On the mend

I feel a little better each day. Was a very long week working while sick, and it has been warm. Nothing worse than having a cold in the summer, it just makes it that much worse. I started a Z-pack Wednesday or Thursday, and it has made a huge difference. Need to get more.

Finally stopped sneezing and my muscles have recovered, no longer sore every time I move. Still have a cough tho, but will probably have that for a while yet.

I want to work on the trailer today and get the old box off and the new one on. The yard sale is Friday and I still have to prepare for that and I only have one more day after today. Need to go thru my kitchen cupboards and weed some stuff out. If I don't get it done, the world won't come to an end, but I took time off for this yard sale, although only a half day since we are so short handed at work.

Starting year number seven

http://tvsenterprises.net/JRM/images/JakeRaymondMarsh.pdf

Going to be a long day

It is back to work for me today and I am still sick. I felt a little better yesterday morning so I got showered and dressed and went to the market and DG. I even stopped at Sal’s and a vegetable truck parked outside of Sal’s. I got a bunch of roma tomatoes and now I have to figure out what to do with them. I don’t think they will hold up until the weekend, so I will probably crockpot them. I also got some tomatillos and want to try them. Maybe I can make some salsa.

I didn’t get much at Sal’s. I did get some red handled flatware for the trailer and a couple of meat forks. One for the grill here and one for the trailer, and a set of wooden coasters for basket bases. I spent $2. I still need to find a metal spatula. Gotta get that on my list.

I tried to take a nap yesterday, but couldn’t go to sleep so I read. I did go to bed early last night and took a Benadryl so I would sleep. I will take one for work today too. I hate taking them because they raise my blood pressure, but they also make me feel better. It is going to be a very long day. I will probably crash when I get home. I felt like crap yesterday afternoon. My ribs are sore from coughing.

DG still hasn’t gotten their plant pots out of the boxes. Sigh. I guess I am going to have to use the cheap pots I picked up at Dollar Tree a few weeks back. Not what I wanted, but better than what the cactus are in now.

A cold

Well, I got it. The cold that is going around. But I don’t think I have it as bad as everyone else has had it. I knew when I woke up yesterday with the sneezing and runny nose, that it had gotten me. Sigh. I rested most of the day, took a nap in the afternoon, and just generally relaxed as I might be called in to work today. I hope not, but it is possible. It was a valiant fight, I was the last one to get it.

I have been taking Airborne, drinking lots and lots of fluids and took a Benadryl. I still have a cough and it hurts when I cough, but I’m not all stuffed up. And I can still smell, so that is a good sign. I thought I had another package of Airborne, but I can’t find it. 

I washed my car yesterday. I just couldn’t stand looking at it any more. It was coated in desert dust, especially after the trip to Swansea. It did rain, but that only made it worse. With the water here you have to dry the car as well or it leaves white streaks on it. I should have polished it, but it is a big car and I just wasn’t up to it. It looks a lot better after it’s annual bath. It still needs a polish, but that will have to wait until some other time. I also got my laundry done, but that was about it.

Not sure if I am going to work on the trailer today or not. I will see how I feel once I get myself showered and moving. I did not go to coffee this morning because I didn’t want to spread my germs. I might just relax another day and try to get rid of the cold. Get some vitamin D from the sun.

I guess I have decided not to get the swamp cooler. Mainly because of the really bad water we have here. It would require way too much maintenance to keep it clean and functioning. So I guess I will just have to live with the crazy electric bills. I do have the little portable one that I can use, that should help.

Runny nose and sneezing...Oh no!

It was another beautiful day here yesterday but once again, I was stuck indoors. We were short handed again and it got interesting at a couple of points. I don’t know if I will have to go in tomorrow or not, won’t know until tomorrow morning. I got “corrected” yet again while I was trying to help a customer. Sigh….I hate just standing there doing nothing while a customer is waiting to find something. Customers don’t care for it much either.

I woke up at 2 AM sneezing and with a runny nose. Fought that for a while and ended up taking a Benadryl and a shot of Airborne. I managed to go back to sleep in the chair and feel a little better now, but we’ll see how I feel as the day progresses. I really don’t want to get sick. If I do, I know where I got it from.

