Day 117 – Thursday – DVR & Toenails

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This morning, I apparently, magically, fixed a DVR issue with our Dish. As you may know, we’ve been binge watching NCIS and last night watched season 9 episode 22 from 2012. At that point in the menu NCIS stopped and gave us SWAT. Up to this point all the episodes have been in sequence so it was perfect for lazy people to keep up. We needed episode 24, but it wasn’t showing on until Saturday. At 0700. That meant it needed to be recorded.

Any attempts to set the DVR to perform that duty failed because the DVR was not recognized. We knew that was only partly true because we could till watch shows that have already been recorded, but we couldn’t set new recordings. That meant today my primary objective was to make it work again.

I’d already reset the receiver a couple of times, but the results didn’t change so I got on my phone and started a chat session with Dish. I like doing the chat instead of phone calls because I can understand the written word better than the spoken word. That’s not always true, but statistically I have better results with chatting.

I got someone on the line before I gave it one more try. By the time I was all signed in I discovered that somehow the problem went away last night, and it now works perfectly. I thanked the chat person and ended the session. Then I gave the remote to Diane who promptly called up the desired date/time/show and set it to record. She did this from her seat at the dining table, a full 25 feet from the TV! That’s another win for me because until a few days ago the Dish remote barely worked from 5 feet away. Amazing what new batteries can do in situations like that.

Now that the DVR works again, Diane can add to the library of Hallmark Christmas movies that have been recorded previously. She’s a happy camper and will probably be smiling throughout the day.

Pretty much as soon as Diane got up this morning, around 0900 or so, her feet have been marinating in a solution of hot water and Epson salts. The purpose for this was to make her toenails soft enough for me to shorten then with the new wire cutter she got me. She will disagree, of course, because it came wrapped in a container that clearly marked it as a nail cutter, or trimmer. But, they look almost exactly like a small version of the wire cutters I have in my tool bag. She won’t let me use them, however, even though they are easier to hold and manipulate.

The signal for me to start working my way down to the floor to work on her toes is when the water gets cold. It got cold somewhere around 1030 or so. By then I was poised to work on the toes. First, I had to get back on my feet and dump the water in the toilet. Then I had to reassume my nail cutting position near the sofa. Before I started I remarked that I probably should have pulled the trash can a little closer and she agreed. So, I got back up, got it, then back on the floor. I suspect you’ve realized that doing Diane’s toenails is physically demanding on old bones. That’s OK. We’re saving $50 and she’s getting them trimmed exactly the way she wants them, not the way a paid whittler would do it. I suppose I could ask her to pay me but it’s really not necessary because she slips me a few dollars every once in a while, just for fun. That works. I hardly ever use real money, but it’s nice to have a cushion in my wallet in case I fall down. Again. I don’t know why I consider that a proper cushion because I never fall backwards. It’s always forward. I’d be better off wrapping my hands and arms in large pool noodles. On my knees would be good, too. Sadly, that’s the kind of things I consider as I’m falling. It’s been a while, so maybe I’ve advanced beyond that stage of my life.

I finished Diane’s toes successfully without even once making her bleed or yelp in pain. Except the one time I ventured too close to an ingrown nail. Other than that one foo-pah, I did good. She said so. I would have taken a photo but she’s very serious about keeping her toes anonymous. Even so, I’ve secretly named each one of them.

The only other things that happened today was a trip to the commissary for Diane, and a trip to Harbor Freight for me. I needed long screws for a repair project I can’t discuss and waited for Diane to return before venturing out on my own. I was hoping I wouldn’t have to do that but the commissary was fresh out of long screws. So, Diane drove me to HF. Max was delighted because he loves car rides. If we let him out of the bus and gave him the choice of running willy nilly all over the park, or going for a ride in the car, he takes the car every time.

By the time we returned home it was time to cook dinner, so my screw project was deferred to another day. It might have to wait until next year. I’ll explain once I’m done and have achieved success.

I broke out the handy-dandy George Forman cooker and paninied 4 hamburger patties. Two of them were for Pat and Laurie next door. They were very thankful that we included them in our meal planning. Diane brought home a platter of good-looking patties from the commissary, and we wanted to try them. They seemed to cook up OK, but Diane and I found them lacking in smash burger flavor, so we won’t get them again. Pat and Laurie thought they were really good which made me happy even though I’m sure they were just being nice. Still, we’ll take the win.

After supper Max got a long walk then we watched a Hallmark Christmas movie and called it a day. It was getting very cold outside, so we closed all the windows before retiring. Normally we leave at least one window open a little so the bus can breathe.

