Oregon Living 2024 – Blog #15 – The Rest of the Trip & a Dance Weekend

 

  

 

Sunday, April 7^th., 2024…… First up, here’s more pics from last night’s dances…

I was awake early but after letting the dogs out, I went back to bed for a while. I texted Cathye to see if she was up. She was so I called her and we talked a bit about our dances last night.  After that, I was up and going. I walked and fed the girls then ate breakfast here at home. It was pretty much tv and rest for the day. I talked with Cat for a while later on. She shared her day. She used Mary’s jeep and drove to Glendale to Chris and Angie’s for the day (and night). They all went out to their local pizza parlor. It was an ‘un-birthday’ gift of food and games from us for all of the kids, grandkids and great grandkids in AZ. She said all had a great time.

They went back to Chris and Angie’s for the rest of the day to play some more with the littles.

They wore her out so she said she would be turning in early there tonight. As for me, I headed off later to the plus class and helped out there. Went to pizza after with the group. When I got back, I hit the spa and then hit the bed.                                      

Monday, April 8^th., 2024…… For me: up and going with the dogs and then the gym. I decided to go it alone for breakfast at Kevin’s. After, I went to Walmart and got a few more things for meals. I will be making Lydia’s spiral noodle casserole for tonight.

For Cat:  she said she slept in – as much as she could - until the great grandkids were up and going to get ready for school today. She said her goodbyes and a little later headed out for the 2-hr drive back to Tucson. She relaxed for the day. She liked Jim’s massage chair and made herself at home in it!

For me: the rest of the day was pretty quiet for me. Cat said her day was quiet too. Just visiting and playing with the kitties.  Penny came by and we talked about her recent Vegas trip with Jody. They had a fun time together and got caught up. She is going back again in three weeks to get together with her girlfriends for a mini reunion. Cat called later and we talked about her flight home tomorrow. She leaves Tucson at 7:00am and gets back to Eugene (via Seattle again) at 1:40pm. 

Tuesday, April 9^th., 2024……  She comes back today!  Yaay! I was up early and got the girls walked and fed before I left to go out to get breakfast and coffee. When I got back and ate, I hung around the house (and cleaned up of course!) before driving down to pick her up. I left early so I could go spend some time walking around Jerry’s, the big home improvement store in Eugene. I timed it so I wouldn’t be in the waiting lot too long.  Eugene has a really nice cell waiting lot and I got parked and waited. She had checked bags so it would be a few minutes before she texted that she was at the curb. We got everything loaded and drove back home. Once we got back and she got unpacked and I got the laundry started, we both lounged around for the rest of the day. We would have my spiral casserole for dinner and rest and catch up on tv and hit the spa before an early bedtime. She had a long day!   

Wednesday, April 10^th., 2024…… We slept in a little later this morning, but when we got going, we had the dogs walked and fed in short order. We made coffee and then drove in to town to get our haircuts. After that, we stopped at Sheri’s for breakfast. Later in the day, we drove over to the bank in Albany and she did some banking for Jamie. Pretty much that was it for the day. After we fed the dogs, I worked in my office on this blog for a bit, then went into the living room where we watched more of our taped programs. We didn’t make a dent – we are so far behind! Spa and then bed.   

Thursday, April 11^th., 2024…… The weather here is amazing!  Temps in the mid-60s and it is supposed to get into the 70s toward the end of the week! The seed grass fields all around here are as green as they can be!  I took some pics from different fields around here. You can see the different types of grass...

 

This afternoon we go in for our massages. But we will still get our Thursday morning routine done – walk and feed the dogs, gym, and breakfast at Kristi’s.   

