Necessity is the Mother

Mom is down to help me move my motorhome up to my summer spot. In preparation for the move, I have been taking a lot of the clutter out of the motorhome and putting it into storage. When it came time to make coffee for Mom I not only didn't have the smaller coffee maker, I didn't have any of the large tumbler's my coffee maker requires. Shown is my solution to get a regular cup up high enough to not splash all over while the coffee drips into the mug. I normally use that plastic tub to catch drips when I first take the tumbler out from under the basket. Multipurpose. And I hadn't even had my own coffee yet.

We both went to LensCrafters yesterday and got eye exams and ordered new glasses. They will be in sometime next week, and we will make a trip back down to get them. We have also eaten at a couple of restaurants along the way. I won't need a large meal for a few days

Once I get going I'll start the prep to move the RV up the road and Mom will follow me in her car. My car is already up there. Then I can settle in for the summer.

Norma

Norma Randle July 27, 1942 - March 24, 2019

That was copied from Croft's blog where he announced that his life partner, Norma, died yesterday.  I really have no words to express how I feel.  Norma and Croft came into my life during a time when I was pretty lost.  Norma scooped me up and made me feel like family.  Her no nonsense attitude was just what I needed on a regular basis.  I was hoping that I would see them this summer, planning on seeing if I could come to them if they were again not coming down here to AZ.  I have a lot of questions I want to ask her about everything from fashion for my over-60 self to deeper life questions.

Please keep Croft and the rest of Norma's family in you thoughts.

I seem to have lost my blog voice

I think of things I'd like to write about, but I stop before I get to a computer or the phone to actually write and post.  Maybe I've met too many people in real life who read my blog.  This isn't just some writing I lob into the blogosphere with no repercussions any more.  I think about some who I feel will judge me.  Then again, I don't tend to spend much time worrying about folks that don't think I measure up, so I don't know why that would be a factor.  I go through low energy times during transition, and this is definitely a time of transition.  I'm in the process of having the Class A worked on tomorrow, and then on the 1st I'll move to my spot in Payson.

It seems that a lot of people I know, or relatives of close friends, are having major health issues.  Every time I turn around it seems that I'm hearing of someone who has just been diagnosed with cancer or other health issues.  I keep these folks in my thoughts, and so far the ones I've heard about lately are on an upward swing.  Then my friend Mike calls me and his younger brother has just been diagnosed with brain cancer.  Mike lost his best friend to brain cancer about the time I was going through my breast cancer operation and radiation.  After awhile it becomes a lot to process.

Norma, of Croft and Norma, is going through radiation.  I keep her in my thoughts.  Jim Dixon seems to have finally gotten his issues straightened out.  I became worried about him when he wouldn't even eat ice cream.  I need to check that he actually has finished the container that I know was in their freezer.  Favorite Neighbor, who is in her 90's, just had major surgery, and has another surgery this Thursday.  So far she is doing well.  Hopefully this will fix the issues that were starting to paralyze her, ongoing issues from the fall she took a few years ago.

I'm looking forward to being camped in my spot in Payson with all getting back right in my world.  In good news Mom feels better than she has in over a year.  Today is her 88th birthday.  I'll take all the good news I can get.

Tom Mix Monument

I'm heading down to tour Biosphere 2. The Tom Mix Memorial is on Hwy 79 south of Florence, AZ. I've never been this way before and decided it was worth a stop. It is overcast, and a storm is expected tonight or tomorrow. Everything is green from the previous rains. It is good to get out for a day.

Sent from my Huawei Mobile

Snow on the Superstitions

Update

Mom lost power around 6:45pm last night  She had had an earlier emergency text that it might happen, so had turned up her thermostat so it was warm in her apartment.  I monitored the outage map and by 10pm it no longer showed the outage.  She called this morning and said the electricity had come on about twenty minutes before 10.  She is fine, other than just the shear amount of snow outside her window.  She said the line of cars in the parking lot looks like just one long snowbank.  The folks trying to clear the walks yesterday while it was still snowing broke their snowblower, and there are none left to rent in town.  All the roads in and out of Payson are closed due to snow.  Hopefully this will all melt over the next 2 days or so.  The temperature hovers around freezing, so it should warm up some soon.

