Oregon Living 2024 – Blog #8 – A Bit of Nice Weather & More Dancing

 

Sunday, February 18^th., 2024…… A little break in the weather this morning. We saw blue skies for most of the day. After walking the dogs and feeding them, we ate leftovers for breakfast before Cat took off to go to church. I worked on my blog and got #7 posted, then settled in to watch the Daytona 500. Problem was it was rained out for today. Rescheduled for tomorrow. So, I went out to the shop and worked on my shelving project. Cat got back and we lounged around the house for a few hours. Then it was time to head over to Sweet Home. Our friend, Shaun, is teaching his first beginner’s square dance class. This time Cat would be an ‘angel’ and help the beginners. Plus it will give her a chance to practice more. They didn’t have a lot of beginners but we stayed and helped anyway. After the class, we headed back home.  Cat has decided that she has too much on her plate now to take on round dancing, so she won’t be going to class any more. But I was locked in to help Lynn go through plus class so I went off to that. Cathye joined us toward the end and we all drove over to Gametime for a nice meal and visit. We had 18 there tonight!  We left in time to be able to hit the spa before calling it a night.  

Monday, February 19^th., 2024…… The Xfinity race was supposed to be run first thing this morning, followed by the 500. But the weather caused yet another reschedule which would be after the Cup race.  So, I had to wait. We left after walking and feeding the girls. We hit the gym and then breakfast, then Wilco for Rylee’s dog food, then Walmart for a few things. We plan to go to Costco tomorrow. When we got back, I went out and put a coat of paint on my shelf brackets. I had them outside on the saw horses but it started to rain so I had to bring them into the garage. I would need another coat tomorrow. Cathye worked on her pots in the greenhouse. We have some daffodils coming up and blooming now. Some are in more sunny spots and open sooner. There are folks everywhere around town who have daffodils in their beds so everything looks so good right now. It will be even better when warmer Spring weather comes and everything gets going again!  

Tuesday, February 20^th., 2024…… HAPPY BIRTHDAY RYLEE!  She is 6 today! This pic was right after they got back from the groomers…

That would be the cleanest she would be for another month! Of course the bows in her hair don’t usually last more than 1 day! Jama has had ribbons and bows all her life so she keeps them in for weeks at a time!  Today was Costco day!  So, we headed over to Albany for breakfast at Roger’s before hitting Costco. We only had a few items on our list but you know what happens when you’re in there!  We loaded everything and came home. A little after that, Cheryl came over to show Cat how to prune back the blueberry bushes. She and her husband own a blueberry farm so she knows her stuff!  She taught Cathye as they moved through the pruning process, and got 3 of the 5 bushes cut back before we had to leave for our 1:00pm workshop. We danced and had fun and practiced and talked to our friends and made a plan for this weekend. On Friday, Cat and I are going (by ourselves) down to a dance in Eugene. Because she needs the practice and because she will miss our Club visitation on Saturday night. She is taking off Saturday morning to go up to visit Tait in Portland for the weekend. I will still be going, taking Lynn and Judy. It’s a short drive to Corvallis but none of us have been to that Club before, so it will be fun!  

Later in the day, we went out and worked some more. I put another coat of paint on my shelf brackets

and Cat straightened up her shed. She has some pruners that we tracked down earlier that were pretty dingy, so she soaked them in vinegar. When she’s done, I will oil them down for this season. Later, we cut up the roast chicken we bought at Costco and had sandwiches for dinner. I also shredded the rest for soup and chicken pot pie fixins and we got all of that canned/packaged and frozen. Of course we gave some meaty bites to the birthday girl! (and Jama too!) before we put everything away. Tv programs and the spa before bed.   

Wednesday, February 21^st., 2024…… We woke up to more rain so we put off walking the dogs. Cat made breakfast and then headed off to take some clothing donations to SHEM then go visit one of her long time girlfriends in Sweet Home. When she got back, we had some lunch and then relaxed for a few minutes. Then it was off to get our taxes done! I had last year’s return and all of our papers for this year ready so it was pretty quick and easy. Neither of us have anything complicated, so it goes pretty quickly. 2023 was our first full tax year together.  We did ok. Got a decent return. We will put this into an account for our 2025 cruise.   