Still trying to decide about the swamp cooler. Mixed reviews, but most leaning towards the cooler. I will have to decide very soon.

I had planned on working on the tongue box and solar on the trailer today, but will see how I feel as I get moving. It might end up being a real day off where I don’t do much of anything. I will do my laundry either way. Should be a good drying day. I also need to take down the Valentine’s stuff.

The tulip bulbs I planted a month or so ago are finally sticking their heads above soil. Wasn’t sure if they would or not as they were saves from last spring and spent the summer in the shed. They were pretty crispy when I potted them up. I was getting ready to give up on them. Leslie’s naked ladies bulbs are growing too. They have been in that pot since last summer. I would like to get some leafy greens seeds planted this weekend so I can have some fresh veggies here at home. It is almost time to move the plant bench inside the patio, but I don’t know where I will park the scooter when I do. I don’t want that in the sun all day either. My frost bitten sunflowers look terrible, but it also looks as if they are getting ready to bloom. And the grapefruit has lost a lot of leaves, but I think that is a result of the cold not the lack of water or nutrients. The one across the street looks similar. It is making a mess in the yard tho and I will have to rake again.

Another work day

I don’t have much new here. Worked, went to DG after work, and made my lunches for today and tomorrow. They finally had the summer sausage that I take in my lunches, so I bought three.  See if I can stay ahead of it. They haven’t had any since the beginning of the year, or I just kept missing it before they sold out. I also got some pepper jack cheese and a can of pineapple for my lunches. One can of pineapple is my fruit for two days since I am out of fresh fruit and pretty much everything else. They still haven’t managed to get their small plant pots unboxed. Still sitting on the shelves in the boxes. Sigh…so I am still waiting to get my xmas cactus transplanted. I guess I am going to have to take a trip to Walmart. I need to get the trailer registered anyway.

Last night the neighbors next door gave me this cool little outdoor propane fire place. I haven’t gotten a photo of it yet, but will soon. It is perfect for the trailer. They were cleaning out the basement in their 5th wheel so they won’t have to haul as much stuff. I will get a picture of it during the day.

I finally tried out my modified grill. It worked pretty good. The real test will be on raw meat and veggies, but it did a good job on hot dogs. The lid made a huge difference. 

More hours?

Not much going on here. Yesterday was a work day and I was almost late. Looks like my hours might be increasing instead of decreasing. Elaine probably won’t be back. Her husband has lymphoma and they are headed back to Canada for his treatment. She is a cashier and I will be picking up some of her hours. Jan asked if I would mind. The only thing I have a real problem with is that even tho I would have two days off, she wants to split them so they aren’t in a row. I have a problem with that, but then again, it wouldn’t be for very long. People are leaving in droves since it is actually quite warm here. We have broken records with the cold this winter and are now breaking records with the heat. 90 degrees in Feb is unheard of. We have clouds and sprinkles this morning so it is only supposed to be in the low 80’s. We lost one of the lumber yard guys and will be loosing one of the floor guys very soon too. Yesterday was the first day I wore shorts to work. I need to get some shirts of some sort and maybe another pair of shorts. I don’t like to wear tank tops to work, but may have to resort to that.

The tongue box for the trailer batteries came yesterday. It is smaller than I had pictured. I will loose a lot of storage space, but it is also taller than the one that is on there now, so maybe I can make a drop in shelf of some sort to hang over the top of the batteries. Installing that and moving the batteries is this weekend’s project. I want to be able to put the other box in the yard sale. Still plenty of room inside the trailer so I can move some of the stuff inside. That will be the last big project for the trailer except maybe the back wall and door. 

Since it was pay day yesterday I splurged on dinner. Went to Subway and got one of their meatball subs and then got a blizzard from Dairy Queen. Lots and lots of carbs that I shouldn’t have eaten, but I don’t get out much and I am very low on food in the house. Was a nice treat. I like their meatballs and sauce. The bread was good too. I was hit up by a pan handler looking for $50.05. A very specific amount. But I don’t have it to spare. But then I felt bad. I didn’t ask what it was for and didn’t offer a smaller amount. My money is hard to come by and this isn’t the first time I have been pan handled. That happens a lot here. 