I'm fine.  Still a dreay, drizzly day outside.  I'm warm and dry.  Bosley is fine as long as he gets fed.

Winter Storm

Payson is getting burried in snow.  Mom is fine as long as the electricity doesn't go out.  We talk every couple of hours.  It is still snowing heavily and the folks shoveling the walk are just throwing the snow up onto the cars.  No place else to put it for now, and I'm sure the idea is that it will melt soon.  Here's hoping.

Steady rain all day here in the Valley.  Some standing water around me, but I don't have to go anyplace and in the motor home I'm a couple of foot above the deck.  I had a propane delivery yesterday in preparation for the storm, and I have my generator if I lose electricity.  My batteries would keep the led lights on for this evening anyway, and most other stuff runs on propane.  I'm fine for the duration.

Dreary, Rainy

We are getting a lot of rain in the desert this winter.  I hope it translates into less danger of forest fires next summer.  Mom called this morning and said they have about 8" of snow in Payson.  I told her I won't be up to visit this week after all. 

I am a few days into doing the Whole 30 elimination diet again.  So far so good.  I am planning on cooking more this time, and so far I am.  One thing that will help me actually do all 30 days is that I just found out from the Whole 30 website that Walmart has a section of their Great Value frozen meals that are Whole 30 compliant.  Coconut Curry Chicken is one variety.  I'll go over and pick some up once the rain lets up.

I already have my Federal and AZ Income Tax refunds.  Today I'll allocate them to the bills and see how I'm set up for the next year as far as traveling and such.  I have my spot in the same park in Payson reserved starting April 1.  I want to go to West Yellowstone again and also visit around other parts of MT.  I will take the car and not the motor home as I feel better able to negotiate the places I like to go in the car.  I may have issues if I want to camp in some RV parks, though.  I think there is enough National Forest up there I should be able to find places to camp.  It will help that my friend is a ranger up there.  She can interpret the maps for me.  :)

Posting from my email again.  No real pictures this time.  The weather hasn't cooperated for me to get out and about much.  Hoping for some sunshine before I leave for Payson in 6 weeks or so.  I had penciled in to go down around Tucson at the end of this week to do some touristing, but weather may postpone that as well.

Work In Progress

This is the sweater I'm working on now. We stuffed it to try to show it better, but I'm not sure you came tell much. I am working top down, and it has set in sleeves. I am almost to where I will separate the sleeves from the body. I took it off the needles in order to try it on so I can make adjustments if necessary. I think it will be a pretty sweater once it is finished.

Sent from my Huawei Mobile

No Words

This had been a difficult week for some of us in BloggerLand.  I know of 3 bloggers who have died this week, two of which I had followed their lives for a few years now.

Tioga George

I don't know when I first found him but his son was still alive.  That whole, left the moment his last cancer checkup was finished and headed out for the unknown nomad life, made an impression on me.  It took me a few years, but I followed his example.  Up to and including the cancer part as it turns out.

Sherry lost her David 

That one breaks my heart for them.  As a loner with a long list of failed romantic relationships I can only watch from the sidelines of long term marriages such as theirs.  Cancer took him.  I have no words

One thing that being a part of the blogger world has taught me.  I can no longer ever wonder Why Me??? when negative things happen.  I only think most days of just how blessed I am.  As I was pondering this post I looked out and the Fire Rescue paramedics were next door and took my neighbor away.  He seemed awake and not on any IV's or anything.  I don't know my neighbor, or any of the story.  I do know that when I hear a siren or see the paramedics I know that someone is having a much worse day than I am.