Change in the weather

We re going to have a big change in the weather starting tomorrow. Much, much cooler and rain.

Looking kind of south west, lots of clouds coming in.

 Looking east over the desert even more. 

I am really looking forward to the cooler weather. Tired of hearing the AC running all the time. And the rain should wash a lot of the dust off the plants. 
Things have been changing since my last post. Paid the contractor minus the $31 stop payment charge.
Have managed to set up the automatic payment for our rent check and according to the office everything, including the RV space rent, will be included in the bill. Will know by November 2nd I guess.
We have ordered the Dish TV boxes/receivers for the RV. Should get them by the end of this week. Also went to the Winegard satellite site and it doesn't sound too hard to change the satellites from Direct to Dish. [I hope.] And according to the Dish people I'll be able to install and activate the new receivers. However - every time we change locations in the RV I'll have to either call Dish or go to the App? on my phone and change our location so we can get the local channels. Should be fun.
Still have not heard from the Doctor's office about scheduling new appointments now that the blood work is done. However did have to get a hold of the cardiologists office -for what was in my mind an emergency. Finally got to talk to someone who would get a hold of the doctor's nurse and have her call me right back. The pill Bill was put on after the stents was causing a terrible reaction. He literally could not walk four feet without holding on to something. He could barely speak - extreme weakness and fatigue. Nurse called me back, got my panicked information and went to talk to the doctor. [By then I was ready to call 911.] Doctor immediately changed the meds. Told me to not let him take the evening med and they sent a new prescription to the drug store. He was to start it the next day. Well that was 2 1/2 days ago and today we went out to breakfast and to WalMart. He says he feels almost 100%. New pill is bothering him some but he can deal with it. Scary time. So tomorrow we expect - maybe- a call from his doctor. But won't hold my breath. 
With the Dish TV we were able to watch the soccer games from Spain Saturday. Barcelona didn't have a good game, playing a team on the bottom of the standings and only managed a draw. And today was a NASCAR race. 10 laps from the end my favorite driver got wrecked out. At least he is still okay in points and in the playoffs. 
The rooster is completely done. Here it is laying on the floor. When he feels better it is ready to be hung in the kitchen.

Sure was fun to do. Now I have no projects... Well except for installing the new Dish stuff.

Big change in weather.

My goodness are we ever going to have a weather change. Today and tomorrow it might reach 100 but then...

Bill is going to be freezing, might have to turn the furnace on on
Wednesday!

I wrote the rest of this Monday, posted it and then took it down. Now I'm going to edit it some. And add to it some. 

Ever have one of those days when nothing seems to go right or get finished. Or if it did go right and/or get finished you wonder if it was the right decision.

Bill felt a little better today so we set off on errands, breakfast first though.

We both have/had doctors appointments for the 25th of October, with blood work a week or so before. Have to keep the appointments or the doctor won't renew our prescriptions. Kind of got us over a barrel. So last Thursday I called the "scheduler" to see if I could change the appointments to sooner - because neither of us have refills left and we will be out of meds before appointment. Of course I got voice mail. "Leave your name, number, reason etc etc. We will return your call within one business day." Well it is Monday and I hadn't heard from anyone. Last time I tried to change an appointment by leaving a voice mail they not only didn't make a new one but also canceled the original one. Well didn't want that to happen again so we took a trip to the office and literally snuck into the area where the appointments are made. The clerk was not happy with us. But she did manage to change the blood work appointment - to this Wednesday - BUT - could not change the doctor appointments from Oct 25th to sooner. She "will call" us if she can change it...Yah sure, not holding  my breath. (Couldn't get into blood work appointment until 11:15 - of course it was fasting. I don't miss the food as much as the COFFEE. We made it okay though and went right out to breakfast.)

Got home and got a call from the contractor who put the new turbine fan on the garage. Seems they lost the check we'd paid them with, could I please replace it. And I can deduct the cost of the stop payment from the amount. You bet! Then I couldn't find the darn copy of the check so I'd know the number to make the stop payment. I knew I'd saved it but had put it in a different place then I thought I did. Finally found it, notified bank. on line. Don't know what it will cost yet. (Found out cost $31 - robbers)

Then got a letter from the place where we live. They are changing the method of payment for the land rent. For the last year it has been automatic and everything was working fine. So I went on line to set up the new payment and can't do it. Just get "404 error" when I try. So called office. "Oh well they must be updating system try in a couple of days." Bite tongue and put smile in my voice. "Please let someone know it isn't working as I need to get this set up before we leave for the winter." "Oh, okay, bye." (Finally got into the website and set up my account. But there is some confusion how they will bill us. We pay water as part of the bill but and amount changes every month, not sure if they are going to add that and our RV space rent or not. If not it will be a pain. So need clarification if any one in office can "find out". Also as of 1.1.19 rent is going up $28 a month. Where we live in manufactured home park we own the home but rent the land. The water bill comes from the whole park and is divided equally among the homes.)