Thursday, February 22^nd., 2024…… The weather today is spectacular! Blue skies and warm temps. For us in Oregon anyway. It was mid 60s!  Today was our normal Thursday routine. Gym, breakfast and then some shopping. But this time we made a detour to Jamie’s to give him a check for his copay for an upcoming dental appointment. l wanted to work some more on my shelving. I got the pieces in the house but stopped short of installing them. Guess I just got lazy! Cat was ready to fix dinner. We had seen on Facebook that today was National Margarita Day so I had to take her out for that! We went to Ixtapa and had a nice dinner and drinks. 

We came home and relaxed and watched tv until spa and bed.    

Friday, February 23^rd., 2024…… Another great sunny day!  The only plan we had was to go to Springfield to a dance tonight. That was it. That would soon change! We walked the dogs and fed them and then had our breakfast.  Since it was so nice, I went out and worked in the shop. Cathye took some pics of the daffodils. 

I got all of the final cuts made and then went back in and installed the shelves. Next up will be to fill in the screw holes with putty and sand and paint.  A little earlier than that, Cat got a call from Judy asking her if she wanted to go with her and Lynn to the nursery. The word nursery always brings excitement to Cathye, so she was quick to say Yes!  So, she took off to go to Judy’s. She had planned on getting back from the nursery in plenty of time to go to Walmart for items to make another chicken pot pie. That would be for me for Saturday and Sunday while she’s gone. Turns out she got kidnapped!  They continued on from Albany to Corvallis to shop for the rest of the day!  No worries for me though. I went to Walmart and got everything and she got back in time to assemble a cook the pie which we had for dinner. Then we got dressed and headed down to Springfield to dance. They had a plus level tip at the beginning and they had to scrape together enough people for 1 square! I danced with Sandy, the round dance cuer, who helped us fill the square. It was hard to watch. Some confusion and some mobility issues but we all smiled and got through it.  The rest of the evening was mainstream level and Cat did great! Later in the evening, all of the day’s activity piled up on her, and I could tell she was tired, so we cut it short and left half an hour early. Plus she would be getting up early tomorrow for her trip so it was time to go so she could get some sleep.

Saturday, February 24^th., 2024…… Cat is headed north this morning. So, we were up a littler earlier than normal so she could finish putting a few things together. I walked the dogs and she turned on the coffee and grabbed some breakfast snacks for the road. After she left, I ate some pre-prepared burritos and then went out and got the wood putty and plugged up all of the screw holes. That was it for me today. I spent most of the day watching Nascar races. Cat texted me that she had made it and was with Tait.

She sent me pics from their day. They went to the Portland Home & Garden Show and wandered around the exhibits.

                                          I have never seen a 'Rent the Chicken' booth before!

They went to an Indian food restaurant and Cathye said even the woosie stuff was way too spicy! She will probably pay for that later!

Later in the evening, I had dinner and got dressed and left and picked up Judy and Lynn. We drove to the church in Corvallis for the Corvallis Square Dance Club’s 65^th birthday dance. It was fun!  I got to dance with both ladies plus had a great partner for a fun plus level tip!  Cat texted saying she was back home and was heading to bed. After the dance, I took the girls home, then came back to let the dogs out. Later, I would find I was too late for Rylee! She had gone on our new carpet in the entryway, so I had to take the time to clean that up before bed! That made it a very late night!  

Oregon Living 2024 – Blog #7 – Two Fun Valentine’s Day Outings, A Great Grandson’s Birthday & Getting the Motorhome Worked On

 

Sunday, February 11^th., 2024…… Today was our Valentine’s Day outing!  We have tickets for the Champagne Brunch River Cruise on the Willamette River in Portland. But we still slept in from our late night last night. We walked and fed the dogs then headed out. We stopped at the Black Bear Diner for breakfast. That was my mistake!! I thought the brunch would be cheese and crackers and sliced meats and such. So, I wanted to eat a good breakfast. Boy, was I wrong!  When we got parked we went down to the dock and checked out the boat. 

