Monday, January 4, 2016

We got up this morning and rain was predicted for today. It was also predicted for last night and that didn’t appear either.  We very seldom get rain here but it sometimes comes at night. (It didn’t rain all day either even though the skies were gloomy until early afternoon)

At 1 today we left for lunch at the Hibachi City Buffet.  We picked up Henry and Arlene and headed up the highway to Rancho Mirage.  It was about 15 miles from our campground and we got there right on time.  We would be meeting Phil and Joyce Bach and they were already there and seated when we walked in.

The “spread” at the Buffet was humongous.  There were several tables that were loaded with food.  This restaurant used to be the Pak Inn but since has changed ownership.  The Pak Inn never had this many offerings when it was here.  And I couldn’t find fault with any of the food, it was delicious.  We left there feeling fully sated.

We came back home and the Sun was now fully shining brightly.  I guess the rain that was predicted was not going to make it today.

We sat around resting our lunch and napping for the afternoon.  It seemed like exactly the thing to do since we probably wouldn’t be eating again today.

They were supposed to be working on the Hot Tub today so we weren’t even interested in going to the pool this afternoon.  Maybe tomorrow for awhile.

We camped out in front of the Telly tonight and watched what I thought was original programming.  At least I didn’t think I had seen the shows that were on before.  We were up until 11 tonight catching up on the shows we were watching.  We had a couple taped on the opposing channels.

Tuesday, January 5, 2016

Sharon was off with the laundry as soon as she got up this morning.  I searched my cabinets for labels for the Newsletter and couldn’t find diddly.

I ate my Breakfast and finished up the dishes and waited for Sharon to return from the Laundromat.  Just as she returned, about 11:30, the much predicted rain started to fall.  It looked like it planned to fall for most of the day and that’s exactly what it did.  It hardly ever rains here in Desert Hot Springs but occasionally there is an exception.

The rain continued all day today discouraging us from doing anything outside the motorhome.  The mechanic who was coming to look at the steering problem also called and suggested we do it another day.  I did not disagree with him.

Sharon didn’t feel like cooking tonight so I reminded her that we had leftover ‘Impossible Taco Pie’ still waiting for us in the refrigerator.  That was good enough for her so that’s what we had for Dinner tonight.  And it was still very good.

For the last two nights we’ve had original programming on the tube.  The repeats are over again until Summer.  The repeat season seemed to just whistle by this year.

NEWSFLASH: As I’m sitting here this morning (1-6-16) typing my Journal, the motorhome shook for about 10-15 seconds.  Apparently we’ve just experienced an Earthquake.  It happens a lot out here.

We were entertained tonight with original programming on the tube all night.

  We stayed up until 11 catching up on the DVR recordings.

Wednesday, January 6, 2016

The Sun came out this morning and it was shining brightly.  We are waiting for the rain to start since it’s been predicted again today.

It was also Taco Wednesday today and we’d be picking up Henry and Arlene for the occasion.  Phil and Joyce Bach would be meeting us at the VFW at noon.  When we got there the parking lot was overflowing but the amount of people in the Dining Rooms didn’t reflect that.  There were easily 25-30 open seats to sit in.  I’m not complaining because we like to show up just after noon so we don’t get there too early.

By the time we left the Club today it had just started raining.  We made a mad dash to the car and didn’t get too wet.  We decided to stop at Henry and Arlene’s on the way home so Sharon called Phil and Joyce and told them we were stopping.  They showed up at the gate at the same time we did from a different direction.  We didn’t have anything else to do today so we figured having a couple of beers at Henry and Arlene’s wouldn’t hurt anything.  We actually didn’t need any more beer anyway.

The rain looked like it would be falling all day today so the pool would be out of the question.  We didn’t want to get “that” wet today.  Besides the temperature outside really wasn’t that conducive to walking over to the pool in a bathing suit.

“Smitty” my mechanic had called me from the VFW and saying that he thought with the rain he wouldn’t be showing up today.  Possibly early tomorrow.

Me and the Mrs. rested our lunch by taking a nap for the rest of the afternoon.  She in bed and me in my recliner.

After rising from slumber we took our positions in front of the TV and watched our regular shows for the night.  We even lasted until 11 tonight since we had already taken a pre-sleep this afternoon.

Thursday, January 7, 2016

The mechanic was supposed to make an appearance today but we waited until noon and then left.  We had some grocery shopping to do that wouldn’t hold off any longer.

We thought we’d go to Wal-Mart since they have electric carts to get me around the store. Unfortunately by the time we got there, there were no carts left.  So I ended up sitting in the car while Sharon shopped.  When you plan a shopping trip, it’s nice when you can go together.  Occasionally we end up in this situation because of my inability walk very far.

On the way home we stopped at Jack in the Box in Cathedral City and had a couple of burgers.  We both had a Cheddar Onion Burger on a Pretzel Bun which was very good.  We had taken the phone with us this morning in case the mechanic called, we wouldn’t miss the call.  We could’ve gotten back home in a half hour if needed.  But no call came, so we didn’t have to answer it.

It was early in the afternoon by the time we got home and finished with our errands.  It was time for the pool but it was not really warm outside.  It was in the upper 50's and the wind was blowing so it wasn’t going to be the nicest day to go.  But we intended to tough it out and go anyway.

I wasn’t wrong and getting out of the pool was excruciatingly cold.  The water evaporates and cools off your skin so quickly in this dry climate that you freeze two steps out of the water.  Usually we’ve got the Hot Tub to warm us up but it’s shut down for repairs.  The pool in the upper campground is only about 82 degrees compared to 92 in the lower campground.  We’re too old to “swim” in cold water anymore unless it’s 92 degrees outside.

