Summer has arrived with a vengeance

Well at least it is DRY HEAT!  Temperature is 105 feels "like temperature" 101. Like that really makes a difference. Tomorrow it is supposed to cool down - to the high 90's - goody. 

Needless to say no walking - at seven o'clock in the morning it is already 78. So these are pictures from our last walk a couple of weeks ago. Was told this is a green heron. Too far away to get a good picture. 

One of the information signs that was destroyed in last years big fire. The other two sides are fine. The park has built wooden fences all around this walking area, looks really nice. Now just fix the sign. 

Another new sign about the flow of water in the Vegas basin. 85% of the water used in buildings - homes, business etc. is collected, cleaned and returned to Lake Mead. And it flows right down here through the park. 

And this is part of it. A small glimpse of the new fencing. 

Nice view why we love to walk out here. 

It was such a pretty tree. Completely destroyed by the fire last year. 

We got in our first 50 miles of this year, so waiting for our reward. But will probably drive over to the Nature Center to pick it up. Sure hope it cools down one of these weeks before summer really arrives.

I finally finished the quilt. It is about 40 x 40 inches, so not a big one. Just really tricky to put together. 

The back of it. I didn't quilt the whole thing like I usually do, just tacked it enough to keep batting from moving. 

Used a little flower design that is on my embroidery machine to do it. 

This month of May doesn't have any real decorations. I had made these pillow covers when we lived in Indiana, so pulled them out. 

My Cinco de Mayo decorations for the month of May. 

Downloaded some clip art from computer and did this. Adds a little color to room. 

Nothing too exciting going on with us. Have a few weeks with nothing important to go to. Relaxing and enjoying it. 

The jasmine was blooming like crazy this year. The whole house smelled good. Too bad it doesn't last long and only blooms once a year. 

The sewer construction continues behind us. They are actually working quite a ways from us, but every truck that comes and goes - has to come in the gate right behind us. Also that area is used to store things. Like piles of rocks and big metal things...

Son texted, he is sending his cleaning ladies today. Just in time. I was getting ready to vacuum and mop. Doing either of those just wears me out lately. Bill cooked me Mother's Day dinner. Chicken piccata, mashed potatoes and salad. Delicious. 

Things are settling down.

Boy have a lot to catch up on. First our youngest son invited us to the grand opening of his new business. It is a business that sells kitchen cabinets, countertops and flooring to contractors. He is on the right, his partner on the left and the lady in the middle is from the governor's office. Presenting them with a certificate for opening a new business that will provide several jobs for the community. 

Then back to the vehicle saga. As of now all vehicles are running, smogged and registered. Big Thank Goodness. This is the mechanic, with Bill's guidance, putting a new fuel pump in the Mustang. And he took it to get good gas in it. He is coming back either this or next weekend to give the poor old thing - the car, not Bill - it is a 1998 a tune up. Mechanic also took it through a drive cycle to reset all the codes. When we put the new battery in the codes went off.  So it was ready to smog. EXCEPT the next day when son came over to smog the RV it wouldn't start. Cables weren't long enough to jump it. So he took the battery out of the Mustang and used it to start the RV. Then he put it back in Mustang. He and his friend then took RV for long ride to reset all its codes. This was a Sunday and by the time it had driven enough no smog places were open.  He said he'd be back the next morning and take it. He was, he did and it passed smog. Then not thinking I took the mustang in to be smogged - it FAILED! Why? because the battery had been removed and all the codes needed to be reset. Many dirty words. The paper work from the DMV said that there were certain garages that were certified by the state to reset codes. And one garage was near us. I'm thinking, they have a machine approved by DMV to reset codes. So I called them asked them if they did drive cycle resets. Oh yes, $250. What. He says I have to take one mechanic off the floor for three to four hours to drive your car around to reset the codes. You don't have a machine that does it? No ma'am - and you could just drive it around yourself to do it. (He is probably still laughing at me.) Well nuts, so I called my son and asked him  to send someone over to drive it around. He did. Smogged it the next day and it is also registered. A drive cycle is " cold start, 30 minutes of 55 mph highway driving, 20 minutes of city driving 30 - 30 mph and specific accelerations/decelerations.) We learn something every day.

Bill has been doing pretty good lately. And has been cooking up a storm. Here he is making a batch of apple bunuelos - kind of like apple fritters. He is wearing his Panchos apron.

He made a big batch, we freeze them. Only take seconds in microwave and a sprinkle of sugar. Yummy!

And yesterday he's at it again. Fixing chicken millensea. We buy the thin cut chicken breast. He breads it with his secret recipe and cooks it in hot oil. (He puts aluminum foil down over stove top to cut down on clean up.)

Pile of breaded chicken waiting to be cooked. 

Cooking it, again YUM. 

We freeze it and use it when we want. And he does all the cleaning up. I put everything in freezer bags.

The Sphere after the moon traverse. 

