Day 58...went to a bead store...ohoh

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Things I bought, things I started to make, and things I am going to make.
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Hi all, Another glorious day in Wagon West Park. About 76 degrees.
We were home until after lunch and then went to Quartzsite. We were planning to get some groceries. Mel needed a few things for his Bolo making and when I got in the bead store I waisted all the time. so no groceries today. I did get a few things to make some jewelry. Now the lady that was going to give me a couple of lessons might go home. I hope she can stay for a few days.
It was soup night at the our park. It was called "Green chili stew". But I called it YUK!! Mel signed up for the Chili cook off on Friday. If the other entry's cook like tonight's chili then Mel's chili is a sure win.
Tomorrow we will get groceries. I promise....no more jewelry stuff.
Good night & God Bless

Day 57...Friends for supper

Hi there,

It was 82 today. Maybe warmer as I didn't look at the temp until late afternoon.
Oh so nice. Audrey and AG Wilson came for supper. We visited and ate on the deck.
We had roast beef, potatoes, carrots, 2 salads, creamed cucs, and cherry pie. It was pretty good. Loved them cucs, Audrey!! Tonight we went to another awesome Gospel Jam at Desert Gold. Can't put into words how wonderful these singers and musicians are.
I think it is bedtime. Hoping the snow is melting away for everyone. Take care and God Bless

Days 50 - 56...Alone again.

1. Sue & Elwood Witter, (from Rochester)...2. Sue with Indian friends...3. Chatting on our deck...
4. Jerry & Mel...5. more chatting...6. Jerry (our driver and friend from Hastings) and his friend Lowell.

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I am back. Sorry for the time missed. We had so much wonderful company. Tom, Dani, and Brandee was with us the weekend of the 20th. We got home from our CA outing on Monday night. Tuesday morning Elwood and Sue Witter came. We didn't do much other than visit, out to eat, and visited Quartzsite, & enjoyed music jams. We sure enjoyed the time with them. They left on Sunday after breakfast at the club house. On Saturday Jerry Parkin and a friend of his spent the afternoon with us. Again we went out to eat. Our new park friends, Roger and Betty, from Idaho, left for home this morning. I sure will miss them. And AG and Audrey Wilson from WY is still in the area so we have someone here but they will be leaving for a while on Friday. We are still planning of more company but no dates set.
Maybe, just maybe, I will get our house painted and the bracelet I am making finished.
It is a nice day today. About 72 degrees. I got the washing caught up and bills paid. Ordered flowers for our friends funeral, updated our house insurance for here. Now plan to go to the grocery store. We are out of coffee. Geepers, that can't happen!!
I hear the snow is melting at home. I hope it all gets gone. The show 24 is on tonight. I will definitely be home for that.

God Bless everyone. Will be back tomorrow.

In Memory of "Squirrel"

We lost a very good friend this weekend. Jim Fairbairn from Preston, MN was Northbound on Florida I-95 when he collided with another truck. It took over an hour to pry him out of the cab of his truck. He died a short time later. Squirrel drove for us in the 70's and was a good friend. We will miss him. Blessings and hugs to his wife, Carol, and his children and grandchildren.

Days 47 to 49.. Whatta weekend!

Mel and I at the beach..(our shadows), Dani and Brandee, Brandee in the ocean, My gang, Fontana race track bleachers, Mark Martin in the lead, me, Mel in front of one of the smoke stack on the Queen Mary, Front of the ship with a Russian sub beside her - and our car, the hallway leading to our rooms.


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Hi everyone.... We sure had a wonderful weekend. Tom, Danielle,& Brandee arrived on Friday afternoon. So good to see them. We went out to supper at Black Rock cafe and then Mel drove them around the area. It was a little cooler than I had hoped but we still enjoyed sitting on the deck. We left for California after breakfast on Sat. morning. Stopped to drop off Molly at the doggy sitter. Molly wasn't to happy !! We got to our motel, Holiday Inn Express, near Fontana about 3. We settled in and then headed for the beach to watch the sunset over the ocean. But we were about 10 min late. It was still awesome. The girls and I waded in. It wasn't as cold as I thought it would be. We had supper at the Cheese Cake Cafe. What a meal. m-m-m-m-mmm. Thanks Tom for taking us there. Back to the hotel for a good nights sleep. Up early and and after breakfast we headed for the track in Fontana. We walked the grounds and checked out all the vendors. Up to the grandstand at 11:30. The weather wasn't bad up to that point but cooled down fast. The race was so fun, especially when Mark Martin was in the lead. But he ended in 4th place. The rain was coming in and got so close. We thought sure we would be getting wet. The wind came up and we were freezing but the excitement of the race kept us there. Our next hotel stay was at the magnificent Queen Mary. It is a war ship that now is a hotel. Mel's uncle Arnold came back from France, ( I think it was France, anyway) after the war. We had dinner there and then a short tour before we went to bed. Tom and the girls went on the "Ghost tour" but they didn't see any. :-) The morning came to fast but we made another little tour. We had breakfast and then the girls and I went way to the top of the ship and checked out the control room. But it was time to head back to Arizona. The trip went well. We stopped to get Molly. Poor Molly was so lonesome. I guess she didn't eat all weekend. She would sit and sleep on the top of the couch in front of the window watching for our return. The lady felt so bad but she is good with dogs so I have no complaints with her. Molly is just a spoiled little girl and only wants to be with me. It is good to be home. Thank you Tom & girls for the race tickets and a great time this weekend. We are getting company from home tomorrow so I might not blog again for a day or two. Good night and God Bless.

