January 31, 2016—Brandon, MS to Michelle’s Loveland, Colorado

Yesterday was a busy, busy day with last minute errands.  Today was a travel day.  Things went better than my flights two weeks ago, but it was still rather tiring.

The good news is that when we landed in Denver it was snowing lightly.  By the time we got to Loveland it was snowing harder.  I’ll keep you posted!

January 30, 2016—Brent’s in Brandon, Mississippi

It is very late and I am very tired.  I’ll catch up in the morning on my way to Denver.

January 29, 2016—Brent’s in Brandon, Mississippi

Today was a very busy day for me.  We went to Verizon to try to get our phone bill  problems solved.  It took a long time, but I am hopeful that, at last, the problem is taken care of.  The attempt to get things in order sounds like a travelogue…Loveland, Colorado, Yuma, Arizona, and Brandon, Mississippi.

We went to Target and a couple of other places before I ran out of steam.  On the way home, we stopped at Sonic to get me a Diet Dr. Pepper.  I love Sonic ice.

I rested and played with Willie, but didn’t take a nap.  I was refreshed after spending some one-on-one with my furry friend, so I got some of my paper work out.

I called Debbie and Paul to see if we could see them tomorrow.  They will be busy all day tomorrow building a road at their recently acquired property in the woods about 15 miles south and east of Brandon.  I didn’t offer to help.  With my balance problems, I didn’t think they needed me climbing over rocks, logs, and other dangerous things.  I feel fairly sure that an ambulance might have a hard time getting to me if I needed help.  And knowing my past record, I feel sure they will completely understand why I didn’t make a gesture of good-will.

Just after dinner, Robyn and Wesley came for a visit and to tell me goodbye.  We always have a good time with them.  They are special friends of Brent’s, and mine, too.

January 28, 2016—Brent’s in Brandon, Mississippi

Another sunny, cool day here in Mississippi.  It was a great day for accomplishing things, both inside and out.  I had computer work to do and some bills to pay.  Brent was working on cleaning the garage, and Coleson took down some of the Christmas decorations.

Tonight, we went to Cock of the Walk for dinner.  They have really good catfish, plus cornbread and many other delicious side dishes.  It is a special place to go for dinner when we want really good catfish!

Meredith booked tickets for me to go to Denver, via Dallas, when I leave Jackson.  I will leave Brent’s a few days early to try to beat a snowstorm that’s predicted to hit Denver Monday or Tuesday. 

I plan to stay with Meredith and Michelle for their birthdays, and Joshue, too, and on to the weekend for the Super Bowl.  Of course, we will all be cheering for Denver.  I have a ticket to return to Phoenix, and then on to Yuma for Wednesday, February 10.

If there are any changes, I will post them.

January 27, 2016—Brent’s in Brandon, Mississippi

It was cold this morning, but very sunny.  It is kind of hard to shiver when the sun is beating down through the car windows.

Keltie came this morning, but I didn’t get to spend much time talking to her.  Brent said her parents are planning to remodel a couple of areas in their house and I wanted to see what they have planned.  Hopefully, I will see her again before I leave.

Brent and I went to lunch at Wendy’s and then to the bank.  We took advantage of a “no rain day” to get a couple of things done.

I was tired when we got back home, so I lay down to rest.  Sara woke me up when she got home from school, wanting to know if I had been in bed all day.  She tried to put a guilt trip off on me, saying she had been at school slaving and all I had done was loll around the whole day.  What a little pip squeak?!

Brent fixed a really good salad for dinner.  He and Sara both called it a Buddha bowl.  I don’t know why, but is surely was good.  He made a homemade dressing for it that was different.  He is so creative!  I ask him if he wanted to come to Yuma to be our full-time cook, but he didn’t take me up on it!  Drats!

January 26, 2016—Brent’s in Brandon, Mississippi

Happy Birthday, Lori!  Bill ask me this morning how it felt to have a 50 year old daughter, and before I could answer, he called me an old woman.  I don’t mind at all having a 50 year old daughter, but having an old geezer call me old hurt to the quick!