A gift from Pat, our neighbor, her task while recovering from COVID. It’s very pretty.

Now, I’ll stop.

Day 118 – Friday – Off to See Roberta

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For this trip, we decided to leave Max home alone. We know he’ll be bored, but we’ll make it up when we return. I actually think he’s part bear, because he doesn’t really sleep, or play with his toys, he kind of hibernates. I’m guessing about that but intend to one day install a camera to see what he does when we leave him alone. We might be amazed to find out that he’s a super-hero who pretends to be a very nice dog when people look at him then becomes an unstoppable crime fighter when they look away. Quantum mechanics must be involved allowing him to shift back and forth as quickly as he does.

Before going on our trip to Green Valley I’m being forced to take my shower a day early. Actually, I’m a day late even though I was told I don’t smell bad. Yet. So, I’ll clean up and put on fresh underwear even though no one will see them unless I hurt myself badly enough that a trip to the doctor is necessary. Most people don’t know that any time you go to the emergency room, no matter what it’s for, they make you remove your clothes so they can confirm that you have clean underwear. There’s a check box on the intake form for that purpose. I looked.

When we left the bus, Max just sat on his pillow, hanging his head, looking as pitiful as he could, but he didn’t fool us. We knew he would shift to hero mode as soon as the crunch of our tires faded away.

We left a bit early to ensure we would arrive at the appointed time, so we took the long route. That means we stayed off I-19. I may have mentioned before that Interstate 19 is not really an “interstate” highway. It never leaves Arizona so it should be A-19. I won’t dwell on that but rest assured I’ll be thinking about it every time I look at a map.

The trip south once again took us through the vast pecan orchards that live in the valley south of the Tucson airport and north of E. Sahuarita Road. I’m guessing but believe I’m pretty close. Whatever the boundaries are, the orchards are composed of thousands and thousands of huge pecan trees. Maybe hundreds of thousands. There’s a lot of them. So many, I’m pretty sure there aren’t many available for planting anywhere else in the world. I’m pretty sure there’s a sign long one of the roads through the trees that has that written on it.

Once we got to Sahuarita, we had to turn left on A-19, heading toward Nogales. It wasn’t long before Veronica, our GPS, directed us to get off the freeway and establish a presence on the southbound Frontage Road on which we traveled until we made it to W. Placita de la Cotonia Street. That’s the street Roberta said she lives on. It has been about 70 years since we’ve seen each other, and we hadn’t communicated during that time, so we didn’t have any reason to not believe her. Surely after all this time she wouldn’t lead us astray, would she? No, she wouldn’t.

We found her home without any problem and drove in the driveway just as she was escorting two gentlemen out of the house. We were introduced to both of them but I only remember Ron. I think the other fellow was Bruce. That’s a guess.

As with most family members, Roberta greeted us as if we’d been missing for only a little while, not 70 years. It was a good reunion. Big hugs all round. Then we sat down a table on which she had her photo album displayed. Shortly, another person arrived, and we got to meet Jim whose grandfather was my uncle whom I have no memory of meeting. I knew the name, Knute, but to me he was just one of my Dad’s brothers who lived in California.

We sat around the table going through the photos, putting names to those we knew, and wondering about the ones we didn’t recognize. It was a great visit that went well into the afternoon until Max called and suggested that we return before he got a notion to chew on something. His call was a surprise because I didn’t know he had a phone. Huh.

Before leaving, i set up my tripod and took some photos from Roberta’s veranda to commemorate this joyous gathering.

This is me, Diane, Roberta, and Jim

Me, Roberta, and Jim

I didn’t get a photo of Ron because he left the party before I figured out how to get my phone hooked up to the tripod. I learned, from Roberta, that Ron came with the home when she bought it. Seems like they said he worked with the previous 2 owners, too. Kind of handy to have someone like Ron who’s been around long enough to know pretty much everything about the house and how to fix it.

After the visit we headed home using the same back roads that brought us here. Fortunately, we got home just about sun down, Max’s suggestion, and I took him for his walk right away. He’s about the best dog in the world. Really, he is.

It was a glorious day in Arizona.

Day 116 – Wednesday – Merry Christmas

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Here we are, counting down the days until we begin our trip North, to home. Only 2 weeks left here in the Bone Yard. We’ve been here for so long that everything seems quite normal. This is the longest we’ve ever parked in one spot.

Yesterday, we took a vote to see what our future travel plans might look like. It went something like this:
All in favor of camping in the future cover your left eye: 2 to 1 (Max abstained)
All in favor of not being full time Snowbirds blink 6 times: 3 to 0
All in favor of going to the beach any time we want bow your head: 3 to 0
All in favor of selling the RV nod your head vigorously: 87 to 2
(we used some proxy votes for this one)

So, next stop is Luke Air Force Base in Phoenix.

