Wednesday, February 15th - Bible Study Day!

 It was another hot day here. The overnight low was 66 and today's high was a fairly humid 86. Lots of wind again today.

While I was sitting outside this morning I saw the neighbors packing up and getting ready to move on. I went over and visited with Juan for awhile. They are moving to a campground about 25 miles east of here for a few days and then heading to Baton Rouge, LA. After that he said they might back west and north, to Amarillo, TX. I didn't think to ask when he thought they would head back home to Green Bay, WI.

While sitting outside a huge 5th wheel unit backed down the street. The unit was probably in one of the "angle parking" sites on the dead end street. I don't think I've seen a 5th wheel as long as this one. It's a Landmark 365, I think a Newport model. If so, it is 43'-7 1/2" long, 18,000# GVWR and a 3,048# hitch weight.

There were 18 people in Bible Study this morning, the most since we have been here. Chris did a great job again. We are sure going to miss him when we leave here.

After Bible Study we stayed down at the Activity Center for awhile. I needed to do some updating on my computer and my tablet. The cable modem unit set up I got from the campground is better than nothing, but barely. The Activity Center is a WiFi hotspot. It was much easier to do the updates there. 

We went to a Mexican restaurant for lunch. We drove by it a couple of days ago and noted all the cars in the parking lot. We commented that it must be good, it wasn't. Kathy ordered a plate with chicken tacos and I ordered a #82 from the menu. The #82 was 2 beef tacos and a cheese enchilada. When the waiter brought our orders he brought Kathy beef tacos. and mine had 3 beef taco's without the enchilada. I flagged down the waiter, no easy task, and told him Kathy had ordered chicken tacos and that I had ordered the #82 Combination Plate. Kathy said she would just keep hers but I sent mine back and got the Combination Plate. The waiter never came to see if we wanted drink refills. Kathy had to flag him down to get a box. We gave up waiting for a check and walked up to the cashier, even though the waiter was supposed to collect the money. The food was okay.

Then it was back home. The combination of the wind and heat made sitting outside uncomfortable so we stayed inside and read. About 4PM I finally managed to guilt myself into walking down to the Fitness Center to get some exercise.

We are looking forward to some cooler weather over the next few days. PTL!

God is good. I pray that He blesses you and yours.

Tuesday, February 14th - Happy Valentines Day

 Another slow day for us, and HOT. PTL for AC! Lat nights low was 66, which let the AC rest a little during the early morning hours. Today's high was 89. We learned that one AC unit can't keep the coach cool when its 89 degrees. It did keep it down to mid 80's inside, which isn't bad considering the sun beating on our mostly black coach.

I regened our RV water softener in the morning. The entire task takes me about an hour. Disconnect the softener, install the "brine tank" between the water source and the softener, unhook the sewer hose and run a hose from the softener to the sewer. I slowly run the brine through the softener for about 20 minutes, let it set for 20 minutes and then continue running water through the setup until the discharge water is salt free. Then I reverse the hose connections and backflush the brine out of the softener. I'm currently using a whole house water softener casing for my brine tank. I put a box of table salt in it, fill it with water and let it set at least 24 hours before the regen. The water here is HARD. I get about 4 days on a regen. In Cathedral City I could go 2 weeks between regens.

Mid-morning we went to the Post Office and mailed the afghan Kathy made. Since it went to an APO address I had to fill out a customs form. After the Post Office it was on to Walgreens for prescriptions. I almost always have to wait days in Jefferson City to get a 90 day refill for one of my diabetic meds. Before requesting a refill here I checked with Tech at the counter and he said getting a full refill would be no problem. When I told him to proceed with the refill he asked if I wanted to wait, he told me it would take about 10 minutes, it took no more than five. When we were full timing 2011-12 we learned that once your prescriptions are on file with a Walgreens store all you can get refills at any Walgreens. Back then I think they might have been one of the few pharmacies that had the capability. I expect all the national chains do now.