And then we decided to change our TV provider as the one we've had for years no longer has a couple of channels we always watch. Especially the soccer channels. So tomorrow sometime between 8 and 12 the installer will be here. Then I'll have to call the old service and I imagine return all their stuff. And we will have to change the service on the RV too. But can't do that until after the house is activated. Then I read that the new service doesn't allow Distant Network Service [getting ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX channels] unless you have a separate account for the RV. AND - our satellite dome might not be able to be changed. (Dish service up and running in house, need to call still about the RV. Hard learning new channel numbers. Brain doesn't want to remember them. I printed up a big list of the most used channels so we can refer to it.)

But I did start to work on the applique on the rooster. Have that part done, working on quilting it. 

And that's our story for this week so far. To be continued...

Rooster saga almost done.

I have been out walking a few times this week. Should have gone this morning but didn't. Up to two miles now. Thank goodness nights and mornings have cooled off a lot. Still high 90's during the day but can stand that if it is nice when I get up. 
Just a cactus that looked pretty against the very blue sky. 

 They have been working hard and fast on the three new houses by us. Only need rocks and some landscaping and they'll be ready to sell. 

For the first time in many days there were a few clouds in the sky this morning. So we had somewhat of a pretty sunrise. But the clouds were too dense near the horizon for it to be really pretty. 

 Almost done with my rooster project. All the border, binding and the small pieces are done. Spent the morning stitching the edges of the pieces down. Had to get the directions for my sewing machine out to figure out how to change the tension. Using transparent thread for the stitching and it likes to break if now exactly right. 

 So this is how it looks now. Thinking about quilting the background before putting the rooster on it. Not sure what I'll do yet. 

This is the backing. I have the hanging tabs on it, so everything except the rooster and quilting - if I do it - is done. 

Last I wrote we'd been to the doctor and Bill got a new pill to take. Well he took it for two days...by yesterday he was so dizzy he couldn't stand up unless leaning on something. Checked his heart rate and it was 42! That is the last of that pill. Didn't take it this morning and he feels somewhat better. At least he can stand up and move around some. It is called Spironolactone or Aldactone. Will get a hold of doctor to see if there is something else he can take. The worse part is he felt really good and wasn't having any problems before the stupid stents.
Good day for NASCAR yesterday. My favorite driver started dead last and ended up winning the race. He has now won 50 Cup races so is 112th on the list of most races won and he is only 33.

Things looking up

It is finally cool enough to get out in the morning and do some walking. Or if you are Bill some cleaning of the cars. I've started out slowly, only walking about 1/2 hour - little over a mile. As the weather continues to cool I'll lengthen my time and distance slowly. I wonder if this is the bunny that was in our yard the other day. Saw him along my walk.

I put the pansy place mats on the table, they look okay from a distance. Now I'm trying to find artificial pansies for the vase. But guess it is the wrong time of the year. So far haven't been able to find any. Lots of mums and poinsettias though.

Hum...where will I put the rooster when I finally finish it? In the living room - move the painting up over the door and put the rooster where the painting is now.

Or over the door in the kitchen. Would go better here as there are other chickens in the kitchen.

But before I worry about where to put it I need to finish it. Found some wood plank design material for the borders. Then went though my "stash" and found some thing that I can use to back it. Still need to buy the batting. Now need to get "in the mood" to work on it again. 

Went to the cardiologist this afternoon. My blood pressure was down well within the good range and all my tests came back fine. So, "You're doing great. See you next year." was what I was told. I think I just quit stressing over every thing. Bill got a new prescription to help the heart muscle recover some and was told to enjoy Mexico and come back in the spring. So all in all a good visit. On the way home he asked if we should pick up the RV and get ready to leave. I don't think so...

