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Good morning to all. Some bad news and good news. We will be having a busy day today - probably. For two days in a row we are both up by 4:30 - this morning for no reason. Yesterday morning because a nice policeman was knocking on our door to let us know the police had RECOVERED our motorhome!!! WHAT? Yep someone stole it during the night right out of our gated community with night security who is supposed to be checking the RV parking areas. The thieves took it about 4 miles into a residential area and were busy taking it apart when someone living in that area called the police. Luckily the police arrived before they could do too much damage. As soon as the policeman could convince us that the RV had really been taken he had us follow him to where it was. The thieves were already arrested and gone. The thieves car was loaded with stuff from our RV and a few other things that weren't ours. The police went through the car and carried all our stuff back to the RV. By sticking a handy (right in the drivers area) screw driver in the ignition Bill was able to drive the RV to the dealership. We will go over there this a.m. and arrange for repairs. Ignition, door locks and put generator back in. It is such a mess inside we don't know what else might be missing or damaged. Already contacted insurance vehicle company - will call home owners insurance today, but it will take a while to sort through the mess to see what inside is missing. Oh well I did want something to keep me busy. And it could have been a whole lot worse.
If you want to see the pictures they are on my blog. http://travelinginrvandlivinginlasvegas.blogspot.com/
It is going to be 108 today - so even if they let in the RV at the dealers we won't get too much done. Beside I think we are both suffering from the adrenaline drop today. Bill was walking around like a zombie before he went back to bed and my stomach is upset.
Yesterday on way back to house we picked up our Saturday mail - lucky us - the place where we live does what they call four sided walk arounds twice a year. Looking for any violation of site rules. More then 2 bbqs on patio, weeds, unapproved landscaping, paint fading and artificial plants "Max of 2 artificial products at maximum height of 3 feet. And the list goes on. And the list goes on. They always find at least one thing, then you have a couple of weeks to fix it. I think we will be okay, except for my artificial plants on the patio. So will probably just bring them inside they tell us when they are coming.
Also got a message from the cousin of our sons, who just passed away, girlfriend - I never met her but she is probably in mid 50 or older. Any way she had called her daughter in New York, told them Dennis had passed and she was on her way to New York. No one has heard from her since. Did I know where she might be. I contacted my son's daughter who at least knew her. She has no idea where she could be either. No idea what to tell them.
So that was our Sunday. Sounds a lot worse then it really is...One day at a time.
Hope every one else had a great weekend.

Carol, what a day you and Bill had. And I can't imagine what you'll be going through to document everything for the insurance companies. Strange disappearance on the gf.

I'm hoping to get motivated and moving to head into work a bit earlier today and be done before the heat gets too much. Ha, Ty and I are both still under the covers so we shall see. It's nice having the cooler nights but I hate getting up when it's still cold in here. How quickly it changes.

Morning All, Carol, what does “gated community “ mean? Think someone needs to evaluate the management there. Glad the police were called before any further damage to your beautiful rv. Since locks do not deter thieves, is there an alarm system available that would at least wake up the security. Placing a Walmart order for tomorrow and even dread leaving the apartment. Humidity is in the 80’s all this week so will just use the inhaler. Just read that caffeine helps open airways so will have a couple of cups of tea during the day to see if it helps. Sorry for whining about my ailments but thought the blurb about caffeine might help someone. Be safe.

Carol you are really having a time of it. So many RV's are being stolen out here right and left. They take them up to the woods or the illegal grows, never to be seen again until they have totally trashed them then just dump them somewhere. Sounds like they just wanted the stuff out of yours. How upsetting for you both.

The skies are blue again, no smoke. The temps are also going to be cooperating this week into the high 80's. So we are getting a bit of relief from the oppressive heat.

Most of my friends have gotten their vaccines and wear masks. I dont see them much because my circle is very small right now. Our hospitals are overrun and the National Guard is arriving on scene. Doesnt help the nurses and doctors much because they really arent medical people but just doing anything that takes the burden off the healthcare people, housekeeping, and stocking will be a help. I dont see this going away for a long time. And now we have the Lambda variant encroaching on us. I may never get out of my house LOL

Carol, what a mess. At least the police there are on the ball. What were the thieves going to do with all your personal things, have a garage sale? The bad thing is the thieves will be out of jail before your RV is fixed. The last time my RV was in the shop I ask if they had ever put a GPS tracking system on an RV. They had not. When my sister and I use to go to South Texas often she was always wanting to eat out. My fear was that the RV wouldn't be there when we got back. When my husband and I were showing horses there were places we would bring the saddles to the motel room. Now they are stealing horses, trucks and trailers.

