December 29, 2019 to January 4, 2020

Sunday ; Sunny and mild.

Well ! Not a great day ! ! !

This afternoon we went to the East Clubhouse to exercise in the two fitness rooms. The first room, the “cardio” room, had treadmills, stationary bicycles, step machines, that sort of thing. We walked on treadmills for half an hour, just like in my post surgery cardiac rehabilitation program. Then we moved to the strength training room next door and worked out on upper body strength machines for about half an hour, as in my cardiac rehab program. Finally, we went to soak in a mineral water hot tub for half an hour.

We changed back into “street clothes”, and when we walked back to the car in the parking lot, I discovered … HUH ? My car key and my “house” keys were both missing from my jacket pockets. Stolen … not lost ! ! ! We have spare door entry keys for the car, but … no spare “chip” key required to start the engine.

We searched the change room and hot tub and swimming pool garbage cans looking for the keys. Obviously … no luck ! We walked to the entry gate guard’s hut to report the theft. We found out from the guard on duty that a teenage, mentally challenged boy visiting his grandmother in the community has been a source of much … < ahem > … trouble lately. While we were in the hot tub we noticed a mentally challenged teenage boy repeatedly entering and exiting the men’s change room. HMMMM … doesn’t two plus two usually equal four ? ! ? ! ?

The entry gate guard phoned the sheriff’s office for us and an officer was to be sent to take a report from us. The guard drove us home. While we were having supper a deputy arrived and took a report. He drove me back to the East Clubhouse and we verified that the car was still parked there. So … the keys were not stolen with the intent of stealing the car.

I worked on my computer using the Wi-Fi in the library, then took what we needed out of the car and began the long walk back home. < sigh > By the time I reached the West Clubhouse I felt so tired I asked a security guard who was locking up the laundromat for a ride home.

Monday ; Cloudy, intermittent light rain, cold.

Well ! My keys are back in my pocket ! ! !

This morning as I was disconnecting the park services from the camper so that we could use the truck to run errands our neighbour generously offered the use of his truck to us. THANK YOU !  I drove in the neighbour’s truck to the park’s guest services office and left messages for the head of security and the park owner to contact me regarding last night’s theft of my keys. A half hour later the park owner phoned me. I explained the situation. And expressed my displeasure ! He asked for an hour to investigate.

An hour later … < sputter > … he showed up at our door. With my keys ! ! ! From my description of the mentally challenged boy, he knew exactly who I suspected had stolen my keys. He went to the boy’s residence, and had a “come to Jesus” discussion with the boy’s grandfather. The outcome was … my keys were returned !

In the meantime … I had phoned a local Chrysler dealer and arranged to have a new key made. A key like the one that was stolen, with an embedded “chip”, and remote control functionality, was a tad over … wait for it … three hundred bucks ! ! ! Without remote control functionality, a “chip” key was eighty-five dollars. After getting my keys back, we decided to have an $85 “chip” key made, so that we would have two keys capable of operating the car.

We drove to the Chrysler dealer. Only to discover that the quote was incorrect. The “chip” key was $85. Programming it to our vehicle was an additional $70 for a total of $155 ! We were both miffed at the quote “error” and decided not to have an additional key made ! HMPH !

On the way back to Sky Valley we stopped at a Stater Bros supermarket and replenished some groceries. This was our second supermarket visit since arriving in the Palm Springs area and … the second supermarket that we did not like. Along with the Ralph’s that we did not like when we were here looking at a Dodge minivan while on our way from Canada to Yuma, this is the third … of three … supermarkets that we did not like. HMPH ! Yuma has better supermarkets / grocery stores than Palm Springs.

Tuesday ; New Year’s Eve

Sunny and warm. How nice !

Joanne woke up this morning feeling quite ill with a cold. Pauvre petit chou. She spent the day resting.

I went to the swimming pool by myself and did an exercise session and hot tub soak. I worked on the minivan, repairing the loose / sagging headliner. I did as much as I could, but ran out of the headliner retainer pins I bought at Wally’s World in Yuma. I will buy more when we return to Yuma, and continue the repair job.