From there on we will continue moving north as the weather allows.

Should be fun.

Here’s Christmas morning in Tucson.

After a lunch of eggs and toast, we took a leisurely drive around the Tucson Mountains. To do this required that we transit the road to Old Tucson and Saguaro National Park West, roads we’ve been on before. Diane was actually hoping we were going to a park where Max could run freely. It was a really nice ride and it was fun to see all those Saguaro cacti again, but the end of this trip, according to the GPS, was Gilbert Ray Campground.

We drove around inside the park for a while but didn’t find any place where Max could run freely. The park is smack dab in the middle of Saguaro National Park West. Well, maybe not in the middle, but it’s imbedded in the park because Saguaro cacti are everywhere.

Since there wasn’t a place for Max to jog, I got out with him and prepared to walk along the exit road. First, I stopped at an empty campsite to check the electrical hookup and found that it was both 30- and 50-amp service. Diane did another search and discovered that this campground is only $35 a night. There is an RV dump and there are no showers in the restrooms. But when the sun goes down I don’t think there is any light pollution so star gazing must be incredible.

As Max and I walked to the back of that first site, a coyote calmly walked across our field of view about 20 feet away. I was a little astonished. Max didn’t see it. If he had I may have lost an arm is he’d taken off to chase this guy. Within seconds he disappeared in the underbrush. What fun. Max and I continued our walk while Diane followed along behind us. We quit about 1/2 mile down the road then got back in the car and headed out.

Instead of returning the way we got there, we took Gates Pass Road that goes over the Tucson Mountains back to the town proper. It was a very scenic trip.

This is about halfway up the road from the valley.

This is closer to the top, looking back to the valley, before heading down the other side.

Going down the Tucson side, looking at the north side of Tucson.

When we got home Max wanted to stay outside after that long ride This is how he communicates that desire.

When asked if he wants to go inside, he drops to the ground immediately if he wants to stay outside. He’s pretty creative that way.

That’s pretty much it for the day, except for the spaghetti dinner we made. No pics so you’ll have to trust me it was really good. It’s the first time we’ve had spaghetti this trip.

Since supper we’ve been binge watching NCIS from 2012. We’ve always liked the show but these are so old if we watched them then, there’s no way we’d remember. So they’re all brand new to us. Nifty.

Now I must stop.

Day 114 – Monday – Laundry (again)Today

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After a chilly start, this day turned out to be almost like summer in Oregon. We took our laundry up the street to our very own laundromat and sat outside the bus soaking up the sun while the machines did the work. It’s just a short walk – about 100 feet, or so. Maybe even shorter. I’ll have to measure it the next time I make that trip to ensure I’m giving you correct information. I know all of you rely on me for valid information, right?

Yesterday we were going to take a trip to Green Valley to visit with Roberta, my cousin. I’ve talked with her on the phone a couple of times recently and she figured we haven’t seen each other for about 60 years. Yes, 60 years. So, Diane and I were primed for the visit. Sadly, on Friday, our neighbors here in the Bone Yard told us that we’ve been exposed to COVID and needed to quarantine for a week or so. It was good to know so we don’t show up at Roberta’s and spread the good news to her. I called her right away to delay our visit just to make sure we keep it away. So far Diane and I are fine, but Pat and Laurie next door have a pretty nasty case of this critter. Diane and I have had all the vaccines so aren’t concerned about coming down with the virus.

Last night, right after it got dark, Max jumped up to his window, the one next to the driver’s seat, and went ballistic, barking at something running by the RV. Shortly after that we could hear the coyotes howling very close to us. So, technically, Max saved my life by letting me know it wasn’t a good idea to go outside. Actually, I had no intention to go outside anyway, but it was still good to have him warn me.

Now I must do some catching up on stuff that happened previously. Most important was Diane’s birthday lunch at Mama Louisa’s.

Sarah, our waitress, took our picture to commemorate this moment.

Diane had ravioli’s drenched in pesto sauce and she swooned on almost every bite. I guess she really liked them. I was very happy about that.

I was looking forward to some spaghetti ala carbonara but that’s not a menu item. I really like that stuff. But I settled for giant prawns, gently warmed in a buttery lemony concoction, and lovingly placed in a bowl of linguini. It was pretty awesome as a substitute. For some reason I didn’t take a picture of my meal which is unusual. I almost always take a picture of my food, even at home. I did, however, get one of the tiramisù that Diane got for getting older. It was pretty good, too.

