Casa Grande, Arizona

We arrived at our home in the early afternoon of November 2.  I was so excited to be here.  I love being on the road, but love our home and community here also.  I could not wait to get settled and get reacquainted with friends.

First we carried in everything we needed for the house, including all of the things I had brought back from Minnesota.  I was anxious to add my own touch of decorating plus Christmas items but I had to make myself wait.  While I started making the house presentable, Dave continued to empty the 5th wheel, putting all “rig” belongings into our Arizona room and shop.

We also checked out the back yard.  Dave had removed two of the Bougainvillea last spring but the two that remained plus the fig tree took over the entire small space.  These would have to be dealt with quickly or Boo would not have a bathroom spot.

Our first two weeks here were very busy. First, Dave removed the and fig tree. There is much more space in the back yard now. Even though Boo used this space last year, she has gotten used to using the front yard so far this year and is being stubborn. GRRRRRRR

Also, because we have a home and do not have to carry all of our belongings, we decided to swap out rigs which also meant swapping out vehicles. Instead of a 5th wheel trailer, we are now the proud owners of a Super C. Instead of a Big Ass truck, as my grandson calls it, we now own a jeep. Neither are new but we feel we made good deals.

Now Dave has been busy working on everything needed for a tow package for the jeep. He has gotten good deals. The final part is to have the actual front bar installed which will be done mid January. He did everything else himself.

We have been enjoying a warmer than usual Arizona December and January by having Bloody Mary’s outside and having some pool time, although not as much of that as we would like. Being retired is BUSY!!!! We spend time with the neighbors, playing cards, going on walks, coffee and donuts on Saturdays, Mexican Train on Sundays, Karaoke on Wednesdays and sometimes Bingo on Mondays. I have been busy working on the monthly news letter, the Divot that I took over editing last April. Dave has been working on our new patio. We have even gone to the Airport Bar a couple of times.

It was fun to finally have a Christmas tree. We bought a beautiful tree at Hobby Lobby that had many light options, pine cones and a little bit of frost. We decorated it in blues and silver. Then, I added all of my snowmen around the house and oh my, it sure was beautiful!!!

We went out with Patty Kearney and her husband Gary a couple of times in December. One time was to tour a house that was decorated top to bottom for Christmas. It is hard to imagine without seeing it. The woman takes 2 months to put it together every year and allows free tours through her home.

A few days later we toured an outdoor area that has tremendous lighting. We also went to a parade.

We even took some time off from all of our work one day and went Jeeping. Oh my. That was a wild day. We started with our traditional picnic lunch then off to the races! We forgot our maps and did not have the trails app loaded yet and found ourselves on some trails we really should not have been on but it was fantastic!!!

I chaired the community Christmas dinner this year. Dave and I decided to try a way of serving buffet style that we had seen in another campground where everyone got to stand at one time and go through food lines at the same time. Because this is a larger group, we had to make some modifications but it went very well. I also did random assigned seating. I was a little nervous about that but for the most part, it went over well. The dinner was a great success!

We attended the community New Year’s Eve dance and had an awesome time. It is fun to get really dressed up sometimes.

I decided to run for Activities President and to keep my Divot responsibilities. Dave was not too excited at first but I think he is getting excited about it now. I am pretty sure I will get the position and will know for sure in early February. The trick will be to make sure the job is covered while we are gone but I have a friend, Sonia Sheridan who will be my helper. Dave and I are working our summer travels around both jobs.

We had our first dinner party shortly after the first of the year. Patty and Gary were invited but were sick. We also invited Joyce and Phil from the corner because they are selling their home and moving. We may never see them again. Judy and Jack from next door replaced Patty and Gary. We spent 6 hours playing Pegs & Jokers, then eating Hoppin John. It was successful and great fun.