When we boarded, we saw the buffet.

One side was breakfast and the other was lunch. They even had a carving station!  I snacked on sweet breads and tried their pepper bacon and had some fruit but Cat sampled the meats and salads. If we ever do this again we will know not to eat beforehand. Once on the ship, we went to our assigned table and they immediately brought over the OJ and champagne (they refilled our glasses frequently during the 2 hour cruise). 

I downloaded apps on our phones to allow us to hear the narrative on earphones as we cruised the river. It took several steps to get it going but it was worth it! We learned about the many residences on the river. This one was on old power plant that was converted to a mansion!

We also saw and listened to audio on 10 of the 12 bridges running across the river.

It was a fun, relaxing trip. We left the ship and made the drive back home. We rested for a couple of hours before it was time for Cat to head off to her new round dance class. She was joining Judy for Waltz lessons. For those new to round dancing, they have different types of moves – waltz is just one of the phases. I hung around the house until it was time for me to leave. I was early for the new plus class starting tonight. I would go to angel Lynn, who is interested in learning the next square dance level. I was able to watch Cat and all the other new dancers out there learning the steps. They all seemed to be having a good time and Cat said later that she liked the instructor and was learning from her. After their lessons ended, Charlotte set up and we got started and Lynn and I went out for her first lesson. There are 30 calls on the square dance plus list. I don’t know exactly how many weeks we will be there, but Charlotte taught 8 calls tonight!  I know that Lynn will be going home and finding those calls on video to help her get them down. After the class ended, Judy and Lynn went off to the pizza parlor and I went home. Both Cat and I were tired from our day!  We hit the spa and then went to bed.        

Monday, February 12^th., 2024…… HAPPY BIRTHDAY to our Great Grandson BRANDYN!  He is ten today! Hope you enjoy your day!  Another busy day for us. I have a dentist appointment this morning and after that, we will drive to the coast for two nights at the 3 Rivers Casino and Hotel. Our friends, Mike and Cheryl are frequent flyers there and have free rooms and asked us if we wanted to go with them. My gambling-addicted wife) just kidding sweetie!) was anxious to go!  It would also be another Valentine’s day getaway. Kennedy is coming over later to stay here and take care of the fur babies. I got back from my appointment a little after 10:00am and shortly after, Mike and Cheryl got here and parked and loaded their luggage in our car. We made the nice relaxing drive down to Eugene and Mike showed me an alternate route to avoid going into the city. It was about 71 miles this way. We got to the casino way too early to check in so we went into the restaurant for lunch. They have excellent clam chowder! After that, we got our player’s cards updated and went to the machines. Now you have to know I am the opposite of Cathye when it comes to gambling. She loves to sit and gamble small amounts on a machine. I won’t even go into her process – but it is what she loves to do. I am the opposite. I can sit and gamble but I want to put in larger amounts and win something worth my time. I just can’t sit there for hours like she can. So, having a room is perfect for both of us!  Mike and Cheryl are like us. Mike gambles a bit, then goes back to their room to rest and Cheryl stays on the machines. Later in the day, we got checked in and she headed back down. After that, we all got together for dinner in the casino. After our meal, they all heard the machines calling them and headed off for more hours of gambling. I went back to the room and was in for the evening.        

Tuesday, February 13^th., 2024…… We got up early and went to breakfast by ourselves. Mike and Cheryl slept in and went down and got donuts. We met up with their friends, Jim and Bev. Turns out Penny also knows them - from her swimming sessions. Small world. We met up with them at Moe’s for lunch and then went to walk on the beach. 

