Lots of Activity!

   

After months of inactivity, February was the month of much change. Feb 4 APS came out setting off the final phase of our project so we ordered 16 ton of rock delivered on Friday Feb 5. We quickly realized we could not move it all in many days so Larry called about renting a Bobcat and we were very blessed as he called at 2 PM and we had the Bobcat delivered by 3PM! Normally everything is already reserved on Fridays for the weekend since the rental place is not open on the weekends the equipment is for all weekend so that's three days of use for the price of one day. With Vince and Dawn's help we were able to get all the rock spread by Sunday afternoon AND were able to move the motorhome back onto the pad under our new RV cover! I'm SO glad to be back 'in place' and out of the front yard!! Monday morning the rental place called to see if we still wanted them to pick the Bobcat up and that it would be around 1 PM before they would come so Larry decided to rent a trailer from Home Depot to take the yard trash (cut from around the east wall with the Bobcat on Sunday and racked into a pile) to the dump, saying loading the trailer with the Bobcat would be easier than doing it by hand. The rental fellow arrived early as we were still using it to load the trailer and he asked if he should come back later and we'd be charged for an additional day. We said no he could have it. Then he did a wonderful thing for us. He got into the Bobcat and finished loading the trailer and then drove off with it to load it up for return! We thanked him many times. Next it was off to the dump where we waited in line for 45 minutes just to get in. Then we had to unload the trailer which was a job and a half. We were so tired as we had worked all weekend and then Monday morning without breakfast getting the debris out of the trailer was almost more than we could do. All of a sudden two fellows from the landscaping company to the right of us who were also emptying their trailer came over with a blower on one fellow's back and the other had a broom and they finished cleaning out the trailer for us!

                                                        Rental trailer at the dump

                                                            Backing in the Motorhome

                                                                   Loading rock

                                                Rock spread on the RV pad

                                Dump truck unloading the 16 ton of rock

                                              Beautiful AZ sunset!

How very wonderful of them we couldn't thank them enough and when I went to get them some money from the truck, they were gone having left immediately after their good deed. As a result of their good deed we were able to get the trailer back within four hours so didn't have to pay for a full day's rental. Another big Praise the Lord!

Once again Larry removed the tires from his Man Cave so it is easier for him to get in and out of it and he bought cinder blocks to put around the bottom of the trailer (Man Cave) to help keep the wind out as well as critters.

                  Covered tires mounted on front of the Man Cave

              Putting the removed tires on the rack

I got ambitious and washed the MH using waterless car wash since it was so yucky and discovered in a wind storm Saturday Feb 21 both slide toppers had ripped so we are getting an estimate to have them repaired.

We also ordered two sheds, his and hers, and Larry picked them up Thursday Feb 25 and we finished putting one of them together Saturday February 27. It took us two days and was a challenge but we should get the next one done faster since we now know what NOT to do!

                                  One shed finished

                 After the first day

                       Getting the shed pieces ready

Also on Saturday the 27, our Granddaughter Cerét, her husband Alen, Calvin, Anna and niece Millie (three of our great grandkids) came for a visit. It was great seeing them again and meeting Anna for the first time.

                       Alen, Calvin and Cerét

               Anna in the toy box

                     Dawn, Cerét, Larry and Anna

                           Larry, Calvin & Ellen

                                  Great grandma and Millie

February is a short month but we really got a lot done and are so grateful for all the help and are thankful to God for His provisions and love!

          Ending with another great AZ sunset

We are making progress!

 

Friday January 1 the RV cover was finished and Saturday Jan 2 the solar fellows showed up and they finished putting up the solar panels on Monday January 4 but that doesn't seem to mean much as here we are at February 1 and all the inspections still are not done! Perhaps by March 1 we will be back in place and everything will be done??

                                                 Putting in the inverters for the solar

                                       Lift to get both the panels and the workers on the 16ft high cover

                                Workers on top of the cover getting ready to put the solar panels on

                                                          Solar panels

I met with a friend for lunch on Jan 7 at Cracker Barrel and learned on Jan 9 that she had been exposed to someone with Covid so we cancelled our appts. until I learned on January 12 that my friend had tested negative. Better safe than sorry.

January 14 we once again became AZ residents getting our AZ drivers' license and registering the car. We had to have an appointment due to Covid and picked at great time of 1 PM as we had no wait. There was a line when we left almost an hour later however.

Larry made arrangements to have a steel gutter made for the RV cover and it was delivered January 18. Larry worked on the gutter sealing it and then painting it. Unfortunately we were not able to get it up before we had quite a rain storm on Monday the 25^th. We even had hail and a bit further north of us snow! Larry was able to get piping in from the house to the back of the property to help keep the water from the roof off of our RV pad and it worked well.

