Merry Christmas and a very Joyous 2023

 AJ.  High 56.   Low 43

Christmas Eve at my house.

 Jim's favorite holiday drink was sparkling apple cider. I toasted him and played some Christmas music. My first Christmas without him. I sure do miss that man.

 On Christmas day Paul and I were invited to Ginny and Mickey's for dinner. A fantastic meal with good friends.

 On Friday before Christmas my grief support group had a luncheon. These women are so strong and have been such a blessing in my life. It truly is a safe, non-judgmental place to be.

And boy can they put on a spread.

One of the women made this ornament for each of us. The cardinal is Virginia's state bird and Jim was from Virginia. He loved those birds, even the females which aren't near as colorful as the males. 

 A cardinal's spiritual meaning is that of love. Cardinals are part of symbolism and whenever you see one, it signifies that a loved one is visiting you.

 

Had my left cataract removed on Wednesday so it is still trying to adjust to seeing the world differently. My next appointment is the end of January and hopefully by then I can get a new prescription and new glasses.

New Year's Eve will find me in my pajamas in my living room, maybe watching the ball drop in New York. I want to wish each of you a joy filled 2023 and many visits from cardinals.

 

December Happenings Number Two

 AJ, AZ    High 58  Low 37  way too cold as far as I'm concerned

 The Apache Junction RZRs are a group of people who decorate their 4x4's, jeeps and pickups for Christmas. Then they do a parade through some of the RV parks here in AJ. We were chosen this year and here they come.

Any money that is raised by this group is used to fill the closet at the children's hospital. This closet is filled with toys, stuffed animals, clothes and other goodies for children who are too sick to go home. 

You could hear the rumble long before you could see the lead vehicle. Someone counted the number of vehicles and came up with 330 - amazing. 

 I took my chair and joined Ginny, Mickey, Andy, Bernie, and Wendy. I also took my blanket because it was cold out.

I took a video but it's too big to load here. I finally remembered to take a couple of pictures. But I was so busy waving and yelling Merry Christmas and Thank you that I only got these few. 

 

After the parade headed for another park we went up to the clubhouse where they had hot chocolate, hot apple cider and cookies for us to enjoy. 

A really fun evening. 

Then a not so fun, but necessary, time. I had cataract surgery on my right eye last Wednesday. Everything went just like it was supposed to and thanks once again to Ginny, I had a ride to and from the doctors. 

It truly is amazing how much brighter the colors are. Cataracts grow so slowly that you don't notice the change in what colors you are seeing. Now, when I look at my white car with my right eye, I see a truly white car and a white carport. When I look with just my left eye, I see a yellowish cream colored car and carport. 

The left eye gets a new view on the 28th of December. Then it takes about six weeks for your eyes to heal so you can be tested as to whether you need glasses or not. I already know I will need glasses which is fine with me. I've worn them since I was in first grade so I'd be lost without them. 

On Saturday night after the cookout, some of the folks in our park decorated their golf carts and motorcycles and we had another parade. It was cold outside and I was really chilled so I took these pictures through my window. That means their quality leaves much to be desired.

A huge thank you to everyone who participated and I sure hope this becomes an annual event.

 

December Happenings

Apache Junction.  High 58. Low 44

Well, it appears December is going to be a busy month. I have cataract surgery scheduled for both eyes. Saw the dermatologist and I don't have to go back for a year. Also have my yearly check up scheduled.

 

But I've also had a couple of fun times besides doctor visits. My church group had a Christmas party out at Saguaro Lake Guest Ranch. What a glorious location. The Ranch is located on the banks of the Salt River, in the shadow of the Bulldog Cliffs.  Saguaro Lake Guest Ranch was created out of the work camp built in 1927 to facilitate the construction of Stewart Mountain Dam between 1928 and 1930. I really loved the fact that they have kept the Ranch rustic and true to its western roots. 

Just some of the pictures I took.

 

The fireplace in the community center.

 

The Salt River (controlled by the dam and not usable for kayaking at this time of year).

 The Cliffs at sunset

 

The campfire

And the last picture - the moon rising over the Ranch.

I'm going to save our next December treat for my next post.

Trying To Bring The Blog Up To Date

 

 Apache Junction   High  68  Low 45

 

 It has been so long since I've made a blog post I'm not sure I remember how.  So this post will hopefully not be too long as I bring it up to date.  Lots of pictures.

 

I survived the long hot summer. Had to replace one of the air conditioners and bought a portable air conditioner which made all the difference in the world.

I took many cloud pictures.  But I'll only post a couple here. We had a wet monsoon season this summer which we really needed. I'm hoping the Rockies get a lot of snow this winter to help with the drought that the southwest is suffering from.

 One day I decided to take a drive out to Saguaro Lake which was probably not a good thing to do. This is where Jim always went fishing and I wasn't ready for all the sadness that swept over me.

 

I also sold Jim's boat to the most perfect buyer. Reid and Jylan, neighbors in the park, were beyond helpful in that effort. They ran all the ads and then ran interference for me with all the people that wanted to check out the boat. Finally a couple came by to check it out and ended up buying it. The man has four sons (like Jim) and wanted to be able to spend time fishing with them which was Jim's most favorite thing. Made it so much easier to say goodbye. 

People started returning to the park in September which was a lot of fun. 

Halloween week-end turned out to be the best of times. Todd and Michaela were here to visit. 

 

I had a list of things I wanted Todd to do for me and he finished most of them. One of the major ones was to take his stuff out of the shed.  Then in November we had a part wide patio sale and I really cleaned out stuff! I can now find things.

 

The other was to clean the inside of my car and clear up the headlights. Success.

They took some wonderful pictures on their trip so this next part will be heavy with pictures I want to have in my blog.

 Todd grilling chicken wings for us.

 Working on the list.

More pictures from their trip that I really like.

I look so old in this picture but it's so good of the kids. Michaela is feeling really good and her baby bump is starting to show. We are all so excited for Eli to arrive.

Found this picture of Jim and I when we were in Richmond, VA.

Ginny and Mickey invited Paul and me to their house for Thanksgiving dinner. The food was fantastic and the company was very special. 

This catches us up on my world. Hopefully it won't take me another two or three months to post an update.
 

Red Is The Color

 AJ, AZ   High 98   Low 70

Today was a really special day. Todd and Michaela's friend, Kalli (thank you), threw a gender reveal for them.

I wasn't able to go to Montana for it so they did it on FB for us to be able to join in.  They did not go for the traditional pink and blue (thank goodness). Green has always been Michaela's color and Red is Todd's. 

 

So, naturally, Red was for a boy and Green was for a girl. I loved how they had the box rigged. When they finished the countdown a little remote control Mickey Mouse (they are Disney fanatics) car came out of the red box towing a small red banner. It was fantastic.

 

 

 

 

Now I can hardly wait to meet Eli James in person next February.

 

 I sure do love these two and I know they are going to make fantastic parents. And, course, I will make a marvelous grandmother because I can really spoil him.  And then give him back.