Monday, January 4, 2010

Today would be Wi-Fi day.  With our tethered connection working so slowly we decided to hook up to the campground Wi-Fi which is much faster, although with people streaming movies on the Wi-Fi it slows down tremendously in the evening hours.  No matter what, there are always a chosen few who screw it up for everybody else.

Sharon went for a walk this morning and I didn't know if she was ever coming back.  I found out later she had to take an emergency bathroom break along the way.  She said she was lucky she found a bathroom.

After she got back I walked over to the office and purchased the Wi-Fi for a week.  We'll be here at Catalina for another week and the Wi-Fi  is cheaper than using the Verizon Network. $6 as compared to $11.62.

We had leftover Burritos for lunch today and they were just as good as they were the other day.  There were 3 left so we each had 1½.  They settled in very nicely.

By about 2PM we were ready to hit the pool again today and get our regular schedule in full swing.  The water again was a very delectable temperature.  It manages to "feel" a little cool after you're in it for about an hour or so but I'm sure it has nothing to do with the temperature of the water but rather getting used to the temperature that the water is.  Oops, there I go dangling my participle again.  Oh well.

By the time we got home, Sharon had decided that we would have BBQed chicken for supper tonight.  I talked her out of it and she made Chicken strips instead.  I like BBQed once in a while, but I know Sharon likes it, and that's why I eat it.  But for the most part I'd rather have chicken at least a dozen other ways that she makes it.  Tonight I got my way but it won't be so easy next time.  We also had Creamed Corn, Pickled Beets and Fried Potatoes to round out the meal.

I recorded some programs tonight so we'd have entertainment all night.  It worked out quite nicely and it only needed to carry us until 10 o'clock anyway.  Besides, the popcorn that we ate helped us make it to 10 also.  It had been some time since we snacked watching TV but Sharon bought 2 cans of mixed Christmas popcorn the other day when she went to K-Mart.  So at 10 we just closed up the popcorn tin and headed south to the padded room.

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Another sunshiny day is in store for us.  It's been at least 70+ degrees since we arrived from Quartzsite last week.  I don't ever remember it being this warm this early in the year.  But were certainly not complaining.  It must be because of the global warming.  Come on global warming!!!

Sharon went for her walk this morning and checked for her medications at the office when she got back.  They weren't there so she got on the phone immediately to Medco while I was on the Internet trying to order my medications.  That was like pulling teeth the connection was so slow.  It finally went through and I disconnected never to surf again today.

By noon time the door was open and we were just enjoying the nice weather.  We had lunch and then waited until time to go to the pool. It was another lovely day in the pool but it seems like a lot of people are gone to the FMCA Rally cause there's not many people in the pool.  The Rally really doesn't start until Wednesday but there were 46 rigs that left the park this morning.  Sometimes later in the year that number is not that unusual.

We were back home by about 3:30 and decided to go to town and pick up some essentials that we needed over the next few days.  We also decided that we would find a place to eat while we were there shopping.  We couldn't find anything new to eat so we went to Carl's Jr. And Sharon had a salad and I had a Bacon Western Burger and Onion Rings.  We picked up all our shopping stuff before we ate so we turned for home as soon as we were done eating.

When we got home I had taped a couple of shows and now we could watch them at will.  The DVR is a handy, dandy device just for that purpose.  We spun around the dial on the TV and when we were out of shows we watched the taped shows.

About 8 Sharon decided that she would do up the laundry for this week and took off with the clothes.  By the time she got back it was just before 10 and complaining that she only had one dryer to work with.  But she did get finished and she was glad of that.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

This is our first "Taco Wednesday" since we've been here at Catalina.  At noon we'll head out to the VFW for a little camaraderie, tacos and beer.

First off this morning though I went out and repaired the sewer hose that we had attached for gray water.  It needed to be fixed before I decided to dump the black water this week. I had to clip a couple of inches off one end that had been split.  It only took me about 15 minutes but at least it wasn't leaking.  But I don't know if it would have held up to a black water dump.

Sharon took a walk this morning to check out the Patio Sales here in the park.  She could only find 3 people who had stuff out in front of their rigs so she couldn't find anything to buy.

Before we knew it, it was time for the VFW and we would be meeting Corky and Deb Zimmermann and Phil and Joyce Bach over there.  As we drove up Phil was motioning us to a parking place right up in front.  Corky and Deb were already inside sitting at the bar.  It was very crowded inside but after just a couple of minutes a table got up and we sat down.  Our timing was impeccable.  We killed a couple of pitchers before we ordered our food, but even that came quite quickly.  By about 2:30 we were ready to head home and go for a swim in the pool.

