Finally In Mesa And All Set Up

 

                                      

                                             My Spot II’s new home

We left Ft Worth at 10:15 am on Friday and headed west with the sun at our back.  After filling “MSII” (My Spot II) with gas, the route was simple, I 820 south to I 30 and then west to I 20 to Odessa, TX where we filled up.  With my Walmart Gift Card I saved 3 cents and paid the least amount on the trip, $3.019. Where we had to deal with one of the most inconsiderate drivers I’ve ever seen.  While waiting for the pump, this guy cut right in front of us when as the person in front of us left the pump.  It’s a bit difficult to move 34 feet of vehicle quickly when in such tight spaces.  I don’t know why some one can’t just wait their turn.   End of mini rant!!!!!!!!    While filling, Ted discovered a leak in the fuel filter hose.  Ted did what he could to do a temporary fix until we can get it fixed permanently.

We continued on until the end of I 20 where it became I 10.  We got through El Paso in the dark and went on to Deming, NM where we filled up at $3.099 and got a bite to eat.  Since it was 11:00 pm we decided to park for the night at the truck stop.  We were up and after a quick breakfast of Swedish pancakes we were ready to leave by 6:30 am.  The rest of the trip continuing on I 10 through Tucson, AZ around 9:00 am and got into Mesa, AZ by 10:30.  We stopped at Camping World to get a replacement hose, but will have to get one on Monday, although I did get a folding chair that folds small enough to be carried easily.

              

                               folded                                         opened

A little while later after we were all set up, Heidi, # 1 Daughter (Sandi is #2) came over and took us over to the local airport to get a rental car.  We then picked up my Granddaughter, Ailis from work and my SIL, Chris and went out for dinner.  We got back to MSII around 10:00 pm.  Ted helped me set up the new programming on the TVs and connected the printer to my laptop.  We were both tired and went to bed.  It was a long day.

It’s getting late, so I will close for now.  I hope you all are having a great weekend.

Thanks for visiting

Hey Mom, I’m playing Princess and the Pea.

Susan and Angel

D Day

After 6 months, it’s finally here, and not too soon. The weather here in north Texas is beginning to change.  There has been rain for most of the week and weekend.  Of course it was much needed,  but there has been a couple of cold fronts that have come through too.  The temps have been in the 80’s and 90’s and then dropped to highs of 70’s and 60’s.  It has been great sleeping temps, mostly 50’s and some 40’s.  Mornings have been a bit chilly, but that’s  okay.  I can now wear my jeans and sleeved T-shirts.  I have only turned on an electric heater to take the chill off once or twice.  Winter won’t be far behind.  I would rather be in AZ where it rarely snows.  (at least where I’ll be)

Activities this past week have been more of the same, TV and reading, although I did get everything done that needed to be done.  Laszlo came out to check out everything to make sure that “My Spot II is road worthy.  He wasn’t able to check under the hood for fluids because the key was on the set of keys that Sandi had, so he would come back to do that.  He showed me how to check the generator and propane.  He checked all the lights, reminded me to make sure all the compartments are locked before I leave.  We figured out all the keys and and made sure everything worked. 

I had installed a tire minder system on the 5ver and truck and switched it over to the MH, however it had not been calibrated for the MH.  Laszlo had never worked with this system, but he took the time to read all the paperwork on it and set it up for 6 wheels instead of the 8 wheels that it was set up for.  After trial and error, he had to take all the sensors off the tires and start all over from scratch.  The tires are all at the recommended pressure according to the specs chart.

He would be back to check the fluids when I  get my other set of keys.  He would also clean my windows for me.  We decided to wait until the weather cleared.  By Wednesday the rains stopped for awhile and that afternoon he finished everything and he declared me ready to hit the road.  So, in a few hours that is exactly what I will do.

Last night, around 6 pm PST, Ted sent me a text saying that he was on the plane and would be taking off heading this way.  Sandi called to let me know that his plane had landed and that they would be heading to her place for him to catch a few zzzzzz’s and would see me in the morning.  Here it is early am. I’m awake but not ready to get out from under my down comforter.  Miss Angel hasn’t even stuck her nose out to greet the day.