Day 46...Anxious

Hello everyone, Oh what a great weather day. Again !! Tom, Danielle, & Brandee must have landed in LA about 11 tonight. They will be here tomorrow. I am so excited. We also got calls from 2 other families that will visit us next week. One couple will stay with us and the other will come in an RV. Family and friends...what could be better?? My friend Betty and I went to a Craft show in Desert Gold Park this morning. The guys went electrical shopping and put 2 more plugs in the bedroom. It was a stay home afternoon. I put the second coat of varnish/stain on Mel's famous box... A picture will come next week. Tonight we again went to the Gospel Jam in Brenda Park. Love that music!! Didn't need a coat this evening either. I might not be blogging again until Monday night. We will be going to Fontana, California to the NASCAR races. A Christmas gift from Tom and his girls. After the race we will stay in the Queen Mary. A huge ship now a hotel. Home again on Monday. Pick up Molly from her 'baby sitter' and wait for company to arrive. May everyone enjoy a great weekend. If you watch the race on TV I will wave at you. Good night and God Bless

Day 45...Pizza

Our neighbors, Bev & Bob
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Happy Ash Wednesday. I miss our church activities.
We went to Quartzsite again today. We tried to find a thingie that holds the screen door to the door but no luck. We also got a couple of window openers. Then on to a jewelry store to get stuff for Mel to make some Bola ties and some gifts for the grandkids. (shhhhh don't tell them) We had lunch at Sweet Darlene's. Home for a while then went out for Pizza with a bunch celebrating a birthday and our neighbors 63 wedding anniversary. Bev and Bob. (picture above) They live here year around and watch over our place when we aren't here. It was another nice warm day but I fear it will cool down a bit when Tom and the girls come. Friday looks good yet and we will be in California on Sat when rain is expected here so should be ok.
Good to see everyone here. Take care and God Bless

Day 44...Golf cart challenge

Notice the water shooting out of the jug as it got run over.

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This morning there were cinnamon rolls to eat... Huge cinnamon rolls. Then we watched the golf cart challenge. They rode in pairs threw an obstacle course and had to do little things along the way. Pick up a toy puppy, knock a pop can off a table with a noodle, turn the hula hope 3 times, putt a golf ball, then change drivers and go back, knocking another can of water off a table and putting the puppy back. There was jugs of water laying out the course and pop cans here and there. They were scored on time and had deductions for any water jugs or pop cans run over. Then they had teams but the driver had a sack over his head. the passenger had to direct. This was so funny and one of them almost run over me as I sat way on the side lines. I moved real fast. The rest of the day was spent at home just enjoying the sunshine. I even got a little tan today as I read while sitting in the sun. Have lots to do tomorrow. I hope you check in tomorrow night. Good night and God Bless

Day 43... Pretty Molly

Molly wouldn't look at me... :-)
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Welcome... I hope your enjoying your ride along with us. It sure has been nice and warm. Can you feel it? I got the first coat of stain on a wooden box Mel made. I got the stain/varnish together. Not sure I like it. I will do the second coat tomorrow and hope I like it better. Molly went to the beauty shop today. She is so pretty now. I wish I knew what they use to get her so white. When I shampoo her coat doesn't get that white. We stopped in to see our Idaho friends as he had to go to the dentist today with an abscess. Home for a while then went to Kathy's (the outdoor restaurant) for supper. Got home just in time to watch "24". Now having a glass of wine and watching the Olympics. Oops... got boring so changed to CSI:Miami. Tomorrow we are going to watch the golf cart races..... LOL should be interesting. Maybe as thrilling as the dance, eh? 4 more days before the kids get here. Good Night and God Bless

Day 42...Race day

Pictures aren't very clear. Sorry. I don't take very good night pictures. It is of the dance floor, the singer, and the hand painted picture given away.
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The race was a long but exciting one. My driver came in 12th. But a good guy was the winner. There was problems with the track forming pot holes so they had to fix them. I made chicken for supper and then we went to the Valentines dance. It was fun but funny at the same time. It seemed that all was having fun. Dancing and visiting. Then 9:00 came and it was all over. Boy, a big night for us old folk!!
hahaha.... It was a one man band and he was really good. It was another beautiful day. I think it got to about 78 or 80 degrees. I hope it continues. Good night and God Bless

Day 41...Day before the race.:-)