I had a split night last night. Was really tired and fell asleep in the chair while I was reading. Very early. Never even got the TV turned on. Not sure it was even dark yet. Then was up a few hours and went back to bed. I think I got my six hours, but it would have been better if I had slept thru.

Still hoping to get the trailer registered in the next week or so and could use some big store shopping. Maybe Monday I can head to Parker and get both done. Would like to get a couple of new geraniums too.

Time to put my chair in the back of the car. Too warm to sit inside the car at lunch now. I had to get out my windshield thing yesterday. Time to figure out some shade for the car. Hoping I won’t have to cover the tires and windows each time I use the car, it is a real pain in the ass.

It isn’t looking like my lilac cuttings are going to do anything. I will have to pull one up and see if there are any roots, but it looks as if they are dead. It should be warm enough now that they should be doing something. Will have to try again in the spring. I still have two baby desert willows that I started from seed. These have lasted longer than any others I have managed to get started. The rest of my plants look like crap. I need to get another tomato plant although it might be too late for that now. But then again, the patio is covered now and that might protect it from the heat.

Well, time for me to get moving. 

Camping gear is finally out of the shed!

I got a lot done yesterday. I got the shed cleaned out and sorted and got all the camping gear into the trailer with room to spare. The shed hasn’t been this clean or spacious since I moved in. The trailer is kind of a mess, I just moved the stuff in, slightly organized it, but it will have to be done again. Probably more than once. 

I still have a list of things I need to get, but they are small ticket items. Some knives, paper plate holders, etc.

The shed looks good. I still have some yard sale stuff that will hopefully go. I took a huge bag of trash to the dumpster. I had a whole corner taken up with empty boxes. Go figure. I also got rid of my garbage finally.

I emptied six storage bins. :) Plus some bigger stuff like my sleeping bag, shower tent, heater, and screen house. I should be able to find my craft stuff now. Hopefully.

Back to work today. Sigh…Still don’t like it, but I need the money. Gonna have to think about a full time job very soon. Then I will loose yet another day. I never made it to the market or DG. Making my lunches was a bit of a challenge, but I got it done. Today and tomorrow I have the last of the smoked turkey, and Friday and Saturday I have small cans of tuna. I will have to do some shopping next week. I’m all out of cheese and lots of other things.

There was no pizza at Silly Al’s yesterday. Couldn’t get in. Apparently they were having a big party and we couldn’t get in. So I took the rest of the day off. Visited with Vicki and Coco for a few. Saw her new deck and the paint job inside. Took Diane’s birthday card down to her and visited with Madelyn for a few. 

I’m going to wear my shorts and sandals today. I will be cold in the morning, but it will be better for the afternoon. Hopefully I am done with long pants for the season.

Shelving is secured!

I got the shelving secured. It took a lot longer than I thought, had some trouble getting the screws in where I needed them. I finally smartened up and got out a drill bit that would go through metal. That speeded things up considerably. It also didn’t go as planned, I had to adapt. But I don’t think they are going to go anywhere. I had to run the 1x2 behind the shelves and use the metal clips instead of running the 1x2 across the top of the posts. I spray painted them before i put them in. And I used L brackets on the front posts on the floor. I may have to drill and put some screws in the shelves to hold them in place, but will do that later.

    

With the back shelves secured to the ones on the left, I don’t have to secure the right corners. Seems to be sturdy enough as long as I don’t put a massive amount of weight on them. Clothes should be fine. I need to come up with some sort of cargo net to hold everything in place while the trailer is moving. 

I also got the hanging bar hung over the bed. I can put things like towels and hanging baskets on that. 

Today I am going to start sorting the stuff in the shed and moving the keeper stuff into the trailer. I need to vacuum up the sawdust and metal shavings first. I still have quite a bit to do, but have reached the point where I can move in some stuff. I also want to fill in the holes with some white hole filler. I really don’t want to have to paint. Maybe next weekend I will get the power situation sorted and the new box on the front. Assuming the new box comes this week. Then I can put the old one in the yard sale and get it out of here.

I slept a little better last night. Was only up once. I had the fan in the window going most of the night. Nice to be able to keep the windows open. Yesterday’s high temp was 87 degrees. It actually got a little warm working on the trailer in the sun. I kept the door closed while working inside for the last of it. Have to put up the big umbrella next time, or some sort of sun shade.

