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| October, 2012 - AZ |
October 29 - 31, 2012
Wednesday, October 31. I have only 2 work days on the calendar this week, Tuesday and Thursday.
Monday was spent cleaning house, grocery shopping, and having the Hooveys over for dinner. It feels really good to have them around.
Today was a busy day for me, starting with a trip to Quest Diagnostics for follow-up blood work for my thyroid (prescription increased) and cholesterol (prescription decreased). I feel good these days, so I'm thinking that things are balanced pretty well.
When Mike headed out to work at 10:30, I got busy with hosing down the house to get rid of the build-up of dust from the summer Haboobs. It settles in the window sills and corners, builds up on the screens, and coats every surface. I got the carport and the front of the house done today and the windows inside and out.
I have taken on the job of maintaining the supplies (plates, cups, napkings, paper towels, etc.) for the clubhouse, so I also did an inventory of what was on hand. They tell me that it involves a trip to Costco about every 5-6 weeks. If I incorporate that shopping with my own, it shouldn't be too bad.
While I was fixing dinner tonight, we heard a police helicopter go over our house, shining their bright lights down on the ground and announcing that they were looking for a 50-year old white male wearing shorts and a black shirt. It was really hard to hear them but it didn't sound good, so we closed up the house and made sure the doors and windows were locked. I called the police to see if I could get more information and I was told that the person had been caught. Later on, when we took Frisco for his nightly walk, there was a cop car parked down the street. I hope I hear more about what happened.
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October 22 - 28, 2012
Wednesday, October 24. This week brought sad news from both of our sons. Pat called Mike on Monday with news that one of his very good friends' young daughter was killed in an auto accident and Pat just needed someone to talk to. The next day, Ben called to say that their upstairs neighbor was found dead in his apartment and had probably died the week before. Family members hadn't heard from him in a while so checked on him. It made Mike feel good that they called him for support.
Mike also had an interview for a position at the Apple Store on Monday but didn't feel real comfortable about how that went. We'll see. He would much rather work there than at McD's.
Pat and I took the dogs to the Gilbert Riparian Preserve this afternoon and walked the beautiful nature trails. When we first started out, we were taking a path to the right but when I looked down the path to the left, a Cougar came out of the woods, stopped, and stood there looking at us. He took a few steps, stopped and sat for a bit. Fortunately, the dogs were focused on something in the other direction. We also so a Bald Eagle, Egrets, Blue Heron, lots of ducks and birds and a few people on horseback.
Jan and Jim invited us over for a drink last night and we ended up staying there for dinner - a big salad with blackened chicken. Yum!
The weather is cooling down around here. This weeks daytime temps are supposed to be in the 80s with the nights dropping down in the 50s. I had to put on a sweater this morning.
Thursday, October 25. Today would be our dear friend Marty's 55th birthday but instead of celebrating, we are grieving her loss. Damn Cancer.
Sunday, October 28. It felt good to have a day off on Friday and what did I do? Shop. Jan, Pat and I went to Costco and loaded up the back of the CRV with paper products, snacks, coffee, and meat. Mike also went there later and ordered a new pair of glasses since the dry air around here makes it uncomfortable to wear his contacts.
We went to the Hoovey's for great Old Fashioneds and brats for dinner. I said, "the only thing missing is more of the Hooverson family and the fish fry". It was a great night but I think the drinks had an affect on my sleep that night. I woke up at 12:30 Saturday morning and was unable to go back to sleep except for a short time between 4-5:00. Then I was awakened by a nightmare about bullying women at work. What's with that? Some woman was poking me in the top of the head and telling me that I shouldn't talk bad about what someone was having for lunch. Crazy stuff.
After a night of poor sleep, we had a full day ahead of us on Saturday. We met up with about ten other Miatas on the southwest side of Phoenix and headed to Gila Bend to have lunch at the Space Age Restaurant - kind of an interesting building in a town that doesn't have a lot to offer. It was nice to have a whole line of Miatas going down the road once again. The intention was for everyone to think of something to see along the way on the trip back home but it is just a lonely stretch of road with just a few curves and certainly, no hills. Because of that, everyone split up and headed back in whatever direction they choose and they don't stay together for the return trip - that is something I don't especially like about this club. Nice people and nice cars, though.
