Same old, Same old

 

August was a really slow month for us but really hot too.  So far this has been a record hot summer for Phoenix on many fronts. The monsoon has been a 'nonsoon' but finally on August 29 we had a nice rain of ½ inch.  No pictures because it was at night.

Another rainbow from our "nonsoon"

Larry finally had his Inspire surgery the 27^th and is staying quiet to heal. We had planned to go on an Alaskan cruise to celebrate our 60^th anniversary but all cruises to AK were cancelled in April because of Covid 19 so instead we stayed home for Larry to rest from his surgery. I was able to re-connect with the Chaplain who married us at Bunker Hill AFB in Peru, IN.  We had a nice visit.  I was glad he is still alive.

                                 1960  Isn't he handsome?!

                            60 years later 2020

Really HOT!

We've had some really hot (118º on July 30) weather for July with no rain for us.

Phoenix Sky Harbor (where the 'official' Phoenix weather is recorded) did have a nice downpour

one evening but we didn't get a drop. We could see rain all around us though.

Rainbow but no rain for us

We continue to stay home mostly with the exceptions of going to the doctor or chiropractor and then stopping at the store afterwards for necessary supplies.

On the 18^th I had an hour Zoom meeting with my cousins that I hadn't seen since 2011 when we all met in Tucson for a few days. It was fun catching up with them!

The 22^nd I woke up to a flooded kitchen, finding our 18 month old Moen faucet had failed. I called Moen but because of COVID, they were only taking “appointments” for phone calls. I made one for the next day, got up early to be sure to catch the call only it never happened! Since we live in a MH we have very limited space and just could not wait so we went to Lowe's and bought another Moen faucet, upgrading to a higher arc as the other one was too low. Thankfully Larry is good at repairing things and put the new one in. It didn't take long for the false floor boards to dry out in 110º heat so he was able to put them back in. I wrote to Moen (we decided to stay with them as they are the only ones made in the USA) and expressed my dissatisfaction and a few days later they wrote back and sent me a replacement of the upgraded faucet! That really surprised me as it was $50 more than the failed one! Now all we have to do is return the replacement to Lowe's with our receipt.

How great is that?

Water damage under the kitchen sink

New higher arc kitchen faucet

July 31 we had a combined birthday party for Bethany and Krista getting take out from Olive Garden. After dark we swam about an hour and Iliana loved it and really kicked her feet while her daddy held her. She just laughed and laughed. It was also the first time I actually did some swimming. The outside temperature was 102º so the pool felt great. We also played a game much of the night called “How well do you know me” where we really learned a lot about each other. We ended at midnight after a really nice evening.

Bethany's birthday 'pie'

Larry in the pool

Another shot of the pool

Repairs

Basically all we've done this past month is go to the doctor as both of us have had surgery.

Larry has four posts in his lower jaw to hold his dentures in and will go back the middle of July for his new relined dentures so he can at least eat again (he has been using our VitaMix to grind up his food so he drinks his meals.)   It will be several months before the posts are 'set' with the final dentures that attach to the posts.  I've had two different surgeries for skin cancer and both are healing well.  Larry is waiting on a device to take the place of his C-PAP machine that has given him so much trouble.  The main problem now is the COVID 19 uptick in AZ so 'elective surgeries' are postponed until further notice.

Larry did do some work putting the gutter under the walkway and driveway and making a covering for the east side of the motorhome so it wouldn't be so hot inside as we've had some unusually hot days for June. 

Replacing the sidewalk tiles after installing the drain

Shading himself from the sun while digging the ditch across the driveway

Putting up the awning rail on the side of the MH

Sewing the awning material for the side of the MH

We also covered the windshield with a covering we bought 16 years ago and haven't used in probably 13 years as we have been in cooler places during the summer and it wasn't needed.  Another of his projects was making a fold-able backsplash for my stove for when I fry bacon.  Since we have limited space, the grease flies all over the place and this will help considerably!

Windshield cover to keep the sun off the front

Fold-able stove backsplash in folded position

Showing the stove backsplash in its open position

We were sadden to learn of the unexpected passing of one of our dear RV friends three days after his 90^th birthday around the beginning of June. We are in contact with his widow and she is doing OK and spending more time with her children.

Getting Hotter

May 1 Phoenix had a very nice Fly Over from Luke AFB to honor the health care workers and first responders and I did see it but wasn't able to get any pictures as it was really quick (there were 17 planes) and I was several miles away and didn't realize until almost too late what I was seeing.

Larry has been telling me to get a new phone for several months now but I just didn't want to spend the money. I did 'look' on the site and could not believe my eyes when I saw the new I-Phone SE for 99¢ so I went ahead and bought one and then they credited my account 99¢!  I was able to sell my old phone for $100 so it was a win win situation.

We are slowly going back out and have had two chiropractic appts this past month.  I had a dermatology appt. and Larry saw an outside ENT for the Inspire transplant for sleep apnea since he has had so many problems with his C-Pap machine.  Hopefully it will get in the works soon.

Since spring came early to AZ, I delayed doing spring cleaning but couldn't delay it any longer and finally was able to get all the rugs, filters and covers washed and cleaned. We bought air purifiers and I was shocked at how dirty they became in just one week!  They will need weekly cleaning from now on but hopefully that will help Larry with his allergies.

