Last Day of April

Apache Junction, AZ  High 86  Low 61

We’re still here. Enjoying the beautiful weather. However, it is supposed to be HOT this week-end – 98 both days. Then back down to the low 90’s.

Jim and Marv went catching. That’s right – catching, not just fishing. They brought home 15 blue gill. Spent a couple of hours cleaning them and after they cleaned them they gave them to Vi and Charlie. Charlie just got home from having open heart surgery and was really happy to have some fish to enjoy. They are going fishing again on Friday.

Jim got a couple of other items done on the Bungalow. He got the inverter installed. When it was installed on the fifth wheel, he had to go outside to turn it off or on. This time he ran the wires into the Bungalow and mounted it at the foot of the bed. Much more convenient.

Our stove did not come with an igniter for the stove top burners. I know this doesn’t sound like any big problem because all you need to do is use a match or a bbq lighter. But I have this problem. My hands don’t work very well anymore. I cannot light the bbq lighter – I just don’t have enough strength. And have you priced fireplace matches lately? I did some research on line and found a guy who had installed a bbq igniter and showed it to Jim. Yes, Jim can do that. Now I can light the stove by myself.

He also took all the stuffing out of the back of the couch and replaced it with much softer foam. Sure does make the couch a whole lot more comfortable.

He also made two cabinet doors – one under the dinette bench so we don’t have to lift off all the cushions and the board to get to the storage.

The other one was under the stove. This was space that wasn’t accessible until he took off the panel and added the door.

But I haven’t made him work all the time. I did let him take a break so we could go have lunch with Carol and Doug before they head north tomorrow. We went over to their place and went to Tom’s BBQ for lunch. It was sooo good. We’re hoping they’ll be coming through Helena while we’re there. We need to hit that ice cream place down on Last Chance Gulch.

Took this picture of them outside the restaurant. Safe travels friends.

This and That

Apache Junction, AZ  High 97  Low 64

We had 41 folks show up for coffee and donuts this morning. I was surprised there were that many of us left. The park really looks empty and all of the activities are over with.

Jim and Marv went fishing. They didn’t sink the boat but they also didn’t bring home any fish. Jim is really looking forward to his walleye fishing this summer.

Dianna got her rig back today from the repair shop from the accident she had in January. We went over so Jim could help her get it parked and set up in storage. Afterwards we went to lunch at Lin’s Chinese Buffet. We liked the one in Yuma and we wanted to try this one out. It was really good.

Last Saturday we took an Easter basket to Aunt Happy with her favorite yogurt covered pretzels. The new humidifier we got her had quit working and their maintenance man told to send it back. Jim took a look at it and it started working just fine. Happy said she was going to tell the maintenance man to stick with working on furnaces.

 

 

 

It’s a tough life for an old dog.

Jim has got the major modifications to the Bungalow finished. He still has a bunch of smaller projects to work on but we’re still on track to leave the valley on the 15th.

We’ve had lots of clouds around lately. Sure wish some of them would produce rain for this poor state. Had to share this picture with you.

We are just plugging along.

Rejoice–He Is Risen

Apache Junction, AZ  High 87  Low 62

Luke 24

1 Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the Sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.

2 And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre.

3 And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.

4 And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments:

5 And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead?

6 He is not here, but is risen. 

Have a beautiful Easter Day.

The Yearly Freeze

Apache Junction, AZ  High 93  Low 62

Made my trip to the dermatologist yesterday morning and I just can’t get out of there without something being frozen off my body. At least this time it was just the freezing and no biopsies or follow up treatment needed.

Jim went to his internist this week and everything is looking really good. His kidneys are back to functioning normally and his A1c was 6.4 which is just about perfect. The doctor started him on calcium and vitamin D a couple of months ago so they checked his blood for those and everything is back up to normal there also. Three more doctor appointments to go: cardiologist, pulmonologist and oncologist. All these gists!

Once we visit with all these wonderful people we will be good to get out of town.