Come on in. Coffee is on. I hope every ones day went well. It was so nice here again. About 75 degrees. The craft show was fun. I did get a bracelet. I needed one. :-) A lot of venders. So many talented people. We went to Quartzsite this afternoon and got a gas stove for here. It is like a little space heater but hooked up to LP. Our furnace just isn't very efficient. Lots of the people here have them. Now to get it hooked up.
We stopped in and visited with our park friends, Betty and Roger. Molly and their two little wiener dogs get along so nice. Tonight we went out for supper at Black Rock cafe and had prime rib. Oh so good. We had reservations and a good thing as it was a full house with people waiting. Tomorrow is the big race. Daytona 500. Can't wait. There is going to be a Valentine supper and dance at the club house so will go if the race is over in time. Sleep well, race fans. Dream of the #5 car crossing the finish line first.
Good night and God Bless

Day 40... friends visiting

Hi there.........Been thinking of those who have been sick with the flue. I sure hope your feeling better. We had friends from Adams visit us today. Art and Sharon arrived about 11:00. They were so kind to bring us all kinds of fresh fruit. Grapefruit, oranges, lemons. Fresh off the tree. We had a nice visit and then went to Black Rock for lunch. Mel drove them around to show them our area and tried to talk them into moving down here. They winter in Big River, CA. About 50 miles from us. Back home and a little more visiting before they left. Then we went to Blythe to get groceries and a couple other things. Mel got me a beautiful Valentine and 3 flower baskets.. Wasn't that nice? I got him a pretty shirt and a Valentine. So we are both lucky. We had supper at the Sizzler in Blythe. We didn't get home until after 9 tonight. Put everything away and now I am tired.
Tomorrow is the big craft show at our Park. So I will have to get up early for a change. Our bed is so comfy that I just love sleeping in. So good night and God Bless.

Day 39....Sunshine

Hi there. What a beautiful day in Brenda. Sunshine and no wind. About 70 degrees. Aren't you jealous????? We watched most of the first of the Duel races. My driver lead a good part of it but I had to leave before it was done. He didn't win. He wanted to save his car for the big one. He is already on the pole so it didn't matter where he placed. I went to a jewelry making class this afternoon. We made or should I say I started to make a bracelet. It is made out of little tiny rings that has to be kind of knitted together. Interesting but sure takes time. I hope I can remember enough to finish it on my own. I made a meat loaf supper and then we went to the Gospel Jam at Brenda Park. Coming home we turned into our park drive way and a Coyote crossed right in front of us. He came out of the park and ran into the dessert. I heard they are around at night and to keep an eye on Molly when we let her out. I hope I never see one by our house but I do wish I could hear them howl. Tomorrow we are expecting company. Will be a good day. Good night and God Bless

Day 38...Thunder

Hello, How are ya doing with the snow shoveling? I really shouldn't complain about the rain here, should I? But I will...... Rain rain rain... off and on all night and day. Even thunder. jacket cold too. But the forecast is to be low to high 70s starting this weekend. Finally!!! I would love to sit on our covered deck in the rain if it was nice and warm. We were home most of the day. I repainted a couple of old lawn ornaments that was left here. Maybe should have thrown them away but thought a paint job would let them be useful for a while. I did a road runner and a lizard. I should have taken a picture. Tomorrow. Mel worked in his shop this afternoon.
We went to a spaghetti supper at the club house. It was almost as good as our son in laws. I watched American Idol tonight and a lot of NASCAR shows threw out the day. Tomorrow is the Duel races.. I will miss the second one as I am going to a jewelry making class.
Hopefully there will be reruns. 4 days until Daytona!! Good night and God Bless

Day 37...Hair cut

Good evening, How high are the snow banks? It was jacket cool again today. I sure wish it would get "HOT" one of these days. I was told by someone who has been here for many years that this has been the coldest winter she can remember. For here that is. I got a hair cut today. Feels so good. I hope it looks as good tomorrow. We then realized we were almost out of gas so off to the station we went. Not sure how big of gas tank we have but I think 18 gal and we put over 17 in. I say we were close to walkin !! When we got home I did go for a little walk. I got some free cactus and took them up to friend Betty. I made pork chops for supper and baked apples for bedtime snack. We decided that with the money I won we will get a nice gas heater. This is what most use around here. The regular furnace isn't very efficient. Speaking of bed time, I think it is.
Sorry no pictures. Haven't been anyplace to take any.
Less than 5 days to The Great American Race... 10 days and Tom, Danielle, and Brandee will be here and we go to Fontana. Good night and God Bless.

Day 36...I WON !!!!!!

Hello, I realize now that football isn't so bad after all. Mel entered me in a football pool and I won !! Awesome. It sure made my day. I had no idea how much until I picked it up. Thinking on the way that it was probably $20 or 30. But, I got $200.00. Great eh? We celebrated by eating out.. Prime Rib.
I had an unusual guest at my bird feeder this afternoon. A wood pecker fed out of the humming bird feeder. I couldn't get my camera fast enough and it flew off to soon. But a fun sighting. It was really chilly today. I had a sweatshirt on and a bit of heat going. I woke up feeling good this morning. I don't know what made my tummy so queasy last night. I slept for 10 hrs. Must have helped.
Mel and Roger went to Quartzsite for a while. I had the house to myself for a while.
My favorite TV show, 24, will be on shortly so will say good night. Thanks for checking in. Take care and God Bless.

