Cool or cold

 Tuesday morning we woke up to 52º and strong winds. It was only 61º in the house when we got up and I quickly turned on the furnace/heatpump. Murphy was a puffed up ball of feathers when I uncovered his cage and Miss Lola was shaking like a leaf. Lola had just been to the groomers the day before so she had on a whole lot less fur then needed in the cold.

The wind had left sand drifts on the porch and everything outside was covered in desert dirt. Here in the desert the sand isn't anything like the "sand" in the northern states. Here is more like powdered sugar and flies like flour in a mixer on high speed. With the winds at 30 mph and gusts at 42 mph, my mountains disappeared from sight. Needless to say we stayed indoors. 

Wednesday was a chilly start but the winds weren't as bad. So I washed clothes and hung some on the lines to dry. We went out for lunch with our Utah family but had to cut the chat short. The wind had kicked in and I had to get home to get clothes off of the lines. The clothes were so twisted that I had a heck of a time getting them untangled from the clothespins. But at least they were still on the lines and not somewhere in Mexico.  By mid afternoon the wind died down again and Mark took the leaf blower to clear the dirt off of the porch, table and chairs. What a mess.

Today, Thursday, was another visit to the cardiologist. Mark and I were hoping that he would be getting his drivers license back. Doc said, no, that most patients don't get their license back for 6 months. 😩 This is not what either of us wanted to hear. The doc set up another appointment in 6 weeks and will see how Mark is doing and go from there. We were told that the memory loss takes about 6 months or longer for it to come back, same goes for the shaking and dizziness. So in that respect I'm happy that the doctor said he can't drive yet. His thought process just isn't up to par to be behind the wheel. But the doctor did give Mark the ok to go back in the pool. Too cold for me now, but Mark is so very happy to be able to get some kind of exercise even though it will just be walking in the pool and not exerting too much effort to start with. One med has been dropped but they found fluid around the lung again so the Lasix is back up to twice a day. If that doesn't help and the fluid continues to grow, he will have to have it removed again. I wish I could get him to do better with his cheating on salt intake. To me it seems like if he doesn't get salt at the table he thinks he can have it in his snacks. 😡 If he would only measure out a serving, that would help some. No, I don't much of any muchies in the house, but what little we do have, he sneaks the whole package. Not funny when you think of the consequences. 

With Mark not being able to drive until mid December, I may have to find a ride to and from my cataract surgery. No surgery date yet, I meet with the surgeon November 11 and we will set the date then. I know I'll need a ride home but I'm hoping Aunt Bettie can drive me to and from. Oh well, not to worry about that now, we have bigger fish to fry so to speak.

Another nice day today so we are enjoying having the doors and windows open. No strong winds to contend with, just low 80's and sunshine. The weekend and next week will be much warmer so the a/c will be back on for another week or two.

Early birthday gifts for me and a fun day

 Yesterday, what started out as a little ride, after stopping for a slush at Burger King, turned into an all afternoon outing. First we drove by to see if our little green produce shack was open yet. Nope, but the fields are really green and looking good. I can hardly wait for the fresh produce. It won't be long. It was so windy that I couldn’t see my mountains in any direction. We stopped at PetSmart and got a couple toys for Murphy, a Betta (fish) for me, and some treats for Lola. 

Of course we never can go into Yuma without Mark wanting to stop in at Bed Bath and Beyond. He calls it his toy store. LOL He loves to look at all the kitchen gadgets and try to find things that I need. Well, he bought me a bigger and better air fryer oven, and a dual coffee maker, a carafe and Keurig in one. The oven actually goes all the way up to 480º, unlike the others that only go to 400º.  Let the baking begin. 😃Now I can have my K-cup and he can have his pot of coffee. He drinks anywhere from 2 to 3 cups and the Keurig gets expensive when we both drink 4 cups a morning. And in the winter we drink more coffee than in the summer.  Mark said happy birthday and thanks for everything I do for him and us. 💞 Yes, he spoils me rotten.

By the time I got the coffee machine cleaned, air oven set up, put the bedding back on the bed, and made supper, I was shot.

Holy macaroni is it ever windy and chilly this morning. Wind gusts are at 32 mph and the temp is only 57º. Not going to do laundry today, in this wind my clothes on the lines would end up back in MN. And trying to carry the basket to and from the car would be way too much for me or Mark today. So I'll be making cookies and setting up my little aquarium for my new Betta, Walter.

Drat

 Overnight our next door neighbors arrived. And he brought his wicked wife along😁 But I can easily avoid them or her. I'm not outside on that side of the house much, so not having to see her isn't all that hard to do. And after their arrival last year, I doubt she will want to cross me again. 😎 I'm hoping that Murphy's singing drives her nuts. Gosh I can be so mean when someone ticks me off.

The mornings are so nice that we have had the doors and windows open for a long time each day. The afternoons are so hot anymore either. Of course 90º doesn't seem hot to us like it did in MN. A person really does acclimate to their surroundings.  Now at 70º, it feels chilly. 😆

Last night we gave listening to the debates another chance. We really didn't need to listen, we voted last week. We just had to see if the trumpster would act like an adult this time. Well he did a touch better,  but still lied through his teeth and still never answered a question with any real plans. Why would anyone with any brains still support such an evil, ignorant, hard to call him a human, but here goes, person? It sickens me that he still could not acknowledge the fact that he tore children away from their parents and treats them like scum. He has killed America in so many ways, it makes me cringe just thinking of all the evil he has encouraged. Needless to say we couldn't watch the whole debate. I took a shower and Mark walked the dog to calm down. No trump supporter deserves any respect for their choice either. They are part of the problem. God help us world wide and rid us all of trump and his evil doings.

