Tuesday, April 1, 2014

April 1 - 6, 2014 - AZ

Monday, April 1.  Happy 47th Anniversary to my dear sister Rita and her living and loyal husband, Dennis!  You two set the example for how to make a good marriage!  I love you both!

Another doctor appointment today for a problem on my right foot that has been bothering me for 2 months now.  The news was good - it is an inflammation that I probably caused myself by wearing shoes that I thought were comfy.  My feet are healthy, I have no arthritis or sprains - just an inflammation.  My prescription was to wear good shoes (athletic or quality sandals with at least a 1" heel and arch support), no bare feet, rest, anti-inflammatories and an elastic brace for a few days.  I will have to start after tomorrow, as I have hiking plans.  What's another day?  Right?

I did drive to Tom's Camperland in Tempe this afternoon and took a look at a 15' Trillium travel trailer that they have in stock.  The plus side is - it's perfect, the minus side is - $25,000.  Whoa!  I also looked at the A-Liner (a hard sided tent Camper) and a T@B (not bad) that are more reasonable.  I might just add the T@B  to the list for my daily searches on Craig's List.  One of these days, if the right thing comes along, I might just bite the bullet and be an RVer again.  It's a wait and see kind of game.

I just watched National Geographic's "The Sweet Lady with the Nasty Voice" - a documentary about Wanda Jackson.  She was the first female rock and roll singer, dated Elvis Presley, and went on to be the Queen of Rockabilly.  She was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009.  I'm proud that I got to see her in person at the Winter Dance Party in Clear Lake, IA in 1991.  What a gal!  I'll never forget that show!  What a lineup - Wanda Jackson, Carl Perkins, Jack Scott, The Sun Rhythm Section, DC Drifters, and Ernie Valens (Richie Valens' cousin) - WOW!  And then we returned to the annual Winter Dance Party for the next 5 years - good times!

Tuesday, April 2.  I picked Jim and Sue up this morning at 8:30 and we headed to the McDowell Sonoran Preserve in Scottsdale to hike the Lost Dog Trail, a hike that took us up 370 feet in elevation to the Taliesen Overlook.  From the overlook, you could see Taliesen (Frank Lloyd Wright's winter home) off in the distance.  It was a beautiful hike - a total of 4.6 miles and it was cool enough that we kept our hoodies on most of the time.  After that great hike, we had delicious but naughty chicken and waffles at Lo-Lo's.  

Right now, I just woke up from a nap and am in long pants, socks, a sweater, and am covered with a blanket.  The wind has picked up and the skies have turned gray.  Maybe we will get some rain as there is a chance in the prediction.  I'm glad it wasn't like this when we were hiking.

Taliesen in the foreground and Scottsdale off in the distance.

Thursday, April 3.  I passed up the opportunity for line dance lessons this morning in order to assemble the porch swing that I got as a birthday/appreciation gift from Ben and Jill.  That little project took me all morning and I had to quit so I could get ready for a dental hygiene appointment this afternoon.

All went well with my cleaning appointment but I didn't get them cleaned.  I am going to a dental college and have a new student so it took a long time to do all of the exams.  I will go back in a couple of weeks to finish up.

Tonight, Connie, Arlene, and I went to Freestone Park in Gilbert to a free concert with a band called Brazen Head, kind of a raucous and lively Celtic group.  It was a beautiful night and we had a great time.

Friday, April 4.  What a sh**ty night. I slept from 10-2 and have been awake mostly since then.  The problem was what my cousin Jonnie always called "windmilling".  Thoughts circling around in the brain.  Last night it was all about - what am I going to do with my life now?  Both of my sons and my grandkids will be back in the Midwest now, so where is the best place for me to actually settle for. The final time in my life.  No more moving.  Do I become a snowbird and live in a warm climate during the winter?  And how do I manage that on my limited income?  Grrrrrrr.

Since I couldn't sleep, I used up 25% of the charge on my iPad - looking at apartment possibilities and browsing through Pinterest, and reading.  Oh, and plenty of tossing and turning too.  Grrrrr.

Connie and I went to some community garage sales at Val Vista Lakes this morning.  We each found a few things but nothing that we really needed to buy - just can't pass up a good deal.  When I got back home, I finished assembling my swing - and then I took a short nap on it.  Nice!


Sunday, April 6.  Yesterday was spent just hanging around the house, doing some cleaning and laundry and just enjoying it.  

I found a 6 cylinder RAV4 on Craig's list that I just might have to go take a look at.  Most that I see are way out of my price range but I think I could handle this one if they can budge at all.  This morning I event to see it and will ponder it overnight.  They will give me a very reasonable trade in for my car (the high end of the KBB value) and will drop their price by $500.  It is clean (in better condition that mine) and will give me the 6 cylinders I might need to tow a trailer, a few other nice upgrades, and I would gain almost 30,000 miles.  I'm very tempted and have contacted Pat and Ben to see what they think.

I went to Jan and Jim's for a cocktail this afternoon and it turned out that she was having her daughters, Chuck and  Kathy, and DT from across the street in for dinner.  She had a large chicken going in the rotisserie, made some sautéed spinach, and I ran home to get some salad ingredients and we had a great dinner and a very nice time.