The candle was lit when it arrived, and Diane blew it out before the shot. She put the candle back but we didn’t have any matches to relight the candle so you’ll have to squint a little and visualize a flame on the candle so you can enjoy the original effect.

I’ll end this with a photo of Diane’s snowman collection that she’s accumulated since we’ve been here. She finds them in the thrift stores and I gotta say they are pretty cute sitting there on the printer.

Yes, there’s a reindeer in there with a snow globe, and he’s cute, too.

We pray that all is well with you. Peace and Joy to you and your families during this blessed season.

Day 113 – Sunday – Foothills Community Market

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****Note: This is old post that never advanced past the “draft” stage. Now that I’ve found it, I must submit it. It was originally “Day 57” but, since today is Sunday, I made it 113. So, this is what you get for today. As for today’s current activities, if something happens, I’ll add a 113-2. As of this moment, there is nothing scheduled except “MAX Gets A Bath”. He doesn’t know that, yet, so don’t tell him. Sorry to confuse you, if I did. ****

The market was on the calendar, but that didn’t happen. It’s another 100-degree so being outside just didn’t seem like a good idea. Max disagreed but he’s got to learn that the universe doesn’t circle around him. Know what I mean?

So, the only venture we took outside was to get rid of the garbage. We always seem to have a bunch of that at the end of each day.

After deferring lunch in favor of a caramel apple, Diane left me and Max alone so she could visit one of her favorite stores – Ross. Since I was neck deep in a nap while watching the Chiefs vs. Raiders game, I had no objection at all.

Shortly after I woke up from the football game, Diane returned with her treasures. I helped her get it into the rig. That’s one of my main jobs. I got two new pairs of shorts and Max got two new chew toys. Like he needs more toys.

For supper Diane had a bologna and cheese sandwich with lots of mayo and one tiny drop of mustard on the bologna side. I had a salad with an avocado, all the lettuce, cauliflower, radishes, 2 tomatoes (they’re small), and french dressing.

I took this photo a couple of days ago when we returned to the base. I thought it was interesting that the speed hump signs entering the base let you know how high they are. I haven’t seen any like this anywhere in town. Why is that?

That was pretty much it for Sunday.

Day 112 – Saturday – Movie Day

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The activity Diane chose for her first full day as a 78-year-old was to go watch Mufasa. She ordered the tickets (and popcorn) a few days ago and has been anxiously waiting for this day. We went to the same theater where we watched “Red One”. The seats we originally had there were almost front row but we were able to change them for rows much further away from the screen, and from the speakers. There are 35 speakers on the walls so it’s pretty intense. This time she chose row A.

Before we left for the movie, I cooked us a 5-egg Denver omelet. Diane doesn’t like peppers or onions, but she ate all of her half.

We got to the theater early, which was good, because, surprise, Row A isn’t the back row. Row J is. Thankfully we were able to get two seats in “J”, centered on the screen.

Diane had me cover up my wrinkled neck so it wouldn’t distract from my charming smile.

Popcorn and a soda were included with the ticket to be delivered to us just before the movie was to start. The ticket person alerted the popcorn people about the change, gave us our tickets, and sent us on our way.

Before the movie started, there were 30 minutes of commercials highlighting upcoming movies as far out as July. Then, just before the lights were dimmed, our popcorn arrived. When the young lady handed it to me, I spilled a considerable amount of it all over the empty seat next to me. Not enough to matter, really, but it made a mess.

“What was the movie?” you ask.

“Musafa,” I respond.

“Whoa!” you exclaim. “Didn’t that just come out?” you ask.

“No,” I reply, “it came out yesterday.”

“Then it just came out, right?”

“No, it came out yesterday. To claim it as ‘just came out’ it would have to be the same day. It’s a rule. look it up.”

This must stop. I’m not up to an argument right now. Especially right after watching “Musafa.” It was a great movie. Not only was it a really great movie, it was in 3-D, something we didn’t know until it started. Diane had to shush me because I was yelling for the projectionist to focus the picture, like we used to do on board ships on which I’ve sailed. This time it didn’t work. To rectify it, I took that long journey back to the entrance and got us a couple of proper pairs of glasses. Once we had them in place, the picture was awesome.

Now, I’m not a fan of 3-D movies because I have astigmatism, and it didn’t used to work well with 3-D glasses. Today, they worked great and really added an extra element of awesomeness to the experience. This movie is highly recommended for all ages. Instead of animation, the movie was well acted by herds of animals that could actually speak English. It was pretty amazing. I suggested to Diane that we should get the DVD of “Musafa” so Max could learn English. He’s not able to pick it up from us, but from other animals it should be a snap. Right? She didn’t even respond. She just laughed at me thinking, I suppose, that I was kidding. Though it was difficult, I just let it go.