We are still here

Not one of the best weeks we've had.
Work on the rooster is kind of at a standstill until I can get to a fabric store to find material I like for the border. And get some batting and material for the backing. The rooster still has to be attached to the backing. I managed to cut a little of the very top and bottom off when I took the picture. But basically this is what it will look like. Hopefully without the wrinkles. With the border it will be around 37 x 42 when finished. Still don't know where I'll put it.

Looked out the back door yesterday and saw him enjoying the sunshine. He is next to our shed right outside the kitchen window. First one I've seen in a long time.

Our flowers out in our front/side yard continue to grow and bloom. Before we leave we need to put the bougainvilleas on a trellis. We now have a gardener, he will come twice a month. Our sprinkler system was acting up - so the regulator had to be replaced. He also reset the timer and put it outside so he can change it over the winter while we are gone. My occotillo looks dead to me but he thinks it will be okay, was just getting too much water. 

Our yards look so nice now with the plants trimmed and all the crap from the wind picked up. 
Also our son sent a team of his ladies here to clean the house.When he called as asked me if I want them to come I of course said, "No my house is clean." NOT! They did an excellent job. 
I did something really stupid the other day. Decided to walk up to the mail box, about three short blocks away. Bill was asleep so I didn't want to go in the room to get my shoes. I figured I had on slippers so shouldn't make a difference. Bad idea. My slippers are just light weight slip ons with a very thin sole. My thoughts were " I won't be walking on any rocks, just smooth asphalt so should be okay." Didn't take into consideration that it was 102 out and the black asphalt gets very hot. By t he time I got to the mail and turned around the pads of my feet were getting sore. Couldn't do anything but continue on home. By the time I got home I had big blisters on the bottoms of both feet. Guess I didn't get wiser as I got older! They sure made walking uncomfortable for a few days. That was about four days ago and I can put on shoes comfortably again now. 
We haven't got out much as Bill is slowly recuperating. He has always had problems with general anesthetic. Remains in his system for a long time which causes other problems - not eating, not moving around, etc. Anyway he finally got almost to normal when he got a PAIN in his neck. Cannot turn his head, cannot sleep. So far nothing has helped it. We've tired bengay, aspercream with lidocane, hot moist towels, ice and pain patches. He had the same problem after his heart surgery years ago. At that time we had a very good friend who is a Healer. She came over, massaged his neck and the pain was gone. I might try to find a massage therapist here to see if that helps. I wrote this a couple of days ago. Finally the pain is almost gone - I think just time helped it. So he is feeling pretty good. Still gets tired but not like a week ago. He even cooked breakfast this morning. 
We both have appointments with the cardiologist this week. Bill says he refuses any more tests and no more doctors. I agree. Not sure what I'll find out as my BP remains high. Always something. 
Enough for now. Today is a NASCAR race day so will be occupied this afternoon, watching them go round and round. 

A good day all around,

Weather is beautiful - only in high 90's today and so far no wind or rain. 
And my chicken wire material finally got here. Now I have to decide how I'm going to finish it and what type of border I'm going to put on it. And, of course, buy the batting and enough material to back it. Then put it together.
Not sure about the border...I think I have enough of both of these materials to do the border, or I might go another way all together. 

No rush to finish it. 
So back to yesterday. Bill had to be at the hospital at 6 a.m. We were both up before 4:30...He was the first "procedure" of the day. By 8:30 the doctor came to tell me everything was fine and Bill did well. He even showed me pictures on his phone of the arteries before and after the stents. Before looked like a miserable almost dry river in the desert. After looked like a raging river after a big storm. Let me tell you those couple hours were really miserable. They keep those hospitals so cold...I couldn't even read my Nook I was shivering so bad! Oh, this is supposed to be about Bill isn't it? Okay. I got to go to him in recovery. Even colder there, he was covered with heated blankets - I was freezing. 
He was a little dopey at first. But came around quickly. By noon he was in a room and eating a little bit. They kept him overnight to make sure nothing was bothering him. 
I left him there about 3:00 in the afternoon. He wanted to sleep and I was cold and hungry. [Oh, he finally did get them to turn the thermostat in the room up to a livable temperature. Luckily the other guy in the room was cold too.
I was almost home when I got to the last major intersection where I would turn to our street. Traffic was backed up for a block or two. Even my left turn lane. It took three series of signals before I got to the intersection. About a block up I could see lots of red and blue flashing lights. When I listened to the news discovered 3 people were shot and one was dead. Happened about 1/2 hour before I got there. It isn't funny but that is a notorious intersection for shootings and the other day we'd been joking that it had been about six months since anyone was murdered there. Well not now. And people ask us if we aren't afraid to go to Mexico...No!
It was strange being home without Bill there. A couple of times I went to find him to tell him something I just thought of. 
Anyway. He is home now. Doctors discharged him  about 10:00 - it was 1:00 before all the paperwork etc was done and we could get out of there. They sent us home with 40 pieces of paper about senseless stuff. About two pages related to the surgery and new meds. Do you think he was anxious to leave.