A decent Valentine's day

As far as Valentine's Day goes, it wasn't half bad. No sitting around feeling sorry for myself. I stayed fairly busy until it was time to go to the pot luck at the club house. I got the fountain back up and running, made the copper heart earrings and pendant I have been wanting to make for the last two weeks so that I could wear them to the pot luck and got a load of laundry and a shower done. And in my spare time I got some reading in. After the pot luck, which was very good, I finished my book. That isn't to say that I wasn't missing Jake or Kali Cat because I was. It just didn't over power the day.

Was another rough night sleeping tho. Woke up several times. I had the bedroom window open which usually isn’t a problem, but the neighbors pulled in at 1 AM, and it was just outside the window. That place is usually empty, so of course it woke me. I finally ended up in the chair again. Not sure why I am having worse sleep issues than usual, but it has been going on for a week now. Basically since Pat was here. You would think since she left that I would be sleeping better being back in my own bed. 

Today will be a trailer day. I only have a couple of weeks before the yard sale, so I need to get the shed sorted and get my camping gear into the trailer and the yard sale stuff set aside. That means I have to get the shelves secured before I can move the camping gear in. So securing the shelves will be today’s project. I think I am going to wait to do my errands until tomorrow. I would like to be able to stop at Sal's as I haven't been for a couple of weeks. They were closed last Monday, and my be closed on Monday's now.

Felt good to be making something out in the shed yesterday. It has been a while. SusAnn showed me the necklaces she has been making, basically woven wire. I may have to try that. They are very pretty. Could be something to do while indoors this summer besides the baskets and rock painting.

Here is the set I made yesterday…The dangles are little copper colored glass beads. I was looking for my red swarovsky crystals but didn’t find them. Used these instead.

I also got the fountain back up and running. Put in the new solar pump and the barley straw pellets. Gave the glass base a good scrub. Was nice to hear the tinkle of the water again. Hoping with the barley straw I won’t have to clean it as often. I put some in the bird bath under the tree too.

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine’s Day.

Long day at work yesterday, very bad night last night. I was up more than I was asleep and I am not feeling all that great this morning, but I think I will be OK. I was very tired, fell asleep in the chair, so I got up and went to bed. I woke up several times by midnight, and finally got up and read for a while and finished the night in the chair. I am still tired this morning. I had an iced coffee when I got home from work and I am wondering if that is the culprit for the sleep issue.

I’m hoping to get the fountain back up and running today, but need to wait a little while as it is still kind of nippy out there. Not like the temps in the northeast tho and I am grateful for that! As soon as the sun is up, it should warm up and I think it is going to be a shorts day. 

I need to get some more work done on the trailer and I finally got notification that the new tongue box for the batteries will be shipping. Then I can work on the power system. I was planning on going to Parker tomorrow and register the trailer, but I just realized tomorrow is a holiday and they won’t be open. Which means Sal’s won’t be either. Glad I figured that out before I drove all the way there. I guess tomorrow will be a full trailer day and maybe I will go to Parker on Tuesday or put it off until next week. That means I can just putter today. Maybe get the car washed. It is covered in dust from just being and the additional dust from the trip to Swansea.

I have been waiting for weeks to buy three pots for the xmas cactus I bought at xmas. DG has finally managed to get the boxes out and into the aisle, but hasn’t managed to get them unboxed yet. It isn’t like they have to price them as they are all pre priced, just get them unboxed and on the shelf. We got some clay pots in at work, but they are about twice the size of what I need. Hoping to be able to get them potted up soon.

I should do a load of laundry this morning and this afternoon is the pot luck. They are having prime rib and whatever else everyone brings. My brussels are a little over cooked as I used frozen ones and hadn’t cooked them in the microwave before, but they have been marinating since Friday so they should be pretty good anyway.

