked up the custom made dash cover and seat covers we ordered two weeks ago.

We returned home … I fed Cobra … and we began to work on the installation of the seat covers. We hadn’t made much progress when I received a phone call. The buyer of OB … the Oldsmobile Bravada … was eager to make the final payment and get her “new to her” car. We had supper then drove to her home … in both vehicles … and completed the sale. The buyer was thrilled to have the car. I was thrilled to be rid of it ! We returned home in the minivan and I cancelled OB’s insurance and registration / license plate online. Bonsoir la visite, OB !

Saturday ; Sunny and warm. Joanne cooked Thai Chicken in the Sun Oven today.

Cobra the feral cat now arrives in our back yard three times per day hoping / expecting to be fed. It has a notched ear indicating that it has been previously trapped, neutered, and released, a program( TNR ) operated by the Humane Society to reduce the reproductive capacities of feral cats.

Our primary task for today was to install the custom made seat covers in the minivan. HMPH ! Much easier said than done ! It took us about four times as long to do the first seat as it did the second one. Lots of mistakes and learning curve doing the first one ! We had not made much progress when the buyer of OB phoned. < sigh > She was attempting to transfer the vehicle title and get the car registered and licensed. The third party DMV outlet was insisting that my signature on the title transfer document be notarized. **** ! ! ! We abandoned the seat cover project and headed out !

After meeting the buyer at the DMV outlet and having my signature notarized we ran a few errands. Returned an item to O’Reilly Auto Parts. Refilled the minivan with fuel at Fry’s Fuel Bar. Had lunch at Church’s Chicken. MMMMM ! Last stop was Goodwill Thrift Store. Today was half price day. I bought a pair of jeans, two pairs of shorts, and two shorts. Joanne bought … nothing. Well … that seemed odd. HA HA HA !

We returned home and spent the rest of the afternoon installing the seat covers. From 5:30 PM to 6:30 PM we did an exercise session in the swimming pool. I had an opportunity to tell an obnoxious asshole that … he was an obnoxious 

asshole ! ! ! Well … that’s what you can expect if you dive into the pool right beside us and splash over our faces and heads !  Asshole !

It was dark when we returned from the swimming pool. So … we took the minivan to the storage yard and I aimed the headlights against a brick wall. We went for a short drive to verify that my bush league headlight aiming technique worked. It did ! Well done, Daniel !

DSK

December 1 to 7, 2019

Sunday ; Sunny and mild. Joanne cooked an Irish Stew in the Sun Oven today.

Joanne went grocery shopping this afternoon. I did some maintenance work on the fifth wheel trailer and the truck camper. I did some essential gardening. 

I removed a large Prickly Pear cactus in the dog park behind our rear fence that had fallen over during the summer. Probably from wind. I had planted it about eight years ago. And it had grown about a vertical foot each year. SHEESH ! As did a Cow’s Tongue Prickly Pear I planted in our front yard at about the same time. I had to trim that one quite a bit today. It was growing over our sidewalk. While I was working on that, one of our neighbours … whose summer home is in Summerland, a bit north of us in the Okanagan Valley ... came by just to tease me a bit about the folly of cactus gardening. Yeah … live and learn ! HA HA HA !

Ozzie continues to suffer. We have such mixed feelings about ending his life tomorrow ! Our minds and our hearts are at odds !

Monday ; High overcast, cool.

Around noon today the headlights that I ordered for the Chrysler minivan arrived by FedEx. I installed them.

At 3:30 PM today … Ozzie’s suffering ended. Farewell and Godspeed, sweet little fellow. When you were “dumped” on us twenty-six months ago we made a commitment to you ; to give you good quality of life for your remaining time, and more importantly, to ensure that you had a good end of life. We achieved that !

My tears are flowing and my heart is broken !

Tuesday ; Cloudy and cool.

It’s a relief that Ozzie’s suffering has ended. Last night was the first night in about three weeks that we were not awakened multiple times during the night by Ozzie’s illness.

Our new ( to us ) GPS unit arrived today. It’s similar to our previous GPS, but newer and a bit more complex and complicated. Joanne and I both played around with it a bit this afternoon. Joanne helped me do some maintenance on the camper this afternoon. She did some gardening. I did some maintenance on the new minivan.

Late in the afternoon we went to the swimming pool to do an exercise session. Because of the weather we had the pool all to ourselves. In the evening I worked on annual budget planning.

Wednesday ; Cloudy and mild.

This morning we ran some errands on our way to the Yuma Civic Center to attend the Welcome Back Winter Visitor Bash. We spent an hour there wandering around the many vendor booths, collecting information ( and swag ).

