Fun, frustration, and full moon

The Cold Moon, a supermoon , and the last full moon of 2025. Photo taken from my hotel window in Palm Springs. 

It was a week of ups and downs...some fun and a couple of frustrations. I've started writing this on Thursday evening from my hotel room in Palm Springs.  I fly out tomorrow to Regina (via Calgary). It will be a long day, though shortened as I'll lose two hours by the time I land in Regina. 

Monday was December 1, so another resident and I started decorating the clubhouse for Christmas. Well, she ended up doing the majority of the decorating as one of the sets of lights on the tree wasn't working.  Of course it was, what I originally thought, the middle set of three. No problem, I'd just remove it, get another set and replace.

HA! Whoever put the lights on the tree didn't want them removed. Each light was wrapped on to the branches: sometimes two or three wraps of the cord to the right, sometimes to the left and worst of all sometimes the cord was split and then wrapped. I worked on it for a half hour before I went to grab some lunch. Back at the hall, S came to help me while D continued the rest of the decorating.  It took the two of us 2 hours to remove the middle and bottom set of lights. We discovered they weren't really two sets as someone had spliced the two sets together leaving both ends of the plugs. We made an executive decision to trash that set and I picked up two more sets of 100 lights at Walmart. 

The next morning the Board of Directors were having a meeting we could attend, though we were asked not to speak until the floor was opened for questions or comments. ( Not that it stopped some). It was interesting to observe the interactions and hear different perspectives about a number of issues.

After the meeting D said we would finish decorating on Wednesday. Hooray, as I'd planned to go to the thrift stores with L and S. We all found something and I was thrilled to find the foam/stuffing I can use for the chair pads. I paid a whopping $3 for three pieces. I also found a cute t-shirt for Eli for 50 cents.

Before we headed back to the park we decided to go for lunch. While there I got a call from Jose. He had been to my unit that morning to check on a leak in one of the water lines. It was a drip and he said he'd be back later in the afternoon to fix it. 

I also had a text from D asking if I was back in the park. I wasn't but said I'd be there shortly.  When we returned I headed to the clubhouse and discovered she had completed the decorating.  She had forgotten our morning conversation which both S and I had with her. I think she was a bit annoyed with me. But she did such a beautiful job! Next year we'll get our timing straight. 

Another frustration: I received an email from Enterprise to check in for my rental car for my trip to Palm Springs. As I read over the info I noticed the return was to Yuma airport...it should have been to Palm Springs.  I checked the email I'd received on booking.. it said PSP airport. So I called and was informed they had changed it because they had no vehicle available for a one way trip. When I asked what I should since I had a flight booked and would not be returning the vehicle to Yuma, the operator suggested I call other rental companies. Wow! Eventually I was able to get a car through Budget...but you can bet Enterprise will get a negative response should I receive a "satisfaction " survey.  Especially because the operator didn't bother canceling my reservation. I had to do that myself.

Meanwhile Jose did not come by that afternoon but did arrive the next afternoon.  He removed a section of the hose and re-clamped it. When he left it was no longer leaking.That wouldn't last. 

After Happy Hour I went for dinner and L and E's. I'd finally used up my leftovers and she invited me to join them for the evening meal. I was home around 7:30 and had climbed into bed to read about 9 p.m. About 15 minutes later I heard a pop and the sound of rushing water. I leapt out of bed and ran outside to shut the water off. After a quick text to Jose telling him the fix hadn't held, I spent some time mopping up the water. I could hear the water in the floor vents and wasn't certain if the furnace might be affected. It wasn't...but I still found it hard to sleep. I was grateful that the hose hadn't failed earlier on the evening while I was out. 

Thursday I was awake about 6 a.m., chatted with D, and was reading blogs when I got a text from Jose. He was there and I wasn't even dressed! I jumped up threw on jeans and a sweater over my nightgown before opening the door. He looked the situation over before heading out to get the supplies he needed to make a better repair.