                                       

I guess that I should get up and get dressed.  I still have to dump the tanks and put all of that stuff away.  I think that I will fix something for breakfast first.

So, in a couple of hours, I will be on my way to Mesa, AZ.  See y’all on down the road.

Thanks for visiting

I’m ready Mom, Let’s get going.

Susan and Angel

It’s Getting Close

This will be history soon!

I know, it’s been over a week since the last post.  I finally made the visit to the church that I used to go to in Mesquite, TX.  I did meet a couple of people that I knew over 30 years ago.  It is still as friendly as it used to be.  Unfortunately I missed the blessing of the pets service. That’s okay, though, because I know that my Angel is blessed and blesses me everyday.

  

                                    Our Savior Lutheran Church

After church we met Sandi’s boyfriend’s mom for lunch at El Fenix.  What’s interesting is that I found out that his dad graduated from the same High school that graduated from.  He was in the same graduating class that my ex-husband was in.

From there we met with Martha, a friend from way back in those days, at her home in Grand Prairie.  I have seen her several times while I was here in TX, but it has been over 30 years since Sandi has seen her.  Of course there was a big change and it was the first time that Martha met my granddaughter Mary. 

            

We visited for a couple of hours getting caught up with each others lives.  We ended getting home after dark.

The rest of the week I started cleaning, getting ready for the move.  My kitchen area is the only area that isn’t carpeted and no longer have a mop.  Since I had no way to go to the store to get one and storage is another issue, I came up with this solution.

         

That’s a microfiber cloth with hair clips to hold it on.  It worked great!  The rest of the MH I cleaned with my steam cleaner.  In getting ready for the move, I found a place to store the doors that came off the closet where my W/D was installed.  I have been using them in the living area, laying them across the driver and passenger seats to use as a desk.

                       

Over last weekend I have spent afternoons playing games with new residents here in the park.  Larry and Dee Dee.  They will probably be here for winter, as they have a daughter that lives in Ft. Worth.  I taught them a card game called Mille Bourne and then we had a lot of fun playing Pente, which is a board game.  Then on Monday we had their dog, Sandy come to spend the day with Angel while they spent the day doing errands.

This is Sandy, yes she has only one eye.  She was born that way.  She is so cute. Neither of them actually play, but got along just fine.  They even shared my lap while I watched TV.

                                                             

Tuesday I had my final visit with Dr. Milne and was cleared from his care.  Then I had my final visit with the dentist,  Dr. Nguyen,  I’m set to leave.

The only preparation left is to make sure “My Spot” is ready to roll.  Laszlo will be here later today to go over the fluids, tires and everything before I leave.

A week from Friday will be the departure date.  Hitch Itch is strong, even though there is nothing to hitch to, Once I get to AZ, then I will search for a tow vehicle.  It would be nice to find something that already has a tow package.  Is there anyone out there with suggestions as to how find one ready to be towed?

That’s about it for now.  I hope that you all are having a great week.

Thanks for visiting

Susan and Angel

It Won’t Be Long Now

                             

I will be changing from this site to another in just 20 days.  In the mean time, there are a few things to happen before then. 

                              

This is Mary and Sandi at Ginger Brown’s restaurant in Lake Worth, TX, celebrating Mary’s 18th birthday.  .

Last weekend when the weather was cooler, Sandi and the kids came out to help me go  through the “basement” compartments.  That is finally done, a little more purging and relocating some of the stuff.  I’m glad that that is done.

    

Last Wednesday, Sandi and I went to Mary’s high school fall carnival to support her and her theater group.  I also found a home for my Mat Cutter that I no longer use.  Her teacher will put it to good use.

Tomorrow, Sandi will be picking me up early in the morning.  We will attend the church that I used to go to when I lived in Mesquite.  The kids were little and it was before I moved back to Chicago in the early 1980s.  There may or may not be anyone there that I  remember or remember me, but that’s okay.  It will be interesting to see if it has  changed.  Afterwards, we will be meeting friends of Sandi’s for lunch and a friend of mine on the way home.  It will be a long day, but an enjoyable one.

My last doctor appointment is on October 8th, just a week away.  I’m sure that I will be released from his care.  Ten days later Ted and I will be leaving for AZ.