Shirl, I think I get plenty of caffeine. I drink two 8 oz. cups of coffee every morning and sometimes three. Sometimes my stomach feels like it sloshing from all the coffee. Then I get my exercise going to the bathroom.

The festivals that had been scheduled are being cancelled. At my last cattle woman meeting they were discussing us helping with the Cattle Festival again. My feeling is that the guy that ran the festival should never have excluded the cattle women and men in the first place. They quit supporting the livestock show for the kids. I'm pretty sure we won't have to worry about that, it will get cancelled again. I sure don't want to go to a festival.

I need to get moving if I'm going to go see about getting my new phone activated. I need to bring a gas can with me to get mower gas in town. Yesterday I went to a local station and a little less than 5 gallons cost $16.

Martha

And it’s now afternoon! Running behind as usual! Carol, I read about your stolen RV last night and wondered how in the world it happened something like that happened in a “secure” area. Pretty bold of the thieves but good they were caught so quickly. Karen, your message yesterday really hit me. My DH went into nursing as a second career and I’d bet if he were still with us he would have been one of the many weary and stressed medical workers. I go over and over in my mind the whole hoax thing and wonder if they would have acted the same to the smallpox and polio vaccines our parents dealt with many years ago. Not sure why it’ll take to wake people up or if they ever will. Students are returning to campus and the numbers are going up again in our area. The fair starts the end of this week and as much as I enjoy the experience I’ve make the decision to not go this year. Being around that many people even outside just isn’t worth taking a chance. Okay, end of rant. Anne, thanks for the updates on the fires. Mind boggling to say the least. We are getting rain again today and looks like lower temps and possible storms most of the week. I was able to get some yard work done this week end so it’ll be inside chores for me. Tim to quit rambling and get back to what I was doing! Have a great day and stay safe.

That was quite a wake up call, Carol! Glad things turned out as well as they did!

We have new fires to the north - I'm having trouble keeping track. Smoke is gone for now and air quality is fair. A bit cooler for a couple of days.

My brother made a 'check-in' call and he can be quite vocal/stubborn about things. There is no changing his mind about the vaccine - believe me I've tried. I hope they don't decide they want to come to visit. I fear if he gets Covid that will be the end due to his smoking.

Got a call Saturday because the kids' car broke down up in Chelan. Asked them why they were out riding on a hot, smoky day!? I know their house gets way too hot so they like the a/c in the Jeep.

Have a new mattress and a TV console! TV look so nice not sitting on the floor!

Stay well!

Carol I was shocked to read about your RV. Hopefully the dealer will not find any major problems that you haven't already identified. Fingers crossed for you. And give the association and/or the security a piece of your mind, but yes, calming down first is better.

Shirl~ a very belated birthday wish for you. Hope you had a Grand day.

Karen~ your post of the nursing forum comments was so sad to read. Good bless them all.
I sometimes wonder if vaccinations would have gone much smoother if there wasn't Facebook, cable TV, and up to the minute news. To many opinions from to many people. I think things may have been better in this situation, if there were only the government and major networks with the likes of Edward Murrow, Chris Wallace or David Brinkley types of anchors giving us the news, without the TV stations political views.

In other itty bitty news, I got out for an hour yesterday while Dad was taking a nap. Found 3 out if 4 barn quilts.

Have a good evening ladies.

Yay Anita things are coming together for you. I got quite a bit in one load and then the other things dribbled in as needed. I have pretty much all I need now. Will be a year on September 8th. Life can change in an instant but had to move forward. I am not having any company that is not vaccinated, in fact I dont want any company except those in my little circle of friends. When we met with Claudia there were no hugs and our distance was pretty much factored in for all of us, felt perfectly safe. She of course is vaccinated too.

Cheryl a few weeks ago I had no idea what a barn quilt even was. They are absolutely beautiful. Pondering what I will want for dinner, just had lunch so not too hungry and hard to plan when you are full LOL

Cheryl, thanks for the post, I didn’t know what a barn quilt was. I searched barn quilts on the Eastern shore. Found Byway Quilt Trail in close by Caroline County, Maryland. It is along the trail used by Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad. It will be a fun safe trip for me.

Othersharon wrote:Anne, thanks for the updates on the fires. Mind boggling to say the least.

No, thank you. Definitely mind-boggling.

I have been interested - fascinated, really - by all kinds of natural disasters since I was a child. Earthquakes, fires, floods, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis - most everything, really.