While he was away I took care of several chores I needed to get done before leaving that morning. Coffee hour was being held in the clubhouse and I had three people text or come by to ensure I was coming.  I explained I was waiting for Jose to return.  He did, just as the third person was starting thr walk back to the hall. I let him in and left him to do the work. He finished up about 15 minutes later. After coffee hour I paid him for the supplies; I had paid for his time the day before. The new piping looks like it should last for several years.  In any event, I left the water shut off as well as the furnace when I left the park.

L and E dropped me off at the airport where I picked up my rental car. It was an easy process as they had everything ready for me. I wasn't entirely thrilled with the car, a Chevy Malibu. After my Equinox I felt the seat was too low, though I was able to adjust it somewhat...that meant adjusting it again when I got out of the car.  Since it was a Chev vehicle it had many familiar features to my SUV. It was an uneventful 3 hour drive though holy cow, Cali drivers like to speed! On most of the highways the limit was 70 mph (112 kmph). I kept my speed just below the limit and vehicles were blowing past me. There were at least two who were stopped by the police that I saw and my GPS told me several times there were "police ahead". 

The hotel I booked, Homewood Suites is close to the airport, just a 10 minute drive. The room is lovely! The best part: it was so good to have a shower with great water pressure.  

I'll drop the car off about 9:30 a.m. on Friday and should be home (at my son's) about 9:30 p.m. With the time difference it should be a 10 hour travel day. D and Eli will pick me up on Sunday. I'm looking forward to hugs from my family and cuddles with the cats....maybe even Sage. I'm not looking forward to the cold weather and snow!

I'm updating this from the airport in Calgary. We were pretty much on time getting here though had headwinds and some turbulence.  That's when things turned. The flight to Regina was initially delayed by an hour, then another 30 minutes. As I write this we won't be taking off for another 75 minutes. I won't be holding my breath we'll get out of here by then. It has to do with crew availability. When delays occur earlier in the day the crews have a limit of hours they can be on duty. No one wants an exhausted flight crew. So they have to scramble to find another crew who have had a shorter day or haven't been on duty. This late in the day the latter is likely tge case. The weather in Calgary isn't particularly cold but it is snowing and blowing.  Depending on where the crew members live, this can delay their arrival at the airport.  I expect we'll get out tonight...but when is another question. 

Have a great weekend everyone!

P.S. My next cruise is 304 days away.

Friday Funny

 

Almost Wordless Wednesday

 

The necklace is from Eli to his mom for Christmas - it reads "I love you to the moon and back".  

Keeping entertained, no snow at home (yet), and shopping

I've less than a week left before I leave the park for Palm Springs where I'll overnight before I fly home to Regina. I'll be staying with my son for a couple of nights, then my daughter (and grandson) will pick me up to take me home to our little town. So far they've had no snow accumulation - in other words while it has snowed, it just hasn't stuck around. They've had temps above freezing most days, though of course, it will get colder by the time I arrive. This photo was taken on November 27. 

It's been a full week. The Canadian Olympic curling trials got underway on Monday, so I've had to get my chores done around the draw schedule. I got things done around the trailer on Monday, went thrifting and shopping with L on Tuesday, Wednesday I had to pick up the turnip for Thanksgiving dinner. D and I met at the clubhouse on Thursday morning and set up the tables and finished decorating for the dinner that evening.

There were 16 of us in total at the potluck meal. Oh my, it was delicious. Turkey, ham, stuffing, mashed potatoes, turnips, Brussel sprouts, green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, salad, deviled eggs, cheese, pickles...the list goes on! If anyone didn't have enough to eat, they were trying too hard. Dessert was phenomenal too, with carrot cake, pumpkin pie, and trifle. One of our older residents, I believe he lives in Montana, said he didn't eat lunch so that he could fill up at dinner. And fill his plate, he did, and carried on to have a bit of each dessert too.

There was enough leftovers we decided to have a must-go dinner the next night, in order to use up the excess. It took some arranging to get everything into the clubhouse fridge, but we managed.

Friday morning, L and I headed out about 8:30 to do a little Black Friday shopping. Not at the various box stores, but at the local thrift stores. We both came home with lots of treasures. I found a new pair of sandals at the foster home thrift store, a fold out cutting mat for sewing and a sampler cross stitch pattern at the Humane Society thrift store, and an Advent calendar of 24 mini puzzles and a set of four colourful placemats at Crossroads Mission store. The latter will be made into seat cushions for my outdoor chairs. I've made pillows from placemats before - simply open a seam, add the foam, and sew them up again. 

