Happy Birthday party for Kennedy

Welcome to our newest Follower, Rex Kusler.  I checked out your blog, Rex, and found it an interesting read.  Rex is an author, and his current Las Vegas Mystery Series has two books published with the third in the series due out soon.  I love mysteries, and will be checking his out on Amazon.com.  He is currently writing his ninth novel.  Welcome aboard, Rex!  I'm glad you are following along with Katie and me! :)

On January 16, my eldest granddaughter had a birthday - she's 9!  The following Saturday was her Birthday Party, which was held at Dave and Busters.  If you don't know that place, it's kind of like a Chuckee Cheese, but for kids who are a bit older and adults.  I had never been there before, and had a great time.  We had a long table, food and drinks were brought out, and each child received a "credit card" that had a set amount of money on it to play all the games.

 Kennedy's beautiful chocolate cake.

 Waiting to blow out the candles - Make a Wish!

 Brother Gavin, enjoying the food and games!

 Brother Graydin, race car driver!

See the blur where his hands are?  He's driving fast!

Kennedy with Dad and Mom - Happy Birthday!

Everyone had a great time, the kids love those games and won tons of tickets which they turned in for prizes. I was tired and left to go back to tom's house and rest right after the cake was served, so I didn't see what the prizes were, but I'm sure they loved what they got.

Tomorrow I'm getting my old Escape SUV back to use while I'm here in Santee.  My son is bringing it down to the RV park, and I'll drive him back to work.  He has a car there he wants to bring home, so everyone will get what they need.  I have two medical appointments (annual checks) on Wednesday, so it will be nice to have a car to drive.

I am making a mystery dish in my slow cooker tonight.   This is the first time I've used this slow cooker.  I cut a filet mignon into three slices and seared them in the frying pan.  Then I put some olive oil in the bottom of the cooker, added the meat slices, put half an envelope of onion soup on top of that, poured in some Marsala wine, water, added marinated artichokes on top, and topped it all off with sliced apples.

I'm cooking it on high for 4 or 5 hours, then I'm going to add some sour cream to make a rich sauce, and put the whole thing over rice.

I think this might be delicious if the meat was chicken, but I didn't have any chicken defrosted, so I decided to use the meat.  This is a round filet mignon that was wrapped with bacon that was in a 3-pack from Costco.  I love filet mignon, but I didn't like this meat, so I decided to try something different.  Even if I don't like the meat, I figure the artichokes hearts and apple slices might be good side dishes, and hopefully I'll have a nice sauce for my rice.

I'll let you know if it was a HIT or a MISS.  Usually my mystery dishes are HITS, but I'm not betting on this one.

UPDATE:  I ate dinner before I published this post, and it was delicious - except the meat.  It was still tasteless and tough.  I won't be buying that at Costco again, but the apples and artichokes, in their thick wine/onion/sour cream sauce over rice was really, really good.  Second helpings good.  I think next time I'll try a chicken breast and throw in some baby carrots; that would complete the dish and give me a couple of leftover meals, too.

Yesterday afternoon, and then again in the early evening, Katie and I took a walk to the closest lake and walked along for a bit.  The sun was down, and the sky was so pretty.  The ducks were still swimming around, they seemed to be coming to the edge of the lake where they could sit by the reeds.  I wonder where they sleep?

 Sunset - Santee Lakes

 

The Palms at Santee Lakes

Time to get that second helping, and then take Katie out for our last walk of the day.  It's overcast this evening, no sunset shots today.

From Me and My Dog, have a great Monday evening, everyone!  :)

“Go forth and be happy!”

A big WELCOME to West Tx at Heart, our newest Follower.  West Tx at Heart doesn't have much info, and isn't showing a blog, but he lists his occupation as "Dad First," so we can figure it's a man with children.  Well, West Tx at Heart, we're happy you are following along with us, and hope you enjoy reading about our adventures!  :)

This afternoon I had my appointment with the doctor who did my surgery, and he said all is good, and literally said, "Go forth and be happy!"  He's a real cutie with a fun personality, nice to have in a doctor, right?  He also said he took out my appendix for good measure while he was in there, and I was really happy about that, since that's what I was so worried about with the stomach pains - I thought I might end up with a burst appendix, which wouldn't have been good in the middle of the Arizona desert. Now I'll never have to worry about that again.  I got a two-for-one surgery!  :)

The parking structure at the doctor's office is large and not built for RVs, and there was no street parking around the building - all the spaces were taken, so I had to park quite a distance away and walk to the appointment.  I was a little worried about it, but the walk to and from went fine.  I stopped at Costco and Best Buy on my way back and did more walking.  I'm really feeling soooo much better today than I have.  I'll probably be tired tomorrow, but...    I can see "back to normal" at the end of the tunnel.

