A Rainy Day!!

I must mark this day on my calendar…it is 10:44 am, it is only 84 degrees outside,  the bright sun is NOT shining, the sky is overcast, and it is actually sprinkling some RAIN.  Hallelujah.
It was such a welcome relief to go outdoors without the triple digit blast of hot air this morning so I took a nice long cart ride around the park.  We had a little bit of wind with the “storm” last night so I went around to check all our houses.  All I found was one tipped over flower pot that was easy to fix and make sure the sprinkler hose was back in and secure.
It is so amazing to me to watch our landscape crew in action.  There is an endless plethora of trimming and weeding and sprinkler maintenance to tend.  I took a few pictures this morning to share with you readers so you realize how much work goes into keeping our park beautiful.  The bushes get whacked down in the summer so they are all perky and bounced back when our winter folks return.
 



Weeds are a major problem with all the acreage to cover.  The little spray trucks have been very busy day after day keeping troublesome growth under control. 
 
This was my favorite photo of the day as I captured this white-winged dove on our new statue by the rose garden.  
Did you know that a dove is the only bird that can drink straight from a puddle without having to tip its head back to swallow? 
Did you know that we have basically two different kinds of doves here?  The typical one is the mourning dove with its real soft cooing sound.  The white-wing dove, however, has a different call and sorta sounds like an owl.  In “people speak” it sounds like “Who cooks for you, who cooks for you” as opposed to the mourning dove that sounds like “ooahoo oo oo oo”.    Okay….stop laughing…I copied that out of  my bird book!  The mourning dove has black spots on its upper wing.  The white-wing dove has a black ring or mark by its neck, plain light gray-brown wings with a conspicuous white line along the edge of its closed wing.  It also has conspicuous white patches across the center of its wings when it flies.


Mourning Dove






White-winged dove

Park Bingo

Last night was BINGO night.  Thank you Flo Fillipi and Linda Berry for volunteering to make sure we had a good time.  Doug Welch was our caller and Ellen Fandrich did call backs.  Only 16 players showed up but that increased our odds for the excitement of getting that Bingo!  I was lucky enough to bingo THREE times but Popkorn and his gang threatened to throw me in the pool for winning so often.  (Actually it would have felt wonderful because it’s so blooming HOT outside.)

Our prizes were a roaring $4 per game but the final blackout jackpot was $33 and there was only one winner.  Congratulations Larry Burke!Big prizes or little prizes…it makes no difference.  We’re there for the camaraderie….and free popcorn!

New Shuttle Service

Need a ride to or from the airport?  Call “Casa Grande Airport Shuttle”.
Dick Guarisco sponsored our ice cream social today (thank you, Dick) and introduced the new business he is starting.  His motto is “Senior Helping Seniors”.
Dick said he didn’t care for full retirement so decided to get licensed and start driving a shuttle service to and from the Phoenix and/or Tucson airports.  Dick’s service is unique in that regardless if it is one person or a van load of people, he only charges $50.  That is a fantastic deal and I believe he is the ONLY shuttle service with that kind of bargain. 
24 hours a day, 7 days a week, pets ok, checks or cash only

CASA GRANDE AIRPORT SHUTTLE

Dick Guarisco, owner/driver

520-251-8336        

Email:  richguarisco@yahoo.com

Tell Dick you read about him on my blog!!

Rain???

We haven’t had any rain in Casa Grande since March.  We’re over a month into the “monsoon” season and haven’t seen a single storm or even a threat of one.  Ho Hum.  I suppose I should be careful what I ask for but it would be nice to get some fresh cleansing rain for a change. 
Don and I both burst out laughing at the weather report on TV last night as they were showing some streets in Phoenix that had small water puddles on the pavement.  You know you’re well into a drought when a puddle brings prime time news but at least they got a little rain up there…including one small microburst that took down a couple trees.  We could see a little flash of lightning now and then last night, but no cigar.
Our humidity and dew point are on the rise making our triple digit temps quite uncomfortable………that’s certainly typical for this time of year so can’t complain as we know that’s what we can expect if we choose to live here.  It just means that we turn to our indoor hobbies.  This is a great time to curl up with a good book or (like me) spend endless hours at my computer.  I have a plethora of fun and intriguing computer games to keep me occupied plus reading my friendly emails from you readers.  Thanks for writing!
My friend, Connie, is having a shed built on her lot so is happily out shopping for a washer & dryer.  We hopped in our cool air conditioned car yesterday and headed down to the Outlet Mall to visit the Sears Store only to find that it is closed and had a sign on the door saying they moved to 1275 Florence Blvd.  The Outlet Mall is almost empty as most of the stores have moved out. 
Oh…..more news….the Tuesday Morning store next to Beals is also closed and two of the Payday Loan stores in town are gone.
Bill Wrightson was out with his camera the other day and found a killdeer nest by the RV storage area.  The fun characteristic of the killdeer is how mama tries to sacrifice herself to lure away any predators who approach her nest as it is always out in an open area on the ground or gravel.  She flutters around as if she has a broken wing and would be easy prey while she lures predator away.  She had good cause to protect her nest that morning as the first egg just hatched.  No……Bill didn’t get too close……but he has a powerful lens to capture some great photos.