Friday was the one year anniversary of moving in here. Wow. I have been here a full year already. Lots of changes and a lot has stayed the same. I have been gone from IP for almost a year and a half, and the 6th anniversary of Jake’s death is coming up in a couple of weeks too. Starting year 7 without him. He would have liked it here and the fact that the internet service is so bad, would have kept him busy and in work. He probably would have started Q Wireless…

I was going to let Island Pond Weather go this year. It was his page. But I renewed for another year. Just couldn’t quite let it go even tho I had to change it all when I took down the weather station. It is fed from another site now instead of the house. 

If Kali Cat hadn’t gotten sick, I probably would have done some more traveling. But it is what it is and I am in a good spot. No snow and no sub zero temps, good neighbors and a part time job.

I did not get my heart earrings done. Maybe I can get them done this morning and wear them later. I should do a matching pendant too. Fountain first tho.

The next holiday is Easter. I have my needle felted eggs that I can hang on the horseshoe tree. I don’t have much else for decorations. There will be a potluck then too. It beats being in IP all by myself. Keeps me somewhat social where I would otherwise stay at home by myself. Monday morning coffee helps with that too.

Scooter to work

https://ptbertram.wordpress.com/2016/02/11/no-ghosts-in-swansea/#comment-25563

https://ptbertram.wordpress.com/2016/02/10/adventure-in-quartzsite-arizona/

The above links are my friend Pat’s blog posts about her visit earlier this week. 

Yesterday I rode the scooter to work. I wasn’t sure I was going to until I grabbed the keys and walked out the door. The interesting thing is, I think it took the same amount of time to get there and back that it does with the car. I was home at 5:08 just like I usually am. If I do it again, I will need to wear a hat because the sun is just in the right spot to blind me, and will also need my ear muffs if it is below 50 degrees. Was warm enough when I came home to be in a single layer. I will be taking the car to work today as I have to go to the post office and drop off a package. I would probably be fine on the scooter, but there is still a lot of traffic and I feel safer in the car. Plus I have a place to eat my lunch.

The days are warm enough now that I can’t leave my lunch and afternoon water in the car. I have to bring them in where it is cooler, That was another disadvantage to the scooter, I had no place to eat my lunch, and I also forgot my kindle. I did find a pallet of blocks to sit on in the shade and did some word searches. It was just a different day.

I did two loads of laundry after I got home. The flannel sheets from the bed and the clothes that had built up since Sunday. The sheets will be put away for next winter as I remade the bed with the summer sheets. I got them almost dry in the dryer then hung them on the line in the bedroom so I could use the dryer for my clothes. Hoping they will be dry this morning so I can put them away.

Still wearing long pants to work even tho it is pushing 80 degrees in the afternoon. The mornings are still running in the low 40’s and it would be too cold. But it won’t be long now until I am back in my shorts and Teva’s.

The new pump for the fountain arrived yesterday so I have that and the barley straw pellets to do. The barley straw is supposed to help keep the water clear and is non toxic for critters. I picked up a cheap pair of panty hose to put the barley straw in. I probably won’t get to replace the pump until Sunday as there isn’t any sunshine on the solar panel by the time I get home. I will need to test it before I walk away from it.

Tonight I need to get the brussels sprouts in to marinate for Sunday’s pot luck. I seem to have more energy when I get home from a 7 hour day than an 8 hour day. Surprising that one hour makes that much difference.

Just got a message from Pam, the sweetgrass for baskets is in, so I will have something new to add to my baskets. I have to get back into working on them at least a few hours a week. I don’t think I have made much of anything since I started working. Gotten plenty of ideas tho.

Swansea recap

We got a late start yesterday, but was off for Swansea by 11. It was about an hour’s drive on paved roads, and another hour or so on dirt roads. Some of the mountain road was pretty hairy and to be honest, I was disappointed with the place. But I have now been to my first ghost town. It was more like a ruins than a ghost town tho. I took lots of pictures that can be seen here…

https://picasaweb.google.com/118406578374225960662/20160209SwanseaGhostTown?authuser=0&feat=directlink 

On the way back we took a different route, and I was thankful for all the back roading Jake and I did together. There were a couple of spots that were pretty hairy, but we made it across just fine because I had been trained by Jake. My car did well, and the AWD was almost as good as 4WD. It was the only “car” that was out there. All the other vehicles were trucks and jeeps and ATV’s.