We have once again started play Train with Dawn and Vince on Friday nights. We also had a small birthday party for Vince.  We ordered from Red Robin for takeout and they made only one mistake.

Vince's birthday party

Vince's birthday cake

Larry has been working hard at moving our sewer line so we can have an RV cover put over the MH. He did a good job and he also buried the electric cord in a 4” pipe to help keep it out of the AZ sun.

Larry moving the sewer line under the living room slide out

Where Larry buried the electric cord to protect it from the harsh AZ sun

Dawn and Vince's pool was supposed to be done May 31 but still has some more work to be done. It is looking good though.

Pool with the lights on

Pool with the Cool Decking done, but not finished yet

Staying at Home

Since we are 'sheltering in place' we have had to rely on things that happened “at home” for excitement.

April 3 the pool was delivered and caused quite a stir throughout the neighborhood. It was something to watch as the crane took the pool over the house and into the backyard. Unfortunately it isn't supposed to be totally done until the end of May.

the backyard on 4/30/20

We have had several food deliveries from Costco, Sam's, Butcher Box and Organic Bread of Heaven so we didn't have to go out.

We were saddened to learn our Alaska cruise set for the 1^st of Sept ember to celebrate our 60^th wedding anniversary was cancelled by the cruise line. Now we have to figure out someplace else to go, possibly Cottonwood or Sedona.

Because of Larry's health problems, he decided he needed to sell the motorcycle and that happened April 26. I had a tear or two as I watched the fellow ride it out of the driveway.

our BMW driving away for the last time

April 25^th as I was walking I saw an owl sitting on the power lines. It's always fun to see wildlife! I do try to walk everyday including when it gets hot. On those days I walk at night around the driveway until I walk a mile, usually within 20 minutes.

Owl I saw on my walk

We have had some really unusual hot weather for April topping 102º for us. Phoenix doesn't usually have a 100º day until mid May! And it has stayed with us and is supposed to stay like this for another two weeks! I'll end on an up note as we still have beautiful AZ sunsets!

Note the sliver of the moon in upper left

A new normal

We started out the month of March by going back to I-HOP after church. We were disappointed

and will not return for anything except pancakes which were great.

Larry is set to get posts to hold his lower dentures in and he has everything set to go except now the dentist cannot do the work! They will call him when they get the go-ahead as all they can do now is emergencies. He did get his new hearing aids and really likes that he can listen to TV thru them without using earphones.

March 13 we celebrated Colby's birthday by having his favorite meal at Dawn and Vince's and afterwards we played a board game called “ Exploding Kittens”, a game that requires strategy. We only had time for one game and Bethany won at the last minute.

Colby and his birthday cake

Dawn and Vince are having a pool put in and they started digging at 7 AM on March 18. They hit a hard dig and it made an awful noise as they jack hammered the rocks. It took them two days. Larry had them leave a pile of dirt for him and he has been going out every day digging and spreading the dirt in back of the storage trailer, leveling off that area. He also worked on the carrier for the 55 gal diesel barrel so he can fairly easily move it in and out of the back of the truck. He is much happier when he has 'projects' that keep him busy! He also sleeps better.

Larry working behind his Man Cave

Larry again working on the 55 gal barrel so he can easily remove it from the truck

I continue to walk nearly every day and we have had some wonderful weather for that. One day I saw a snake in the road and another day, came upon a turned over concrete truck full of concrete. Larry had seen it drive down our road onto the unpaved part and commented how dangerous it as for something so top heavy to drive that way. That afternoon as I walked I found it had indeed turned over!

Snake in the road as I was walking

Concrete truck that overturned from being too top heavy on a narrow steep road

We are doing fine and staying home as asked. We 'attend' church on line and do miss our weekly Sunday dinner out but otherwise are getting along fine. We keep remembering that 'This too, shall pass' and God is in control.

Beautiful AZ sunset that reminds me that God is still in control!

Marching onward

We started the month out with a nice visit from Todd. He was visiting for my birthday since he was not able to come on the day.

Todd visiting us

On the 13^th I had my remaining two wisdom teeth removed and it was done in 20 minutes. The recovery went very well and I had very little pain.

We ended up going to Mesa to visit Camping World only on the way we learned that they moved six years ago and are now called Gander RV! We bought 29 tubes of caulking and a battery powered caulking gun that worked like a champ, saving Larry's arm. He had scraped the roof of his Man Cave and re-sealed it using 24 tubes of caulk. With the rain we had this winter, he had found several places where the roof was leaking so it was a necessary evil.

Larry working on the roof of his Man Cave

Larry using the battery powered caulking gun

February 25 we visited I-HOP for the first time ever to enjoy their Free short stack of pancakes. We checked out the menu and plan to return for a lunch in the near future.

We have had several doctor visits, something I'm not too keen on but decided it is needed as I have had some issues.

Yesterday I went on a hike at Apache Wash Trail with 8 other ladies from church. It was a lovely day and I had a nice walk although I forgot to record it on my Runkeeper app. We did see a rattle snake beside the trail but he 'rattled' and slithered away from us. I didn't have my camera handy so by the time I was able to get it out, he was well hidden in the bushes. My walking pardner did get a nice picture however. The wild flowers are lovely as was the scenery.

Lovely wildflowers along the trail

The tail of the rattler we saw while hiking