This week has started out being a little crazy, as we plunge right back into park activities, together with buying new living room furniture for our park model, and getting ready to go out to my aunt Penny's house in Dana Point for Thanksgiving on Thursday. We had rain here but it wasn't bad, and the locals were really happy for the change from constant sunshine!!!!!! More is unfortunately forecast for the Thanksgiving day and the Friday following that, so will be a nuisance.
This year we tried a new route coming down, I-5 from Olympia, Washington right down to outside LA, and then east from there, we only needed 2 sleeps, and we were here by 1 PM or so on our 3rd driving day. Didn't cross the Mojave Desert, it's about 2 hours longer that way.
Oh yes, we opened up this house, got rid of lots of gritty sand from around doors and windows, and nearly shoveled out the patio area from the accumulation of 6 months of heavy sand deposits. Sand, sand, sand everywhere outside, it must have swirled into our outside area and been trapped there, it was bad. All around the sink area it was maybe a quarter inch deep, and gritty, so gritty. Forgot to say one of our pictures had fallen off the wall during the summer and crashed onto the floor, shattering its glass. Bummer, apparently there was a bit of a shaker of an earthquake, maybe that did it.
We had a real challenge this year hooking up the TV, Time Warner gave us a new box that would likely give us more channels, but it was impossible for us to hook it all up and make the TV work.
The internet worked fine, but wouldn't stream over to my I Pad, and our cable phone wouldn't work on cable either, so we had to get a service rep out to help us get it all in order. Rep couldn't fit under our unit, so had to run a new exterior cable for the TV.
Now we have given away our oversize leather furniture, sofa and recliner, and bought 2 small recliner chairs for us. It is a much better fit, the leather furniture was almost painful for me to sit in, forcing my head forward, my legs up, and dropping my butt way back in the chair. Not to mention forcing my arms up higher, more than is natural. Maybe you get the picture, but what we just bought is way better for us, and the shape of the small area we have. They are kind of a chenille, corduroy fabric, cocoa colored, they fit in nicely.
So now to think about what other pieces we want to add, if any, maybe reposition the computer table somewhere else than beside the dining room table, and even give us more space for our dining room table. Maybe put the white plastic set of drawers somewhere else, too, it isn't nice looking in the living room/ dining room area. Lots to think about and rearrange here.
We had the kitchen and hall cupboards all painted white, along with the hall and bathroom ceiling now painted white, it makes a big difference to the visual appearance of the unit.
Today we went over to our other unit, which we actually love more than this one in the interior, and opened it all up. Both units have all furniture covered with plastic, all windows covered totally against the harsh desert sunshine over the summer time, and they of course need their utilities turned back on, electricity, gas and water. The rental leaks sand more than the one we are living in, especially around the windows and doors, so a bit of cleanup needed there; and we cover all the drains in sinks and toilets with some form of plastic wrap, to retain the moisture during the hot summer, and keep the sewer smells out of our unit while we are away. So they need to be cleared out, too.
The bathtubs have 45 gallon garbage cans full of water in them to add some moisture over the summer also, preventing furniture and wood items from cracking in the 120 - 130 degree temps over the desert summertime. When we return they are mostly empty of water, but not totally, so we need to drain them and put them outside.
And did we mention that we got talked into being actors in a Renaissance era play/ feast going on at a neighboring park over the December 7/8 weekend? Well Lary's costume is perfect, he's a Scottish minstrel, but I am an English jester with quite a lot of speaking parts, and my costume didn't even come near fitting, needing a lot of letting out. Erg, that is today's task, adding in a piece of fabric across the back. The fabric is quite a sleazy nylon, and when stretched, develops runs through the fabric. Part of our act will be a kind of dueling flutes contest, should be lots of fun.
We might also be in the Desert Hot Springs Christmas parade, Dec 14th, down main street in DHS in our Renaissance costumes, that should be a hoot.
During the painting of the kitchen we rearranged the height of some cupboards in order to add an under the counter microwave, but now the kitchen ceiling is stained and discolored from years of cooking, and needs some touchups there with white ceiling paint, and the vent pipe of steel is showing, and also needs painting. Hmmm. As they say with renovation projects, one thing leads to another one needing doing.
Sunday Lary watched the Grey Cup on satellite TV at a neighbor's house, and was devastated when his beloved Hamilton Tiger Cats got trounced. He and his Mom were commiserating with each other today by phone.
It's fun coming back here and meeting the other park residents once again, some have become too old and frail or ill to return, some folks have decided to sell up and move on, it's a work constantly in change in our park.
One couple is moving to Albuquerque, N Mexico and another couple is relocating to Tucson, so their lives will doubtless change for them. We've been in the pool just twice since we got back, need to remedy that for sure. When it's cloudy, windy or raining we don't feel like our usual pool time.
We're currently watching the Voice, which we rarely watch, so that's fun, 8 semi finalists and some will be eliminated tonight. Great energy.
Well that's it for now, thanks for reading, I plan to send Christmas cards if I can sit down for a moment or two and do them.
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