This afternoon Joanne went shopping by herself at Wal-Mart. On her way home she encountered a stray dog not too far from home. She was unsuccessful in catching it, so she rushed home to recruit me to help. By the time we returned just a few minutes after she had been there, the stray dog was gone. < shrug > BUT … as we drove the short distance back home we found a pile of “Yuma roadkill”. HA HA HA ! About a dozen or so full boxes of bags of salad mix, straight off the farm fields, fallen off a truck. We picked up six boxes of six bags each and took it back to our RV park to be placed in the clubhouse. Help yourselves, folks, first come, first served ! HA HA HA ! That’s a regular occurrence around here ! HA HA HA !

Thursday ; Sunny and warm.

This afternoon we did an exercise session in the swimming pool. In the evening we went downtown to attend the monthly foreign art film at Historic Yuma Theater. On the way home afterwards we stopped at Wal-Mart to buy a few automotive items I need for our new to us minivan.

Friday ; Mostly sunny and warm.

This morning we headed east on Interstate 8 to Yuma Foothills, to shop at the Helping Hands Yard Sale. We usually buy an item or two at this semi-annual, huge “yard sale” done by a large church in the Foothills. But today we bought more than just a few items. And some very odd items, for a “yard sale”. Like … a breast prosthesis ! HA HA HA ! Joanne’s brand … and size ! ! ! < blink blink > 

I don’t know how a new breast prosthesis ends up at a church yard sale, but … can’t argue with buying a $300 item for five bucks ! And a $70 electronic TENS massager for three bucks ! And a $65 blood pressure machine for five bucks ! And a $200 pair of women’s SAS shoes for three bucks ! ! !

We went to Pioneer Shopping Mall and had lunch at Subway. Then while I walked over to O’Reilly Auto Parts to buy some automotive bulbs Joanne went shopping at the 99¢ Only Store. Before leaving the foothills we stopped at Southwest Exchange to get some keys cut for the minivan, and to buy a couple of flag holders for the Arizona room eaves. We stopped at the Humane Society of Yuma to donate a near full ( $92 ! ) bag of Ozzie’s dog food. We stopped at Arizona MarketPlace to pick up our minivan’s dash cover, but it wasn’t ready yet. Sure enough, when we arrived back home there was an e-mail advising us that it wasn’t yet ready, as it was supposed to be. Last stop before we returned home was Habitat For Humanity where we dropped off / donated a few items, for the second time this week.

Back at home, Joanne did laundry. I installed a signal light bulb and a headlight bulb in the minivan. I did some inside and outside maintenance on the fifth wheel trailer. Might be a new plumbing leak in the trailer. < sigh >

Saturday ; Cloudy and mild, heavy rain in the evening. Heavy rain ? In Yuma ? ?

Late this morning we headed out to pick up the second payment on the Oldsmobile Bravada. After accepting a deposit on the car last weekend I had agreed to pick up the second payment today, and the final payment next weekend. After picking up the payment we ran errands. We went grocery shopping at Food City, the “Mexican” supermarket in Yuma with two outlets. Today we shopped at the outlet we’ve only been to once before. I think we’ll be shopping at this location more often. Their panaderia is better than at the location we usually go to, and … they have an excellent cocina / lunch counter in the store. We had lunch there today. MMMMM !

After Food City we went to Dollar Tree. Then while Joanne shopped at the 99¢ Only Store I shopped next door at Harbor Freight. WOO-HOO … new location, bigger store ! Next was AutoZone who did not have what I was looking for. Then Fry’s Fuel Bar to refill the minivan. Final stop was Pep Boys, who also did not have what I needed.

I just spent an inordinate amount of time, late in the evening, trying to overcome a word processing document problem I created with sloppy fingers on the computer keyboard ! HMPH !

DSK

November 24 to 30, 2019 ; Yuma to Phoenix & return

Sunday ; Sunny and very warm.

Ozzie’s week long battle with diarrhea continues. < sigh > We continue to employ all the common veterinary “tricks” to put a stop to it. Wish us … and him … luck ! Poor old Ozzie !

I found a Chrysler minivan for sale in Phoenix that is of interest to me. We will probably head to Phoenix tomorrow to view it. We’ll take the truck and camper, and stay overnight in or near Phoenix.

Joanne went grocery shopping today while I stayed home with the animals. 

I prepared the remaining vinyl wall panels on the Arizona room for removal, and after Joanne returned from shopping we removed the remaining panels. AHHHHH … I love our screened Arizona room ! It’s like a huge, screened, living room.

This afternoon I watched the Grey Cup, Canada’s national football championship. WOO-HOO, WOO-HOO, WOO-HOO … my beloved Winnipeg Blue Bombers won their first Grey Cup in twenty-nine years ! ! ! You can count the number of sports events I watch on television on an annual basis on … one finger ! HA HA HA !