I made those stops because I want a new tablet.  Real bad.  Really, really bad.  It will be my Christmas, birthday and get well present to myself (I can rationalize anything).  But it's really expensive, and the one I want won't be out for a few months, so I'm going to wait until I can get exactly what I want.  Maybe I can save the cash up by then, too.  Here's what I want:

Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime 64G tablet w/Android 4.0, called “Ice Cream Sandwich” with an Asus Transformer Prime TF201 Mobile Docking Station/Keyboard.

It has fabulous ratings and reviews, and I can't wait.  I've been wanting something other than my laptop for a while now, but haven't seen anything that looked good until now.  It's going to be hard to wait!

BTW, to any of  my followers that have received e-mails from me in the past – I’ve been hacked again and my contact list has been sent bogus e-mails.  It has a link, please just delete any e-mails from me, especially if it doesn’t pertain to our blog business and arrives with only a link.  This one is not a virus, I don’t think, just spam, but don’t take any chances. 

I’m sorry if you get any of these e-mails from me, but there doesn’t seem to be anything I can do about it.  I’ve changed my password on my current e-mail address, but the one that’s being used is an e-mail address I had years ago, and it’s been closed for years.  When I’ve sent mail to that e-mail address, it comes back to me as a bad address, so I don’t know how they are sending mail with it.  It’s such a pain – whoever is doing this, I hope Karma gets them back.

I've been slowly cleaning and putting things back where they belong, and have my laundry ready to do - if I feel like it tomorrow, I'll go to the Laundromat here in the park and get it done.  Or Sunday if I'm too tired tomorrow.  It will be nice to have everything clean again!  Then comes the vacuuming and dusting and polishing.  Also, I have my new Oxygenics shower head, and I need to switch out the shower head.  Lots of things to look forward to doing.

I've decided I did pretty well in Arizona while I was there. I got my solar installed as well as the catalytic propane heater, then when I got to Quartzsite I changed out all my light bulbs to LEDs at a good price per light, got my "hair hat," and ordered my new shower head and what I needed for my privacy curtain.   So I did accomplish everything I wanted to do, and if I had stayed for the show, who knows what "stuff" I would have bought that I didn't need. 

The privacy curtain  mentioned above  is a curtain rod, a long spring loaded rod, that I put from wall to wall between the cab of the truck and the "house."  I wanted something that I could just open and close easily, so I also ordered some curtain rings with clips on the end.  I put up the rod and put on the rings, and clipped on my privacy curtain that came with The Palms.  It has Velcro all across the top, and it attaches to little Velcro stickies that are all around the cab windows.  It's pretty easy to put up and take down and does block out any viewing from outside the cab, but I wanted a "curtain."  This is working fine, and is easy to just slide open and closed.  I'm not sure I like the way it looks, though.  The only rod I could find that is long enough to reach across the entire living area was white, and it kind of sticks out like a sore thumb in front of the green it’s against, so I'm going to live with it for a while and decide later if I like it or not.  I would have preferred a darker color.  I'll take a photo and post it in a future blog post and show you how it looks.  It's definitely convenience over decor, though, so we'll see what you all think.

It's been a good day!  From Me and My Dog, have a great Friday evening, everyone!  :)

Back in The Palms

A big WELCOME to our newest Follower, Jim!  I don't see any information at all about you, Jim, but you're our 200th Follower, and we are very happy to have you along on our adventures!  Welcome aboard, I hope you enjoy following along with Katie and me on our adventures!!

Katie and I loaded up The Palms on Monday and drove down to Santee Lakes RV Park. We were two weeks early, so we lost the site I originally reserved, but I was lucky to get one at all!  I didn't realize what a snowbird area this is, and there were only three sites available for a 30-day term. Two were very short and close to neighbors, and one was more for a longer rig and had room on the sides, leaving enough space between rigs.  After being in the desert for six weeks, I didn't want to have to look into people windows every time I glanced out my window, so this one works fine for us.