The weather was wonderful!  The sun was shining and it was nice and warm. Cat took off her shoes and waded into the ocean but quickly came out saying, “it is freezing!”  We got back to the hotel and went back in to play the slots for a bit. We weren’t hungry so we waited until later to go eat pizza. After that, we all went to the kiosk where they told me about the slots called Deal or No Deal. I watched for a while and it was just like the game. You have to spin the wheels and hit ‘Deal” to show the next level. Depending on your wager, the prizes on the board go up incrementally. Cathye got to the board and the largest prize was $60.00. You have to choose your briefcase and then 6 more. Then the bank offers you a deal based on the amounts left. You want to eliminate the little ones and then you get a bigger offer. Cathye took the deal and got $40.00. I started playing the machine next to hers. She hit it again and won another $40.00. I finally hit it and kept saying no deal and only got out $25.00. There was a lady on the other machine in that kiosk that was betting $3.00 a bet and her jackpot was $2100.00. She quit and took the deal and won $451.00. Not too bad. But I was done and went back to the room and rested and watched tv.   

Wednesday, February 14^th., 2024…… HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!!  We were up and out of the room before 10:00am and the plan was to eat breakfast with the others 

and then head home. We met up with everyone and had a nice meal. It was hard but Cat (and Cheryl) walked by the machines and we checked out and headed home. We drove north up the coast on Highway 101 all the way to Newport before turning east to head home. It is 120 miles this way but we got to see some nice scenery driving up the coast. We stopped by a Dairy Queen and had a snack and got home around 2:30pm. It was a fun weekend. Neither of us won. Cheryl said she was about even. Both Jim and Bev said they weren’t really gamblers and only played a little while they were there. Mike was losing until he turned into the big winner when he hit a slot yesterday evening for $997.00!  Not a bad payout! They headed off to pick up their grandkids from school before heading back to their home. A fun outing! We unpacked and relaxed for the rest of the day and caught up on some of our taped shows before hitting the spa and then calling it a night.  

Thursday, February 15^th., 2024…… Back to reality - and the rains! We went out and walked the girls anyway. After we fed them, we headed off to the gym. We went to Kristi’s for our usual breakfast and then came back home. An hour later, Cat left to drop the dogs off at the groomer. Then it was my turn to leave. We had massage appointments today and I went first. Cathye picked up the dogs and then went later. When she was done, she went next door and picked up teriyaki for dinner. We relaxed and enjoyed the evening and watched tv until spa and bed.   

Friday, February 16^th., 2024……  The rains let up this morning. That was good because I had to be out on the road by 6:30am!  Today was my appointment to have the satellite dish on the motorhome worked on. I got coffee and headed out and moved the coach out of the garage. I had some issues with the steps not closing but that’s a job for another day. I got going and made the 40 mile drive down to Bish’s RV in Junction City. Meanwhile, Cat walked and fed the dogs. She would be on the road after that, heading down to meet up with me. I checked in and was only in the waiting room for 2-3 minutes before she showed up. She was able to take the shortest road to Bish’s where I took I5 to stay on the highways when I could. We left there and drove 5 minutes to Prairie Schooner in Eugene for breakfast. We had a nice relaxing meal and still hadn’t heard back from them so we went over to St. Vincent Thrift store to kill some time. Cat dropped me off and went home and I went back to the waiting room. A few minutes later, they came out and said that my $300.00 part wasn’t needed!  They were still going to analyze some more and they would try a few other things. When she came back out later, they told me it was an lnb receiver!  They had a used one and it tested ok and they installed it with my permission.  I was back in business! Of course I now have an elevator motor that I don’t need. Maybe I can list it on eBay or find a friend who wants to buy it. I got back home and parked the coach and we relaxed for the day.      

Saturday, February 17^th., 2024…… We slept in a bit this morning. Once we walked and fed the dogs we headed out. The plan today was to stop and get coffee and breakfast then drive over to the Willamette River in Corvallis. Today was The Polar Plunge, a fund raiser for Special Olympics. We got there and parked and were shocked that they had such a large crowd!  We ended up in the muddy gravel field and were lucky to find a place. They really did this up right. They had several sponsor tents with giveaways and items for sale for the cause. They had 20+ teams that ranged from 3 to 25 teammates. They lined up by team numbers and went in. They had a special area cordoned off and had three divers in the water to assist and make sure no one went into the crazy river current just beyond the swim area. They also had two rescue boats holding position on the river while all of this was going on. I think they said the water temp today was 45°! As the participants made their way into the icy water, we could tell it was a shock. Most all made it all the way in but some backed away really quickly.