Monday ; Yuma to Phoenix, Arizona

Sunny and warm. This morning I made phone calls and arranged to view three cars in the Phoenix area this afternoon ; one in Goodyear, a western suburb of Phoenix, one in downtown Phoenix, and one in Tempe, an eastern suburb of Phoenix. We left home around noon, heading east on Interstate 8. We stopped at Dateland, the date business in Dateland, Arizona and bought date shakes to accompany our lunch which we ate in the camper in their parking lot. Poor, sick Ozzie did not think it was fair that we would not give him any date shake. Sorry, Ozzie !

After lunch we continued east on I-8, then turned north on Hwy. 85 to Interstate 10, then east on I-10 to Goodyear. We met the seller of a 2006 Dodge Caravan in a restaurant parking lot. He was a “repo man” and was selling a car that he had repossessed for a bank. It was a total piece of junk ! We continued east on I-10 towards downtown Phoenix.

As we drove to downtown … our GPS died. I mean … really died ! Screen went blank, and sizzling noises came from inside. YIKES ! ! ! Darn ! We only had that GPS for about a year and a half, but … we really liked it ! And used it a LOT ! We tossed it in a garbage can at the restaurant where we had supper, afraid that the battery inside might explode or catch fire or … !

We found our way … without benefit of GPS … to the downtown location where we were to view the second car, a 2005 Dodge Caravan. It was parked behind a … bail bondsman and repo business. REALLY ? ! ? C’mon ! < sigh > Another piece of junk, even worse than the first ! We struggled out of downtown and back onto the freeway to head east to the third car ... in Tempe.

It turned dark as soon as we left downtown around 5 PM. We encountered gridlock on the freeway thanks to an accident. Even without the accident, the rush hour traffic around Phoenix was horrible ! Now I remember why we chose Yuma as our winter home. Without GPS the closest we could get to the third car was a nearby ARCO fuel station. We called the seller, and he agreed to bring the car to us at the fuel station. While waiting for him I refilled the truck’s almost empty fuel tank.

The third car was a 2006 Chrysler Town & Country minivan, the upscale version of the Dodge Caravan. Nice car !  I bought it ! We made arrangements to meet tomorrow to finalize the sale.

Joanne wanted to go to Cici’s, a pizza buffet restaurant chain we like that has a couple of outlets in Phoenix. She found one in Mesa, another suburb, east of Tempe. Not easy to find things in an unfamiliar urban area, at night, without GPS. HMPH … GPS is now at the top of my Black Friday shopping list.

We had supper then headed north to find a casino to boondock overnight. We knew there were two to the north. We found the first one, found a spot in their RV parking lot, then Joanne took Ozzie for a walk. And discovered signage that said overnight parking cost $25 ! Yeah … I don’t think so ! We headed to the second one a bit further north.

Talking Stick Resort Casino. Nice casino. Well … nice casino parking lot, at least. We never went inside the casino. HA HA HA ! Wi-Fi reached our camper, so I was able to get some online work done before bedtime.

Tuesday ; Phoenix to Ak-Chin, Arizona

Sunny and warm. Before leaving Talking Stick Resort Casino after lunch this afternoon we relaxed a bit and I did some vehicle purchase preliminary work. Most importantly I purchased insurance online, so that as soon as we were finished getting the title transferred and the Arizona license / registration arranged around supper time, we could drive away.

Like yesterday, our drive through the Phoenix area today was in extremely congested traffic, with a lengthy delay due to another highway accident ahead of us. Eventually we made it to the Bank of America across the street from the ARCO fuel station we were at last night. We withdrew cash to pay for the car, then continued to battle congested traffic to the “third party DMV” business where the seller was going to meet us after his work, to complete the sale. There are considerable “upcharges” in transferring title and obtaining registration and license plate at a “third party DMV” business, but … they’re open late ! < sigh > As much as I hate to pay for something “unnecessarily”, there was no better option.

The seller was to meet us at 5:30 PM. The third party DMV business was to close at 6 PM. At 6 PM while I was inside the business begging the manager to stay open a few more minutes, the moron seller … < sputter > … ran out of gas a block away ! What a ****ing moron !  I was livid ! And did not hesitate to let the moron know. He did not like my tone of voice. Yeah … you and a whole lot of other people too ! Too ****ing bad, moron. I don’t like your stupidity ! ! ! So I guess we’re even !

The manager and some of her staff stayed late to complete the title transfer and registration and licensing process. Thank you, EZ Title ! We did not finish in there until 6:30 PM, half an hour after their closing time. Continuing my hissy fit, 

I … < ahem > … “persuaded” the seller that it was going to cost him an additional $50 to pay for a full tank of gas to complete the car sale.