Day 35...No football here!!

Hello, I hear more snow coming on the home front. Everyone, please stay safe.
It was cool here too today. I don't think it got over 60. It rained last night. The sun was out today but still needed a jacket. We had breakfast at the club house this morning then on to church. Home for lunch. Our parks music jam was at 1. Always so good. The steel guitar wasn't here today but still really nice.
Mel putzed in his shop and I made supper. This evening I am not feeling the best so going to make this short. So take care and God Bless

Day 34...The race is on

Meet our new friends, Betty and Roger, from Idaho.
These are A few of the many quilts I seen today. The brown one is named, Minnesota Hot Dish!!
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Happy Saturday. I watched various TV programs about Daytona week...NASCAR races.
There was qualifying and the ARCA race this afternoon. Danica finished 6th in the Arca race. This is her first stock car race so I am happy for her. She did great. She usually drives Indy Cars. My favorite, Mark Martin, won Poll position for the Daytona 500. Yipppppeeee.. I went to a Quilt show in Brenda Park. What beautiful quilts were on display. I wish I could do that. They also had hamburgers and root beer floats served outside but it started to rain so they set up some tables inside. Then home to the races on TV. We enjoyed supper with our new friends, Roger and Betty, at the Black Rock cafe. We had Prime Rib. Back home to watch more racing. The Shootout. It is still raining. Should be a good sleeping night. Tomorrow is another busy day....13 days and Tom and the girls will be here. I hope the snow has stopped where you are. Good night and God Bless.

Day 33...City wide sales

People from the Black Powder Rendezvous
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Hi there everyone, How is the weather treating you? It was really nice again this afternoon but by evening it was clouding up and cool. We went to a little town, Bouce, about 25 miles from here. They had lots of rummage sales and an art show.
The sales didn't amount to much. Just plain junk ! But lots of it. I did get 2 tiny cactus. The art show was interesting. The picture I liked was only $185. :-(
Nope.. I didn't get it. Then Mel found out about a shooting range and a Black Powder rendezvous. We went there and seen lots of interesting things. Some Indian things and of course gun things. We watched them on the shooting range for a while. The went to lunch having fish and chips. Actually it was fish and french fries. I don't know why they call it chips. It was good anyway. Home again and picked up the mail. We got 2 weeks of mail at the same time. (Trey sends it weekly but the mail here is slow) This took me a while to go threw. It was almost 6:30 by then so we went out for supper too. We went to our favorite outdoor restaurant, Kathy's.
Just down the road about 4 miles. I have been mostly watching NASCAR stuff on the Speed channel tonight. Tomorrow I am going to a Quilt show.
Must be bedtime. Good night and God Bless.

Day 32.... Wonderful weather.

Golf course and a few of the fabulous singers at the Jam.
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Greetings to all. We sure had a nice weather day. Never did look at the thermometer but if must have been 70 anyway and no wind. We walked .... yes, I walked!!, way out in the golf course. I hope someone will give us a little lesson this summer(hint hint) so we can understand the game. Maybe even play. We have a 32 par golf coarse at our park. No grass, just sand. a different color and finner sand at the holes. Looks like they are having so much fun. This afternoon Mel cleaned and filled the batteries on our neighbors golf cart. (I wish we had one) I read a book while sitting in the sun. I got a couple more cactus so got them planted. Shhhhhhhh..... I am not suppose to plant in the ground but I did one of them. Tonight we went to the Gospel Jam in the Brenda Park. So soo sooooo good. Hugs to all, good night and God Bless

Day 32...Not much

Good evening everyone. Our new friends stopped in. Betty and Roger. Their home is in Idaho. We spoke of our electrical problem and he looked at it an fixed it. Nice. I canciled the electriction. Good to have a light over the table again. I washed 2 loads of cloths. We had supper at the club house. Thats about all we did today. Sorry so short. good night and God Bless.

Day 31.... Happy Ground Hogs Day.

Can you see the rain falling behind the row of campers? Just beyond our park. It never rained here that day.
The other picture is of the flooded desert. Not a good picture so I hope you can make it out.
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I never heard if that little critter seen his shadow. I hope not.
We still don't have electricity in a few outlets. Four different people were here trying to figure it out with no luck. So we had to call an electrician who will come on Thursday morning. We were hoping it was just getting a new ground fault thingie and all would work but it didn't happen. So that took up most of the afternoon. Oh dear. More rain and snow coming to AZ. I hope it misses us.

Tonight we went to a Gospel Jam in a different park, Desert Gold. I could listen to this music for hours.

I am tired tonight so I guess it will be an early bed time.