Friday, April 12^th., 2024…… We slept in late this morning then got up and going. It rained last night but today was ok so far. Forecast is for cloudy skies with some sun coming out later. We got the dogs walked and fed and then Cat made us breakfast burritos. Then we began our day. I am re-coating our wooden name plaque

and have the first coat on so I need it to warm up a bit so it will dry and I can sand between coats. The plan today, aside from the plaque is for me to work on a busted sprinkler spigot and then fill the spa. Cathye is taking Jamie to lunch today. Jamie has requested a new payee for his money, removing Cat from that job. His bills get paid by a new payee sponsor and his weekly cash is distributed to him through them. So, Cat is checking on him to make sure that is going ok.  After that, she headed over to Walmart to pick up stuff for our breakfast for the camp next weekend. She is making 5-6 breakfast casseroles. She decided to make two with bacon, two with sausage, one with veggies, and one with ham. She wants to make one tomorrow to check the recipe and see if it needs any adjustments.  Later, after a light dinner, we headed off to pick up Lynn and then on to the Albany Alliance Plus level dance. Cat is going to kick back and visit with friends while Lynn practices her newly learned level. It went well and she said she felt ok for the most part but more floor time will help with that. That was dance no. 1 for me (more to follow). We got back home late so we skipped the spa and headed off to bed.

Saturday, April 13^th., 2024…… We slept in again this morning. When we walked the dogs it was wet out but no rain. Breakfast for all then she went to work on the casserole. We sampled that as a lunch. It was tasty and a keeper!  The rains hit again off and off, for most of the day so we held back on any outside projects. I was able to get the plaque sanded and another coat applied. Later, we went off to the dance in Corvallis. The Club there decided to try having a plant sale before and during the dance. Cathye was VERY excited so we had to be there early to check things out. Needless to say I came out to the car with two boxes filled with plants! The dance was fun but we left one tip early to get home to the girls and to bed. Another late night.    

 

Oregon Living 2024 – Blog #14 – Mowing Anyway & Dancing in Two States in One Day!

 

Monday, April 1^st., 2024…… When we woke up the weather was just ok. No rain but no sun either. BUT – the sun came out after we walked and fed the dogs and left for the gym and breakfast. It was forecast to hit 72° here later, so when we got home, we rested for a bit then I went in and got Cathye off the couch and said I think we should mow today. I thought about tomorrow. Cathye has a nail appointment and we go to our class so we I thought we could just mow today and get it done. Turned out to be a bad decision!  Cat did fine with her tractor on her part of the lawn, but I have the lower, more muddy areas to navigate with my zero turn.  I managed to skirt most of the soft spots around the ditch and around the back of the shop garage – but I got stuck going too close to the area directly across from the pond next door and I got stuck!  We had to both stop and I got my truck out and hooked up a tow strap and we got it out with no issues.  I was on my way again.  Cat was working on the main lawn and I moved on to the blueberry trees and grapevines, then did the area by Rylee’s pool, just over her drag strip. Turns out the water hadn’t drained there yet and when I tried to cross over it, I bogged in it. This time Cat got her truck and maneuvered it so we could pull the mower out. This was harder than we thought but, with her 4-wheel drive, we managed to finally get it out. On inspection, we found we made some serious divots in the grass out there. You can even see them from the porch!

I will have to wait until it dries out some and then go back and fill in and level the bad spots. We got everything put away and went in to rest for the day. Oh well, at least we were done now! Later, we ate leftovers and watched tv until spa and bed.   

Tuesday, April 2^nd., 2024…… Another great Oregon day!  Temps today will hit 70°.  After we got up and going and walked and fed the dogs and ate our breakfast, Cathye took off to make her mani/pedi appointment. Turns out she would be cutting it close so I met up with her at the senior center for our workshop. After that, we came back home and she put together her yummy chicken pot pie. We will eat that tonight and I will have leftovers for a few days when she is in AZ. Cathye did some laundry and got some last minute items packed for her trip. I think she is ready! Later, after dinner and a short walk with the pups, we settled in and watched tv and went to bed early because we will have an early wake-up call tomorrow morning!