We were all shocked to see this 82-year-old guy out there to brave the cold! 

He got in with some assistance and even dunked into the water with his face! They say he does this every year. The teams kept it coming and we waited until the friend we sponsored, Becky, got in and out of the river…

She does it every year and we were glad to pledge to her and donate to help out the cause.

Once we got back home, we had time to relax for the afternoon. Later, we would have a light dinner and then head off to our Club’s dance. We got there early and set up the chairs and tables. This was our first regular Club dance, so we didn’t know how well attended it would be. We only had three squares but Charlotte called a fun dance!  My longtime SoCal friend and caller Rob Grigsby and his girlfriend Judy came to dance. Judy’s mom is ill and they have been spending time with her and her dad. We got an update – not good, she was put into hospice today – but wanted them to have a night to get away from that for a bit. Charlotte knew he was a caller when he was at our anniversary dance last week and asked him to call a tip. He did a great job and the folks were enjoying his choreography. At the end of the night Charlotte called a plus tip and I got to dance with him and Judy. It was the most fun!  After the dance, we helped clean up then went home to let the dogs out and play with them before heading off to bed.    

Oregon Living 2024 – Blog #6 – A Lot of Breakfasts Out & A Couple More Dances to Attend!

 

Sunday, February 4^th., 2024…… Today would be busy. But we still slept in late this morning. But when we got up, we moved quickly and had the girls walked and fed. I went out and got us coffee and breakfast. Weather is getting colder again. Temps back in the low 50s. I guess the ‘heatwave’ is over!  Cathye put out all of our stuff to wear to the dance later and then headed off to church. I was able to relax and watch a little bit of my races. – Yeah! Nascar is back! I was dressed and ready when she returned. I had her petticoat and the cake she made already in the car and we left. We were needed early to go help set up the hall for our dance. The Club has decorations plus they added many depicting our 75^th. Birthday. We set up the room and we were ready when the crowd showed up. We had 11 squares and they were happy to help us celebrate. My friend Paul and his son-in-law Rob came from Paul and Alice’s home in Dallas OR to visit us. Robbie is a caller and was up visiting from SoCal but didn’t want to make a deal about it. He could have called for us. Here are a few pics…

 

A couple of these show celebrities that were born in 1949 - the year the Club started. I said they need to put MY picture up there because that was the year I was born too! 

Once the dance was over and we got everything cleaned up - thanks to all of the Club members for pitching in to make quick work of that! - then we all headed over to Pizza Hut for dinner. That put us home later than normal to feed the dogs but they were still happy to see us - and eat! We changed and settled in to some tv and then the spa before bed.           

Monday, February 5^th., 2024…… Today we were treated to more rain. The forecast shows rainy days through the week. Makes us glad we got the potting shed roof fixed already! We walked the girls anyway, then fed them and headed off for our morning. We needed to stop at Walgreens for some meds for Jamie, and to get cash for breakfast at Kevin’s. We hit the gym then went to eat. We stopped at Jamie’s on the way back. We also picked up Lona as well. They dropped me off and then went on together to Sweet Home for the dog groomer and some shopping and just some time together. Meanwhile, I worked on last week’s blog and got that posted. After that, I was ready to relax and got some more of my races caught up. Cat came home a while later with teriyaki for lunch. Yummy! Since the weather is pretty dreary out there, we are both in for the day. Dinner later and then tv.   