We took Willie to the vet this morning.  It was cold and raining so we didn’t go anywhere else.  We were glad to get back to a warm, cozy house.

Most of the rest of the day was spent wrapped in a warm blanket.  Not very productive, but I was nice and warm.

January 25, 2016—Brent’s in Brandon, Mississippi

After spending most of the night awake with an intestinal upset, I was really draggy this morning.  I was drained, both literally and figuratively!  Oh, my!  That was a crappy joke to start the day, eh?

I rested most of the day and felt much better tonight.  I haven’t eaten very much today, but what I did take in didn’t cause stomach cramps.  Things must be on the mend.

It wasn’t as cold today as it has been, but according to the best guess of the weatherman, that is suppose to change tomorrow.  We’ll see if he gets it right!  His percentage of correctness has been fairly high lately.

There is a lot of road construction going on in the area of Brandon and Flowood now.  It is making for some miserable commuting.  And there is a new road that was being cut through to the airport.  Work on it has completely stopped.  I ask why work has stopped on it.  The answer was, “They ran out of money.”  Things seem to be the same all over, eh?

Brent cooked an excellent dinner.  He made cauliflower with cheese, and baked acorn squash, which was exceptionally good.  He grilled steak wrapped in bacon, which was also very good.  Brent is an exceptionally good cook!  Courtney is usually cooking right beside him, but she had to do lab work at the Medical School today, so he did all the cooking while Courtney took care of some tax stuff

January 24, 2016—Brent’s in Brandon, Mississippi

The day started off great.  I slept late.  Actually, I kept waking up and instead of getting up, I would just go back to sleep…several times.

The next great thing to start this day off was biscuits and gravy.  Brent makes really good biscuits and sausage gravy.  It was yummy and my tummy was very, very happy.

The next wonderful thing to happen today was for the Broncos to win their playoff game and assure their spot in the Super Bowl.

We decided to go to El Sombrero for dinner.  I have been hungry for Mexican food and it was a good choice of a place to eat on a cold winter night.  The food was very good, but the noise level was much too high for me.

January 23, 2016—Brent’s in Brandon, Mississippi

 At noon, we sat off on a shopping trip.  But before we could actually hit the stores, we decided lunch was in order.

Sara and Brent had talked about a place called Tropical Smoothie Cafe.  Not only did they make great smoothies, but they made really good wraps.  I got a mango pineapple smoothie, but ate part of Brent and Sara’s chicken wraps. 

With happy tummies, we went to the Outlet Mall in Pearl.  My main goal was to buy a pair of tennis shoes.  I tried on several brands at three different stores and finally found some comfortable Adidas’.  I’ve never worn that brand, so we’ll see how they work for me.  The kids each bought several things, and so did Courtney. 

Brent was the only one who came home empty handed.  His main job today was to keep me upright and he did a wonderful job.

Before returning home, we stopped at Penney’s in Flowood.  I needed some warmer turtleneck sweaters.  I only brought one, in anticipation of a warmer climate.  Wrong!

For dinner, Brent made butternut squash soup.  It was really good.  I even had seconds.  He also served grilled cheese and bacon sandwiches.  Once again we had happy tummies!

We played Sequence, a board game of Coleson’s choice.  Guess who won?  Coleson!

January 22, 2016—Brent’s in Brandon, Mississippi

It was very cold this morning.  And a strong wind was blowing, making it even colder.  And before we left on errands, the rain had basically turned to snow…some tiny, but other’s were big and fluffy flakes.

After doing some cleaning in Sara’s/my room and gathering my dirty clothes, Brent and I set off on some errands.  I had a Rx at Walmart and I needed it today.  After that we went to get Coleson some lunch and took it to school. 