Yesterday, Jim was working on the Bungalow (installing the battery tender and tire monitoring system) when he got a phone call from his buddy Marv. Seems his Bronco (yes a Ford) died on him up near Payson. He had a ride down into the valley but was wondering if Jim could go back up with him and tow it down. Jim, Marv, George, and Al all made the trip. It was not without a couple of mishaps but they made it back in time for dinner.

Besides the battery tender and TPMS, he also got the inverter wired. He’s currently working on the cabinet doors where he took the paneling off in a couple of places so we could have more storage. I think he’s almost done with the major projects. He and Marv really want to do some fishing next week.

Horses and Naked Women

Apache Junction, AZ  High 93  Low 61

Went to see Aunt Happy. She was in a great mood. She talked about how much she and Don liked to go to Chico Hot Springs in Montana. (It also ranks as one of our favorite places.) One time while they were there Don signed them up to take a horseback ride up into the mountains. He did that without talking to Happy first. She was not happy. But she was willing to give it a try because Don was so excited about it. They gave her one of the horses that the children rode because they knew she had no experience.

They headed out and Don was having a great time. Happy’s horse went a little ways, figured out that Happy had no idea what she was doing, turned her head back to look up at Happy and then went back to the barn. The thing that upset Happy the most was that Don didn’t even know she was missing.

We just cracked up listening to her tell this story.

Well, the second one was just as funny if not more so. At Chico they offer the most marvelous hot rock massages. Don, once again without asking her, signed both of them up for massages.

When they got there they separated them into the women and men’s areas. Happy looked around the corner into the room and there were all these women sitting in a hot tub – Naked! She was horrified. She told the attendant that she had a bathing suit and the attendant told her that no one ever wore a suite. There was no way she was going to take all her clothes off and sit around with naked women. So she went back out into the lobby and waited for Don to finish. He came out and couldn’t believe that she hadn’t had her massage. His was wonderful.

We had a fun visit and spent a lot of time laughing.

Tax Day Blood Moon

Apache Junction, AZ  High 87  Low 58

We stayed up with Ginny and Mickey to watch the lunar eclipse tonight.

What a great experience. These were taken with my little point and shoot camera and I think Jim did a great job.

And now to bed. Goodnight.

From NASA - We'll never again for the rest of our lives see a total eclipse of the moon on the same night as the closest approach of a bright planet like Mars.

A Great Couple of Days

Apache Junction, AZ  High 96  Low 63

Yesterday, our good friends Carol and Doug came to visit. They just moved up to Mesa from Tucson. Hard to believe it’s been almost two years since we last spent time with them. After visiting for awhile we went to dinner at Filly’s here in AJ. The place was packed. I thought with all the snowbirds who have already left that things would start thinning out but not yet. It was too loud to do much visiting at the restaurant so we came back to our rig and sat outside in the gorgeous night weather. We’re hoping we can meet up with them again before we both head north.

Today, our neighbors headed back to Canada. Ron gave us permission to move the Bungalow over to his site but first Jim had metal valve stems put on the tires. We have a tire pressure monitoring system and the tire sensors are too heavy for rubber stems.

This afternoon he put the blind clasps on that we had ordered. That way the blinds don’t bang when we’re moving down the road or when one of us walks around the rig. He put the level on the front of the rig because he was able to get the rig really level.

He also got about 90% of the work done on getting the ladder installed.

We’ve been running the air the last couple of days but it’s not supposed to be as hot tomorrow which will be nice. Saw on the news that there is a fire west of Flagstaff. Could really be a rough fire season for the state.

Finally, Some Excitement Around Here

Apache Junction, AZ  High 97  Low 64

Had a couple of moments of excitement yesterday.

First, Ginny saved a baby bird. She noticed him flapping against Pete’s carport. Seems Mom and Dad had built a nest up in the carport and had put string in the nest. The baby (who is learning to fly) got his foot caught in the string and was just hanging there.

Ginny to the rescue. She grabbed a ladder and Ron brought over his scissors that he carries in his pocket. Peg and I stood around, watched the rescue operation, and applauded. I didn’t have my camera with me so no pictures. Ginny got the baby snug in her left hand and then was able to cut all the string loose from his claw. All this time, Mom and Dad are flying over and around and making all kinds of noise. You could tell they were really worried about their baby.