Phil and Joyce joined us back at Catalina and we soaked in the pool until about 4 PM.  After that Sharon took an early powder and I remained behind in the Hot Tub.  The hot water feels so good on my shoulder that it's hard to remove yourself from it.

After the pool, Phil and Joyce stopped over and had a drink and delivered the phone cable that Phil had picked up for me.  We talked for about an hour and then they left and headed home.

We were having Bratwurst and a mixture of potatoes, peppers and onions for supper tonight.  I went out and browned the Bratwurst after Sharon had boiled them to cook em' and supper turned out to be very good indeed.  It was a nice change of pace.

We planted ourselves in front of the TV for the rest of the night even though the People's Choice awards were on.  It's not one of our favorites and so we had to surf tonight.  We did find something to watch even though there wasn't much there.  When 10 rolled around we were only too happy to call it quits for the night.

Thursday, January 7, 2010

I got a phone call early from Phil saying that Joyce was not feeling up to going to the FMCA Rally today.  It was well before Sharon got up so she just went back to sleep.  I was up typing my Journal at the time so I just poured myself another cup of coffee and continued on.

When Sharon got up we hemmed and hawed and then finally decided we would go to the Cottage Too for Breakfast this morning.  They had a wonderful Breakfast last year that consisted of a mixture of Ham and Eggs, Cottage Fries and Biscuits and Gravy for about $4.50.  We'll see if the same special exists today.

We also had to pick up some Zicam at K-Mart for Sharon since she thought she might be coming down with a cold.  Maybe the same one that Joyce is battling.  If Sharon's got one, I'll probably be getting it next.

We stopped at K-mart on the way in to the restaurant and picked up the Zicam and then headed for the food.  The Specials were still available and we each had one of them and they were very good.  On the way home we stopped at the Donut Stop and picked up a bag of donuts.  The people who own it are apparently Chinese but they make really good stuff.  Phil told us about the place a couple of years ago but we had never stopped there before.  I think it might become a regular stop.

After shopping we came back home and waited for the "people dipping" time to arrive and then went to the pool.

We met a couple in the pool today from Florence, Wisconsin.  They live South of Florence and we live North of Iron Mountain so we're about 15 miles from each other.  Dan and Marcia Tyler seem very friendly and we talked for a while in the pool before we all left.  I tried to get their e-mail address before I came home but neither of us had anything to write on.

Shortly after we got home Dan and Marcia stopped over to give us their address and I tried to send them a note tonight but it didn't go through.  We had a couple of drinks and they went home.  They also have our address so I hope they send us a note.

We taped all our shows tonight so we could play them back at a later time, and it worked out beautifully.  It's either that or we're out of shows by 8 at night.  By 10 we were ready for it all to end and it did.

Friday, January 8, 2010

We were off and moving early this morning.  We picked up Phil and Joyce at 9 and drove over to the FMCA Rally in Indio.  We arrived just after 9 and were directed to a very nice parking place.  In fact, the tram drives on its route 50 feet from where the car is parked.

We started through the vendors and it took us at least an hour or so to get through all of them.  By the time we finished Joyce was feeling a little lightheaded and we sat down for a while to see if she would recover.  Phil, Sharon and I went for a tram ride and we left Joyce on a picnic table in the shade when she opted out of the tram ride.  The ride would take us around the fairgrounds to see all the motorhomes that were parked for the rally.  On the way back Sharon and I got off at the Commerce Building so I could purchase Pins from this rally.  We found and purchased the pins and then started walking back to where Joyce was.

She didn't seem to be feeling any better, but thankfully no worse either, but Phil went looking for an EMT that was driving around the fairgrounds.  He examined her and took her Blood Pressure and recommended she see a doctor.  We sat for a few more minutes and then went for the Ice Cream that they give away each year here.  After the Ice Cream we all decided that it might be best if we just left.  We had intended to stop at In-N-Out Burger for lunch and we stopped at the one at 111 and Monroe St, but when we got our of the car Joyce seemed to get dizzy again, so we just got in the car and drove them back home.

When we left to go home we told Phil to keep us posted on how Joyce was feeling later on, and we went to the In-N-Out Burger at Varner and Ramon.  I think that place is busy from the time it opens until the time it closes.  And the drive-up line always has cars in it.

We went to the pool as soon as we got home after Sharon checked her news-paper online.  The pool was definitely heated back to its original temp that it was for the last few days.  Apparently the leak that occurred yesterday has been fixed.

We had unplugged our phone to let the battery go dead so when Phil called tonight to let us know about Joyce, he didn't get an answer and we didn't get a message.  So when Sharon called them Phil gave her the report.