We decided if it was lunch time for Coleson it must be for us, too.  We went to a new Greek restaurant.  Brent had a gyro and I had a small cup of corn, crab, and, clam bisque.  It was really good on such a cold day.

Brent went to Kroger for groceries while I stayed in the car.  My legs have been really weak for a couple of days.  I’m not giving up, though.  I still have several airports to get through in a week or so.

The weatherman is calling for more snow tonight.  I hope he’s right.

January 21, 2016—Brent’s in Brandon, Mississippi

Courtney had a doctor’s appointment this morning, so she and Kathy left early to drive into Jackson.  Brent and I were going to drive in to meet them for lunch.

We got to the appointed place at 12:00.  The other two didn’t show up until 1:30.  Courtney’s appointment went on a lot longer than she had thought it would.  There were a lot of things he wanted to check, and she still has to go back tomorrow for a CAT scan.

While Brent and I waited, we rode around that part of Jackson.  We went to an area with many large older homes.  They were beautiful with very nice landscaping.  Then we went to an artists area with lots of little shops.  From there we went to a very rundown area with   crumbling houses and abandoned buildings.  It was only a few blocks from the State Capital.  That area of the city is being revitalized, although there are still lots of closed buildings.

We met Courtney and Kathy at The Pig and Pint, a barbecue place not far from the Medical School campus.  We ordered several things and shared.  Fried boudin balls are made with rice and sausage and served with smoked tomato ginger jam and pickles.  Next on the menu were pork belly corn dogs. Use your imagination!  Then we had pimento cheese made with smoked Vermont white cheddar and served with pork rinds.  We also sampled the ribs which were good, but not as good as Brent’s!  With the ribs were served with fried green tomatoes.

Most of it was good, but there was way too much food and we brought lots of it home.

Not long after getting back to Brent’s house, we had a thunder storm.  And then there was a tornado alert.  Since it is hard for me to hurry anywhere, Brent fixed me a chair in his closet.  I stayed there for about 40 minutes, but then was able to come out.  The storm had passed to the south of his house!

January 20, 2016—Brent’s in Brandon, Mississippi

This morning I was up and ready to go at a descent hour.  Yippy, Skippy! 

Brent and I went to Walmart to turn in a prescription for me.  I did very well with my cane and a shopping cart to hang on for safety.  Brent keeps fairly good track of me.  He hasn’t had to cal me on his cell phone to track me down like Bill has to from time to time.

We went to lunch at Fannin Mart Restaurant.  They have really good Southern cooking.  We both ordered fried chicken, which had a different kind of coating than most fried chicken.  Their gravy on the mash potates was really good, too.  Yum, yum!  We left with happy tummies.

Before log, we were back at Brent’s house.  I was thinking it was time for a nap.  Willie was thinking it was time for a walk.  We both got what we wanted!

Courtney’s mother, Kathy, came to bring Courtney a car. She is will be taking a four wheel drive Subaru to Michigan when she goes up there for two years for a post doc fellowship.  Robyn and Wesley came for dinner, and as usual, we had an uproarious time.

January 19, 2016—Brent’s in Brandon, Mississippi

I got a lot of extra rest today…translate that to mean I was lazy.

Brent and I went to the grocery store late this afternoon.  I was walking better than usual.  It was good to be out and about.  I’ll have to try that more often!

We went to Robyn and Wesley’s for dinner.  Again, I walked all the way to their house.  They live two houses to the northwest.  Mr. Bill, next door has a big yard, but it isn’t far to Robyn and Wesley’s.

We had chicken and dumplings, black eyed peas, and cornbread, plus home baked cookies for desert.  It was all really good, but being with friends was the best.  That is always the way it is!

It is cold here.  I’m glad Brent has a good furnace.  Sounds as if we are going to need it.

January 18, 2016—Brent’s in Brandon, Mississippi

We were a little late getting started this morning.  After getting Coleson and Sara from their Mom’s, we were going shopping at a store called “Shades.”  They had lots of sunglasses as well as all kinds of shirts and shorts.  And a lot of the clothes were 75% off. 

