A Super Tuesday

Just a short post - the weather was beautiful today. Cold when I walked down to exercise at 7:30 AM (48 deg.), but sun was out. Speaking of exercise - would you believe, when I was working I would walk in the door at 7:59AM, pick up the mail & be on the clock. I was not an early bird, ever! Now I get up & am ready to DANCE before exercises at 7:40AM!!!!! No one would believe how much energy we have that early in the morning. What a great group of gals we have! We may moan & groan during the exercises, but the dancing before & the laughter can't be beat!

After exercise it was off to shuffleboard. The first game was bad. The board just didn't have a consistent place to shove that puck. But the second game! WOW! I beat the same guy I played last week again. This time I beat him 89 to 14! I sure wish I would have had my camera with me! I'll not forget board #14, foot side/yellow puck for a long time! Just had to brag a little!

This afternoon was line dancing for 2 hrs. Another great time. I think I'll skip my walk tonight. Bill's gone to play cards & I have a church council meeting to take minutes for at 7:00pm.

Talked to Renee last night & they have a ton of snow & no snow plows. A bobcat did come into their street while we were talking & started dumping some of the snow in the grass. The kids haven't had school & probably won't the rest of the week (maybe). Tom got his results back from the doctor & he either had to be able to go back to work at 100% of his job or take disability for a month. The doctor said there was no way he could go back to work, so he is on disability. He had shots in his back last week but didn't seem to help. The doctor told him yesterday he has spinal stenosis & the degeneration of his discs are rubbing the nerves on the spinal cord. "If" he ends up having surgery, they said they will scrape the bone on the inside of the disc near the spinal cord. Sounds like tricky surgery to me. Just when they were getting things lined up to moved to PA. Hopefully things will still work out. He goes back in March for another set of shots & in the mean time has to have rest. I told him it's like being related to the rest of my side of the family.

Well, I guess there isn't much more to report from sunny AZ, so until next time....
The Traveling Cardinal's

Another Super Bowl Sunday Gone

Classes for Computer went very well this week. Now that I got my feet wet, I won't be so nervous this next week. I even learned some things that I don't usually use in Word too. The best part of being a teacher, you learn too.

Friday night our gang went out for supper, then back to Phyllis & Tom's to play cards outside in the "tarp enclosed patio" with the heaters going. Gosh, I don't think it will ever warm up enough to play without them! The guys were the winners at both tables, so since the girls all lost we played at one table. Oh my gosh! We laughed so much. I don't think we cared who was ahead or behind. We had Dr. Phil on first for a serious program while we were playing, then Dr. Oz came one. Needless to say, that's when we started laughing!! Phyllis, you are a hoot!

Saturday night Bill & I went to the Softball Team's Dance - 50's - 60's - Jefferson High School dance, aka ballroom at the club house. The gals did a super, super job of decorating. Below you can see it was "Welcome to Arnold's" from Happy Days.
I went down to take pictures before the dance otherwise it gets too crowded. There were 460 people there. Last year there was more, but the fire ordinance didn't like that very well, so they limited the tickets this year.

This is the stage made to look like Arnold's counter.
You can tell the menu was from the 50's-60's. Can't buy a super burger today for 59 cents!
The end of each table had a jukebox decoration.
Me & my "tea" friend, Shirley. Love the "flipped" hair Shirley!
Some of the crowd. The couple standing on the right is Sam & his "friend". Sam is 91 & plays poker with Bill. His friend is in her 80's & she looked about 65!
The following 3 pictures are of our Georgia friends. This is Benny & Tommie.
Mary Jo & Frank (another of Bill's poker buddies).
Diane & David. Diane & Mary Jo are sisters. David plays poker with Bill & is a ball player. Diane line dances with me. We all have a great time together. The 8 of us have gotten together on a couple Saturday nights in one of the card rooms at the club house to play cards. We've taught them Tonk (which they love) & they taught us Manipulation (whch I love).
This is our "muscle" friend Ray from Michigan. He & Marquita are ones we went to visit & had lunch with while we were in Michigan last summer.
This is Arnold's Cook & his waitress wife aka Brian & Cathy. Cathy is our Pilate's leader. Brian is a ball player too.
The lady in blue on the left is Lois & line dances with me. She is 92. Next to her is Dave & the two gals in white are Dona & Dave's wife, Carol. Dona is from Syracuse. The two girls were my dancing partners for some of the fast ones. We do the Thursday Night BBQ Pot Lucks together.
Velda & her friends dancing in the hallway.
Duke, Duke, Duke, Duke of Earl
Frank & Mary Jo dancing in hallway.
Brian & Cathy dancing in the kitchen. "Someone's in the kitchen with Dina".
Now this guy in the blue sweater had some real smooth dance moves.
We all made the remark that our kids would never believe how many of us grandparents would be out here rock'n & roll'n for 4 hours. We all said our kids wouldn't be able to keep up with us!