Late in the evening the sheriff’s deputy handling my key theft case phoned. He had received the message I had left him that my keys had been returned to me. He wanted to know if I wanted to have the teenage boy prosecuted for theft. We discussed the ramifications of that. I declined to press charges.

For dinner we grazed on an assortment of hors d’oeuvres. And spent the evening watching an assortment of absurd reality TV shows until 11 PM when Joanne went to bed, feeling very ill. I stayed up and greeted the New Year … with Emma.

Wednesday ; New Year’s Day ; HAPPY NEW YEAR ! ! !

Sunny and mild.

Joanne is still quite ill with a cold, although … with enough drugs, she’s functional. HA HA HA !

I spent much of today working on year end and year beginning financial matters. This morning I went to the library and downloaded all the banking and investment data I need. After lunch and a nap I worked on year end analysis and year beginning planning until it was time for me to barbecue a thick, juicy steak for supper. Again we spent the evening watching absurd reality TV shows on networks that we don’t get at home.

Today marks the day that our final two “pensions” begin. We each have two government pensions, and two private annuities. So … as of today, we have eight small pensions paying benefits on a monthly basis. Hope that’s enough to live 

on ! HA HA HA < SNORT > HA HA !

A lifetime of careful financial planning and management finally comes to fruition !

Thursday ; Sunny and warm.

For the third day, Joanne is still very ill with a cold.

Around noon I went to the swimming pool for an exercise session and hot tub soak by myself. After lunch and a nap I headed across the freeway and into Palm Springs to run some shopping errands. Home Depot for some plumbing repair supplies. Auto Zone for some automotive repair supplies. 99 Cent Only Store for some groceries. And more cough syrup ! Final stop was Wal-Mart for groceries and household supplies.

I bought barbecued chicken and potato salad at Wal-Mart for us to have as a late supper when I arrived back home around 8 PM. After supper we watched a new absurd reality TV show. HA HA HA !

Tonight I finished my analysis of our 2019 investments performance. Well ! < blink blink > We had a very good year in the stock market, didn’t we ? !

Friday ; Sunny and warm.

Joanne is still very ill !

This morning I worked on the persistent leak underneath the bathroom sink, using a new product I bought yesterday. Hope it works. Wish me luck. If it doesn’t work, I will have no choice but to cut out some of the drain pipes and 

rebuild / replace them. Which I can’t do without my tools in Yuma, so if that becomes necessary, it will have to wait another month until we’re back home in Yuma. With a camper as large as ours, the road vibrations cause rigid plumbing pipes and plumbing connections to crack. And we don’t exactly confine our adventure seeking to paved roads only ! ! !

In the evening I continued working on year end investment data updating. Our finances are looking pretty darn good !

Saturday ; Sunny and warm.

Joanne continues to be very ill.

While we were both up at 3:30 AM … to clean the litter box … Joanne passed out, fell down, had a seizure, injured her neck … < sigh >. VERY scary ! ! ! ! !

The plumbing leak underneath the bathroom sink is … fixed ! The plumbing leak in the drain valve compartment on the outside of the camper remains … elusive. Can’t find the source. Yet !

Joanne accompanied me to Stater Bros in Desert Hot Springs to replenish some groceries, but … a short shopping trip completely depleted her. We found a new panaderia ( Mexican bakery ) in the Stater Bros mall, and bought some very nice pan dulce ( Mexican pastries ). BUT … we were overcharged a dollar … and 

I suspect it was intentional. As it was in Mexico when we would be frequently subjected to the “buck a gringo” corrupt practice of intentionally overcharging. PLUS … < sputter > … the panaderia today added a fifty cent charge to the bill for paying by credit card, without divulging that that was their “policy”. 

I discovered it when we returned home and I was doing the credit card accounting. We will NOT be returning to that panaderia !

After returning home from shopping Joanne went to nap ...a very rare occurrence for her … and I started a repair on the minivan. At dusk I went to the swimming pool and did a cardiac exercise session followed by a soak in the mineral water hot tub, then returned home to cook supper.

DSK