Monday June 28

[Shirlv]

Morning All, another hot and humid day predicted but not as bad as out west. Spent the weekend home, beach traffic heavy but moving steady. I have seen the air conditioning repair trucks more often. Made me aware of the pressure on the ac systems in the complex. Will raise the thermostat, close blinds and turn on ceiling fans to help reduce the load. Having lunch with #1 daughter, an eye appointment and a couple of errands. Will be nice to get out and about. Spent time researching Amazon Paperwhite readers. Thought it would be nice if I could listen to a book and rest my aging eyes. My ancient Kindle Fire would not allow me to do so. Paperwhite are expensive but most activities that cost money are disappearing from my life so trying to adjust. I don’t buy books, get them on loan from the local library. Don’t have to worry about returning past due books, they just disappear from your device. Lol. Liz, Laura on YouTube Garden Answers today built a cute garden fence out of pallets. Don’t know if you need one to keep the alligators out. I think about everyone living in the extreme heat and wishing you cool breezes. Be safe

[OregonLuvr]

Well I lived to tell the tale of our extreme heat yesterday. Topped out at 116° on my back deck. This heat really raised havoc yesterday for the Pacific NW. Even the north coast on the ocean hit 101°....unheard of and those people do not have AC. My AC ran constantly yesterday. Had all the windows, blinds and curtains pulled. Box fan on, and the AC at 75° It is 7:30 and my AC just kicked on for a bit. Only supposed to be 100 today. Feel like I moved to the desert (which would never happen) but can still look at our hills and green trees.

Taking Emma to a new local groomer today so will see how that goes. Then might stop at the store for some fresh veggies and fruit. My larder is getting low.

[chalet05]

Good morning!

Summer is here! in the 100s until Sunday and then 90s as expected. I had planned to stay with BFF in Seattle area last night for shopping, but too hot and she doesn't have a/c. Family gathering in Port Angeles Saturday evening and they were complaining about 82. Spent the night at my brother's with fan and window open. The drive Saturday was long with a 2 hour wait for the ferry and a long line behind a person driving 40-60 mph. Should have stayed at a friend's the night before to be closer to ferry.

Just had dining table and 2 nightstands delivered. Dining chairs came Friday. Monica was here and helped with decision making and we put chairs together.

Sheila, laughing about your mom and dozing in the chair. I do that well and consider it a nap - especially when it's 1 1/2 - 2 hours. Shirl, I get audiobooks from the library that play on my phone or tablet. Of course, not all books are available in that format. Karen, we will survive. Glad I'm out of the camper and not having to run that loud a/c.

I have a table to put together! Have a good day!

[Acadianmom]

Karen, 116 degrees, good grief! I will be happy with my rain everyday and it looks like for the next 10 days. There's another possible tropical storm but this time it's headed for South Carolina.

I called the local golf cart place and they repair carts. Thank goodness they will pick it up but couldn't tell me when. Will have to keep up with my cell phone today. I need to go unload my fishing stuff and wash the cart.

Shirl, I might could send you a baby alligator. When I was walking yesterday I noticed one in the ditch in front of the neighbor's house. It was only a little over a foot long. I thought baby alligators stayed with their mother so hope she isn't around.

Martha

[JudyJB]

I tried to post earlier but it would not save. Got weird error message.

Anyway, I spent from 7 am yo 3:30 pm sitting in waiting area for my motorhome to be worked on. Spent night in their parking lot/campground with electric. Water and dump station are around on side. Last time I was here was 8 years ago and parking lot was gravel. Now it is paved and with new electric boxes! Super nice. I am guessing it holds about 45 big Class As. I am the only C in the lot--I think they try to keep it a secret. Anyway, they got about half of things fixed. Awning and slide toppers did not come in from Dometic, so will have to come back. They fixed squeaking loose cabover area, and also fixed my rear TVs which were flipping.

They thought they had fixed tail lights but the fuse burned out again, so that will be major effort for tomorrow, so I will have second day of waiting!! At least it is air conditioned and they have a nice laundry facility, so I will take load over in morning.

