Here we are at the end

  This is the last week of June. The summer goes by quickly when enjoying the time with no snowbirds causing trouble in the park. All of us are praying that the snowbirds come back with a better attitude this winter. Last year was a living hell for most of Yuma, not just our park.

The heat is on in its force. There have been reports of sand storms but luckily none of them hit us with anything more than a little bit of wind. Others were not so lucky. Some area's have seen some rain but not enough to do much good. As some say, a little is better than nothing. But the little bit sure messes up the vehicles and windows. The drought is hitting so many states hard and even the desert is feeling it strongly. Not just the country is in a turmoil but the weather is as well.

So now women have no right to do what they want with their bodies. God save us all from the republicans selfish stupidity. The end of all our rights will be gone if the republicans have anything to say about it.

The temperature of the pool has finally been raised to a comfortable level for all. It was so cold that muscles and joints were not functioning well in the cold water. Not one person other than myself mentioned their concerns to the office. So nothing was done until I put it on the parks website. Bamm! Instant fix. Imagine that. All of the summer residents mentioned how happy they were. And I pointed out that if they don't like something say something. Not much gets done when only one person says anything. We need to work as a group.  I mentioned this sternly to all at the pool the other day.  Should I mention that they are all republicans and don't want things to be done in a manner that is good for all. They like things to just go to hell and then blame it on someone else.

Yesterday I blew out our circuit and we lost power. I had forgotten that I had the dryer going. The a/c units, iron and dryer are not a good combination. Too much of an overload. Thank God, Mark got us back up and running. It is rare that I use the dryer so I had forgotten that it was running. I'll not forget again anytime soon. It gets warm in the house quickly when it's 112º outside.

The other day I screwed up and cut a water melon. I should've asked Mark to do that. Now my right arm is back to being a really big pain. Every time I use that arm for anything I'm in pain. My independent nature is not always a good thing.  And it's too early for another injection so I have to grin and bear the pain because of myself. 😠

Pool time!!!!!!

Summer is upon us in its entirety.

 The days are hot and the nights don't cool down as low and the a/c units are working well to keep us comfortable inside. Outside workers start very early in the wee hours of the morning and are pretty much done for the day by noon or one. The park is quiet except for the maintenance crew driving by in their golf carts going from project to project. Not much movement in the park this time of year and those of us who live here full time are loving the solitude and no drama.

The pool is still not very comfortable and yesterday Mark went without me. When he came home he even said the pool was COLD and I would not have stayed 10 seconds. There has to be something wrong with the heater for the temp to fluctuate that much. No one is happy with the cold water in the pool. The tap water is warmer.

Yesterday our small kitchen Island was delivered. Mark assembled it and we were pleased with the outcome. It is sturdy and looks very nice. There is so very little counter space in the so called kitchen. I use cutting boards on the stove top and half of the kitchen sink just to make a meal not to mention any baking. And of course if you need the stove top you can't use it as a counter top. Last night the new Island was used and we were so very thankful to have the added work space. The bottom storage is a real bonus too. We have been working on making this place a full time home and not just a cabin for part time usage. Functioning as a cabin you don't need much and the previous owners didn't do much cooking and no baking. This was their vacation home. And who wants to do much cooking or baking when on vacation? LOL We on the other hand live here year round so we have different needs to make it work as such. We are not spending frivolously but watching for sales and good prices and things that will make our life easier or less stressful. Somethings just don't come as easy for us as they did when in our 40's and 50's.  More things are quite an effort. A small floor lamp is on oder too. There is just a lighted ceiling fan in the living room/sitting room. A floor lamp will aide in doing crocheting, reading, and hand mending or whatever. The ole eye sight isn't what it used to be either. Old age sucks.

It looks as though the additions to our home is as complete as it is going to get. This place is smaller than our previous home so we have had to make many adjustments/changes. When we were needing to find a new place there weren't many places in our budget available.  Now the prices are skyrocketing, making it a sellers market. Heck, prices on everything is skyrocketing. This week we found a good sale on coffee and we really stocked up. Last week it was hamburger.  I'm a real sale shopper. We watch our pennies closely, living on a fixed income. Starting over at our age is no fun. And with the economy the way it is it's worse.

Happy Fathers day weekend to all of the fathers. God bless.

PS. As of today the gas prices are $4.89 for regular unleaded and diesel is $5.99. No wonder everything has gone up so much in price. Everything relies on fuel.

Oh baby it's hot outside

 From today through the weekend we are in an excessive heat warning. Yesterday the temp on the porch reached 108º. The high off of the porch got to 107. By Sunday the temps could reach 115 or higher. It is the desert after all so the high temps are expected. Not liked, but expected. At least we have a good air conditioner and a pool in the park to keep cool.

On Tuesday Mandy was spayed and it all went well.  The Humane Society has pets in your foster care until they are spayed or neutered. So Mandy Houdini Benton is officially our little girl now. She has to wear the "cone of Shame when we can't keep an eye on her. She is not to lick or scratch her incision for up to 14 days. We have ordered a onesie for her to wear, but it won't be here until Friday or Saturday. When that comes she will no longer need to wear the horrible cone. She works so hard at getting it off that the bow gets so tight  I have to cut it to get the cone off of her head. The first night Houdini got the cone off. But she was still so loaded from the anesthesia and pain meds, she didn't know which end was up. Although she did know that she needed to go to the door to let us know she had to go potty. Good girl.