On our way back to the campground we stopped at a Long John Silvers and had lunch. I like their fish, mine was good. Kathy has some type of weird rice bowl thing. She only ate part of it.

The AC repairman called and said the Service Contract people want to sent out an "inspector" to make sure the AC needs to be replaced, before pre-approving the work. He said he the inspector would make arrangements with him and he would then call me. He asked if I wanted to him to go ahead and get the unit ordered. I said yes.

It was hot enough again to day that siestas were in order 😀

Kathy went out for a short walk once things cooled down a little. I waited until almost 6 before heading out for a 2 mile walk. Its 9PM and the temp is now down to 72. The overnight low is supposed to be 66 again tonight.

God is good. I pray that He blesses you and yours.

 

Monday, February 13th - Day 74 or our trip - WINDY!!!

 The overnight low was in the mid 50's. Today's high was a mostly sunny 79. It has been WINDY all day, with average wind speeds over 20 mph and gusts over 30 mph. We are amazed at how much the palm trees can sway with breaking off. 

We didn't leave the campground today. Kathy hung around the coach and did some cleaning and reading. It was nice enough that we could set outside, at the back corner of the coach to get out of the worst of the wind.

After breakfast (just oatmeal and a grapefruit this morning Chuck, no breakfast of champions) I went to the fitness center for awhile. When I got back I called the RV repair guy who came out on the 7th. I left him a message saying that since he had not answered my two previous calls I assumed he was not interested in repairing our AC unit. After a little more online research I called another guy and he came out around 1:30.  He also said that the unit needs to be replaced. He went to his truck, made a few calls and gave me a price. He said he could have the unit here in 2-3 days. I told him to go. The first guy said it would probably take 6 weeks to 6 months to get a unit.

It was hot enough today to justify afternoon siesta's.

Had a short conversation with a guy walking by. Before retirement he was a crane operator. I asked where he lived and he said either in the cab of the crane or the truck that moved it around. He was an interesting guy. I hope to see him again. He mentioned the lack of people who want to work, even with the high wages being paid today. He said his son was a crane operator and so was his grandson. His grandson has been operating for two years. Last year he made $104,000. The guy said, "That's more than I ever made in my life."

All the news about devices overflying the US is interesting. Our government lets a Chinese "balloon," carrying a payload the size of a regional jet, collect and transmit data while overflying the US. Its a good thing these "balloons" weren't carrying EMP nukes. Not only is our southern border a sieve (On Feb 9th the WSJ said that according to federal data in 2022 around one million people who had illegally crossed the border were turned loose into the US) now it appears that our airspace is not very secure. This is on top of a guy with a hunting rifle being able to knock out power for 45,000 people in South Carolina. 

God is good. I pray that He blesses you and yours.

Friday, Saturday & Sunday, February 10th, 11th & 12th

 Friday - The excitement of the day was the people coming with the "farm wagon". I didn't take any new photos of the crowd, but once again there were people waiting when the folks pulled up. Our produce purchases. 

It was interesting watching the guy operate the device that "cores" the pineapples. He cuts the ends off the pineapple, sets it in the device, pulls down the handle and the core and outside skin are gone.

Saturday - We went to the craft bazaar at the Ballroom. Lots of stands. Kathy bought some handmade cards. I bought some tie straps. There were some booths with some nice woodworking products, but nothing we needed.

My daily Old Testament reading was in Jeremiah. Today's reading included Jeremiah 17:7 & 8 (NLT) [7] “But blessed are those who trust in the LORD and have made the LORD their hope and confidence. [8] They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they go right on producing delicious fruit." 

I  wished I could say that I had that state of mind all the time, all Christians should. To often Paul describes me, and many others, in Philippians 3:12-14 (NLT) [12] I don't mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection! But I keep working toward that day when I will finally be all that Christ Jesus saved me for and wants me to be. [13] No, dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, [14] I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven.

