Friday 2-28 Sewing Project

It's Friday have a great weekend

We had a super day. We didn't have anything on the agenda so we hung around the house. I worked on my jigsaw puzzle. Larry read. 

A couple of years ago when we replaced our ski goggles we couldn't find any goggles that had quick release straps like our old goggles. We removed the straps from our old goggles and kept them. We were able to replace the strap on my goggles with the old strap but not Larry's. The quick release straps work great with glasses, they allow you to remove the goggles without dragging your glasses off. Today we once again looked at Larry's goggle strap and decided we could convert it to a quick release by using the connectors from the old goggles. I really don't like doing sewing projects, it takes me a long time because I spend a lot of time taking the stitching out multiple times. I got the sewing machine out and set it up to do the sewing project. We tried to sew the strap with the machine but we were unsuccessful. I ended up sewing the strap by hand. It didn't take that long and Larry is happy he can remove his goggles and keep his glasses on.

After doing the sewing project we watched our YouTube videos. 

In the evening we watched a few episodes of Bramwell. Then I watched a few episodes of Bones. I also did my daily Solitaire challenges. We had a very relaxing day.

Relaxing in front of the television

 

Thursday 2-27 Equinox Oil Change and a Project

Equinox

We woke up to a brisk morning with the temperature at 28 degrees, it went to 73 degrees.

This morning we went to town to doing our weekly grocery shopping. First stop was HEB, where we did most of the shopping. Next stop was across the street to The UPS Store to pick up our mail. Afterwards we went to Walmart to do some shopping. When we were in Santa Fe the windshield washer fluid froze up on the Equinox so Larry wanted to get a gallon of windshield washer fluid that had freon in it. He normally keeps a gallon on hand, he uses it in the Minnie and the truck. The car has always been taken care of by the dealer. He also picked up some oil and an oil filter for the Minnie. He wants to change the oil before we go on our next camping trip. The last stop was The Dollar Tree to pick up some bleach for our septic system and cookies we like. Then homeward bound we went.

Grocery shopping at HEB

After lunch Larry changed the oil in the Equinox. The Equinox has been under warranty so Larry has continued to have the dealer change the oil but the warranty is about to expire so Larry will now change it himself. He ordered the oil and oil filter online and received it the other day. In order to remove the drain plug for the oil he had to jack the car up which required using his floor jack and for safety a jack stand. It didn't take too long for all the oil to drain out. While the oil was draining he changed the oil filter. The Equinox oil filter is different than the ones on the Minnie, truck and boat. Instead of the filter being a screw on can type of filter this one is a canister filter. He installed the new oil filter and then put the drain plug back in. Then he put in 5 quarts of oil. Afterwards he turned on the car and let it run the oil through the engine to make sure there was no leaks. The last thing he did was clean out the pan that had the old oil.

The oil and oil filter Larry put into the Equinox

Jack and Jack Stand

Draining oil

Installing new oil filter

Putting oil in

The other day I wrote that Larry installed an electrical outlet in the bathroom. Well, today I found out why he really did this. It wasn't to make it easier to vacuum the bathroom, it was because he ordered me a heated toilet seat. It came in today. After changing the oil in the car he installed the heated toilet seat. He removed the old one and then installed the heated seat. In order for the seat to work you have to plug it in an electrical outlet. Most people don't have an electrical outlet in the area where the toilet is so you have to install one. Larry loves doing this stuff, most people have to call a electrician. The heated seat also has has a night light built in. The heater is a push button controller and has three settings, low, medium and high. We put it on high to heat it up but I tried it out a couple of times and decided that low was the perfect setting. Another nice feature of the seat is that you can't slam the seat down, both the seat and lid lower slowly. I am really going to like this seat. I hate it when we travel and stop at a rest area to use the bathroom and I have to sit on a cold seat, especially when it's a stainless steel toilet with no seat at all.  

The new heated toilet seat before it's installed

Larry putting the bolts in to hold the seat on the toilet

Testing out lowering the seat

The heated seat installed

  

 

The controller of the heater

In the afternoon I did my daily challenges and The Two Games Tango Event, which was 10 Pyramid games and 10 Tri Peaks games. Then I studied Taminations.

In the late afternoon we went to Sun City to dance C1 and A2 with the Sundancers tape group. For C1 one we had a square and three extra people. For A2 we were one person shy of having two squares. Some of the tapes were complex. We had a super time dancing with friends. We got home around 9:00 and watched an episode of Bramwell. When Larry went to bed I watched a few episodes of Bones. We had a busy day and a lot of fun. 