Wednesday, April 3^rd., 2024…… My phone chimed out at us at 3:00am! I had the coffee going and ready when we were dressed and ready to walk out the door shortly after that. Her flight is at 5:00am out of Eugene so it was no problem driving down there to drop her off. She got checked in with time to spare and I left to come back and feed the dogs. Oh yeah, it’s raining again! Her flight took her to Seattle where she had a 4 ½ hour layover! On this day, there were no better flights either from Eugene or from Portland, so she chose this one. I stopped and got myself some breakfast on the way home and settled in for a few hours since it was still 0-dark-30! She called me once she got to Seattle and was waiting in the boarding area. They wouldn’t even put her flight up on the screen for another 2 hours! Later, when I was out working in my shop on the shelving that was delivered earlier this morning, she called and said she was in the car with her sister and on the way home. Jim and Mary live in Tucson but they will be going to Benson tonight to stay in Mary’s mobile home there. Their Uncle Paul and Aunt Dolly and cousin Nancie also live in the park. She sent me a pic from dinner. 

I chose to go to our monthly Club meeting, which was tonight. I needed to get a head count for our upcoming camp out at Camp Koinonia because we are cooking breakfast on Saturday morning.  We also are going to be working on our Club’s float, which will be in the Strawberry Festival parade this year, so they are starting planning on that. I’ve never seen it, but  I’m told that the Club has a large flatbed trailer that they set up as a stage to dance on as the parade makes its way through Lebanon. 

                                           not our club but very similar to our trailer
 

I managed to get out of there without saying too much, nor volunteered for anything! Yeah – don’t even go there!

I spoke with Cat later in the evening when she was ready for bed. We were both tired from the long day so it was a short call and we said our goodnights.  I skipped the spa tonight.  Rylee and Jama walked around the house a few times before bed and then gave up and joined me. They miss their Grammy!    

Thursday, April 4^th., 2024…… I told Cat that Rylee would be quick to take her spot on the bed. I wasn’t kidding!

They both looked relaxed, but they were both up with me and ready to go today! I walked them and then fed them and then headed out to the gym. I stopped and picked up breakfast and coffee this morning so I don’t have to cook anything at home! Rains would be off and on today. I am waiting for several things to be delivered this week. Today, I got the replacement parts for my bbq. I have a Jenn-Air grill and have had it since Long Beach. The burners and grill were starting to show their age so I was able to get a kit from Amazon and it came today. I cleaned out everything and replaced the parts and tested them out. So much better!  Tonight was chicken pot pie leftovers and a quiet relaxing evening with tv, spa and then bed. Cathye called tonight and we shared our day. I’m glad she is having fun with the family! Here are some pics she sent...

Friday, April 5^th., 2024…… I don’t think I drove anywhere today. After walking the girls, I fed them and made myself some coffee and breakfast. After that, I went out and worked on the shelves in the shop and got them done.

Now I have room for a bigger tv!  I talked with Cat this morning. She is at Jim and Mary’s home alone because they are at work today. So, she called me and I put Frances in touch with her to arrange a quick lunch break for Frances and Cathye. She called later to tell me they had a nice visit. Frances and the kids will be coming here in July and Kyle is so excited to take his kids on a trip!  I had come in earlier and had a nice lunch so I would wait until later to fix a smaller plate of chicken pie for dinner. Cat called and we shared our day. She said she went to Jim’s gig with his band at the local American Legion (or something – I’m not sure). She came home early and relaxed.          

Saturday, April 6^th., 2024…… I was up and out early this morning. I had the girls walked and fed and went to Mickey D’s for breakfast and Starbucks for coffee and then came back to the house. I vacuumed the house and then relaxed and watched some tv. I have been on  Amazon and eBay the last couple of days. I have several orders in -  a new LNB and some new cable for our remote satellite dish, a VHS tape rewinder (found I had sold ours at the last yard sale and the old VHS player we have doesn’t rewind!), and also another three lots of Nascar models are coming too. I think my shelves will be filled when I get all of these orders! 