Several of us met for Happy Hour at the clubhouse at 4 p.m. and I turned on the television to watch the first final for the men's Olympic curling. I had caught the end of the women's game in the morning. Christina Black of Nova Scotia nearly beat Rachel Homan, but came up a little short in the final end. They'll play again on Saturday for the second game of the best of three. I anticipate that Homan will win but I'd be happy if Black forced a game three. There is something to be said for the home game advantage.

Team Dunstone and Team Jacobs are in the men's finals. I'm cheering for Dunstone and his crew as the entire Jacobs team has made it to the Olympics previously. Not all together as the four curlers were on different teams and I'd like to see Dunstone break through. But I know that whoever ends up at the Olympics will represent the country well.

I headed to the clubhouse around 4 to set the television up to watch the curling, and was soon joined by H and D. They cleared out the fridge and we got the crockpots set up to warm up the potatoes, stuffing and gravy. After a short Happy Hour outdoors, we were back inside for the curling, joined by L and J, and later another J and P. Shortly after 5, D's husband T joined us. In total, there were seven of us at the must-go dinner and we managed to clean up a fair amount of the leftovers. Some items went to the bin, while others went home with the others. (Not me, two days of turkey is plenty for me).

We kept the television on the channel with the sound muted and some of us kept an eye on the action. When dinner was over, we cleared up dishes, put away decorations, and the food items were divided among those who were willing to take it. When everyone else had left, L and I sat and watched the remainder of the game. It looked like Dunstone had a chance to win the game, as he was leading 7 to 6 in the 10th end, but he missed his final shot, allowing Jacobs to take 3 points to win the game. They will play again on Saturday evening and I'll be cheering for a different outcome.

This week, I've also managed to get my knitting done, with the seven coffee cozies/sleeves completed while I watched curling. When the lighting wasn't great in the evenings, I also knit a scarf for my daughter, and crocheted a couple of dishcloths. I will tell you, after completing nine of the same pattern, (two for family, seven for the school), I have no desire to ever knit it again.*

Today, there is curling to watch - the second games of the finals. I've started on a toque/beanie for my daughter to match the finished scarf.  I may do a bit of crocheting. In between, I'm sure I'll find some college football to watch. I will need to return to the clubhouse too, to return the holiday tubs to the shed. It's a pain in the butt to open the door, so I didn't feel like doing it in the dark of the evening.

Whatever your plans for the weekend, enjoy! Have a great week ahead everyone.

*D has informed me she forgot one of the therapists, so like it or not I will be knitting one more. :p

Black Friday funny

 

Wordless Wednesday

 

Celebrations, holiday preparations, and garage sales.

The Grey Cup came home to Saskatchewan on Monday. There were some nail-biting moments in the game on Sunday but the green and white prevailed! My nephew joined the party at the Green Mile after the game and this photo (which I lifted from the internet) shows the fans who made their way from their homes, restaurants and bars, to the corner of Albert and Victoria streets for the celebration. The Grey Cup was on display at Mosaic Stadium on Monday afternoon, and a parade was held on Tuesday. This was the first win in 12 years for the team, and only the 5th in the history of the Riders.

Meanwhile my week started out quietly. I had done laundry Sunday afternoon and left it out overnight to dry, so just had to fold and put things away. I did some knitting too, working on another coffee mug sleeve. I'd finished the pickles the previous morning - they turned out pretty darn cute! (If I do say myself.) I have gold thread at home that I will add so they will hang from the Christmas tree. These are small gifts for my niece and nephew. It's become a bit of a tradition for me to make an ornament of some sort each year. 

We had more rain again overnight Monday, and Tuesday was overcast and cool. I'm having some electrical issues, potentially related to the rain. Every time we get rain, the outdoor fridge trips the breaker to the outlet. It doesn't affect anything in the trailer but is a nuisance. After some wrong assumptions, it was determined that pushing the button on the GFI re-set it. But when I woke on Tuesday morning (having plugged in the fridge overnight), not only was the outdoor plug impacted but the one next to the stove. And somehow or another, the dinette lights decided to give up the ghost too. Initially, J and I thought it was due to burnt out bulbs, but trying one that we knew was working proved that theory wrong. 