The gas prices went up another 10¢ yesterday and 20¢ the day before. Those damn oil companies are making billions and we all are struggling to get by. We have now opted to have our groceries delivered to save some money. Groceries have done up in price daily so we all have to cut where we can. The really sad thing is that once the prices of all of this has gone up, the prices will stay up. When have they ever gone down again???????

Finally relief

 It's with much happiness that I can now say the pain in my arms is much better. The only time I have issues is when I over use my right arm or sleep in a way that I am not suppose to. I've had to find a way to sleep at night so my arms are in a position recommended by the doctor. It took a good long time to get any sleep and used to a position that worked. At night I do wake up and find my arms in the old position but quickly remedy that. I'm still not sleeping well most nights but I guess that is just the way it's going to be for quite some time. 

 With the rising outside temps I've been so ready to use the pool. But the water temp in the pool is COLD. I don't like to be in ice water or be in pain from the cold water. I'm angry to say the least that they are doing nothing to raise the pool water temps to where it should be. In the four years we have lived in this park the water has never been this terribly cold. Maybe in August, when the sun has warmed the water in the pool, I can enjoy some pool time. 😡

Just another day in May.

 We have had three of the most beautiful days, weather wise. The mornings have been nice and cool, to us it has been quite chilly. The afternoons in the mid and low 80's. Doors and windows have been wide open so we could air out the place before the heat returns and the a/c once again goes on and on.

With the cooler weather I was and still am, in a baking frenzy. Each morning for the last three days I've baked cookies and desserts to get us through at least a few weeks of not having to purchase and eat store bought cookies. We both enjoy cookies with our morning coffee so they don't last long around here. This morning will be the last baking day for quite some time. 

So far my arms have tolerated the baking and extra movements. The injections really didn't help like we were hoping and I can not sleep the way I should be either. So my right arm is still the worst of the two, but at least it is a smidge better. I will be going back to Dr Clark if I feel there is anymore he can do. As of right now, there isn't much. It's just something I'll have to live with until surgery deems necessary.  So I'll just keep my chin up and thank God that it's not worse.

I'm gradually learning how to use my embroidery machine again. The auto threaded just will not work and I've watched every video and read everything I can find. As far as it looks, I'm doing it correctly, so I'll be calling the 800 number next. With the constant changing of thread the threader is a must have. And with bifocals it really is a must!!!!!!

Again today the wind is keeping most people inside. Even on a nice day it's not fun eating dirt! The porch is becoming a sandbox and cleaning it off is futile. Even Mandy is a walking sandbox. She will need a bath shortly. It's still two weeks out for her groomer appointment. When I'm done with the cookies and dishes, I'll put her in the sink and give her a much needed bath. For the last week or longer, Mark has been saying he will do it. LOL

This weekend the temps will be in the low 100's so it will finally be warm enough for me to give the pool another try. Not much I can do without making my arms worse so i'll have to find other methods of getting some exercise and a tan. 😎

Since finding out that our previous church in MN has on line Sunday services, we have been back to enjoying church again. A dear friend got me lined up with the bible study too. Sadly the study is done for the summer now, but I did enjoy it for a couple weeks. But I do have some bible study books so I can continue on my own. Which is nice but nearly as much fun or much help with understanding. It's always nice hearing another person perspective on a topic.

Morning is slipping by quickly so I'll end this entry and get to my baking. Today I'm making Mark's favorite cookies; Million Dollar cookies. The recipe can be found on my recipe blog...... http://mammascookin.blogspot.com/

Another doctor for me

Yesterday afternoon, I met with the orthopedic doctor of my choice!! I saw Dr Clark about 6.5 years ago with my elbow and liked him.  He is very thorough, understanding, listens and explains everything. He showed me the MRI  and explained everything so I could understand. The doctor that issued the MRI two years ago, never had me come back, period. Dr Clark said I do not need rotator cuff surgery at this time and he doesn’t recommend it at this time either. I can still do things on my own. He had me move my arms every which way.  He did give me an injection into both shoulders and said that I need to learn a new way of how I lay to sleep. Oh joy, no more sleeping for quite some time. I’ve tried other ways before and I was up all night. But I will keep trying and Mark will sleep in the other bed so I can try and set up a new sleep position without worrying if I bother him or not. Last night I had to sit with heat on each shoulder for 20 minutes every hour tonight. But that didn't do well. I can’t sit for 40 minutes straight every hour!!!!! I can take Tylenol or my pain pills to help tonight. But after that the shots should have helped some. I can go to the pool but have to be careful not to over extend my arms. Geesh too many restrictions. Old age sucks. LOL I hope that the shots not only help my shoulder but the pain in my arm muscles. 🥴 I forgot to mention that. Oh well, I’m sure he knows, it all goes hand in hand. If or when I do need surgery I feel confident in him. Even Mark was impressed, that is quite a feather in Dr Clarks cap.

 I'm so glad that I took the initiative to just call the doctor of my choice not settle for the ones that my PCP suggested. At the time I didn't know that I did not need a referral to see a specialist. My insurance doesn't require one, which I didn't know at first. Anyway I am very pleased with Dr Clark and if or when I do need the surgery I will fell comfortable with him. Now to just find a good cardiologist for Mark. But we are working on that too.

The injections seem to have helped. My right are was worse than my left so I had better put heat or ice on it today yet. Just changing the sheets today and then give both arms a break. Mark is great at helping, I just have to ask. I'm not good at asking for help so I have to work on that too.

Easter Blessings to all