Wednesday 2-26 Visiting Louise

Doing Projects

While we were in Tucson Louise mentioned that her microwave was making a loud noise when it was cooking food. She wanted to replace it before it stopped. Larry found one online at Lowe's here in Temple that was perfect. We picked it up yesterday. This morning we went to Round Rock to install it. Before leaving home Larry loaded up some tools that he thought he might need. Before installing the new microwave we ran the old one, it was no longer making the noise but Louise decided she wanted the new microwave installed. Larry and I took the old one out and put it outside. Then Larry removed the old bracket and installed the new one. The old bracket was a U shape bracket and the new bracket is only one strip. This is the fourth microwave Larry has installed for Louise and each time he has to make new holes because the old ones never match the new brackets. Today Larry could use a couple of holes that were already there for toggle bolts but he also had to drill a hole in the middle of the bracket to put a lag bolt into a wall stud. Once he installed the bracket he went to the top cabinet and using a hole saw he enlarged a previous hole for the power cord. After Larry made the hole we finished installing the microwave. We tested the microwave to make sure it worked. Louise was one happy woman. We moved the old microwave and its parts to the street and Louise wrote a note that said it was free and it worked.

Old microwave

Holes for multiple microwaves

Wall bracket for microwave

After installng the microwave we had lunch. Louise had bought a Papa Murphy pizza and potato chips. The pizza was delicious.  

The next project Larry worked on was on her toilet, he noticed that it was running all the time. He checked it out and found out it was the flapper ball. He also discovered it was not flushing correctly, he figured out the sewer line going toward the street was not working correctly. Larry and I went to Lowe's to get a flapper ball and Louise called the City of Round Rock to come out to unplug the sewer drain. When we got back Larry installed the new flapper. Later in the afternoon a gentleman from the city came by and unplugged the drain. He also took her old microwave. She was very happy to get rid of it.  

We had a good visit with Louise. While there we played with her dog Alice.

When we got home I did my daily challenges and The Event: Mini Road Tour of 8 games. I also worked on a jigsaw puzzle I started in October. We watched an episode of GizWiz, they were celebrating their 15th year anniversary so Chad was wearing a three piece suit and Dick was wearing a tux, they looked great. Then we watched our YouTube videos.

Still a long way to be finished

In the evening we started watching an Amazon series called The Hunters. We watched one episode, it was very slow moving. Then we watched a couple episodes of Bramwell. I watched a few episodes of Bones.          

Tuesday 2-25 Exciting Day, New Washer

We had a beautiful day. The temperature didn't get out of the mid 60s with a breeze out of the north.

For a number of years Larry has been a member of The Home Depot Seeds Program, this is where each month Larry gets the opportunity to choose products to review for The Home Depot. Some months he chooses nothing, either because we are traveling or there is simply nothing he needs or that interests him. This month they had some appliances and Larry decided on a Whirlpool Washer. They delivered the washer this morning.

Before the washer was delivered Larry disconnected the old washer and moved it to the garage. Then I cleaned the floor where the washer was. I decided because I already had the vacuum out I would vacuum the rest of the house.

When the washer was delivered they also installed it. Once it was installed I did my laundry. The washer is gray and about 1.5 inches shorter than our old washer. The control panel is a touch panel. There is no permanent press button but it does have a wrinkle control button. It also doesn't have a scrub tub like our old one. The machine has a tray for fabric softener, a detergent tray and a fabric brush. The detergent tray is very nice, it is a reservoir that holds 1 liter of detergent, you fill it up and the machine dispenses the correct amount of detergent. The machine also lets you know when to fill the reservoir. You fill the fabric brush with your favorite spot remover (Spray 'n' Wash) and use it to apply the spot remover, then you brush it in. You can set the machine to sound an alarm when the load is complete, the alarm dings but not that long, it only dings once and then shuts off. It will also send a notification to your phone. I'll continue playing with the washer to see how I like it. The washer came with a couple of samples, Tide Pods and a package of Downy Un-Stopables Softener, they are small beads you put in the wash.

Whirlpool Washer

 

Interior

Left side of control panel

Right side of control panel

Softener sample

Tide Pod

Fabric Brush

The washer filling up

Tray for the detergent

Doing laundry

In the afternoon Larry installed a electrical outlet in the bathroom to make it easier for me to vacuum the bathroom.

New outlet

In the evening we streamed the last two episodes of the first season of Vienna Blood. We enjoyed watching this series. Then we watched a couple of episodes of Bramwell. After Larry went to bed I watched a few episodes of Bones. I did my daily challenges and The Event: The Hard Road of 18 games. I did 19,000 steps.       

Monday 2-24 Sadie Hawkins Dance

Smile and have fun

We woke up a little after 6:00 to say good-bye to Louise but she was already gone. She left exactly at 6:00, she had over an hour to drive to get to Round Rock and she wanted to leave early to avoid the traffic on I35. 

After finding out Louise was gone I went back to bed, Larry stayed up. I finally crawled out of bed at 8:00.