I haven't figured out how to take good pics with the cell phone yet. But you get the idea. He finally threatened to leave without discharge papers. Only reason he did was I had the car keys. He has a couple of follow up appointments and that should be it. Right now he says after them he is never going to a doctor again. I don't blame him. 

He felt fine before I nagged him into taking the stress causing stress test. 
So now we have a couple of days of rest. No driving for him for 3 days and take it easy for 5. 
But I am glad it is done after seeing the pictures of the heart!!!

Labor Day

The weather is so nice, Four days in a row under 100, but going back up towards end of week. Kind of humid today as we might get some showers around the valley. Wouldn't mind getting a good rain, wash the dust off the plants. 
They continue to work every day on the houses across the street. Getting ready to put in a driveway for the last one in. Glad we didn't need to have the RV out front, barley room to drive a car between the trucks. 

Pouring the cement.. Soon they will deliver big piles of rocks for landscaping. Sure hope they put in a plant or two in the front. Just rock is so ugly.  The one on the right side of the foto is directly across the street from us. 

Still waiting for my chicken wire material, should be here Wednesday. Kind of think I might finish it something like this. And add a border of course. 

So nice to see the thermometer under 90 when we get up and staying under 100 all day. 

Bought some more empanada dough so sometime in the next week will make the rest of the empanadas that I have filling for. 
Yesterday while watching the LONG BORING race I finished the binding on my pansy place mats. I am not really pleased with them, didn't turn out the way I wanted them to..but I'll use them for the color. They are way out of shape. 

 The back of them.

Bill has to be at the hospital at 6 a.m. tomorrow, so it will probably be a long day. They will probably keep him overnight. Though I have to come home before it gets dark out as I cannot drive in the dark any more. Or rather I don't feel comfortable doing it - on coming lights blind me. 

This and That

The other day Bill and I were sitting in a restaurant watching all the people on their cell phones, most were playing games or fiddling with some social media. Also yesterday at the doctor's office of 17 people 9 cell phones were in use, one man had two going! Back to the other day - joking Bill said "Pretty soon no one will know how to change a light bulb without looking it up on-line." Curious I got out my phone and googled "how to change a light bulb" Much o my surprise there was a YouTube video on How to Change a Light Bulb. I was horrified until I watched it. Check it out here - it is hilarious! And being serious here is another page on how to change a light bulb which is technical...Scary.
Reminds me of the commercial where two teenage boys don't have a clue what a lug wrench is. I am afraid for this growing up generation.
Because it was so hot I watched much more TV than usual. Was amazed at was being advertised -so many things are advertised as must haves now that weren't even in existence ten years ago. Do we really care if our Coffeemate is "triple churned"? What does that even mean? And so many health? and beauty? products that will do so many unnecessary things.
Any one who lives full time in an RV or even only a few months out of a year might find this YouTube article interesting. It is about clutter in average middle class family. It is quite long and covers things for a younger family with children. It made me look around our house. But most of our clutter is important...lots of pictures and knick knacks from travels. 

A refrig door full of magnets - can't get rid of that stuff.  All of Bill's drone and air brush stuff.

 My Kyle Busch and M & M's collection...can't do without them.

How much bigger and neater these rooms would look without all the "stuff." But not going to happen. 
I had my last testing at doctors yesterday, will not get results until 19th - maybe that is why my BP is up! All the waiting. Bill goes in the hospital at 6 a.m. Tuesday the 4th for his "procedure." If he gets stents he will remain overnight.  Did all of his pre-registration the other day. In and out in 1/2 hour. They drew so much blood he's been dizzy for over a day. He says he is never going to a doctor again. Don't blame him, I am beginning to feel the same way. 
If you didn't w- do watch the first light bulb video - good for a lol.