So, we're here for a month.  I haven't been out much, just for Katie's walks.  We aren't going far, but I'm trying to go a bit further each time.  I'm finding I've lost my day to day "routine," and guess it'll come back as I feel better.  I'm still resting a lot, but I see the surgeon tomorrow, and I'll ask him if I'm taking it too easy on myself, or if I should be doing more at this point.

Tom's house is so comfortable, and the big bed in the guest room was a dream to sleep in, but it sure is nice to be home.  Now that I'm feeling better, I'm finding myself getting a little bored.  Too well to sleep all day, and not quite well enough to be running around doing my normal stuff.

Plus, I'm disappointed that the TV here isn't very good.  I'm only getting a few channels, and not the ones with the best programs.  I had a "box" for the old TV that was in here and I got more channels, but I gave it away, thinking I didn't need it with my new digital TV.  But I'm finding the few channels I'm getting are only digital, and I get none of the "air" channels.  I think I used to get both when I had the box hooked up.   Do you think I still need a cable box, with the digital TV, if I'm on the antenna?

When we drove in on Monday, I saw more large birds along the entry road lakes than I saw all last June.  I finally stopped and got the camera.  I'm hoping to get lots more when we're walking more.

This little guy was sitting in the middle of a puddle in the road.

There were tons of ducks of all colors, too, fishing and swimming.  They were really loving the rain!  We had a couple of days of grey skies, but for the last couple of days it's been really nice here, and the weekend is supposed to be HOT.

Even though I'm not posting as much while I'm recovering, I am still reading all your blogs, and can't wait until I'm back to normal and having as much fun as you are! 

That's it for today - From Me and Katie, have a great Thursday evening, everyone!  :)

Receiving packages in Quartzsite, and... my new card

When I was boondocking in Quartzsite, one of my fellow campers told me about Quiet Times.  It's a small store on Main Street, and the owner will accept packages for people for one dollar (or two dollars for larger packages).  I had ordered some things for The Palms (more about that in a future post), and also an Oxygenics shower head.  I had been looking for the shower head for a long time, and even asked two of the local larger vendors at Quartzsite if they'd order it for me, and they couldn't get one.  Finally I checked on-line, and The Home Depot had them, and I ordered one.  Unfortunately a couple of packages arrived after I left, so I called the owner of Quiet Times and she said she'd "refuse" the packages even after they were delivered, and they would go back to the sender, who I called and had them resend them to me at another address in San Diego.

My understanding of General Delivery at the post office during the "season" is that it's just awful.  General Delivery is only open from 11 to 1, and the lines wind outside and go on and on, and if you don't make it to the window before 1:00, you have to return another day. I thought Quiet Times was a far better alternative.  There are a few parking spaces in front of the building, and a larger parking lot behind the building, off the alley, which is where I always parked The Palms.  So... if you need to have something sent to you while you are in Quartzsite, check out Quiet Times, you'll be glad you did.  Here's the info:

Have packages mailed to:

 Your Name

C/O Quiet Times

90 E. Main - Box 2813

Quartzsite, AZ  85346

 (928) 927-8081      

There is no mail delivery to Quiet Times, the street does not have a mail person, so packages or envelopes have to be sent by Fed Ex or UPS, or the Post Office will return them to the sender.

Remember back in August 29, 2010 when I posted a photo of the business card I made up to use when I started full-timing?  That was before I even bought The Palms, I just couldn't wait to feel like a full-timer.  Well, I wanted to update the card, and here is the new version. What do you think?

I thought using my Blog header was a good idea.  So, as soon as I'm back in The Palms and have my printer handy, I'll print out a bunch to have ready - next time we meet up, I'll give you one!  :)

Tomorrow is my granddaughter, Kennedy's, 9th Birthday Party.  We are all going, along with seven of Kennedy's friends, to a birthday party venue for a couple of hours, then I'm going to drive over to Santee Lakes and talk to them about checking in early next week.  I want to see if the site I have reserved will be available early.  Yup, after two weeks I start thinking about moving on, and I guess whether it's in a guestroom at my son's house, or an RV  park, two weeks is when the yearning to move on starts.  (Oddly enough, I didn't get hitch-itch at Quartzsite.  I was ready to stay for the duration, so I guess sometimes I can last longer than two weeks.)