Without a doubt, and no surprise to any of us, but Sara was our champion shopper.  She loves pretty clothes and has a good sense of colors and styles that go well together.  I don’t know who came in second in thee shopping race, but I do know who was in last place…me!  I bought one long sleeved t-shirt.

We ate lunch at Newt’s.  I had chili, which was very good and great on a cool day like today.  When we got home, we napped and dozed.  The rest of the day was a lot of laziness.

January 17, 2016—Brent’s in Brandon, Mississippi

Happy Birthday, Bill!  I won’t tell you how old he is, but if you guess his early 60s, you’ll be close! 

We watched the Seahawks game for the playoffs.  It didn’t go well for Seattle in the first half.  The second half was better, but it was too little too late.  Brent was disappointed and so was I.  Now the team won’t be in this year’s Super Bowl…but the Bronco’s might be.  They won their game today.

While the Broncos were playing, I kept falling asleep.  It isn’t that I’m not a good fan…I am still tired from my crazy two day flight from Yuma to Mississippi.

Tonight, was the “Annual Liver and Onions Party” that Brent hosts whenever I am here.  Bill wasn’t here for this one, but he usually is.  We called him and all of us sang “Happy Birthday” to him.  I know he was really impressed!  Too bad Brent’s sisters weren’t here to enjoy the feast and fun!

It sounds as if he had a fun trip into Mexico to cache and eat.  I am glad to report that I didn’t a call from the Border Patrol.  When he is south of the border with Dwight and Sheila, you never know what might happen.  How do I know?  I’m the voice of experience where this gang is concerned!

Only part of the group was here tonight…Wesley, Robin, and Amy, plus Brent, Courtney, and me.  We all had a good time.  As usual, it got very noisy.  

January 16, 2016—Brandon, Mississippi

Today was spent resting.  I am feeling much better than yesterday.  It was such a lazy day there isn’t much to write about.  Maybe tomorrow will show even more improvement.

January 15-16, 2016---Dallas ro Brent's house.

I was so tired from “flapping my wings” half way across the country that I blanked out on my blog last night.  But I made it to Brent’s and he and Courtney are taking good care of me.  Its been a tough job so far, but they haven’t kicked me out in the street yet.  And Willie is helping, too!

January 14, 2016—An RV lot in Yuma, Arizona

Two hours before leaving for the airport this morning, I got a call that my flight had been canceled and my trip would have to be delayed until tomorrow.  Oh, no!  We immediately left for the airport to discuss the situation with American Airlines.

And discuss it we did…for an hour and a half.  I put my “little old gray haired lady” mode in place and persevered.  We finally got it all settled.  My flight didn’t leave for two hours so Bill took me to In-N-Out to sooth my jangled nerves.  Such a good guy!

I finally made it to Phoenix.  I didn’t have to wait to long for my plane to Dallas, but once we left the gate, after hearing some scraping noises, we sat on the tarmac for about 30 minutes.  There was an electrical problem that couldn’t be fixed remotely so we had to go back to the terminal to get some “real” help.

Twenty minutes later we were on our way to Dallas.  It was a bumpy ride but we got there in one piece.  That was the good part.  The not so good part was that I missed my connecting flight to Jackson.

American Airlines got me a room at the Wingate.  And vouchers for dinner and breakfast.  I was too tired to use the dinner ticket.  We’ll see about breakfast.

January 13, 2016—An RV lot in Yuma, Arizona

Happy Birthday, Dwaine!   Hope you had a wonderful day!

Today I made up for yesterday.  I got a whole lot done.  While Bill went for an early morning power walk, I got dressed.  We had big plans for breakfast.

For those of you who may remember some of my blog activities from a couple of years ago, we would go to LaMesa RV in Quartzite for free pancake breakfasts.  They also do the same thing at LaMesa RV here in Yuma.  This morning, we decided to go for pancakes, served Monday through Saturday…except today, because they were having an RV Show.  Wouldn’t you know it?