Sunday - We went to the campground Cowboy Church service this morning. It was great, as usual. Chris used James 3 as the basis for his message. Some of the songs were a Christian version of Cowboy Up, Jesus Loved the Devil Out of Me & Open the Eyes of My Heart. After church we went to the breakfast buffet at the restaurant in the Activity Center. They have a guy making omelets to order, a lady making great waffles and then the conventional breakfast buffet. I had a waffle, bacon and fruit. Kathy had an omelet, part of a waffle and fruit. Everything was good.

The weather has been good. Overnight lows in the low 40's, daytime highs in the high 60's, low 70's. 

God is good. I pray that He blesses you and yours. 

Thursday, February 9th - Not Much Happening

 The weather was nice today. Last nights low was 55 and todays high was a partly cloudy 76.

Midmorning we made a trip to Walgreens to check on prescriptions for Kathy and then we went over to the grocery store to pick up a few things. After the grocery store we stopped and had a salad and pizza for lunch. 

Kathy did some laundry and other housekeeping stuff. I forced myself to walk down to the fitness center to get in some exercise. 

I called Elite Mobile Repair to check on the status of our AC work. I left a message but so far no call back.

We had a nice phone visit with Chuck and Rhonda Winkles, a couple we were friends with when we lived in Lebanon, IN. It was good to catch up with them.

God is good. I pray that He blesses you and yours.

Wednesday, February 8th - Nice Day

It was windy during most of the night. Just about sunrise, it was to cloudy for an actual sunrise, we received a nice 15-20 minute shower. I was sitting in the front, people watching, as the rain started. I saw a lady in shorts and a tee shirt out walking her dog as the rain started. She looked like she probably had her hair done. No doubt she was seriously soaked by the time she got home. 

I also watched the campground workers heading out with their golf carts and trailers. Most of the carts have roofs but I doubt that they provide all that much protection. Most of the people wore some type of rain protection, but I bet most were wet during the first half hour of their day. Not a great way to start the day.

After breakfast we went to the 10:00 Cowboy Church Bible Study. It is in one of the rooms at the campground Activity Center. There were 15 people there, its sad that so few take advantage of such a great learning opportunity. On the other hand that is about the right number to allow for discussion. Chris, the Pastor of the Cowboy Church of the Valley, is doing a great job making us think about the Gifts of the Spirit. He welcomes comments and discussions, even though it seems that we sometimes don't make much forward progress during the hour.

I received a phone call/message, during the Bible Study, From a couple we haven't seen since we moved from Indiana in 2011. Chuck and I texted back and forth a couple of times. We need to get a call going on speakerphone tomorrow so his wife Rhonda and Kathy can also be involved in catching up. 

After the class Kathy and I hung around for a while so that we could access the WiFi and do some necessary phone/tablet updating. We had lunch at the restaurant there. Kathy's chicken tenders were edible. My Cuban sandwich was good. We also poked around in the library. There must be a sizeable contingent here from Quebec, the library has a decent size bookcase full of books in French.

After lunch we attended a function in the Ballroom. It was for couples who have been married a minimum of 50 years. There were over 30 couples in attendance. Two of the couples had been married 67 years. Kathy and I have been married 55 years. The campground served everyone cake and drinks. We shared a table with two couples from Minnesota. Both couples have been spending the winters down here for several years.

There were five couple who were celebrating there 50th during this year. The had them sit up front. One of the couples was from Columbia, Missouri, about 40 miles from our home base in Centertown.

In the afternoon we sat outside enjoying the mostly sunny day, with temperatures in the low 70's. With the sun, shorts and a tee shirt felt great. We both did manage a siesta.

In the evening Kathy saw the UPS truck. She chased it down. She finally got her tea. It was originally supposed to have been delivered February 1st.

We didn't hear anything about repairs to our AC unit today. Tomorrow I need to check in with the guy. I emailed Tiffin and found out the right part number to order one, but I wasn't able to get confirmation that they actually had one in stock. I did learn that you can't buy one directly from the manufacturer.