We planted in front of the tube for the night and I managed to tape a few things which took us right up to 10, and bedtime for Bonso.  I had had quite the day with all the walking I had done today.  It didn't happen without a few pains however.  And I'm sure I'll sleep well tonight.

Saturday, January 9, 2010

Sharon got up with a plan this morning that included going over to the Quail Valley campground to their Rummage Sale this weekend.  I was planning on going with her until I realized I'd have to walk all the way through the park.  That didn't seem to be a very likely possibility.  So I stayed home while she went on her rampage.  She found a Coffee Pot of the kind that we've been looking for in the past 5 years.  It's a glass pot with a percolator stem in it.  Those kind work well when you're on the road and not wanting to use the microwave every time you heat up or make coffee. When she returned home we walked up to the Upper Clubhouse for the Patio Sales that were happening up there.  There wasn't much up there so we decided to walk over to Jack and Rosann Derlein's motorhome by the Pickle Ball Court to see if they were home.  We had seen the coach in pictures but not in person yet.  Usually Jack and Rosann go to The Quail Valley sales with Corky and Deb Zimmermann, but they missed it today, and were home.  Rosann gave us the nickel tour and the motorhome is fabulous.  It's a Monaco Dynasty beautifully painted on the outside with a couple of my favorite colors and the inside had my favorite wood (Cherry) in the cabinets.  It's a triple-slide castle with "all the right stuff."  It's a motorhome that anyone could say, "I could live in this."

After the tour we walked back home and Sharon went over to the office to see if her pills had arrived or not.  Nothing yet.  She stopped by the store on the way home and picked up a couple Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches for lunch.  The Sandwich, Bag of Chips and Can of Coke were only $3 and they were pretty good.  It could be something that I could look into when Sharon is gone at the end of the month.  We'll see then if that's an option.

After lunch Sharon laid down and took a nap and I watched a movie until it was time for the pool.  The water in the pool today was as warm as it's been since we got here.  It had to be at least 92 or maybe even a degree or two warmer than that.  It was quite lovely indeed.

Sharon decided that we were having Steaks for supper tonight so they were thawing out on the counter when we got home from the pool.  She always manages to sweeten the deal by making a small dish of spaghetti and some garlic bread for me, since I could care less about eating steak.  But the steaks were very good and we washed them down with a couple of Old Fashioneds.

We couldn't find much on the TV tonight so I decided to watch a movie that we had on tape.  Sharon doesn't usually care one way or the other since she 's usually sitting and doing Soduku anyway.  We watched "Rambo" and she actually got interested at the end of the movie.  We were all done for the day at 10 o'clock, however, and we entered the eternal room of sleep and dreams.

Sunday, January 10, 2010

The Mrs. took off for church when she got up this morning and I stayed home and cooked Breakfast.  I had to hold the Breakfast again this morning and have since sworn off making us a Sunday morning Breakfast.  I have no way of knowing when she'll be home so it's just less trouble to not make the Breakfast.  Maybe we'll have to eat our Sunday morning Breakfast on Saturday or not have it at all.

I watched my usual Sunday morning political shows this morning just to see how many Democrats were on TV lying about the Healthcare Reform Bill.  If they ever told us the truth about this Bill it wouldn't get off the ground.

By this time the first playoff game was almost starting and we would be waiting for the second one.  The Patriots got killed in the first game but Green Bay actually came back from a 21 point deficit to tie the game and throw it into overtime when the Cardinals missed a Field Goal at the end of regulation time.  Unfortunately they lost the game on a fluke.  The officials missed two penalty calls in Green Bay's possession including a "Helmet to Helmet" tackle on the Quarterback and an "Illegal Hands to the Face" call when Rodgers was tackled by his facemask.  I guess the referees wanted the defending champions to win, and they helped them do it.  It was the highest scoring playoff game of all time at 51-45.

I actually decided to go to the pool when the score was 17-0 in the first quarter, so we missed most of the excitement of the comeback, but we did see the end of the game.

The pool was a little cooler today but still a very nice temperature for soaking the old bones.  We were over there for about 2 hours and when we came back the game was still on and almost tied up.

Sharon started making supper which was going to be Red Beans and Rice with Kielbasa Sausage.  Every once in a while we have something out of Louisiana, and tonight would be the night.  The Beans and Rice turned ut very good and we also had Pickled Beets and Green Beans with the entre.

After Supper we sat and watched taped shows all night.  The shows included tonight's 60 minutes and a couple of other shows that were taped before.  We lasted until our usual bedtime before we finally exhausted our options, and cancelled our consciousness.