Monday, February 1, 2016

The sun was out this morning when we got up, but the wind was also blowing quite briskly.  We had no plans for Breakfast this morning which was alright with us.  I never thought I would say that we’re all ‘Breakfasted out’ for the time being.  But I’m sure that we’ll be back in the groove quite quickly.

We didn’t have anything planned for today so we just sat around and watched the news today.  It was Caucus day in Iowa and the newscasters were covering that

24-7.

The wind was blowing so hard that Sharon opted out of her walk today.  We just picked up our books and started reading for the morning.  The TV played in the background and we just read on until lunch.

Sharon whipped up BLTs for lunch today and they really hit the spot for a change.  But after lunch we sunk our eyes into our books again.

Later this afternoon we finally decided the wind wasn’t going to subside for the day and we wanted to go to the pool anyway.  So we took off for the waves and the whitecaps.  It wasn’t quite as bad as expected,  We left to go home at our usual time and then decided we may want to go out to eat Mexican tonight.  We called Henry and Arlene and set a time when we’d pick them up for the trip into town.

We got ready to go and picked them up at 5 and into town we went.  As we drove up on the restaurant it looked like the Matador had received a new coat of outside paint.  The food is always excellent at the Matador.  We’ve only eaten here a few times but the menu was always more than satisfying.  Tonight the meal was too much for me to finish so I took a portion of it home.  I’ll have it for lunch sometime this week.

After Dinner tonight we settled in front of the idiot box and caught up on all the taped shows we have on the DVR.  We barely made it to 10 tonight but we were both tired enough to call it quits early.

Tuesday, February 2, 2016GROUNDHOG’S DAY

Well I am informed that the Groundhog saw his shadow this morning so we’ll have an early Spring this year.

We got up this morning with nothing planned for the entire day.  The wind got up with us today and the temperature was a little cooler than its been over the last few days.  Sharon did not go for her walk today because of the temp and the wind.

The highlight of the day today was the Breakfast that I cooked for myself.  I fried up an egg with a couple of thin slices of ham and a slice of cheese on top and put all that on a frozen waffle from the toaster.  It was quite yummy.

We spent the rest of the morning reading our books and not watching TV.  Its very seldom when I sit down and read a good book.  This year it Newt Gingrich’s “Duplicity.”  A book that my “liberal” daughter stood in line to get signed for Sharon and I.  Last year it was George Bush’s “Decision Points.” Another page-turner.

By lunchtime we fended for ourselves and I had my leftover Chimichanga from last night at the Matador Restaurant.  It was enough to eat for a lunch.

Pool time came and went as we didn’t feel like braving the nippy weather to go soak in the water.  We passed the time by picking up our books again after lunch and continuing until Supper time.

We had a concoction that Sharon likes to throw together with Chicken, Cauliflower and Broccoli smothered in Cheese and a separate dish of “Scalloped Potatoes”.  It was quite good and always is.

After we finished up the dishes we sat down for the night to the TV.  The world’s greatest super bowl commercials were on tonight but it’s always the same show every year.  They play the commercials that were played in previous years so it’s a continual repeat even though its entertaining.  We lasted tonight until 11 before we folded everything up and headed rearward.

Wednesday, February 3, 2016

 

Another cold day was on the horizon today.  The wind was only a minor factor today but it was still cold out.  By cold I’m saying that the temp was around 50 some degrees.

We picked up Henry and Arlene and headed off to the VFW for lunch.  It was Taco Wednesday today and we wouldn’t miss it for the world.  The club was relatively crowded today but not as bad as its been in recent years.  I think we can definitively say that the Canadians are affecting the attendance at the lunchtime ritual.  We sat and  drank beer today for awhile before we ordered.  By the time we ordered, Daisy was telling us that they were making everything fresh at that time.  We certainly didn’t object but if we wait much longer the kitchen is going to be closed and we won’t get anything.  But today was not that day and we ate and finished up our beer and then we were on our way,

We dropped Henry and Arlene off at home and then returned to our hacienda. We both found a good reason to relax once we got home and we both fell into slumber for a short winter’s nap.  By the time we got up we remembered how cold it was outside and opted out of the pool.

