B-Day, Thanksgiving, Misc Stuff

 

Yep, enough said about that one....

Marcia and I had a nice Thanksgiving Dinner, just the two of us.  No, we did not have turkey, I made a Standing Rib Roast, and it was a perfect medium rare, and tasted real yummy.  Local grocery store had it on sale for $9.99 per pound, and we had five dinners out of it.  Next year I get to celebrate Thanksgiving and B-day on the same day!  Did not talk to my kids on Thanksgiving since we all talked the day before...all is well with all.  Mom and Patti went to Sandy and Arny's and they all had a great Turkey meal.

Our Hurricane Season comes to an end today.   

Projection for 2022 was: "The outlook from NOAA is for 14-20 named storms predicted this year, with 6 to 10 of those becoming hurricanes and 3 to 5 major hurricanes. That would be an above-average season if it happens as predicted."   

Actual for 2022 was: "The 2022 Atlantic hurricane season saw an average number of named storms, a slightly above-average number of hurricanes, a near-average number of major hurricanes and a slightly below-normal Accumulated cyclone energy (ACE) index. Despite this, it became one of the costliest Atlantic hurricane seasons on record.  14 named storms, eight hurricanes and two major hurricanes — Fiona and Ian"

So, the predictions were pretty much spot on, though the major hurricanes fell short.

Indy and I made another visit to Crystal Beach while Marcia attended her Woman's Bible Study, but I forgot my camera, and got this one with my cell phone.  A lady walked by with two smaller dogs, and Indy just had to watch them all the way until they got out of sight.  Marcia did skip one Bible Study the week before ... just one of those 'getting old' type of things.  Not sick, just not up to going out.  (That picture was taken Monday, today [Wednesday] I gave her another hair cut.)

Mom called Tuesday and said that a lady who lives at the Assisted/Independent Living facility had her car 'jacked' when she went out to drive away.  She did not get hurt, they got away with the car, and I could not find ANYTHING about it on the news.  Makes you wonder just how many of these type of things happen each day that 'we' don't know about.  Want to see some amazing stats from Chicago, visit here.  Below is just a sample of the information found at the site.

Chicago Year To Date
Shot & Killed: 610
Shot & Wounded: 2747
Total Shot: 3357
Total Homicides: 672
Carjackings: 1420  
Carjacking Arrests: 94

Wish they had a site like this for all major cities...

Interesting developments with our RV Storage site.  They cut that tree way back, they lined much of the parking lot, so they are getting ready to actively store more RVs, boats, utility trailers and vehicles.  So now we get a lot of shade, under an acorn tree (some type of oak tree), and as time goes on, more 'neighbors'.  I always wondered why they did not capitalize on this before.  At $125 per month (for my size), this will give them 40-50 more opportunities to rent more spaces...that's a bunch of money!  Over by our Walgreens Pharmacy they opened a lot up for storage two years ago, and now it is 70% full.  

Next week Marcia is seeing an eye doctor about a possible cataract that is really starting to affect her vision.  

On Monday Marcia asked "I know November 28th is a special date, do you remember why?"  Reminder her that it was the day that Dad passed three years ago.  When I dropped her off at Bible Study she said, "See you later."  I replied, "Okey Dookie", a term that I rarely use...but one that Dad used frequently.  I had used it earlier in the morning too...subliminal I reckon...

RV Storage Surprise!

 

In my last post I mentioned that our Motorhome would be stored in a storage facility next to our Condos at the old Moose Lodge.  On the south side of the old lodge property is a grassy area where some RVs have been stored off and on since before we lived in the Condos...storing RVs is part of the property zoning rights.  Monday night / Tuesday morning (around 3 am I think) I woke up suddenly and thought, "Why can't I park the motorhome along the fence between the lodge property and the condo property?  Well, I think I will ask them if we can."

So Tuesday morning I went and got the motorhome and made the short drive to the new (to us) storage area.  I dropped off the HHR at the condos, along with Indy who wanted to come with daddy.  I made sure I had a key to the locked gate between the Condos and the old Moose Lodge...you see, when it was a Moose Lodge they allowed people at the Condos to walk to the Lodge through this locked gate.  I then proceeded to drive over to the storage area.  I looked over the grassy area, and it looked a bit 'SCARY'.  Grass is a bit high, and as she said, there was loose sand areas in there.  Despite the grass I could see a few deep ruts.  I really did not want to try and put the motorhome back in there.

