Friday, November 27, 2009

Black Friday

OK, I'll use black in honor of the day. I hope that the nation's retailers had a palpable increase in their sales over years past. If the traffic and parked cars are any indication, the recession in Tucson is over!

Jack went out early to go and have a look at the Kohl's and Home Depot crowds. He discovered that the checkout lines at Kohl's snaked all the way around the perimeter of the store. Home Depot was more sane, but was still plenty crowded. Then he went to Sunflower, bringing me back raspberries and a chocolate chip muffin, which I was happy to have for breakfast.

The day passed with us going on a walk, driving to Lowe's and then walking to Walmart* (which really isn't yet a Walmart*, but is still a Wal*Mart), getting our cable hooked up, dining at Chuy's, and playing Farkle in between. So.. no big shopping, and a good, fun day!

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Getting Settled

I see that I've used the "Getting Settled" title before! Yes, it seems that, when one is a snowbird, at least two weeks of the year are spent doing just that. We arrived here a week ago today. We unloaded the liquids, perishables, and clothes from the RV and now we have it over in the storage lot.

We did a bunch of laundry in Willcox, and then we did a huge bunch more just yesterday. That included the sheets, blankets, and towels from the RV, as well as just everyday stuff for the past week.

We got our mail and did business, including a bank run, calling all over the country about insurance and other financial stuff which waited for our return to civilization, and reinstating our cable TV. We bought our supplies to make our trail mix and things to make our hiking sandwiches!

We've done our first hike for the 2010 season! That was on Tuesday, and it was up to the saddle on the Pontatoc Ridge. Lovely hike, and just right for us at this point in our fitness. We're back to walking every day, too. Yay! We got into the pool after the hike, and that felt good.

Socially, things are somewhat slow right now. We did have a fine dinner over at Harold and Kathy's and we've made plans for a couple of other evenings.

And today's Thanksgiving! I'm thankful for so much this year. Jack has been a lot of fun, and we laugh and love and ... life is good. I'm grateful for our wonderful friends in Big Rapids, for our Tucson friends, and for our friends who travel back and forth. I'm grateful for my fortunate circumstances that enable me to enjoy this lifestyle. (Special thanks to Michael, George, Danny, and Louise!)

I'm grateful for the beautiful house in Paris, MI where we will spend our summers. I'm happy about our location, about the neat furniture that I got, and about just the way the house is built and configured. (Thank you to Judy, Fred, Luanne, and Dan!)

I'm grateful for Michael and the love he gave me. I'm grateful to his family, who have been with me and stood beside me in my difficulties. I'm grateful for my church and for all of the spiritual and social opportunities, and for all I've learned about our wonderful world. I'm grateful that I have friends and family who care enough about me to read this blog. (In particular, thanks to Annette, Robert, Auntie Dots, John, Lynell, Ray, Charlene, Donna, Dorothy, Anonymous, and all of the rest of you who've commented on my blog postings.)

And Happy Thanksgiving to all!