I did have to come home after church this morning & take a 2 hr. nap though. Wow! I couldn't believe how tired I was. Home at 11pm & up at 5:45am. No wonder I needed a nap!

We had to get our second wind so we could party this afternoon for Super Bowl. We ate at 3pm & then settled in to watch the game on the "tarp enclosed patio" again. It took me awhile to get into the game as I didn't really have a favorite. I admit I was rooting for the Colts, so it was a little bit of a let down at the end when we lost. Last year was a lot more exciting with the Arizona Cardinals & the Pittsburgh Steelers!

Here's Phyllis talking pictures & me taking a picture of her.
Sitting: Max & Marilyn; Standing: Warren, Kay, Bill & Faye
This was Mark's (from Iowa) plate. He said that was all he was going to eat. But he did have dessert.
The patio set up. The heater on the left got moved over by Tom so he & I could hog the heat. Just like sitting in front of the wood stove playing cards! Right Sis?!
So that was the end of another year of Football.

Tomorrow our Mark leaves for his 7 month deployment. I know I said this before, but they had weather delays on the East coast, so they couldn't leave until Monday. We love you son, & pray for a fast 7 months & a safe deployment. We are proud of you.

The Baltimore/Washington area really got hit with the snow this year. Renee said more than they got before Christmas. She said Tom was up & out shoveling a little at a time all night Friday night so it wouldn't build up & be too heavy to shovel. Since he's having trouble with his back, he wanted to do it in stages.

Tomorrow we get back to schedule with shuffleboard, dancing, card playing & computer class. I will be teaching Excel classes this week. Now if I could just get rid of this darn laryngitis! Every day I wake up thinking I'll be "squeak free", but no such luck. One question for you all........if you are a woman.....how do you rest your voice box????? Not a chance!

I did add some new music to my play list. I know it takes awhile to load, but it's there. Added some favorite country songs. Enjoy.

Well, that's about all for this week. Until next time........The Travel Cardinal's from sunny AZ

Another Week Gone By

I haven't any pictures to share, but I may be able to share a movie. Let's try it. Guess it doesn't work. This past week I went to a Movie Making Class. We did it in Windows Live Movie Maker & it was rather fun. But I guess because it's a movie & not a video, it won't post.

Last week when I wrote, I noted that Bill's cousin, Mary, was not doing well. We got word yesterday that she passed away Thurs. evening around 10pm. Our prayers are with cousin Tom during this time. There are no family members on Bill's side that live near him. Hopefully, one of the cousins might be able to make it when arrangements are final.

Bill has had a cold this week & has been coughing. I had a sore throat Tues., but was gone on Wed., then on Thursday I woke up & couldn't talk. Oh what a relief for some! LOL Today I'm doing a little better. Still squeaky, but can talk a little.

Renee went to the hospital Thurs. afternoon with pleurisy. She went the night before but wouldn't stay because she didn't have anyone to stay with the kids while Tom was working. I told her when she called me to get her butt back there. They kept her overnight & she is on antibiotics & a couple other meds to clear up the infection. We are assuming it was from the pneumonia she had. I told her she'd better take care of those lungs.

Mark will be leaving this next week for his 7 mo. deployment. I hope he has a safe journey & it goes fast for him. This will be a hard departure since the little one, who is now 7, has become his little buddy. He will be leaving truly a parent this time. We wish him well & will keep him in our prayers.

Next week I begin teaching 3 classes of Word 2003; the following week 3 classes of Excel 2003 & then the last week of the month 3 classes of Excel 2007. I think I have everything organized. I did one day this past week so I sort of got my feet wet. I know I will have some really great monitors for helpers though.

The weather has hopefully broken. We had sunshine yesterday & today. Temps were up a little, but not as warm as I like them. No pool time that's for sure. I did sit out & read for awhile yesterday. Thought maybe the sun would bake a little Vitamin C into my throat!

We have been amazed at how many more people have come to the park this year. Gosh, another motor home went down our street late this afternoon & Bill said 3 came in while I was at the store. Monday when I went down to exercise, there were 4 lined up to sign in. Today when I walked the park I realized how many spots are filling up. It's good to see. We even have had a few new people come to our Thursday night BBQ at the club house. That's always good to see. The tureen line is getting longer.

Hopefully this week we won't have so much rain (although it is calling for some) that I can get back to playing shuffleboard again.

I finished another scratch art picture for a friend back home. Our craft show is Feb. 26th, so will have to pick out 3 to show there. The Woodcarver's show was yesterday. They had a great crowd. Some beautiful work from these ol' retirees.