Because there wasn't much to see on the way home, we returned to Phoenix on Old Highway 80 because I had read something by a motorcyclist that said it had some good curvy road. Other than about a 5-mile stretch, it was straight road through not-so-attractive agricultural land, a huge solar energy plant, and some pretty smelly dairy farms.
Tonight, Pat and Roger joined us for our community's Halloween Party with the Roadrunners Band playing. It was a fun night with good costumes and lots of laughter and dancing.
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October 15 - 21, 2012 - CA
Thursday, October 18. Yup, I'm just getting around to writing this week and it is definitely due to being back in the working world. I thought I was starting my weekend yesterday afternoon but while sitting at the pool with Pat and Roger, my boss called to see if I could come in for more training today. So my weekend will be a little shorter. It really is going well and I don't think I will mind, especially when the paychecks start coming in. Mike was put right on the register at McDonalds and its going ok for him too.
Other than jobs, we haven't done much this week except to have Pat and Rog over last night for dinner.
Friday, October 19.. Today was a great day off and much of it was spent with Pat or Pat and Roger. My morning walk with Frisco was a social event too, as we met up with several friends and stopped to chat.
I picked Pat up and we headed out to several estate sales and to a couple of stores to find things for our Halloween costumes. I don't even like Halloween, but I like the party.
I talked with Jill yesterday and we are getting a plan together for their visit at Christmas. I'm so looking forward to having them come here and I really hope they like it and want to return.
Tonight we went to JJ Madison's for fish fry - another good suggestion by Diane. While we were there, Mike got a call from the Apple Store and will be going for an interview on Monday! he would much rather work there. After dinner, we drove downtown to see if anything was going on and it looked pretty deserted. We then went to Tia Rosa to enjoy a nightcap on their beautiful patio surrounded by flowers and pretty Mexican pottery. A fun day.
Sunday, October 21. It has been a stay at home weekend for us, other than picking up a few groceries and Mike working a shift at McD's.
I had a nice, long conversation with Ben and Charlotte this morning. She was singing Row, Row, Row your boat to me and showing me the birds outside the window and the pumpkin on the counter behind her. What a little smarty she is.
I spent Saturday afternoon making lasagna and soup for next week. That seems like a good way to handle the meals, since my work days won't be ending until 6:00. W had the lasagna for dinner tonight - yummy! You can be sure there was no objection from Mike, as it is one of his favorites.
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October 8 - 14, 2012 - AZ
Monday, October 8. Frisco had his annual checkup at the Vet this morning and he is in great shape with the exception of a reminder to keep his teeth brushed so he doesn't get periodontal disease. Mike does a great job for a while but then slacks off for a while.
I met Connie, Jan, Sue, and Jacki at the pool this afternoon and then Mike, Jim, Cathy and her granddaughter showed up. What a great time and what a great life!
Well, perma-vacation has ended once again. I'm going back to work for 3 days a week and will be starting on Wednesday already. WOW! The lady that I interviewed with last week called to see if I could come in to meet with the general manager, and we set it up for tomorrow morning. Later on, my phone rang and it was her, she said she talked with the manager and he said not to bother having me come in, "just call her and hire her". So I'm starting my training on Wednesday and will then go to a Sunday, Monday, Tuesday schedule until May 15 next year. I was assured that they can be flexible with scheduling and an increase in pay in 60 days. Sounds ok to me.
Pat and Rog came over for pork chops and green salad - yum, yum!
Wednesday, October 10. It felt strange to be up and off to work this morning, but it is only 10 minutes door to door. The people that I will work with all seem quite nice and easy to get along with and the procedures all seem familiar to me. I came home to have lunch with Mike.
Immediately after work, we headed to Pat and Rogers for dinner and they made a yummy cashew chicken stir fry.
We couldn't stay long as my very politically active Democratic friends in Brentwood got me a ticket to see Bill Clinton at Sun Devil Stadium tonight and I just couldn't turn it down. We should have left earlier as we got a place to stand that was only about 7 people deep but they were tall people, wouldn't you know. I'm going to post a photo just to show I was there, but its not a good one.
What a long day!
Thursday, October 11. I'm having my coffee on the patio and listening to a really nice rain hitting the roof. The temps are cool and the air feels wonderful. It didn't get over 85 today.