From Me and My Dog, have a great weekend, everyone!  :)

Getting sick on the road

When I first started reading RV blogs and forums about two years ago, it was mentioned that full-timers (and also any RVers, I guess) should carry a list of their meds and medical history in the rig with them, in case of emergency.  When I first started out on the road as a full-timer in June of 2011, I put together a "master" package and a few copies of any pertinent medical history and the reports of surgeries or procedures I've undergone.   Any time I've been to a new doctor, they always have lots of questions, and I'm a poor historian, so I can bring the packet with me and either hand it to them, or use it as a reference in answering their questions.

I have all the documents binder clipped together, with the cover page listing the documents chronologically and any meds and over the counter vitamins with the dose I take every day.  I've found this to be so easy, and I'm always able to give the medical professionals the correct information.

When I arrived at the Blythe ER, I got one of the packets out of my cupboard and brought it in with me, and they took it to attach to my file.  Now that I have another surgery under my belt (literally!), I am going to call Kaiser's Medical Records department and request a copy of the surgical report and photo of the CT scan showing the problem area.  I'll make some copies and attach to the packets I have on hand.

In my desk at home, I had a file, "Medical," into which I'd place any medically important documents concerning issues over the years that could be useful later.  These documents are what I used to start my "master" file.  It was really easy since I had most of the paperwork, and I requested any that I didn't have, but wanted to bring with me.

Something new that I'm going to do (and you might think about) is add my Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care to each packet.  I was asked at both ERs if I had one, and they both suggested I give my doctor a copy that could be attached to my file at Kaiser.  I will bring in a copy, but also have copies attached to my binder clipped packets, just in case.   I hope I'll never need to use one of those packets again, but if I do, I'm ready, and that's a good feeling to have.

Talking about being sick, Merikay wrote a blog post about being sick in an RV, and it was very interesting. Check it out for her ideas and insights about getting sick on the road  during their first big trip.  :(

I took a photo out my guest room window of The Palms, regally watching over my recovery room:

The Palms, standing guard.  Isn't she beautiful?

 

And here's Katie guarding me from inside the room.  Every time there's a sound throughout the house, Katie is on guard, mostly because she wants that door opened so she can run around with the grandkids, and run outside.  I have a nice window overlooking the front yard, where The Palms is, and also this window that looks out onto an atrium.

Katie is so used to spending lots of hours in a small space with me, that staying in the bedroom most of the time hasn't been a problem at all.  This room is at least twice the size of The Palms, not counting the full bathroom, so we are in hog heaven as far as space is concerned. Get me out of here before I get used to it!!  :) 

Just kidding, I think this weekend I'll be moving out to The Palms, and soon thereafter Katie and I will be driving down the freeway to Santee Lakes RV Park for my scheduled month before we get back on the road.  I'm looking forward to going back there.  This will be the first time I've repeated a stay at any park, but it won't be the last.  There are definitely a few places I'd like to revisit.

When I downloaded the photos shown above, I found a few I took leaving the hospital in Blythe, and this is the one driving along the highway back into the town of Quartzsite.  Already in early January you can see the influx of RVs and sellers and RV sales places.

      Approaching Quartzsite, January 5, 2012.

It will be more than two weeks until the Big Tent fun starts!

As The Palms was roaring across the Arizona and California deserts toward the San Diego Kaiser Hospital, the sun started setting when we entered San Diego County.  It was beautiful, and the way the clouds were formed where the sun was setting, it looked like there were two suns.

San Diego Sunset, January 5, 2012

And one more photo of my son Tom and daughter-in-law Trish with one of his cars.  This is a large, framed professional photo; it was leaning in a chair against the wall in the dining room, not yet hung.  I thought it was such a cool photo, I took a picture of the picture to have on my computer slide show.  The photographer used the selective color option that I like to use with my camera.  They are such a beautiful couple.

Tom and Trish at Balboa Park, San Diego

Hopefully my next post will be written on the dinette table in The Palms.

From Me and My Dog, have a great Thursday, everyone!  :)