After cutting him loose Ginny opened her hand and he just sat there for a moment. Then he fluttered off past our fifth wheel with Mom and Dad right there with him. He landed on the ground and was still there an hour later just getting his strength back. I eventually saw him fly off and Mom and Dad were still with him.

The second bit of excitement was a little scarier. Jim and John (our 91 year old neighbor) went fishing yesterday morning. Left about 8:00 and said they would be back about 2:00. About 1:40 I got a text saying they were still fishing and having a good time.

Next thing I know I get a text that says they are on their way home. When they get back Jim tells me the boat started to take on water. Seems a speedometer cable screw was placed below the water line and had worked itself loose. And the bilge pump decided not to work.

Jim, with John’s help, got the boat up on a plane and they made it back to shore. A bunch of guys were lined up at the dock to pull their boats out but Jim explained his problem and they let him go in front of them.

This morning, Marv, Ken and Jim are hard at work trying to fix the leak and figure out why the bilge pump didn’t work. Jim is laying down in the boat working on the bilge pump switch.

RIP bilge pump. Walmart to the rescue with a new one. It sure ruined the plans for any fishing today for Jim and Marv.

I am so glad they didn’t have to swim to shore.

Bungalow Modifications–Part 2

Apache Junction, AZ  High 82  Low 56

I’m really documenting all of these modifications so that I can look back at what we did when I can’t remember any of them.

I know a lot of people who really like the bench dinette but I’m not one of them. I was hoping that we could take the dinette set out but that isn’t going to happen without a whole lot of work. Our heater and duct work are under the bench seats. You can see some of it in the next picture. So maybe someday.

So back to the drawing board. Something had to be done to open up that area somehow. So this is the idea I came up with and Jim did it for me. We still have a table but more open space.

The Bungalow came with a new Interstate 12V battery. We will be buying two 6V golf cart batteries and Jim can use the 12V on the boat. To accommodate the new batteries we had to get a new battery box and Jim also installed a battery cut off switch. We also have a battery tender that will get installed when we move the rig over by us.

Our Canadian neighbors will be heading north in a couple of weeks and they have given us permission to park the Bungalow on their lot after they leave. We can run an extension cord over to our electric and it will be easier for Jim to do some of the other projects.

The screen door handle was loose and the door didn’t shut properly.  Jim had to adjust the hook on the door that holds the two doors together. He also put up a screen door bar which is one of those things that I now consider a necessity.

The level had been placed between the tires on the outside of the rig so Jim moved it up towards the front where it now works properly. We also bought a nice big level for the front that can easily be seen from the truck.

Dawn, I have to agree with you about the sink. It is really small and in our rig, very awkward to get to. I had thought about replacing it with a single sink but I haven’t been able to find one that would be the right size. The closest one in size, would make me lose some of my very valuable counter space. For now, we are going to work with what we have.

One of the hardest things for me to find was someplace to put the girls’ treats. Whenever they go out and do their job, they get to have a treat. Well, they get to have treats at other times like when Jim and I come in the house. When we were in Casa Grande, Jan and I looked at everything we could think of that might work and I didn’t find anything that I liked. However, Amazon to the rescue. I found this basket and key holder. Supposed to be for holding mail but it’s just perfect to put treats in and have a place to hang keys.

Meanwhile – back at the fifth wheel. Jim needed to put a new seal in our toilet. So not fun.

The fifth wheel hitch also needed to come out of the back of the pick up. We have the super duper Glide Rite heavy duty hitch for short bed trucks. It weighs over 300 lbs and Jim needed help. Got the job done and it is now in our shed.

Marv and Al

Ken rounded up the dolly to help with the move.

Bungalow Modifications–Part 1

Apache Junction, AZ  High 71  Low 51

First the really good news. Both of Jim’s biopsies came back benign. So no more trips to the dermatologist for him until next year. Hopefully my visit turns out as good.

Arizona Sunset

Now for the Bungalow Mods. A lot of the ideas are mine. I come up with the idea and then expect Jim to figure them out. Thank goodness he can do that. A lot of the modifications are small but important to us. I’ll probably do this in a couple of posts because there are many.