I’m back to work today and Pat continues on her journey. I managed to get my lunches made last night even tho I was exhausted. We had Subway sandwiches for dinner. And we only snacked while we were out and about, so we didn’t eat a whole lot yesterday. We walked over 5000 steps which means about 2.5 miles. The most I have walked in a while.

I wore my shorts and was glad that I did. It got warm out there in the sun and my legs got a start on their summer tan but it will be long pants at work because it will be cold inside.

I was totally beat by the time we got back last night. I hadn’t slept well the night before, was up in the wee hours and did all the driving. I decided to stick to the chair last night and slept better than I did on the cot, but am looking forward to my bed tonight.

Swansea Township, Arizona Ghost Town

https://picasaweb.google.com/118406578374225960662/20160209SwanseaGhostTown?authuser=0&feat=directlink

Photos from today's trip to Swansea. The drive was pretty hairy in some spots, but we made it thru.

Chore day

Got my cleaning done and made a chicken stew. I started out thinking of doing the chicken and mushroom recipe, but the ingredients were very similar to my beef stew, so I ended up going in that direction instead. It was pretty good and it used up half the chicken I had in the freezer. Yay. Not quite sure why I bought it to begin with.

The shower took some time, but it is better. Trying to get the doors clean, but with the water and the soap residue, it is a continuing project. If I ever get them clean, I think I am going to treat them with Rain X. Supposed to help keep them from building up crud. I tried the Dawn and vinegar solution in the past, but I don’t like the smell. Ugh. But it is better than when I started and is good enough for now. I hate cleaning the shower and put it off as long as possible. If I did it more often, it probably wouldn’t’ be as hard to do. I tossing around the idea of putting in a shower curtain liner that I can just toss out when it gets dirty. Might be worth a try. The rod is still there from the frilly curtain I took down when I moved in, I would just have to lower it. Wondering if the shower doors lift off so I can take them outside and clean them while they are flat, it is too hard to do it in place.

Shorts! I wore shorts for the first time this year. Still had on a long sleeve shirt, but my white legs were exposed. Looks like we will be in the 70’s and 80’s for a while, so other than work, I may be done with long pants until next winter. Less laundry. Yay.

I didn’t hear from Pat yesterday, so she will probably be here today. Hoping we get to go out for dinner. It has been quite a while since I have been out, even for takeout. Looks like I might not get to work on the trailer this weekend, should have worked on it yesterday, but I really wasn’t into it.

I ordered a new solar pump for the fountain since mine has stopped working. I miss the sound of the water and the birds miss the showers. I also ordered some hay stuff that is supposed to keep the algae down. Maybe I won’t have to clean that as often either. Worth a try as the algae clogs up the pump. I need to bleach the bowl and see if I can get it cleaned up some.

Today is Monday morning coffee and shopping. The usual. I did laundry yesterday so I don’t have to do that today. Was a good drying day on the clothesline.

Finally the weekend

Finally my work week is over. Was busy off and on yesterday, but was a long day.
I have a fair amount of stuff to do today since I have company coming.

Today's Agenda:

Clean house (especially the bathroom)
Make up the bed for company
Ready the ottoman bed for me

Try new chicken and mushroom crockpot recipe

Get shelving in trailer secured

I'm sure I will come up with more as I get stuff done, I usually do.

Fewer hours

Yesterday I started my reduced hours. I went in at 9 instead of 8. Made the morning shorter, but didn't do much for the afternoon. I imagine next month I will loose a whole day, but we'll see. Other than loosing the money, it won't hurt my feelings.

Having severe sinus issues with all the dry air. I'm good for about half the day after using the nasal spray, but by mid afternoon I am all stuffed up again and since it is so dry, it hurts! Today I am going to take a Benadryl about mid morning and see if that helps with the afternoon. I'm also going to keep my saline spray in my pocket and use it when I can.

Tried using the gas grill again last night with a different regulator and it did the exact same thing. I don't like it, it scares me. I am done with propane. I think I will remove the guts and try putting my little electric grill inside and that way I can cover it. That was my big complaint about the little electric grill, I couldn't cover it and keep the heat in. If that doesn't work, both gas grills will go in the yard sale. I pulled out my camping grill and cooked my dogs over sterno. That is how I did it in the desert last year. It works. But I am hopeful about the modified grill. Just have to try it.

