Happy Halloween Everyone! Here in Trilogy it will be very quiet - no little ghosts or goblins or trick or treaters. We haven't even bought one bag of Halloween candy. Today, during the day, there's a Halloween party for the little kids of Trilogy residents, but past that, nothing. There are very few Halloween decorations on porches or front yards. It's all part of the adult community culture... no kids running about....besides, do you really want children running around in the streets when the only drivers are old folks????Quite a few people, including Jim and me, have fall decorations - pumpkins, scarecrows, etc., but no jack-o-lanterns.
Chilly weather has arrived in Rio Vista. It got all the way up to 70 degrees yesterday, and I don't think it made it that high today. The cats have suddenly become a lot friendlier, very cuddly. Although there's not a cloud in the sky, the weather report promises rain. A good vigourous rain would be welcome - it would clean off all the construction dirt and settle the dust.
Yesterday I had a full on asthma attack and spent most of the day connected to my oxygen tank and clutching my inhaler. It was severe enough to put me back on the steriod inhaler (which I hate using). Today I feel a lot better, and if we would just get a good downpouring rain, the air would be a lot cleaner and less troublesome.
We had a cat door installed in the laundry room door that leads to the garage. Now all we have to do is convince the cats to use it. Easier said than done.
We put some tuna on a plate in the garage early in the morning when we knew they'd both be starving. Annabelle, who is hungry all the time, figured out how to work the door right away and went zipping out. Bustopher (aka "skitty-kitty), didn't like the idea of the flap dragging across his head, so he was a lot more cautious. He knows how to use it - he just isn't sure he's going to like it....well all the food and potty box are now in the garage, so it's sort it out or starve. :>)Tonight we're going to Marc and Anita's house to see their 4 kids all dressed in their costumes. I'll take pictures and post them here.Have a good Halloween all.... and boo to you too!Love to all,Corrie and Jimmzcorrie@frontiernet.netjmcrhoads@frontiernet.net
Today was the day of my first ever (and maybe last) colonoscopy. I now know why I waited all these years to have the first one. It was just as I suspected, only more so. Yesterday was the clean out period - dear God. No solid food all day, then beginning at 4pm, I started the "official" clean out. I was given a gallon of not quite disgusting 'liquid' to drink and instructed to take 8 ounces every 15 minutes until it was all gone - all 16 cups of it. After about 5 cups, it became something like sucking on a fire hose - almost instant response to intake.On the farm I once watched my mother wash out pig intestines to use as casings for sausage. I felt a little like that. That was yesterday. Today's indignities should not be described. After all is said and done, I'm fine. I had two small polyps that are now gone. Time will fade the memory.While I was at home being "cleansed", Kathy was off having another session with the dentist. I think the last of the fillings were done. Next visit, on November 9, castings of her mouth will be taken in preparation for her dentures. We're very excited that we're getting so close to finishing the work.It's time for Terri to begin working with Kathy on a resume and interview skills and for Kathy to make a list of her first round of applications. Kathy is almost ready to take that next step.Our extra patio section got poured yesterday morning. The patio now extends the entire length of the house. Just before Thanksgiving the cover and wind break will be installed. This is an important step since the wind comes across the patio at gale force sometimes.Tomorrow we continue the process of getting everything back in order after the office furniture debacle.Jim's playing golf this afternoon. He hasn't played since Monday and was having withdrawal.Love to all,Corrie and Jimmzcorrie@frontiernet.netjmcrhoads@frontiernet.net
Tomorrow Kathy arrives for another round of fillings on Thursday. I believe this will be the last fillings on the lower teeth before the work begins on the uppers. At the last visit I understand there would be at least five more visits - Thursday being one of the five. This has been a long project and I know Kathy is getting eager to have it completed.Had a busy day yesterday. I did tons of laundry in the new machines - love them!!! Jim played golf in the morning (what's wrong with this picture - me working - Jim playing golf???). In the afternoon we went to Costco which is always an exhausting adventure. I really enjoy going to Costco, especially this time of the year. All the holiday stuff is coming out and the merchandise is changing often.Today we had flu shots. Nurses came to the clubhouse here at Trilogy, so all we had to do was hop in the golf cart and run down there. We didn't even have to pay - they'll bill Medicare directly. After that we went downtown to the pharmacy. I had a prescription for a hideous gut bomb I have to drink in preparation for my colonoscopy on Friday. I've never had one and I'm freaking out - thankfully, I'll be knocked out for the whole process. We stopped off and got two propane tanks filled - we'll use one for the patio heater this winter and keep the other for a spare. Trilogy is isolated from just about everything, so