Later this week I will be calling Laszlo, (who fixed my A/C), to schedule him to go over everything to make sure that I will be ready to leave when Ted gets here.  We don’t want any surprises on our trip west.

I am getting anxious to move on.  It will certainly be a change after sitting here without much activity.  I just hope that I will get back to normal soon.

I hope that you all are enjoying nice fall weather.  I am.  It is nice and cool today after a bit of rain.

Thanks for visiting

I sure love to sleep on pillows.

Susan and Angel

Melting Pot Celebration and Countdown

                         

L to R    Kim, (Sandi’s friend), Me, Sandi and Mary (my granddaughter)

Here we are at the Melting Pot, a fondue restaurant, in Arlington TX celebrating Mary’s 18th Birthday. 
We celebrated last night instead of tomorrow because every second Tuesday at the MP is ladies night.  They have vendors who give you door prize tickets just for visiting their table.  Then throughout the evening they draw the numbers.  Out of the five possible door prizes, we won three of them.  I won the one that was a glass mug with samples of organic teas,coffees and hot chocolates along with some mints and chocolate kisses.  I also received a bottle of wine.   

    

       Kim won a tote bag and wine and Sandi won a bag of Mary Kay Cosmetics.

If you have never been to the Melting Pot, if you go, be prepared to spend a few hours enjoying your meal.  The first course was the cheese fondue of which we had several choices of cheese, lots of thing to dip and coatings.  Then we had a choice of salads.  The entree included beef, chicken, shrimp, and ravioli.  The final course was CHOCOLATE, again there were choices and lots to dip.

                            

The bowl to the right has deep fried Twinkies.  Sandi brought the Twinkies and Mary coated them with Tempura and deep fried them in oil.  We later had strawberry sauce or chocolate sauce on them.  Yummy!!!!!!     The flames were from the alcohol that was added to the melted chocolate. before

It was a fun evening and well worth the $30.00 p/p .  I brought home enough for several  more meals as did Sandi and Kim.

Time here is finally winding down.  I was able to charge my batteries with the battery charger that I bought last year after I had to replace the batteries in the truck.  I will also have Laszlo come out before I leave to make sure that everything is fine and in working order since I have been sitting here for  the last six months. I will be leaving here in 37 days, heading for my next gig in Mesa AZ.  My son, Ted will be flying in from San Francisco to help me drive.  I get cleared by my doctor in October so that I can leave. 

The shoulder is almost back to normal, except for building up my strength.  That I am doing by going through more STUFF.  It is almost done.  I sure hope that it starts to cool off during the day so that I can finish the outside compartments.

I hope that you all are having a great week.

Thanks for visiting

I like to snuggle with Mom.

Susan and Angel

Happy Birthday / Happy Labor Day

 

Here it is September already.  It won’t be long now before I will be on my way west.

Yesterday, Sandi took me to IKEA, the Apple Store and out for a birthday lunch.  one of my favorite stores is IKEA, however, the Sunday just before Labor Day was not the ideal time to be there.  It was as crowded as I have ever seen it and the kids were all over the place as well as noisy.  So I took advantage of the “short cuts”.

I was looking for a particular storage solution.  There is a spot next to the door where I keep Angel’s crate, but I don’t keep her in it anymore and it takes up valuable real estate,  I have  a storage tub (kept on top of it) that I want to use for “basement” storage. 

This is what I came up with. It is actually for shoe storage and there are three sections.  Two of them I put under the window (used for storing some DVDs)  and the other one I actually use for shoes in a narrow spot on the other side of the door.                                

                      They are plastic and hardly weigh anything at all.

From there we went to the Apple Store nearby.  I have been having trouble backing up my data to my  I Phone for the last two months.  Sandi has tried every which way she could to back it up with no luck.  I guess that it wasn’t getting enough signal or have enough battery.  This time it worked.  It took about 35 minutes at the store plugged in and using their Wi-Fi.  While there I bought a new screen saver.  The one on my phone was really nasty.  I also got a case for my I Phone that I can keep my ID and a CC along with some cash for when I don’t want to take a purse.

