Tuesday, April 24, 2018

Snippet of 4/19/18

Kin and Kin on this April 24, 2018,

Summer in the desert has been elusive this year with the temps yo-yoing between the 70s and the 90s and windstorms seemingly every other day.  Today the Weather Wonks predict our first triple digit day!!!!  The one we've been awaiting.

The Snowbirds have been flocking on their northward journey right into stormy conditions.  Ha!  That will teach them to stop the nomadic life and settle down here in our wonderful desert.

We've been on borrowed time with our heat pump.  In these torrid conditions, a life span for A/C is about 15 years and ours is 20.  So, before it goes down, we called Samons A/C and ordered a new 4-ton heat pump.  We didn't want to wait until it quit completely in the middle of a 120° week and then be put on a waiting list.

$6,000 in case you're curious.  Ouch; the price of living in the warm desert.

Last week we had lunch at Jersey's Grill.  Excellent food downtown.  We'd never tried it before.  Pretty funky place for olpharts, but as MacArthur said, "I shall return."  Well, WE shall return.

Last week we stopped by London Bridge Arms and picked up two extra magazines for my Sig P238WTP carry gun.  Now, I can get into a prolonged gun fight when really, only one round is needed right 'twixt the eyes of a raghead or bad guy.

I spent most of one morning making another pound of hamburger meatballs.  We're feeding two roadrunners that are nesting somewhere down in Whaler Wash.  We soon shall have babies, we're sure.  Hardee gives me coos as I put meatballs in his dish between my feet while Babe, the quiet one, prefers to eat out of my hand while standing on the patio wall.  How much fun can you have???

Then on Friday we left for Tucson.  Quick trip, down and back on Sunday.  A project of Tucson's University HS was a veterans heritage book presentation and signing.  Inasmuch as the book led off with a brief of my WW2 service, we just had to go to honor the kids and their project.  Thanks to Vivien and Henry for suggesting to Matthew that he pen the brief of yours truly.  Martina and Ken treated us to a Mexican dinner after the book signing.  A great family including Ken's dad, Dave.

Yes, Marlene drove and we did stop a couple of times for her to get out and walk a bit.

Traffic was safe and sane until the home stretch on AZ-72 from Vicksburg to Parker.  Marlene was holding the speed about 73 mph along that 55 mph speed limit two-lane road.  At various times we were passed by black pickups and black cars, 2 of each, doing close to or above 100 mph!  They weren't together, but four separate incidents.  You must understand that the road is rough with dips and Marlene's 73 was pushing it.  Wow!  Idiots are still among us and eastbound traffic returning from the river was heavy.  Methinks the drug alcohol might have been fueling the drivers.

Babe was waiting for us, begging for meatballs and eating both from mine and Marlene's hands.  No sign of Hardee.

Yes, yes, the 600 mile round trip was hard on both of us.  We learned a couple of years ago that about 350 miles a day is her limit.  300 miles on Friday, 300 miles on Sunday with a hectic Saturday just about enough for a weekend.  We crashed on Monday, lazing around the house -- except Marlene's new laptop needed to be tweaked at the Whiz Kidz shop.

Nothing planned until son Jeff's proposed brief visit from Tennessee on May 19 & 20.

Then comes our trip to Portland and the PT658 at Fleet Week the first week in June with son Mike doing the driving.

All is well in the desert.

Jack&Marlene







1 comment:

  1. You are doing a great job on this blogging machine! Love to hear all the updates. Hope others will start making comments here to share the love! Marquita

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