                                               Gutter for the back of the RV cover

                           Larry on the lift putting in the pipe to take the house rain water to the backyard

                                                        Hail on the driveway

I had a wonderful birthday as Todd came for a three hour visit and then the gutter fellows showed up and it was installed rather quickly and Larry was SO relieved to get it up finally! We went to Olive Garden for supper. Larry worked on getting the pipe from the newly installed RV gutter over to our rain harvest tank and finished Thursday at dark the 28^th.   On the 29^th we were able to 'test' the gutter and pipe as we had an afternoon of steady rain and it did a good job as we now have water in our rain harvest tank. That night we went to Red Robin with Dawn and Vince to celebrate my birthday, returned to their place to play Train and have angel cake and ice cream. The 30^th we received a deposit on our HydraLift from a fellow from Tacoma who has a Harley and loves to ride and wants to see all of America and is buying a motorhome for that dream to come true. It really was a full exciting week! 

 

                                                   Drain pipe into the rain harvest tank

                          Larry using the backdoor of the trailer to put his ladder on to reach the top of the cover

                                          Backing the trailer into place under the new RV cover

                                         Drain pipe from the new gutter to the rain harvest tank

Sunday Jan 31 we moved big rocks (that we put in four years ago!) from beside the pad to the front beside the driveway to help stop erosion and make way for smaller rocks beside the MH so they will be easier to walk on. We both are extremely sore and are looking forward to our afternoon appointment today with the chiropractor.

                                                 Where we removed the rocks

                                                                 Size of the rocks

                                                        Another beautiful AZ sunset!

 

 

Happy New Year!

 

December started out with the post holes finally dug for our RV cover. The concrete was scheduled for Dec 11 and of course the only rain we've had in months happened the day before so it was postponed due to two feet of mud and water in the holes!   Finally on Dec 21 we had concrete. It had to sit for seven days and then the fellows really started working hard and late, often until 6:30 PM, well after dark.  Dec 29 we had a structure and today, Jan 1, they are again working to put the top on and it is looking good!

                                              Painting the posts

                                              Putting on the cross beams

                                              Pouring concrete

Post holes with water and mud in them after our rain

                                                 Getting the top in place

December 19 my cousins and I had another Zoom meeting and this time all my cousins were able to attend. It was great catching up on all of them.

Since Bethany was not able to come back to Phoenix until Dec 29 we didn't celebrate Christmas with Dawn's family until Dec 31 and we had a great day. We also celebrated Dawn's birthday, played Spicy Uno (which was a lot of fun and with seven of us was a real hoot!) and ended the day with fireworks in the driveway. A great way to end 2020 and a new beginning for 2021.

                                                      Colby, Dawn and Bethany

                                                          Dawn's birthday cake

                                                       Larry opening his Xmas gift

                                             Getting ready to pig out                                                

                                                    Fireworks to start the New Year
                       

Sorry but for some reason all the pictures loaded backwards meaning the newest ones first and I'm not computer savvy enough to figure out how to fix it.

December Already?

 

The 'cages' for the post holes were delivered the first week of Nov. and then on the 10^th it was decided the holes could not be dug with a Bobcat since they hit caliche around 4 ½ ft down which is what Larry had told them back in April when they came out to draw up the plans. When the 'big rig' came out the operator said he could not dig because the holes would be too close to the house and any hard rocks and such could jolt the digger up to three feet and that would hit the house, not a good scenario! After three weeks of trying to figure out what to do next, on the 30^th they brought out two Bobcats and taking it easy, have made some headway without having to go back to the drawing board. At the rate we are going, I'm just hoping it will be finish by next April!

                                                         The cages that go in the post holes

                                                       One post hole finally done at 6 ft deep

                                                          Both Bobcats going full steam

                                                                          Larry helping
 

Our granddaughter, Bethany has moved to Colorado Springs, CO and we had a going away party for her on Nov 13.

                                                               Loading Bethany's car

                                                        

                                                    Bethany saying goodby to her niece

We had a quiet Thanksgiving with just the four of us basically eating and snacking most of the day and we ended up by playing Mexican Train.

Larry has been to the VA several times this month and seems to be getting his health in order. His new dentures are working good and he definitely is enjoying eating again! I had another dermatology appt. and this time no cutting which is a good thing. I did have several spots frozen on my arms.

 

                                                           One of Larry's latest projects

Since the weather has finally cooled down to decent temperatures. I'm backing to walking again regularly and enjoy getting out. We are making the best of the present situation and feel blessed.

One of our neighbors shared a picture of a hawk that likes to sit in their backyard. Such an awesome picture of wildlife in the desert!