[Shirlv]

Back home, it’s 92° and 75 dew point which made it difficult for me to breath outdoors. Apartment is cool with fans going but also I am in underwear and an extra large tee shirt. Enjoyed soup and salad at Olive Garden with daughter. Didn’t have wine because I didn’t wanted to breath alcohol fumes on the eye doctor which she appreciated. I have a difficult time seeing with dilated eyes but doctor said I could have wine with dinner. Lol. Martha, a baby alligator to me is one inch not twelve. Louisiana has some tough rving women who camp with alligators. It’s 5 o clock on the shore so will sign off. Be safe

[MandysMom]

Judy, so glad you are there with the experts! Hope they get it fixed!
It's 96° here, cooler than Oregon, a flip in the usual! I went to Cuves, then walked on treadmill a mile , then did a short total gym workout, since I haven't since I started the beta blockers. As of Wednesday, I'll be down to quarter dose on that and going off slow has worked -no withdrawal symptoms (elevation in BP or palpitations , the chief withdrawal symptoms). My goal is to be back to full workouts within the next 30 days. I feel better already without the slow heart rate beta blocker caused and my asthma has calmed back to almost no issues. Another drug to add to my list of never again.
Humidity is 33%, so relately high for end of June in our area.
Anne, wish you wouldn't give up the TT so soon. We are close in age and I know I'm not ready to give up yet! Travel conditions will change again I think within 6-9 mo as more go back to in person work and realize how much work an RV is compared to flying on vacation and a luxury hotel!
Hope all are safe and having a good Monday.
Velda

[BarbaraRose]

Martha, a baby alligator to me is one inch not twelve.

I agree!!

116* here today too with humidity as well. We usually don't get any humidity here until August. Gonna be a hot miserable summer for a lot of us!

I found a job! Get this...filling marijuana joints! A small company in the valley that fills and packages joints for pot shops. But what the heck, it pays $15 per hour! When I was 15, I never would have believed that I'd be doing that kind of work at age 60! I start on Thursday. So far, I haven't gotten any calls for haircut appointments.

Yesterday I got motivated and cleaned my bedroom. I went thru a lot of stuff and got rid of a lot, including about half of my earrings. Today I was planning to go thru my clothes but I didn't get to sleep until 3am (mind racing!) and am very tired as well as having a splitting headache all day, so have been laying low. Maybe now with a job to pay the bills, I will be under less stress and won't keep having these headaches (mostly from grinding my teeth constantly).

Next week I have to report to jury duty on Tuesday. I hope I don't get chosen. Can I get out of it by saying I just started a new job? Never done this before so I don't know how it works.

I think I have a toenail fungus on my big toe. I will have to look up how to treat it. Never had that before either. Lots of new things going on!

I tried to call Lyn but it sounds like I am connecting with a fax machine when it answers. I hope she is OK. She hasn't even been lurking since June 4th or so.

Sadly, I sold my kayak yesterday. I haven't even had a chance to use it since I bought it, just before I moved to the desert, but now with my shoulder, I can't anyways. Was sad to see it go. Another activity I can't do now.

All kitties are accounted for now. I haven't actually seen the scruffy white cat but he sprayed on my front steps the other night so I know he is around. Still no sign of any kittens that other neighbors said they saw a month or so ago.

My neighbor next door fell in her driveway the other day and got pretty banged up. She is pretty unsteady on her feet and overweight so she wasn't able to get back up. She had her phone with her so she dialed 911. But she was laying in the driveway for over 5 minutes in the full baking sun before they got there. I told her she has to get a Life Alert to keep with her. She has fallen in the house a few times and had to crawl to get to the phone. If she hadn't had her phone with her yesterday, she could have died out in that hot sun! She is very stubborn and independent but I think I got thru to her on getting some kind of emergency alert device. I wasn't home when it happened but even if I was, I probably wouldn't have seen here since my car and hers would have blocked my view of her.

OK, enough... have a good evening!

[Cudedog]

Anne, wish you wouldn't give up the TT so soon. We are close in age and I know I'm not ready to give up yet! Travel conditions will change again I think within 6-9 mo as more go back to in person work and realize how much work an RV is compared to flying on vacation and a luxury hotel!
Velda

Thanks for the encouragement, Velda. I am on the fence. I love this trailer, it is perfect (for me) but I haven't had it out since the GTG in Redding. Prices for used RV's right now are high, for the reasons you give prices are likely to crash after a while.

You and Karen are both correct - the best time for camping is in the spring and the fall. When I made my solo trip to Yellowstone, it was in late May, and it was surprising. The desert was green (guess it gets green for a few days or a week each year) but I had never seen it that way.

Camping in my trailer is infinitely more comfortable than camping in my van, and I love that it has a/c.

Don't know what to do. If I procrastinate long enough, the prices will be so low it won't be worth selling.

And I am a grand-champion procrastinator!! I am fortunate enough to have been able to have the trailer stored indoors almost since I bought it new, so it is in really good shape, being out of the pounding California sun. I have only made two long-ish trips in it, the one to Yellowstone and one to Klamath Falls (not counting the Redding GTG).