With a full tank of gas in our newly acquired Chrysler minivan we left Tempe at 

7 PM headed south, first on Interstate 10, then on Hwy. 347, Joanne driving the Chrysler minivan and me in the truck and camper. Despite it being after 7 PM it was still rush hour, bumper to bumper traffic, travelling at 70 MPH. In an unfamiliar vehicle, in the dark, in an unfamiliar urban area, on the freeway … those were extremely challenging and frightening conditions for Joanne. Well done, my dear !

We drove south through Maricopa, to the Ak-Chin Indian Reservation, about halfway from Phoenix to Tucson. We boondocked overnight at Harrah’s Ak-Chin, a large casino.

Wednesday ; Ak-Chin to Yuma, Arizona

Overcast and mild. We left Harrah’s Ak-Chin around 11 AM and continued south on Hwy. 347, then southwest on Hwy. 84 to Interstate 8. West on I-8 to Gila Bend where we stopped at Holt’s Shell to dump our waste holding tanks. Further west we stopped at Dateland to buy date shakes to have with lunch. As we entered the Yuma Foothills area from the east we stopped at Fry’s to refill both vehicles with fuel. We arrived home around 4:30 PM.

Dancing Baba’s varenykiys for supper while watching Survivor !

Joanne likes the minivan !

Thursday ; Thanksgiving ( American )

Cloudy, windy, chilly during the day, heavy rain and heavy wind in the evening.

For the first time in two weeks Ozzie had a “normal” bowel movement, after repeated cycles of diarrhea followed by constipation. Hope he’s now going to be okay !

Joanne prepared a wonderful Thanksgiving turkey dinner today. Thank you, my dear. We were both thankful today that the dead neighbour’s dog had a normal shit. HA HA HA HA HA !

I puttered around with the Chrysler minivan a lot today, doing minor maintenance and transferring everything from the Oldsmobile Bravada SUV to the Chrysler minivan. I adjusted the tire pressures on both vehicles. In the evening I posted an online “for sale” ad to sell OB.

Joanne found a used GPS similar to our recently deceased unit, for sale, online on ebay. In the evening I bought it.

For three months I have been growing moustache “extensions” in a “horseshoe” 

( biker ) moustache style. < sigh > Today I trimmed them off. Joanne didn’t like them.

Friday ; Cloudy and chilly.

Ozzie remains ill. < sigh > Might have only a few days left !

Yesterday evening I posted an ad to sell our SUV. Within minutes I started receiving a barrage of responses from a variety of scam artists ! And that continued throughout today. With the addition of the psych disabled / delusional. What’s the motivation ? For both the scammers and the nut jobs ? Had one “real” couple come to look at the car. Fairly young couple, maybe thirtyish ? Want to buy a six thousand dollar car. But pay a thousand bucks ! Sorry, folks ! Doesn’t work that way ! If you respond to an ad for a car being sold for a thousand bucks … it’s a thousand dollar car ! ! ! If your needs are going to be met only by something worth perhaps six thousand dollars … don’t be looking at cars advertised for a thousand bucks ! ! ! ! ! Aren’t some concepts self-evident ? ! ? ! ? DUH !

Ordered two pairs of SAS shoes today from factory outlet store in Laughlin, Nevada. Black Friday special ! Went shopping to Arizona MarketPlace flea market today to buy dash cover for ( new to us ) minivan. Bought dash cover and … ( too ) expensive, custom made, custom fit seat covers. Leather front seats in minivan worn ! Should never have leather seats in desert climate !

Saturday ; Sunny and mild.

< taking deep breath > Ozzie’s illness reached a new level overnight. He soiled his bed, and didn’t even wake up ! We decided this morning … < another deep breath > … that it is time to end his suffering. I made an appointment to have him euthanized Monday afternoon. We are both very sad, but know that our decision is the right one … at the right time.

I sold the Oldsmobile Bravada today. Although … not quite exactly as I had expected. I sold the car to a Mexican woman who … needs a couple of weeks to pay for it. She paid me 50% today, will pay me another 25% in a week, and the last 25% in two weeks, at which time I will give her the car and its title. < shrug > For us, it’s a peek into a different socio-economic class … than our “white privilege” one.

Today I checked the Chrysler minivan’s fluids and filters. And I removed, reinflated, and reinstalled the spare tire. Which is very awkwardly mounted underneath the middle of the car, made necessary by the “Stow & Go” middle row and rear row fold down seating. I removed a headlight and replaced a burned out bulb.

I cleaned and polished shoes and sandals. In the evening I downloaded some month end banking and investment data. And did computer file monthly backup procedures.

And gave Ozzie affection. < sniffle >

DSK