I've left the fridge unplugged, and won't use it until J's husband G arrives in December. He is an electrician by trade and knows this unit well as they lived in it for several years before they bought their park model. I won't be here when he arrives, as I'll be in Saskatchewan for Christmas, but will leave a set of keys with J. 

Wednesday J and I got together to play cribbage canasta. Another couple who usually play, D&T had arrived Tuesday evening and were busy opening up their unit, buying groceries, etc. so weren't available to play. Beginner's luck, I won the first game but she, more than handily, won the next two. I learned a lot about the strategy of the game, as well as the how to count the points. That was something I never learned last winter. I likely won't be able to keep up with the regulars but at least I have a better idea now.

Pat (our 97 year old matriarch) and I were responsible for coffee hour on Thursday. We set up the hall after Happy Hour the day prior, readying coffee pots, tea kettle, toasters, etc. Earlier in the day, I had gone to the local Food City to order the pastries. Some people enjoy the goodies, while others make themselves toast with jam and peanut butter provided. In the morning, I went to Food City to pick up the pastries, then to the clubhouse to start the large urn of coffee.  We were expecting about 20 participants and ended up with just 13.

After coffee, three of us stayed behind to decorate the hall for Thanksgiving. There aren't a whole lot of decorations for the walls; most are meant to be put out on the tables. Since we'll be using the space for Happy Hour - it was too hot and now with the cooler and wet weather the mosquitos are out in force - we left the table decor to be put out on Thanksgiving morning. There were a whole pile of fake flowers and sprigs, so I put together a vase to display somewhere in the hall. 

Friday morning was another busy one, as J, L and I went to a nearby park for their garage sales. By the way I used my air fryer that I picked up at last weeks garage sales for the first time. It worked wonderfully, but I'll not use it indoors again. It heats up and gets quite hot to the touch. Hence it will have to wait until the electrical outlet is working properly. I have sufficient methods of cooking that it isn't necessary though I do like the way an air fryer cooks various types of meat. The BBQ will do for now.

It was raining off and on when we left and though the park with the sales had a lot of standing water, we managed okay until just after 9 a.m. At the last place we stopped, the rain came down in buckets and we, all three, were soaked by the time we made it across the street to the van. With that, we decided to head to the "Landing", a local restaurant for breakfast. The food was delicious and the prices very reasonable. Since it was quiet we sat for quite a while after we were done eating and simply visited. 

Our final stop before heading to the park was a placed called Green Trees Grocery Outlet. It has heavily discounted packaged items, generally the boxes and cans are slightly damaged and can't (or won't) be sold at a regular grocery store. They also bring in frozen meat and dairy, and fresh produce. The store even has some sundry items as well as beauty and health products. Just to give you an idea of pricing, L picked up a 10 pound bag of potatoes for $2.99. I found Twinings Earl Grey tea for $3 for 50 tea bags. J picked up a box full of stuff, as she found a couple of cockroaches in her park model and had to toss out her pantry items. 

So what did I find at the garage sales? My best buy was a small hand painted plate for 50 cents. In Canadian dollars it is worth about $40. I would have purchased it anyway, because it is so pretty. I found a couple more cushions for the couch, and a small drop leaf table. The latter needs to be sanded down and painted, and I'll use it in the gazebo to eat meals on occasion. That is, of course, if it ever stops raining! 

Today, I have nothing planned except to stay indoors, out of the continuing rain, to work on the coffee mug sleeves. D has added one more to the list, so I'll need to make seven more. Each one takes me about an afternoon. Since I'm leaving for home on the 4th of December, that leaves less than two weeks to finish these. I should know the pattern well by then. There will be college football to watch and if I'm lucky, I may be able to watch some of the Canadian Olympic curling trials. You-tube may have some streaming, but I'm not entirely sure.

Have a wonderful week ahead everyone!