if there is an emergency where we lose public services, we need to have resources within our own community and homes to sustain us. We keep the pantry pretty well stocked with food and water, a good supply of medications on hand, and with oil lamps, our propane tanks, etc. we can stand on our own for a good long time.Tomorrow I'm heading into Walnut Creek to meet a friend for lunch. Laney and I have been friends for years and years and it will be good to see her and get caught up. I have to return some pants I bought at Avenue last time I went into town, so it's a good time to also meet for lunch. Jim will either be off to Modesto to take a chair that needs to go there, or off to play golf. One of us will pick up Kathy at the BART station. It will be a good day.Love to all,Corrie and Jimmzcorrie@frontiernet.netjmcrhoads@frontiernet.net
Finally, finally, the office furniture got built and we're now in the process of getting our stuff put back into the office and getting files and such organized. The last desk was built on Thursday late afternoon. We couldn't connect the internet modem because the ethernet cable was too short. So were our monitor cables. Jim was able to connect his by putting the CPU on the printer tray, but I couldn't do that since the printer is in my desk. When we get his printer repaired, he'll have the same problem.We had errands to do on the mainland on Friday, so we picked up cables and other desk and file supplies then. Saturday was the installation challenge. Pushing/pulling computer cables and electrical hookups behind a 500 lb desk that's 2 inches from the wall can be quite a challenge. I've learned the value of a pokie stick and a coat hanger devised hook.The office is actually beginning to look pretty good. We need to hang Jim's military service awards and commendations, some Kiwanian awards, and a few pictures and we're pretty much there. We'll work on that today while we do laundry in our new washer/dryer. The guest room has been housing all the office stuff, so we'll finally be able to clean that out. Can you believe it took over a month just to get the furniture in and assembled! I hate having our house and life this disorganized and disrupted.Washer and dryer were installed yesterday and they're huge - and gorgeous. They sit on pedestals that puts them up a little over 4 feet high. They load at about waist height, which will be easy on a couple of old backs. The pedestals have drawer storage for laundry stuff, which is nice. I think this is the first time either Jim or I have ever had a really good set of laundry appliances and we're looking forward to using them. Did I just say I want to do laundry??? Yikes!Next week will be a full week. Jim will be back playing golf with LeRoy, I have daffodil bulbs to plant, Kathy will arrive for the next round of dental work Thursday, I have a colonoscopy scheduled for Friday, and so the week goes.Love to all,Corrie and Jimmzcorrie@frontiernet.netjmcrhoads@frontiernet.net
The completion of our office furniture building, that is. Yesterday Federal Express came and attempted to deliver four boxes of furniture - we were only to receive one, so we picked out the box they were to deliver and sent the rest away. The way this whole episode with Office Depot has gone, we probably have a 10% chance of having picked the right box. The store manager has taken charge of getting our furniture assembled, so at least there is some action going there. If you purchase anything that needs assembly, and they tell you Impact is the assembly company, tell the store 'no thank you' and hire your own handy person.We have curbside pick up on the 31st for all our throw away stuff, so I'm going through closets, emptying out anything that we want to shove to the curb. Once we get rid of all our junk, I'm going to get the windows washed and a cleaning service in to do a scrub down on the inside of the house. This house is fairly easy to maintain, however, it's nice to have someone come in quarterly and do all the heavy cleaning since neither Jim nor I can get to some of the areas that accumulate dust and crud (nor do we really want to). We've been here six months and haven't used a cleaning service yet, but it's time.Last year we put up our tree the day after Thanksgiving, and I think I'd like to do that again this year. If any family member wants to come out and hang out with us and participate in that project, we'd love the company and help.Jim's finishing up the bank account transfers today. We're switching both our joint and personal accounts from Wells Fargo to Washington Mutual. Wells Fargo seems to think we should pay for them to use our money - they charge a fee for everything. We have four accounts for various reasons, and Wells Fargo was charging $12/month per account, plus a $1.00 monthly charge for point of sale purchases (this wasn't an alien atm charge - actually a Wells Fargo charge for using their atm card to buy something). Washington Mutual doesn't charge for anything, not even checks, and they're a little closer to us. So long Wells Fargo.We've been on something of a rampage lately to get the best possible deals from the companies we do business with. It pays to pay attention to the details. Lately it seems there's a lot of work just to get things done. Between getting the house in Modesto ready for the tenants, arm wrestling with Office Depot, and rankling with Wells Fargo bank over their charges, I'm exhausted. Who said retirement is the simple life??Love to all,Corrie and Jimmzcorrie@frontiernet.netjmcrhoads@frontiernet.net