After breakfast we decided to go for a walk and give the car a bath. We walked the Nolan Creek trail for about an hour. We started at Yettie Polk Park and walked to Confederate Park, then we turned around and walked from Confederate Park to the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, where we turned around and went back to the car. As we walked we saw other people walking the trail. We also saw a group of Special Education students from Holland shooting hoops and playing on the swings. The walk was nice and peaceful along the shores of Nolan Creek.

Entrance sign to Yettie Polk Park

Nolan Creek

On the way home we swung by Walmart and filled the car. Then we went to Today's Car Wash to give the car a bath. While we were in Tucson it rained so the car was filthy. Larry wanted to get the under carriage cleaned again because of all the snow and salt we played in on our snow ski trip. He also wanted to put wax on the car so we decided to get the $16.00 wash, after running it trough the wash we wiped it down and vacuumed it out, it took a bit to get all the dirt off in the frame of the doors. The car looks pretty.

After lunch I decided to take a nap. I ended up taking almost a three hour nap I must have been really tired. 

Taking a nap

In the evening we went to Sun City to dance with the Sundancers. This year is Leap Year so the club decided to call the dance Sadie Hawkins, the ladies can choose who to dance with. We had six squares and a few people sitting out. The first two tips were mainstream tips but the rest of the tips were plus. We had enough people for two squares for an A2 tip. Our friends James and Jeanne were back in town and it was great to see them. Our friends DeAnn, Rick and Becky from Killeen were there and it was nice to visit with them. I got a chance to dance a couple of tips as a man.We had a lot of fun dancing with friends. 

 

When we got home from dancing with the Sundancers I watched a few episodes of Bones. I did my daily challenges. While visiting family in Tucson I only did 12,000 steps a day and it was below my goal of 15,200 steps. Now my goal is 14,000 steps but today I did 18,000 steps. We had a great day.

Sunday 2-23 Homeward Bound

Going Home

After a few days of visiting family in Tucson it was time to go home. We had a fabulous time.

We woke up at 4:30 and got ready to leave. After getting dressed and loading the car we went to Shirley's house to pick up Louise. We were on the road at 5:00 (6:00 Texas Time). Larry drove 926 miles for 16 hours. We were back home at 10:00 pm. We stopped a few times on the way to eat and bathroom breaks. We started our drive home in the dark and got home in the dark. Louise and I napped on and off throughout the drive. We took I10 from Tucson and then we picked up US 190 east of Ft Stockton and drove it the rest of the way to Belton. It was a relaxing drive. When we got home we unloaded the car. Louise decided to spend the night because it was so late.

After Louise and Larry went to bed I watched a few episodes of Bones while I was doing my steps. I only did 12,000 steps because I ran out of time. 

Saturday 2-22 Say Good-bye

Say Good-bye

It rained on and off all day. The temperature didn't get out of the 60s. 

We spent the day at Shirley's house. It was too nasty to go anywhere. Shirley loves to drink coffee and her coffee maker died so on the way to her house this morning we stopped by Walmart and bought her a new one. She had a lot of K-Cup packs so we bought a Hamilton Beach Flexbrew, that uses both K-Cups and ground coffee. We surprised Shirley with another birthday present. Once the Flexbrew was taken out of it's box Larry asked Shirley if she wanted to try it out, what a dumb question to ask a coffee drinker. After making a cup of coffee with ground coffee, Larry asked if Louise wanted a cup of coffee, she also loves coffee. It was easy to use and only took a couple of minutes. Shirley had a great time playing with her new coffee machine.

Shirley's new office chair

Shirley's new coffee maker

For lunch we had the ham hock and beans I made yesterday, it was a hit. After lunch Ray and his girlfriend Mary came by to visit. We visited about an hour, Louise, Mary and Ray decided to walk around a neighborhood park. We decided to stay and visit with Shirley. We left  around 3:00 and went back to the motel to take a nap. We were back for dinner, we had leftovers. Larry and I had a ham sandwich with chips and Louise and Shirley had ham hock and beans. We were all finished with dinner and Larry suggested that Shirley invite Ray and Mary over for dinner. They came down and Ray finished the ham hock and beans while Mary ate some of the lasagna. We all visited for a couple of hours before calling it a night.

One big happy family left to right Ray, Shirley, Larry and Louise

We had a great three days of visiting with family.

We are leaving at 5:00 in morning to head back to Texas. Before leaving Shirley's house Larry loaded some of Louise's bags that way he didn't have to do this in the morning. We have a 16 hour trip to get home and we lose an hour when we get into Texas. Larry wanted to get on the road as early as possible. 

Friday 2-21 Family Get Together

Just having fun

We had a super day. It was a little cooler today with a wind. 

Louise and Shirley decided to go to a few thrift stores. Larry and I decided to drive around Tucson to see what has changed in the last thirty years. We drove around downtown and around our old stomping grounds. I was raised in Tucson and lived in the middle of town, near Swan and Broadway. Larry moved to Tucson when he was a teenager and was raised close to Marana, it was interesting to see the changes.