Two more days of work and then I will be off for three days. I live for those three days. Working is no way to live. I got spoiled. I want my days back, but I have to be able to pay my bills. Sigh....

Shorts by Sunday?

I brought home some 1x2’s for the trailer. I am going to use them to secure the shelving that I got setup last weekend. I just need to find the framework for the trailer to tie in to. Hoping to have that done this weekend, but a lot will depend on my company this weekend. Once I get the shelving done, I can sort the stuff stored in the shed, free up some space there. My camping gear will live in the trailer. I can also use the trailer as storage when I’m not using it for camping. That will give me quite a bit more room in the shed to work. Not that I get out there much. I need to sit down and see what I have spent on the camper. There is a cooler I would like to buy, but it is $200 and I need to see if I have maxed out my camper budget. This cooler is a food cooler and swamp cooler/AC combined. Supposed to work up to 7 hours without power. I sleep about 7 hours (if I am lucky), so it could possibly keep the trailer cool enough since it is so small. But if I have maxed the budget, it is out of the question. I must be getting close by now, but we’ll see.

I have some sewing I will need to do for the trailer. Some curtains, mattress cover, etc. Not one of my favorite things to do, but I manage and things are usually serviceable. It’s that whole straight line thing…I just can’t do it. :)

It was COLD at work yesterday. I actually had to use the heater for half the day and I never took off any of my layers. Today isn’t supposed to be a whole lot better. Although Sunday it is supposed to hit 75 degrees. Looks like I might be hauling out my shorts next week. Yay! I don’t have any tan left from last year. I will be happy to be back in my shorts and sandals tho. It is currently about 30 degrees. It has been a cold winter here this year. My electric bill was quite a bit higher than I expected and the only big thing I am running is the heat pump.

Hoping to find some time between now and Valentines to make the copper heart earrings I saw online. They shouldn’t take too long and it might get me back into creating. I have to find something that people want and make some money since I am loosing hours. Hoping to make a few bucks at the yard sale too. Need to have the shed sorted by then so I can get rid of as much stuff as possible.

Today I go in at 9. Tomorrow too. Then Saturday will be 8 to 5. I’m hoping to be able to put off finding a full time job until after the summer. But we’ll see. This week and for the rest of February, I loose two hours a week. It has slowed down quite a bit at work so I may loose more hours before the end of the month. 

I’m looking forward to taking off and going camping for a few days when I have the trailer closer to being finished (still have to get it registered). Although it will probably never be completely finished. I haven’t done anything fun in so long. The last time I camped was a year ago. Will be nice to be out somewhere and have something different to look at. Right now, I can’t even see the sunrise with the 5th wheel parked on the lot next door. It blocks my view of the horizon. And the sunset is on the other side that I can’t see anyway. On the 13th, I will have been in this place a year. Wow. And of course, the 26th will be the anniversary of Jake’s death. I still miss him each and every day. Sigh….

Well, time to get moving. Another work day.

Shelving is in

I got my valentine’s stuff out and up yesterday. There isn’t much, but it is something.

I also found a spot for the four little dragonflies I got a couple of weeks ago.

I wired them on. The fourth one is on the lantern.

From there I went out and worked on the trailer. It wasn’t too cold after I adjusted, not as much wind, although the metal parts made my fingers cold. I got the shelves up and in place, but I need to figure out how to secure them. The plywood on the walls isn’t thick enough to act as a base. I am going to have to figure out how to screw them into the metal framework of the trailer. Plus the shelves by the bed don’t have a front right corner support because the bed frame is in the way, and I have to figure out how to secure them with bed in the way. But it is coming together. You can get a feel for what it is going to be. And I will have to figure out the ceiling and insulation at some point too.

I finished that up about 1:30 and then dealt with the garbage and cardboard. The rest of the day I read. Although I did do a load of towels. Pat will be here this weekend and it would be nice if the towels didn’t have a years worth of dust on them. I should have hung them out for a while, but I put them in the dryer and they took forever to dry. I guess I don’t have the hang of the new dryer yet, It has a whole different batch of settings than my old one did. But they finally got dry and they have been put back on the rack, ready and waiting. 