Our second choice was biscuits and gravy at Cracker Barrel.  We have eaten biscuits and gravy at other CBs and have enjoyed it.  Not today!  These were sub standard.  Now we know what to avoid at Yuma Cracker Barrel.

Once back at the “old homestead,” we were working on packing chores.  Dwight and Sheila came to visit and wish me a safe journey.  We talked a lot about some of their geocaching adventures.  They had lots to tell.

Late this afternoon, we walked to Todd and Bonnie’s house to get Todd’s walker.  I will take it to Mississippi with me tomorrow.  I plan to ship it all the way through to Jackson.  I‘ll need it while I am  there, but not on the plane.

Tomorrow will be an adventure and I’m really excited about going.

January 12, 2016—An RV lot in Yuma, Arizona

Today has been very busy…packing, etc.  I stayed up late last night to get some things taken care of.  As a result, I am extra tired tonight and will make this a short blog and try to get to bed a little earlier.

I did go around a long block this morning, a bit faster than my normal pace.  And I did it without stopping for a rest break.  It was a bright sunny day, although kind of windy.

I still have some packing to do in the morning so I will say “good night.”

January 11, 2016—An RV lot in Yuma, Arizona

Even though I had a lot to do today, I had a hard time getting going.  I was in slow motion.  I was able to get some of my caching records partially caught up, but not the Internet part.  That’s on the back burner for now.  Although I would like to have more “finds” to “log,” I guess it is a good thing that part of our lives isn’t going along as fast as it once did.

We met Sheila, Dwight, Bonnie, and Todd at In-N-Out for an early supper.  It may be my last time to eat there until after I get back from my trip to Brent’s. 

There are a number of In-N-Outs in the Dallas area, but I seriously doubt there is one at the airport.  Even if there were, I will be using a wheelchair to get around the terminal and it might not be a good time to add to my “list” of favorite places to eat.  Hm-m-m-m!  If the occasion should present itself, however, I might have to rethink it for the sake of my “list.”

I spent some time on the phone with Jo, our RVing friend who went to the Lone Pine Film Festival with us one year.  She is also one of our main “viewer friends” of Zorro.

I called Sally who lives in Springfield, Oregon.  She has known JP since he was about two.  She wanted a report on his and Rosy’s wedding in August.  I was very glad to tell her what a very special occasion it was.

We watched the National Football Championship Game between Clemson and Alabama.  I was really, really hoping Clemson would win, but, alas, they didn’t. They gave it “the Old college try,” but came up short by five points.  It was a very good game!

January 10, 2016—An RV lot in Yuma, Arizona

We went to the monthly breakfast meeting of the area geocaching association.  The breakfast buffet was good as usual…bacon, sausage, potatoes, eggs, biscuits, gravy, pancakes, and a huge plate of chopped fresh fruit.

The group is putting on a Mega Geocaching Event the first weekend of February.  This is the fifth or sixth large event for this area.  It is a lot of work and requires a lot of volunteers.  I will be in Mississippi during the event, but Bill will represent the Wanderdanes (that’s our geo name).

Afterwards, we found three caches with only one DNF.  It was nice weather to be out and about.  Before going back home, we stopped at Walmart for an Rx for me.

As soon as I got in the house, I lay down, covered with my white fluffy blanket and napped for two hours.  I was really tired from all of the morning’s activities. 

I had planned to work on our caching records, but basically I just sat snuggled up with Bill and watched a football game.  It was a good game between the Washington Redskins and the Green Bay Packers, who were able to defeat Washington. 

I thought it was a good game, but I doubt the Redskins would agree with me.  I think they were predicted to have a slight advantage.  Oh, well!  You win some, you lose some, and some get rained out!  Oh, I guess that is in baseball.  It poured in one of the football games yesterday and they didn’t pause!