I hate having to crane my neck to look at TV. And besides that, our TV wouldn’t fit in that corner cupboard. I ordered a cabinet mount that would allow the TV to be mounted under that cabinet. Jim reinforced the cabinet floor with another piece of wood to ensure the TV will not fall during transit.

We talked about putting a door on the TV cabinet but to make it easier and cheaper Jim added a piece of molding to the front to hold things in the cabinet. I’m not sure this is going to work so we are still thinking about it.

None of the drawers worked in the rig. They were the kind that you had to lift up to pull out and even Jim had trouble with them. He modified the guides that the drawers slide on and added magnetic catches to keep the drawers closed and even I can open them now.

The electric jack worked before we left the dealership. By the time we got to Casa Grande it died and Jim had to hand crank the rig into place. When we got back to AJ Jim called the dealership and in typical fashion, they weren’t sure what was wrong but told us we could bring the rig back down and they would look at it. Jim then called Atwood (the brand of Jack) and after a couple of phone calls, he figured out that one of the screws was loose so the motor was not grounded properly. Once he was able to get that tightened the jack works fine.

The propane cover that came with the rig does not have an opening in the top. That means that you have to lift the cover off every time you want to turn the propane off or on. Doesn’t sound like a big deal but with the Hensley Hitch, it’s a really tight fit. So we replaced it with a cover that has a top opening. We try to make life as easy as possible.

Old cover

New cover

There were no towel bars in the bathroom. We talked about putting an over the door towel rack but decided to go with the rings instead. We also put up a new shower curtain and a shower head with a cut-off switch.

New bumper caps.

New clock and an indoor/outdoor thermometer. The clock is above the couch. The previous owners had put something up there and when they took it down it ripped the paneling.

The next one definitely takes an explanation. The couch came with cup holders on each end. With the new mattress being so high the girl’s could not use their steps to get up on the bed. So we taught them to get up on the couch and then jump from there to the bed. It’s an easy jump. But they couldn’t get the grip to make the jump with the holes for the cups. Jim took out the cups, got a piece of wood, covered it with fabric and then nailed it down so the girls have a place to plant their feet.

More in the next post.

Time for an Update

Apache Junction, AZ  High 82  Low 56

Life is passing rapidly. We seem to be on the go constantly but really nothing to blog about. In fact, one of Jim’s fishing buddies, stopped him the other day and asked him if he ever stayed home.

We’ve been visiting with Aunt Happy. I forgot to include this picture of her leaving after her doctor’s appointment. That’s the lift that they use to put her in the transport bus.

She is feeling really good. Still continuing with rehab on her shoulder. She had a great time at the concert she went to and is looking forward to another dinner that Banner Baywood Medical is sponsoring for those people who have donated to their foundation.

Haven’t seen much of Dianna. She is still very very sick. Remember she left Yuma right after we arrived because she was ill. The doctors can’t seem to figure out what is wrong. Very frustrating for her.

Jim and John went fishing. They didn’t catch any fish but they took this interesting picture.

This is what happens to a very expensive ski boat when the driver loses control. Don’t know if alcohol was involved but speed definitely was a major cause.

Last week we drove over to Glendale to have lunch with a guy I used to work with at IRS in Kalispell, MT. Rod was here visiting some family and his Mom, Aunt and Cousin also joined us for lunch. It was a great time but I forgot to take any pictures. Rod is really enjoying the weather down here but he left today to head back to cold and snowy Montana.

Then on Sunday we met up with Susan at Garcia’s for lunch to say goodbye. She is getting ready to pull out this week-end and is headed for California. Up around the San Francisco area.

Jim had his skin doctor appointment and is having two biopsies done. So we’re waiting to hear the results of that. May mean that he needs more MOHS procedures. I see the skin doc on the 17th.

I’m working on our trip headed north. If all goes well with Jim’s doctor appointments I’m hoping we can leave town on May 14. All plans are in chalk but as of now we will be going up the west side of Nevada to explore those areas that we missed when we came down. Then we’ll head over to Wyoming before going to Helena.

I’m hoping to do a Bungalow update on all of Jim’s projects this week. I keep coming up with things for him to install or change.