Well, I guess I'll just have to see how it plays out. Would LOVE to get up to the Medicine Lake volcano this autumn. . . in the trailer would be even better. I would also like to go to Joseph Stewart, which is where I had been scheduled to go over the 4th. Wimped out because of the heat.

Thanks, Velda!

Anne

[BirdbyBird]

Anne, if the trailer is paid for or even if it isn’t entirely but with the trailer you still have the financials to eat, pay the electric and feed the dog.....you get the idea, I would encourage you to hold on to the trailer. We won’t get any younger. But as long as traveling is still a real possibility we need to keep the dreams alive..... I look at the RoadTrek sitting in the driveway and think of the few times I’ve made it out of the driveway and wonder what else I could use that money for....but then I spent a couple hours driving around running errands in it today after leaving a short pile of money with the RV repair man for putting in a new functioning ceiling fan, and I was reminded of why I traded down for it last summer. I really do want to travel some more.....just not in these temperatures but hey I ran seafoam through the gas tank so that I could run it through the generator and guess what? The air conditioner was working just fine so maybe I won’t have to wait as long as I thought!

And Barbie, I have had the toe crude, I didn’t mess around but asked my podiatrist. Ended up purchasing medication from him. He warned me that it would take a long time. He told me to wear good Sox, etc. It took about six months and now I just use the medication proactively. I saw the crude toes when I was helping my father and Stepmother.....My feet are size twelve and not pretty to begin with. They need all the help they can get!

[OregonLuvr]

And so it starts. Lava fire in northern California by Weed, Lake Shastina is growing and has jumped Hwy 97 heading west toward I-5. Been watching videos of all the air support, dozers, water tankers. This has the potential to be a huge fire as they are having big winds now. Unable to go door to door to evacuate people so using loud speakers etc We have had several fires lately and most have been manageable but I am watching this one. It is a long ways from me of course but brings back memories for sure.

Temps should be in the 90's for us tomorrow. Thank goodness that 116 was totally unreal and hottest temp ever recorded for this area. In fact lots of records up and down the west were shattered. Hopefully it will be cool enough in the morning to open my doors and windows for a while.

Did lots of running around today. Took some squash over to my neighbor, took Emma to get a "spa day" with a local groomer. I was happy with the results and the price. Went grocery shopping while she was getting groomed. WOW spent $140 how did that happen. Then came home, put all the frozen things away then it was time to go pick up Emma (10 miles away). Dropped her off at home, went to Costco spent another $40. Also got gas, didnt even look at that amount. All I know is gas is $1.00 more than when I moved here!!!!! Came home and shed my clothes for shorts and tank top. The good news is I dont have to go anywhere for the next few days. Well, until Laura gets here and we do the ceiling fan installation. I have to buy them first LOL I only have 5 to install LOL She is an expert now so I will be her assistant. No charge, I just have to house and feed her............easy peasy.

[snowball]

I would love to put a fan in the bed room I am using not sure how mom would feel about that .... we will see I guess...
not been as hot here as it was a while ago... hopefully we won't go to the high heat again...
went to the grocery store it seems that is all I ever do stopped by the post office sending off a bill for mom and I buy her subscription for Bird's and Bloom was going to send it a couple months ago... but misplaced my check book so it has now been sent... she not happy about having the car checked over can't figure out why we think something is wrong with it as it works fine when she drives it... basically it feels like it isn't shifting right and it's one of those sometimes things...
by the time I did my scripture reading indulged in FB went to the store nothing else got done... perhaps tomorrow
laundry needs to be thought about and in some things more than thought about
It really is a hard decision to make sell now while you might be able to find a buyer and end up wishing you hadn't or hold on to it for awhile and then the pendulum swings the other way and you can't get rid of it for love or money... good luck in your decision Anne...
you all have a great day
sheila

[Cudedog]

And so it starts. Lava fire in northern California by Weed, Lake Shastina is growing and has jumped Hwy 97 heading west toward I-5. Been watching videos of all the air support, dozers, water tankers. This has the potential to be a huge fire as they are having big winds now. Unable to go door to door to evacuate people so using loud speakers etc We have had several fires lately and most have been manageable but I am watching this one. It is a long ways from me of course but brings back memories for sure.

This has the potential to be a very bad one. . . they are evacuating communities around Mt. Shasta. This is an incredibly beautiful area, along 97 north of Weed. I have driven it many times, as I am sure you have too, Karen.

Mighty Mt. Shasta volcano (14,000 ft.) is roughly in the center of the photo.

Anne

[BarbaraRose]

That is so sad. I remember last fall driving thru there with my friend on our way to Oregon. We weren't able to see Mt Shasta due to the smoke from the fires in that area then.