Saturday, December 15, 2012

Dec 11th to 14th - Mesa

Dec 11th – Tues
I went shopping with Trish so Moe & Terry took the opportunity to go for a late breakfast at the Wild Berry.  Trish had a pair of shoes that she ordered to return and the store was at the Scottsdale Fashion Center.  It is a very large, upscale shopping center and we enjoyed wandering through several stores and having lunch.  On the way back, we stopped at a WalMart to get a printer for Trish.
When we got back, Terry & Moe were at the courtyard listening to North Star so I went to join them and Trish got ambitious and did laundry.  I made an easy dinner with the taco meat that I put in the freezer yesterday when we went out for lunch instead.
We went to line dance lessons at 7 and did the 3 dances that we learned last week and then had enough time to start on a new dance.  Terry had a difficult time with the quick turns on the last dance so we will have to practice.

Dec 12th – Wed
I made a couple of different mustard sauces to take to dinner tomorrow and decided that I did not like the dry mustard that I got at a swap meet in Texas so we headed out to find something different.  We spoke with Moe as we were getting in the truck and he said that the new printer did not have a power cord even though it didn’t look as if the box had been opened.  We decided to have a look and as we were pulling the printer out of the box it was upside down and Moe spotted a piece of cardboard that he had not seen before.  It turned out to be a box inside where the ink cartridges are to be installed and it contained the cables.  So we helped them set up the printer as it can be used wirelessly and requires a bit more setup.  It is a very nice HP machine that prints, copies, scans & faxes for $69.
We continued on our shopping trip, had a quick burger first and found the few items we were looking for.  We didn’t have too long before we made a drink and went to the courtyard.  We thought a guy named Mo was to sing but he was sick and was replaced by a couple who also entertain on cruise ships and were nice to listen to.
After dinner, Trish asked us to join them on a bike ride to see Christmas lights in our park.  We had to stop and put air in Moe’s tire this time and then Terry & Moe headed back when his tire lost air right away.  Trish & I continued around the rest of the park and I took pictures of some of the larger displays.  There are a lot of really nice decorations.

Dec 13th – Thurs
I made another sauce with the different ground mustard and was happier with the taste.   I walked to the post office looking for yesterday’s ads but a lady took the last one just as I arrived so I got a gallon of water which was my other errand in that area.  Next I walked to Albertsons for butter so I could make shortbread cookies which I did when I got back.  In the meantime, Terry was cussing at his favorite computer game after putting up the awning in anticipation of wind tonight.
I made a late breakfast and then baked my cookies.  Terry took Moe and his bike to a bicycle shop to get both his tires fixed.  Moe rode across a gravel lot last night before we went to see the lights and that is a no-no around here as there are wicked little thorns hiding in dirt & gravel.
At 3:00 we went to Ernie & Dianne’s for dinner and a gift exchange.  Also there were Dennis & Gloria, Moe & Trish, Garry & Steph, Lawrence and Sandi and Dave & Sandi.  After a great dinner made by Dianne, we had a “Chinese” gift exchange where you can steal gifts that have already been opened.  The gift that Terry bought - a battery operated wine bottle opener - was the most desired gift.  I was the next to last person to select a gift so I stole the one I wanted – little forks, spoons & knives for appetizers that Trish bought when we were shopping together.
The weather has continued cool but we were able to stay outside in Ernie & Dianne’s carport with Dennis’ tall propane heater taking off the chill after dinner.  Dianne brought out her repeating snowman to entertain all of us “kids”.

Dec 14th – Fri
We played around with music on the computer and on our MP3 player which we haven’t used much.  We have a little speaker but the sound wasn’t very loud even with new batteries.
After a late breakfast we went grocery shopping at WINCO.  I have decided that I don’t like the store as much as the one in Spokane.  We stopped at WalMart for a couple of items before heading back.
A short time later we went to an afternoon dance (4 to 6) here at the park.  We sat with Mel & Wanda and their new neighbors Ralph & Elsie.  The band was Arizona Bop Cats which played mostly rock & roll which generally is not our favorite for dancing.  Obviously other people agreed with us as the floor was empty for a lot of songs – but it was enjoyable listening.
Neil & Robin popped in for a while as they were waiting for the weekly poker game to begin and suggested that Terry should play poker.  I came home and ate dinner that I had in the crock pot.  I was just finishing when Moe & Trish asked me to come over for a drink as they and Ernie & Dianne had just returned from a movie and were going to order a pizza.  I left a note for Terry and he joined us when he was knocked out of the poker game – he did fairly well.

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