Looking out over the complex, the trees are getting some lovely red and golden leaves. Monday we drove to Modesto and along the way, it was clear that autumn has arrived. I have some sun glasses that really block UV rays and make the colors of the leaves much brighter than they actually are. Wearing the glasses makes the foliage look like New England! The mornings and evenings taste crisp, like scraped ice. The cool nights and warm days have started the daffodils I planted last year sprouting. It reminded me that it's time to get all my bulbs in the ground here in Rio Vista so they have ample time to winter. We finally declared our washing machine terminal. We might be able to fix it, but it's old and has had a hard life. It's time for it to go to parts heaven. We bit the bullet and bought a pair of the front loaders with enough bells and whistles to keep us busy all winter just studying the user manual. They have pedestals to match, which will put the tub access at waist height. The feature both Jim and I are looking forward to using is the SteamFresh feature. A garment that doesn't need to go to the cleaners, but is maybe a little funky, can be freshened in about 20 minutes. It's great for pillows and blankets as well - makes short work of the dust mites. The units are supposed to be delivered and installed on Saturday... at least for the next two or three times we'll be eager to do laundry. :>)We're making real headway on the garage organization. The cabinetry has been installed and it looks like we'll be able to get everything we need to store in the cabinets and shelves. It will be a real treat to be able to walk around in the garage finally.The office furniture saga continues... Yesterday FedEx came and picked the extra boxes that had been delivered in error. Today an Office Depot truck is supposed to deliver the correct box so the last computer credenza can be built. Hopefully the Office Depot assembly person can come out tomorrow or Friday. Maybe, by the end of the month, our office will be reassembled and somewhat organized.Jim's off playing golf today. LeRoy, Jim's golf buddy, has been tied up with visiting family since last Saturday, but today he was able to gnaw through his tether and get away to play. I'm happy - Even though Jim went out and played 9 on his own, he seemed a little lost with LeRoy occupied. Yesterday he ordered some new clubs, so I'm sure he's telling LeRoy all about it today. These two old coots are perfect golf buddies and it warms my heart to see Jim playing again.Mandy told me about selling clothes on EBay. I was surprised that clothing would have buyers on EBay, but it looks like a LOT of people use it. I've never sold anything on Ebay, although I have bought some things there and did ok. I have boxes of clothes that are good, that I can't wear, and a bunch of vintage jewelry. I think I'll sort that out today and give it a shot. Maybe I'll get enough $$ to buy something new.Love to all,Corrie and Jimmzcorrie@frontiernet.netjmcrhoads@frontiernet.net
Mandy came to visit yesterday. It was a nice treat to be able to spend the whole day with her. In that kind of time you finally get around to talking about things that matter and not just having a nicety dialogue. It's nice to have time to talk about goals, dreams, aspirations, plans. We always enjoy showing off our home, and since she hadn't been here before, she got the full tour, including the clubhouses and grounds. Unfortunately, the house is still torn up from the furniture building debacle. Hopefully, we will get that completely dealt with this week and can get on to doing something else.We went to Sunday Brunch at the Ryde Hotel. Jim and I had been there once before and thought Mandy would enjoy it as well. We couldn't get down town because it was the last day of the Bass Festival and chunks of the town were blocked off for carnivals and vendors and such. Since yesterday was the last day, today things downtown should be back to normal.Congratulations are in order for Marc. He got another nice raise. Way to go, son - you've made us very proud again! Now go buy your mother something nice :>)! Speaking of buying something nice - we have to go buy a new washer and dryer. The washer has completely quit spinning and the dryer is making a disturbing helicopter sound. We've been checking out the new front loaders and I think that's the way to go. We like the dryer that has the freshen up cycle for that piece of clothing that just needs a little boost and that has the stationary drying rack for sweaters that should lay flat or for drying tennis shoes. Hopefully, we'll be able to find a sale. In the meantime, the laundry hamper is getting close to capacity.It's feeling more and more like winter is approaching. Yesterday was actually chilly enough to get the furnace going. The down blanket on the bed felt pretty good too, and the cats have gotten a lot friendlier. It's getting to be snuggle up time.Love to all,Corrie and Jimmzcorrie@frontiernet.netjmcrhoads@frontiernet.net