*************Does anybody know if there is a difference between a fiddle and a violin? If so what?

Good night and God Bless

Day 30... free meal

Hi everyone. It was a nice day. About 70 degrees and sunny. But it really cools down at night.... There was a meeting with some medical insurance and they provided a free meal of Hambergers, chili, chips and desert. Not bad for free..... This afternoon I putzed in my little garden. I wish I could plant in the ground but they don't allow that here. Besides the ground is to hard. So I have lots of flower pots. But need something else. Just not pretty yet.....My granddaughter, Brandee, passed all her tests and is now an EMT. Proud of you Brandee.... We had a simple supper then I watched my show, 24. ....I blew a fuse earlier and we can't find what happened. Everything in the panel is working. I guess we will have to call for help tomorrow....I made some baked apples for a snack and now it feels like bed time.... Good night and God Bless

Day 29... already !!

My pineapple plant, Mel playing horseshoe, near by mountains

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Hi, Happy Sunday! 29 days gone already. Time sure flies. Yes, I am listing to the Grammys. Not to bad. Bon Jovi was the best so far. Patchely(?) was good. Oh, I liked the M Jackson thingie too. Haven't heard Dave Mathews yet.
We went to breakfast at the hall this morning. Then to church. But we had the wrong time so when we got there it was half over. This afternoon we enjoyed the Music Jam here at the park. Awesome musicians. Seeing so many guitars I often wonder if by chance John A. might have made one of them. :-)
After the music jam we went into Quartzsite to see a car show and craft show. But we were to late. It was closing as we got in the parking lot. So we just walked around a bit. Had to buy something.... so I got something I really needed...a ring.
ha! Also found the rug I wanted for the deck. A throw rug in a Southwest Pattern. Just fits in the center of the deck to give it some color.
We had supper at the Black Rock cafe and home again. No dishes to wash tonight.
Dave Mathews was just on. Terri, he was good, eh?
Must be time for some ice cream. Good night and God Bless.

PS... Forgot to tell you that we seen a little lizard and a coyote today. The lizard was here in the park and the coyote was on the side of the road as we came home from Quartzsite. Fun !!
*********Happy Birthday, Pastor Karen*********

Day 28...Cleaning day

Here is our deck. I wish you all could come over for a glass of wine, coffee or what ever.
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Hello, come on in. Coffee is on. Another beautiful day in Arizona. We didn't go anyplace today. I cleaned house and Mel worked in his shop.. Lots of neighbors stop by and compliment us on how nice the deck looks. Mel played horseshoe for a while then back to the shop. We had chicken wings for supper. Did you see the moon tonight? So big and so bright. Awesome!!! Just a nice quiet day. Next job is my garden.
Tom, you should have honked your horn when you flue by... Good night & God Bless

Day 20 - 27...Uffda!! what a week..

I don't know where to start.. I guess I ended in a storm. And did it storm. Rain and wind. The desert was like a lake. that night my computer said it wanted to do a virus check. I clicked on yes and that's when the trouble began. The "anti virus" was a virus. It went threw the whole computer just that fast. I could turn the computer on but could not open anything. Not even solitaire. I was so frustrated I just went to bed. Then to find a repair shop. Only one was 50 miles away. Then thought to just sent the computer home to a shop there. But finally found one in Blythe. Thanks to a clerk in Ace Hardware. By this time I didn't really care if I had the computer anyway as I came down with a real sick cold. (Yes, Ginny, my computer also gave me a virus). On Sat. our new bedroom furniture arrived so spent the day getting the bed made. Then to hook up my TV in here. Couldn't make that work either. plus we didn't have the cord that goes from the receiver to the TV. A trip to Quartzsite and got a cord. Still no picture. Trey, didn't you hear me call for help??? So had to call Dish TV. I guess we just had bad ends on the cords and wasn't making a connection. It works. But what good is a second TV in a second bedroom without a computer and with a cold? So on with fixing up the deck. We got a carpet and picked up the repaired computer at Blythe.
Now I am excited. I get a computer back. But no..... When they fixed it they had to take out a lot of programs including my Verizon hook up. I had no program with me to get it back. Call Verizon and yes they will send my one via Fed Ex. It came this afternoon. But we were in the middle of laying deck carpet. Then supper. Finally...time to get on the computer. But oh no..... Can't be that easy. I couldn't get it to work. So another teck call. On hold for a half hour ... finally a gal answered. Spoke English and everything. :-) She walked me threw the same thing I did myself but it still didn't work. So she dug deeper. Another 45 min and a bunch of clicks...IT WORKED. So now I am sitting on our new bedroom, listing to my shows on TV and writing on my computer. The carpet is laid on the deck, the rope lights are up around the edge of the ceiling, furniture back on. Only one problem left to deal with.... this dumb cold.
Thanks to all that have called to see if we are ok. Love and hugs, God Bless.