January 9, 2016—An RV lot in Yuma, Arizona

While Bill and Todd went to a car show at the Fairgrounds, I stayed home.  I got a little “uncluttering” taken care of, I rested, and I made a couple of phone calls that were long overdue…one to Debbie, in Mississippi, to let her know I would see her in a few days.  She reads my Blog so she already knew I would soon be on my way. 

I also called Janna, Bill’s niece who lives in the Houston area.  We had a lot of family news to catch up on.  Hopefully, we will get by to see her later in the spring.

We spent most of the rest of the day watching football playoff games.  The first game was rather “ho hum.”  I hoped the Texans would win.  They were considered the underdogs, I think.  Unfortunately, they came up with the short end of the stick.  Kansas City Chiefs will go on to the next level.

The late game between the Bengals and the Steelers was a different matter.  They have a rivalry that brought a lot of conflict to the game.  The teams had played each other earlier this season and “conflict” would be putting it mildly. 

They played most of the game in the pouring rain.  I am sure that didn’t help the situation any, but the players on both teams were acting like spoiled little boys.  I always thought stomping around in the rain made little boys happy.  Not today!  There were numerous confrontations.  As a Kindergarten teacher, I thought several of them needed time out. 

The “naughtyness” got worse at the end of the game.  The Bengals were ahead by two with just a couple of minutes left.  So what did they do?  They caused a ruckus…twice…and were penalized, putting the Steelers in field goal range.  Guess what?  Their young kicker nailed it and they won by one point.  Wow!  What a finish!  I am not a Steelers fan, but the Bengals beat themselves.  Both teams need a good dose of anger management before they meet next year!

January 8, 2016—An RV lot in Yuma, Arizona

Late this morning, Bill and I went for a short walk half way around  the block to check out a construction site.  Bill had heard hammering when he was cleaning the top of the motor and he wanted to see what was going on.  And he calls me snoopy!

At 12:00, we met Bonnie, Todd, and Donnie at Peter Piper Pizza for lunch.  We had special coupons for half off their lunch buffet.  As buffets go, it wasn’t a huge selection, but their pizza was good, and one of their salads was especially good, made with dried cranberries and mandarin orange slices.  Their dessert pizza was like apple pie with a crumbly crust.  None of us went away hungry, for sure.

Back at the MH, I had time for a nap before I went to get a haircut.  After a short stop at Bonnie’s to get some bracelets, we went home to continue “home” chores.

January 7, 2016—An RV lot in Yuma, Arizona

Bill and I attempted a walk this morning.  The wind was blowing harder than we had anticipated.  After a block, we made a u-turn and went back home.  Before we reached the MH, rain started to fall.  And we were even colder. 

Overcast skies, a cold wind, and moisture falling.  It felt like winter.  Bill even said it felt like it might snow.  That would have been a bit too much for the Old Man!

I remember the first snowman JP built.  It was in the driveway of our new house in Gearhart.  It stood about two feet tall and had the skinniest twig arms I’ve ever seen on a snowman.  The picture of JP and Lori shows how very proud they were of their efforts.

I made an appointment to get my haircut tomorrow.  We also went to Dollar Tree.  That’s one of my favorite places to wander around in…that and Habitat Thrift Store in Loveland.  I really have high expectation of my shopping expeditions, eh?

After lunch at Taco Bell, we went home for naps.  That’s one of my favorite parts of the day!

January 6, 2016—An RV lot in Yuma, Arizona

I can’t tell you what time the rain stopped during the night, because I was asleep. I can tell you we woke up to clear blue skies and fresh clean air…no dust!

Meredith called to say Joey had to go to the Vet this morning.  He had an ear that was infected and was getting worse.  He is on some strong medicine and was sleeping after they got home.  Luckily, Michelle was able to get Hapa while the Vet thing was going on.  She spent the day tending to Tippy instead of Joey.  I think Joey was the winner, “paws down,” on that one!