Tuesday, February 6^th., 2024…… This morning we braved a few sprinkles and took the dogs out for their walk. We fed them then headed off for our morning. We didn’t have anything to do this morning so we drove up to Sweet Home to go to The Point for breakfast. On the way home, I drove us past Camp Koinonia where we are camping in April. I had never been but Cathye was familiar with the place. We drove around and looked at the main building…

and the parking and the rest of the facilities. I think we can fit our motorhome in there although we won’t have much in the way of electricity. The Club goes there each year and they say it is a fun weekend so we’ll go and try to squeeze in! . The weather was pretty nice by the time we were out driving and the day was pleasant. Foster Lake is clearing up. They have been draining it and Green Peter Lake for the past 5 months or so and the water was muddy to say the best!  It’s getting better but still pretty low and icky. When we got home we did some laundry and hung around the house until it was time to go to our square dance workshop. I stopped by the sleep clinic and picked up my mouthpiece and a home sleep apnea testing kit. Later, dinner and tv until bedtime. I had to ‘condition’ the mouthpiece and then headed off to bed. Later in the night, I woke up and had severe discomfort on my gums. They were rubbing on the plastic and were bleeding. So, I took the unit out and went back to sleep. I didn’t want to do the sleep study until I had the mouthpiece issues resolved. That will happen tomorrow…   

Wednesday, February 7^th., 2024…… Today was Costco day. But before that, we gathered up our four bags of recycle cans and bottles and headed off to turn them in. I think Cat said we got $53.30 for what we had today. After that we went to Roger’s for breakfast. That’s three days in a row we’ve had breakfast out!  Later, after we got back in from the spa, I set up the sleep test equipment. It’s a watch and has attachments for your fingertip and one lead that goes under your sternum. I linked it up on my phone and started it. I decided to sleep in the guest room so the dogs wouldn’t be waking me in the night to go out. It took a while, but I finally drifted off to sleep. I got up at 3:45 to go to the bathroom and Rylee wanted out. I guess I went back to sleep.

Thursday, February 8^th., 2024…… I woke up at 7:00am and shut down the app and sent the data in. I was done! I went back in with Cathye before we both got up and going.  One thing on the calendar today.  Cathye has a wellness telecon with our provider. We got the girls out and walked and fed, then headed off to the gym. We went to Kristi’s after that. We were surprised that it was almost deserted we came in. But folks did come in while we were there and it got busier. After that, we stopped and filled up the Buick then we hit Walmart on the way home. Cathye would be driving the car today and was picking up Lona, Julie, and Nancy. They were heading over to see Robin’s new place in Stayton, then heading to lunch for Robin’s birthday.  I stayed home and worked on my blog. Cat never did hear from the medical office. Maybe she has her days mixed up? She came home with an upset stomach. Probably from some greasy Mexican food where they ate. I had a leftover bbq beef sandwich for a late lunch so I wasn’t hungry so we skipped dinner tonight. Later, we had some grapes and peaches for a snack before going to bed.  

Friday, February 9^th., 2024…… The weather is still gloomy overhead but is starting to clear in the distance where we see blue skies!  The forecast for the weekend is sunny, which we like! We are going to a Plus level dance tonight. Our friend Cheryl has asked me to go dance with her. Her husband has some issues and is not dancing these days and she wants to go. So, I will attempt my first Plus level dance in over 6 years!  I did go on YouTube and watched a couple of the 30 Plus calls that I needed  a refresh of the definitions. Later, Cathye and I left to go met Cheryl and take her to the hall in Albany.  She told us on the way that even though this is an alliance dance (with sponsors from all of the Mid-Willamette Valley clubs), they would be lucky to get 2 squares. Well, it held true tonight!  There were just enough people there for 2 squares. Charlotte was our caller tonight. She knew I was a little nervous, I know – I always tell the new dancers that mistakes are ok and no one will worry about it – well, that doesn’t apply to ME! After the first several plus calls in the first square, I knew it would be ok. I guess muscle memory took over. I did 99% of them with no issues. There were folks in our squares that were unsure and made mistakes that I even helped fix! I was doing ok and we enjoyed the evening. Kaynor, who was in charge of the dance asked Cat to man the table and take money from anyone coming in after the first square started. She only had a few folks come in to fill that 2^nd square and then she was able to visit with the other non-dancers and watch us dance. Plus lessons start Sunday but she doesn’t feel ready yet. I will go and dance with Lynn, who wants to learn Plus. Cathye and Judy plan to go to the Round Dance lessons before our class. I have never had the desire to learn Round Dancing and that hasn’t changed. So, we will start that this weekend. She goes at 5:15 and I start at 6:30. More on that later. We got back home around 11:00am and went to bed.      