Day 19...Big storm

This was going on to Phoenix. Can't hardly see the mountains. But so much worse coming back. I was to nervous to take pictures then.
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Hi everyone, Welcome to sunny AZ! ha.. not so sunny today. It has rained alll night and day. There was even a tornado about 22 miles from here. Knocked down 17 light poles so we don't have any elec. and only one little candle. But we have a couple of flashlights. The wind took some of the AZ room netting at a few places here. Bent up the poles. So glad we decided to get a hard metal roof. I made stew in the crock pot. Needless to say it didn't get done. We left for Phoenix about 11 this morning. We got our shopping done. Had to get bedding for the new bed. It rained lightly all day but on the way home it rained so hard we could hardly see the road. The exit to our place was flooded so had to turn around and take the next exit. Now I have the stew in a pot on the stove so I hope it gets done soon. I am hungry. While we were parked in front of the store a big guy came up to the car and was begging for a doller. He said he was out of gas. Mel, being the giver he is, he always hands out when someone asks. Anyway, this guy took the money directly next door and bought beer. Funny but kind of scary too when he came to the car. I hope your all safe from the ice. Take care and God Bless

Day 17...Still cold and wet

Mel putting the deck table together
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Hello there, Boy, did it rain and blow last night. The sun came out today but was pretty cold. Might get more rain tonight. I guess I shouldn't complain as MN and Iowa is getting ice. About all I did today was go to the grocery store in Brenda and wash cloths. We tried putting our green carpet (what we had on the ground last year) on the deck but it looked terrible so we took it off again. I hope we can find some kind of rug soon. Oh I squeezed grapefruit juice too. Tried out our new elec. juicer machine. Worked pretty good. Got about a gallon of fresh juice now.
We are planning a little trip to Phoenix tomorrow. Actually it is Buckeye, AZ.
Just a little shopping for maybe a rug and curtains for the bedroom.
Take care and God Bless

Day 16...Rain Rain....go away!

We are in front of a grapefruit tree in Sharon and Art's front yard in Black Rock, CA......
This cross is said to be the tallest cross in the Eastern Hemisphere.
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I have been complaining about the wind and rain but I hear it is worse in MN and Iowa. I hope the ice doesn't get bad. Our furnace has been running all day. I guess it will be raining the rest of the week. I guess our place is waterproof anyway. No leaks. And the high winds don't even make a wiggle. We made a trip to Parker today. Got a bedroom set and desk. It will be delivered on Sunday.
And a nice surprise to see friend Sharon & her neighbor in the furniture store. Mel broke his hammer yesterday so he got a new one. Then back home just in time before the rain started again. Not much happening in the Park. I think everyone is staying inside. Mel came down with a cold so he went to bed early.
Stay safe, stay warm. God Bless

Day 15...Brrrrrrrr cold !!

Pictures were taken east of Tuscon when we first came into AZ.

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Hello,

It has been raining of and on all last night and today. I hear it will be like this all week. Lots of snow in Northern AZ. Cold and windy here too. Can't enjoy our deck this way.

We went to Quartzsite today and got the nuts and bolts needed to put our patio table together. What a crowd there. Had to wait for a parking space. We looked around a bit but just to crowded. We will go back again another time.

In case you aren't familure with Quartzsite, it is a town of about 3300 people that grows to about 100,000 people in the winter. One big flea market. You can find about anything there. Almost. RV's & campers everywhere. Even in the desert. These are called Boondockers. Free camping there but no water or elec hookups available.

Good night and God Bless

Day 14.... "24" is on

Good evening. Glad your here. It has been a good day but a long day. It was a beautiful sunny day about 68 degrees. We had a breakfast of biscuits and gravy, scrambled eggs and fruit at the club house. Then on to the "Little Church in the Desert". Home for a quick sandwich and then back to the clubhouse to hear some awesome music at the Music Jam. Home again. I washed our big bedspread that fell in some bath water... (yuk) Good news that the Vikings won. Supper was meatloaf and scalloped potatoes..(from a box). Then, as I was flipping TV channels I found my favorite show was on. "24". I thought it started on Tuesday but it is tonight and tomorrow night. Mel was so excited that he went to bed !! ;-) He really hates these kinds of shows. Tomorrow we will make a trip to Quartzsite. Need some screws to put our deck table together. Will also check out carpets.
Back to the show. Good night and God Bless.

Day 13...Old shed empty

Welcome. Come on in. I will pour you a glass of wine.

Mel finally got the stuff our of our old shed. When we left last year we packed everything we wanted to leave into it. Lawn furniture, rugs, tools, ornaments, flower pots, artificial flowers, and much more. It took 2 pickup loads and a trunk full in the car. Much of it is still sitting here in front of our place. Can't place it where it goes until we get the carpet laid. One reason for not taking pictures. Wouldn't look so nice yet. Next week we hope to get a carpet and then I will post pictures.

We treated the couple that had the pickup to lunch then home and started to sort things out.

While the guys were loading the pickup, Betty and I went rummage saleing. I did good and only bought a little Southwest design pot. A little candle fits just right.
It was a park wide sale. As if half the houses in Dexter had a sale.

Some where in the packing mess the screws for the table legs got lost. Must be in the tool box that went back home. Tomorrow after church we will go to Quartzsite and get some.

The Black Rock Cafe - down the road about 2 miles - had Prime Rib buffet. Sure was good.
I think everyone in the area was there.