These days, with so may different ways to gather information, it becomes even more interesting. For example, there are literally hours of tsunami videos posted on YouTube of the waves that hit Japan a few years ago. Many - most - of them are eye-opening, jaw dropping, and really very shocking, "filmed" (by camera phone) by just average people standing at a distance, watching the incoming giant waves, many of whom were watching their own homes being washed away.

A LOT different than the 30 seconds - or less - that one might find on an unfolding natural disaster (supposedly a "featured" story) that one might see on the nightly news.

So many various kinds of cameras are linked to the internet these days, and with so many people posting their personal videos and personal stories to YouTube, one can come pretty close to watching "live coverage" of an unfolding event pretty much as it happens. For as many hours as one might wish.

This is especially true of wildfires.

I think I first became interested in wildfire - and maybe all kinds of natural disasters as well - when I was about 8 or 9 years old. I grew up in the San Fernando Valley (a suburb of Los Angeles) and in those days one could see the surrounding foothills (not so much now, with the air pollution there).

My grammer school was in the north end of the valley, fairly close to the foothills. On one particular day I was at school recess, again 8 or 9 years old, staring at the foothills as I liked to do (LOL - I still like to stare off at the hills). I was about to turn away, something caught my eye, when I noticed a brief puff of smoke about half way up the hillside. Caught my attention, and within seconds a fire bloomed, racing outward in all directions from the original start, getting larger and larger by the second.

I don't remember if it turned out to be a large fire (I think it was) or how long it burned - but I do remember being amazed by the sudden, unexpected start of it and how it raced away from the center point into a rapidly expanding circle. And how FAST it was moving.

I have never forgotten it.

At the moment, I am following the terrible fires we are having out here in the west, concentrating on the Dixie Fire from when it first ignited a month or so ago, mostly because it started fairly near to where I live (about 40 - 50 miles) and I know the Lake Almanor area a smallish bit, because it is near to Lassen Volcano. I have driven around the area many times. Although not at all for the last year-and-a-half or so. Too much Covid floating around here. Before the pandemic, I tried to get up into the area at least once a year - LOTS of volcanoes (besides Lassen) in the area.

It breaks my heart at what this fire is doing to this entire area, particularly Lassen Volcanic National Park. As of right now, approx. 25% of the eastern section of the park has burned. The trees will, of course, come back and the area will one day be beautiful once again - but likely not in my lifetime.

It looks like the next few days are going to be bad for those fighting the Dixie Fire, some estimates I have seen state that the winds in the fire area might gust in excess of 45 mph. There has been a change in the weather (compared to the last several days), this change will also affect the other large fires currently burning in California - and, unfortunately, might ignite new ones.

I am also reading that the fires along the western slope of the Cascades (slightly east of Karen's general area) are blowing up as well.

It's going to be a very long and difficult few days for firefighters all over the west, particularly those here on the west coast (California, Oregon, Washington).

Probably I will keep most of my fire commentary on the "More New Fires In California" thread http://womenrv.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=18948, mostly so that the updates are together in one place.

Again, thank you.

Anne

I woke up smelling smoke!!! slight but diffidently could smell it.... was so hazy out today due to the fires all about
makes it hard to breath...
did a couple of loads of laundry and trip to grocery store.... picked up a roast that was in the old bin so tossed it in the freezer to have some day.... and also a pkg of lobster cakes we will have those tomorrow and all the odds and ends left in fridge mostly veggies... I picked up corn on the cob... had two tonight so will have the rest tomorrow.... forgot that I'd bought the corn 4 ears so had to have some tonight... had started some carrots so tomorrow will have corn carrots and the last of the mashed potatoes.. along with those lobster cakes... hopefully will get most of it all gone...would love to make biscuits but then they would be left over...
also made a cake and salad for a outdoor outing tomorrow hope it's not as hazy tomorrow...
can't believe those thief's really fell into the dumb category being a thief is dumb anyway but theirs was really dumb
glad that it is fixable hopefully not too much stuff lost
you all take care
sheila

Finally getting on here! Been a long day!

I left the house on time yesterday morning, according to my schedule. Took the west route over the mountains where I could see the burn scars from the fire there a few weeks ago, (I think I had mentioned that I could see the smoke from here). Sad to see but luckily they got the fire out pretty quickly that day.
I stopped in Temecula for lunch at Epic Wings (formerly Wings & Things). Wow! Was that ever good! I sure wish we had one of those down here in the valley!