Afternoon slid into evening and we settled in front of the tube for the night.  We certainly had enough to watch and it kept us up until 11 tonight.

Thursday, February 4, 2016

We were on a tear this morning as we slept late and had to meet Terry and Joann at the Cottage 2 at nine.  So we were rushing this morning to get there for Breakfast.

It was a little nippy this morning but we knew it would warm up during the day.  We made it to the restaurant on time and Terry and JoAnn were there and waiting for us.  They’re usually early and sitting at a table by the time we get there.

We had a lovely Breakfast together and at a reasonable price.  Of course we needed to sit and drink coffee for awhile to satisfy Terry’s desires.

On the way home we stopped at the Dollar General to pick up Diet Coke and see what the price is here.  The Dollar General at home usually has a 2-Liter bottle for 99 cents.  The price at this one wasn’t near that price at $1.33. (3 for $4) Sharon picked up 6 bottles anyway.  She also picked up a DiGiorno’s pizza for Supper tonight.

We had several papers that we picked up on the way home and were searching for things to do for the Newsletter for next month.  We came upon a story about a Palm Desert City Art Tour that is conducted on Saturdays.  While we weren’t interested in the tour, we were interested in the outdoor art in the valley that we could visit.  We called the Chamber of Commerce and found out they have a map of the art.

We decided to get a jump on the sites so we drove over to Pam Desert and found out the Chamber had moved to the City Hall location.  We found it after a fashion and picked up our maps of all the tours in the valley.  We found out that there are 27 art pieces in the park next to City Hall.  That could be an entire afternoon one of these days.

We came back home but on the way we stopped at McDonald’s for Ice Cream.  Sharon likes their Hot Fudge Sundaes and I’m quite partial about their Strawberry Shakes.

After our pizza supper tonight we got in the car and went up to the Upper Clubhouse for Card Bingo.  We sat at the first table tonight and our table was winning candy bars all night.  I even managed to squeak out a $5.20 win tonight.  So we’ll still be playing on other people’s money for the time being. On the way home I stumbled going around the clubhouse and went down on the blacktop.  While I didn’t realize immediately that I was hurt, I felt the blood in the sleeve of my jacket.  I had opened up a cut near my elbow.  It’s always something.

We had plenty to watch on the Telly when we got home since the DVR was working all night.  We never did catch up on all the programs by 11 when we headed for the sheets.

Friday, February 5, 2016

I got up this morning not noticing any new aches or pains from the tumble I took last night.  I was actually feeling good even though I got up early.

Sharon was off on her walk today and while she was gone I cooked my own Breakfast. I usually manage to cook my own Breakfast if I don’t have something simple.  Today I whipped up some sausage and pancakes for myself and Sharon did not want to share.  She usually doesn’t, when I cook my own meal.

By the time we were supposed to go to the pool I opted out for today.  I picked up a couple of infections the last two years we were here, and I don’t know where I got them, so I didn’t think it would be wise to take my scuffed elbow into the water.  Sharon decided that she would stay home also.  So we just sat around for the afternoon.

Sharon had taken Chicken out of the freezer to have Chicken Strips for Supper tonight.  But before she started cooking she asked if I wanted to go to Carl’s Jr. For a fish sandwich instead.  I was thinking about it earlier but I didn’t say anything cause I knew she took the chicken out.  So we took off into town to Carl’s Jr. and ordered our fish sandwiches.  We sat at the table for 5 minutes before a girl came out and said they were out of fish.  We sat and pondered for a couple of minutes and then chose a chicken sandwich for our Supper.  That was great, as we could have had chicken for much cheaper back home.