I also got my clothes out for later. Tonight is our ‘Hippie Dance’. I ordered a few things and I have everything ready. Pics later.  Tonight is also Cat’s dance in Arizona. Mary had found a local dance tonight. She said they have four local clubs that are putting it on. They will go and check it out. This will be her first dance without me! But if they call SSD or Mainstream, she’ll be fine.

Ok, it’s later now… Cat called me from the American Legion Hall, where they went early for dinner. She said if you bought the $5.00 pulled pork entrée, you got in free for the dance. Pretty good deal!  They dance early in AZ so she got started way before me and sent me some pics…

She said it was really fun but different without me with her. She said she went home early because she was tired.

The Hippie dance went very well. Here are pics from that.

I won best costume!  I even had hippie pants and wore my sandals for the complete look. There were pics taken but I don't have them yet. I wore the blond wig most of the night and then switched to the hair hat later to cool down.  After the last (plus) tip, I helped clean up and then made my way back home. After playing with the dogs a bit outside, I ended up getting in to bed at 11:02pm. So Cat and I won’t talk until morning.

Oregon Living 2024 – Blog #13 – Better Weather for Spring & Family Time for Easter!

                                    

Sunday, March 24^th., 2024…… The weather is off and on. We see bright blue skies and then it clouds up and rains. Welcome to Oregon!  But lucky for us, the major storm in the immediate forecast will hit way north of us. Cathye had no rain when she went off to church. We just got some showers later in the day when we headed over to the class in Sweet Home. It was nice and probably around 65° when I left later to help Lynn at the class in Lebanon. After that, I came back home and we went out to the spa before bed. Oh, yeah, it really starting raining when we were outside!  Temps in the 40s so we hurry in and out!      

Monday, March 25^th., 2024…… Today was another gym day. After that, we drove over to Albany to Elmer’s for breakfast. I needed to check to see if Lowes carried cube shelving. They don’t. We stopped by the spa supply store and got a few things and then came back home and rested from the morning. Not much else happening today. Rains came in again later. Today was reservation day for me.  We were able to call the campground in Grants Pass and got reservations for Memorial Day there. The local club hosts a weekend dance and David and Dawn are featured caller and cuer 

so we decided to go down and see them and let Cat meet them.   

Tuesday, March 26^th., 2024…… Just a few sprinkles this morning when we walked the fur babies. We were headed out and since Adam was coming today, Cathye prepared an envelope for him with instructions and his payment. But he was still here when we returned so she could go over some things. He will be spraying again and, since he’s not licensed in Oregon for pesticides, we have to supply everything. So Cat showed him where it all was stored. 

Just our workshop this afternoon. We had enough for two squares. Since the lessons are over, Charlotte will work on any calls the folks have issues with and need more practice.

We got home from that and spent some time on our phones. We have been spending time looking online at the available excursions for our cruise. We know – it’s not until next year – but the tours fill up fast. We learned that when we booked tours on our Alaska cruise. We do have a travel agent but we will need to book any of the port excursions ourselves.  David and Dawn have listed the ones they are interested in but we will choose what we want.  We headed out for the class then stopped by Walmart on the way home. Dinner, tv, spa and bed later.

Wednesday, March 27^th., 2024…… We slept in a bit so we had the girls up and out and fed later this morning. We decided to go out and walk around the Main St. shops. Kristi’s is right there, so we went in for lunch. Since we are regulars for breakfast, they were surprised to see us!  On the way home, we stopped by the local thrift store to see if they had any cabinets or shelving units for my shop project.  Nope. When we got back home, I went on Amazon and looked around. I think I have found what I want but we will go to Habitat for Humanity tomorrow to see what they had.  We headed home after that.  We have a lot of taped programs on the main tv box, so, later, Cathye made a quick meal and we chose a couple and settled in to get caught up. Spa and then bed.