It got cold last night. Down to freezing. Today we will be lucky if we see 50 degrees. It is going to be cold at work. Next week back into the 60’s and low 70’s. 

Another windy day

Yesterday was an errand/puttering day. I didn’t do a whole lot but got a bunch of little things done and dealt with. I have a new grill regulator on the way from Char-broil, free of charge under warranty, caught up with Howard and Barbara on the phone, and a bunch of other little things. The wind picked back up and was gusting and howling again, not quite as bad as the night before, but it wasn’t a good day to be outside so I didn’t do any work on the trailer. Hoping to today.

It isn’t supposed to be warm today, might see 50 degrees if we are lucky. But if the sun is out and the wind isn’t blowing, should be good enough to work in the trailer. I would also like to get my valentines stuff out. And I should do some house cleaning since I will be having company this coming weekend. I will finally be meeting Pat, a friend I met online. She is an author and widow and we connected over her blog. She lost her Jeff about a month after I lost Jake, so we are in similar places widow-wise. She is doing a road trip and Q is on the way.

I did stop at Sal’s. I didn’t get much, a black tablecloth that may become a curtain in the trailer, a small decorative dish and a heart and roses pin that will probably become an ornament for the tree. 

I paid the electric bill yesterday. It was higher than I expected. Must be the heat pump. I didn't use the electric fireplace much this last month. This morning I had to renew my Verizon prepaid wireless. It is my backup and got me thru while there was a million plus people in town. My Karma barely worked when the town was full, but am hoping that it will work a lot better now that people have left. I have seen an improvement so I am hopeful. That one is unlimited for $50 a month. The Verizon is a pay per gig deal.

I had my fish chowder for dinner. It was much better with the corn in it. I also made a salad yesterday, not one of my favorite things to do because it takes so long. I used some of my turnip greens and mesclun from outside. That is what I had for lunch. And there is enough for today’s lunch too. 

I saw a wire heart earring tutorial online this morning that I would like to try. Not sure how much I can squeeze into a day but would like to make an attempt. I haven’t made anything in ages. Starting to feel slightly motivated. This is a good thing. Eventually I would like to even try out the kiln I bought. 

Now that the town has thinned out, I am going to try downloading some movies from Mike again. I also want to see if I can finish watching Grease Live. I have channel 10 back, but still missing a couple of others. The main channel that I HAVE to have is 15, and that is working well. 

I guess that is about it for now. It has been a quiet weekend. Looks like the weather should start warming up again after this week. We will barely get out of the 50’s, and it will be very cold at work. Not the week to start driving the scooter to work. Maybe next week.

Quite a storm last night

Just a quickie this morning as it is already late and I am planning on going to coffee and still need to shower and dress.

I made a fish chowder yesterday, forgot the corn tho. I put it in after I had my dinner, so it will be in there for tonight’s dinner and tomorrow’s lunch.

I didn’t do much yesterday. It was sunny and in the 70’s so I just enjoyed the weather in spite of the wind. Then the wind picked up. I don’t sleep well when it is windy. I was up several times in the night and finally ended up reading in my chair. I finally got back to sleep around 3:30 after I finished my book.

We had high and gusty winds, thunder and lightening and rain…all at the same time for most of the night. My patio is covered in leaves that will have to be swept, and I hope that is the worst of it. I will have to take a look around when I go out. There was a lot of dust in the air in the afternoon before it started raining.

Today is market day. I don’t think I need to go to the grocery store, but I do need to go to DG. Maybe Sal’s. Sal’s will depend upon the number of cars in the parking lot. Might be a light day if people are cleaning up after the storm.

Got the info I need to see about getting the regulator replaced on the grill. I took the brand new one off the extra grill, and it seems to work OK, although the other one worked OK initially too. Will get that replaced. I think I will put the grill in the yard sale. I need to sort the shed before the month is out as the yard sale is March 4th.

I waited all afternoon to watch Grease Live on Fox last night. Well, guess what, about 45 minutes into the three hour production the TV channel went out. Unfortunately that happens when there is a storm. Lost several channels including the one I was watching. So I didn’t get to see most of it. I will have to see if I can stream it at some point.