Todd couldn’t walk because his hip was sore.  I guess we ran him through too many paces yesterday and wore the poor old fellow out.  Bill and I decided to get our walk in at Walmart. 

We picked out a back pack for me to take to Mississippi.  Then Bill went grocery shopping while I went to the pharmacy area to get some traveling supplies.  Now I need to change from the purse to the back pack.  That may take some doing as I haven’t cleaned my purse out for some time.

We went to Arby’s for lunch.  We both like their food, and if you don’t want fried food, you have other choices.  The Arby’s here doesn’t seem like a fast food place, probably because it seems quieter.  Its location doesn’t attract teenagers and there are very few children of any age.  Just geezers, although sometimes they are like kids.  We find it a rather relaxing place to be.

Once back at home, it was nap time.  Ah-h-h-h-h!  It was a nice evening.  We even had company, which doesn’t happen often.  Donnie, Todd and Bonnie’s younger son, came to look at our catalytic heater…the one Natalia calls our fireplace.  They are looking at getting a different one and knew we really like ours.

By the time bedtime got here it was raining.  This was certainly a different kind of day!

January 5, 2016—An RV lot in Yuma, Arizona

It was overcast this morning when we set off on a walk with Todd and both dogs.  Bill takes Maggie’s leash.  She walks fairly well for him.  Lexie, on the other hand, pulls on her leash with all her six pounds of might.  She puts it in “four paw drive” and gives it her best.  Todd hooked her to my walker one morning and it didn’t come to a very happy conclusion.  She could pull much harder than I could resist.  There is a lot of power in that tiny little body.

When we were almost back home, moisture began to fall.  It was a very fine mist.  In Oregon, we called it sea dust.  It always felt so good on our faces then and it did today, too.  If the drops of rain were a bit bigger, we called it “mizzle," a combination between mist and drizzle.  And now you have had your weather vocabulary lesson for the day.  Don’t expect much more tomorrow!  Remember, I never did get out of Kindergarten!

At 12:30, we went to fetch Todd to go to In-N-Out for lunch.  Bonnie and Donnie were involved in other activities, so it was just the three of us.  Afterwards, we went geocaching.  We had looked for one of them before, but needed Todd’s help.  He said he had to look for it four times before he found it, and then when he looked at his records, he hadn’t claimed it. 

The second one, we had tried before, also.  We couldn’t even find the road to get close to the cache.  We relied on Todd to know the way without going onto private property.  I stayed in the car, because the path was very weedy and rough looking.  But my cane went…with Todd.  So I was well represented!

At suppertime, the rain had started in earnest and continued past bedtime!

January 4, 2016—An RV lot in Yuma, Arizona

We woke up to the sound of rain on the roof this morning.  It was a pleasant sound…one we don’t often here in Arizona.  It rained off and on most of the day.  I don’t think there was much accumulation, at least not in this part of town.

We didn’t go anywhere all day.  I seldom get an entire day at home.  I made good use of my time.  I opened a huge amount of mail that Michelle had sent to us.  Other than some things for 2015 Income Tax filing, there wasn’t much of any importance.  The taxes will have to wait until I get back from Mississippi.  It is nice to have all of that sorted and some of it filed where it belongs.  That’s different, eh?

You know that I have been concerned about my diminishing brain power.  I found some information that was some comfort to me.  Brains of older people are slow because they know so much. People do not decline mentally with age, it just takes them longer to recall facts because they have more information in their brains, scientists believe. Much like a computer struggles as the hard drive gets full, so too, do humans take longer to access information when their brains are full.

Researchers say this slowing down process is not the same as cognitive decline. The human brain works slower in old age, but only because we have stored more information over time. The brains of older people do not get weak. On the contrary, they simply know more. Also, older people often go to another room to get something and when they get there, they stand there wondering what they came for. It is NOT a memory problem, it is nature's way of making older people get more exercise.  This is my theory and I’m sticking to it.