God is good. I pray that He blesses you and yours.

Tuesday, February 7th - Day 68 - Slow Day

 Late yesterday afternoon we gave in and turned on the AC. We could have dealt with the warm temperatures (overnight low was 70) but the humidity made it uncomfortable. The rear AC came on and sounded like normal, but it wasn't cooling. Thankfully the front AC was adequate to wring the humidity out of the air and cool it down.

This morning I walked to the Fitness Center and spent about 45 minutes there before walking back. Once I got back I called an RV repair place at 9AM and he said he would come around 4PM. Around 11:30AM he called me back and said he finished up a job early and was in Donna. He wondered if we were home and if it was okay to come over. After checking the unit he said it needs to be replaced.

The good news is that it should be covered under our Service Contract. The bad news is that once again the damage caused by the government shutting down our economy has come to light (the new normal of shortages). He said it takes weeks, and sometimes as long as 6 months, to get an RV replacement AC unit. I told him that we were supposed to be out of here the morning of the 25th. Hopefully we will find out about a delivery date tomorrow. PTL that the front AC can keep the entire coach cool when temps are only in the low 80's, like they were today. 2nd PTL that temps are forecast to be in the 60's & 70's until a week from tomorrow.

Today was WINDY. 20-25 mph with gusts up to 45 mph. It is amazing to watch the tall skinny palm trees sway in the wind without breaking off.

I'm still "fighting" with UPS trying to get an Amazon order (Tetley English Breakfast tea for Kathy) delivered. We see UPS & Fed Exp trucks go by our site multiple times a day. I assumed that they would deliver directly to us. I could understand UPS missing the original delivery date due to the bad weather in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. The day after the new delivery date passed I received an email saying they couldn't deliver to the address I gave them. I was to call them. I called and after a series of "punch the number" sessions I was connected to a human being. After a lengthy discussion I asked her to have it delivered to the front office and said I would pick it up. Yesterday I received a new email saying that they couldn't deliver to the address I gave them. The campground has big signs out front, it is on a main street in an urban area and there are over 1,000 sites in the campground. It is not something that is easy to miss.  

We have a mailbox at the campground post office. This afternoon I walked back to the campground post office and talked to the kids that run the place. They confirmed that all delivery services except the US mail are to deliver directly to the campsites. I called UPS again and told them I can't understand why they can't make a delivery. We discussed addresses again. Hopefully we will get a delivery tomorrow.

While I was out walking I walked on down to the office to find out if the WiFi ever got fixed. (You need a cable modem to access the WiFi. When I went to get one the 2nd day we were here I was told that the system was down and they didn't know when it would be back up. So they didn't bother giving me a modem.) Today I was told the WiFi had been back up for days. I asked for a cable modem and was told that they didn't have any. The lady took my name and phone number and said she would call me when someone turned one back in. AARGH!!! Our phones have a good signal and we have 85GB/month of streaming/hot spot data available. We already have learned that we can burn through that is as little as 3 weeks, if we get carried away streaming something on TV. All my blog posts are done by connecting my laptop to the Internet using my phone as a WiFi hotspot.

This evening we knew better than to stress our old hearts listening to the drivel that would be spouted on all the major networks; so we did stream a movie and burned some data. We recommend "The Shack", its free with Amazon Prime. Don't confuse it with the many "Cabin" movies. This one stars Sam Worthington, Octavia Spencer & Tim McGraw.

The good news is that with all the walking back and forth I walked 3.13 miles today. That was on top of the time I spent at the Fitness Center. If I could average half that per day I might  get in decent shape 😀.

Also, we can't help but pass this Valentines Day decoration on a yard down the street. We think it is somewhat grotesque, but someone spent some time making it and setting it up. Even with all the wind today it was still intact when I walked by it around 2PM. It seems more fitting for New Orleans Mardi Gras.

God is good. I pray that He blesses you and yours.