As we were driving around we drove by Bruegger's Bagels. Many years ago in Round Rock there was a Bruegger's Bagels. Sometimes when we were visiting Louise we would stop by and buy a couple of bagels. Then they went away. But here in Tucson there are a lot of them. We stopped in and bought a blueberry bagel and a raisin cinnamon bagel. They didn't seem to be like we remembered but still good.

Last night when we were celebrating Shirley's birthday her old office chair broke so we decided to replace it. On the way to her house we stopped by Office Depot and bought one.

When we got to Shirley's the three dogs were very excited to see us. They all came to the door to say hi. Wendy found out that we weren't Shirley so she ran away and hid. After saying hi Larry started to assemble the chair. While he was doing this Louise and Shirley showed up. We told Shirley the chair was another birthday present. She was very excited about it. Once the chair was assembled Shirley tested it out and Larry did a little adjustment to fit her height. It's a very nice chair.

It was lunchtime so I made everyone a ham sandwich. While we were eating Ray showed up and I made him a sandwich. All three of the dogs were my best friends because I was playing with ham. They also know I'm a sucker and will give them some of ham.

The ham we have been dining on was a bone in ham so after lunch I made ham hock and beans. We visited all afternoon and I played with the dogs.

While we were driving around my sister Alexis called and asked what day was the best to meet up with her and some of the family. We decided 6:00 tonight at Jethro's Cafe and Tavern, which is my brother Greg's place of business. Around 5:00 we started our journey to Jethro's, it's clear on the east side of Tucson. Louise decided not to go with us instead she visited with Ray. It didn't take as long as we expected. People who live in Tucson complain about the traffic. We tell them they don't know what traffic is until you drive down I35.

Alexis apologized that a lot of the family had other plans. My family who were there were Greg and his wife Roxy, Michael and his daughter Katherine and Alexis and Shirley. We had a very nice evening visiting with my family. Greg and Roxy have a very nice restaurant. 

Jethro's entrance

      

Left to right Alexis, me, Shirley, Michael, Catherine, Greg and Roxy

 

Thursday 2-20 Surprising Ma

Happy Birthday Ma

Happy birthday Shirley (Ma).

We woke up at 6:00, it's mighty early for me considering I normally crawl out of bed at 8:00. We got dressed and then we went downstairs to have breakfast. This Super 8 has a good breakfast. Then we put a small cooler together and left the motel. We had told Louise we would pick her up at 8:15. On the way to Louise's motel we stopped by Walmart and did a little grocery shopping. 

Today was Shirley birthday, she loves flowers so we picked up a bouquet of flowers along with some groceries. For lunch we bought a spiral ham with a variety pack of potato chips and Hawaiian onion rolls . For dinner we bought a family size Stouffer Lasagna and a loaf of garlic bread. After shopping we drove to Louise's hotel. Shirley only lives a few miles down the road from our motels. 

We arrived at Shirley's house around 8:30. Larry was calling her on the phone when her two dogs, Pooh Bear and Wendy started to bark. We hadn't told her that we were coming so she was surprised to see us. She was all dressed up to meet her friends at the Senior Center. She called them and told them that she wasn't going to be there because we were in town. Pooh Bear was very friendly but Windy was very shy and hid from us.

Larry and his ma

Shirley and me

Louise, Alice and Pooh Bear

We spent the whole day visiting with her and celebrating her birthday. For lunch we had ham sandwiches and chips. Pooh Bear, Wendy and Alice were happy I was preparing the lunch because they were treated with ham. Around 1:30 Ray, Larry's brother stopped by to visit for an hour or so. Then he went home to rest after working from 6 in the morning. 

While we were sitting around visiting Larry asked me how long it took for the lasagna to bake. I didn't know so I checked the box, it said 1 hour and 40 minutes. I had no idea it would take that long, dinner was a bit late. We baked the lasagna for the time the directions indicated and it wasn't done. I cooked it another half hour. I baked the garlic bread. We didn't eat until 6:30 instead of 5:00. Ray came back for dinner.

After dinner we all gathered in the living room, where Shirley opened her gifts. Louise bought her a few books, few jigsaw puzzles, dish washing soap and a few gift cards. We gave her four different coffees and a couple of gift cards. Ray and his girl friend bought her flowers and some chocolates. After she opened all her gifts we had cake. Before cutting the cake she pretended to blow out 82 candles on the cake. There weren't any candles on the cake at all.

Shirley's Birthday cake

Shirley, Pooh Bear and Wendy

The roses Ray and his girl friends present

The flowers we gave Shirley

Shirley opening her gifts

Shirley enjoying opening her gifts

We visited a little while longer and then we called it a night. We had a super day celebrating Shirley's birthday with her.