The Bass Festival is going strong in Rio Vista. Down town (yes, we do have a downtown!) streets are all blocked off and today at 12:30 there will be a parade. There's a carnival, lots of booths, lots of beer, and lots of music. The town is crawling with beer bellied fisherman with their bass boats and fishing gear. The Festival queen has been coronated - Miss Bass Festival 2006 - a proud moment for some young lady. It's all good fun in a small town, middle America kind of way. Last night the town had their annual fireworks display. Most towns do that on Fourth of July, but here in Rio Vista the Bass Festival is more important. We decided we would go in to town to see the fireworks, which were promised to be spectacular. Since we couldn't get to the down town area without walking about 10 blocks, we decided to go up on the hill overlooking the Sacramento River. The fireworks were going to be fired at 8:30p from a barge on the River just south of Rio Vista Bridge. When we left home we had intended to walk around downtown some, so we left early - a little after 6:00. Since parking downtown was so terrible, we decided to go on to our fireworks watching spot. When we found the spot that seemed perfect, it was still daylight. Our spot was on an isolated road, in a turn out that backed up against a hill. We were sheltered from the wind and had a perfect view of the river. Then the sun went down. Darkness the color of ink set in. It was the kind of setting UFO abductees describe. We were in pitch black on an isolated road and we began remembering every serial killer movie we had ever seen. The only visible lights were from boats on the river down below - too far away to be of benefit to us. A park, beach and camp ground were down the road from us, so an occasional car would pass, each containing potential serial killers. Windows up and doors locked, we waited, imaginations working overtime. Suddenly a car pulled up along side us. In the darkness we could barely see the park ranger sign on the vehicle - he was just checking to make sure we were ok.Finally the fireworks began and they were all they were promised to be - genuinely spectacular and well worth the long scary wait. Our viewing spot was perfect, like we were right in the display. We decided then and there that next year we will take another couple or two with us and make it a tailgate party. We didn't see a UFO, or even a shooting star, but who knows - maybe next year.
On September 14th we received an advertisement from Office Depot. They were offering 20% off plus free assembly, plus no interest for 18 months. It sounded like a pretty good deal to us, especially the free assembly part. It's not expensive furniture, mind you, but decent looking and servicable for our needs. We ordered two computer credenzas with hutches, two bookcases and one lateral file. On September 16th the furniture was delivered by Office Depot's delivery service and the boxes were placed in our garage. The assembly person was scheduled to assemble the 7 boxes of furniture on October 4. On October 3rd, we cleared out the old furniture in the office, gave away some things, and broke down the computers. The books and pictures were stacked in the guest room. On October 3rd I called the assembly company to confirm their schedule and was told we were scheduled for the1-5pm slot on the 4th. I was told by Impact (the assembly company) that it was about a 10 man hour job and they may take two days to complete the job. On the morning of the 4th, we cleaned the room thoroughly so the furniture would go into a nice clean room. We waited. No one showed up or called. After 5 pm I called Office Depot and was told I would need to call Impact (the company doing the assembly) and reschedule.On the morning of October 5th I called Impact and was told the earliest they could reschedule was for Saturday afternoon, October 7th. We brought in card tables and set up our computers. On the 7th we waited. About 4:30pm we received a call from the person assigned to assembly our furniture. He said the earliest he could make it to our house was 6pm. Also, I was told that since the boxes of furniture were delivered to our garage, we would have to move the boxes into the office ourselves - that they weren't allowed to move boxes of furniture. Keep in mind that we have 7 boxes of furniture - approximately 10 hours of assembly to be done. We also had plans for the evening. I was told since we wouldn't be available that evening, we would have to call on Monday to reschedule. On Monday I called the store manager at Office Depot and told them to come get their furniture. I explained the situation and was told they would get an Office Depot employee to come out and assemble our furniture, but we would have to wait until Thursday. Thursday morning two guys from Office Depot showed up. First they moved all the furniture into the office, and then told me that 2 of the boxes that had been delivered were not the right pieces. They proceeded to build the two bookcases and the lateral file. When they built the credenza base, two screws came through to the top of the desk, so that was unusable.By this time I'm a wild woman. I was told that Friday they would return with an unblemished credenza base and the boxes to build the other credenza and hutch. This morning they arrived with a credenza base and hutch, but no boxes for the other unit. I got a call from Office Depot delivery service saying they will deliver the other boxes on Wednesday. There will still be assembly required. Hopefully, by Thanksgiving, our office will be furnished and organized again, but at this time, I'm not taking bets.I still have my computer on a card table. It's been nearly a month. I don't think I'll ever allow myself to go into an Office Depot store. I'm sure my heart would stop beating out of fear.