Tomorrow is breakfast at the club house, church, and on to Quartzsite.

So good night and God Bless

Day 12...Deck done

Hello, The carpenters are gone. The building is done. We sure will enjoy our new deck.
Tomorrow Mel and a new friend is going to get our deck furniture out of the old shed. We want to find a nice rug for the deck yet. A job for next week. Not sure if the carpet will be full size or if we will get a smaller rug and paint the edges. Will compare prices then decide. About all we did today was talk to neighbors who wanted to see our project.
They don't use deck boards here like at home. it is just a plywood floor. So has to be covered with carpet of somekind. We made a quick trip to quartzsite to get a couple of things but was home the rest of the day. We had chicken for supper.
I haven't even got my cords out yet so I can get pictures on here. I will when we get the final touches done. Only in the high 60s today but still nice.
There is Park wide rummage sales at the RV park down the road so thats where I will be in the morning while Mel loads up the stuff in the shed. So will say bye bye for today.
Hugs, and God Bless.

Day 11...B-I-N-G-O

Howdy everyone. I hope your all getting warmer weather. It was cool here too. Only about 68 here and pretty windy. We needed a jacket today. My cousin, Virgil and Darlene Qualle from Cannon Falls stopped in for a visit this afternoon. They spend part of the winter in CA.
Our new addition is almost done already. They have the steps and the front rail on the deck to do tomorrow. Not sure what if anything else. We are getting so many compliments already. Just wait until I get some flowers and deck furniture. I guess we will be putting outdoor carpet on the deck. That's what most do, we have been told. We are meeting new people every day. Mel, more so than I am. He will walk up to anyone and talk... I am not that brave.
We went to Bingo at the club house tonight. There was some pretty good money prizes but we didn't win. Not surprising!! But it was fun. I think we will go to the Gospel Jam on Thursday night next week. We put an ad on the bulletin board this morning for our old shed and already sold it. Will have to unload it this weekend. That is where all our deck furniture is. Molly still occasionally limps on her hind leg but not so much. We still can't find anything wrong. Must have pulled a muscle or pinched her toe or something. She is a little touchy when we touch the bottom of her paw.
Good night and God Bless.

PS..........I wish it would let me print in paragraphs but it doesn't. When I type it I do put in paragraphs but won't stay that way. Hope it reads ok.

Day 10...Soup supper

Hi there, Our deck and shop is looking good. Only one problem. we went to get a window for Mel's shop and when we got back they already had the siding on where the window is going. So I hope they know they will have to take it apart again. They work fast though. I suppose they will put the roof on and the rail on the deck tomorrow. It is quit windy tonight. I hope storms don't happen here. On Wed. nights they have a soup supper. I think we have to get some bigger soup bowls. Only took our small ones. One bowl of soup just wasn't enough supper for Mel. It was good though. Tomorrow we hope to have company.
Not sure how long they plan to stay. It will be a good visit though. Early bed time tonight
God Bless

Day 9...Pretty quiet

About all we did today was go to a new comers meeting. They explained the medical care here. There are first responders on site. They claim that help can be at our door within 2 min. Seems pretty fast. We have a hela-pad site a couple of miles from here. this one is State controled. We also have one right in front of our place and they will land there too if necessary. We will be getting company on Thursday. My cousin from Cannon Falls will be stopping in. This will be good. Good night and God Bless.

Day 8...Trip to friends

Hi there, This morning we finally got our satalite TV. What a pleasure to watch TV again. Only problem is that Mel held the remote. :-( This afternoon we made a trip to Parker to get a new microwave. We had to stand and hold the button in for the old one to work. Can't live without my microwave!! We then went to Big River, CA to visit friends, Sharon and Art. They gave us a big bag of oranges and grapefruit. mmmm and some little cactus. So I will be busy making some juice and planting.
Tonight we just watched TV and read emails. Tomorrow we are going to a New Comers meeting. I wonder what that will be all about. Probably just going to tell us the rules of the park. Past my bedtime. I will try to get a picture on here tomorrow.
good night. God Bless.

Day 7...Music Jam

Our clubhouse has a breakfast every Sunday morning. From 8:30 to 9. We were ready to leave at 8:30 but our deck builder came over so when we got to the breakfast they only had two servings left. weww....... talk about just in time! This afternoon there was a music jam at the clubhouse. I loved it!! Must have been 25 musicians. all kinds of guitars, accordions, sax, clarinet, drums, keyboard, spoons. It was on for 2 1/2 hr's and each singer sang one song. The singer would get to the microphone and announce what they were going to sing and in what key and the band could play. No music for any of the band just the singer. Awesome.
Molly stayed home for the first time here and she was a good girl. Tonight we were going out for Prime Rib but when we got there it was baked chicket buffet. Still very good but not as good as the Prime Rib would have been. We were invited to a church not far from here so next Sunday we will attend. Tomorrow our Dish TV comes. yaaaaa
Good night, God Bless

