Joan on the Road

A pop-up ad on my computer rescued me from cabin fever. When the temps are 100 I really don't like to be outside but then I feel cooped up after a few hours inside with all the windows closed. So when I noticed a pop-up ad for Macaroni Grill I thought to myself...self, we need to go to the mall!

We headed for Temecula and Macaroni Grill about 1 PM. It was not very crowded which was unusual. The ad mentioned a Lunch Trio of salad, entree and dessert. I'm up for that :) I had Caesar Salad, chicken/spinach canelloni and chocolate cake. Jim was undecided on pasta and then the waiter mentioned that he could "create his own pasta". That worked for him....angel hair, tomatoes, garlic, onions and basil. Now I could do that! Of course, one of my motives was eating a big lunch means I don't cook dinner.

I intended to meander around the mall but all we did was shop in Penney's drapery department. We really need to do something with the front drapes in the MH. I picked out a thermal backed material and got a quote....around $400 ballpark. I'm not sure I want to spend that much when I'm not sure of the material. Guess this needs more pondering.

We stopped at Trader Joe's to look for frozen crab to make Crab Louis salad. No dice on that but as usual we walked out with $40 of other items. TJ does have really good frozen fish so we got a meal's worth of Orange Roughy and lots of nuts and dried fruit for snacks. Incidentally, the parking lot at TJs was not crowded either. Is this a sign of the times?

I was anxious to see the baseball playoff with the Angels VS the Red Sox. Oh well! The Angels lost. Hope they improve and get over their jinx (they've now lost the last 10 playoff games to the Sox.)

Today was laundry day and I've learned how to make it pleasant here at Golden Village. I pack everything in the car including a book. Take it all to the laundry, get it started, set my phone alarm and then sit by the pool and read. Verrry pleasant. It was breezy and not too hot. Looks like the weather is going to cool a little and we'll get to the October averages of 85 and 55. My kind of weather:)

Posted by Joan at 03:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Since we don't have a dog I feel the need to have some sort of connection to the animal world so why not a birdfeeder...again :) But this time it will be a hummingbird feeder. I never had one of those. We picked up a feeder at WalMart and mixed up the packaged nectar. Dummy me. I chose the extended proportions which are probably 6 water to 1 sugar. I don't think the birdies like it. They come by, take a quick sip and leave. Sometimes they come up close to the window and flutter for a few seconds. I think they're trying to tell me something!

So I brought the jar back in to refresh the juice and make it more appealing. Internet research says that if the juice is not sweet enough they have to expend too much energy to get an adequate amount. Pretty soon they get tired of working so hard and leave. I think they tell the other birds not to waste their time at my feeder :) I'll see if the new juice makes a difference. Maybe I'll get some good pictures.

Besides the hummingbirds the shrubs behind our sitting area are filled with birds that sing and fly by all day. The towering palm tree beside us is home to our mockingbird and a woodpecker. If I put out a seed feeder I know we'd have lots of activity but that also might bring rodents for the overflow seeds. I'm not anxious to do that.

The only other wild pets we have here are rabbits. So far I've only spotted one. Last year there were so many running around I thought they might be a menace. Now I'm wondering if the park had a rabbit eradication program :) But you know rabbits! If there are two there will soon be twenty.

Posted by Joan at 10:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Several years ago I bought a needlepoint project of sun/moon/stars thinking that I'd complete it for daughter Laura. There are two pictures about 5 x 5 inches. Yesterday, probably 5 years later, I finished it ! :) I just could not work on it for a long time. My fingers would get numb, I'd be unhappy with how it looked, etc. But I'm not a quitter :) So this week I decided no other projects would get in the way. This would get done. It's now in the mail to her. Wonder if it will still fit with her decor :)

I think my needlepoint days are over. It is such close, tiny work and doesn't seem to be as much fun as it used to. Once I made a crewel picture of Van Gogh's Sunflowers. It took me awhile to coomplete but finally it was done, stretched, framed and hung in our house for years. Daughter Renee wound up with that when we sold the house. I think that was my favorite needlework project of all time and it turned out pretty good:)

Now I feel free to begin some crocheting projects and also to start scanning the old negatives. We sorted all those out last week and I have a shoebox full sitting beside me ready to scan....plus 4 more boxes in the outside storage. These pictures start in 1979 and go through about 2001 when I really got into digital photos. I'm anxious to start on these because there will be a lot of young grandkids pix. Who knows what might appear on the family calendar this year!

Posted by Joan at 11:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The California Elks (BPOE) held their 30th Anniversary Rally here at our park for three days. All of the activities were geared to raise money for crippled children. So on Saturday we ventured out in the heat....I mean hot heat....to see what all was being offered.

There were several booths outside covered by sunshades but the sellers were pretty anxious for the whole thing to be over. I did find a craft booth with discounted items and bought Evan a Christmas tree Advent calendar. Very cute, with little pockets to put something in and to hold the counter for the days. We also picked up several paperbacks at a dollar each and then lined up for tacos and sausage sandwiches. The taco was really quite good. We took all the food home and ate in the comfort of our AC house :)

Yesterday I treated my girls to a movie and ice cream. What did we see? Mamma Mia of course! I still have not had my fill of that movie and am ready to go again. Everyone enjoyed it but probably not as much as me :) I suggested we do a girls day out each month I"m here so I'll have to see what I can dig up to do.

We've been biking around the park every morning and then sitting outside with our tea. Yesterday we set up a little outdoor seating area by the shrubs in the back of our space. We realized that it is shady there most of the day and often has a nice breeze. So this morning we ate breakfast out there. I think I'll add some flower pots...settle in for a few months :) Then as soon as it cools off we'll get some firewood for out little firepit! Just like camping :)

Posted by Joan at 04:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

What do you think he just did?

Yep! Finger in the frosting. It runs in the family! I'm so glad we could be here for this special occasion. Evan was napping when we arrived so he was a little grumpy for the first few minutes. But soon his cousins came and that got him going.

Naomi and Brad had their new apartment all set up and comfy. Naomi asked that everyone bring a dish to go with cold chicken and it turned out we had a wonderful buffet. Brad's mom brought goulash (hamburger, creamettes, tomatoes and secret ingredients), son Jim made a beautiful watermelon fruit bowl, we took my spinach casserole and Renee brought dips, chips, and rolls. No one went home hungry.

We made a stab at watching the Presidential debate but soon agreed that a 3 year old's birthday was way more important. He took awhile opening gifts because he wanted to play with and try out every gift as he opened it. So that took awhile but he had fun.

I don't know where the cake came from but it was sure delicious. Chocolate filled with cream and topped with fluffy frosting. Evan was very excited and happy as we sang to him but then didn't want cake....just wanted to play with new toys. The train set from his Grandpa and Grandma was a real hit.

All in all ...we had another great family evening. That's what we enjoy about being here in Hemet...even though it is pretty darn hot!

Posted by Joan at 02:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)