My friend and I have managed to get in a few walks in the Wetlands. This is a spider web. See the trap door in the middle. 

Some of the fire areas are starting to get green again. This bush is coming back from the roots. 

It has pretty little flowers on it. 

Last I heard a couple of years ago there are 84 beavers here in the park. Looks like they were trying to take this tree down. Now there is wire fencing around it.

This tree stump reminded me of ET - can you see his head? Got to move your head a little sideways.

Another tree the beavers have been working one. 

A couple of geese out for a stroll. Funny to see them walking with no water around them. 

The next time we walked they were at a pond. Today they were in the river. They should have headed north by now. 

Today and tomorrow it will be HOT out. Up in the 90's tomorrow, then another few cool low 70's day next week. Then summer starts. 

I'm still working on the quilt, it is almost done, just needs the hand work on the binding.  Then I'm thinking about making some Cinco de Mayo decorations. We went to see our primary doctor this week. We seem to be doing okay for our ages. Next week Bill has his echocardiogram and first of June his heart monitor. Got lab work results today E Coli is gone. 

Busy busy week

Hum I just read this online. "Green eyes are among the rarest, found in less than 2% of people worldwide.

Their color isn’t from green pigment, but from how light interacts with low melanin, giving them that unique, shifting, almost chameleon-like look. Appearing more, blue, more gray or more green depending on the weather, clothing or moods." For years - well I guess always, my eyes change color. When the kids were young, and to this day, the more upset or mad I am the greener my eyes get. A warning to leave me alone. Bill knows that too. When they're blue it is usually an okay day. When they are grayish I might not be feeling good.

This is pretty.

Last week was a full week, with lots of unexpected and planned things. I think I already mentioned we had lab work done on Tuesday morning and in the afternoon I went to dermatologist to have rest of cancerous mole removed. On Wednesday Bill went to cardiologist. On the way there the Jeep started binging! Looked down and heat needle was at red line. Only three blocks to doctor so got there. Hoping it would cool down before we were ready to leave. After appointment - doc wants a couple of tests to verify AFib. He prescribed Eliquis to help prevent stroke. (more on that later.) Jeep had cooled down. But about a mile away started to heat up quickly. Pulled into a gas station and put water in.  Got started again, but only for a few more miles. Really heating up, so pulled in small business  plaza. Called AAA -we would need a flatbed truck. It was about 3 o'clock when call went in. In the meantime it was 93 degrees out so I called our son to ask if he or his friend could come get us so we could follow tow truck and bring us home. Thank goodness he came and we could wait in his car. The tow truck didn't get there until 6:20. We didn't get home until 6:45, Long story short, needed a new thermostat and of course a couple more things. $$$$. 

So on Thursday we took Uber to Bill's retina (eye shot) doctor. We mentioned to him that he would be starting Eliquis. Doctor told Bill that taking Eliquis could cause bleeding in eye. Then he said Bill needed to speak to his heart doctor about it again. Bill says he would rather have stroke than go blind. So we will wait until after heart testing is finished because he has not officially been diagnosed with AFib. If he really does have AFib...

That day when we got home our lab work was available to look over. Well mine showed I had a high count E Coli infection. How lovely, so left message to primary doctor asking what to do. Two hours later the pharmacy called that I had a prescription to pick up. So we took Uber over to AAA to get the Jeep and I also went to their Kiosk to get a duplicate registration sticker for the Jeep. The original disappeared somewhere between post office and our mailbox. Also went to bank which is in same area and turned in the rest of our Pesos for dollars. And picked up my pills. 

Friday Bill went out to start my car, the mustang, of course it wouldn't start. Tried too but just couldn't. And we had already bought a new battery for it. Called mobile mechanic. Checked things out - well it's the fuel pump, engine isn't getting gas.Yesterday he got the fuel pump in and it now runs. But he first thing we need to do is get some NEW gasoline in  it and add fuel additive. It has about two weeks before it had to be smogged. Still have to get the RV up and running and I might - hope not - have to drive it to get smogged and registered by next Tuesday.

I like this one colorful

We have Dish TV who is having a contract problem with my favorite local news station, been going on for over a month.  So yesterday got an Over The Air TV antenna. Got it installed last night so got to watch my local news this morning. Yah. While watching I put together the backing for the new quilty. Now just have to quilt it. We also just ordered Starlink for Internet. Kind of spur of the moment decision. Don't get it installed until end of next week. Way cheaper than internet we have now. And a special was running Equipment is free, and no rental charge. Dish has some special deal with Starlink.

Have up my Easter decorations for whole month of April. Spruces up the house for a month. Next month holiday is Cinco de Mayo. Need to think about what I can use. 

This is the one with the upside down hat.  Funny how you don't notice things until you have finished them. 

I did these sun catchers a very long time ago. 

So that is our last week or so. Maybe that is why I ate all the brownies and cookies I baked in short order.