Slow

 Either I've gotten lazy or just slow in my old age. But getting things put down on here or on paper is getting less and less. It could be that since the trump virus we don't do much of anything to write about. We'd much rather stay healthy then go out and about.

Mark has found and is working on a new hobby. He ordered a handheld ham radio. And is currently working/studying for his license. I'm so happy that he found something of interest for him to do while he recuperates from his surgery and when the weather isn't nice enough to be outside. His mom was a ham radio operator and really enjoyed meeting the people and listening to various stations. She had quite the set up in a small bedroom, she called it her radio shack. 

Our Utah friends got here to their new winter home last weekend. We helped with some things, well Mark was the most help. They needed help getting their satellite to work so they could watch tv when they were setting up house. It's so nice having them here. Last year they didn't come and even sold their fifth wheel. Now they have a park model. It's in a different park then us, but just down the road. We think of them more as family then friends. I love them so much I call them Uncle James and Aunt Bettie. Yep, they are family.

In another few weeks I'll be getting ready for Thanksgiving. Even though we are on a healthier diet, salt free, we will still have the usual meal. I'll just be more careful to not be so heavy handed on the salt. But will still use some. Then before we know it it will be time to start on the Christmas baking. OH joy, nope, not a joy in the small kitchen that I have now. But I did it last year and I can do it again, just not without a lot of swearing. 😯 I hope my arms and hands will hold up one more year.

We have noticed that more snowbirds have arrived. The stores are busier and the traffic is getting heavier. Soon it will be a zoo. I'm still hoping that the *itch next door stays in Washington this year. But I doubt we will be that lucky. At least her husband is a nice guy. Not many in the park like her, so it's not just me.😝

Mornings are nice enough now that we can sit out on the porch with our morning coffee. The days are more comfortable too, but there is still a need for the a/c. Windows and doors get opened up when we get up and closed just before or slightly after lunch.  

When it rains it pours.

 Well I'm not talking about the rain 💦 that gets you wet and replenishes the field but the troublesome rain that affects your life in a not so positive way.

Thursday I was so looking forward to going to get my eyes checked and a prescription for new glasses. The glasses I've been wearing are about 15 years old and so scratched that it would seem impossible to see through them. Somewhere between MN and Yuma I had lost my newer glasses. I'd been procrastinating about getting new glasses, I hated spending the money I guess. So Thursday was a day when I would finally get new glasses and see much better.

As luck would have it I won't need new glasses. What I need is cataract surgery in both eyes!! 👀😟 One eye has three cataracts and the other eye has two. So I am now scheduled to meet with the eye specialist and surgeon, on get this, my birthday. Happy birthday to me. 😝 We have not gotten a bill on what we owe on Marks open heart surgery so I'm hoping I can wait a bit before I have to have my eye surgery. Before leaving the eye doctors office I asked about having a corrective lens put in as long as they were replacing the old lens anyway. And I was assured that could be done. It would be nice to not have to wear glasses all the time.  So I guess there could be an advantage to a not so great situation. It's all in how I l👀k at it.  😎

 

One day at a time.

 The title of this entry reminds me of a song,  "One day at a time sweet Jesus, that's all I'm asking from you.Give me the strength to do everyday what I have to do." That is how we are living our life right now. Some days are good days for Mark and some days not so good. But each and every day is a gift, a blessing that we don't deserve. But by the grace of God, we have another day.

The cardiologist didn't spend much time with Mark but said he still couldn't drive for another 4 weeks. So I'm still the chauffeur. I'm sure Mark doesn't like it anymore than I do. But we do what we have to do. And that includes still trying to stay out of the way of the trump virus. trump may not care about anyone else but we do. So we wear our masks every time we leave the house and our home is off limits to anyone wanting to enter. Visits only on our porch and social distancing is a must even on the porch!!!! Right now especially with Mark being even more susceptible to everything right now. He can't afford to catch a cold. Just a sneeze or a cough has him in serious pain. I do what I can to keep the house disinfected and clean and everything that comes into our home gets disinfected as well. It's extra work for me, but that is the way it has to be.  We want to stay healthy. 

From the sounds of it quite a few snowbirds won't be coming to the park this year. I say yippee, but the new park owners are the ones that are losing. I keep hoping that the next door neighbors stay in Washington this year. We won't miss that bitch at all. 💀 Canadians won't be able to come if they are driving and if they get sick they won't have insurance knowing they are coming into a covid country. Canada has very strict rules. That's why they don't have many dying or sick from the trump virus. The president of the US doesn't give a damn. So it will be another year that we won't be able to see our friends from Canada. But our friends from Utah will be here. I hope they understand our rules of no enter and masks.

Tomorrow I am finally going in for an eye exam and get much needed glasses. The ones I'm using now are many years old and there isn't a spot without scratches. I can hardly wait to be able to see well again. They called today to make sure I understood the rules of masks etc. That made me feel much safer. A prayer will help too. 🙏😊

Can't blame me.