I looked over the area where I wanted to park, and saw that there was plenty of room.  I would not be blocking any traffic going around the old lodge, which is now used for storage for lots of miscellaneous appliances pulled out of rental homes and businesses.  The Lodge was bought by this real estate company which owns and manages small commercial properties like strip malls, and rental homes.  They own some of them, they manage others.  So I called the office to talk to Pam, who I saw on Monday when I signed our month-to-month contract.  I explained the situation, and she gave me the OK to park where I wanted to park.  I was so happy!

Now this is "The Surprise!".  That white arrow pointing through the trees is pointing to the back of our condo.  Now, when I take Indy out to do her stuff, I can look over to the left and see the motorhome.  When I need to go to the motorhome, I walk out our front door, and 100 steps later I am at the motorhome!!!  It is safely behind a looked gate with a large cyclone fence surrounding the property.  There are people who work for the real estate group coming and going most days, M-F.  There are some 5th wheels on the other side of the building outside of the grassy area, and other RVs, including a Class A, in the grassy area.  (The Class A is right next to the entrance/exit to the grassy area.)

I am going to look into putting some wireless cameras on the motorhome to be able to monitor the area, using our aircard for Internet.  Having it this close also means that we can take weeks, instead of days, in getting it ready for travel, and won't need to park at the RV Park near us in order to get ready.

Indy REALLY needed to get over to the Doggie Park.  Sometimes she NEEDS certain smells to get her system to work.  Now she can do Pee Pee almost on command when she hits grass, but Poop is a whole another thing.

With the HHR acting up so much I just could not use it to take her to the Doggie Park.  "💡" goes off in my head.  The motorhome is only 100 steps away!  Got Indy on her leash, walked over to the motorhome, and off we went to the Doggie Park.  It was 11:30, it was in the mid-80s with humidity in the mid-70's, so I did not expect any other dogs there.  Surprising there were three large dogs in the large dog section, but she was the only small dog.  I sat in the shade and watched her.  As I walked to the bench, she went over by the large dog area and I could not see her for about a minute.  The rest of the time (1/2 hour or more) she Peed at least nine times...never did see her poop.  She was not even interested in it.  I got up to leave and decided to walk over to the area where I could not see her for the minute.  SCORE!  There it was.  Picked it up and tossed it in the garbage as we left.  Marcia asked later how I knew it was hers.  "A Dad just knows things like that..." 

Tucked Away for a Florida Winter

 

Here she sits, tucked away for a Florida Winter.  Although both of my 'neighbors' cheated toward my side of their site, I am right in the middle and fit into it without a problem.

        

I ALWAYS take pictures after I park just in case someone says something about the parking spot, about damage to their unit, etc.  Notice the guy on the driver's side (left picture) has his steps out...that is a big no no...Hope he remembers to put them in if he vacates the spot before we leave.  (We are hoping to be in Sacramento Area again for mom's 92nd birthday in late April.)  On a typical Monday I drop Marcia off at Bible Study with the older ladies at church, then Indy and I go by the motorhome and turn on the engine for a good hour to keep everything charged up and in working order.  Once a month or so I take it for a drive.  Seems to work out well for us.

Our BIGGEST disappointment coming home is that our favorite Greek Restaurant, the Original Mama Maria's, did not make it through the COVID era.  Found about it on our way home when I looked on Google Maps and saw that it said it was Permanently Closed.  Marcia contacted her brother and sure enough, it was gone.  The sign says, "Coming Soon, Japanese Steakhouse and Sushi Restaurant".  Ahhhh CRAP!  Yes, there are other Greek Restaurants around, but this was by far our favorite...we will miss it.

Had to wait for a good half hour, but got gas at Sam's Club today for $3.019 per gallon.  Talked to Arny as I was waiting in line and he said COSTCO and SAM'S in Citrus Heights was around $4.159.  Other gas stations around here are around $3.15-3.20...so the $1 difference between Florida and California still holds true.  (However, the most expensive stations in California are over $5, and I have not seen anything over $4 here.)

Inside Sam's I found Full Prime Rib Roasts USDA Prime for $335-$350 and USDA Choice for $225, although a 4.5 pound USDA Choice Rib was only $60, and a 6.5 pound leg of lamb (no bone) was $44.  Not too long ago I could get a 6 pound leg of lamb for $30-35.  Anyway, $270 later, and another $30 for gas and I was headed back home with my tail between my legs!   

Boy, sure wish I knew how she does it...sleeps like an angel until she hears a car door, someone's condo door, or a bit of talk by residents nearby at which point she turns into a devil of a dog.  We sure do love our little lump of fur...she is such a good little girl.

So far we are just about settled into the Condo...and our muscles are starting to ache just a little less each day.