Here’s mama luring him away.

New baby just hatched that morning.

  Mom and chick the next day.

Thank you, Bill, for sharing your great photos!

It goes to show that you need the right camera to fit your hobby.  Bill has a larger camera and lens to get these wonderful bird photos.  When I try for a bird photo with my little pocket size camera, it doesn’t work as well.  Evidenced by this photo I tried to take of a road runner cruising down the street.

 

Well, that’s my news for the day.  I leave you with this parting shot of the comrades I hang out with at the pool almost every evening.  It’s how we keep cool, socialize, and enjoy the great outdoors.

The Fun Continues

This morning was our breakfast social and I am now ready for a nap.  Whew.  Too much good stuff to eat.  The park provided a breakfast casserole, orange juice, iced tea, or coffee and everyone else brought a potato dish, donuts, breads, or fresh fruit.  Everything always looks so good and we’re anxious to sample each dish which makes for a huge meal….ever so delicious.
A new Palm Creek sponsor was present to introduce herself and her services.  We welcome Daniela Thomaschaske.  Daniela has started a mobile dog grooming service called Curb Side K-9 Clips.  She gave a short introduction to describe the service she can provide to our pampered pets.  She sounds very enthusiastic, obviously loves dogs and the service she can provide, has over 10 years of grooming experience, and has a great custom built rig to work with. 
I tagged along with a couple interested dog owners who wanted to see the rig where their pups would be visiting.  Daniela’s rig was custom built for the dog grooming business.  It has a 55 gallon holding tank for fresh water and a gray water tank as well.  The rig is air conditioned plus has a window so the doggies can watch outside and see how close they are to home.  The hair dryer (or should I say fur dryer) is built in so the unit isn’t loud to scare the pups.

The standard charge is between $35 to $45 depending on the dog and/or service provided.  If she can book 3 or 4 clients on the same day here at Palm Creek, she will give each customer a $5 discount.  The people who were interested in curb side service said they liked it because their dog didn’t get locked in a cage at the groomers for several hours while waiting their turn or when “Mom” could come pick them up.    Our breakfast hosts:  Peggy, Daniela, and Linda

Cub Side K-9 Clips

Daniela Thomaschaske

520-343-5003

Construction continues

Good Morning Readers,
If you watch us on the national weather report, you’ve heard about our heat wave?  They’re calling it an Excessive Heat Advisory for the next 3-4 days with temps expected 110-115 and only cooling into the 90s by night.  Sure am glad we had our AC checked this spring so we know it’s in good working order.  Anyone care to donate to our electric bill for the month??  HA HA. 
In spite of the heat, construction on park models, room add-ons, new patios, etc continues.  I just returned from our daily housewatch duties and took a few snapshots along the way home.  I know of several other places that are under way, but these were just on the path home.  It’s HOT out there but these guys just keep plugging away.  It’s not just the construction crews out there, but the landscaping and maintenance crews are busy also.  This morning I saw them mowing the golf course, trimming bushes, fixing water lines, cleaning out the creek, and emptying the dumpsters.  That’s just the activity I saw myself so you know there’s lots of other work going on.  I salute them for their tenacity.  Gatorade anyone??
While the younger generation is out there slaving away in the heat, we retired folks stay indoors for entertainment.  This week we attended a house party compliments of Edie Pries.  She sponsored a Gold Canyon candle party at her home.  I give Edie credit for gathering all of us into her living room and still managing to seat all of us comfortably during the presentation.  If you like the Gold Canyon line of candles, you’ll have plenty of opportunity to purchase them this season at our craft fairs as Diane Kincaid will be hosting a table there each month.  Any occasion to get together in the summer is a welcome event.