HAPPY 70TH BIRTHDAY MARYANN!!!We wish you a happy fun day and hope you get lots and lots of presents :>)Today should be an interesting day. Hopefully we will sell the treadmill which is just occupying space in our garage. We have a full service gym (use of which is included in our HOA dues) in the clubhouse so extra exercise equipment is not necessary. I put a listing on craigslist.com yesterday morning and so far have received two calls and have a showing at 10 am this morning. I had no idea how effective that kind of resource could be. Now if I could just get the chairs and desk out of the garage, we might have a little room for Jim's new ride.Glory Be! We have finally rented the Modesto house. The new tenants move in at the end of the month. It will be such a relief to have the house occupied and a little money coming in to pay some of the expenses. The rent money will just about pay the mortgage and taxes on the Modesto house, but that's ok. Since the resale market tanked, having the house in a holding pattern for now is perfect so long as it's not a cash drain. There's so much new housing in Modesto that it will be a year or two until that inventory is exhausted and the resale market starts to come back. Hopefully our tenants will stay that long. We went down there yesterday just to make sure everything was in order and no one had pitched a tent in the back yard. The flowers we planted in the courtyard have really grown and so have the cypress trees in the back. With any luck the cypress trees will be huge and block the street noise by the time we're ready to put the house on the market again.Kathy arrives today for her next round of dental work. I have to respect her commitment to getting this done. She's remembered every appointment and makes sure she's set up with transportation and that we know when/where to pick her up at BART. I hope this determination will continue on through the job hunting, getting self sufficient/independent process as well. She's shown the same commitment to completing the class she's taking - this is good. We know she's up to the challenge and we need to keep expressing the family's expectation that she will be successful. While it's courageous of Mandy and Jesse to have Kathy come live with them, it seems a little unfair to expect that to be a permanent situation, especially when Kathy can become self sufficient with a lot of effort on her part and help from all of us.The Bass Festival is this weekend in Rio Vista. Apparently serious fishermen come from all over for the bass derby - there's money and beer involved here. $2000 first prize to be exact and I believe Budweiser is a prominent participant. There will be the usual crafts and food booths, plus music. This is such a big deal to Rio Vista that the town doesn't do a July 4th fireworks display - they save the budget and do a fireworks display for the Bass Festival. There's parade and a festival queen is crowned (Queen of a Fish Festival seems like a dubious title) This will be our first time to attend - it should be outrageous - you'll get a full report :>)
Jim's been wanting a golf cart since we moved here and finally, he bit the bullet and got one. Doesn't it just fit him perfectly! He picked up the cart Saturday and that night we went for a sunset drive around the golf course. We took a bottle of wine and some sandwichs, parked by one of the many ponds and waterfalls here in the development and watched the sunset . We saw ducks, a heron and many jack rabbits. Jack rabbits are wild on the golf course - we saw may 9-10 in a couple of hours. We figure by spring we'll be waist deep in jack rabbits - given the nature of rabbits. On the way home we saw the most perfect full harvest moon - it was so huge and orange we felt like we could almost reach out and touch it. We're going to love having this golf cart.
The cart is really cute - check out the side detail - pretty snazzy! - it has a ball and club washer, basket for stuff, and storage under the seat, along with the batteries. It came with a charger that plugs into the garage. The house came wired to accomodate a cart. We'll be getting a cover and heater for winter. There's no end to expensive accessories that are available for golf carts!
A lot of the residents here in Trilogy have carts and use them for transportation to the club house and anywhere around in the complex they need to go. We're hoping when the little shopping mall gets built near here that we'll be able to take the cart into the back side of the mall and not have to get the car out at all. We're giving some thought to going to just one car since we rarely have both cars out at the same time. We're thinking along the lines of a hybrid mini-van, but want to wait a little while longer until the hybrids are a little more developed. Sunday night was the Oktoberfest party here at Trilogy - we had Knockwurst and Bratwurst, red cabbage and German potato salad. Monday night was night golf and Jim played. The club provided glow balls and rings - even so, I think that might be quite a challenge.Tomorrow Kathy arrives for her next round of dental work. This time she's having fillings done in the teeth the dentist is trying to save. Not certain, but I believe this is the last work to be done on her lower jaw. Next work begins on the top, and then she'll get her new grid :>).Teri and Jim have volunteered to work with her on building a resume and developing interview skills. Teri is a hiring manager and can teach Kathy what she needs to say and do in an interview. This is an enormous help. Soon Kathy will be moving in with Mandy and Jesse. This is a good thing - Mandy will help Kathy with dietary issues and in developing a sense of style that will work in the workplace. With each family unit helping out with their area of expertise, Kathy has a good shot at self sufficiency. Let's keep up the pace!