Saturday, February 10^th., 2024…… We both slept well last night. Once we woke up, we stayed in bed and talked for an hour before rolling out and getting ready for the day. There was nothing on our agenda for the morning and afternoon. I think the only thing we wanted to do if we went out for any reason was swing by Wilco for more dog food. I worked on the blog and had tv on in the background. For some reason, I chose RFD country channel. They had on a show called Classic Tractor Fever. Today’s show was called ‘Garden Tractors – Built to Work!’  Cat came in and said that the tractor shown in the background was Jim’s!  Whoa, what?  She said they came to Oregon and did a feature with Jim on one of his garden tractors. Well, I hit record and sure enough, later in the show, they did the interview. Cathye said she knew about it and does have it on a vcr but hasn’t seen it for years.  She recorded it on her phone and later posted it on Facebook as a memory.  They are re-running it tomorrow morning and I plan to tape it on a couple other TVs for her to keep. Pretty cool! I did some snapshots from the video....

 

We hung around the house for the most part but did go get the dog food. Nascar starts their season this weekend so I also checked out all of my upcoming recordings to make sure I had the Daytona races all on the schedule. Later, we ate a light dinner and then dressed and headed out. We were going to the Valentine’s Day dance in Salem!  Cathye needs her floor time! The dance was fun. Daryl Clendenin was calling and he is our favorite up here! He called a fun dance and Cathye did great! We got back home and let the dogs outside for a bit and spent some time playing with them before heading off to bed.   

Oregon Living 2024 – Blog #5 – A Birthday, a Family Meal and Another Dance

 

 

Monday, January 29^th., 2024……  HAPPY BIRTHDAY RANDY!  We woke up late this morning. It seems that since it’s dark at 7:00am, we tend to sleep in a lot!  Anyway, we got up and going and had the dogs walked and fed, then took off for our gym workout.  When we returned, Cat left to go over to Judy’s to work on one of her square dance skirts that she bought last weekend. It was one of the vintage items and needed a little help in the waist and she and Judy worked that out. Meanwhile, I called Randy to wish him a happy birthday. He was off work today so we talked a good while and got all caught up. Cathye got back and we worked on getting the ‘snow people’ down from around the house and boxed all of them and put them out with the Christmas stuff.  We got everything together and put back on the shelves and then we rested for the day. We had dinner and watched more mindless tv until bedtime.  While doing that, I had gone onto the Oregon Square dance Facebook page and found this pic. It is all of the kids that have recently graduated from classes around here.

None of our kids from class are in this picture. From what we see, it sure seems like they have a lot of fun!  

Tuesday, January 30^th., 2024…… The task today was to clean up the motorhome. We brought in the three throw rugs and vacuumed them. We are thinking about changing the rug currently in the motorhome living room area and moving the 5 x 7 rug on the back porch into there for more color and a little different look. We will need to wait though until we get a full day of sunshine before we run the carpet cleaner on it and can get it dry.  I got some of the other items straightened up in the coach. I have a few things on my to do list regarding the rv. I want to go down to Bish’s RV in Junction City and check into a new satellite dish and installation of that. Maybe tomorrow or Thursday. I also needed to call again about a mouthpiece for sleeping. I’m doing well but I promised Cathye that I would look into getting that done. It took a long time and after a few transfers, they said they would look into what they had suggested back in April and would call me back. What a messed up system!  We headed off to our senior center for our square dance workshop. Charlotte, our caller announced to the small group there today that she will be retiring after her next class is finished. She has been the Lebanon Square Circlers now for 30 plus years and she says it’s time. She will do the upcoming plus class (which I am going to with Lynn - more on that later) and then will just be a Club member.  

Wednesday, January 31^st., 2024…… The weather this week is what we would call nice. Temps in the 60s and for us that’s good this time of year!  Cathye has been anxious to rearrange the furniture in the living room, and today was the day!  It took a few minutes and some changes as we thought it through - but in the end, we both like it!