Diane Kincaid giving the presentation. Edie received a nice hostess gift for sponsoring the event. Pat and Rosemary looking over samples & choosing their favorite scent. Stay tuned for other “exciting” events.  LOL

Status Report

Good Morning Readers!  Some time ago, Bill Murr gave me a tip about using a statistical counter on this blog.  Thank you, Bill, because I’ve certainly enjoyed the numbers and information the program provides.  The counter provides a map showing where each of the readers are when they log into the blog.  This is amazing!!!!  Here is proof positive that our friends and families scatter across this vast country of ours.  I also receive an email from the stat counter each week showing the number of hits.  Thought I’d share one with you so you can see activity from this past week.  I’m always happy to receive occasional emails from readers just acknowledging that they enjoy reading the blog because it makes them long to be back here in the land of sun and fun.  But….before you all pack your suitcases and scurry back here, perhaps you should see the weather forecast for this week.  You may want to wait a while till cooler temps prevail.  We’re in the “monsoon” season now (as of June 15) which means our dew point rises to 53+.  We set a record a few weeks ago with a low humidity reading of 2.  That is definitely what one would call a “dry heat”.  IF we ever get some rain for a change, that comfort level will change because you put that heat with a little humidity and you really appreciate the air conditioning.  I can’t remember the last time it rained here….sometime in winter I believe.  Our hopes for rain rose when that tropical storm hit the gulf last week but the weatherman only gave us a 30% chance….and it missed us completely.  If you read about rain in Arizona, it was NOT in Casa Grande.

Actually, I’m looking forward to witnessing another haboob.  That is not a typo….the term is truly haboob meaning sand storm.  You can bet I’ll have camera in hand when the first one arrives and will be excited to share it with you.  Just for fun….go to Google and enter “haboob”.  You’ll see some fantastic photos of the big storm that hit Phoenix last year.  It’s awesome.

In spite of the heat, our spirits do not wane.  Our lovely swimming pools here in the park serve us very well.  In fact, this being Monday, you’ll find an avid group of water volleyball players enjoying the evening.  Come on down to the main pool Monday and Thursday evenings at 6:00 for some summer time fun.  It’s not very crowded this time of year!

Thanks for being a reader…..and thank you for the occasional emails.  It is feedback from you that keeps me motivated to write.

www.sue77hepler@yahoo.com

Goodbye Matrix, Hello Dish

This notice was found in all mailboxes this morning.  Thought I’d scan it in and post it here for your information.

 

Hole In One!

I received the following email from “Popkorn” this morning so will post it here for those who know LeRoy Weaver.

“The Palm Creek Summer Sweat League Golfers are pleased to announce a temporary name change for one of our newest participants.  "Loverboy LeRoy" will be changed to "Ace Weaver."  That's right,  LeRoy had a hole-in-one on the second hole on the morning of July 8th.  You can tell by the photo that he is serious when he plays golf.  Such determination for such a new golfer (he started a month ago) is really an accomplishment!  His fellow "Sweaters" wish him the best of season's play!!!”The above post is from his loyal comrads on the links. 

Independence Day

Happy 4th of July!!!

No 4th of July would be appropriate without a picnic but when the outside temperature is 108 degrees, that picnic is held indoors.  The ballroom was a nice cool area for us today with brats, polish sausage, and LOTS of delicious side dishes and desserts.  I keep saying it over and over again, but these potluck type dinners are awesome!  We had a pretty good crowd so I took photos of a number of tables hoping you’ll find some familiar faces.

View Full Album

The palm tree I bragged about a few days ago is now looking pretty shaggy.  Flower blossoms have fallen making our driveway and the streets  look like a white snowstorm.  Bottom branches are dying and hanging down as the trees grow taller.  I’ll post another update when the yearly pruning starts. 

Don and I went to eat at Olive Garden last night and had to laugh as we approached the restaurant.  With the sun shining directly at the entrance, you’ll notice dinner napkins wrapped around the door handles since they get too hot to touch!  Welcome to Arizona!

Donuts or Exercise??

There was a very small crowd at the coffee and donuts session this morning.  The only full table present were the same group of characters we usually run into on the golf course.

Jim and Rex were in the kitchen “helping Diane”??  They were in charge of making sure we didn’t have too many donuts left over.The gals evidently opted to have fresh air and exercise this morning as I spotted this group at water aerobics in the north pool.

 

Have a GREAT day!

 

 

Still having fun

Summer has arrived.  Triple digits are here every day and it only cools down to the 80s by night.  I can still ride my bike in the EARLY morn and, of course, the swimming pool (although the water is quite warm) is still available in evenings.

That doesn’t dampen our spirits, however, as there are still fun things to do indoors.  Yesterday afternoon was an ice cream social.  I thought group photos would get dull after a while but I hear back from so many readers that its always nice to see who is in attendance.  Thus, I took more photos of us “desert rats” who stay here through summer.

It’s always nice to remember those who help set up the events.

After our ice cream treats, many of us gals head over to the San Tan room to play cards for the afternoon.  The game of choice is usually ponytail canasta….why so named, I shall never know.  Billie Huntley(seated at center) is our fearless leader, source of inspiration, and ever vigilant score keeper.   Thank you, Billie, for keeping this rowdy crew under control.