Well, I think I've run out of conversation. No humor to add so I'd better call it a night. Maybe next time I'll have something more interesting to write about.

Until next time.............The Traveling Cardinal's from sunny AZ

Wet, Wet, Wet

After the last two days of weather here in Arizona, I'm not sure if we are in the desert or back in "good old Pennsylvania" summertime. We have had some unusually wet, windy weather. Last night it was tornado alley. We rode it out in the trailer, but was tempted to go to the club house, just in case. We kept watching the weather on TV & they kept us pretty informed. There was the possibility that a tornado touched down near Scottsdale, but later it was confirmed not to be a tornado. Very strong winds. The Car Show going on had some major damage there; heaters & generators tipped over, cars were damaged & the tent blew down & parts of it onto the Loop 101 highway. This morning we found shingles laying all over in the road way here in the park, so I'm sure someone will have to replace or patch their roof.

My dear friend, LaVon, contacted me to see if we were all right. What a dear. They had high winds & were rocking in their 5th wheel all day & we got the brunt of it at night. She said she thought we were in AZ & not Oklahoma! We were all praying hard. We let her know we were okay after it all settle down. Thanks, friend, for thinking of us. Glad you guys were okay too. Our other friend, Jim S., from Sierra Vista checked on us too.

Here are some pictures I took of what once was our beautiful softball field. By the looks of it, they may not play ball there until March! So sad to see all this water when they work so hard to have a nice place to play.

This is the dug out & home plate (somewhere under the water).
Another view of ball field from home team bleachers.
This is the doggie park on the East side of the ball park. I wonder how many "floating logs" you could find????
More of the doggie park.
Looking toward Bud & Mary's trailer.On the curve by Bud & Mary's. Cute Sign: Boat Ramp - Access to Lake PooPooCaCa
As I write this it is raining pretty steady again. Bill hopes it rains all night & morning. He was on shuffleboard cleaning this week & he has only had to go down one day. After a rain & wind storm like we had, it is a mess. The dust makes everything a mess. You can't even see out of our truck windows unless you run the wipers & washer.

Today started out with dance exercise & then exercise class. I sure hope this brings the weight off. I'm not ready for Dancing With The Stars yet either! Wow! Talk about cardio exercise. But.....I was the Biggest Loser last week & won my initial $5.00 back. Now I just have to work at not paying a dollar back if I gain.

Computer Club meeting went well. I have 6 classes to begin teaching in February. Not sure I'm ready to be a "teacher", but I think I can do it. I've listened, watched & monitored enough I think I can. As long as I can figure out how to run the Power Point program, I'll be okay.

Speaking of Computer Club & teachers......A Big Thank You to Alice K. for talking with me about her husband & her having problems connecting & using his older HP printer on his new Windows 7 laptop! They ended up getting a disk from HP to download the new driver. Yaaaa! It was the same as mine, so we split the cost! But most of all, I didn't have to buy a new printer! Tonight I got all new signs made for class sign ups & new sign-up sheets done & printed. Also contacted those who had signed up for Word '03. Hopefully I'll hear back from them. Next week will be busy with monitoring a class & I'm going to take a class on Movie Making. Never know what you might get for Christmas next year.

Next Friday I'm going to learn how to take a desk top computer apart & see what I can learn about the hard drive. Talk about "digging in". But you have to remember......I probably won't remember a lot of what I learn. No brain space left!

Tonight Bill went to visit one of his card playing buddies, Larry, who is in a rehab center in Phoenix. 3 of the guys went with Larry's wife & they had a little party in his room. He had a blood clot rupture in his 7th vertebrae & he is paralyzed from the middle of his chest down. His rehab is helping a lot. He has been able to get his hands partially working & has some feeling in the inner part of his legs, not to the touch, but inside. Hopefully, he will have full recovery.

Next week the park is having pictures taken, of anyone who wants to sign up & also for clubs, to make a new directory. That will be fun. It's always hard to put faces & names together. I remember our church directories & how much that helped to learn who people were.

Just had a phone call from Madison, WI, Bill's cousin, Brother Tom, called to say his sister Mary is not doing well & may only have another couple of weeks. She has an infected gall bladder & has been on a feeding tube for about 10 yrs. She is not able to endure surgery & has been in a nursing home ever since her dad (Bill's Uncle George) passed away. Please pray for a painless, quick ending of her life so that she can go home & live a peaceful, normal life with her Lord.

Well, I can't think of any other newsy things so I'll say.........until next time........
The Traveling Cardinal's

Long Time No Blogging

I guess it's time I got busy & wrote something. I have no excuses except......Christmas, New Year's, Birthday celebrations are over; I got a new computer to set up, I've been partying, dancing, running here & there..........so that about covers it! My sister called & said "Don't you ever stay home?" Since I don't have to bundle up with boots & coats nor shovel my way out, the answer is NO, I don't stay home much.