During all the advertisements prior to the movie, there were several chances for me to get a photo of the one that refers to this entertainment as “Noovies”. That’s really nostalgic for us because that’s what Cedric called them when he was little. Because of that, we still call them Noovies. It’s easier to say for some reason. I think it’s because you don’t need to noove your lips to say it. See what I mean?

Gotta quit now. The Tennessee vs. Ohio State game is just about ready to start.

Cheers.

Day 111 – Friday – Diane’s Birthday

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Dear Diane. I find it very prophetic that your birthday falls on Day 111 of this trip since elevens have been a prominent reoccurrence in your life. That makes today even more special. I love you all day, every day. That’s been true since you were 14.

Here’s someone else who loves you unconditionally.

He’s saying, “Happy Birthday, Mom, I love you, too”.

For the rest of you, we’re going to go out for either lunch, or dinner today at Mama Louisa’s Italian restaurant. I’m buying.

I’ll report on that later.

Day 110 – Thursday – Christmas Concert

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Tomorrow is Diane’s 78th birthday so we’re going to celebrate by decorating our tree and other stuff. It’s a small tree and it won’t take long to cover it with ornaments. Currently it’s outside letting the flocking odor escape. She wants to tweak the branches a bit before adding ornaments. When done, we will move it inside. This way there’s less chance of flock flying around inside where Max might decide to taste it. So, we’ll decorate it outside. The move should be interesting.

For this day, her chosen activity was to stay up late, drive do the heart of downtown Tucson, join a couple hundred strangers and enjoy a couple of hours listening to a string quartet Candlelite Christmas Concert.

According to Veronica (our GPS) the Scottish Rite Cathedral was only 15 minutes away, but we didn’t want to take any chance of being late. The doors closed at 2100 and would not be opened for late comers. We made it in time and surprisingly found a parking spot only a couple of blocks away.

There was a long line of people waiting to get in when we got there.

This is the Red Room of the Cathedral. For the concert, the floor was filled with chairs and chairs were also placed on the first level of the risers on either side. They were angled toward the stage. We were seated on the first riser on the right with a perfect view of the stage. Diane picked them and she made an excellent choice.

Here we are in our assigned seats. When Diane saw this photo she said, “you should smile more.” This is just the way I look when I’m concentrating, and I concentrate a lot.

These are the candles that littered the risers next to us.

This was our view of the stage.

In case you were wondering about the candles, they were all battery powered, but very realistic. I know they weren’t real but I had to stick my finger in the fake flame of the candle under my chair to make sure. It didn’t hurt at all.

When the music was finished, we sat while everyone else filed out. The candles were the only light in the room throughout the performance. There were hundreds of them around the room and it was quite stunning. A nice young lady took this photo and I’m smiling because I didn’t have to concentrate. I just had to stand there with the love of my life, right where I belong.

Once outside it was a leisurely walk back to the car for our ride home.

Max was happy to see us and I took him for a walk before we retired for the night. He knows the routine.

It was another really good day with an excellent ending.

Day 109 – Wednesday – Who Knew?

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Diane has been upset with the Dish remote control since this trip began back in September. I recall there was a time on a previous trip where the remote was the source of displeasure and thought I had fixed it by changing the batteries. The problem manifests itself mainly when trying to pause a show so we can converse, then starting it again once the conversing is done. It just didn’t work all the time and it was very frustrating. I’m sure Diane considered divorce more than once with the end result being she could find someone who knew how to fix it.

So, a few days ago I decided to check the batteries and guess what! The batteries were right on the edge of dead and they were the originals that came with it. That was a long time ago. So, obviously, I didn’t change the batteries previous as I thought. This time I pulled the old batteries, tossed them in the trash and installed new ones.

It was like magic, and she made it clear that I could cancel my appointment with that lawyer as I’d be sticking around for a while yet. The remote works like brand new to the point that we can change channels, stop, start, fast forward without error every time. That’s what we’re doing now instead of watching all those records Hallmark Christmas movies that have been recorded. We just pick one at random and let it run for a bit, then spend time backing it up, FF, pause, stop, start, etc. without concern. Live is good once more. And divorce is once again off the table, and I can continue living here. I was truly dreading the pending relocation. There’s a retired Air Force guy living in a tent next to the laundry room and I was going to be his neighbor. The upside of that it would have been rent free, but I have to survive on snacks, not meals.

Thank you, Jesus, for the new batteries! I’m saved.