After we left the restaurant we gave Terry and JoAnn a call to see if they wanted company for a couple of hours.  Terry was napping but he quickly woke up and invited us over.  We spent the next couple of hours catching up and just gossiping

We got home about 8:30 and sat down for some TV gawking.  We had a bunch of shows taped from the last two nights that we got right to watching.  There was no way we were going to catch up tonight but we’ll get to them over the next couple of days.  We stayed up til 11 tonight and then just melded into the bed for the night.

Saturday, February 6, 2016

We awoke this morning to a very nice sunshiny day that had great potential to warm up some more and turn into a swim day.

We were off again this morning to our usual Saturday Breakfast, and we picked up Henry and Arlene on the way.  We arrived at Two Springs Resort to meet Terry and JoAnn and their friend Ron from Canada.  The Bertamini’s had arrived early which was a very good thing since we arrived to a Dining Room that was overflowing with people.  We had never seen it so crowded on a Saturday since we’ve been coming here over the past 4-5 years.  There was literally Standing-Room-Only.  The lines waiting for food were long and taking forever.  But we managed to find enough to eat even though it seemed like they might run out of food.  It was amazing that this number of people showed up this morning.

After another wonderful meal we headed back home.  We dropped Henry and Arlene off at their campground and then continued on to home.

We no sooner got home and there was a knock on the door.  It was Wayne Doughty.  He and Anke had just arrived in the park.  He stayed for about 20 minutes and caught up on what they’ve been doing this winter.  We saw them head out to the pool early today but we weren’t ready to go yet.

By 2 o’clock we got ready and headed over to the pool.  By the time we got there Wayne and Anke were gone but we were thinking that they’d be back again. The pool was relatively busy today with nobody in attendance that we knew.  It didn’t take long for Roy and Marianne to show up.  We stayed at the pool until about quarter after 4 and then headed toward home.

We were having Chicken Strips and Fried Potatoes for Supper tonight.  It’s one of my favorite meals, and the potatoes tasted like we get at Lambert’s Café.

After Supper we settled in for TV for the rest of the night.  We didn’t have much on in the way of programming, but we had plenty of stuff on tape to watch tonight.  We stayed up until the cows came home which was about 10:30.

Sunday, February 7, 2016SUPER BOWL SUNDAY

Sharon was off to church today when she got up and I was off to my Sunday shows.  Today was also the Sunday that produces Tamales at the church.  I knew that Sharon would bring them home if they were selling them today.  She also had to stop and do some shopping at Walgreen’s and K-Mart on the way.  Sure enough, as soon as she appeared at the door the Tamales came in first on a paper plate. And these were the good ones.  Every other time we get them we get the good ones.  They’re a little bigger and fuller than we get at the other times.  We sat down for lunch as soon as she got back.

Well we finally made it to Super Bowl Sunday with the Broncos and the Panthers.  I didn’t really care about the game except that I wanted the Broncos and Peyton Manning to win.  I’ve had enough of that arrogant ass Cam Newton.  Besides this may be Peyton’s last year with the problems he’s had over the past season.

After lunch we headed to the pool even though the game was on.  The score was 10-7 when we left.  There weren’t many people in the pool and that was probably due to the game and the Super Bowl Party at the Upper Clubhouse.

We’ve had another interesting thing happen over the past three days.  A Class C Camper moved in across the street from us and the guy is having trouble with his dish.  He’s had it in 3 different places over the past 3 days.  (As I sit here and write my Journal from yesterday) he’s fiddling with it again. I think it’s time for him to hook up to the cable TV.

When we got back from the pool the game was still on and it seemed like both teams were frustrated by being stopped by each other.  I was happy to see the final outcome went as I had hoped it would.

We had Pigs in a blanket and Macaroni and Cheese for Supper tonight.  It’s a Dinner that I especially like to have once in a while.  The only thing was the Macaroni turned out to be shells instead of elbow macaroni.  Some of the old standards are sometimes just better.

We were watching TV again for tonight.  The Super Bowl hype and aftermath ended pretty late tonight and there was absolutely nothing else on tonight.  We scrambled for some viewing until we finally gave up at 10:30 and went to bed.