Thursday, March 28^th., 2024…… Dogs, gym, and breakfast this morning. It’s Easter break so we expected Kristi’s to be as busy this morning as it was yesterday. But I guess the kids sleep later these days because it was pretty empty. Penny was driving by and saw the truck parked outside the restaurant, so she stopped in to visit for a while and gave us an update on her next trip.  After breakfast, we drove over to Albany to Habitat for Humanity. I found some cabinets that I could cut down but it was sprinkling off and on and I didn’t want to go to the trouble of tarping it. It can wait and I can go back another time. When we got back home, I worked on the blog and Cat settled in and relaxed for the afternoon. Later, after feeding the dogs, we went to Barsidious Brewing to meet up with Ron and Teri for dinner and drinks. We haven’t seen them in a while and it was nice to get caught up.

Friday, March 29^th., 2024…… We were up and going early this morning. We had the dogs walked and fed, then ate breakfast before starting to clean the house. Today was a hot mop on the hardwood floors. I vacuumed and then got the Shark steamer out for that task. Meanwhile, Cat dusted and cleaned the bathrooms. I think we are ready for Easter! The plan is to have Cherrelyn, Lona, Corey and family, and Crystal and her dad over for dinner. Penny will be leaving Easter Sunday to go meet up with Jody in Las Vegas for the week.  

Saturday, March 30^th., 2024…… Today we worked a bit outside. Even though we have had great weather the last few days, we still have some soggy areas out there so we won’t mow for Easter. You will see the long grass in any pics we take on Sunday because we hope to be out on the patio. So, that said, we spent today working on getting all of the covers off the fire pit and the furniture as well as getting all of the cushions out and put back where they go. Jama couldn’t wait until we had the cushions out!...

Rylee was content to relax on the rug.

After that, we rested for a bit. I went in the kitchen and started making ‘death by chocolate’ for tomorrow. After that, we ate a light dinner and watched tv.  Later, we changed and drove up to Salem for a square dance. Even with the upcoming holiday, it turned out to be well attended. We did leave early because we were both pretty tired and we had a long day tomorrow!

Sunday, March 31^st., 2024…… HAPPY EASTER!!  We were up early again this morning. The weather is cloudy but the sun is starting to peek out from behind the clouds and there is no rain coming today. Yaay!  We walked and fed the girls, then changed and headed off to church. They always do a breakfast on Easter morning and we left early to go help. They have a great crew and everything was pretty much already done when we got there. The family who owns the Thriftway Supermarket in Sweet Home are church members and every year they donate all of the food for the breakfast. The church has a large trailerable griddle and Bill and Sylvia bring their rv and stay the day before so they can get everything going early enough for the 8:30am breakfast. We had bacon and scrambled eggs, salsa, pancakes, and orange juice and coffee. They cooked plenty of food and it was enjoyed by all!  We asked Nancy to join us later today for dinner since she didn’t have family in town this week. We found out Lona wasn’t feeling well. During prayers, Pastor Ted announced that, “she was a little dizzy right now - more so than usual!” So, she won’t be joining us for dinner later.  After service, we came straight home and got the pork loin in the oven. I am barbequing them today but I always like to pre-cook them in the oven so all I have to do is add the bbq sauce and heat them up on the grill. Pretty easy! I had the grill hot and ready when the last of the guests showed up. We gave Brandyn and Baylee their Easter gifts and candy bags. Nancy brought over some eggs which she hid for the kids to find….

We all had drinks while the food was on the grill. Once the pork was done, we all fixed our plates and enjoyed the meal. Cathye made macaroni salad and baked beans.  After dinner, we all enjoyed giant helpings of dessert!  

We sat around and visited while the kids played. We all played games with the kids and I helped Baylee with her 3d puzzle. Cathye had tossed wrapped candy out in the now pretty high grass so the kids had to go searching….

 

 Here are the rest of the pics from today…

 

After everyone left, we cleaned up and rested for the evening. Tv and spa and an early bedtime! A really fun weekend!