Got to the motel in Escondido at noon. They said I couldn't check in before 1 without paying an additional $20. So I left for an hour and came back at 1 to check in. The motel is in a not so good part of town and is surrounded by homeless camps. The room smelled like smoke (the cig kind) but I was in a hurry to get ready for the wedding so I didn't complain. Also the floors were sticky! Got dressed and headed to the venue about a mile away. Most everyone there was Vietnamese. The groom is caucasian but he didn't have much family there. His brother was the minister who married them tho. My former co-workers didn't arrive until just as the wedding was starting. It was much smaller than I thought it would be (about 50 guests) and luckily, very short but sweet! The rest of the reception was very long and drawn out. Like an hour in between each thing. It could have easily been over by 5pm with such a small number of people but my friends and I left just after they served the cake after 6:00! (the wedding started at 2 and the reception at 2:30!). The dance was still ahead at 7pm. I was glad I had a big lunch because I figured the buffet dinner would be mostly seafood. I was right. I did have some fried rice, green beans and some chicken. That was good.
Anyways, we all had fun and it was great to see my former co-workers again after 2 years! Two of them brought their new boyfriends.
I was glad to get back to my motel room by 6:30. Got to sleep early.

Got up this morning later than planned but got checked out right away. Went to a restaurant down the street and had a good breakfast. Then headed towards the beach. Stopped at my old neighborhood on the way. Drove up to my old house and was so disappointed to see how bad the yard looked. He hasn't done anything to keep up with the weeds or cut back the plants or trees around there. I am surprised the manager hasn't come down on him about that. They are usually really fussy about that kind of thing.
Then I stopped to see my old roommate who is renting a room from another lady there. We chatted for a bit and then I headed out. Stopped in Carlsbad to shop a little and then took a long walk along the beach barefoot. At one point I got hit with a sneaker wave (a larger wave that you don't notice coming!) and got soaked just about up to my waist! So I had wet shorts and undies the rest of the day! Oh well! It was so nice to hear the crashing waves again and enjoy the fresh air and 75* weather! I then drove down to Encinitas to walk thru the Self Realization Fellowship meditation gardens overlooking the ocean. However, I forgot they are not open on Mondays!

I was a bit behind on my time schedule so that turned out OK. Headed back east and took the southern route up thru a different mountain range and stopped in Julian, an old gold mining town turned into a famous apple pie town. I got there just in time (4:30) because everything closes in town at 5pm. So I looked in a couple stores, and was also able to find a cafe that still had a slice of apple pie left, (it is very popular there and gets sold out quick!). Got that warmed up with cinnamon ice cream on top! Yum!! Headed on down the mountain with lots of switchbacks! Ended up with a long drive across the desert by Borrego Springs and the Salton Sea. I pulled over at one point to take pics. The desert was so green with lots of Ocotillo cactus plants growing all over! I can only imagine how beautiful that is in the spring when they have red blossoms on them! Probably why the named the local town there Ocotillo Wells! There were a lot of the jumping cactus' also. I thought there must have been a fire thru there since the bottom part of those plants were all dark and dead looking, but later read that they just get that way on their own, naturally.

Oh, I picked up a scratch-off lottery ticket today. I usually don't win anything other than maybe a free ticket. I won $50 on this one! Yay! That will almost cover the gas I put in the car this morning! (gas where I live is $4.20 and up, and I got gas for $3.94 this morning in Escondido, so I was happy about that!).

Carol, so sorry to hear about your RV getting stolen. At least you got your stuff back and they caught the guys. Always traumatic tho. I think your place needs to rethink their security system!! RV's have pretty universal door and bin locks. You might want to get the door lock replaced with a combination locking door. And new locks for the bins too. And an alarm system.

Karen, it is alarming that so many people are not cooperating with the masks or vaccines. It just makes it so much more difficult for the front line workers and more dangerous for all of us. I wore my mask to the wedding but at the reception, I asked if my friends had gotten their shots and they had so I took my mask off just at the table with them, since no one at the wedding was wearing one. I will get a booster shot as soon as I qualify (I have no real underlying issues).

Anita, could your kids get an window AC unit for their bedroom at least? (maybe they are all sold out up there tho?)

I first heard about barn quilts I think from Carol Siramarco when they lived in Indiana. I think there were a few around where they lived and she posted pics of them. I think she even put one on their barn/building.

Martha, there is a huge gourd festival in February in Casa Grande, Arizona that I really want to go to next year, and am SO hoping it doesn't get cancelled again.

Was so happy to finally get back home! Lots of driving for one day! Gotta get to bed soon. I have to leave early tomorrow to do those haircuts before going to work.

Good night all!