We got home from the pool about 5 and checked the phone for messages but none were there.

We had Tortilla Soup for Supper tonight.  It was pretty good tasting but there didn’t seem to be much substance to it.  But it was a nice warmer upper after the pool.

With the networks showing original programming we had plenty to watch tonight.  The DVR was working overtime to keep up with the offerings.  We didn’t cave until 10:30 tonight, but it turned into a long day.

Friday, January 8, 2016

We awoke this morning still waiting for the mechanic to call and let us know when he’ll be coming over to look at the steering problem.

Sharon was off on her walk and to take pictures of the mountains all around us.  With the rain we’ve been having it just dumped a snowcap of white on all but one set of mountains.

I thought yesterday that we could go out for Breakfast this morning, but without hearing from the mechanic yet, we’d have to put it off until another day.  So we sat again waiting for a call that maybe won’t come.

By this afternoon, still no call, but we can’t live our life waiting for this clown.  We decided that we would go to the pool even though we froze after getting out of the pool yesterday.  Today it was a little warmer and the wind wasn’t blowing as hard as it was then.  We knew it would be cold but the lure of the warm water in the pool was an  irresistible pull on us.  And as it turned out the water was nice and warm and it was cold as we got out, but not as bad as yesterday.

We got back home around 4:30 and had a couple of ‘nectars of the gods’ before dinner.  Sharon whipped up a Chicken and Bacon flavored Alfredo for Supper tonight.  It was quite good but I didn’t care for the lawn clippings I had to eat for a salad.

Afterward we settled in our usual positions in front of the Telly to be entertained for the next few hours.  Fridays are a good night for programming and we even caught  up on a couple of episodes of Lockup on MSNBC.  We folded up our tents around 10:30 tonight and headed for oblivion.

Saturday, January 9, 2016

We were off this morning to the long-anticipated Buffet Breakfast at Two Springs RV Resort in North Palm Springs.  They finally answered the phone down there and verified that it’s been going since November.  We picked up Henry and Arlene on the way and managed to find a close parking place at the resort.

Entering the resort Dining Room we found a crowd but not crowded.  If this has been going since November, the crowd is reflecting the Canadians who stayed home because of the monetary exchange.  At the present time it’s around 71 cents on the dollar.  It was worse later last year.

Two Springs did not disappoint with the spread they produced this morning.  The only failure they had, for everything that was available, were the Hash Browns.  They seem to have an insurmountable task producing good Hash Browns.  We’ve never had good hash browns on Saturdays.  But the many offerings they do provide make you forget about the bad hash browns.  They also have two other types of potatoes to eat.  It’s a magnificent Buffet that noone can walk away disappointed.  And the best part is the price is only $6 apiece, including coffee and juice.

We sat with Al & Judy Hartman and the folks parked next to us at Catalina Spa.  We didn’t know them before this morning, but we knew they were from Oregon, and that Al and Judy knew them.

After Breakfast we just came back home and sat around until it turned into ‘pool time.’  It was about 10 degrees warmer today than it was yesterday.  At least that’s what it seemed like since the wind wasn’t blowing as hard as it was then.  The Hot Tub still isn’t running yet so we’re on our own dealing with the cold air.

We went over to the pool and we were by ourselves as there was nobody we knew in the pool.  It didn’t take long, however, for our friends to show up.  We stayed until about 4:30 before we came back home for Dinner.

Sharon made Bratwurst for Supper tonight along with Fried Potatoes and Sweet Peppers.  It was very good but I think two Bratwurst were just a tad too much to eat for me.  But I certainly didn’t complain.

Another night of TV was in store for us.  However, it was a Saturday so we surfed to find something interesting to watch.  Although there was a special on the History Channel about Military Snipers that I watched for a couple of hours.  We still only made it to 10:30 before we retired for the day.

Sunday, January 10, 2016

Sharon was off to church this morning with the threat that afterwards she was going to browse through K-Mart until she finds something to buy with a ten dollar coupon.  It wasn’t much of a threat since she usually finds something to buy anyway.

I wouldn’t be getting Tamales for lunch today as the ladies at the church only make them every other Sunday.  If she stays long enough in town I may get KFC Pot Pies for lunch.  As it turned out, she didn’t even think about Pot Pies today.  And she didn’t find much to buy at K-Mart either.  Poor thing.

By the time she got home I was watching the early playoff game between the Seahawks and the Vikings.  It was ‘ugly cold’ in Minnesota with the temp at minus 4 degrees at the opening kickoff.  It was clearly evident that the cold was bothering the    Seahawks more than the Vikings.  However, the Viking lost a heartbreaker at the last second when they missed a short Field Goal at the end of the game. What a way to lose a hard fought and low scoring game.

By 1:30 the Packer Playoff game was on and we were glued to the set.  It looked like it may be the same old Packers until the second quarter when it was clearly obvious Rodgers got his groove back.  He actually had receivers who made it into the open field.  It was a fun game to watch.  We eventually came out with a win.  Now if the same team shows up next weekend we may have a chance at greatness.  It wouldn’t be the first time that Green Bay won it all from a Wildcard spot.

Watching TV tonight was much more enjoyable after the win against the Washington Redskins.  We had a couple of regulars on tonight and even took in an episode of Lockup.  Lockup seems now to be a regular show that we always catch a new episode.  We were up until well after 10 o’clock tonight.