Day 7...Stayed home

Hello everyone, Another beautiful day in Brenda. I think I have everything put away, finally. Will have more when Mel gets his shop. Hopefully next week. We still have stuff in our shed at the park we were at last year. Our lawn chairs, table.........lots of stuff. The carpenter will be back tomorrow to finalize the plans for the deck and shed.
A couple of channels come in tonight on the TV. I cooked a big turkey leg in the crock pot. I wasn't sure if it would work but it did and was so good. Our first meal in our AZ home.
There is a breakfast at the club house tomorrow so we plan to attend. There will be a music jam in the afternoon. Not sure about the rest of the day. Thinking and praying for 3 friends in the hospital. good night all. God Bless

Day 6... Grocery day

Welcome to my home. We are here. So much to do yet. We got the stuff unloaded from the back seat but the trunk is still full. Trying to find a place for everything. We had a great trip. We stopped in Thomas OK (by Oklahoma City) to visit a friend and then spent a night at our friends, Jackie and Don, in Green Valley AZ. This is just south of Tucson.
We were so anxious to get to warmer temps we didn't stop much else along the way. It was below freezing all the way until we got to AZ.
Not much of TV reception yet. Trey, come and fix our coax. We get the Dish on Monday. We got a lot of groceries today. Now to find the slow cooker.
I had such big plans to have a cactus garden here but got notice that the park doesn't want any more cactus in the ground. I will have to have a potted cactus garden like I do in MN.
Tomorrow a carpenter will be here to give us an estimate for building a deck and shed. I will post pictures when it is done. (about mid Feb.} Unless Russ can come and build it for us. :-) We ran out of LP this evening. Good thing it isn't very cold out. Will get more tomorrow. Terri, no mention of Dad or any of the recipients in the Truck museum. shucks...
Thanks for the visit. I hope to write daily from now on. Stay warm - Take care & God Bless

Day 3...Oklahoma City, OK

It was 27 degrees here and felt so warm! Before we left Kansas City this morning we visited the American Truck Historical Society Museum. This was pretty interesting. They show lots of models of old trucks and pickups. Lots of truck magazines and pictures. If I would have remembered to put my camera cord in the over night bag I would have put a picture on. Not much for scenery to tell you about. Just more snow. It is getting less but still to much. We got to Oklahoma City about 6:30. Checked into a hotel and went for supper. Molly can't figure it all out. a different house every night. But she has been a good girl. By this time tomorrow it should be nice and warm. Maybe we can wash the car.
I hope this place has a comfy bed. At least this room is warm. Last nights room was kind of chilly. We plan to get an early start. I guess I better shut this computer off early tonight. Bye and God Bless

Kansas City MO

Baby it's cold out side. We were hoping to be a bit warmer by now but not that lucky. Still 1 below. They must have just had more snow as the sidewalks aren't even shoveled off. I think they need Speed down here to show them how to use the snowplow!! Our room isn't any to warm either. So will use lots of blankets.
Tomorrow we will aim for Oklahoma City. Good night.

Day 2.....On the Way

We are now about 50 miles from Kansas City MO. Still a lot of snow and still cold. 14 degrees. At least it is above zero.

We were at Terri and Bob's last night and this morning. Terri went all out with the food. We had Bobs famous spaghetti last night. There was hordorves(?), wine, lemon pie, turkey pot pie, roast beef, baked potatoes...... to name a few of the goodies.

The kids beat me in a game of Wii bowling. I will get them next time.

We are going to stay in the Kansas City area tonight and visit Antique Truckers museum in the morning.

Molly has slept since we left Des Moines. The kitties must have wore her out. ;-)

Stay warm. God Bless

7 days before lift off....

Welcome back to our blog. I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. We sure did.
In spite of the snow and rain and ice and wind. Now to start packing for the trip.
Mel left on his last trip to Billings and will be home again on Tuesday.
I will be putting Christmas decorations and the tree away. Picking out the cloths we will need for the next 3 months of sun shine. And making everything fit into the car.
We bought a small Park Model last year. We only got to spend 2 days in it so I barely remember other than pictures of what it looks like.
We will spent the first night at Terri & Bobs in Des Moines then on the way south.

I won't be writing much this week. I just wanted to invite everyone to stay tuned.
God Bless

Day 84 - Home sweet Home!

Hi there,
We are home. We got here about 4:30 this afternoon. We had a great time with Terri and Bob for a couple of days. Amanda and Aidan play the piano and will be in a program soon. They played their songs for us. Amanda was just elected as Student of the Month. So proud of her. First thing we did when we got home was to take the plants in. Some of the cloths too. My friend, Dixie, came over with a welcome home present, a smile and a big hug. Thanks Dixie. We hurried to clean up a bit and went to church and enjoyed the "Singspiration". Again was welcomed by so many. Gee, it is good to be home. Trey and Russ completely remodeled our bathroom while we were gone. It is awesome. They have a couple of things left to do and then I will post a picture. I will write more tomorrow. Maybe will try to catch up with some emails and phone calls too. Good night and God Bless