We all know how difficult it is to buy teenagers Christmas gifts, but my daughter-in-law's mom hit the nail on the head. She gave our granddaughter a painting kit that comes with a video. Mark said she came downstairs a few weeks ago & said see what I painted. Wow! A beautiful job Samantha! Our pictures are a lot alike. The little girl in the picture has grown up a lot! I hope you continue to pursue art - you have a natural talent.
A group of 29 neighbors all went to the Mexican Restaurant, Nando's, one night for supper. Delicious & way, way more than you can eat. This is a few of those that went standing outside before we went in.
Bring on those homemade tortilla chips!
Part of the gang
John & Carol from Horseheads, NY. Carol has been very sick this year with Rheumatoid Arthritis. This was one of her better days & she was able to go with us. She reminds me so much of a friend back home, Cleora from my childhood town of Fentonville.
On Jan. 11th, the Big Band, Sweet Memories, played at the club house. We had 4 tables of friends all together. Had a great time. They played a variety of oldies. We all said this type of dancing will soon be a thing of the past. Our younger generations coming up don't have the opportunities to learn to dance like we did with our parents.
Phyllis & Tom, Gene & Faye
Don & MaryAnn (black dress), Jeannie & Buck in the red
Great friends, Ray & Shirley, Fred & Tom in background
Faith & Leroy (his birthday is the same day as mine, except he's 88!), Shirley & Ray, Jim & Ruby
Guess Who - yup, that's us, Peg & Bill
Special Friends, Roger & Camilla
Camilla's brother, Tom & his wife, Connie - We all shuffle together = well, both ways I guess.....shuffleboard & shuffle dance!
Bill thought he had to have another "surprise" birthday party. I hope he knows this is the last one. From now on I'll be more aware of what's going on. 2 years in a row, a surprise that does not make.

Look at all the cakes. And he knew I was on "The Biggest Loser" so he did do veggies too.
These are the beautiful roses he bought me.
Part of the gang. Represented from NY, NM, SD, GA, IA, WA & Canada.
This is the beautiful sweater my hubby bought me. I think this is the first piece of clothing he's bought me since before we were married! Great taste.
The weekend before my birthday, he brought me home this little miniature rose bush. It has tons of buds on it still.
This picture of my roses was taken on Sat. They are all opening up & they are still gorgeous. They even smell good. No droopy blossoms either!
Wednesday night we went to another dance which was country music. Had a great time there with many friends too. Gosh, two dances in one week & Bill even danced some! Made my week!

The past two Sat. nights we have played cards with our Georgia friends, Dave & Diane &
Frank & Mary Jo in one of the card rooms at the club house. The first night Tommie & Benny played with us too. That's one thing about a 5th wheel or motor home, you don't have room for 6-8 people. We've taught them to play "Tonk" or "31" & they love it. They've taught us a game called "Manipulation" & we like that a lot too.

Sunday was our 10th Annual Chapel Fellowship Dinner. The theme for this year was "Open the eyes of your heart" based on Ephesians 1:18 - "I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints."
Tables look beautiful.Joe & Alice K.
Everything is all lined up.
The gals are having fun getting ready - Nancy, Lois & Alisha
Okay, Alice, I think your job is done.
The feast begins - Good Food, Good Fellowship
We were blessed by the southern gospel songs from Dave Webb's Group. They got us laughing, clapping & beating out the rhythm from good old songs.
Sunday night, my friend Shirley & I again went to another Sunday Evening of Bill Gaither's Homecoming Video Concert Series. The music just keeps flowing. We are so grateful for Dick providing this Sunday evening music for us. There were quite a few there last night. I think the word is getting out to others in the park.

After the evening of music, Shirley & I have started having little "tea chats" at one home or the other. I miss those that I used to share with friends back home (Toni, Karen, Denise). We always solve the world's problems, well, more realistically, our own - at least for the moment.

Today started out a new week of exercise & activities. I have lost approx. 6-1/2 pounds in the last 2 weeks, so I feel good again. Nice to feel like my clothes fit a little looser.

I must admit, I'm having a harder time typing. The feel of my new computer seems to be so different. I love it though. Windows 7 is great (so far) & the speed beats my 5 yr. old computer by about 98%. I still have to download the driver update to make my old printer compatible with Windows 7. Hopefully I can get that done tonight.

All is well here although we are bracing for a week of cool, wet weather. Last year we didn't get this type of weather. All I can say is......maybe we will have more desert wildflowers this spring.

On may way to get a perm.

Until next time....................The Traveling Cardinal's