January 3, 2016—An RV lot in Yuma, Arizona

Cowboy Country Church was great this morning.  Several people sang and one played his guitar and sang.  He had a very deep voice and a bushy beard that made him look kind of like a “desert rat.”  A man joined Jack and Armond on stage with his steel guitar.  It made for an interesting combination.

We went to Panda Express for lunch.  There were six of us there.  Of course, the food was really good, but I wasn’t able to eat very much.  It was just one of those days!

We got home in time to watch the Broncos play San Diego.  It was an OK game.  Denver won, giving them a spot in the playoff games.  My personal feeling is that they are going to need to improve their game quite a bit in order to make it to the Super Bowl.  I’m still a true orange and blue Bronco fan, but that doesn’t keep me from making an honest appraisal of the team.

I had some chores to do, but didn’t even attempt to start them.  In other words, I was a lazy bum for most of the day.

January 2, 2016—An RV lot in Yuma, Arizona

Today was just about opposite of yesterday.  Things went downhill.  On our walk around a long block, I began to wonder if I would make it back to the MH.  I was dragging my feet and kind of stumbling along.  I had no energy.

When we finally made it around the block, I was really tired.  I rested for about 30 minutes, but didn’t take a nap.  We wanted to go to the Flea Market.  We stayed there for over three hours.  That was way too long for me.  I did stop to rest and listen to a musician a couple of times.

There is a card vendor there, and I like to get spare birthday cards.  Birth dates tend to sneak up on me and I never know if we will be in an area of availability when the times.  In some ways, I do try to keep on top of things.  It doesn’t always work, but I do try.

We got home in time to watch the Ducks play TCU in the Alamo Bowl.  The first half “belonged” to Oregon, with a score of 31-0 at half time.  The second half was exactly opposite.  The final score in regulation time was tied.  After three overtimes, TCU came out the winner.  I was in shock!  It was a bitter disappointment.  But I’m still a Duck fan and am looking forward to next season.

January 1, 2016—An RV lot in Yuma, Arizona

Happy New Year, everyone!  We are looking forward to a year of continued improvement.  It has been a long slow process, but when we compare January 1, 2015 to today we can certainly see a lot of progress.  There’s still quite a ways to go, but we are encouraged.

I had a good night’s sleep last night and felt good, so I ask Bill if he would like for me to make him an omelet for breakfast.  He quickly accepted my offer.  It has been well over a year (maybe two), since I have been moved to such domesticity.  I am sure it won’t happen again in this decade, if ever.

Although Bill said he really liked it, I think his taste buds are way out of whack and he was trying to encourage me.  I, however, realized my current limitations and won’t soon forget the experience.  I used a skillet that was too small and the three little eggs turned tough and leathery.  I didn’t know if I wanted to re-sole my tennis shoes or add another row of bricks to our patio.  Oh, my goodness!  Every time I apologized for my lame efforts, Bill scolded me.  Finally he showed me that he was a member of the clean plate club, which I was not, so that was the end of the discussion.  It was so sad it was just plain old funny!

We walked with Todd and Lexie this morning, even stopping at a garage sale along the way.  That was a treat for me, although I wasn’t even remotely tempted to purchase anything, from 10 cent paperback books to an $11,000.00 off road vehicle…er, fun machine!

Back at home, we watched a football game and a movie…a Western of course, and napped.  I wanted to go to In-N-Out for supper.  It seemed like a good way to start 2016.  And I wasn’t even tempted to cook anything.  I am positive I could make a disaster of a PNB sandwich.

Bill found this little story on the RV Forum which he checks daily.  I thought you might enjoy it…2016 Seenager Thoughts to Ponder

I am a Seenager. (Senior teenager) I have everything that I wanted as a teenager, only 60 years later. I don't have to go to school or work. I get an allowance every month. I have my own pad. I don't have a curfew. I have a driver's license and my own car. I have ID that gets me into bars and the whiskey store. The people I hang around with are not scared of getting pregnant. And I don't have acne. Life is Good!

Happy New Year!