After that, we were pretty much done for the day. Dinner, tv, and spa and then bedtime.

Thursday, February 1^st., 2024…… This morning was another gym day. After walking the dogs, talking to the neighbors, and feeding the girls, we left for our workouts. After that, we stopped at Kristi’s for our usual breakfast. Then, after we got home and threw a load of laundry in, we took off for the afternoon. We drove down to Junction City to Bish’s RV Center. I talked to Deane at the parts desk about my satellite dish. When I asked her if I could just order a specific part for it, she called Winegard and they told her yes! It would be a week to receive. I said yes – order it!  I had been told that Winegard was no longer selling parts for the older dishes (I bought mine in 2012) and that I would need to replace the whole system. Current price is $2349.00, plus $500.00 for installation. With shipping, this part cost me $324.29. I would need to go to the service department and schedule an install. They said they could indeed install it and I made an appointment for next week. They get close to $200.00 an hour for labor but still, I am way ahead from having to buy and install a new dish!  Yaay! We left there and stopped at Dixie Creek Saloon in Tangent. Cathye had never been and I always have had a good meal when there. We both ordered burgers and fries but could only eat half. So we now have dinner figured out! Once we got back and let the girls out and got them fed, we relaxed. Neither of us was hungry until later when we heated up our leftovers. More tv and spa and bed.    

Friday, February 2^nd., 2024……  Slept in yet again! We got up and going and walked and fed the dogs then went out to work in the yard. I needed to do some r&r on the potting shed glass roof panels. They were installed when the house was new and are showing their age. Walt used 5 double pane windows, minus the frames. He laid them in and boarded over at the rafters, creating a hothouse type effect. It works well but over the years, the windows have lost their insulation and also began to slide out of their tracks. One window had slid down over 6 inches and that area was open to the weather!  Cathye asked me to look into fixing it. Cathye won’t let me on the roof so I made a plan and got material cut. I staged three ladders and went up on them to the point where I could remove all of the fasteners and screws that I could reach.  Corey and family were coming today. Corey is working for us and Vikki is bringing dinner to make here for everyone. The kids will hang around and use the spa.

I will use Corey to do the part from the roof. He got here with the family and we got started. It went amazingly quickly. Brandyn helped with debris on the ground and we managed to get the glass back in their tracks with no issues. Of course we were very careful because I didn’t want any breakage. Cathye came out and took a pic while we were working...

and one after the job was done....

 

Once that was done we cleaned up and he did some other chores for his grandma while I came in to watch tv and play with the great grandkids before dinner. Vikki was hard at work in the kitchen..

Corey’s friend Jacob and his family came over and ate with us. It was good to visit with them again and the meal was fantastic!

We had told them we needed to do all of this early because we had promised one of our Club members that we would go help them support a club over in Albany who is hosting a dance tonight. That club is hurting for attendees and we previously committed to that. The kids left and we changed and headed out. We timed it to be there for the beginning and we made it! The dance was fun!  Cathye is getting more comfortable with the calls and the speed now. She gets better and better each time out. They only had three squares but the hall is pretty small. She took one shot as we were getting in a square.

After the dance, we headed home and went straight to bed after a long busy day!     

Saturday, January 3^rd., 2024…… Our dance weekend continues. Tonight, we are driving up to Salem to another dance. But that’s pretty much all we have on this lazy Saturday. We cleaned up a bit from the chaos with the group from yesterday and then rested for the day. We were ready for the dance tonight since Daryl would be calling. Both Judy and Lynn passed on this one because we have our 75^th Anniversary dance going on Sunday afternoon. Of course we will be there as well!

Ok, it’s later now….  Like I said before – we had a very lazy day. So much that Cathye took a nap and I may have dozed off too!  Anyway, we both got even lazier and decided not to drive to Salem and back for the dance! I fed the dogs then went out and got Carl’s Jr while Cathye got started on the cake she volunteered to bake for the anniversary dance tomorrow. After all of that, we settled in and watched a few of our own taped shows then got together and watched some more. Spa and bed.