Saturday, October 13. I survived my 1st week at work, getting off at 1:00 yesterday. I stopped by the office in our community to see what was happening regarding our recycling options. I was real happy to learn that we now have bins back in our storage area again. Yay!
Today is Rogers's birthday, so we tried to make the celebration as traditional as we could and went out for a Friday night fish fry at GMANN's in Mesa. They served some really good drinks and the fish was the best that we have had here yet. It was battered, deep fried cod and the coleslaw at taters were good-much like many in Wisconsin. After that, we stopped by Paradise Bakery for dessert.
Today was predicted to be another day below 85 degrees, so we all agreed it would be a good one for a Miata drive. We headed east to Superior, then south to Winkelman, then back north to Globe and home. The scenery was quite nice as we were bordered by the Tortilla Mountains to the west and the Dripping Springs and Mescal Mountains to the east, and then from Globe back to the valley was the White Canyon wilderness. Beautiful!
Sunday, October 14.. We got busy with projects this morning. I put a beef stew in the slow cooker and cooked up some beets from the farmer's market that I didn't want to go bad while the laundry was going. Mike vacuumed and took care of Frisco's grooming.
I connected with Jonnie, Pat, Rita, and Ben by phone and it was nice to hear from all of them. Ben tells me that he is working in a Wordpress project at work and he wants to update this website to that format. Some day, it's going to have a new look.
We went to Kohls so Mike could get some black pants for starting his job at McDonalds on Tuesday. The rest of the day, we are going to relax and be lazy.
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October 1 - 7, 2012 - AZ
Thursday, October 4. Happy Birthday, sweet Brother Bob! You are really getting old.
My week has been busy with a patio project. I decided that since I can't afford to screen-in the patio right now, that I would make some curtains that will provide shade early in the morning when I want to sit out there and read the news on the computer. As the sun comes up over my neighbors house, the glare is head level on me. Earlier this week, I headed to Ikea and bought wire rods to place between the posts, curtains, and hooks to hang them on. Mike installed a rod on one section and I pinned up the curtains and hung them to see if I would like them. I do!
On Wednesday, after my haircut appointment, I went back to Ikea for the materials for 2 more sections. Then I proceeded to get the curtains hemmed.
The first Presidential debate was televised last night. We had originally planned to go to a local hotel to watch it with several of our friends here in Brentwood, but changed our plans and decided to stay home to watch it. We both felt that Governor Romney was quite impolite, arrogant, pushy, and didn't stand behind what he's been saying all along. President Obama on the other hand, wasn't real impressive either - he was quiet, reserved, and polite - saying what he's been saying all along.
Today, I finished getting the curtains ready, Mike hung the rods and I got them up. They look really nice and I'm going to go take a photo to post it.
We are dog sitting for Princess Caroline again this weekend. It's going to be fun, as Pat and Roger will be here tomorrow with Louie and we might see Chris and Norm with Josie.
Sunday, October 7. I had an interview for a job at Mesa Spirit RV Park (an 1100 site park) on Friday. I expected it to be pretty casual, but it was more than that. The lady said she liked what she saw on my resume and got all of the information that she needed from it and basically offered me a job on the spot. She was looking for someone 4 days a week and I told her that I really only wanted to work 3 days and she said she would see what she could do. I really wouldn't mind working there, as I could walk or ride my bike if I wanted to - it is less than a mile away.
Our Wisconsin friends have all made it here safely and we ran over to see Pat and Roger's spot - a very nice location close to a pool and the dog walk.
For dinner tonight, we had 6 adults and 4 dogs - a bit of a crowd for this little house. They all appreciated our feeding them as their cupboards are bare after the long trek to get here. It was great to be together again.
Our highlight of the day was seeing Ben and Charlotte on Facetime. It cracks me up that she is so accustomed to communicating with us by computer. She was showing off her walking skills and many of her toys. She showed us a toy that Mike called a cup - she dropped it and went to get one of her stacking cups to show him what a cup really was. She is so smart!
This morning, we met up with the Hooveys and headed for a nice drive into the Tonto National Forest to Saguaro Lake Marina to have breakfast on the patio overlooking the lake. Pat and I went to Kohls to do some shopping and when we got back, Roger was at our house having a beer with Mike. It really feels like old times.
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Created on 10/05/2012 08:55 AM by bridge
Updated on 11/01/2012 08:36 AM by bridge
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