Still dancing at 98

August 22, 2017. Tuesday

At 8:30 we all went to Line Dance Class where Jewel explained we had to walk 12 laps around the gym, 1/2 mile. We had to walk 6 laps one way and turn and walk 6 laps the other way. She is afraid if she does not walk this way one leg will be longer than the other and she is serious!

After Line Dance we went to lunch and then Natalie and I went back to the duplex while Duffey and his mother attended to some business. 

It was 109 in the morning and got 117 by the afternoon. When it was 109 Natalie and I ventured out and walked a mile to CVS because grandma was out of toilet paper! It was like walking in an oven and we each drank 2 bottles of water! Not our idea of a pleasant place to live!

When Duf and Grandma got home we took a sightseeing ride around town.

Sun City here we come

August 21, 2017

We spent the day getting ready to fly to Phoenix, AZ to visit Duffey’s 97 1/2 year old mother. She lives in a duplex in Sun City and attends line dance class twice a week where she is the membership chairman and has been for 20 years. 

This was my first time flying with my new Pacemaker/Defibrillator and I was not sure how it would work. I showed my card and instead of going through the x-rays I was taken to a room and given a thorough pat down. It was not a big deal and I moved on to the plane.

We arrived at the Mesa airport from the Rockford airport around 8:30 PM and went to get our rental car. They stated they were out of cars and only had a truck left. I tried to explain that a truck would not work for us because we would be driving Duf’s mother, Jewel, around, but they insisted it was all they had left, even though we had reserved a mid size car. So we did not want to waste anymore time so we took the truck and spent the week helping Jewel in and out of the truck that did not even have a running board.

The irony is that there was a line behind us and while we were loading our stuff in the truck the couple behind us said how lucky we were to get a truck because that is what they wanted and they got a car. Of course they would not let us trade.

We finally arrived at Jewel’s house around 10:30 and went to bed.

Crafts

Crafting

I must be bored these last few days because I am coming up with some craft ideas to entertain myself.

My cork dog:

 My golf ball dog:

Hmmmm do I want a dog?

The Door

Our daughter, Natalie, is a dog groomer and they are moving their salon to the newly vacated and much larger area next door to where they are now. They want a rustic theme and a friend of ours had given Natalie some barn wood for projects. So the project begins:

Natalie decided they should have an entry area for checking in dogs and then a half door to let the dogs pass into the salon area. The door needed to be very sturdy and only swing inward so if a dog jumps against it, when it’s owner comes to pick it up, the door will not open allowing dogs to get out. Their salon allows dogs to walk around and play so they are not kept in cages barking and crying while they are there. It is like a play date and grooming all in one. 

All of this makes the door very important because they do not want any dogs to leave the area unattended and get hurt.

Philip, her boyfriend, and Duffey have worked every night for a week on this door. The funny part about this is that we are retired and Duf does his projects during the day BUT Phil works so the project work does not begin until about 7:30 PM, which if you know Duffey, this is about a half hour before his bedtime! Phil and Natalie are also hungry for dinner around 8 so the work stops for a bit, I don't like this part because it means I am cooking and have a dirty kitchen to clean up at 8:30.

Around 10 each night I hear Duf out there asking Phil if they are finished for the night or don't you ever sleep or I’ll finish this tomorrow before you get here. Phil is diligent and he just keeps working and laughing at and with Duf. Work usually stops around 11PM!

They have had a great time working on this door and finished up last night. Everyone was so happy. Duf was happy cause he can now go to bed when he desires. I am happy cause my kitchen is usually closed by 5:30! Phil is happy because he made an amazing door and will install it tomorrow. Natalie is happy because she got her amazing door and used the barn wood she had stored into our garage and Duf will quit asking her what she is going to do with it!

Fishing

August 14, 2017

Duf was so excited to go fishing this day because the waves were less than one foot, but he could not find anyone to go with him. I did not want him to go alone so on Sunday I purchased my fishing license. The young clerk tried to be tactful when he asked if I wanted a regular license or a senior citizen one. HA So my license, plus the MI salmon tag, cost $14.00.

We left home around 4:00 AM and were in the water around 5:45 AM. The water on Lake MI was smooth as glass so we jetted out to 135 feet of water. Duf got all the lines in the water and I drove the boat. On the radio all the reports were that the fish were very hard to catch. About an hour later the fish began to bite. 

Duf got a large one right up to the boat, but my netting skills were lacking so we lost the salmon. Soon after he hooked another and reeled it almost to the boat, gave me the pole to finish reeling, and he netted the huge fish. Success, a large salmon in the boat!

Things slowed for about 30 minutes and then another one hit. I fought this one and it was quite a fight. At one point Duf had to assist with the reeling because my arms were turning to spaghetti! Duf netted this monster that weighed over 20 pounds! 

Two boats in the area came near us so Duf could hold it up for them to see. Fishing was slow and they were quite impressed!

We stayed out a bit longer, but all reports were that the fish had quit biting so we decided to call it a day! At the cleaning station people were coming to view our monster!

Artesian Well

We found it!!! I heard about Artesian wells two years ago from my sister-by-law, Kay, and have since been on a quest to locate one. We took a motorhome trip with Carole and Jerry and we each selected things we wanted to see in the various states we entered. My selection was Artesian wells and to drink from each. I had a web site that listed the locations and we searched for each well only to be told someone had purchased the land and it was no longer a public place or that no one had any idea what I was talking about. We searched for many and found zero!

There was one listed in Ft Myers very near where we stay for the winter. When we arrived in FL Duf and I went to find it so we could finally take Carole and Jerry to see and taste this water. We found it and it is now located in an expensive spa and used as bath water, no drinking it! Dang!

Today, August 11, 2017 we located and drank from our first Artesian Well! Duf and I drove to Dousman, WI and there along a back road we located our first Artesian Well! The water ran out cool and sweet and we drank it! We brought gallon jugs with us and filled them with this amazing water so we could drink it at home!

Today Duf made our coffee with our Artesian water and it made our coffee delicious! 

We are saving our gallon containers so we can fill them and take them to TN for our friends and fellow travelers to taste!!

Fishing

Duffey took Cheryl and Diane out to 295 feet deep water on Lake MI to fish for salmon. It was a great day with small waves and they caught very large salmon and very red sunburns!

 Cheryl would reel the fish in BUT she would not touch them!!

Baby Shower

On July 30, Natalie and Beth gave Katie a baby shower at the beautiful Boerner Garden House in Hales Corner, WI. We had great food, many laughs, fun games and Katie & Duffey received amazing gifts for their baby!
It was unplanned that Natalie, Cathy and I all arrived with similar tops! Unplanned dressing alike is something that Mulligans are famous for doing when they get together! I will not have many pictures to post until Jodi returns home and is able to get them to me!

 Marlyn, Katie's mother, made this darling diaper and toy cake for the baby. It was beautiful and very creative!

 The food and drink had a blue theme because we will be having a Grandson!!