                            

Our next stop was Home Depot.  I wanted to see if I could find something that was somewhat solid, but flexible to lay the sewer hose in.  Sometimes when dumping, the hose slips out of the rack that keeps it off the ground as in the second picture.  I am using lightweight plastic gutter material that I cut in half (five foot lengths that can slide together for storing while in transit.

              

                             

In the first picture I used the second piece to cover the first to protect the hose,  the last hose was damaged by hail.  This will work for now, but I will get another for the cover.  It ends up being an inexpensive solution. A 10’ section was just under $6.00.   The fellow at HD sawed it in half for me.  I may need more for the remaining uncovered hose, but this sewer hook up is longer than others that I have had.

We finally stopped for lunch at Ginger Brown’s in Lake Worth.  We shared a huge chicken fried steak meal which was really good.  They specialize in cinnamon rolls.  The meal came with one and if you text them with a code you get a free one.  There was enough for us both to take some home.  When Sandi paid the check she told them that it was my birthday and they took $6.99 off the bill.  That was really nice and unexpected.

By the time she got me back to My Spot, we were both tired,  I put everything away and “vegged” out the rest of the day.

That brings us from Happy Birthday to Happy Labor Day.

Last night I slept until lightening and thunder woke me up.  It took a while to get back to sleep and it has been storming off and on all day.  It is supposed to let up later today or early tomorrow.  I don’t mind the rain and this area really needs it. 

I put the sewer thing together today and my neighbor nest to me hooked up a battery charger to my batteries.

                         

I forgot to start up the MH and let it run for a while to keep them charged.  I just hope that the batteries will take the charge.  I don’t want to have to replace them like I did for the truck last summer.

There’s nothing going on here in the park for the holiday, so I will spend the day watching a Jerry Lewis marathon and trying to keep cool and dry.

I hope that you all have a great and safe holiday.

Thanks for visiting

I like hiding under the driver’s seat.

Susan and Angel

Hot, Hot, Hot, Two Months To Go, Surprise.

                          

It sure has been HOT here in north TX.  There were at least 17 consecutive days of triple digit days.  I am so glad that the park where I am at includes electricity, because I have had my A/C on all the time.  I was a bit concerned that I might go over what they allow for it to be included, but evidently they average everybody’s and don’t actually read the meters every month.  So, now I won’t worry about it.  I’m comfortable with the temperature at about 80* and with a small fan it’s quite nice. 

Last Monday, I was invited my my neighbor, Maureen to go dancing with her at the Senior Center that she has been going to for the last 17 years.  She knew everyone there and of course introduced me to all her friends.  We had a good time in a nice cool place.. Thank you, Maureen.

                           

It has finally cooled down just a bit.  A “cold” front came through and it has been in the low to mid 90’s with occasional rain storms.  This morning it got down to 66*.  It felt soooo good, although it is back up to 81* already (2:00 pm).and is still climbing.  It is supposed to be in the upper 90’s all next week.  I sure hope that it has started to cool off as I still need to get rid of more STUFF before I leave and my arm has healed enough where I can do some light lifting.

My final doctor’s appointment is in mid October and my son, Ted will be coming here to help me drive back to AZ where I will be workamping through the winter.  That’s just two months and I’m sure that it will fly by, mainly because of the things that I want to get done.  I’m also really getting “hitch itch”.  I have not “worked” since last February, so once I’m in AZ I have to get back into that mind set.  It may be challenging since I’m not doing anything like that now.

As to the Surprise, I am not a big fan of surprises for me.  How about you?  do you like these kind of  surprises? 

Earlier this week my daughter had training at work and we had to reschedule my PT and I also had a dentist appointment, so she took a half day off from work.  She also did all this planning with all the scheduling for appointments and shopping so that she could get it all done to include taking me somewhere in the evening, but wouldn’t tell me where we were going.  I don’t like not knowing where I am going because I don’t know what I should wear or maybe it’s because I don’t have control.  She will tell everyone else, but they have to promise not to tell me and I can’t ask questions or she gets upset with me.  The ‘Surprise” was a facial.  .We went to a Mary Kay Party where we got to try out all kinds of facial products.   We had a good time.                   

                                             Here’s the results!

               

That’s about all that’s been going on.  I hope that you all are keeping cool and dry.

Thanks for visiting

my new friend Maureen

Susan and Angel